People at the Raid on Deerfield: Brief
Biographies
The following people were all involved in the raid.
Some were attackers who were killed; others survived to march the
captives northward. Some were Deerfield residents who were killed,
taken captive, or fortunate to escape unharmed. These brief descriptions
were created for people at the raid for whom we have documentation;
most of these people were English. The identities of very few Native
or French participants can be determined since most of their names
were not recorded in documents available to historians today. This
is why we have developed the "composite" characters listed
on the People menu, as explained further in the "Bringing History
to Life" essay.
David Alexander
David came to Deerfield around 1700. He was killed in the 1704 raid and his wife, Mary Weld Alexander, was captured but returned and eventually remarried.
Joseph Alexander
Joseph was born in 1681. He was captured during
the 1704 attack but escaped the first night. He married in 1705,
moved away from Deerfield around 1716, and died Sept. 30, 1761.
Mary Weld Alexander
Mary was the daughter of Daniel and Mary Hinsdale Weld. She was born on Mar. 30, 1667. She married David Alexander on July 31, 1701, and together they had a daughter named Mary, born on April 11, 1702. Mrs. Alexander was captured during the 1704 attack and was redeemed. Her daughter was killed during the attack. On April 18, 1707, Mrs. Alexander married Samuel Smead, with whom she had four living children. She then married Joseph Younglove on Nov. 28, 1734.
Mary Alexander (Jr.)
Mary was born on April 11, 1702, to Mary and David
Alexander. She was killed in 1704 during the march to Canada.
Sarah Allen
Sarah Allen was born on May 1, 1692, to Edward and Mercy Painter Allen. She was captured during the 1704 attack and was married in Canada in 1710. She never returned.
Sarah Allen
Sarah, the daughter of John and Elizbeth Pritchard Allen, was born on Jan. 4, 1688. She was captured during the 1704 raid and died on May 14, 1715.
John Allen
John was born in 1659. On Feb. 22, 1682, he married
Elizabeth Prichard and they had six children who lived to adulthood.
They moved to Deerfield around 1685. During the 1704 attack, their
daughter, Sarah, was captured, but the rest of the family escaped
harm. Both John and his wife were killed on May 11 of 1704, during
an attack on the Bars section of Deerfield.
Elizabeth Prichard Allen
Elizabeth was the daughter of William Prichard.
She married John Allen on Feb. 22, 1682, and around 1685, they moved
to Deerfield. Elizabeth, John, and five of their six children escaped
harm during the 1704 attack, but her daughter, Sarah, was captured.
Elizabeth died on May 11, 1704, during an attack on the Bars section
of Deerfield.
Mary Allis
Mary Allis was the daughter of Samuel and Alice Allis. She was born July 6, 1682. She was taken captive in the 1704 raid on Deerfield and was redeemed. On Feb. 3, 1710, Mary married Nathaniel Brooks, himself a redeemed captive from the same raid. Together they had six children.
Samuel Allis (Jr.)
Samuel was the son of Samuel and Alice Allis. He was born on Feb. 20, 1679, and killed on Feb. 29, 1704.
John Arms
John was born in 1679. He fought in the Meadows
Fight at the end of the 1704 raid and survived. He was captured
and wounded in an attack on Deerfield in 1709. John remained in
Deerfield, eventually married, raised three children, and died in
1753.
Thomas Baker
Thomas Baker was a soldier from Northampton who
was stationed in Deerfield. He was captured during the 1704 attack
and after several attempts, he managed to escape in 1705.
Samuel Barnard
Samuel was born in 1684 to Joseph and Sarah Strong Barnard. He fought in the Meadows fight at the end of the 1704 attack. He eventually moved to Salem, Massachusetts.
Thomas Barnard
Thomas was the son of Joseph and Sarah Strong Barnard. He was born on Mar. 13, 1683. Thomas fought in the Meadows fight at the end of the 1704 attack. He eventually moved to Connecticut.
Ensign Francois-Marie Margane de Batilly, 1672-1704
Thirty-two-year-old Francois-Marie Margane de Batilly was an ensign in the French troupes de la Marine. He was mortally wounded during the 1704 raid on Deerfield while leading one of several coordinated assaults on Benoni Stebbins' house.
