USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Exeter > History of the town of Exeter, New Hampshire > Part 2
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Wheelwright was not the only victim. Mrs. Hutchinson also was banished from the colony, and several of their adherents were " disarmed "- deprived of all weapons - an ignominious and harsh punishment at that time when the means of protection and defence were so essential. Thus one of the earliest acts of those who emigrated hither to obtain their religious freedom, was to establish a religious despotism. The poor pretence that the act was necessary for the maintenance of "the civil peace," finds no justification in any fact which the most prejudiced apologist has been able to urge in its favor.
The sentence against Wheelwright was pronounced early in November, 1637, and he was allowed two weeks to depart out of the jurisdiction. Much to the surprise of many, instead of accom- panying his sister-in-law to Rhode Island, where he would have been welcomed to an asylum of religious freedom, he turned his face towards the far less inviting solitude of the falls of the Squamscot. It is probable that he sailed from Boston to the month of the Pascataqua in a coaster belonging to John Clark, afterwards of Rhode Island, one of his sympathizers ; and then
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HISTORY OF EXETER.
made his difficult way overland to his destination. The succeed- ing inclement season he must have passed in the rude cabin of some neighboring settler, perhaps that of Edward Hilton. It was a bitter winter, and the snow covered the ground to the depth of three feet, from the fourth of November to the fifth of the follow- ing March.
But no sooner were the icy chains of winter loosed, than the resolute and indefatigable Wheelwright began to bestir himself in making preparations for his new settlement.
THE DEEDS FROM THE INDIANS.
The release of the Indians' right to the lands in and about Exe- ter was contained in two deeds which are still preserved, and are here given, with the original orthography and contractions.
Know all men by these presents that I Wehanownowit Sagamore of piskatoquake for good considerations me therevnto mouing & for certen comodys which I have received have graunted & sould vnto John Whelewright of piscatoquake, Samnel Hutchinson & Augustine Stor of Boston Edward Calcord & Darby Field of pis- catoquake & John Compton of Roxbury and Nicholas Needome of Mount Walliston all the right title & interest in all such lands, woods, meadows, rivers, brookes springs as of right belong vnto me from Merimack riner to the patents of piscatoquake bounded weh the South East side of piscatoquake patents & so to goe into the Country north West thirty miles as far as oyster riuer to haue & to hold the same to them & their heires forever, onely the ground wh is broken up excepted. & that it shall be lawfull for the said Sagamore to hunt & fish & foul in the said limits. In Witness whereof I hane herennto set my hand the 3d day of April 1638.
Signed & possession giuen. These being present
James Wall. James, his m'ke Wehanownowit his m'ke.
his W. C. m'ke.
William Cole his M m'ke. Lawrence Cowpland
Know all men by these p'sents yt I Wehanownowitt Sagamore of Puschataquake for a certajne some of money to mee in hand payd & other m'chandable comodities weh I haue reed as likewise for other good causes & considerations mee y" unto spetially moning
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HISTORY OF EXETER.
haue granted barganed alienated & sould vnto John Wheelewright of Pischataqua & Augustine Storr of Bostone all those Lands woods Medowes Marshes rivers brookes springs with all the app"- tenances emoluments pfitts comoditys there unto belonging lying , and situate within three miles of the Northerne side of ye river Meremake extending thirty miles along by the river from the sea side & from the sayd river side to Pischataqua Patents thirty Miles vp into the countrey North West & soe from the ffalls of Pischa- taqua to Oyster river thirty Miles square evry way, to hane & to hould the same to them & y" heyres for euer only the ground wch is broaken vp is excepted & it shall bee lawfull for ye sayd Saga- more to hunt fish & foule in the sayd lymitts. In witnesse wrof I have hereunto sett my hand & seale the third day of Aprill 1638. Signed sealed & delivred &
possession given in the prsence of James his m'ke Aspamabough his m'ke
Edward Calcord Nicholas Needham
Wehanownowit his m'ke.
William Furbar
Pummadockyon* his m'ke. the Sagamore's son
It will be observed that in the description of the premises re- leased, the main difference between these two instruments was in regard to the southern boundary ; in the former deed it was a line three miles north of the Merrimac river ; in the latter it was the river itself. The occasion of this duplication of the title-deeds was, in all likelihood, the want of knowledge of the exact location of the northern limit of Massachusetts ; and the intention was to claim to that limit, and to rely on whichever of the deeds the better sustained that claim.
