USA > Maine > Cumberland County > History of Cumberland Co., Maine > Part 96
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Among the first acts of hostility ou the Maine frontier was the attack upon Saco, and the killing of Robert Nichols and his wife, at their homes on the south side of Dunstan, in time of wheat harvest (middle of September), 1675. About the same time the news of the inhuman murder of the Wakely family on the eastern side of the " Presumpscot," spread among the settlements. ( Lieut. George Ingersoll, of " Casco," who was the first to visit that scene of horror, had during these troublesome times frequent communication with Black Point.) October 12th, Andrew Alger, of Dunstan, was killed, and his brother Ar- thur was mortally wounded. One deposition says, " Their families, and their children and their families, were drove off, their houses and barns were burnt, their cattle killed, and the chief of all they had was destroyed " During the later part of the autumn of 1675, news of savage attacks upon the settlements, east and west, came in rapid succession.
We learn from Scottow's Journal that, about the last of October, forty Boston soldiers were added to the foree at Black Point. Capt. Joshua Seottow was in command, and Black Point garrison was the headquarters of " ye Maine Guard." October 31st, Capt. John Wincoll with sixty men was sent up to Dunstan to save corn and fight the In- dians. November 2d, in the afternoon, twenty-nine of the inhabitants, while threshing grain, were nearly surrounded by seventy or eighty Indians. They were relieved by a force under Sergt. Tippin. At this time Capt. Scottow seemed to have been extremely anxious to destroy the " barbarous enemy," and evidently expected a fight with a large force of Indians near Andrew Brown's house (across
the marsh from Dunstan). But the Indians, choosing a different mode of warfare, " fell to burning houses, barns, hay-stacks, and all before them," thus leaving nothing for the soldiers to defend. November 6th, Capt. Wincoll with a force " went up the Nonesuch" to secure eorn left in the deserted houses and barns on the northeast side of the town. They had two skirmishes with the enemy. Samuel Ryall, one of the Boston soldiers, was mortally wounded. Early on Sunday morning, November 7th, the enemy burned houses and barns; they ventured near Sheldon's garrison and burned eight or nine houses. As soon as the fires were discovered the soldiers and inhabitants at Black Point gar- rison hastened towards Sheldon's garrison, which was above musket-shot of the burning houses. Their advance was hindered by the tide, which had overflowed the road and bridge. As soon as they could pass they " scour" the town towards the northeast. On their way they met Lieut. In- gersoll with twelve Casco men who came to "joyn" them, but they found no enemy. Early next morning Lieut. Ingersoll, with 60 men, went up to Saco Falls, but they found no enemy in that direction. Probably the main force of the Indians left this vicinity immediately after firing the houses on Sunday morning. That was the clos- ing scene of the Indian depredations for the season. They had burned nearly all the buildings in the town, had feasted upon the erops and cattle of the provident settlers, and now that cold weather was upon them they hastened away.
In the spring of 1676 the settlers had hopes of peace ; the Boston soldiers no longer needed were "put to march- ing home by land." The death of King Philip and the conclusion of peace between the settlers and Indians in Massachusetts, in August, encouraged their hopes, but about the same time came the sad news of fresh outbreaks to the eastward. August 11th, a messenger from Falmouth came to Black Point begging for assistance. He brought a brief letter from Mr. Burroughs, the minister, which gave an account of 32 killed and carried away by the Indians. August 12th, Mr. Jocelyn sent the letter to Brian Pendleton at Saco. So all the settlements were again alarmed.
In October a strong force of the enemy, led by " Mugg," laid siege to Black Point garrison. Jocelyn parleyed with Mugg; the inhabitants retreated in boats, and left Jocelyn and the garrison in possession of the enemy. So ou Oet. 12, 1676 ( just one year from the attack on the Algers), Old Searboro', that previous to the troubles was a flourish- ing town, with various settlements, several hundred inhab- itants, quite a number of farms, 100 houses, 1000 head of cattle, etc., was entirely abandoned, its buildings burned, and its farms desolate.