Simon Beamon
Simon was born in 1656. He married Hannah Barnard
on Oct. 9, 1680. During the 1704 attack, his home was burned and
he, his wife, and servant were captured. Both Beamons were redeemed.
Simon died in Feb. or March of 1712.
Hannah Barnard Beamon
Hannah Beamon was the daughter of Francis and
Hannah Marvin Barnard. She was born around 1646, and her parents
were among the first settlers of Deerfield in 1673. She taught dame
school and was a widow when she married Simon Beamon on Oct. 9,
1680. The Beamons lost their home and were both captured during
the 1704 attack. Both were redeemed, and Hannah died on May 13,
1739.
Hepzibah Buel Belding
Hepzibah Buel married Daniel Belding on Feb. 17, 1699. He was a widower with nine living children. Two of these children were already captives from a 1696 raid on Deerfield. Hepzibah was captured during the 1704 raid and killed on the journey to Canada.
Daniel Belding
Daniel Belding was born in 1648 in Hartford, CT,
and came to Deerfield in 1686. With his first wife, he had 12 living
children. On Sept. 16, 1696, Deerfield was attacked and three of
his children and his wife were killed; two children were wounded
and two were taken captive. On Feb. 17, 1699, he married Hepzibah
Buel. She was captured and killed during the 1704 raid. His third
wife was Sarah Hawks Mattoon. Daniel Belding died on Aug. 14, 1731.
Robert Boltwood
Robert Boltwood of Hadley, MA, was one of the militia garrisoned in Deerfield. He was the son of Samuel and Sarah Lewis Boltwood of Farmington, CT. Both he and his father, Samuel, were killed in the attack.
Samuel Boltwood
Sergeant Samuel Boltwood, 53 years old, was one
of five garrison soldiers who died in the Deerfield attack and one
of two killed in the Meadows Fight north of the village. His son
Robert was also killed in the Deerfield raid.
John Bridgman
John, or Jonathan, Bridgman was from Sunderland. He married John Sheldon's sister, Mary, on Jan. 11, 1670. He was captured during the 1704 attack but escaped in the meadows. He died on July 21, 1747.
Ebenezer Brooks
Ebenezer was born in 1662 to William and Mary
Burt Brooks. He married Elizabeth Belding. By the time of the 1704
raid, they had two surviving children. He lost his home to fire
during the raid, but the family escaped unharmed.
Joseph Brooks
Joseph was the son of William and Mary Burt Brooks.
He was born in 1667 and was a clothier by trade. He participated
in the Meadows Fight at the end of the 1704 raid. He, his wife,
Lydia Warner Brooks, and their children, Silence and Mary, all survived
the attack.
Nathaniel Brooks
Nathaniel Brooks was born in 1664. His death date
is unknown. He was married to Mary Williams and by 1704, had two
children. During the 1704 attack, the Brooks home was burned and
the entire family was taken captive. His wife was killed on the
trek north. His daughter stayed with the French, and nothing is
known of his son beyond his capture.
In 1706, Nathaniel returned to Deerfield, thanks to the efforts of John Sheldon. Although Nathaniel traveled to Canada in 1707 seeking the return of his children, he was unsuccessful. On Feb. 3, 1710, he married Mary Allis, herself a redeemed captive from the Deerfield raid. Together they had six more children.
Mary Williams Brooks
Mary was the daughter of Zebediah and Mary Miller
Williams. She was born on Dec. 24, 1673, and married Nathaniel Brooks.
By 1704, she had a son and a daughter. During the 1704 attack, the
Brooks home was burned and the entire family was taken captive.
On the eighth day of the trek north, Mrs. Brooks suffered a miscarriage
from a fall on the ice and was slain the following day by her captor.
Her daughter stayed with the French. Her son's fate following his
capture remains unknown.
Mary Brooks (Jr.)
