History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 24

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1576

USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I > Part 24

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Shortly after the attack upon the Narragansett fort, December 19th, the remnant of that tribe, of which about five hundred were reputed "stout war- riors," abandoned their homes. Late in January they joined the Quabaugs and Nashaways in their winter-quarters. The snow lay deep in the woods and the weather had been of unwonted severity, but before the close of the month a thaw suddenly swept away the snow, and the country became again passa- ble. Philip, with his feeble following, seems to have lost that importance as a military leader which tradition has persisted in attributing to him, and had become at best only an artful political general ; mali- ciously instigating animosities, but never appearing in the fight, and often overruled in council. Quana- paug reported the fighting men at Menameset to be "the Nipmuk Indians, the Quabaug Indians, the Pacachooge Indians, the Weshakum and Nashaway Indians." The accession of the Narragansetts more than doubled the force, and a part of them partici- pated in the raid upon Lancaster, which was led by Shoshanim and Monoco, of Nashaway, Muttaump, of Quabaug, Quinnapin, a Narragansett sachem, bro- ther-in-law of Philip, and probably Pakashoag and Matoonas, of the Nipmucks. The unqualified state- ment made by Rev. Timothy Harrington, in his Century Sermon, that Philip was present at the burning of Lancaster with fifteen hundred men, it must be said, wholly lacks the support of any con- temporary authority. Sewall in his diary speaks of Maliompe (alias of Muttaump) as "the general at Lancaster;" and some slight deference may have been paid to that sachem by the others to ensure concert of action ; but Sagamore Sam and Monoco doubtless planned the attack. From his prominence in the subsequent correspondence with the authorities

LANCASTER.

and the price set upon his head, it is evident that in popular estimation, Shoshanim was at least second devil, Philip being first.

Awakened to the emergency, Major Gookin has- tened to consult with his neighbor, Thomas Danforth, a member of the Council, and a post-rider was at once despatched to order what soldiers there were stationed at Concord and Marlborough to the aid of Lancaster. About forty men, the company of Cap- tain Wadsworth, were on duty at the latter place. Upon the arrival of the messenger at break of day, Thursday, February 10th, this little force, under their gallant commander, marched immediately for Lancaster Bridge, ten miles distant. They reached it to find the planks removed so as effectually to prevent the passage of horsemen-the river being unfordable at that season ; but the troopers did not arrive to be of assistance. Captain Wadsworth forced his way over, and, avoiding an ambush laid on the main road, safely marched by another route to the garri- son-house of Cyprian Stevens, near the North Bridge, and only a rifle-shot distant from the minister's.

The assault of the savages was made at sunrise, and simultaneously in five places. The people were nearly all in shelter of the feebly fortified garrison- houses. John Ball, who had for some reason re- mained in his own dwelling, was butchered together with his wife and an infant; and two older children were carried away captive. Though the position of Ball's house is not exactly known, it was probably on the George Hill range. At John Prescott's, his grandson, Ephraim Sawyer, was killed. Of the gar- rison of Richard Wheeler, which was in South Lan- caster, five were slain : Richard Wheeler, Jonas Fair- banks, Joshua Fairbanks, Henry Farrar and another unknown. The first three were shot by Indians, who climbed upon the roof of the barn and could thence fire down over the palisades. The other two were waylaid while out of the garrison upon some errand.

But the chief slaughter was at the central garrison, that of the minister. For about two hours the sav- ages heset this house in overwhelming numbers, pouring bullets upon it "like hail," and wounding several of its defenders, among whom was the com- mander, Ensign John Divoll. Unfortunately there was no stockade about the house and its rear flanker was unfinished and useless. The besiegers were therefore able, without much exposure, to push a cart loaded with flax and hemp from the barn, up against a lean-to in the rear, and fire it. One heroic man rushed out and extinguished the kindling flames ; but a renewal of the attempt succeeded, and soon the inmates of the burning house had to choose between death by fire and the merciless rage of the yelling demons that stood in wait for them without. There were forty-two persons in the dwelling accord- ing to the best contemporary authorities, of whom twelve were men. By some marvel of daring or speed or strategy, Ephraim Roper burst through the

horde of savages and escaped. Eleven men were killed, and the women and children that survived this day of horrors were dragged away captive.

