USA > New Hampshire > Sullivan County > Charlestown > Annals of Charlestown in the county of Sullivan, New Hampshire > Part 2
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sent here to defend this fort it would not be consistent with my orders to give it up, unless I was better satisfied that he was able to perform what he threatened. I fur- ther told him that it was but poor encouragement to resign into the hands of an enemy if, upon one of their number being killed, they would put all to the sword, when it was very probable that we had killed some of them already. Well, said he, go into the fort and see whether your men dare fight any more and give me an answer quickly, for my men want to be fighting. Whereupon I went into the fort and called the men together and informed them what the General said, and then put it to vote whether they would fight or resign, and they voted to a man to stand it out, and also declared that they would fight as long as they had life rather than go with them. Upon this I returned the answer that we determined to fight it out, upon which they gave a shout and so continued firing and shouting till day light next morning, it being now about noon; but they never had the courage to bring their fortification nor run over the fort; but in lieu thereof they spent the night in shooting their fiery arrows, which were easily put out. The next morning at day light they called to us and said 'Good morning' and desired a cessation of arms for two hours, at which time they said they would come to a par- ley and perhaps make peace with you, and their desire was granted; and they accordingly came with a flag of truce, as before; but the proposal, which they were now about to make, was so far different from the former that the Gen- eral did not care to make it himself, but sent two Indians, who came within about eight rods of the fort and stuck down their flag and desired that I would send out two men to them, which I accordingly did. Upon the men's coming to them they made the following proposals: That in case we would sell them provisions they would engage to go and leave us and not fight any more; and then desired the men to go into the fort and desire the captain to send an answer. Whereupon I sent out the following answer,
HOMES OF MRS. SHERMAN PARIS
MISS HELEN CLAPP
ALBERT T. MORSE
MRS. WILLIAM H. LABAREE
LAMBS' CLUB
viz .: As to selling them provision for money, it was con- trary to the law of the nation, but if they would send in a prisoner for every five bushels of corn I would supply them; and upon the Indians returning the answer to the General four or five guns were immediately fired against the fort and then they withdrew, as we supposed, for we heard no more of them, it being now the 10th of April, 2 o'clock in the afternoon. In all this time we had scarcely opportunity to eat or sleep. The cessation of arms gave us no great matter of rest, for we supposed they did it to get an advantage against us. I believe men were never known to hold out with better resolution, for they did not seem to desire to sit or lie still one minute; for those who were not employed in firing at the enemy were employed in digging trenches under the bottom of the fort. We dug no less than eleven of them so deep that a man could go and stand upright in the outside and not endanger him- self; so that when these trenches were finished we could wet all the outside of the fort, which we did, and kept it wet all night. We drew some hundreds of barrels of water, and to undergo all this hard service there were but 30 men, and though there were some thousands of guns shot at us we had but two men slightly wounded, John Brown and Joseph Ely."
An express was immediately despatched to Boston and the intelligence was there received with great joy. Com. Sir Charles Knowles was so highly pleased with the con- duct of Captain Stevens that he presented him with a val- uable and elegant sword, as a reward for his bravery. From this circumstance the town, when incorporated, re- ceived the name of Charlestown.
On the 24th of August, 1747, as twelve men were pass- ing down the river on their return from the fort to Massa- chusetts, they were surprised and attacked by the Indians, and Nathan Gould and Thomas Goodall were killed and scalped. Oliver Avery was wounded and John Henderson taken. The residue escaped.
On the 15th of March, 1748, while about eight men were a few rods from the fort, they were attacked by about twenty Indians, who endeavored to cut off their retreat to the fort. A skirmish ensued, in which Charles Stevens was killed, a man by the name of Androus or Anderson, wounded and Eleazar Priest taken captive.
"In the month of May a scout of eighteen men under Capt. Eleazar Melvin, marched from Charlestown to re- connoitre the woods toward Lake Champlain, and arriving opposite to Crown Point they discovered and fired upon two canoes of Indians. This drew out a party from the fort, who endeavored to intercept the scout on its return to Connecticut river, and by a rapid march the enemy gained the front, and Melvin soon crossed their trail, and concluding that they would take a route toward Charles- town, he resolved to strike the Connecticut at Fort Dum- mer and thereby avoid the enemy. On reaching West river he halted on the 25th and very imprudently permit- ted his men to divert themselves in shooting salmon, then passing up the shoals of the river. The enemy, unknown to Melvin, were then in close pursuit on his trail, and, hearing the report of the guns, pressed on to the spot and gave the incautious scout a sudden fire, which threw it into confusion and scattered the men in various directions. A small party, however, rallying, returned and engaged the enemy, but were soon overpowered and compelled to retreat. Melvin, with eleven, reached the fort, having lost the residue, all valuable men."
