USA > Maine > York County > Saco > History of Saco and Biddeford, with notices of other early settlements, and of proprietary governments, in Maine, including the provinces of New Somersetshire and Lygonia > Part 13
USA > Maine > York County > Biddeford > History of Saco and Biddeford, with notices of other early settlements, and of proprietary governments, in Maine, including the provinces of New Somersetshire and Lygonia > Part 13
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The government might now appear to be firmly estab- lished ; the inhabitants at length became reconciled to it, and the conflict of patents and titles was no more. But another revolution awaited them. James II. succeeded to the throne of England 1685 ; in April of that year he was publicly proclaimed at York in this Province. The old scheme of a general government for the colonies was soon after revived ; the charter of Mass. was recalled, and a President appointed for all New England. Joseph Dudley, Esq. received the commission of President early in 1686. A council was appointed at the same time, composed of seventeen gentlemen, resident in differ- ent parts of N. England ; among whom was F. Cham- pernoon, Esq. of Kittery, who had been of the Council of Gorges in 1640. Under this administration, Dan- forth was removed from his office, and a court composed of William Stoughton, Judge, John Usher and Edward Tyng, Esquires, Councillors, with a justice from each town, sat at York in October of the same year. Presi- dent Dudley was superseded by Sir Edmund Andros be- fore the close of 1686, whose arbitrary government las- ted about two years, terminating with the reign of his mas- ter. In the winter of 1688, Andros came into the Pro- vince at the head of six or seven hundred men, for the destruction of the Indians ; but the energy manifested on this occasion was ill-directed, and proved ruinous to his
'Ancient Charters and Laws of Mass. Bay. 98.
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followers alone. The enemy easily eluded him. He marched from Boston to Pemaquid, forty miles east of the Kennebec, amid the rigors of winter, without see- ing a solitary savage. He returned early in the spring by water, attended by Mr. Randolph, his principal coun- sellor. It appears from a letter of the latter, addressed to Mr. Povey, that Governor Andros stopped at Winter Harbor on his way to Boston. "At our return," says Randolph, "we saw very good land at Winter Harbor, enough to make large settlements for many people ; the governor will have it measured, and then surveyed, and then will dispose of it for settlements."* The rapacity of Andros was unbounded ; he doubtless intended to make a profitable speculation out of the lands with which he was so much pleased. The best established titles pre- sented a feeble obstacle to his wishes. But news of the revolutionary movements in England reaching Boston soon after his return, he was forcibly seized and sent out of the country. After this event, President Danforth re- sumed the duties of his office,t which he probably con- tinued to exercise until the reception of the new Charter in 1692. This instrument provided "that the territories and colonies commonly called and known by the names of the Colony of the Mass. Bay, and Colony of New Plymouth, the Province of Maine, the Territory called Accada, or Nova Scotia, and all that tract of land lying between the said territories of Nova Scotia and the said Province of Maine, be incorporated, &c. into one real Province by the name of our Province of the Mass. Bay in New England." Maine, as far as Nova Scotia, was constituted a county under the old name of York ; and continued undivided until the year 1760, when the County of York was reduced to its present limits.
A union of Saco with the town of Cape Porpoise, now Kennebunk-port, seems to have been ordered by Gov. Andros, as it appears from the following record, the last contained in the old town book : "By a legal town mee-
*Hutch. State Papers. 564.
tThis fact is not stated by any writer within our knowledge, but is derived from instructions given to Col. Church by the President in 1689. Church's Narrative, 02. (second edition.)
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ting for Saco and Cape Porpoise according to law, on Alonday, 21 May, 1688, whereat Thomas Shepherd, Francis Backus, John Edgecomb and John Abbot are chosen selectmen for Saco, and Richard Peard consta- ble for the same ; and John Miller and Nicholas Mering selectmen for Cape Porpus, and Richard Randall consta- ble for the same, and it is ordered that if Cape Porpus will not accept of the selectmen and constable chosen by the town of Saco, then the selectmen in Saco and con- stable for the same, shall act and do for them as select- men and constable of the same. Also Edward Sargeant, is chosen commissioner, and William Geale town-clerk, and Thos. Doubty town treasurer." The records of Cape Porpoise for that period are not preserved, and we are unable to explain the cause of this temporary union, of which we find no other notice.
