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 14
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 14
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*She was perhaps the wife of William Scamman, a son of Rich- ard, who resided at Portsmouth 1642. Richard married a daughter of William Waldron of Dover, and his son William was born 1064. Farmer. Geneal. Register.
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rously murdered at the same time. Other deeds of vio- lence equally cruel were perpetrated in that vicinity, at York, Cape Neddick, and other places. But when the forces returned, the savages escaped back into the woods. Soon after, Octo. 12, about 100 of them, under a noted fellow called Mogg, (who is stated to have mingled much with the settlers, and was perhaps the same that sold lands to Major Phillips a few years before,) attacked the garri- son at Black-point, commanded by Mr. Jocelyn. The fortification in which the inhabitants were collected, was built near the extremity of the point, and might have been easily defended. Mogg being familiarly known to Mr. Jocelyn, held a parley with him at a short distance from the garrison, and offered to allow all to depart with their goods on the surrender of the place. When these terins were proposed, Mr. Jocelyn returned and found the people had escaped by water ; none were left but his own fami- ly and servants, incapable of making resistance. He was thus compelled to surrender. The inhabitants were blamed for their conduct in this affair. We are not in- formed what treatment the captives received from the In- dians. Mr. Jocelyn must have been far advanced in life at that time ; he is said to have removed afterwards to the Colony of Plymouth .* The Indians appear to have moved over as far as Saco river, since the house of Thos. Rogers near Goose-fair brook, was burned this month.f There is a traditionary story, that Mr. Rogers removed to Kittery on the breaking out of the war, together with other inhabitants of the town, a party of whom afterwards came down to take away their goods. Landing at Blue- point, they made their way along the beach, until having nearly reached the house of Mr. Rogers, they were all cut off by a party of Indians who lay in ambush. John Rogers, a son of Thomas, was of the number. Their bodies were found by the inhabitants and buried near the beach. Whether this melancholy event occurred at the same date as the burning of Rogers' house and the capi- tulation of Mr. Jocelyn at Black-point, does not appear with certainty. It is known, however, that the inhabi-
*Sullivan. 368. tFarmer.
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tants at Winter Harbor fled with their effects at this time, until they heard that the Indians were gone to the east- ward, when they returned .* A treaty of peace was made by the Governor and Council late in the autumn with the principal sachems, who employed Mogg as their agent, by whom it was signed at Boston Nov. 6, 1676.
Notwithstanding the treaty, it was suspected that the Indians intended to renew hostilities, and early in Febru- ary, an expedition under the command of Maj. Wal- dron sailed from Boston for the eastern coast. They touched at different places as far down as Pemaquid, where a conference was held with a company of the sava- ges, that terminated unfavorably. Major Waldron caused a fort to be built on the Kennebec in which he stationed Capt. Sylvanus Davis with forty men. The forces re- turned to Boston, 11 March, without accomplishing much towards tranquilizing the country. Of the garrison left at Kennebec, nine were soon after cut off by surprise, and the remainder returned home in April. In the course of that month, several persons were killed at Wells and York, among them Benjamin Storer of the former place ; the leader in the mischief was the noted Simon. In May, a party laid siege to the garrison of Black-point, which was obstinately defended for three days; Lieut. Tappen, the commander, being a man of great courage, at length suc- ceeded in driving them off by fortunately shooting Mogg, the leader of the assault. They went away in canoes, and some of them going towards York, destroyed more lives in that quarter. In June, Capt. Benjamin Swett of Hampton, and Lieut. Richardson, were sent with a party of 200 friendly Indians and forty soldiers on an expe- dition to the Kennebec. The vessels anchored off Black-point, where the captain being informed some In- dians had been seen, went on shore with a detachment of his men, and being joined by some of the inhabitants, making 90 in all, marched in pursuit of the enemy. They were discovered in three divisions on a plain : but re- treated until they had drawn Swett's party two miles from the fort, and then turning suddenly, threw them into con-
*Hubbard.
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fusion by a bold attack. A furious battle ensued ; many of the soldiers being young and inexperienced in savage warfare, were killed while retreating towards the fort ; and Capt. Swett, who fought with the utmost bravery, was at length slain. Sixty English fell in this action, in- cluding a number of the inhabitants.