The change of grantees named in the deeds indicates that there could have been no intention of vesting the title in them person- ally ; and, accordingly, it will be found that they never assumed the ownership in themselves, but allowed the conveyances to enure to the benefit of the great body of the settlers, and the lands to be at their disposal and control. This fact, taken in connection with the prompt appearance upon the ground of no less than nine of Wheelwright's friends and supporters, in the character of grantees
* The original deeds bear the totems or distinctive marks of the Indians, being rude sketches, as follows: those of James and of Wehanownowit a man holding a toma- hawk; that of Pummadockyon a man holding a bow and arrow; and that of Aspam- abough a bow and arrow.
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HISTORY OF EXETER.
and witnesses, and the speedy arrival of numerous others, leaves little question that the project of the Exeter settlement had been fully organized and understood beforehand.
TIIE DISPUTED INDIAN DEED OF 1629.
In the trial of the action at law of Allen against Waldron in 1707, which involved the title to substantially all the lands in New Hampshire, the defendant introduced in evidence a deed purport- ing to have been executed by Passaconaway, sagamore of Pena- cook, Runawit of Pentucket, Wahanownawit of Squamscot and Rowls of Newichwannock, to the Rev. John Wheelwright and others, on the seventeenth day of May, 1629, nearly nine years prior to the date of the deeds already mentioned. It assumed to convey the rights of the grantors' tribesmen to the same territory described in those deeds, and even more. The instrument under- went the ordeal of the courts unscathed, and passed into the his- tory of the time as a genuine document, and was universally so regarded for a hundred years. In 1820 Mr. James Savage, while editing an edition of Winthrop's Journal, was led, by a compari- son of dates, to inquire into the authenticity of the deed, and with characteristic positiveness, to pronounee it spurious. His view was adopted by several of the historians of New Hampshire, in- cluding Mr. John Farmer and the Rev. Dr. Nathaniel Bouton. It has, however, been queried by some others whether the reasons given for discrediting the instrument are conclusive.
But it seems quite unnecessary to go, in this work, into any in- quiry on the subject. Whether the deed of 1629 was true or false, it is certain that Wheelwright in making his settlement did not rely upon it, but upon the conveyances of the later date. The question respeeting the authenticity of the earlier deed, therefore, however interesting it may be to antiquaries, can affeet no one's title or claim, and is of no practical importance.
The instrument, however, as a historical curiosity, is worthy of preservation. Being of considerable length it will be placed in the appendix (I).
TRIALS OF THE OPENING YEAR.
The opening year of Exeter's settlement must have tested to the utmost the courage and endurance of the colonists. Everything needed to render the place habitable had to be created; for the
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HISTORY OF EXETER.
lack of means of transport in the wilderness precluded the convey- ance thither of anything beyond the absolute essentials of exist- ence. The trees of the primeval forest had to be felled, and from their trunks rude dwellings constructed, to shelter the tender ones. The absence of household furniture compelled the fashioning of substitutes from wood or bark. Planting-land must be cleared, and seed sown, to provide against the danger of starvation. Nu- merons other wants, the products of civilization, clamored also to be at once supplied ; so that every hour of the first season must have been devoted to providing the means for rendering life secure and tolerable. Nothing short of extraordinary firmness of character, the consciousness of right in their religious trials, and their confidence in their leader and pastor, would have enabled the early settlers of the town to bear up under the difficulties and hardships of their position.
From the best information that can now be obtained, the popu- lation of Exeter did not advance during the first year much, if at all, beyond a score of families. These consisted in about equal proportions of Wheelwright's parishioners and adherents from Mount Wollaston and its vicinity in Massachusetts, and of his con- nections and friends lately arrived from Lincolnshire in England. In July, 1637, in the midst of the Antinomian excitement, a ship had reached Boston, from England, bringing as passengers a brother of Mrs. Anne Hutchinson, and a number of other transat- lantic friends of Wheelwright. The General Court of Massachu- setts had recently enacted a law forbidding new comers to tarry in the colony for a longer time than three weeks, without the written permission of a member of the council or of two other magistrates. That friends of Wheelwright should be suffered to make their permanent homes in Massachusetts was out of the ques- tion. Governor Winthrop gave them leave to remain for four months, but no longer. In November, 1637, therefore, they had to seek an abiding place elsewhere. They, doubtless, chose to go where Wheelwright went, and found winter quarters somewhere on the Pascataqua ; and in the following spring sat down with him at Exeter. Of these we can reckon about ten heads of families, and of those who came from the neighborhood of Boston, about the same number.
