USA > Maine > Cumberland County > Portland > The history of Portland, from its first settlement: with notices of the neighbouring towns, and of the changes of government in Maine, Part I > Part 21
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This worthy officer laboured hard to accomplish his promise , he represented to the government their exposed situation, and "at every opportunity entreating those gentlemen in behalf of the poor people of Casco, informing them the necessity of taking care of them either by sending them relief early in the spring, or suffer them to draw off, otherwise they would certainly be destroyed. Their answer was, " they could do nothing till Sir Edmund was gone""' !
This criminal indifference to the fate of so many people, cannot be too severely reprobated ; and it was not until the awful calamity which overwhelmed our settlement burst upon them that they were sensible of their fatal error.
Early in the following year (1690) the enemy renewed their depredations. They consisted of French and Indians ; in the lan- guage of Mather, " being half one and half t'other, half Indianized French and half Frenchified Indians." In February they made a descent from Canada upon Schenectada, in New-York, in which they killed about 60 persons. On the 18th of March another party commanded by Artel, a Frenchman, and Hopehood, " that memo- rable tygre," destroyed the settlement at Salmon Falls, " with fire and sword."
"The government were preparing to send Sir Edmund Andross and some of his council prisoners to England. Andross died in London 1714.
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Capt. Willard, an experienced officer from Salem, who had been stationed in Falmouth', was ordered in February to pursue the enemy to their head quarters ; on his departure the command of the fort . devolved upon Capt. Davis. It does not appear that there were any regular troops left here, and the defence of the place depended upon the courage and exertions of the inhabitants. While they were in this situation, a party of the French, some of whom had assisted in the affair at Schenectada, formed a junction with the eastern In- dians under Madockawando, and were discovered in the beginning of May passing in a large fleet of canoes across Casco Bay. From the direction of their course the people of Falmouth entertained hopes that their destination was to a more remote part of the country ; but : in this they were disappointed. In a few days they were discovered Jurking in this vicinity, and Robert Greason, a Scotchman, one of our inhabitants who lived upon the Presumpscot river, fell into their hands. As soon as it was known that they were in the neighbourhood, strict orders were given for the people to confine themselves to their gar- risons, and to keep constant watch to prevent surprise. There were then in addition to fort Loyal, four garrison houses in this part of the town, whose local situation we have not the means of accurately · determining ; one was on Munjoy's hill, near the burying ground, at the stone house of Capt, Lawrence. Sullivan says another stood " where Dearing's house now stands ;" this was at the foot of Ex- change-street, and was probably the house of Lt. George Ingersoll, which occupied that spot ; he says another stood on the rocky ground south of where the first meeting house stands. He cites no authority for determining these localities, and probably derived them from tradition, which we have found a most unsafe guide in inquiries of this nature. It would seem entirely unnecessary to have so many garrisons in the immediate vicinity of the fort, and we have thought some of these defences may have been in the more remote parts of the town for the protection of the inhabitants there. Elihu Gulli- son's house was established by the council of war in Nov. preceding as a principal garrison house, but we cannot determine its situation.
Thaddeus Clarke, Lieut. of a company of town soldiers, impru- dently neglected the precaution which had been given to keep his
'Capt. Willard wrote from Salem in Nov. to the Gov. that his men at Casco needed supplies, that the parents of his soldiers were much displeased because they had not returned as promised. He proposed that Dr. Haraden be encouraged to visit the soldiers in Casco and take care of them. Ann. of Salem, 295.
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men within the garrison ; being desirous to discover something of the movements of the enemy, he went out with about 30 " of the stoutest young men," to the top, of what we suppose was Munjoy's hill, which was then covered with woods. We give the sequel of this unhappy adventure in the language of Mather' : "The outlet from the town to the wood, was through a lane that had a fence on each side, which had a certain block house? at one end of it : and the English were suspicious, when they came to enter the lane, that the Indians were lying behind the fence, because the cattle stood staring that way, and would not pass into the wood as they use to do. This mettlesome company then run up to the fence with an huzza ! thinking thereby to discourage the enemy, if they should be lurking there ; but the enemy were so well prepared for them, that they answered them with an horrible vengeance, which killed the Lieut. and 13 more on the spot, and the rest escaped with much ado unto one of the garrisons."