- The fishermen were not spared; during this season more than twenty boats were taken by the savages, as they lay apparently secure in the harbors. "Thus,' says Hubbard, 'was another summer spent in calamities and miserable occurrents amongst the eastern parts.' At length in the month of August, some forces arrived at Pemaquid from New York, and took possession of that part of the country in the name of the Duke of York ; after this event, the Indians discontinued their outrages, and even restored a number of prisoners in the autumnn. In the spring, Major Shapleigh and Capt. Champernoon of Kittery, and Mr. Fryer of Portsmouth, were appoin- ted commissioners to settle a treaty with Squando and the other chiefs. The terms were agreed upon at Casco, where the Indians brought their prisoners. It was stipu- lated in the treaty that the inhabitants should be allowed to return to their habitation on condition of paying one peck of corn annually for each family, by way of ac- knowledgement to the Indians for the possession of their lands. Major Pendleton alone was required to pay one bushel .* Thus ended the first war with the Indians.
CHAPTER XIII.
The inhabitants appear to have remained at Winter Harbor through this war, except the temporary dispersion already noticed after the capitulation of Mr. Jocelyn at Black-point. Some, however, removed who did not af- terwards reside here. In this number was Maj. Phillips,
*Belkn. N. H. i. 129.
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of whom we propose to give a brief account. A Wil- liam Phillips was admitted freeman at Boston 1640. And in 1654, Lieut. Wm. Phillips, junior, was authorized by the Gen. Court "to collect the excise on wines, and to have deputies under him."* Our townsman was styled Lieutenant on his first coming here, with the addition of rintner. The name of Phillips was then, as at the pre- sent day, borne by distinct families. The Rev. George, who settled at Watertown 1630, the ancestor of the late Lieut. Governor of Mass., was not related to our towns-
man, so far as it can be ascertained.f Phillips removed to this place 1660, and soon after sold his house in Bos- ton to Maj. Thomas Savage. It stood at the North-end on Salem street, where he owned 18 acres of real estate.t Beside speculating in wild lands, now the seats of cultiva- ted towns, Maj. Phillips became extensively (for those times) engaged in lumbering. The year after his remo- val he purchased # of Capt. Spencer's sawmill, and the next year employed Capt. John Alden, his son in law, to build another, conveying to him { after it was completed. In 1667, we find him conveying half of 'the island against the mill,' (now factory island) to Capt. John Bonython, for the consideration of 800 pine trees, suitable to make merchantable boards. The spring after, he engages to pay Mr. Richard Hutchinson of London, merchant, 1511. sterling. 'in good merchantable pine boards at the saw mills at Saco falls.' He also had a grist mill, situated near his sawmill.
It is impossible to look over the records of the town during his residence here, without perceiving that much deference was shown by the inhabitants to Maj. Phillips in all their affairs. As the proprietor of the patent, he had great power in his hands. Most of the early settlers who had lands from Mr. Vines, found it necessary to ob- tain a confirmation of their titles from him. He seems to have enforced a rigid respect from the inferior plan- ters ; there is a tradition that a man was fined for saying,
*Mass. Colony Records. tMS. Genealogy. Sullivan, 221, states otherwise. That he appeared among the freemen of Saco 1053, in another error of the historian, 221. ¿ Suffolk Records.
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"Major Phillips's horse is as lean as an Indian dog." He took the part of Gorges in the dispute with Mass., the Lord proprietor having confirmed to him his Indian pur- chases .*
His principal tract was bought of the Sagamore Fluel- len 1661, eight miles square. It now comprises nearly the towns of Sandford, Alfred, and Waterboro. One half of this tract, called the 19000 acres, he divided in 1676 among the following persons, viz. Samuel, his oldest, and William, his youngest sons ; Mary Field, Martha Thurston, Rebecca Lord, Elizabeth Alden, and Sarah Turner, his daughters ; Zachary Gillum, Robert Lord, of London, mariner, and Ephraim Turner, his sons in law ; Elephel Stratton, Peleg, John, and Elisha Sand- ford, his wife's children by a former marriage ; John Jolliffe, John Woodman, Elisha Hutchinson, Theodore Atkinson, and William Hudson, all of Boston ; to each 1000 acres. This moiety of the Fluellen tract was de- signed by Maj. Phillips to be settled as a township by his children, but owing to the wars, it was not taken up un- til the following century, when the grantees were proba- bly all deceased. It was incorporated under the name of Phillipstown ; this name was afterwards (1768) chan- ged to the present of Sandford. Phillips provided for his son Nathaniel, merchant, of Boston, by giving him a deed of a tract thus described : abutting southwesterly on Saco river, between the upland of Capt. Pendleton and the island of Christopher Hobbs, being an extent of 1} miles, and running back 4 miles to the patent line, to- gether with a neck of land, called Parker's neck, situa- ted at the mouth of the Pool.