The wives and little ones did not stay long behind. Wheel- wright's family left Massachusetts in March, 1638, to follow him to Exeter by water. The difficulties of travelling thither by land
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HISTORY OF EXETER.
were too great for women and children, even at the most favorable season. But it was quite practicable to navigate a vessel of fair size along the coast and up the river to the very foot of the falls of the Squamscot ; and it is altogether likely that most of the fami- lies adopted that mode of conveyance for themselves and their more portable household effects.
THE FIRST CHURCHI.
This was essentially a religious colonization, and there can be no doubt that at an early stage, a church was gathered, though its records have long since disappeared. We assume that this was done before December 13, 1638, because the fact is recorded in the past tense in Winthrop's contemporaneous History of New England, under that date. The time of the formation of the church is not there given, but the facts recited would imply that it must have been in existence for some weeks, if not months before that date. It probably included in its membership all, or nearly all, the adult persons in the settlement. The members of the newly gathered church wrote to the church in Boston, no doubt, in the autumn of 1638, asking for the dismission of Wheelwright therefrom, in order that he might be their minister ; but as Wheel- wright himself, for obvious reasons, did not join in the petition, the elders of the Boston church declined to lay the proposal before the members. Upon this being made known to Wheelwright he sent his own request to the same effect, which reached the elders early in December ; and thereupon on the sixth of the following January the Boston church dismissed Wheelwright, Richard Mor- ris, Richard Bulgar, Philemon Pormort, Isaac Gross, Christopher Marshall, George Bates, Thomas Wardell and William Wardell " unto the church of Christ at the falls of the Pascataqua, if they be rightly gathered and ordered." And two months afterwards, on March 3, 1639, they dismissed to the same church, also, Susanna Hutchinson, widow, Mary, the wife of Wheelwright, Leonora, the wife of Richard Morris, Henry Elkins and his wife, this time without conditions, being apparently satisfied that the church of Exeter was "rightly gathered and ordered."
It was a circumstance none too creditable to the temper of the authorities of Massachusetts, that after they had relieved them- selves from all, even imaginary danger from their heterodox brethren by banishing them from their territory, they must needs
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HISTORY OF EXETER.
grudge them a friendly reception among their new neighbors. In September, 1638, the General Court of that colony directed the governor to write to the Rev. George Burdett at Dover, Thomas Wiggin at Squamscot, and others, of the vicinity, reproaching them for having aided Wheelwright in founding the plantation at Exeter. This gratuitous act of unfriendliness must naturally have reached the ears of the parties at whom it was aimed, and could not fail to embitter them still more against their persistent perse- cutors.
Shortly afterwards the settlement of Winicowet, now Hampton, was begun under the authority of Massachusetts. Prior to this time that colony had made no claim nor attempt to exercise juris- diction over any territory lying more than three miles north of the Merrimac river-the line to which the obvious construction of her charter would appear to restrict her. But Winicowet was above that distance north of the Merrimac, and, moreover, was embraced in Wheelwright's purchase from the Indians. He, therefore, gave notice to the settlers of Hampton and to the General Court of Massachusetts that the lands of Hampton had been bought by Exeter from the Indian sagamores, and would be lotted out in farms, unless Massachusetts could show a better title. The Gen- eral Court replied that they looked upon this as against good neighborhood, religion and common honesty, as Exeter knew that Massachusetts claimed Hampton as within her patent, or as vacant land, and had taken possession thereof by building a house there above two years before. The Exeter proprietors made reply, that they claimed nothing which was within the patent of Massachu- setts. But, before that, the authorities of Massachusetts had sent men to explore the course of the Merrimac, and had discovered that its source was far to the northward of the Pascataqua planta- tions, and thereupon resolved upon that construction of their charter which they promulgated by a solemn order in 1652, claim- ing that the northern bound of their patent was an east and west line drawn through a point three miles northerly of the northern- most extremity of the Merrimac. This new interpretation must be admitted to be highly artificial ; but Massachusetts had a strong government, while the New Hampshire settlements were feeble, and England was hopelessly far away. Massachusetts was thus in a condition to enforce her claims, and they were submitted to for the time. But when they were subsequently brought before the English tribunals they were unhesitatingly rejected.