After this disheartening and ominous event, the enemy imme- diately attacked the garrisons ; these were resolutely defended ; but at night, their ammunition being nearly exhausted, the be- seiged abandoned their posts and drew off to fort Loyal. Next morning, being the 16th of May, the enemy set fire to the houses, and laid seige to the fort with their whole force. The local situation of the fort was highly favourable to their design : it was situated on a rocky bluff fronting the harbour, at the base of which the enemy could work securely beyond the reach of its guns'. The number of the assailants was so much more numerous than that of the English, that the latter deemed it not prudent to leave their defences. The seige was carried on 5 days and 4 nights, when at last, many of the English having been killed and wounded, the remain- der capitulated on the 20th of May. The following account of the attack and surrender, by Capt. Davis, the commander of the fort, will not be uninteresting. " Myself having command of a garrison in Falmouth for the defence of the same, a party of French from Canada, joined with a company of Indians, to the number of betwixt four and five hundred French and Indians set upon our fort. The 16th of May, 1690, about dawning, began our fight : the 20th, about
1 Mag. 2, 524. 2Probably Lawrence's house.
"This bluff probably retains the same general features it had then ; the fort stood in the rear of the three story house now situated at the foot of King-street.
أحد
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3 o'clock, afternoon, we were taken. They fought us 5 days and 4 nights, in which time they killed and wounded the greatest part of our men, burned all the houses, and at last we were forced to have a parley with them in order for a surrender. We not knowing that there was any French among them, we set up a flag of truce in order for a parley. We demanded if there were any French among them, and if they would give us quarter. They answered, that they were Frenchmen, and that they would give us good quarter. Upon this answer, we sent out to them again, to know from whence they came, and if they would give us good quarter, both for our men, women and children, both wounded and sound, and that we should have liberty to march to the next English town, and have a guard for our defence and safety unto the next English town-then we would sur- render ; and also that the Governor of the French should hold up his hand and swear by the great and ever living God, that the several articles should be performed. All which he did solemnly swear to - perform ; but as soon as they had us in their custody, they broke their articles, suffered our women and children and our men to be made captives in the hands of the heathen, to be cruelly murdered 1 and destroyed many of them, and especially our wounded men ; only the French kept myself and 3 or 4 more, and carried us over land for Canada * * About 24 days we were marching through the country for Quebeck in Canada, by land and water, carrying our canoes with us. The chief of the Indians that came against us was those Indians that we had in hold, that Sir Edmond Andross ordered to be cleared, and Sieur Castine and Madockawando, with their eastern forces. The French that took us came from Canada, in February last past, designed for the destruction of Falmouth, by order from the Governour there, the Earl of Frontenac. The commander's name was Mons. Burniffe : his Lieut.'s name was Mons. Corte de March, who was at the taking of Schenectade. They brought several Indians with them from Canada, and made up the rest of their forces as they marched through the woods from Canada. But I must say, they were kind to me in my travels through the country. Our pro- visions was very short-Indian corn and acorns-hunger made it very good and God gave it strength to nourish. I arrived at Quebeck the 14th of June 1690. I was at Quebeck 4 months and was exchanged for a Frenchman Sir Wm. Phipps had taken, the 15th of October, 1690'."
'The original paper is on file in the Mass. office of State. -
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The names of but few of the persons who perished in the unhappy fall of Falmouth are preserved, and those incidentally. Among the killed were Lieut. Clarke and the thirteen young men of his company, who were left dead upon the spot as before noticed.
Thomas Cloice and Seth Brackett, son of Anthony, were killed, but it is not known whether they were among the slain of Clarke's company or not. It appears by the Danvers records, that Thomas Alsop, Edward Crocker and Geo. Bogwell were killed at Casco, in 1690. Jos. Ramsdell, a soldier from Lynn, was also killed. Capt. Robert Lawrence was mortally wounded, and Anthony Brackett jr. James Ross and Peter Morrell were among the prisoners. It is to be regretted that a more perfect record of the sufferers in this catastrophe has not been preserved ; we have been indebted to ancient depositions taken to perpetuate evidence, for the few names we have been able to present. In this disaster the town records were destroyed', together with all other combustible or destructible property in town, and the once flourishing settlement exhibited an , entire and melancholy ruin ?. It was visited by Sir Wm. Phipps and Major Church in August 1692, on an expedition east, when they buried the bones of the slain as they were bleaching upon the soil, and removed the cannon of the fort, which had been too large for Indian transportation.