Maj. Phillips married a lady whose first husband was John Sandford, who removed from Boston to Rhode Island 1637, and was afterwards secretary of that colo- ny. Peleg Sanford, a son of Mrs. Phillips, was govern- or of Rhode Island 1680-1-2, three years. Elisha Hutchinson, her son in law, was an Assistant, and under
*Greenleaf, (Moses,) Statistical Views, &c. p. 394, confounds Ma- jor Phillips with Walter Phillips, who about the same period purchas- ed lands from the natives east of the Kennebec.
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the charter of 1692, a counsellor of Mass. Bay. The celebrated historian and governor of that Province was his grandson .* J. Jolliffe and J. Woodman, also connec- ted with this family, were men of some note in Massa- chusetts. Beside the Fluellen tract, Maj. Phillips pur- chased from another sagamore of Saco river, called Hobinowill, the lands lying above Salmon falls as far as Capt. Sunday's rocks; including the upper part of the present town of Hollis and a portion of Limington. The former town was incorporated nearly a century after the purchase as Phillipsburg. Sunday's rocks from their shining appearance were supposed to be impregnated with silver. Phillips obtained a deed of them from Capt. Sunday, an Indian, of Newichawanneck, in 1664. They were described as 'Three hills of rocks,' and are supposed to be in Limington. They contain large por- tions of mica or isinglass, a substance of no value. We find Phillips selling out parts of this 'silver mine,' to several gentlemen of Boston : Capt. Thos. Clarke, Edw. Tying, Edw. Downe, and others. He likewise convey- ed a 1-16 part to his son Nathaniel.
Before the year 1670, Maj. Phillips sold several large tracts of land, lying partly within the patent. The first, having Swan-pond creek for its southern boundary, ex- tended one mile on the river, and contained 1000 acres ; to Richard Hutchinson. The second comprised 1500 acres, adjoining the former ; to Edw. Tyng. The third, 2000 acres, bounded on the south by Tyng's, to Richard Russell, of Charlestown. The fourth, three square miles joining Russell's, to Maj. Gen. John Leverett. He also conveyed to his sons in law, Turner and Gyllum, 500 acres bounded on the south by West's brook.
Major Phillips describes · himself in a deed executed June 1776, 'now of Boston, late of Saco.' He proba- bly removed soon after the burning of his house and mills by the savages the year previous. He died in Boston 1683. By his last will, he bequeathed his lands and saw- mill at Saco in equal proportions to his wife, and sons Samuel and William, reserving 4, which had been sold to
*Farmer's Genealogical Register.
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W. Taylor for Mr. Harmon of Fayal, and a lot near the Falls, sold to Wm. Frost. One half of Bonython's island, and Cow island, were included in the bequest. Samuel sold his part of the estate to Capt. George Turfrey 1691. William, at the date of the will, had been detained four years "in captivity among the Spaniards" ; his children inherited his share of the property at a subsequent pe- riod.
Brian Pendleton, another conspicuous inhabitant, came to New England with the early colonists of Mass. Bay, and settled at Watertown. He was admitted freeman 1634, and was sent a deputy to the General Court from Watertown in the years 1636-7-8-9, and 1647-8. He resided two years at Sudbury in the same vicinity, and was among the selectmen of that place .* In 1646, he was a member of the company of Artillery now so justly styled the 'Ancient and Honorable,' and held the com- mission of captain at the same time. A few years after, about 1650, Capt. Pendleton removed to Portsmouth, N. H., from which town he went deputy to the Gen. Court several terms, the last in 1663. While resident at Portsmouth, he was engaged in commerce, and ac- quired a handsome estate. Rev. Seth Fletcher married Mary, his only daughter, before 1655. The selectmen of Portsmouth 1657, were Brian Pendleton, John Cutt, Richard Cutt, William Seavy, and Henry Sherburne ; who were empowered by the town to build a new mee- ting house. The Rev. Joshua Moody, an eminent divine, settled there three years after, whose friendship Pendleton enjoyed. In 1661, the selectmen "granted liberty to Capt. Pendleton to set up his windmill upon the Fort point, towards the beach [Great Island], because the mill is of such common and public use."t
The earliest purchase of Pendleton at Winter. Harbor was in 1658, when Mr. Jordan sold to him and Capt. Roger Spencer of Charlestown, the valuable tract of land below the mouth of the river now well known as Fletcher's Neck, containing about 200 acres, a part of the patent of
*Farmer, quoting Shattuck. BIS. Hist. Concord, Mass. tAdams. Annals. Ports.