Jocelyn, whose 'Voyages' we have so often quoted, published 1672, has given a brief description of the towns in this quarter, with which their present populous con- dition affords a striking contrast. He says : "Towns there are not many in this Province. Kittery is the most populous. Next to the eastward is seated by a river near the sea, Gorgiana, a Mayoraltie and the metropoli- tan of the Province. Further east is the town of Wells. Cape Porpoise east of that, where there is a town by the seaside of the same name, the houses scatteringly built. All these towns have store of salt and fresh marsh with arable land, and are well stocked with cattle. About 8. or 9 miles to the east of Cape Porpoise is Winter Har- bor, a noted place for fishers ; here they have many stages. Saco adjoins to this, and both make one scatter- ing town of large extent, well stored with cattle, arable land, and marshes, and a sawmill. Six miles to the east of Saco and 40 miles from Gorgiana, is seated the town of Black-point, consisting of about 50 dwellinghouses, and a Magazine or Doganne, scatteringly built. They have store of neat and horses ; of sheep near upon 7. or 600 ; much arable and marsh, salt and fresh, and a corn- mill. To the south of the point (upon which are stages for fishermen) lie two small islands ; beyond the point north east runs the river Spurwink. Nine miles east of
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Black-point lyeth scatteringly the town of Casco, upon a large bay, stored with cattle, sheep, swine, abundance of marsh and arable land, a cornmill or two with the stages for fishermen. Further east is the town of Kennebeck seated upon the river. Further yet east is the Sagade- hock where are many houses scattering, and all along stages for fishermen ; these too are stored with cattle and cornlands."
The Rev. William Hubbard, of Ipswich, published in 1677, a history of the war with the Indians, then just terminated at the west, and devoted a separate portion of his work to the eastern country. This book having pass- ed through numerous editions, is probably familiar to most of our readers ; but a brief extract descriptive of the plantations in this vicinity, will not be out of place. "Not far from Casco bay, to southward or southwest, is a river called .Spurwink, over against which lies Richmond Isl- and, not far from the main land, being divided therefrom -by a small channel, fordable at low water ; it hath for a long time been the seat of Mr. Jordan in the right of Mr. Winter, the former if not the first proprietor thereof, whose daughter he married. The next plantation south- · ward is called Scarborough, a small village seated upon Black-point, over against which is another point, for dis- tinction from the former called Blue-point. This Black- point was lately the seat of Mr. Jocelyn, being a parcel of the Province of Maine, or falling within the precinct thereof, and was formerly by patent granted to the said Jocelyn or his predecessors, since purchased by Mr. Scottow of Boston. Saco river lies next in order to Pascataqua, a navigable river, where Major Phillips had a commodious situation lately ; at the mouth of which river lies Winter Harbor, encompassed on one side by a neck of land, formerly the property of one Mr. Winter whose name it still retains,* but lately purchased by Maj. Pendleton, where he enjoyed a very comfortable seat and habitation."
*This error of Mr. Hubbard is sufficiently obvious ; Winter of Richmond island was the only person of the name in this quarter at an early date.
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The towns in the western part of the Province, espe- cially Kittery, took the lead in business and population very soon after the settlements were made. The town of Kittery was of great extent, reaching twelve or fifteen miles up the principal branch of the Pascataqua. The following list of county rates for the year 1662, shows the relative valuation of the towns at that time. "Kit- tery 10l. ; York 77. ; Wells 7l. ; Cape Porpoise 3l .; Saco 6l. : Scarboro' 7l. ; Falmouth 6l." Another list taken 1688; "Kittery 16l. 33. 6d .; York 61. 1s. 10d. ; Wells 4l. 3s. 4d. ; Saco 3l. 19s. 2d. ; Black-point 3l. 16s. 2d. ; Falmouth 4l. Ss. 4d. ; Cape Porpoise Il. 10d. ; Isle of Shoals 1l. 10d." The amount to be raised in the last year, was 417. 14s. 4d. at a zd. per pound. The property rated in Saco by this estimate was valued at 1700l. or about $7000. The town was at that time in a much less flourishing condition than it had been during the residence of Phillips and Pendleton, and before the depredations of the Indians commenced. Nor is it pro- bable that an accurate valuation was made.
A prison was ordered to be built at Casco 1668. The following record informs us of the proportion of the ex- pence levied upon this town. "March 6, 1668. The selectinen being mett to make a rate for charges about the gaole or prison at Casco, the deputies there do order this towne to pay 15l. 16s. 11d. which sum is concluded on, and a rate made by them to be gathered in by the 25 day of this month where the constable shall apoynt, in wheat at 5s. 6d. the bushel ; indian corn at 3s. 6d. any other pay at pryce curant : pease at 4s. : the place of re- ceiving the pay is appoynted to be at the stage, in Ralph Trustrum house there, and four pence for every bushel they shall pay beside to R. Trustrum for the freight of it, and for any other pay they may agree with goodman. Trustrum to carry it."