Mary was the oldest child of Nathaniel and Mary
Williams Brooks. She was born on Aug. 16, 1696. During the 1704
attack, the Brooks home was burned and the entire family was taken
captive. Her mother was slain on the ninth day of the march. Mary
stayed with Monsieur de Fleury in Canada. She was baptized into
the Catholic faith on July 19, 1705, and her name was changed to
Marie Claire. In 1710, she was granted Canadian citizenship and
she spent the rest of her life in Canada.
William Brooks
William was the second child of Nathaniel and Mary Williams Brooks, born on Dec. 12, 1698. During the 1704 attack, the Brooks home was burned and the entire family was taken captive. His mother was killed on the journey north. William's sister remained with the French for the rest of her life. Nothing further is known of William beyond his capture. His father returned to Deerfield in 1706, remarried and fathered six more children.
Abigail Brown
Abigail was the daughter of James and Remembrance Brooks Brown. She was born on Sept. 23, 1678, and was captured during the 1704 raid. She returned and eventually married John Smead.
Benjamin Burt
Benjamin Burt was a blacksmith. He was born in
1680 and married Sarah Belding in 1702. He and his pregnant wife
were taken captive in the 1704 raid, along with his brother, John.
His son, Christopher, was born on Apr. 14, 1704, on the march to
Canada. The Burt family was redeemed, and Seaborn was born on July
4, 1706, on the ship that brought them home. The family eventually
moved to Connecticut, and Benjamin Burt died on May 20, 1759.
Sarah Belding Burt
Sarah Belding was born on Mar. 15, 1682, to Daniel
and Elizabeth Foote Belding. When Deerfield was attacked on Sept.
16, 1696, she was unharmed, but her mother and three siblings were
killed; two were wounded, and two were taken captive. Sarah married
Benjamin Burt in 1702. Both were taken captive during the 1704 raid,
and she gave birth to her first child on the journey to Canada.
In 1706, the Burts were redeemed, and her second child was born
on the return voyage. Sarah's death date is unknown.
John Burt
John was the youngest child of David and Mary
Holton Burt. He was born on Apr. 29, 1682, and was captured during
the 1704 raid. John Sheldon redeemed him in Aug. of 1706. He was
killed by Native American warriors while scouting along the Connecticut
River in May of 1709.
Samuel Carter
Samuel Carter was born in London, England, around
1665. He was among the first to settle in Deerfield. On Dec. 4,
1690, he married Mercy Brooks and they had six children before she
died on Jan. 22, 1700. He then married Hannah Weller on July 1,
1701, and by 1704 had added one more child to the family. Carter
was absent during the 1704 attack on Deerfield. He returned to find
his wife and three children killed and four children carried captive
to Canada. In 1705, he moved to Norwalk, CT, and in 1706, he married
Lois Stenton. In 1708 his last child was born.
Hannah Weller Carter
Hannah was the daughter of John and Mary Weller. She was born on May 14, 1674, and married Samuel Carter on July 1, 1701, when she also took on the care of Samuel's six children from his first marriage. She and Samuel had one living child together, named Hannah. Mrs. Carter was killed on the 5th day of the march to Canada.
Samuel Carter (Jr.)
Samuel was the son of Samuel and Mercy Brooks
Carter. He was born on Mar. 1, 1692, and was captured during the
1704 attack. He never returned, and nothing more is known about
him.
Mercy Carter
Mercy was born on Dec. 17, 1693, to Samuel and
Mercy Brooks Carter. She was taken captive during the 1704 attack
on Deerfield and adopted into a family in the Kanienkehaka village
of Kahnawake. Eventually she married someone from that village.
There is a story that two of her sons were sent to Deerfield to
see where their mother was born.
When Mercy's father died in 1728, he promised her
100 pounds if she and her family would live in Norwalk, Connecticut,
for ten years. This is where he had settled in 1706. She chose not
to do this; however, the two sons who were sent to Deerfield, also
visited Mercy's brother Ebenezer, in Connecticut, in 1751.
John Carter
John was the second son born to Samuel and Mercy
Brooks Carter. He was born on Jan. 22, 1695, and was taken captive
during the 1704 raid. John's new home was in Pointe-aux-Trembles,
near Montreal, and his new name became Jean Chartier. In 1710 he
was granted Canadian citizenship. The Reverend John Williams and
Colonel Stoddard visited him in 1714, and he told them he greatly
wished to return to Deerfield; but when the governor of Canada later
asked him if he wished to be redeemed, he had changed his mind.
