History of eastern Vermont, from its earliest settlement to the close of the eighteenth century
Hall, Benjamin Homer, 1830-1893. [from old catalog]
<> ^ > fC? ^ N^ ^"'^^^r^P'.^^^. )5> -^^^ >r ' 0 ^ N^ rO^ X » 0 ^ -fc •0 V^ <^ ^^^^- ^^ V^...^;. ^ % .^^ <.''.. .s'. aO^ _,, ^ J^ ■^ 9?, "';':^^ <^^ 9x "/::;s^ xv* 95, N Y <. O , O- •-S N^^ ^^ --:% X<^ /^'•:^:^'V:\.^' ^^^ .%# -^ ^ cS >. 3^ ^ .^t' ^ <i5 Q. V •\o^^'' ^:^i^ ^^'^rff:-'^ ^'-^y/ .<^ ^ .. ; ?\^r^^ ^^ oo^ ?5 Qe < % -S. '%../ - aC> '^. ■^r> ^ ^ -< ------ •»- <l S % ^, ■^, o^- ) HISTORY EASTERN VERMONT HISTORY OF EASTERN VERMONT.^ FROM ITS EAELIEST SETTLEMENT TO THE CLOSE OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. WITH A BIOGRAPHICAL CHAPTER AND APPENDIXES. BENJAMIN H. HALL. NEW YOEK: D. APPLETON & CO., 348 BROADWAY. 1858. Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1857, by BENJAMIN H. HALL, m the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern District of New York. / </i>^ J¥ PREFACE. When", six years ago, I began to make researches for the purpose of ascertaining at what time the first settlements were made in Vermont, on the banks of the Connecticut river, by the whites, it was my intention, if I put pen to paper, to write but a small book, and to treat only of the southeastern portions of the state. As I continued my investigations, I became convinced that it would be very difficult to carry out this plan in an intelligible manner, with- out introducing into my contemplated work much that would appear too general for its narrow Umits. At the same time, I dis- covered that the disputes in which Kew York, New Hampshire, and Vermont were so long engaged respectmg the jurisdiction of the latter state, exerted an influence at the time, which told on the progress and development of every town and village and hamlet in Vermont. I then sought for some publication contaming a clear and full statement of these disputes. My search was unrewarded. I found that the Natui-al and Civil History of Vermont, by the learned Dr. Samuel Williams, was more particularly devoted to the discussion of questions of a scientific nature, and to a general account of the condition of the northern frontier of the United States, than to a specific description of the settlement and growth of Ver- mont. I found that the Natural and Political History of the State of Vermont, prepared by Col. Ira Allen, while in London, and printed at a London press, abounded in inaccuracies, and was only minute in the narration of affairs with which the author had been connected. I found that the Descriptive Sketch of the Present State of Vermont, by Dr. John Andrew Graham, was little else than a collection of unreliable, gossiping, entertaining letters, written more for self-gratification than to subserve any worthy or permanent interest. In the carefully collated History of Vermont, Natural, Civil, and Statistical, by the late Prof Zadock Thompson, I found the evidences of thorough research and patient investiga- VI PREFACE. tion, and much information illustrative of the natural resources of Vermont. Failing in these efforts to find a clear statement of the subject on which I desired light, I judged it necessaiy to extend my o"v\Ti examination to sources hitherto undeveloped, and to accom- pany -whatever I might ■write with an outline sketch of the jurisdic- tional controversy already referred to, that so the reader might not be ignorant of the causes which led to the internal commotions with which Vermont was for many years afiiicted. Becoming con- vinced that the connection between the early history of the towns in the southeastern part of Vermont, was much closer than I had anti- cipated, I determined to enlarge my work so as to include in it the annals of the old counties of Cumberland and Gloucester. Having reached this stage in my proceedings, I was led to fix the western limit of my historical bailiwick at the Green Mountams, the natural division of Vermont. In the pages that follow, I think I have rescued from oblivion many facts which the lover of American history will rejoice to know. The Avork, it is true, is local, but in it are described the character and deeds of a people who were pioneers in the march of civilization, patriots in the day of danger, useful citizens in the time of peace. In the preparation of this volume, I have collected a mass of unedited materials, from which the task would be com- paratively easy, to constri;ct a history of the whole state. Such a history should contain, not only a narrative of all the warlike events which have occurred within the limits of Vermont, but a full account, also, of the controversy for jurisdiction, which began in 1749 and closed in 1791 ; of the skilfully designed but unsuccess- ful diplrimatic efforts of the British government in Canada, for more than two years previous to the peace of 1783, to reduce Vermont to the condition of a Crown dependency; of the struggles of Vermont for her own separate independence ; and of the manner in which, un- aided by Congress, she maintained her name, her rank, and her honor unsullied, until admitted into the Union