During the winter of 1676-77, Mugg was constrained to make a treaty, and peace was considered certain. The settlers returned to Black Point. But peace with these savages was only a treacherous name for war. Early in May a large force of Indians, commanded by the same " Mugg," laid siege to Black Point garrison. Three of the defenders were killed, and one, more unfortunate still, was taken prisoner. May 16th, Mugg was shot by Lieut. Tippin, and immediately the enemy " drew off."
A little more than a month passed by and Black Point
364
HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY, MAINE.
was a scene of a most fearful conflict. A force of ninety men, under Capt. Benjamin Sweet, was drawn into an ambush, about two miles from the garrison, by an over- whelming number of savages. The struggle that followed was one of the most desperate recorded in the annals of those trying times. We might have known more concern- ing it but for the fact that Capt. Sweet and two-thirds of his force were numbered among the dead that laid along the line of their retreat. Thus was the killing of Mugg, May 16th, terribly revenged on Tuesday morning, June 29th.
Soon after this event some settlers at Pemaquid con- cluded a peace with the Eastern Indians. This peace was ratified at Casco, April 12, 1678. Thus ended the first Indian war.
The peace that followed, however, was continually brooded over by apprehensions of war. We find the settlers at Scarboro', in 1681, building a strong fortification between Moor's Brook and the southeastern end of the great pond. (The transactions concerning this fortification can be seen in the town record of that date.) In 1683 the General Court ordered the establishment of strong garrisons in all the towns. In 1685 no person was allowed to leave the town without permit from the commander of the militia.
Confidenee, and consequent prosperity, had hardly begun to return when the poor settlers were again alarmed by the threatenings of war.
The first Indian war was a war against the settlers. The second had its origin in the courts of France and England. Blind religious zeal,
"In hope to merit heaven by making carth a hell,"
found its way into the wilderness to encourage savages to deeds of horrid cruelty, that were deseribed by one French writer of those times as "actions brave and beautiful."
The first act of hostility of this war fell upon North Yarmouth in September, 1689. Several were killed,- among them Walter Gendall, previously of Spurwink. A few days afterwards occurred Col. Church's fight at Fal- mouth. In this action Andrew Alger, Jr., of Dunstan, was killed.
In May, 1690, 500 French and Indians eame against Falmouth, and it was entirely destroyed. Immediately the occupants of the garrisons at Black Point and Blue Point drew off. So Scarboro' was again entirely abandoned. The Peace of Ryswick in 1677 ended the war in Europe, but the news, unread by the savages and unrelished by their allies, brought no peace to Maine until January, 1699. Five years of peace and the " alarum" of war again aroused the settlements. Queen Anne's war commeneed in 1702. Again the French and English were ready to destroy each other. In June, 1703, the assembled chiefs made most solemn pledges of friendship, but in less than two months 500 French and Indians were laying waste the settlements and attacking garrison after garrison from Casco to Wells. Twenty-five were killed or carried away from Purpooduck ; 22 were killed at Spurwink ; at Winter Harbor 11 were killed. the garrison was captured, and 24 were taken pris- oners. Under Beaubasin, a Frenchman, they besieged the old garrison at Black Point, but a few brave men under
Capt. John Larrabee, from whom one word of command was worth a score of men, beld the fort. In 1707, Col. Ililton, with a considerable force, landed at Black Point and succeeded in killing 22 Indians without the loss of a man. About the time of the close of the war (1713), Lieut. Hunniwell and 19 others were ambushed by 200 Indians, near the Great Pond, and only one of their number escaped. Williamson says, " The Indians imme- diately beset the garrison, in which remained a small party of' defenders, who maintained a gallant defense until they found an opportunity to escape to a vessel in the harbor ; then the triumphant enemy set the garrison on fire.
The peace which followed brought new life to the settle- ments, and the frontier was extended into the wilderness.
In 1719 the town records, that were carried to Boston thirty-one years before for safe-keeping, were brought back to the town and the town government was reorganized. Subsequent Indian troubles did not drive off the settlers. They had come to stay. In 1722, Massachusetts declared war against the Eastern Indians. Col. Westbrook, then a resident of Searboro', was placed in command of the forces. Some skulking bands of Indians committed depredations in the town, and in the old records we find. the following : " The dath of Thomas Lereby and his son, Anthony Lereby, who were killed by the Ingons April 19, 1723 ;" also, " The dath of Sarah Deering, the wife of Mr. Roger Deering, who was killed by the Ingons June the 26th day, anno. 1723."