In May, 1749, intelligence was received of the cessation of hostilities between Great Britain and France. But the end of incursions by the enemy was not yet, for in the fol- lowing June, after the evacuation of the fort by the prin- cipal part of the troops, Obadiah Sartwell was killed, while ploughing among his corn, and the rider, Enos Stevens, son of the defender of the fort, was captured and carried to Canada, but he was soon released and returned. These were the last depredations on the frontiers during the
ST. LUKE'S CHURCH, EPISCOPAL, 1905
Cape Breton war, and a final treaty of peace with the In- dians was concluded on the following September.
Relieved in a measure from their fears of savage inva- sion the inhabitants, for a season, went forth to their labors with more encouraging prospects. Although their knowledge of the character of their former enemies did not permit them to consider the period completed, when they might safely beat their swords into plough shares and their spears into pruning hooks, yet were their hopes daily increasing that tomorrow would be as this day, except more abundant in its tokens of peace and prosperity. While the continuation of peace was apparently abating the resentment of the Indians, it proportionally relaxed the vigilance of the men's suspicions and enabled them to engage with increasing fearlessness in the duties of their vocation. After the autumn of 1752 the inhabitants of No. 4 made less use of the fort and ventured more boldly into their fields. All indications of hostility at length dis- appeared. The Indians seemed disposed to traffick, the people were quiet from fear of evil, the wilderness and solitary places began to be glad and the desert to blossom. But soon were these appearances exchanged for melan- choly presages of a repetition of the horrors of Indian hos- tilities. The commencement of the year 1754 exhibited indications of a renewal of war between England and France, and as the line between Canada and the English colonies was a subject of contention, it may be easily sup- posed that the frontiers would be exposed to peculiar dan- ger. "No sooner had the alarm of hostilities, which com- menced between the English and French in the western part of Virginia, spread through the continent than the Indians renewed their attacks on the frontiers of New Hampshire." August 29, 1754, the house of Mr. James Johnson was visited in the evening by a party of neigh- bors, who passed the time with melons and the then usual accompaniments till about midnight. The family then "retired with feelings well tuned for sleep," from which
they were awaked between daybreak and sunrise by a Mr. Laboree, who came for the purpose of working for Mr. Johnson. When Mr. Johnson opened the door the house was immediately filled by a crowd of Indians, who cap- tured the whole household, consisting of Mr. Johnson and wife, Sylvanus, Susan and Polly Johnson, their children, Miriam Willard, sister to Mrs. Johnson, and Peter Laboree and Ebenezer Farnsworth. A Mr. Osmer, who lodged in the chamber, escaped detection by concealing himself be- hind a box. The next day after this capture Mrs. John- son was delivered of a daughter, which, from the circum- stances of its birth, was named Captive. The Indians tarried one day for the accommodation of Mrs. Johnson and on the next resumed their march, carrying her awhile on a litter made for the purpose, and afterward placing her on horseback. Instead of meeting the fate, which she apprehended from her inability to march with convenient speed, Mrs. Johnson was treated with unexpected human- ity and great care was shewn in protecting and nursing her infant. Scoggin, the horse, was killed during their march to supply the want of provisions. Soon after their arrival at Montreal a parole of two months was granted to Mr. Johnson, that he might return and obtain the means of redemption. By applying to the Assembly of New Hampshire he obtained, after some time, one hundred and fifty pounds sterling. But the season was so far advanced and the winter so severe that he did not reach Canada till spring. He was then accused of breaking his parole, a great part of his money was taken from him by violence, he was shut up with his family in prison, where they took the small-pox. After eighteen months Mrs. Johnson, her sister and two of her daughters were sent in a cartel ship to England, and thence they returned to Bos- ton. Mr. Johnson was detained in prison three years and then, with his son, returned and met his wife in Boston, where he had the singular ill fortune to be suspected of designs, unfriendly to his country, and was again impris-
OLD JOHNSON HOUSE
oned, but no evidence appearing against him he was liber- ated. His eldest daughter was retained in a nunnery at Canada. Previously to the liberation of Mr. Johnson's family Mr. Laboree made his escape from Montreal, and, after a long and tedious journey, during three days of which he travelled through a swamp to avoid discovery by the enemy, arrived at New York nearly at the same time with the others. Mr. Farnsworth returned before.