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Mr. Vines. Execution was levied on this property under the jurisdiction of Lygonia, in satisfaction of a debt due from Mr. Vines to Mr. Jordan, as was subsequently de- posed by J. Smith, the marshal. Two years after the purchase, Spencer conveyed his part to Pendleton, "to- gether with all the houses, gardens, orchards, &c. upon the Neck ;" the former then residing there. In 1665, Capt. Pendleton removed to this place, and took up his abode on the Neck, which was for many years called 'Pendleton's Neck.' We have already noticed the va- rious civil and military appointments he received while an inhabitant of the Province. He was uniformly on the side of Mass. in the disputes with that Colony, to which he had early taken the oath of allegiance. They appoin- ted him major, or commander, of the forces in the Pro- vince 1668 ; how long he sustained the commission does not appear ; but in the war that followed a few years af- ter, he seems not to have acted in that capacity. The following record, in the handwriting of Major Pendleton, furnishes the last notice of him contained in the town- book : "Aug. 14, 1676. A town meeting to choose a commissioner to carry a list of the estate of the town in reference to a rate ninefold. B. Pendleton is chosen commissioner if trouble do not prevent." This was three days only after the attack on Casco, in which a large number of the inhabitants were killed and taken prisoners. .The next year he was at Portsmouth, as appears from an instrument executed in August. His only son, James Pendleton, was at that time among the principal inhabi- tants of that town, but soon after removed to Stonington, Conn., where his descendants are now found.
On the termination of the war, and the revival of the provincial government under President Danforth, Maj. Pendleton was again invested with authority in the Pro- vince, as we have already seen. He signed a petition to the King as deputy-president in 1680, (praying for aid in 'rebuilding the waste and desolate towns,')* and died not long afterwards. His will was proved in April, 1681. He bequeathed his estate to his wife, son and grandchildren ;
. 1 *Mass. Records.
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his daughter probably died some years before. As early as 1671, he adopted her only child, Pendleton Fletcher, and granted to him the property at Winter harbor, de- scribed as follows : "All the Neck of land on which he (Brian Pendleton) now lives, extending as far as the Mill [Booth's] together with Wood and Gibbins' islands, 19} acres of meadow land on the western side of Little river, with 100 acres of upland belonging to it, the meadow compassing about Scadlock's island, together with 23 acres on the other side of the river, and his dwelling- house &c. on it, provided that if he (his grandson and now adopted son) die before of age, or after without heir, it go to his son James and his children ; reserving the whole to himself and wife while they live." He then appoints "his beloved friends, Joshua Moody and Rich- ard Martine feoffees in trust for the estate, and guardians to the child during his minority, after his own death, if he die before the child come to age." The residue of his landed estates was disposed of by will in the follow- ing manner : To his wife his housing and land at Cape Porpoise ; to his son, 600 acres on Saco river, compri- sing 100 purchased from John West 1659, 300 purcha- sed from Phillips 1673, and 200 received from the. latter in exchange for Cow island ; to his grandchild, James jr. 110 acres at Cape Porpoise ; to his two grandchil- dren, Mary and Hannah Pendleton, his housing and land at Wells; and, by a codicil, to his grandson Brian Pen- dleton a portion of his property at Portsmouth.
Pendleton Fletcher took possession of the estate be- queathed to him by his grandfather about 1680. In the subsequent war with the Indians, he was taken prisoner together with his two sons, and died in captivity. His widow, Mrs. Sarah Fletcher, administered on his estate 1700, two years after his capture. The Neck was at that time appraised at £300. Mrs. Fletcher married a second husband, of the name of Brown, and died 1726, at the age of sixty five. One of the sons, Pendleton, was rescued from the hands of the enemy, and became a leading townsman, as will hereafter appear. Mr. Fletch- er left also two daughters who were married to Mathew Robinson of Winter Harbor, and Samuel Hatch of Wells.
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The burial of "Mr. Wm. Fletcher, January 30, 1667- 8," is recorded in the town book. It is not unlikely that he was the father of the minister. We deem it proper to add to the account of this family, that the few descen- dants now living, have a tradition that their ancestor who married the daughter of Maj. Pendleton, was a common laborer in his service, although they agree that his name was Seth. This circumstance shows the uncertain reli- ance to be placed on oral traditions ; for the evidence of records very clearly proves the truth of what sve have stated on this subject.