as a sovereign state. Should an interest be hereafter awakened in the minds of the citi- zens of Vermont, to know more of the thoughts and acts of their virtuous, manly, and independent ancestry — an ancestry Avhich I am proud to claim as my own — I shall not deny myself the pleasure of aiding in increasing that knowledge. By far the largest part of this volume has been prepared from papers which have never before been consulted for their historic value. In the offices of the Secretaries of the states of Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, thorough and critical examinations have been made of the docu- ments and i~>apers Avhich are there preserved. The twenty-three PREFACE. Til large volumes, called the " George Clinton Papers," which have been lately added to the New York State Library, at Albany, have been diligently consulted, and from them has been drawn much information that has never until now been made public. The letters and memoranda contained in these well arranged and carefully indexed volumes are invaluable to the historian, not only of New York but of Vermont also. To the Hon. William C. Bradley, of Westminster, a statesman, a lawyer, and a man of letters, whose learning and ability have for a half century been the boast of his native state, I would make my grateful acknowledgments for the many personal recollections and family papers he has placed at my service, without which, indeed, this work would have been incomplete in many particulars. From the Hon. James H. Phelps, of West Townshend, I have received much aid and encouragement, and many MSS. of importance re- lating to the part which his ancestors bore in the intestine strug- gles that so long disturbed the peace of the state. For these manifestations of his kindness, and for the active interest he has ever evinced in the success of my labors, I own my obligation. I would also express my appreciation of the value of the assistance I have received from the Hon. Ferrand F. Merrill, of Montpelier, the Hon. William M. Pingry, of Bethel, and other citizens of Ver- mont, whose services I may not have elsewhere acknowledged. To the skilful pencil of Larkin G. Mead Jr., Esq., of Brattle- borough, I am indebted for the drawings from which have been engraved several of the illustrations which adorn the work. I cannot but indulge a hope that not only those who still remain among the hills and valleys of their native state, but those also who have wandered from the old roof-tree to find a home in the different sections of the Union, may receive some gratification from the perusal of the history of their ancestors. Troy, IT. T., July 30th, 1S57. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. p^„ First Settlements, 1 CHAPTER n. Conflicts with the Indians, .... ... 25 CHAPTER in. Frontier Life, 53 CHAPTER IV. The French War. Town Settlements, .... 81 CHAPTER V. First Settlements, 104 CHAPTER VT. Organization of Cumberland County, 128 CHAPTER VII. Progress of Organization, 159 CHAPTER VIII. Legislation of the New York Colonial Assembly. Evi- dences of a Revolutionary Spirit, . . . . 187 CHAPTER IX. The " Westminster Massacre," 209 X CONTENTS. CHAPTER X. The Fii'st Tears of the Revolution, CHAPTER XI. The Formation of the State of Vermont,. CHAPTER XII. Opposition to the Government of Vermont, CHAPTER XIII. Conflict of Jurisdictions, CHAPTER XIV. Continuation of the Dispute. The Burning of Royalton,. CHAPTER XV. Enemies Within and Without, ...... CHAPTER XVI. The Civil Sustained by the Military Arm, .... CHAPTER XVII. Attempts to Obtain the Interference of Congress, CHAPTER XVIII. The Disordered Condition of the South-Eastern Portion of Vermont, CHAPTER XIX. The End of Resistance, CHAPTER XX. The Admission of Vermont into the Union, CHAPTER XXI. Early Laws of Vermont. Indian Inscriptions, PAGTE 242 281 308 332 367 400 42: 456 485 514 541 566 BIOGRAPHICAL CHAPTER. Stephen Row Br.u)ley, 593 Paul Brigham, 602 Crean Brush, 603 TnoJiAS Chandler, 633 John Chandler, 638 Thomas Chandler Jr. 63S CONTENTS. XI PAGE Blkanah Day, 640 Samuel Fletcher, 640 Samuel Gale, 643" John Grout, 650 Lot Hall, 658 Thomas Johnson, 666 Joseph KELLoea, 669 Samuel Knight 613 Luke Knowlton, 675 Joseph Lord, 617 William Pateeson, 678 Charles Phelps, 679 Solomon Phelps, 691 Charles Phelps Jr. 692 Timothy Phelps, 693 Noah Sarin, 694 Noah Sarin Jr. 697 Paul Spooner, 698 Jonathan Stearns, 699 Micah Townsend, 700 Amos Tute, 706 KoYALL Tyler, " . . . . 708 Samuel "Wells, 718 Daniel Whtpplb, 725 JOSIAH WiLLARD, 726 Josiah Willard Jr., 727 William Willla.ms, 728 Azarlah Weight, 730 APPENDIX A. The Equivalent Lands, . ^35 APPENDIX B. Renewal of the Treaty, 736 APPENDIX C. Township Number One, 738 APPENDIX D. Proprietors of Westminster, 739 APPENDIX E. The Fight at John Kilburn's Fort, "739 APPENDIX F. Proprietors of "Westminster, 742 APPENDIX G. Division of Cumberland County into Districts, . . . 743 Xll CONTENTS. APPENDIX H. ~ Census of January 16th, 1V71, 745 APPENDIX I. The " Westminster Massacre," 746 APPENDIX J. Opinions respecting a Separation from New York, . . 