We gather our knowledge of the incidents of the massacre and captivity mostly from the pions narra- tive of Mrs. Rowlandson, first printed in 1682. No literary work of its period in America can boast equal evidence of enduring popular favor with this of a comparatively uneducated Lancaster woman; and very few books in any age or tongue have been hon- ored with more editions, if we except the imagina- tive masterpieces of inspired genius. Mrs. Rowland- son states that there were thirty-seven in the house, and that twenty-four were carried captive, twelve were slain and one escaped. It is probable that she omits five soldiers casually stationed in the garrison. Sbe gives no names and a full list of the victims can- not now be made. The following includes all that are known :

Killed in Rowlandson Garrison.

Ensigo John Divoll.

Josiah Divoll, son of John, aged 7.

Daniel Gaine.

Abraham Joslin, aged 26.

John MacLoud.

Thomas Rowlandson, nephew of the minister, eged 19.

John Kettle, aged 36.

John Kettle, Jr.

Joseph Kettle, 800 of John, aged 10.

Mrs Elizabeth Kerley, wife of Lieut. Ilenry.

William Kerley, son of Lieut. IIenry, aged 17.

Joseph Kerley, do.,

aged 7.

MIrs Priscilla Roper, wife of Ephraim.

Priscilla, child of Ephraim, aged 3.

Carried Captive from Rowlandson Garrison.

Mrs Mary Rowlandson, wife of the minister, ransomed.

Mary Rowlandson, daughter of the minister, aged 10. ransomed.

Sarah Rowlandson, do., aged 6, wounded & died Feb. 18.

Joseph Rowlandson, son of the minister, aged 13, ransomed.

Mrs Hannah Divoll, wife of Ensign John, ransonied.

John Divoll, son of Eosigo Johu, aged 12, died captive ?

William Divoll, do., aged 4, ransomed.

Hannah Divoll, danghter of do., aged 9, died captive ?

Mrs Ann Joslin, wife of Abraham, killed in captivity.

Beatrice Joslin, dangliter of Abraham, do.

Joseph Joslin, brother of Abraham, aged 16.

Henry Kerley, son of Lieut. Henry, aged 18.

Hannah Kerley, daughter of do., aged 13.

Mary Kerley, do.,

aged 10.

Martha Kerley, do.,

aged 4.

A child Kerley, name & age unknown.

Mrs Elizabeth Kettle, wife of John, ransomed.

Sarah Kettle, daughter of John, aged 14, escaped.

Jonathan Kettle, son of John, aged 5.

A child Kettle, daughter do. Ephraim Roper alone escaped during the assault.

One of Wadworth's soldiers, George Harrington, was slain near Prescott's Mills, a few days later, and John Roper fell on the day the town was abandoned. As the total casualties by reliable authorities were fifty-five, the names of seven sufferers remain un- known. The other garrisons made successful resis- tance, and the Indians, after plundering and burn- ing most of the abandoned houses, withdrew with their terror-stricken prisoners to the summit of

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

George Hill, and passed that night in triumphal orgies, cooking and feasting on the spoils of the farm-yards and storehouses. "This," writes Mrs. Rowlandson, "was the dolefullest night that ever my eyes saw. Oh, the roaring and singing, and dancing and yelling of those black creatures in the night, which made the place a lively resemblance of hell." By Saturday afternoon most of the blood-stained crew were again in their camps at Menameset.

The mounted companies arrived the next day, and drove away the skulkers engaged in plunder, The minister and Captain Kerly returned in time to as- sist in burying the mangled and charred relics of their dead relatives and neighbors. Those of the in- habitants who had a place of retreat in the seaward towns and means to remove, soon fled, and those who were forced to remain behind crowded into the strong garrisons of Thomas Sawyer and Cyprian Stevens. With them were eighteen soldiers. Thence they sent forth, March 11th, an eloquently pitiful ap- peal to the Governor and Council for help to re- move to a place of safety.

On March 26th, Major Willard sent a troop of forty horsemen, with carts, who carried the sur- vivors and some portion of their goods and provi- sions to Concord. The buildings not before de- stroyed were soon after burned by the Indians, two only being left standing in the town-presumably those of Butler and Moore, npon Wataquadock.

The valley of the Nashua, blood-stained and dis- figured by fire-blackened ruins, lay desolate, and so remained during four years. The quick succeeding raids of the stealthy foe spread dismay even to the sea-coast throughout the English plantations. No outlying town bnt experienced their barbarity, and several were abandoned. The contest, oae of racial antipathy, was now mutually recognized as for ex- istence. In the knowledge of the horrors of defeat, the white men fought with the courage of despera- tion, and soon learned to meet the cunning tactics of the savages with superior wiles. The Indians, un- able to procure a regular supply of food, and often nearly starved, were gathered into villages on both sides of the Connecticut a few miles above North- field. Early in April the head sachem of the Nar- ragansetts, Canonchet, whose controlling genius held together the incongruous alliance of rival tribes, was fortunately captured and put to death. Distrust and jealousy soon began their work, and a few days later Philip was on his way with the Nashaways to their hunting-grounds abont Wachnsett. Quinnapin ac- companied him, with a portion of the Narragansetts, and with him was Mrs. Rowlandson, his prisoner, the servant of Weetamoo, one of his three wives. A ma- jority of the Nipmucks and Quabangs soon joined them.