The age of Sylvanus Johnson, at the time of his capture, was six years. During his absence he had entirely for- gotten the English language, but became perfect in the Indian. He had learned a little of the French language, having resided with the French about one year. He lived with the Indians three years and his habits and feelings were formed accordingly. He had accompanied them in their hunting excursions and become accustomed to their hardships. So strongly were the habits of his Indian mas- ters fixed upon his youth that seventy-four years, passed in the peaceful occupation of husbandry, were not suffi- cient to eradicate them. He retained to the hour of his death many, if not most of the feelings and customs in- grafted on his mind by his long residence with the aborig- ines. He has often expressed his regret at having been ransomed, and has always maintained that the Indians were a far more moral race than the whites. He died at Walpole in 1832, at the age of 84 years, leaving the repu- tation of an honest and upright man.
On the 21st of September, 1754, the commissioners of Indian affairs at Albany were informed by Charles Cook, of French and Indian extraction, that, on his way from Cahgnawaga thither, he had met a party of twenty-one Indians, who had been fighting at Charlestown, alluding doubtless, to the capture of Johnson's family. He said he asked them why they had been fighting, since it was peace? They answered, that was nothing; for the English at the fort No. 4 had some time past poisoned two Indians; when at the same time they were sitting and discoursing together
and seemed to be good friends by giving them a dram at night, and in the morning they were both dead. Also, that the English, some time after, killed three Indians below Charlestown; and because the people of New Eng- land killed these five, they had taken five in their room, and that they were now paid.
On the 8th of September, 1755, the inhabitants repre- sented to the government of Massachusetts their distresses, occasioned by their Indian enemies in killing their cattle, compelling them to neglect their fields for the defence of their persons, and thus inducing the danger of a loss of their crops. The petition for assistance was signed by Micah Fuller, Thomas Adams, Simon Sartwell, Moses Wheeler, Daniel Sartwell, James Whiting, John Hastings, Jr., John Spafford, John Hastings, Seth Putnam, Moses Willard, Isaac Parker, David Farnsworth and Ebenezer Putnam.
On the 18th of June, 1756, while Lieut. Moses Willard was endeavoring to extinguish the fire, which had been kindled in his fence, he was attacked by the Indians and killed behind the barn of the late Capt. John Willard, and near the academy. At the same time his son Moses was wounded in the hip by a spear, which is said to have re- mained in the wound till after his retreat into the fort. It is further said that a Mr. Preserved Clap carried the same spear into the revolutionary war. Mr. Willard died Aug. 17, 1832, aged 84 years.
Early in the spring of 1757 a regiment, under Lieut. Col. Goffe, was ordered by Gen. Webb to repair to No. 4, but previously to their arrival the place was visited by a party of French and Indians, in number about 70. About a mile from the village, and near Spafford's mills, where Mr. Hall's now stand, they captured, on the 20th of April, Deacon Thomas Adams, while on his way to the opposite hill for the purpose of making sugar. They tied him to a tree, and on their way to the village took Mr. David Farnsworth. They burned the mills, being a saw and a
grist mill, and captured Sampson Colefax, the miller. They then went to Claremont, as far as Sugar river, and there took Thomas Robbins and Asa Spafford, while on a hunting excursion, both belonging to Charlestown. They then returned to Charlestown and fired upon 15 or 20 men behind Capt. Willard's barn. Farnsworth found means to effect his escape from Canada and returned home. The others were exchanged on the November following their capture and on their return toward home, by way of Great Britain, all died of the small-pox at Quebec.
In August, 1758, a party of Indians appeared at Charles- town, killed Asahel Stebbins, made prisoner of his wife and Isaac Parker and killed many cattle feeding in the adjacent woods. Mention is somewhere made of the cap- ture of a Mrs. Robbins and David Hill at the same period.