In 1718, John was granted land in Riviere-des-Prairies and married
Marie Courtemanche on Oct. 27 of that same year. Together they had
eleven children.
John's father died in 1728 and willed him 500
pounds if he would live in New England for the rest of his life.
He did not do this, but he did visit his brother, Ebenezer, twice,
once in 1736, and again in 1751. John died on Aug. 4, 1772.
Ebenezer Carter
Ebenezer Carter was born on Sept. 9, 1697, to
Samuel and Mercy Brooks Carter. He was captured during the 1704
raid and was redeemed for 24 pounds in 1707. He lived with his father
in Norwalk, Connecticut, until he later settled in New Canaan, Connecticut.
In 1721, he married Hannah St. John, and they had seven children.
In 1751, two of his sister Mercy's sons came to visit him. Ebenezer
died in July of 1774.
Thomas Carter
Thomas was the fourth son of Samuel and Mercy Brooks Carter. He was born on Oct. 6, 1699, and was killed during the 1704 attack on Deerfield.
Marah Carter
Marah Carter was born on Jan. 22, 1701, to Samuel and Mercy Brooks Carter. She was killed on Feb. 29, 1704.
Hannah Carter (Jr.)
Hannah was the daughter of Samuel and Hannah Weller Carter. She was born on July 8, 1703, and died in 1704, on the second day of the march to Canada.
Hannah Sheldon Catlin Clark
Hannah was the daughter of John and Hannah Stebbins
Sheldon. She was born on Oct. 9, 1683. In June of 1701, she married
Joseph Catlin, who was killed in the Meadows Fight at the end of
the 1704 raid. She married Nathaniel Clark of Northampton in 1705.
John Catlin
John Catlin was from Wethersfield, Connecticut.
He was born around 1643, and married Mary Baldwin on Sept. 23, 1662.
They settled in Deerfield soon after 1683. During the 1704 attack,
he and one son were killed when their home was burned. One son was
killed in the fight in the meadows, and four children were captured;
two of these were killed on the march north. Although his wife was
unharmed, she died in April following the attack.
Mary Baldwin Catlin
Mary was the daughter of Joseph Baldwin of Connecticut.
She married John Catlin on Sept 23, 1662, and they moved to Deerfield
around 1683. By 1704, they were the parents of nine living children,
four of whom were living at home. Mary was left unharmed during
the 1704 attack because she offered water to a dying French soldier;
but she died, it is said, of grief, in April of 1704. Her husband
and one son were killed when their home was burned. Another son
was killed during the fight in the meadow and four children were
captured.
John Catlin (Jr.)
John was born on Jan. 8, 1687, to John and Mary Baldwin Catlin. He was captured during the 1704 attack and redeemed in 1706. He married and had twelve children, and died on Dec. 1, 1766.
Jonathan Catlin
Jonathan was the son of John and Mary Baldwin Catlin. His birth date is unknown. He perished along with his father when their home was burned during the 1704 attack.
John Catlin
In 1704, John was the infant son of Joseph and Hannah Sheldon Catlin. He was captured and returned. He began a career in the military service at a young age and died on Sept. 24, 1758.
Ruth Catlin
Ruth was born around 1684 to John and Mary Baldwin Catlin. She was captured, and along the journey to Canada it is said that she showed great courage by throwing off a heavy pack that she had been forced to carry. Her captors were impressed by this behavior and did not kill her. She was redeemed in 1707.
Elizabeth Catlin Corse
Elizabeth was the daughter of John and Mary Baldwin
Catlin. She married James Corse around 1690. They had three children,
and he died on May 15, 1696. She was taken captive and killed on
the trek north.
Thankful Munn Corse
Thankful was an infant at the time of the attack.
She lived with her parents, Benjamin and Abigail Nims Munn, in a
home built partially underground. There is a story that she and
her family escaped harm during the 1704 attack because her home
was buried in the snow and could not be seen. Thankful married James
Corse in 1721. They had 13 children. She died in 1746 at the age
of 42.