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HISTORY OF EXETER.
Thus passed the first year of the life of the new town, if town it can be called which was without municipal regulations or any kind of civil government. Thus far the inhabitants had been so fully engrossed in providing for their prime necessities, their inter- ests were so little conflicting, and the influence of their leader was so complete, that no disorder or serious differences had occurred. But the second year was to bring accessions to their numbers, of those who could not be expected to yield equal obedience to Wheelwright's wishes. The existence of the new plantation had been bruited about, and another set of inhabitants, of different antecedents and purposes, began to come in. And before the end of the second year the population had at least doubled.
ANOTHER INDIAN DEED.
On the tenth of April, 1639, Wheelwright succeeded in strength- ening the town's title to the territory purchased from Wehanowna- wit and Pummadockyon the year before, by the confirmatory grant of another Indian of authority, indorsed upon their deed, in the following terms :
Know all men by these p'sents that I Watohantowet doe fully consent to the grant within written, & do yeild up all my right in the said purchased lands to the ptys wth in written. In witnesse whereof I have herevnto set my hand the tenth day of April 1639.
I doe likewise grant vnto them for goode consideration all the meadows & grounds extending for the space of one english mile on the East side of Oyster river. April 10. 1639.
These being prsent
Jo : Underhill
Watohantowet * his m'ke.
his a m'ke
Darby Field
From the last clause in the foregoing grant it appears that Watahantowet claimed the proprietorship of lands beyond Oyster river, afterwards appropriated by Dover, and now included in Dur- ham. So far as those lands were concerned, Exeter benefited little by the conveyance.
* The totem of Watahantowet delineated upon the deed was an armless man.
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HISTORY OF EXETER.
THE COMBINATION.
As the second season advanced the need of some form of civil government became apparent. There were no constituted authori- ties over the patent of New Hampshire, and the Exeter settlers were driven to the expedient adopted nineteen years before by the Pilgrim Fathers, and perhaps employed by one at least of the other plantations upon the Pascataqua. They agreed upon a vol- untary association for governmental purposes, which was drawn up by their pastor and subscribed by him and probably by the greater number of the adult males of the settlement. It bore date the fourth day of July, 1639 ; just one hundred and thirty-seven years before the adoption of the memorable declaration of American Independence.
The following is the language of this compact :
Whereas it has pleased the lord to moue the heart of our Dread Soveraigne Charles, by the grace of god King of England, Scot- land France & Ireland, to grant licence & liberty to sundry of his subjects to plant them selves in the Westerne partes of America ; Wee his loyall subjects, brethren of the church of Exceter, situate & lying upon the river of Piscataqnacke wth other inhabitants there considering wth our selves the holy will of god and our owne neces- sity that we should not live wthout wholsome lawes & civil govern- ment amongst us, of wh we are altogether destitute, doe in the name of Christ & in the sight of god combine our selves together, to erect & set up amongst us such government as shall be to our best discerning, agreeable to the will of god, professing our selves subjects to our Soveraigne Lord King Charles according to the lib- ertys of our English Colony of the Massachusets & binding our selves solemnely by the grace & helpe of Christ & in his name & feare to submit our selves to such godly & christian laws as are established in the Realme of England to our best knowledge, & to all other such lawes wh shall upon good grounds be made & inacted amongst us according to god yt we may live quietly & peaceablely together in all godlyness and honesty.
Mon. 5th, d. 4th 1639.
This instrument was soon found to be unsatisfactory to some of the brethren, because of its too lavish expressions of loyalty to the king, who was of course in their minds identified with prelacy. Like their neighbors of Massachusetts they were willing to
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HISTORY OF EXETER.
acknowledge, in a general way, that he was their lawful sovereign, and that they were his subjects, but they had no disposition to make any unnecessary or exuberant professions of allegiance. It might have been at this time and on this account that some of the inhabitants made overtures to the Massachusetts authorities to be received under their government, as the people of Dover had just done. The Exeter people, however, soon "repented themselves" and withdrew the proposal. The objectionable feature of the Combination had been cancelled, and a new compact drawn, of the same purport, except that it simply acknowledged the king to be their sovereign, and themselves to be his subjects. This second compact was executed in due form, was apparently satisfactory to the former dissentients, and went into effect, as the basis of gov- ernment. But, quite curiously, it seems to have led to trouble in the opposite direction - because it did not contain loyalty enough.