After the capture of fort Loyal the garrisons at Purpooduck, Spurwink and in Scarborough were so disheartened that they aban-
1 It has been intimated that the town records were carried to Canada ; but it is not probable that the enemy would take pains to preserve and transport so great a distance, documents which to them had no sort of value. Judge Freeman men- tioned the report to me, but he had no authority for it but tradition. Had there been a reasonable ground for the idea, the subsequent settlers would have obtained them, at a time when their loss was severely felt and produced great confusion in titles.
2William Vaughan, Charles Frost and Richard Martyn, wrote to Boston from Portsmouth, May 19, 1690, that they had just heard of the attack on Casco-that two men from Spurwink garrison on hearing the firing at Casco, went to see about it ; when they came near, "they saw but 2 houses standing, the fort on fire and the enemy very numerous thereabout." On the 22d of May they wrote again that the vessels they had sent, discovered that the enemy 3 or 400 strong had possession of Casco, and as they approached the fort, they were fired upon, and while they staid, the remainder of the fort and houses were burnt ; that 3 or 400 people mostly women and children had arrived at Portsmouth from the eastward, and that the vessels reported that Black point, Richmond's island and Spurwink were burning as they passed. (Gen. Court files.)
The General Court in October following ordered a payment for wages to be made to the wives and relations of the soldiers who were slain or taken at Casco. Ib.
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doned their posts and retreated upon Saco. In a few days after, the people in the latter place drew off to Wells and left the country east of that settlement, wholly depopulated and unprotected.
Major Church was sent to this bay again in Sept. to harrass the _enemy. The expedition on its return anchored for a night off Pur- pooduck point ; and the accommodations on board the vessels being limited, three companies encamped in a deserted house on shore. At the dawn of day the Indians attacked the camp and an obstinate engagement ensued, during which the troops from the vessels were landed ; the enemy were driven off with the loss of 13 canoes. Several were killed and wounded on both sides ; one Indian prisoner was taken, " a lusty man who had Joseph Ramsdell's scalp by his side1."
Falmouth became the scene of no more engagements during the war ; a single anecdote relating to the place told by Mather with high relish may close the subject. As the Indians were passing through " deserted Casco" in 1694, the squaws desired the young men to shoot some horses that were straying about Capt. Brackett's orchard, as they were suffering from hunger ; but the young men wishing to have some sport first, caught one of the horses, and making a halter from the mane and tail, a son of the famous Higon mounted the steed for a ride, and to secure him from falling he had his legs tied under the horses belly. But no sooner was the horse at liberty, . than he set out at full speed " through briar and brake," without regard to the feelings or the wailings of his rider. Nothing more was seen of poor Higon but a leg which was buried with great lamentation in Capt. Brackett's cellar.
The war continued until 1698, when a treaty of peace concluded at Ryswick in 1697 between the English and French having been announced, and Madockawando being dead, all obstructions to an accommodation were removed. Articles of agreement were entered into in October, and a treaty was finally executed at Mare's point in Casco bay January 7th 1699. At which time the whole territory of Falmouth, which before the war was covered with an active and enterprising population was a perfect blank, a thorough-fare for the savage and a resort for beasts of prey.
1Church.
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Biographical Notices.
CHAPTER 11.
A notice of some of the inhabitants of Falmouth, during the second settlement.
IN the foregoing pages we have introduced occasional notices of some of the prominent men of the town. We propose now to con- clude this part of our history by adding some additional particulars relative to the lives and characters of several of the inhabitants, and furnishing as full a catalogue as we have been able to collect of all `who resided here between 1680 and 1690.
James Andrews, son of Samuel Andrews, who came from London, was born in 1635, probably in Saco ; but soon after his father's death, which took place about 1638, he removed with his mother to Falmouth, on her marriage with Arthur Macworth. He is supposed to have married for his first wife Sarah, a daughter of Michael Mitton ; the christian name of his second was Margaret, we cannot supply the surname. He lived on a large farm east of Presumpscot river, which passed by mesne conveyances to the Jones family, and is now partly owned by Capt. Samuel Moody. During the Indian war he removed to Boston, where he died in 1704, leaving a widow, one son Elisha, and 3 daughters, Rebecca, wife of Jona. Adams, Dorcas, wife of Ebenezer Davenport, and Jane, wife of Robert Davis : he is believed also to have had a son James and another Josiah or Joshua. The two last not being mentioned in his will, probably died before him.