755 APPENDIX K. The Recompense in Lands, 757 APPENDIX L. Division of the $30,000, 761 LIST OF THE CIVIL AND MILITARY OFFICERS OF CUMBERLAND AND GLOUCESTER COUN- TIES, 762 ILLUSTRATIONS. • PAQB Sartwell's Fort,. ' 26 Commemorative Stones, 65 The Grave of Mrs. Jemima Tcte, .... •76 The Grave op Caleb How,. 17 CouRT-HousE at Westminster, 185 The Westminster Meeting-House, .... 211 The Grave of William French, 214 Fac Simile op the Signature of Thomas Chandler, . 211,633 11 11 11 u William Paterson, . 218, 678 John Norton's Tavern, 221 Fac SmiLE op the Signature op Thomas Chandler Jr., . 235, 638 U 11 II II Henry Evans, 487 II 11 11 II William Shattuck, 487 II 11 11 11 Timothy Chur(jh,. 488 Indian Sculptures, 58^ Indian Sculpture,. 587 Locality of the Sculptures, 588 "Indian Rock," 590 Stephen Row Bradley, 693 Fac Simile of the Signature of 11 11 11 11 Stephen Row Bradley, Paul Brigham, 593 602 Crean Brush, 603 Fac Simile of the Signature of Crean Brush, 603 II 11 <i 11 Elkanah Day, 640 (( 11 11 11 Samuel Fletcher,. 640 11 II 11 11 Samuel Gale, 643 II II 11 11 John Grout,. 650 (1 II 11 11 Lot Hall, 658 II 11 U 11 Samuel Knight, 673 (1 11 II 11 Joseph Lord,. 677 it I> II 11 Charles Phelps,. 679 (1 II II u Timothy Phelps,. 693 (I II 11 11 Noah Sarin,. 694 11 11 II 11 Noah Sarin Jr.,. 697 11 II II II Paul Spooner, 698 11 11 II II Micah Townsend,. 700 Rotall Tyler, 708 Fac Simile of the Signature op RoYALL Tyler,  Divisions of Eastern Vermont— Cumberland County — Gloucester County — Champlain's Voyage — Squaklieag or Northfield — Philip's Wars — Indian In- cursions— King William's War — Burning of Deerfield — The March to Canada — Attempts of the English to reduce Canada — Port Royal captured — Treaty of Utrecht — Equivalent Lands — Great Meadow — Order to build a Block House above Northfield — Timothy Dwight — Fort Dimiraer — Its Defences — Indian Soldiei-s — Chaplain — Joseph Kellogg — Scouting Parties — Skirmishes — Peltry Trade at Fort Dummer — Journal of James Coss — Rev. Ebenezer Hinsdell — " Scaticook" and Caughna-waga Indians — Treaty at Fort Dummer. Vermont is divided into fourteen comities. Of these Windsor and Windham, situated in the south-eastern part of the state, comprehend nearly the same territory that under the govern- ment of New York was known, during a part of the last cen- tury, by the name of Cumberland county. This county was the first established in Vermont, then called the New Hamp- shire Grants, and probably received its name from Prince William the Duke of Cumberland, who in 17^6 met with dis- tinguished success in opposing the rebels in Scotland. Its boimdaries, as declared in the act of establishment passed by the Legislature of the province of New York, on the 3d of July, 1766, were described as " beginning at the west bank of Connecticut river, opposite to where the division line between the province of the Massachusetts Bay comes to the aforesaid river ; thence running on a direct line, about twenty-six miles, to the south-east corner of the township of Stamford ; from thence, on a direct line, about sixty miles, to the north-east corner of the township of Rutland ; thence north, thirty-one degrees east, eighteen miles ; thence easterly, to the north-west corner of the township of Linfield ;* thence easterly, along the north side of * Now the township of Royalton. 1 2 mSTOKT OF EASTEKN VERMONT. [1T66-1781. the townships of Linfield, Sharon, and Norwich, to Connecticut river aforesaid ; thence, along the west bank of the said river, to the place of beginning." When the subject was brought before the Lords of the Privy Council, in order that the " rojal approbation or disallowance" might be signified, the King, on the 26th of June, 1767, de- clared the act of the Kew York Legislature by which the county of Cumberland was established, void, and the Governor of the province of New York was ordered to act in accordance with this decision. Numerous applications were now made to the Ci'own for a new charter, and the inconveniences to which the inhabitants of the disfranchised county were subjected, through the want of a due administration of justice, were plainly set forth. In consequence of these representations, the King, on the 19th of March, 1768, re-established the county of Cumber- land, by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Province of New York, within the following limits : — ■ " Beginning at a point on the west bank of Connecticut river, opposite to where the line run for the partition line between our said provinces of the Massachusetts Bay and New Hampshire, touches the east side of the same river, and running thence west, ten degrees north on a direct line about twenty-six miles to the south-east corner of a tract of land called Stamford ; thence north, about thirteen degrees east on a direct line fifty-six miles to the south-east corner of the township of Socialborough in the county of Albany, in the south bounds of a tract of land formerly called Rutland ; thence north, about fifty-three degrees east on a direct line thirty miles to the south-west corner of the township of Tunbridge ; thence along the south bounds thereof and of Stratford