Messengers were sent to Wachusett by the authori- ties at Boston to negotiate for the redemption of the captives aud especially Mrs. Rowlandson. Philip

fiercely opposed any bargaining with the English, but his blood-thirsty counsels no longer found listening ears. Some of the prisoners had fallen under the tomahawk, and others had succumbed to exposure and starvation. Most of the survivors were freed during May, for a stipulated ransom. The Nashaway sagamore, though yet far from humble, was evidently tired of hostilities. If we may believe his own letter to the Governor, he even journeyed to the villages of the river Indians to recover certain captives there. In his absence, Captain Henchman, under the guid- ance of Tom Dublet, an Indian scout, surprised a party of thirty-six Indians fishing at Washacum, of whom he killed seven and captured the others. The prisoners were mostly women and children, and among them were the wives and sons of Shoshanim and Muttanmp. After this stroke of ill fortune, the proud boasting of the sagamores was turned to ser- vile supplication. Philip and Qninnapin, fearing treachery, fled to their own land.

Early in September, the harassed and repentant chiefs, Shoshanim, Monoco and Muttaump, worn ont with privatiou and trusting to some alleged promise of pardon from the Council, surrendered themselves and their men at Cocheco. September 26th, the three sagamores with others were hanged at Boston. Their wives and children, with other undistinguished captives, were sold as slaves and shipped to the Ber- mudas. The score or two of the Nashaways that may have escaped or were allowed to go free joined the Pennacooks. The Indian who captured Hannah Dustin, in 1697, and was killed by her, was one who had lived in Lancaster. A few who had embraced Christianity, like Quanapang and George Tahanto, . probably dwelt at Natick. The tribal history of the Nashaways had reached its finis.

CHAPTER III.

LANCASTER-(Continued.)

The Resettlement-French and Indian Raids-The Garrisons-New Meeting- house-The Additional Grant-Early School-masters-Lovewell's War- Worcester County Formed-Birth of Harvard, Bolton and Leominster -- Dieges of Carthagena and Louisbourg -- The Conquest of Canada.

THE Lancaster exiles were widely scattered as they sought refuge with relatives and friends in the Bay towns. Many of them, so soon as bullet and gallows had avenged their slain kindred and made return possible, looked with longing towards their farms, or- chards and gardens, purchased so dearly with years of toil and anxiety, and final blood sacrifice. But first shelter had to be built and leave of court ob- tained ; for the re-occupation of a deserted town, by an order of General Court, was placed in the same class with new plantations, requiring preliminary petition aud the appointment of a fatherly committee

LANCASTER.

to view, and hear, and consider, and order, and enjoin obedience to, a form and manner of resettlement. Probably some buildings were erected and some of the proprietors were upon their lands when John Prescott, with two of his sons, his two sons-in-law, Thomas Sawyer and John Rugg, his grandson, Thomas Sawyer, Jr., and Thomas Wilder, John Moore and Josiah White, sent to the court their pe- tition, in 1679, asking for a committee that they might, together with others, speedily "proceed to set- tle the place with comfort and encouragement." The committee were appointed and, although no record of their conclusions is known to exist, births in Lancas- ter were recorded during 1679 and 1680. In 1681 seventeen or eighteen families had returned and peti- tioned for exemption from "country rates " success- fully.

Their minister was not with them. In April, 1677, Mr. Rowlandson had accepted liberal offers from Wethersfield, and was settled as colleague to Rev. Gershom Bulkeley. In that office he died, aged forty- seven years, November 24, 1678, "much lamented." In December, 1681, John Prescott, the founder and the oldest inhabitant of the town, died. The meet- ing-house having been burned during or after the destruction of the town, a new one was built upon the same site, probably in 1684. Among the new- comers was Samuel Carter, a graduate of Harvard College in 1660, who bought the Kerly homestead on George Hill, and probably served the people as teacher and minister for a time, but accepted a call to Groton in 1692. His sons continued in Lancaster, and the family so multiplied that the Carters soon rivaled the Wilders and Willards in the town census. William Woodrop and Edward Oakes also temporarily preached here, but there was no regular pastor until December 3, 1690, when John Whiting, a Harvard graduate of 1685, was ordained, after preaching on probation for nine months.