Anth ny Brackett, who was killed in 1689, has been so frequently noticed, that but few remarks will now be necessary. He filled a large space in the affairs of the town, and his death at the commence- ment of the troubles must have been seriously felt by his townsmen. Of his children by his first wife, Anthony was taken prisoner at the capture of the fort, and escaped in Sept. following ; he rendered the country very acceptable services during the war and finally settled in Boston ; his son Anthony was a rope-maker ; his posterity sold their right in lands here and did not return. Seth the second son, was killed in the attack on the town in 1690. His daughter Mary was unmarried in 1717 : Kezia married Joseph Maylem, and Elinor Richard Pulling, both of Boston. By the second marriage Brackett
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had a family, none of whose names have we been able to learn but that of his eldest son Zachariah, who subsequently lived in Hampton, N. H. where his oldest child Sarah was born March 1, 1709. He returned to Falmouth before 1720, when another daughter was born here : he had nine children born between 1709 and 1727, from whom a numerous posterity has spread over the State.
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George Bramhall was actively employed during the time he lived in town ; he carried on the tanning business in addition to his large farm ; some remains of the tannery may still be traced at the foot of the hill near Vaughan's bridge. His family, consisting of his widow Martha and children, Joseph, George, Hannah and Joshua, after his death which has been before noticed, moved to Plymouth colony. George was living in Hingham in 1733 ; Joseph was a wine-cooper in Boston, where he died without issue in 1716. Hannah married Jonathan Hall of Harwich : Joshua returned to Falmouth in 1729, · and settled upon his father's farm, where he remained until 1758, when he returned to Plymouth1.
Thaddeus Clarke came from Ireland. He married Elizabeth the second daughter of Michael Mitton about 1662, which is the earliest notice we have of him. Although a man of standing and enterprise, he had not much education, his signature to instruments was made by a mark. He lived on the bank a little above the point on the Neck, to which he has left his name, where trace of the cellar of his house is still visible. His eldest daughter Elizabeth married Capt. Edward Tyng, another married a Harvey, and was a widow in Boston 1719, his son Isaac was living in Framingham, Mass. in 1718 ; his widow died in Boston in 1736, aged 92 years.
Thomas Cloice was the son of John Cloice. He married Susan- nah a daughter of George Lewis, by whom he had three children, Thomas who died in Boston before 1735 without issue ; George who lived in Salem in 1735, and Hannah. He had a house on the north side of Middle-street, a few rods west of King-street. A Sarah Cloice who was a conspicuous object in the Salem witchcraft in 1692, was probably connected with this family. None of them returned to Falmouth.
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1I have preserved in the Appendix VIII. copies of some original papers in my possession, which belonged to Mr. Bramhall, as having some interest in this con- nection.
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Biographical Notices.
John Corney was a labourer, he lived one year in John Ingersoll's house and one year in Samuel Ingersoll's house, both on the Neck ; he had a 60 acre lot on Nonsuch point ; he had a son Elisha born 1668 ; they both subsequently lived in Gloucester.
Ebenezer Davenport came to Falmouth about 1685, when he was 24 years old, and lived on a farm east of Presumpscot river, near James Andrews', whose daughter he married. On the destruction of the town he settled in Dorchester, where he was living in 1735, aged 74 years.
Isaac Davis lived on a large farm at Stroudwater, north of Long Creek, but he had a house upon his lot in the village on the Neck. He had several children, of whom John was the eldest, born in 1660, who with his brother Samuel, were living in Gloucester in 1733 ; James, another son, and the children of a daughter who married Fitts, were living in Ipswich the same year ; another daughter mar- ried Smith, whose son Richard lived in Biddeford in 1720.
Lawrence Davis was a settler before the first war ; during this war he remained in Ipswich, from which he returned about 1681, and settled upon his farm at Purpooduck. His daughter Rachel born 1663, married Robert Haines for her first husband, and Wedgewood for her second, and lived with him in Hampton, N. H. Davis's son Jacob also settled at Purpooduck where he had a family.