Sullivan quoting a part of this record remarks, that "it may be concluded from it that there was no great scarcity of money in the country at that time." The meeting of 'deputies at Casco' probably had reference to a special object. It was holden on the last Tuesday of
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February ; R. Booth was instructed to present 'the town's estate,' and to 'act in its behalf.' The General Assem- bly met at Saco in May following.
CHAPTER XII.
A numerous tribe of Indians dwelt about the mouth of Saco river, and near the principal falls, when the early European navigators visited our shores. And long after the settlements of the English were here made, they still lingered in considerable numbers in their ancient places of abode, mingling familiarly with the new inhabitants. Their rights were evidently respected, while severe retri- butions were sure to follow the commission of acts of violence or mischief. Thus the records of 1636 show, that while the planter was required to use his best en- deavor to apprehend, or kill, any Indian known to have murdered any English, or destroyed their property, he was also compelled to pay satisfaction to the Indian he wronged. In this manner the utmost tranquility appears to have prevailed in the Province throughout the lives of the first colonists, in their relations with the natives. The friendly intercourse of the natives with the inhabitants continued undisturbed, till the bold and restless spirit of the chief of the Wamponoags of Narraganset bay, com- monly styled King Philip, conceived the design of ex- terminating the whites by a general insurrection of the tribes throughout New England. Some alarm was ex- cited a few years before hostilities commenced, by certain movements of the same chief, and in 1671, a warrant came to the towns in Maine from the Major General, di- recting them to be furnished with the necessary stores of ammunition ; when our townsmen ordered Maj. Pendleton to procure for them 'with all convenient speed', a cwt. of swan shot and pistol bullets, and a barrel of powder. This speck of war soon vanished, however, and not long after we find the town censured 'for not providing a stock of powder and balls according to law.' The militia of
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the province at this period, amounted to 700 men, distri- buted in the different towns in the following proportion : Kittery contained 180, York 80, Wells and Cape Por- poise 80, Saco 100, Black-point 100, Casco bay 80, Saga- dehock, 80 .*
The plans of Philip, extensive and deeply laid, were not fully ripe for execution, when on 24 June, 1675, an accidental affray occurring between a number of English and Indians near Providence Plantations, kindled the flame of war. The news soon reached this Province, and 11 July, Henry Sawyer of York, communicated it by letter to the inhabitants of Kennebec. The first symp- toms of a disposition to follow in the steps of the western Indians, were shown in the plunder of the dwelling and trading house of Mr. Thomas Purchase, the old planter at Pegypscot, (Brunswick) by about twenty of the Andro- scoggin tribe in the absence of Purchase and his sons. They pretended to have been wronged in their dealings with him, but satisfied themselves with taking a supply of liquor and ammmunition, spoiling a feather bed, and kill- ing a few sheep. 'These,' says a writer of that day, 'were but the messengers of death,' for as they departed, they warned the family that others would come and do them greater injury. A few days after, the house of John Wakely, situated on the east of Presumpscot river, with- in the limits of Casco, or Falmouth, was attacked, and the family, composed of the old man and his wife, his son, with his wife and three children, were cruelly murdered. Another child named Elizabeth, about 11 years of age, was carried away, it is said, among the Narragansets ; a circumstance that shows the connexion between the west- ern and eastern Indians in these hostilities.