Upon the revolutionary deposition of Andros by the people, in 1689, the magistrates and other prominent gentlemen of the colony recommended the towns to send instructed delegates to form an Assembly and assume the responsibility of reorganizing the govern- ment until orders should be received from England. Lancaster's action in response was the election of Ralph Houghton as representative, instructed to favor the re-assumption of government by the Governor and assistants elected in 1686. This seems to have been the last public service of Ralph Houghton for the town. He spent the declining years of life with a son in Milton, where he died in 1705. At his departure the most able man of affairs in the town was John Houghton, second of the name, and upon him the duties of town clerk devolved.

Soon the horrors of Indian warfare again menaced the frontier, and a general retreat of the inhabitants was imminent, when a special act was passed forbid- ding removal from outlying towns under severe pen-

alty. One of the towns named in the act was Lan- caster. Some hunters, in April, 1692, reported seeing about three hundred Indians in the neighborhood of Wachusett, and they were suspected of hostile designs. By day or night mothers grew pale at every half-heard cry of bird or beast, imagining it the death-shriek of a dear one, or the dread war-whoop of the savage. The able-bodied men and boys had to delve all day in the planting season, or expect to starve the next winter, and their unintermitting toil ill fitted them to watch every second night, as they were obliged to do in garrison. If they remained in their unfortified houses they were exposed to worse than death in case of an attack. But they could hope for little help from the Bay towns.

There were now eight garrisons in Lancaster :-- Josiah White's, of ten men, upon the east side of the Neck ; Philip Goss', nine men, near the North River bridge; Thomas Sawyer's, eleven men, in central South Lancaster; Nathaniel Wilder's, eight men, at the old trucking-house site on George Hill; Ephraim Roper's, seven men, a little to the north of Wilder's; Lieut. Thomas Wilder's, thirteen men, on, the Old Common; Ensign John Moore's, eight men, on Wata- quadock ; Henry Willard's, eight men, at Still River. These embraced fifty families, and indicate a popula- tion of about two hundred and seventy-five.

July 18, 1692, a small band of Indians surprised the family of Peter Joslin, on the west side of the Neck, while he was absent in the field, killed Mrs. Sarah Joslin, Mrs. Hannah Whitcomb and three young children, and took away as prisoners Elizabeth Howe, the sister of Mrs. Joslin, and Peter Joslin, aged about six years. The boy was butchered in the wilder- ness. Elizabeth, a girl of sixteen years, when the Indians approached the house, was singing at the spinning-wheel, and tradition says escaped the fate of her sister because of her captors' admiration for her song. She was ransomed from Canada after four years of captivity.

For several years the townspeople lived in a state of continual "watch and ward," plowing, sowing and reaping in fear of the skulking, relentless foe. There were occasional alarms, the garrisons were strength- ened at great expense of labor, and in them the whole community huddled together for defence at every rumor of danger. The town became very much im- poverished, and the General Court allowed them twenty pounds "for encouragement," October 20, 1694. One Sabbath, in the autumn of 1695, Abraham Wheeler, when on his way from Sawyer's garrison to his own house near the river, was mortally wounded by an Indian lying in wait for him. September 11, 1697, in the forenoon, when the men were many of them in their fields or at their own houses, and the garrison gates were open, a band of savages who had been lurking in the woodland watching for a favorable opportunity, made a sudden dash upon the western portion of the settlement. Their plan had been to

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

first carry by assault the garrison of Thomas Sawyer, but as they were preparing to rush upon it, Jabez Fairbank galloped at full speed into the gate coming from his own house, and the Indians, supposing that they were discovered-though such was not the fact- turned their attack upon those in the fields and defenceless houses. They surprised the families of Ephraim Roper, the widow John Rugg, Jonathan Fairbank, John Scate and Daniel Hudson, murdering capturing or wounding nearly every member of them, and burning their houses and barns. Meeting the minister, Rev. John Whiting, at a distance from the garrison, they attempted to take him captive, but "he chose rather to fight to the last," and was slain and scalped. Ephraim Roper's was a strongly garrisoned house, and that of Daniel Hudson was fortified. The killed numbered nineteen, the captives eight, five of whom ultimately returned ; two others wounded, re- covered. Capt. Thomas Brown with fifty men pursued the enemy for two days, during which they came upon the mangled corpse of one of the captured women, probably Joanna or Elizabeth Hudson, whom the retreating savages had slain.