Silvanus Davis. Of the early part of the life of Mr. Davis and his connection with Falmouth, as much has been already exhibited "as is consistent with our limits. On his return from captivity in 1690, he probably fixed his residence in Boston, where he died in 1703. He was appointed by the king, a counsellor for Sagadehock under the charter of 1691. He left a widow but no issue ; by his will he gave to his wife the use of " the house he lately built at Nantasket," with the furniture during her life, and to the three daugh- ters of James English, " in consideration of his intimacy and kind- ness" all his interest in lands in Casco bay, they giving to his wife £5 each.
Henry Donnell came from York and occupied Jewell's Island as a fishing stage about 30 years. He married a daughter of Thomas Reading, an early settler in Saco, but who afterwards moved into Casco bay, by whom he had sons Henry and Samuel. They were subsequently inhabitants of York. Samuel became a counsellor under the new charter.
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James Freeze was killed by the Indians in 1689 ; he left a son Jacob, who afterwards lived in Hampton. Jonathan, George and Joseph Freeze are stated to have been his heirs.
Philip Gammon was a fisherman and lived at Purpooduck. He married a daughter of John Parrott, also a settler in the same place. He was living in Portsmouth in 1734. There are persons of this name now in Cape Elizabeth, who probably descended from him.
John Gustin' bought land on Presumpscot river just above the falls, of Thomas Cloice in 1686, and lived upon it. After the destruction of the town he lived at Lynn. He returned to Falmouth, where he died in 1719, leaving a widow Elizabeth, and children, Samuel, John, Eben.'r Thomas, David, Sarah and Abigail.
Robert Haines lived at Purpooduck ; he married Rachel, daugh- ter of Lawrence Davis, by whom he had one son, Thomas, who was his only heir, and was living in Hampton in 1733. His widow was living at Hampton in 1747, aged 84.
George Ingersoll. The Ingersoll's having been repeatedly men- tioned in the foregoing pages, and their origin noticed, we shall now add but few particulars relating to them. We have no doubt that all of the name who settled here descended from Richard, who arrived at Salem in 1629. The first George, the Lieut., survived the second desolation of the town, and was living in Salem in 1694, aged 76. We are not able to ascertain that he had more than three , children, George, Samuel, and one killed in the first war. In 1694 he sold to Timothy Lindall, of Salem, his house lot on the Neck, lying east of Exchange-street and extending to the channel of Fore riv- er. His son Samuel's house lot joined this on the east, and he sold it to Mary Sargent in 1721 ; Samuel lived at Stroudwater between the river and " Davis's mills." We do not know the time of George's death nor that of his son Samuel. George, jr. was a shipwright ; he
1I have before intimated an opinion that this person is the same who received a grant from Danforth under the name of Augustine John, who was a French- man. I am confirmed in that opinion by a fact stated by Peter Housing in a peti- tion 1687, that his mother sold one half of his father's farm on the west side of Presumpscot river to " Gustian John, a Frenchman." Now Housing was con- nected by marriage with John Cloice, from whom he received land on the Pre- sampscot ; and Thomas Cloice, son of John, who received the principal part of his father's land on the river conveyed to John Gustin 60 acres of it Dec. 14, 1686. John Gustin subsequently claimed and his family occupied it, and his descendants live in that neighbourhood to this day. We hear nothing afterwards of Augustine John, except as subscriber to a petition in 1689, in which his name is written " Gustan John."
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moved to Boston after the fall of the town, but returned on its revival. He did not however long remain here at that time, but returned to Boston, where he died before 1730. In 1687 he was living on 100 acres at Stroudwater, possessed by him about 26 years. His son Daniel occupied his Danforth grant lying east of Willow street, which was confirmed to him by the town in 1721. Daniel was also a shipwright, and moved to Boston after a residence here - of a few years. He sold his house lot to Moses Pearson in 1730, describing it as " his father's former possession." Part of this con- tinues in the family of Pearson to this day.
John Ingersoll, as we have seen, lived at Capisic. On the breaking out of the war he moved to Kittery, where he died in 1716, leaving a widow Deborah then aged 71, and children Elisha, Na- thaniel, John, Ephraim, Deborah, born 1668, and married to Benja- min Larrabee, Mary, married to - - Low, Rachel, wife of John Chapman, Abigail, married to - Blacey, and another daughter who died before him, who had been married to - Brown. His son Elisha and son in law Chapman, came to Falmouth on the reset- tlement, and took possession of the farm.
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