The last captives made by the Indians at Charlestown were Mr. Joseph Willard, his wife and five children. They were taken on the 7th of June, 1760, in the lower meadow, about two miles from the village. On their way to Canada the infant was lost in a manner known to the Indians only and another of the children died at Crown Point, while the family were on their return to Charlestown.
It is the testimony of Mrs. Johnson, yea, the universal testimony of the captives, that no instances occurred of wanton cruelty by the Indians, but that on the contrary, they manifested a disposition to alleviate their suffering's. When feeble they assisted them in travelling, and in cases of distress from want of provisions they shared with them an equal proportion.
We here leave the political history of the place for trans- actions more particularly local. At a great and General Court, held in Boston, the 24th day of November, 1736, Thomas Wells, Esq., of Deerfield, was empowered to as- semble the Grantees of No. 4, to choose a moderator, a proprietor's clerk and a committee to allot and divide their lands.
The township was granted to sixty proprietors on condi-
tion that each should build a dwelling house, of at least eighteen feet square, and seven feet between joints, on their respective house lots, and fence in and break up, or clear and stock with grass five acres of land within three years next after their admittance, and cause their respec- tive lots to be inhabited; and that the grantees do, within the space of three years after their admittance, build and finish a convenient meeting house for the public worship of God and settle a learned and orthodox minister.
The first meeting of the proprietors was on the fifth day of April, 1737, when a committee was appointed to lay out 63 lots, sixty for the proprietors, two for the ministry, one of which was to be for the first settled minister, and one for schools.
The first corn mill and saw mill, erected at No. 4, were completed in August, 1744; and their completion, as it is said, was then deemed an event of sufficient novelty and importance to be celebrated by music and dancing.
In 1751, ninety pounds, old tenor, was voted at a town meeting for the encouragement of a blacksmith to settle in No. 4.
On the 2d of July, 1753, the proprietors obtained a char- ter from Benning Wentworth, Governor of the province of New Hampshire, granting them a tract of land containing six square miles, with all the privileges and appurtenances, upon condition "that every grantee, his heirs and assigns, shall plant and cultivate five acres of land within the term of five years for every fifty acres of land contained in his, or their share, and continue to improve and settle the same by additional cultivation, on penalty of the forfeiture of his grant or share in said township, and its reverting to his Majesty, his heirs and successors, to be by him or them regranted to such of his Majesty's subjects as shall effect- ually settle and cultivate the same." A reservation here follows of all white, and other pine trees, fit for masting the Royal navy, with the requisition from every proprietor of an annual rent of one ear of Indian corn during the ten
ST. CATHERINE'S CHURCH, ROMAN CATHOLIC, 1905
succeeding years, and afterward one shilling proclamation money, for every hundred acres.
The first meeting for the choice of town officers and for the transaction of other business was holden on the second Tuesday in August, 1753. The time was appointed by the government, who appointed also Phinehas Stevens, Esq., as moderator. The first town clerk was John Hastings, and the first selectmen were Phinehas Stevens, John Hastings and John Spafford. In the warrant calling the meeting is the article, "to see whether the town will adopt measures to provide some convenient place for pub- lic worship for the ensuing winter." At the meeting no attention appears to have been paid to this article, but at a town meeting in April, 1754, the inhabitants voted to repair the great chamber for a place of worship and £2 13s. 4d. were voted for the repairs.
On the 13th of May, 1754, a vote was obtained for the settlement of Mr. JOHN DENNIS, in the work of the minis- try, and for his encouragement to settle the town voted to pay him annually fifty pounds lawful money, to be equal to silver at six shillings and eight pence per ounce; and also to provide for him a sufficiency of fire wood, brought to his house, and cut cord wood length. At the request of Mr. Dennis they afterward, previously to his ordination, made an addition of three pounds, six shillings and eight pence. On the 4th of December a small church was formed, and on the same day Mr. Dennis was ordained. So great were the apprehensions of the people of hostile invasion by the Indians that the ordination was at North- field, at the distance of forty miles. In about six months difficulties arose in consequence of the imprudent, if no worse, conduct of Mr. Dennis; but the people, under the influence of that charity, which is ready to provide a suita- ble covering for faults, "consented to a reconciliation and agreed to establish the Rev. John Dennis in the ministry, and to fulfil their contract, provided he does agreeably to what he has professed and declared in writing to the com-
munity; that he has entirely dropped, and will drop, his addresses and suit to Eunice Farnsworth; and shall not for the future give the town occasion to fault him for fal- lacy and prevarication." But it is the misfortune of most disorders of his character to gather strength from the means adopted for their remedy. In the present instance the difficulties were healed so slightly that they soon made their appearance in an aggravated form. On the 31st of March, 1756, a council was convened at Deerfield, when the pastoral connexion between Mr. Dennis and his flock was dissolved. The pastors convened for this purpose were those of Keene and Swanzey, Sunderland, Hatfield, Deerfield and Northfield. Mr. Dennis had previously to his settlement at Charlestown served as chaplain to several garrisons at the eastward. He was thus occupied ten or eleven years. He was a native of Ipswich, Massachusetts, and died 2 September, 1773, having nearly completed his 65th year.