The destruction of the French and Indian settlements at Norridgewock (in which Searboro' soldiers took an active part) put an end to the French influence, and the Indians and their wars, after the lesser troubles of 1745, gradually fell back westward.
"A list of the inhabitants at Black Point Garrison, Oct. 12, 1676.
In ye Daniel Moore
Living Ralphe Ileison
Garison John Teaney
Henry Brookin
shott from Joseph Oliver
Nathaniel Willett
ye Gari- Chris'r Edgecome
Charles Browve Edward fairfield
son John Edgecome. Michael Edgecome.
Living Robert Edgecome
thre mus- Ilenry Elkins
hutts Anthony Roe
wth out
Thomas Bickford
garison Goodman Lnscome
ye Gari- Robert Tydey
son but Richard Moore
Andrew Broune, sen.
joining James Lybbey
Andrew Bronne.
to it John Lybbey Anthony Lybbey
Joseph Bronne
Samuel Lybhey
Ambrose Bouden
George Taylor
Constable
James Ogleby
The. Cuming
Dunken Chessom
John Ilerman
William Sheldon
Samuel Oakman, sen.
John Viekers
John Elson
Rrd. Bassen
Peter Ilinkson
Ro'rt Eliott
Ried. Willin
ffraneis White
John Symson
Richard Honeywell
Tho. Clenueley
John lowell
John Cooke
R'rd Burroughs."
TITLES TO LAND CONFIRMED.
Soon after the purchase of Maine by Massachusetts, in 1679, Thomas Danforth, the Deputy Governor, was ap-
In ye ffrancis Sholet
kett shott John Ashden
from ye John Warrick
Timothy Collins
John Broune
Hampton & Salisbury soldiers.
muskett Mathew Ileyson
HIRAM HIGGINS .
MRS . HIRAM HIGGINS
( PHOTOS BY CONANT
RES . OF HIRAM HIGGINS,
tubd
HIGGINS' BEACH , SCARBORO , ME.
365
TOWN OF SCARBOROUGHI.
pointed president of Maine. The new government con- sisted of a president, deputy president, a Council and a Gen- eral Assembly, the latter made up of the people's represen- tatives. The first Council consisted of eight members, of whom Capt. Joshua Scottow, of Scarborough, was one. In 1681, the General Court empowered the President of Maine to confirm the titles of the inhabitants to their lands in the province. Accordingly the president conveyed to Capt. Scottow, Walter Gendall, Richard Hunnewell, William Burridge, Andrew Browne, Ambrose Boaden, and John Tenny, Trustees, the township of Scarborough. The con- veyanee is dated July 26, 1684. From this time all lands were conveyed by a vote of the town, or by a committee ap- pointed for that purpose.
SECOND SETTLEMENT OF THE TOWN.
After the destruction of Falmouth by the French and In- dians, in 1690, the inhabitants of this town wisely decided to save themselves by flight. They drew off immediately to Saco, and from Saco, in a few days, to Wells, and from Wells many went to Portsmouth. In this manner the settlements in this town and vicinity were entirely broken up. The precise date of the second settlement of the town is not known. In 1702 a little band of seven persons ar- rived from Lynn in a sloop. They were John Larrabee, Henry Libby, and his three sous, and two men by the name of Pine and Blood. They erected a small fort for their pro- teetion. The next year five hundred French and Indians attacked the fort. There were in it only eight persons able to fight, but fortunately they had in Capt. Larrabee a brave and resolute commander. Ile refused to surrender or ea- pitulate upon any terms. The enemy undertook to under- mine the fort, but there came a drenching rain and filled up the ditch, so that in digging they became exposed to the shots of the little band inside, and were so harassed that they became discouraged and went off in search of other prey. Thus the brave settlers escaped.
The fear of the Indians kept back settlers, so that the town for some time increased very slowly in population, and there was no organization of a town government till 1720.