The principal Sachem of the Saco Indians at that time, was called Squando. He was not only a chief, but a powow, or priest, and by the practice of mysterious rites and a species of sorcery, had acquired great influence among his brethren. He appears to have dwelt in the neighborhood of the settlements, and to have discovered marks of attachment to the white inhabitants, until an un-
*Chalmers' Polit. Ann. i. 507. quoted by Holmes, Am. Annals. 14
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happy cause of offence arose, at the very time when the emissaries of king Philip were striving to excite the eastern Indians to acts of hostility. The wife of Squando, with an infant at her breast, was passing on the river, when some English sailors thoughtlessly overset the canoe, for the purpose, they pretended, of seeing whether the chil- dren of Indians were, like brute animals, naturally swim- mers. The mother recovered the child, but it soon af- ter fell sick and died. Squando was deeply exasperated by this insulting and afflictive act, and became at once a zealous and powerful promoter of war. Uniting with a band of the Androscoggin savages, he prepared them for , an attack on our townsmen. Notice of their approach, and of the presence of a western Indian with them, was fortunately given by a friendly native, and the inhabitants who lived about the falls, retired into the garrison house of Major Phillips. This house was a few rods below the falls, on the western side of the river ; the mansion of S. Peirson, Esq. is nearly on the same spot. A few days after, Saturday morning, Sept. 18, the house of Mr. John Boaython, on the eastern side of the river, was discovered at the garrison to be on fire. Bonython had deserted it only a day or two before, to avoid being exposed to the expected assault. There was just time enough after the alarm thus given, to collect all within the garrison and prepare to receive the enemy ; for in half an hour a sen- tinel placed at an upper window, espied an Indian lurking by the side of a fence near a cornfield. The discovery being communicated to Maj. Phillips, he ran up to satis- fy himself of its reality, when one of the men following him, cried out, "Major, do you intend to be killed ?" at that moment he turned round, when a bullet struck him in the shoulder, which would doubtless have proved fatal, had he retained his first position. The wound was slight. The Indians, supposing the major was killed, started up from their concealment, shouting with exultation. The people in the garrison immediately opened a brisk fire upon them, in the course of which their leader was so "severely wounded, that he retired from the place of ac- tion, and died a few days after in the woods three or four miles distant. The attack lasted about ono hour, when
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the savages, discouraged by the resolute defence of the garrison, despaired of taking it by assault.
They now began destroying the adjacent property of Major Phillips ; set fire to his saw mill, after that to his corn-mill, and burned a house occupied by one of his ten- ants. They hoped by this means to draw the men out of the garrison, calling repeatedly to them, "Come out, you cowardly English dogs, and stop the fire !" Find- ing this had not the desired effect, they renewed their assault on the garrison, and continued it during the after- noon. The people resisted them stoutly, although some- what disheartened by not receiving relief from Winter- Harbor, which they expected in the course of the day. One of the best men was disabled by a wound, in the early part of the attack, but animated by Major Phillips, they held out through the night. Towards morning it was suspected from the hammering and other noises about the half-burned mills, that they were devising some mode to set fire to the house ; and accordingly about four o'- clock, after the setting of the moon, a cart was discover- ed approaching the garrison, drawn by oxen, the drivers and others protected by a sort of rampart built up in front. It was filled with straw, birch bark, powder, and other combustibles, which they intended to throw on the house, having long poles for this purpose. Fortunately as this novel engine drew near, (the men being ordered to reserve their fire until it came within pistol shot,) exciting the consternation of the besieged, one of the wheels iu passing a small gutter stuck fast in the mud, and caused the cart to incline to the left ; by which means the Indians were exposed to a raking fire from one of the flankers of the garrison. Six of them were killed, and fifteen wounded. After this loss, they forthwith decamped, and at sunrise were all gone. The exact number was not known, but was computed at not less than a hundred. The garrison contained 50 persons in all, but only ten effec- tive men. Not one life was lost. The savages went off in the direction of Blue-point. Major Phillips sent that day (Sunday) to Winter Harbor for assistance, informing the inhabitants of what had passed : but no relief appear- ing, and having consumed their ammunition, they all remo-
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ved to that part of the town on Tuesday. About a fort- night after, the Indians came and burned the house. All the houses above Winter Harbor were destroyed soon af- ter. A Mrs. Hitchcock was taken and carried away at this time, who died the winter following by eating some poisonous roots for ground nuts, while wandering in the woods. At least, this was the account afterwards given by the Indians. Not long after five persons going up Saco river, were cut off by the same party of Indians.