and Thetford about eighteen miles to Con- necticut river aforesaid, and thence along the west banks of the same river to the place of beginning." By an act of the Legislature of New York, passed March Sttth, 1772, the boundaries were again changed, as will appear from a description of the limits then constituted. " Beginning on the west bank of Connecticut river opposite the point where the partition line between the colonies of the Massachusetts Bay and New Hampshire, touches the east side of the river, and extending from thence north eighty degrees west until such line shall meet with and be intersected by another line proceeding on a course south ten degrees west from the north-west corner of a tract of land granted imder the Great Seal of this colony, on 1766-1781.] EAELT DIVISIONS OF THE STATE. 3 the 4th day of September, ITTO, to James Abeel, and nine other persons, and extending from the said point of intersection, north ten degrees east nntil such line shall meet with and be in- tersected by another line to be drawn on a course north sixty decrees west from the south-west comer of a tract of land granted under the Great Seal of this colony, on the 13th day of November, a.d. 1769, and erected into a township by the name of Royalton, and running from the last-mentioned point of intersection south sixty degrees east to the west bank of Connecticut river, and so down along the west bank of the river, as the same river winds and turns to the place of begin- ning." On the 1st of April, 1775, other alterations were made, and the western portion of the county was so extended as to be bounded by a " line, beginning in the north boundary line of the province of Massachusetts Bay, at the south-west corner of the township of Readesborough, and running thence along part of the westerly bounds thereof, to a certain tract of land, granted to George Brewerton, Junior, and others, and erected into a township by the name of Leinster; thence along the southerly and westerly bounds of the said tract of land, to the north-west corner of the same ; thence on a direct course to the south-easterly corner of the township of Priiicetown ; thence along the easterly bounds of the same tract, as it runs to the north-easterly corner thereof ; and thence on a direct course to the southerly corner bounds of the township of Hulton, where it meets with and is intersected by the west boundary line of the county of Cumberland, as established" by former acts. At the first session of the General Assembly of Vermont in 1778, the state was, on the 17th of March, divided into two counties. The territory lying on the west side of the Green Mountains was called Bennington county, and that on the east side, Unity county. Tlie latter name was on the 21st of the same month changed, and that of Cumberland was substituted. By an act of the Legislature, passed February 11th, 1779, the division line between these two counties was fixed. Com- mencing at a point in the south line of the province of Quebec, fifty miles east of the centre of the deepest channel of Lake Champlain, it extended south to the north-east corner of the 4 HISTORY OF EASTERN VERMONT. [1Y66-17S1. town of Worcester, and along the east lines of "Worcester, Middlesex, and Berlin, to the south-east corner of the latter town; thence on a sti'aight line to the north-west corner of Tiinbridge, and on the west line of Tunbridge to the south- west corner of that town ; thence in a straight line to the north- west comer of Barnard ;* thence on the west line of Barnard and Bridgewater and the east line of Shrewsbury to the south- east corner thereof ; thence west to the north-east corner of Wal- lingford ; thence south on the east lines of AVallingford, Har- wich,! Bromley,:}: Winhall, and Stratton, to the south-east corner of the latter, and west on the south line of Stratton to the north-west corner of Somerset ; thence south on the west line of Somerset to the south-west corner thereof; thence east to the north-west corner of Draper ;§ thence south on the west lines of Draper and Cumberland I| to the north line of Massa- chusetts. Cumberland county was bounded on the south by the north line of Massachusetts, on the east by Connecticut river, and on the north by the south line of the province of Quebec. In the laws of Yermont, passed October, 1780, the county of Cumberland, as just described, was referred to as being divided into the half-shires of Cumberland and Gloucester, the division line between them being nearly identical with the northern boundary of what is now Windsor county. By an act of the General Assembly of Yermont, passed in February, 1781, " for the division of counties within this state," the county of Cum- berland, as established in 1778 and 1779, was subdivided into the counties of Windham, Windsor, and Orange, Connecticut river being the eastern boundary, and the division line on the west from Quebec to Massachusetts, remaining as fixed in February, 1779, all the land south of a Hue " begimiing at the south- east corner of Springfield, thence running westerly on the south line of said Springfield and Chester to the east line of Bennington county," was erected into the county of Windham. The land included between the north line of Windham coun- ty, and the north Hues of the towns of JSTorwich, Sharon, Royalton, and Bethel, was called Windsor county. Orange county comprehended all north of this to the Quebec Ihie. Yarious changes have since been made in the hmits of Wind- * In the printed act Bradford. Barnard was undoubtedly intended. ■j- Now Mount Tabor. if. Now Peru. § Now Wilmington. J Now Whitingham. ITGC-IYSI.] EARLY DIVISIONS OF THE STATE. 