Elizabeth Corse (Jr.)
Elizabeth was born to James and Elizabeth Catlin
Corse on Feb. 4, 1696. She was captured during the 1704 attack and
taken to Canada, where she lived with the Roy family until she married
Jean Dumontel in 1712. Together, they had five living children;
following Jean's death, she married Pierre Monet on Jan. 19, 1730.
With Pierre, she had another seven children. She remained in Canada
for the rest of her life.
Charles Legardeur de Croisille
Charles Legardeur de Croisille was 27 years old
when he joined the expedition against Deerfield in 1704. A member
of the troupes de la Marine and a member of one of New France's
noble families, he served again under Lieutenant Hertel de Rouville
in an unsuccessful raid on the Massachusetts Bay colony town of
Haverhill in 1708. The following year, he married Marie-Anne-Geneviève.
His subsequent military career was lackluster—he was not promoted
to Lieutenant until age 51. He served for several years at Fort
St. Frédéric on Lake Champlain and received the Cross
of St. Louis, in acknowledgment of his long military service. Charles
was 63 when he died in 1749.
Daniel Crowfoot
Daniel was the son of Samuel Crowfoot of Hadley,
MA. His mother, Mary Warner Crowfoot, had died in 1702, when he
was about a year old. It is thought that Daniel was living with
her brother, Ebenezer, in Deerfield, because Samuel had not yet
remarried. Daniel was taken captive in 1704, but his fate following
his capture is unknown.
Jacques de Noyon
Jacques de Noyon was born in Trois-Rivieres in
New France in 1668. A French fur trader and explorer, De Noyon flouted
the French government's authority by engaging in illegal trade in
furs with the English. De Noyon probably arrived in Deerfield about
1702 or 1703. Known as Denio, rather than De Noyon, he married 17-year-old
Abigail Stebbins of Deerfield shortly after his arrival. Jacques
was 36 years old when he and his English wife fell into French hands
during the raid. Both survived the arduous journey north, and Jacques
headed west on a fur trading expedition almost immediately after
arriving in New France. He became a sergeant in the French troupes
de la Marine and was probably stationed in Detroit and at Fort Frontenac.
Jacques and Abigail had 12 children, the last born in 1726. Jacques
de Noyon died at the age of 77 in 1745.
Abigail Stebbins De Noyon
Abigail was born in 1687 to John and Dorothy Alexander
Stebbins. She married Jacques De Noyon, a Frenchman from Canada,
on Feb. 3, 1704, just three weeks before the attack on Deerfield.
They were both captured and resettled in Boucherville, Quebec. Abigail
had 12 living children, but little is known of any except Rene,
who was the oldest. At around age 10, he was sent to meet his mother's
parents and see her birthplace. Although this was supposed to be
a visit, he remained in Deerfield and eventually changed his name
to Aaron Denio.
Sarah Dickinson
Sarah Dickinson was captured in 1704 and redeemed, but it is unclear exactly who she was. She may have been the daughter of Samuel and Martha Bridgman Dickinson. This Sarah was born in 1675, and died unmarried in 1750.
Joseph Eastman
Joseph was born in 1683 to Joseph and Mary Tilton
Eastman. It is said that he was a student living with the Reverend
Williams and his family. Joseph was captured and redeemed in 1707.
He married, had 11 children, and died in 1769.
John Field
John was born in 1673 and married Mary Bennett
in 1696. During the 1704 attack, he participated in the attack in
the meadows immediately following the captures. His wife and two
children were captured and one child was killed. Mrs. Field returned
in 1706, and the family moved to Connecticut in 1707, where they
had three more children.
Mary Bennett Field
Mary was the daughter of James Bennett of Northampton,
MA. She married John Field on Nov. 9, 1696, and by 1704, they had
three children. During the attack, she and two children were captured
and her youngest child was killed. Mrs. Field was redeemed in 1706.
Mary Field (Jr.)