Pine Point received its name from Charles Pine, a famous hunter. Newbury Point was so named from William New- bury, also a hunter.
In 1723 the Indians again attacked all the settlements along the sea-board. In April they suddenly fell upon the inhabitants at Black Point, killed Sergeant ('hubb, of the fort, Thomas Larrabee, and his son Anthony. On the 26th of June they attacked the garrison-house of Roger Dear- ing, killed his wife, took captive two of his children, and Mary Scamman, of Saco, who was visiting there. The same day they took John Hunnewell, of Black Point, a prisoner. The only other person killed in this town during the war was a Mr. Mitchell, of Black Point, whom they waylaid and murdered near Spurwink, in 1724.
In 1747 the Indians appeared at Scarborough on the 1 4th of April. They had secreted themselves in the woods near the garrison on Seottow's Hill, intending to take it at night. Nathaniel Dresser, a young man residing at the garrison, going out to work on the west side of the hill, discovered
the Indians, and started to run back with all speed. He was pursued and fired upon, and falling dead upon his face. one of the Indians came up and hastily took off his scalp. As he turned to go. Capt. Daniel Harvey, the only man left in the garrison at the time, fired upon him and shattered his right arm. Ilaving thus shown themselves, the Indians made no attempt upon the garrison, but went off towards Falmouth.
LOUISBOURG, JUNE 7, 1745.
One hundred and sixty of the men of Scarborough were enlisted in Col. Waldo's regiment during the campaign for the capture of Louisbourg, the French stronghold in North America. The fort was taken June 17, 1745. It does not appear how many of the men of this town were actually engaged in the capture, excepting Samuel Milliken, Roger Ilunnewell, and Seth Fogg. Milliken was lost on his return trip. and Hunnewell had an arm shot off in the engage- ment. Richard King, afterwards an eminent citizen of Scarborough, was commissary, and Joseph Prout acted as local commissary of the town. The following from this town are a few out of many who enlisted in the war:
Cupt. George Berry's Company .- Daniel Moody, Joseph Hunnewell, John Libby, Thomas Foss, Robert Munson, Alex. Roberts, Lient. John Libby, Noah Libby, Samuel Larrabee, Richard Hunnewell, Jethro Starbird, Richard Carter, Theod. Moses, Robert Munson, James Libby, David Sawyer, Lient. Daniel Field, Walter Foss, Timothy Haines, Daniel Moody.
Cupt. Thomas Perkins' Company .- Isaac MacKene, James Libby, Thomas Larrabee, Ephraim Andrews, Sanı- uel Fiekett, Elijah Bragdon, John Myrick.
Among the inhabitants of the town at the second settle- ment were the following: Jonathan Andrews, 1732; Amos Andrews. later ; John and Nathaniel Babb, Dunstan; Dr. Abram Bacon, 1799 ; Moses Banks, before the Revolution ; Capt. Elias Banks, ship-carpenter; Joseph Berry, 1720 ; Arthur Bragdon, 1725; Solomon and Gideon Bragdon. later ; Joseph Calef, 1725 ; John Coolbroth, 1730; Roger Dearing (from Kittery), 1716; Henry Dresser, 1729 ; Jo- seph Emerson ( merchant at Dunstan), 1796; James Fly, 1716; Daniel Fogg, 1720; Caleb Graffam, 1714; Daniel Hasty, 1735 ; Samuel Harrison, 1726; Fergus Higgins, 1750; George Hight, 1780; Roger ITunewell ( died), 1720; Aaron Jewett ( Dunstan), 1727 ; John Jones, 1736 ; Martin Jose, 1729; Ivory Kilborn, 1777 ; Richard King. 1745. The remainder of Mr. King's life was spent in Scarborough in agricultural and mercantile pursuits. He died at his residence near Dunstan Landing, March 27, 1875. aged fifty-seven. Mr. King married Isabella Bragdon, of York, by whom he had the following children : Rufus, born 1755 ; died April 29, 1829. Mary, born 1757 ; married Dr. Robert Southgate, June 23, 1773; died March 30, 1824. Paulina, married Dr. Aaron Porter, April 13, 1777. Isa- bella, the mother, died Oct. 19: 1759. The second wife of Richard King was Mary, daughter of Samuel Black, of York, born Oet. 8, 1736 ; married Jan. 31, 1762. Children by the second marriage : Richard, born Dec. 22, 1762. married Hannah Larrabee, Jan. 14, 1790; Isabella. born Sept. 8, 1764, died Sept. 12, 1770; Dorcas, born May 20,
366
HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY, MAINE.