In the month following, the heroic Lieut. Plaisted was. killed with many others, at Newichawannock, (South Ber- wick,) and in the lower part of Kittery several were cut off. About the same time, Lieut. Andrew Augur (or Alger,) and two others were attacked by a party of In- dians in Scarboro'. After exchanging several shots, the savages left them, and set fire to the neighbouring houses. Lieut. Augur died soon after of the wounds received in the attack ; his brother Arthur was likewise killed in a few days not far from the same place .* Their houses stood in a field now owned by Judge Southgate, and near his residence, where kernels of corn and wheat, partially burned, have been found within a few years, which have remained undecayed since 1675. The widow of Arthur Augur removed to Marblehead, Mass., where she execu- ted a deed of a piece of land lying at Black-point, which had been granted to her father, Giles Roberts, by Mr. Henry Jocelyn ; the deed is dated Aug. 1676. Andrew Augur was among our inhabitants 1653, and received a grant in the partition of town lands in that year. As ear- ly as 1651, the brothers purchased a tract of 1000 acres in Scarboro', from the widow and two children of a Saga- ·more, according to the acknowledgement of one of them taken twenty years after.+ Arthur leaving no heirs, John, the son of Lieut. Augur, inherited this property, which he transmitted on his decease to his five daughters. Of these Elizabeth married Mr. John Milliken, the an- cestor of the numerous families of that name in Scar- boro' and Sico ; who purchased out the other heirs, and
*Hubbard. tSee Appendix E. The name of Andrew appears in the court records 1640. Above, p. 59, for Arthur read Andrew.
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at his death left the whole estate to his sons. The tract lies chiefly in the parish of Dunstan, extending nearly two miles on the post road, and includes the valuable es- tate of Hon. Robert Southgate.
In the course of the season, Capt. Wincoll, of Newicha- wannock, marched with a small company to the relief of his eastern neighbors. After one skirmish with the enemy, in which he lost several of his men, he was attacked by a party supposed to consist of 150 in all, while marching on the seashore. His number was only eleven, yet by taking shelter behind the rocks, near the water side, they plied their guns so well as to kill several of the Indians and beat off the rest. The scene of this engagement is not mentioned in the account, but it appears to have been on the eastern side of Saco river. Some of our inhabi- tants, nine in number, hearing the guns, repaired to the relief of Wincoll, but unhappily falling into an ambush, were all cut off, with two others that lived near the spot. The Indians retired to Black-point, where they burned seven houses and destroyed a number of the inhabitants.
From the commencement of hostilities to December, 1675, it was computed that upwards of 50 of the Eng- lish settlers between the Pascataqua and the Kennebec, were slain in the different encounters, and nearly a hun- dred of the enemy. The winter setting in unusually se- vere, the Indians were so much pinched by cold and hun- ger, that they sued for peace, and with this view came to Major Waldron of Dover, N. H. 'expressing great sor- sow for what had been done and promising to be quiet and submissive.' A general peace with the eastern In- dians was then concluded, which lasted until the succee- ding August. Many captives were now restored. A- mong them was Elizabeth Wakely who had been taken at Casco. She was returned by Squando, the Saco Saga- more, to Maj. Waldron in June. Besides the authority of Hubbard for this fact, we find on record the following deposition, taken at Dover Feb. 15, 1723 :
"Robert Evans testifieth, that some time in a war that was called Philip's war, the now Elizabeth Scamman was brought in by the Indians to Cochecho, (Dover,) and she went by the name of Elizabeth Weakle, and the report was that she was taken at Casco bay, her grandfather and 14*
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father were killed." Elizabeth at the date of the depo- sition was about sixty years of age .*
The depredations of the Indians were renewed 11 August, 1676, the day before that of the death of King Philip, and the consequent termination of the war in the western colonies. The first outrage was committed at Casco, to which the Androscoggin Indians were instiga- ted by a notorious western savage called Simon. This fellow and two others who had been the actors in many bloody scenes in that part of the country, when the war was there drawing to a close fled into this quarter for safety ; but being taken, they were committed to Dover gaol, whence they contrived to make their escape. They took refuge among the Androscoggin tribe and soon after were concerned in a treacherous attack on Casco, killing and making prisoners of more than thirty persons. At the same time the settlements on the Kennebec were laid waste.
The news of these depredations reaching Boston, a small force consisting of 130 soldiers and 40 Natick In- dians, was sent down by the Government. Arriving at : Dover, Sept. 6, they were joined by Capt. Charles Frost of Kittery, with his company, and there seized and dis- armed a large body of Indians, who had been concerned in the war at the westward, now at peace. They were assembled at the house of Major Waldron, whom they professed to regard as their friend and father. Their number was upwards of 400, one half of whom, known to have escaped from Massachusetts, were sent to Boston and there hanged, or sold as slaves. The rest were pea- ceably dismissed. The troops then marched to Casco, stopping at Newichawannock, Wells, Winter Harbor and Black-point ; they met with only two Indians in their march, but were constantly hearing of outrages in differ- ent places not far off. While they were at Casco, Mr. James Gooch of Wells was shot from his horse as he was returning from meeting, Sept. 24; his wife was barba-
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