5 ham and Windsor counties, by the addition of towns, and from other causes which it will be of but little benefit to record here. After the second establishment of Cumberland county by New York in 1768, immigration to the " Grants" increased, and the north-eastern part of that territory became the abode of a mixed and heterogeneous population. The more peaceable and intelligent portion of the inhabitants, being desirous of a county organization, presented their request to the Council of New York, and on the 16tli of March, 1770, an ordinance was passed, establishing as a separate county, by the name of Gloucester, " all that certain tract or district of land, situate, lying, and being to the northward of the county of Cumberland, begin- ning at the north-west corner of the said county of Cumber- laud, and thence running north as the needle points fifty miles ; thence east to Connecticut river ; thence along the west banlv of the same river, as it runs, to the north-east corner of the said county of Cumberland on the said river, and thence along the north bounds of the said county of Cumberland to the place of beginning." On the 21:th of March, 1772, by an act " for the better ascer- taining the boundaries of the counties of Cumberland and Gloucester," these limits were changed, and thenceforth Glou- cester county was bounded " on the south by the north bounds of the county of Cumberland ; on the east by the east bounds of this colony ; on the north by the north bounds thereof ; on the west, and north-west, partly by a Hne to be drawn from the north-west corner of the said county of Cumberland, on a course north ten degrees east, until such line shall meet with and be intersected by another line proceeding on an east course from the south bank of the mouth of Otter creek, and partly by another line to be drawn and continued from the said last men- tioned point of intersection, on a course north fifty degrees east, until it meets with and terminates at the said north bounds of the colony." After the establishment of Yermont as a " separate and inde- pendent" jurisdiction, the counties of Cumberland and Glou- cester, by an act of the Legislature, passed March 17th, 1778, were merged under the name of the county of Unity, which name was changed to Cumberland on the 21st. were established -vritli limits nearly identical with those by which they are now bounded. At the same time, the re- mainder of the territory east of the mountains, and extending to the Canada line, was formed into a county by the name of Orange. From Orange county, Essex and Caledonia coun- ties and a portion of Orleans county were taken on the 5 th of November, 1792. At a later period other encroachments were made by the formation of Washington county ; and thus, by gra- dual curtailment, Orange has been reduced to its present limits. It will be seen by the boundaries which have been recited, that much doubt prevailed as to the true western line of Cum- berland and Gloucester counties. Certainty on this point is of but little consequence, except geographically, as the events which form the History of Eastern Yekmont were mostly confined to the towns lying east of those composing the most western tier.* Tlie territory now comprising the state of Vermont, although noticed by Champlain in his voyage in 1609, when he dis- covered the lake that bears his name, was probably never visited by him. In the account which he gave of the explora- tion of Lake Champlain, passing reference is made to the Green Mountains and to the plains which Lie at their foot. " Con- tinuing our route along the west side of the lake, contemplating the country, I saw," said he, " on the east side very high moun- tains capped with snow. I asked the Indians if those parts were inhabited. They answered me, yes, and that they [the inhabitants] were L-oquois, and that there were in those parts beautiful valHes, and fields fertile in corn as good as I had ever eaten in the country, with an infinitude of other fruits, and that the lake extended close to the mountains, which were, according to my judgment, fifteen leagues from us. I saw others to the south not less high than the former ; only that they were with- out snow." This is undoubtedly the first information on record in regard to the scenery, condition, and inhabitants of Yermont, and like the accounts which were generally given by the Lidians to the early travellers in the New World, contains, in some * Book of Council Minutes, 1751-1768, xxvi. 442: also, 1764-1772, xxix. 250. Act of 12th George III, in Laws of New York, 1691-1773, Van Schaack's ed., pp. 698-700. Act of 15th George III., in New York Colony Laws, 1774, 1775, pp. 127, 128. Acts and Laws of General Assembly of Vermont, February 11, 1779, p. 7. Also, those of February, 1781, p. 1. Brattleboro' Eagle, June 10, 1850, and September 27, 1849. Slade's Vermont State Papers, pp. 294, 295. 