1766, married Joseph Leland, Dec. 28, 1786; William, born Feb. 9, 1768, tied June 17, 1825 ; Betsey, born Jan. 7, 1770; Cyrus, born Sept. 6, 1772, married Hlaunah Storer, Oct. 1797, died April 25, 1817. Mary, second wife of Richard King, died May 25, 1816. Mr. King had three brothers,-David, Josiah, and William. David was a merchant in Saco; William was a sea-captain. They were descended from the Kings of Kittery. Rufus King, the eldest son of Richard, was a native of Scarborough ; gradu- uated at Harvard College, 1777 ; studied law at Newbury- port with Judge Parsons, where he resided. His career as a lawyer, Senator in Congress, and Minister of State is well . known, and reflects lasting honor upon the place of his birth. Ex-Governor William King, of Bath (deceased), the first Governor of Maine, was the third son of Richard King, born in Scarborough, Feb. 9, 1768. Cyrus, the fourth son, and youngest of the children, distinguished himself at the bar and in the halls of Congress. Died at Saco, April 25, 1817.
Capt. Alexander Kirkwood lived at Prout's Neck. which, during his residence there, was called " Kirkwood's Neck." He was a Scotchman from the English navy, and married Mary, daughter of Timothy Prout, Esq. The Libbys, among whose heirs Prout's or Libby's has recently been divided, are descendants of Henry Libby, who, with his three sons, Capt. Larrabee, and others, came from Lynn in a sloop in 1702. They had a numerous offspring in the , town.
Other settlers were Capt. Timothy McDaniel, 1765; John McKenney, 1670; John Milliken, 1719 ; John J., Samuel, and Nathaniel Milliken, 1730; Clement Meserve, 1725; Daniel Moody, 1724; George Moses, 1754; Daniel Moulton, son of John Moulton, 1720; Robert Munson (Dunstan), 1726; William Newbry, 1720; Morris O'Brien, 1740; Joseph and Jonathan Pillsbury, before 1800; Aaron Plummer. 1720; Timothy Prout, from Boston (purchased the Cammock patent of the heirs of Capt. Scottow, 1828); David King, prior to 1728; Ebenezer Sevey (Blue Point), 1717; David Sawyer, previous to 1728; Robert Southgate, M.D., June 29, 1771 (see Cumberland Bench and Bar in this work); Paul Thompson (Blue Point), 1727 ; James Tyler ( Blue Point), 1718; Elliot Vaughan, 1742; Walter Warren, 1750; Joseph Waterhouse, 1730; William Watson ( Higgins' farm ), 1748; Dr. Daniel Wins- low (from Falmouth), 1728.
REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS.
The following list of Scarborough men who were engaged in the war of the Revolution is taken from Southgate's history of the town, the rank of the officers being given and the names of places where longest stationed in parenthesis.
THE MACHIAS COLONY.
The census of Scarborough in 1761, previous to the re- moval of the colony to Machias, showed 310 taxable polls, 190 houses, 448 oxen, 633 cows, 1067 sheep, 257 swine, 6613 bushels of grain, 907 tons of English hay, 426 tons of meadow hay, 1167 tons of salt hay. The following year the crops were almost wholly cut off by an unusual drought. This was one cause of the removal of so large a
colony to Machias, who became the founders of that town. An association for that purpose was formed in 1762, con- sisting of the following named persons : Samuel and Syl- vanus Scott ( brothers), Timothy, David, and George Libby (brothers ), Solomon and John Stone (brothers), Daniel and Japheth Hill (brothers), Isaiah Foster, Westbrook Perry, Isaac Larrabee, and Daniel Fogg, of this town; and Thomas Buck, of Plymouth, captain of a coaster, Jonathan Carlton, of Sheepscot, and William Jones, of Portsmouth, 16 in all. This company began the settlement of Maehias in 1763; Joel Bonny, a millwright, and Wooden Foster, a blacksmith, of Scarborough, went with them. In 1765 the following persons from Scarborough also joined the col- ony at Machias ; Morris O'Brien, and his two sons,-Gideon and Jeremiah ; Daniel Elliot, Joseph Holmes, Joseph and Ebenezer Libby, Benjamin Frost, Joseph Sevey, Joseph Munson, - Balch, Ezekiel Foster, Joseph Getchell, and Benjamin Foss. Of the names upon the petition to whom the township of Machias was granted, in 1770, there ap- pear no less than 54 from Scarborough.