The vote for building the first meeting house in Charles- town was passed August 11th, 1760. The town then voted to build a log house for public worship, of the following dimensions, viz: 34 feet long, twenty wide and eight be- tween joints; and to place it on meeting house hill. They voted also twenty pounds lawful money to be levied on the inhabitants for building the house, provided so much should be needed. A committee was appointed to see to and forward the building, with directions that it should be completed by the last day of the next September. On the 17th of the following October the town voted to raise the further sum of ten pounds lawful money, for the purpose of "finishing the house so far, as to build seats, glaze the house, finish the pulpit so far as needful, make window shutters and calk the said house."
On the 14th of the following November the town votel to invite Mr. BULKLEY OLCOTT to settle with them as their minister; to give him the whole of the right of land, com- monly called the minister's right, and to give him also the
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EVANS HOUSE, LOWER MAIN STREET
sum of one hundred pounds, lawful money, of the province of Massachusetts Bay. In February, 1761, they voted to give Mr. Olcott forty-five pounds sterling, or silver, or gold equivalent thereto, the first year; and to make an annual addition of thirty shillings, till his salary should amount to 60 pounds sterling, or silver or gold equivalent, to pay half the salary at the end of six months after his ordination and the other half at the close of the year, to proceed in this way during his ministry among them.
To these last mentioned proposals Mr. Olcott acceded and was ordained May 28, 1761. He is represented as respectable in talents, acceptable as a preacher and pecu- liarly affable and useful in his visits from house to house. "During the whole of his ministry his solicitude for the happiness of his parishioners was conspicuous in the bene- fits which he conferred, and in the attachment with which they were requited. As a divine, he was pathetic, devout and instructive, and may with propriety be said to have
'Allur'd to brighter worlds, and lead the way.'"
He continued in the ministry at Charlestown till June 26th, 1793, when he was removed by death.
It appears that another church was organized under the ministry of Mr. Olcott, consisting of the pastor, Isaac Parker, Seth Walker, Seth Putnam, Stephen Farnsworth, Ebenezer Putnam, Thomas Putnam, Joel Matthews, Wil- liam Heywood and John Spafford.
On the 29th of May, 1796, the church met for the first time after the death of their pastor, and chose Deacon Thomas Putnam as the standing moderator of the church, and Dr. Samuel Crosby as clerk.
During the period of 17 years after the death of Mr. Olcott the parish was destitute of regular ministrations. For a considerable portion of that period they were vari- ously supplied, but principally by the Rev. DAN FOSTER, who, after a temporary settlement in Connecticut, and afterward in Vermont, fixed his residence in Charlestown,
where he died in March, 1809.
The present incumbent was ordained on the 17th of Oc- tober, 1810. In the north parish no minister has ever been settled, nor a church organized.
When the restoration of peace had quieted the fears of the people they began their preparations, in 1763, for the erection of a building fifty-two feet long, forty-two wide, and twenty-five between posts. For this purpose they raised the sum of sixty pounds. Of the progress of the work for more than two years and an half from its com- mencement, we have merely the information, that a prep- aration of materials, and the selection of a site for the building, were the only results of their exertions. In August, 1765, some unexpected occurrences-probably de- ficiences in means-so weakened the hands of the builders that the work ceased till October, 1767. At this period they resumed the work and again obtained a vote to raise the sum of sixty pounds. In December of the same year a committee was appointed to superintend the erection and covering of the frame. By gradual progression it became a place of worship in 1768. Thirty and five years was this temple in building; for accessions and renovations con- tinued till 1793, when it received its last repairs and last additions.
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