1672-1675,] Philip's wae. 7 particulars at least, the usual amount of exaggeration and fancy.* Owing to the comparatively small immigration, and the diffi- culties incident to a new and dangerous mode of life, settlements did not extend very rapidly ; and it was not until more than sixty years had passed, that any settlement was made within the territory which Champlain described, either from the lake side or from the banks of Connecticut river. In the year 1672, a township was granted to John Pyncheon, Mr. Pearson, and others, at Squakheag, afterwards Northfield, on Connecti- cut river, and in 1673, a few people removed there from North- ampton, Iladley, and Hatfield. The township was laid out on both sides of the river, and inclosed an area of six miles by twelve, extending several miles into the present states of Ver- mont and ]!!^ew Hampshire, and including a valuable tract of interval land. The northern boundary of Massachusetts being undetermined at that time, the whole of this town was supposed to be within that province. f For several years preceding the settlement of Northfield, the Massachusetts Indians had carried on a war with the Mohawk tribe who dwelt on the banks of the river of that name in the province of ISTew York. As the English extended their boun- daries, the enmity of the Indians towards one another seemed partially to abate, and centre upon those whom they regarded as their natural foes. The war of Philip, which raged most fiercely during the latter part; of 1675, was characterized by the savage- ness and determination with which the red man hunted the white, and the white man, in turn, attacked the red. To detail the events of this period, would be foreign to the purpose of this work, as it would involve the recital of acts but httle connected with the history of the territory afterwards known as Yermont. It may not, however, be out of place to refer to some of the in- cidents which occurred within the limits of Northfield. Philip, having made an attack upon Swanzey, on the 24:th of June, * Doc. Hist. N. Y., iii. 6. f " A deed to William Clark and John King, of Northampton, agents for the pro- prietors of Norfchfield, covering A«s^ant, was made August 13th, 1687, by Naw- elet, Goiigegua, Aspiambelet, Addarawanset, and Meganichcha, Indians of the place, in consideration of 'two hundred fathoms of wampum, and fifty-seven pounds in trading goods.' It was signed with the marks of the grantors, and wit- nessed by Jonathan Hunt, Preserved Clap, William Clark, Jr., Peter Jethro, Jo- seph Atherton, and Israel Chauncey." Northfield Town Book in Hoyt's Indian Wars, pp. 77, 78 8 HISTOKT OF EASTERN VEEMOXT. [1675. 1675, deserted Mount Hope, liis favorite retreat, and was imme- diately pm'sued by Capt. Benjamin Cliurch, and others, con- spicuous as leaders at that time. With the removal of Philip, the scene of the war was changed from the neighborhood of Plymouth ; and Lancaster, Marlborough, and Brookfield, towns in the more inland parts of Massachusetts, soon began to suffer from the incursions of the Indians. After they had burned Brookfield, a large military force was stationed at that place, under the command of Major Simon Willard, and the country adjacent being thoroughly scoured by detached parties, the Indians fled westward and joined their allies at Deerfield. Small garrisons were now posted at Northampton, Ilatfield, Deerfield, and Northfield ; and Hadley was made " the English head-quarters for this part of the country." But no vigilance could ward off the invasions of the Indians. Deerfield, slightly guarded, was attacked on the 1st of September, 1675, and before assistance could be brought, one man had been killed and seve- ral houses burned. Shortly after, nine or ten persons were killed in the woods at Northfield, and a garrisoned house saved the lives of a larger number, who otherwise would have been exposed to a similar fate. For some time after, these two towns were wholly deserted by the English, and served as rendezvous for the Indians. Depredations were now constantly recurring, and scarcely a day passed that did not record some story of pil- lage or slaughter. An expedition for the purjDose of driving the Indians from Northfield was at length decided upon, and the Connecticut and Massachusetts commanders having joined their forces, proceeded up Connecticut river in two columns, one on either bank. Tliey destroyed quantities of fish and other articles which the Indians had collected and concealed ; saw the places where the Indians had tortured and bm-ned their caj^tives, and the very stakes to which these captives had been tied. Of the living enemy, they made no discovery, but the effective measures taken, proved of great security to the towns on Con- necticut river. With the death of Philip, departed the power which had given life and direction to the enmity of many of the Indians. Some of the settlers who had been driven from their homes on the Connecticut, now returned ; but the Indians in the north- western parts of Massachusetts, who had not depended upon Philip as a leader, still continued their depredations. Some of these tribes having attacked Ilatfield on the 19th of September, 1677-1698,] SKIRMISH with the Indians. 