Benjamin Blackman, an extensive proprietor on the eastern side of the river, next requires our notice. He was a son of Rev. Adam Blackman, who came to New England 1639, and united in the settlement of Stratford, Conn. This gentleman had been a clergyman of some note in England, but seceding from the established church, fled to this country, in the words of Cotton Mather, "from the storm that began to look black upon him." He died at Stratford 1669 .* Benjamin graduated at Harvard College 1663. He studied divinity, and after passing a few years at Stratford, preached some time at Malden, Mass. which place he left 1678.+ He married Rebecca, daughter of Joshua Scottow, Esq. of Boston, 1 April, 1675. Mr. Scottow purchased Cammock's patent at Black-point from H. Jocelyn, Esq. 1666, and six years before, the farm of Abraham Jocelyn, who lived many years on the hill in Scarboro' now called Scottoway. In 1680, Mr. Blackman received from his father in law a deed of a tract of land near the ferry place at Black- point, to which he removed. The next year, a commit- tee was chosen by the town of Scarboro' to agree with him to be their minister for the year ensuing, and in 1682, he was invited to settle in that capacity. There is no doubt therefore that he preached there, though he de- clined a settlement.} . .
"MS. Letter from D. Brooks, Esq. of Stratford. fFarmer's Geneal. Register.
#Scarboro' Records. In 1624 Mr. Burridge of that town was ap- pointed "to go and see for a minister." Mr. Greenleaf, Eccl. Sketches, p. 44. mistakes the record, and makes that worthy townsman a minia- ter of Scarboro'.
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In 1683, Mr. Blackman was an inhabitant of Saco, and chosen to represent the town in the General Assem- bly of the Province under the administration of Dan- forth. His first purchase in this town was 1680, and al- though but 100 acres in extent, embraced all the mill privileges on the eastern side of the river. He erected a sawmill at that time, as he petitioned the Gen. Assem- bly Aug. 1681, for 'liberty to cut timber upon the com- mons for accommodation of his saw-mill, lying on the east side of Saco river'. The Pepperell mill now stands on the same privilege, east of the island, where the falls are still known to the old inhabitants by the name of Blackman's falls. Three years after he purchased a tract on the river containing about six hundred and forty acres from J. Bonython. The next year he made a second purchase from Gibbins, including the 100 acres ; extending 33 miles above the falls. In Bonython's deed, Blackman is described to be the 'agent of some men of Andover,' and Gibbins sets forth that "there has been a motion of several men at the westward to remove themselves to Saco river, and settle upon the eastern side" : but al- though the purchases were completed, it does not appear that the intended movement was made. The renewal of the troubles with the Indians doubtless prevented. Mr. Blackman seems then to have returned to Boston or its vicinity. The last notice of him in our records is as one of a committee to wait on the Rev. Mr. Milburne, to so- licit his continuance another year, in 1686.
His father in law, Mr. Scottow, resided on his estate at Black-point during the same period. A proposal made by him to the town of Scarborough in 1681, deserves to be noticed. He offered them 100 acres of land 'upon the plains,' on which they were to build a fortification and settle in a compact form ; allowing two acres for each family, and liberty to cut wood from another 100 acres. The houses were to be set in a range, and not to approach nearer than eight rods to the fortification ; the houselots not to exceed & an acre, and the rest of the land to be laid out in four common fields and pastures. The condition of the grant was an annual rent of 12d. to Mr. Scottow "as being their demesne lord." The inhabitants at their 15*
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meeting in March, 1682, voted unanimously to accept this proposal, and to go forthwith about building the forti- fication. In 1685, a townmeeting is recorded to have been holden 'at the fortification on the plains' ; but the next year, the agreement with Scottow was rendered null and void by a vote of the town .* Mr. Scottow had a son Thomas, who was chosen commissioner 1688. He com- - manded the fortification the following year. The father died 1698 at Boston ; his executors were his sons in law, Maj. Thomas Savage and Capt. Samuel Checkly.f The whole property at Black-point, including Cammock's pa- tent, and the farm of Abraham Jocelyn, containing 200 acres, was sold by Checkly to Timothy Prout, Esq. in 1728.
CHAPTER XIV.
The limits of the town are supposed to have been ori- ginally of equal extent with those of the patents ; but as the bounds of the latter were not accurately determined until after the town lines were established by the Mass. au- thorities, a considerable portion of both grants, especially that of Lewis and Bonython, lies in the adjoining towns. The following return is the earliest we find relating to this subject : "We whose names are here underwritten, being appointed by the General Court of Massachusetts, are empowered to lay out the dividing bounds between the towns Cape Porpus, Saco, Scarborough, and Falmouth, and upon due consideration thereof do determine as fol- Joweth. That the dividing bounds between Cape Por- pus and Saco shall be the river called Little river, next unto William Scadlock's now dwellinghouse unto the first falls of said river ; from thence upon a due northwest line into the country until eight miles be expired. The
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