THE FIRST CRIMINAL PROCEEDING.
One Gabriel Fish, a member of the Exeter church, who perhaps understood by the change in the compact for government, that roy- alty was at a discount, was guilty of "speaking against" his maj- esty ; possibly of uttering speeches which might be construed as treasonable. This by no means suited the views of the leading men of Exeter. They at once caused Fish to be arrested, and some of them proceeded to Massachusetts to take advice what to do with him.
This occurrence brought a new and singular figure into the his- tory of the town. Captain John Underhill was a military adven- turer who after having lived for seven years in Massachusetts and distinguished himself in the Pequot war, and otherwise, was dis- armed for his adherence to the opinions of Wheelwright and Mrs. Hutchinson, and came to Dover, where he was chosen chief magis- trate, under the style of governor. He was fond of brave apparel, addicted to the use of " the good creature tobacco," and possibly not averse to a stoup of strong waters, a little too partial to the other sex, and wore his political and religious principles rather loosely ; in short, he showed a singularly incongruous outline against the prim background of New England Puritanism. He, hearing of the detention of Fish, and perhaps to ingratiate himself with the prelatical party who were strong at the mouth of the Pas- cataqua, and would be glad to see a maligner of the king soundly
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HISTORY OF EXETER.
punished, sent thirteen armed men from Dover to Exeter, who took Fish from custody there, and conveyed him to Dover. This and other instances of misconduct occasioned a change of opinion in Dover respecting Underhill, which resulted in deposing him and electing Thomas Roberts in his place, who at once restored Fish to the authorities of Exeter. It is not improbable that his return was a source of embarrassment. The change in the Exeter Combination would hardly justify his punishment for speaking against the king, and the authorities of Massachusetts were by no means anxious to claim jurisdiction of the case ; so we may imag- ine that the charge against Fish was not pressed.
But the result of this fiasco appears to have been to make yet another change in the Exeter compact for government. On the second of April, 1640, the original Combination, as already given in these pages, was re-executed, with the following explanatory preamble :
Whereas a certen combination was made by us the brethren of the church of Exeter wth the rest of the Inhabitants bearing date Mon. 5th, d. 4, 1639 wh afterwards upon the instant request of some of the brethren, was altered & put into such a form of wordes, . wherein howsoever we doe acknowledge the King's Majesty our dread Soveraigne & our selves his subjects, yet some expressions are contained therein wh may seeme to admit of such a sence as somewhat derogates from that due Allegiance wh we owe ūto his Highnesse quite contrary to our true intents and meanings : Wee therefore doe revoke, disanull make voyd and frustrate the said latter combination, as if it never had been done & doe ratify, con- firme & establish the former, wh wee only stand unto, as being in force & vertue, the wh for substance is here set down in manner and form following.
Mon. 2d, d. 2, 1640.
Ilere follows the combination substantially as it was originally drawn, and appended to it are the following signatures :
John Whelewright
Richard Bullgar
Augustine Storre
Christopher Lawson
Thomas Wight William Wantworth
George Barlow *
Richard Moris
Henry Elkins
Nicholas Needham
George Walton
Thomas Willson *
Samuell Walker 2
George Ruobone *
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HISTORY OF EXETER.
Thomas Pettit
William Coole *
Henry Roby Willia Wenbourne
James Walles *
Thomas Levitt *
Thomas Crawley *
Edmond Littlefield
Chr: Helme
John Crame *
Darby Field *
Godfrye Deareborne *
Robert Read *
Philemon Pormort
Edward Rishworth
Thomas Wardell
Francis Mathews *
Willia Wardell *
Ralph Hall Robert Soward *
Robert Smith *
We have advanced a little beyond the chronological order of our narrative, for the purpose of giving a continuous history of the formation and changes of the Combination. We will now return to the original date of it, July 4, 1639.
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