9 1677, were pursued by the English. Kesting one night at Northfield, they continued their retreat northward, and at a place in the neighborhood of the present town of Rockingham, Vermont, built a cabin, where, secure from the scouting parties of the whites, they remained for some time. From the year 1689, when the French papists began to spread their doctrines among the Indians in Canada, until the year 1763, the border settlements on the Connecticut and Mer- rimack rivers were constantly exposed to the ravages of the French and Canada Indians, and the territory of Yermont would have become the seat of war, had there been attractions enough within her borders to excite the feeling of lust, or wealth sufficient to arouse the desire of plunder. Poor as they were, her early settlers patiently bore their share of suffering and violence ; manfully sustained the attacks of the enemy, and cheerfully contributed their quota of men and arms for defence. The peace of Ryswick, signed in September, 1697, and pro- claimed at Boston on the 10th of December following, closed the war between England and France, but it did not put a stop to incursions against the English colonies. Among the incidents which occurred at this period, the following, related by Hoyt, may be mentioned. One evening in the month of July, 1698, a short time before sunset, " a small party of Indians killed a man and boy in Hatfield meadow, on Connecticut river, and captured two lads, Samuel Dickinson, and one Charley, put them on board of canoes, and proceeded up the river. The intelligence being received at Deerfield, thirteen miles above, twelve men were detached from that place, to intercept the Indians." Advancing about twenty miles, they chose a favorable spot on the right bank of the river, within the present town of Yer- non. Here they lay till morning, " when they discovered the Indians coming up near the opposite bank with the captured lads, in two canoes. Carefully marking their objects, the whole party gave the Indians an unexpected fire, by which one was wounded. The others, with one of the lads, leaped from the canoes, and gained the shore. They then attempted to kill the lads, but receiving another well directed fire, they fell back, on which the lad on shore joined his companion in the canoe, and both escaped across the river to their deliverers. Five or six of the party then embarked with the design of seizing the other canoe, which at this time had lodged on an island a little 10 HISTORY OF EASTERN YEEMOXT. [1702-1704:. below. Two Indians who lay secreted not far distant, fired and killed Nathaniel Pomroy, one of the party. Tlie Indians then retired into the woods, and the English returned to Deer- field."* On the death of William III. of England in 1702, and the accession of Anne to the throne, war was again declared between France and England, and as a natural consequence, between the French and English colonies in America. North- field, at the commencement of King "William's war, had been protected by small works, and occupied by a few settlers. The people having been compelled to abandon it, the houses and forts were destroyed by the Indians, and the place was not re- occupied at the beginning of Queen Anne's war. Intelligence was received in the summer of 1703, that an attack was to be made on the frontier towns, and the truth of the report was soon after fully realized. In the winter of 1701, Major Hertel de Eouville, aided by his two brothers, and a force of two hun- dred French, and one hundred and forty-two Indians, set out from Canada for the purpose of attacking Deerfield, then one of the most flourishing, and with the exception of Northfield, the most nortliern town in Massachusetts. Proceeding up Lake Cham- plain to the mouth of Winooski river, and following up that stream, they crossed over to Connecticut river, down which they passed on the ice, and reached Deerfield on the evening of the 29th of February. At midnight the attack was made, and by sunrise they had killed forty-seven of the inhabitants, taken one hundi'ed and twelve captive, and burned every build- ing in the town, with the exception of the meeting-house, and one dwelling. Tlie story of the capture of the Reverend John Williams, the minister of this town, and his family, has long been familiar to every American schoolboy, and its fame has now become world-wide as connected with the late attempt to identify the Reverend Eleazer WiUiams, the reputed great- great-grandson of tlie Reverend John Williams, and Louis XYII. the dauphin of France, whose fate has been so long shrouded in obscurity. During their march to Canada, the captives suffered the most cruel privations. They rested at the close of their first day's journey, at what is now the town of Greenfield, the Indians having first taken every precaution available to prevent * Hoyt's Indian "Wars, p. 161. 