CHURCHES.
TOWN MINISTRY.
In accordance with the usual early custom in New Eng- land, ministers were called and settled by the town, and supported by the town-tax, until parishes were set off. The first minister at Black Point whose name appears in the records was Rev. John Thorpe, who was complained of to the Court by Jocelyn and Jordan, in 1659, for." preaching unsound doctrine." Nothing further is recorded concerning him, but probably he did not remain long after that. An- other minister is referred to, but not named, in the record of 1665, where. an entry is made of the fining of Christopher Collins and Sarah Mills " for not paying the minister his stipend." These persons were Quakers, and declined to support the minister on account of their conscientious scruples. But the laws of Massachusetts strictly required all persons to support the clergy of a certain order, whether their eonsciences allowed them to do so or not .* Sarah Mills afterwards received twenty stripes for Quakerism.t
In 1680, Rev. Benjamin Blackman settled in Sear- borough. ITe was induced to become the town minister through the influence of Capt. Scottow, who gave him 20 acres of land near the Ferry Rocks. He preached one year for the town, being employed by the selectmen, and also represented the town in the Court at York, in 1682. lle had graduated at Harvard College in 1663. He married Rebecca, daughter of Capt. Scottow. In 1683 he removed to Saco, where he became the proprietor of nearly one-fourth of that town.
In 1686 the celebrated George Burroughs, of witchcraft memory, was obtained to preach for the town. He had formerly preached at Falmouth, beginning there in 1674, and was driven from there by the Indians in 1675, but re- turned in 1683. It is not known how long he remained at Black Point. He was put to death in Salem, Aug. 19, 1692, for the alleged erime of witchcraft.
# Acts and Laws of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, pp. 16, 34, 111, edition of 1759.
+ Maine ttist. Coll., vol. iii. p. 154.
367
TOWN OF SCARBOROUGH.
The first meeting-house in the town was built upon a plain, a short distance from Jocelyn's, which stood near the Ferry Roeks.
Rev. Hugh Campbell was the first minister of the town under the new organization of 1720. He had been preach- ing some time, when the inhabitants at the first town-meet- ing voted him a "salary of £50 for the year ensuing, besides his meat and drink, washing and lodging." Under this arrangement he preached one year, when he left the town. Rev. Hugh Henry was next settled for a short time, and then the town was without a minister till 1728, when Rev. William Tompson began to preach. At this time a church was formed, which was the first regularly organized religious body in the town. The next year Mr Tompson was ordained and installed pastor. His salary was fixed at £100 for the first year, £110 for the second, £120 for the third, and so on, according to the ability of the inhabitants.
It seems that the first meeting-house had prior to this been destroyed, probably in the Indian wars; for Mr. Tompson began to preach in the house of Arthur Brag- don, who lived on the plains near the Black Point burying- ground. In March, following, the town voted to build a meeting-house, of the following dimensions : 40 by 35 and 20 feet high. It was erected in 1731, and stood on the north- west corner of the Black Point burying-ground lot. Soon after another was built on the common at Dunstan, and Mr. Tompson officiated alternately in each of these divisions of the town, until the second society was formed in Dunstan, in 1744, by setting off fifteen males and as many females from the Black Point Society. Mr. Tompson continued bis labors until his death, in February, 1759. Ile was held in high esteem, and his loss was deeply deplored. At his death the town voted his "funeral expenses" and " a suit of mourning for the widow."*
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