Utterly disheartened, the people in their new dis- tress appealed for exemption from taxes, aid to pro- cure a minister and the help of soldiers in their gar- risons. They were given only twenty pounds. As temporary preachers, John Robinson, Samuel Whit- man and John Jones served them in the pulpit, and in May, 1701, Mr. Andrew Gardner, a Harvard grad- uate of 1696, was invited to preach. The following September he accepted an invitation to become their settled pastor. Before this the minister's salary had been in part paid by an annual assessment of ten shillings upon each original home-lot. As these lots were many of them abandoned, and the rule in other respects bore unequally upon the proprietors, the Leg- islature, upon petition, ordered the levying of their church rate upon all inhabitants in the same way as other taxes.

The regular garrisons in 1704 were eleven in num- ber, and their location and the number of their fam- ilies mark a very important change in the growth of the town. As one bloody raid after another strewed the slope of George Hill with ruins, the fact that in a military sense the east side of the rivers was much the more secure from surprise, and the most defensible, became obvious ; and thither the increase in popula- tion tended. The garrisons on the Neck were : Ser- geant Josiah White's, seven men ; Ensign Peter Jos- lin's, nine men. Those on the west side were : Rev. Andrew Gardner's, nine men ; Lieut. Nathaniel Wil- der's, on George Hill, seven men ; and John Pres- cott's, four men, at the corn-mill. East of the rivers were : At Bride Cake Plain (now the Old Common), Capt. Thomas Wilder's, fifteen men. Upon Wataqua- dock and eastward: John Moore's, nine men ; Josiah Whetcomb's, eight men ; Gamaliel Beman's, eight men. At Still River: Simon Willard's, twelve men.

At Bare Hill: John Priest's, ten men. There were seventy-six families, indicating a population of about four hundred and twenty-five, of which two-thirds lived on the east side of the rivers. The only inn- keeper was Nathaniel Wilder, who had for twenty years been "licensed to sell beer, ale, cider, rum, etc."

In the summer of 1704 a large force of French and Indians, under "Monsieur Boocore," who had de- signed the destruction of Northampton, finding that place prepared, became disorganized. A portion re- turned to Canada, but about four hundred determined upon a raid eastward. On Monday, July 31st, early in the morning, this force made a furious onslaught upon Lancaster, and first, as usual, upon the George Hill garrisons. The brave Lieutenant Nathaniel Wilder was here mortally wounded. Re-inforcements from Marlborough and other towns, under Captains William Tyng and Thomas Howe, promptly came, and the enemy were finally driven off with considerable loss. Besides Lieut. Wilder, threesoldiers-Abraham Howe, Benjamin Hutchins and John Spaulding-were killed. A French officer of note among the assailants was also slain, "which so exasperated their spirits that in revenge they fired the Meeting-house, killed several cattle and burned many out-houses." Four dwellings at least were destroyed-those of Ephraim Wilder, Samuel Carter and Thomas Ross upon George Hill, and that of Philip Goss near the meeting-house and upon the same site as the Rowlandson garrison de- stroyed in 1676.

Hostile bands continued to prowl about the frontier towns during the summer and autumn, occasionally scalping some unfortunate victim. During the alarm after one of these murders a pitiful accident deprived Lancaster of her third minister. On Thursday, Octo- ber 26th, in the night, Samuel Prescott-being the sentinel on duty at the garrisoned house of Rev. An- drew Gardner, walking his beat within the stockade -suddenly saw a man " coming down out of the upper flanker," and having challenged him twice and re- ceiving no reply, he fired upon him, in his surprise supposing him to be "an Indian enemy." To his own grief and horror, as well as that of the whole community, it was found that he had mortally wounded the minister, who had gone up into the watch-tower over the flanker to keep guard by himself, probably in distrust of the wakefulness of the sentinels, who had been scouting in the woods all day. The following May, Rev. John Prentice began his ministry in Lancaster, and on December 4, 1705, married the widow of his predecessor. He was not ordained until March 29, 1708. For nearly two years the Sabbath exercises were held at the parsonage, there being no meeting-house.

October 15, 1705, the savages again invaded the town. There were at this date two saw-mills in Lan- caster, Thomas Sawyer, Jr., having, in 1698 or 1699, built one upon Dean's-now called Goodridge's- Brook, at the existing dam near the Deer's-horn's

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 24

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) Publication date: 1889 Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1576

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1576