1704.] THE MARCH TO CANADA. 11 their escape. The second night was spent within the limits of the present town of Bernardston. The fourth day brought them to a spot probably in the upper part of what is now the toM'n of Brattleborough, where light sledges were constructed for the conveyance of the children, the sick and wounded. The march, being now performed on the ice, became more rapid. On the first Sunday of their captivity, the prisoners were allowed to rest. Their halting-place is said to have been at the mouth of Williams's river in the present town of Rockingham, where the Reverend John Williams delivered a discom'se from these words : " Tlie Lord is righteous ; for I have rebelled against his commandments : hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow ; my virgins and my young men are gone into cap- tivity."* From this circumstance the river received its name. At the mouth of White river, Rouville divided his company into several parties, and thence they took diiferent routes to the St. Lawrence. That party which Mr. Williams accompanied ascended White river, and passing the highlands struck the Winooski or Onion, then called French river. Journeying down that stream to Lake Champlain, they continued their march on the lake to Missisco bay. Thence they proceeded to the river Sorel where they built canoes, and passing down to Chambly, continued on to the village of Sorel, where some of the party remained, but Mr. Williams was conveyed thence down the St. Lawrence to the Indian village of St. Fran5ois, and was 'subsequently sent to Quebec. Another party ascended Connecticut river, and halting some time at Coos meadows, their provisions being exhausted, barely escaped starvation by procuring wild game ; two of the party actually died of hunger. The majority of the captives were soon aftei'wards redeemed, and were allowed to return to their friends. One of them, however, Eunice the daughter of the Rev. John Williams, became so much attached to Indian hfe, that she married an Indian, and became the ancestor of the Indian branch of the Williams family.f Tlie enemy, emboldened by the success they had met with at Deerfield, were continually harassing the frontier settlements, and endeavoring to cut ofi" the scouting parties which were * Lamentations, chap, i., v. 18. f Biographical Memoir of Rev. John Williams, Greenfield, Mass., 1837. Hoyt's Indian Wars, pp. 186-194. Williams's Hist. Vt , ed. •2d, 304-307. 12 HISTORY OF EASTERN "ST;RM0NT. [1704—1713. sent Gilt from them. On tlie 31st of July, 170-i, they attacked Lancaster in Massachusetts, and reduced most of the dwellings to ashes, and in the years 1705 and 1706 many towns in New Hampshire and Massachusetts suffered severely from their de- predations. In order to put an end to these incursions by de- stroying the sources whence they emanated, an army was sent in 1707 against Port Royal in Canada, but the issue was unsuc- cessful, and the troops returned home, having effected nothing of importance. The next year Hertel de Rouville, at the head of a party of French and Indians, plundered and burnt the town of Haverhill in Massachusetts on the 29th of August, killed about forty of the inhabitants, and took a large number of them captive. Not long after, as a scouting party from Deer- field was returning from White river in the present state of Vermont, one of its members. Barber by name, was killed by the Lidians, and another, Martin Kellogg Jr., was captured. Calling into service a larger body of troops, the British government again resolved, in 1709, on the reduction of Canada. Tlie event of this attempt was like that of the former. The English squadron did not arrive, and the New York forces being greatly lessened in numbers by sickness, the expedition proved a complete failure. Tlie French, notwithstanding the threatened invasion of Canada, kept smaU parties of Indians on the English frontiers. By some one of these straggling forces Lieut. John Wells and John Burt, while on a scouting expedi- tion, were, in May, 1709, killed in a skirmish on Onion river in the present state of Vermont. Enraged at this loss, the scout to which they belonged penetrated to Lake Champlain, and killed several of the enemy. In June of the same year another attack was made on Deerfield by a force of one hundi-ed and eighty French and Indians, under the command of one of the De Rouvillcs, but on account of the vigilance of the inhabitants the effort proved unsuccessful. In 1710 an armament raised in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Connecticut, in conjunction with forces from England, all commanded by Colonel Nicholson, sailed from Boston, besieged and captured Port Royal, and changed the name to Annapolis. During the year 1711 another expedition was fitted out against Canada. Tlie fleet accompanying it sailed from Boston on the 30th of July, but was wrecked at the mouth of the St. 