Mary was born to John and Mary Bennett Field in
1697. During the 1704 attack, she was captured and eventually adopted
into a Native American family. Her new name was Walahowey. Although
she and her husband came to Massachusetts to visit her relatives,
nothing could convince her to stay.
John Field (Jr.)
John was the oldest son of John and Mary Bennett
Field. He was born on Oct. 4, 1700, was captured in 1704, was redeemed,
and eventually moved to Tolland, Connecticut.
Samuel Field
Samuel was born in 1678 to Samuel and Sarah Gilbert
Field. He participated in the Meadows Fight at the end of the 1704
raid and survived.
Zecheriah Field
Zecheriah was the son of Samuel and Sarah Gilbert
Field. He was born in 1685, fought in the Meadows Fight at the end
of the 1704 raid, and survived.
Sarah Field
Sarah was born on April 14, 1703, to John and Mary Bennett Field. She was killed during the 1704 attack.
Marguerite Field
Marguerite was the daughter of Thomas and Mary Price Field. Marguerite was probably the name given to her in Canada. She was captured from Deerfield in 1704 and married Jean Sere on June 7, 1722. With him she had two children. She eventually married two more times and had six more living children. It is possible that she was staying with John Field's family when captured. John was her father's cousin. Marguerite died in Canada in 1741.
Samuel Foot
Samuel Foot, of Hatfield, MA, was about 26 years
old when he was one of nine soldiers killed in the Meadows Fight,
in pursuit of the retreating French and Indians.
Frank
Frank was an African slave owned by the Reverend
John Williams. Nothing is known of Frank before his arrival in Deerfield.
He was taken captive in the 1704 raid. His wife Parthena, who also
belonged to the minister, was killed early in the attack. Frank
was slain by his captors on the first night of captivity. He was
the only adult male captive killed outright on the march north.
Mary Daniels Frary
Mary Daniels married Samson Frary on June 14, 1660. They had three living children. On Feb. 29, 1704, Mary was captured and later killed on the trek to Canada.
Samson Frary
Samson Frary settled in Deerfield around 1669-1670.
He married Mary Daniels on June 14, 1660. During the 1704 attack,
his wife was captured and later killed, and he was killed during
the attack. His three grown children were unharmed.
Thomas French
Thomas was born in 1657 and married Mary Catlin on Oct. 18, 1683. They had six living children by 1704. Thomas was captured in 1704 and later redeemed. His wife was captured and killed on the march to Canada. Five of his children were captured and the youngest was killed. Thomas returned to Deerfield and married Hannah Edwards Stebbins on Feb. 16, 1709. He died on Apr. 3, 1733.
Mary Catlin French
Mary Catlin was the first wife of Thomas French.
She was the daughter of John and Mary Baldwin Catlin. She married
Thomas on Oct. 18, 1683, and together they had six living children.
During the 1704 attack, she, her husband,and five children were
captured and one child was killed. Her husband and two children
were eventually redeemed, but Mary was killed on the journey to
Canada.
Hannah Edwards Stebbins French
Hannah was the widow of Joseph Edwards when she married the widower Benoni Stebbins in 1691. He had six children from his previous marriage and together they had two more. She and Benoni and at least five other adults defended her home as best they could during the 1704 attack, but Benoni was killed in the house. Hannah was unharmed and married Thomas French on Feb. 16, 1709. She died on Sept. 7, 1735.
Freedom French
Freedom was born to Thomas and Mary Catlin French on Nov. 20, 1692. She was captured and taken to live with Jacques Le Be in Canada. She was given the name of Marie Francoise. On Feb. 6, 1713, she married Jean Daveluy. They had six living children.
Mary French (Jr.)
Mary was the oldest daughter of Thomas and Mary
Catlin French. She was born on Nov. 9, 1686 and was taken captive
during the 1704 attack. She was redeemed, and in 1711, married Jonathan
King of Northampton. She died in 1758 in Connecitcut.
Martha French
Martha was born on May 12, 1695, to Thomas and
Mary Catlin French. She was captured during the 1704 attack and
probably spent her first few years with the Native Americans. By
1707, she was living with the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre
Dame in Villemarie, Quebec. Her name was changed to Marguerite and
on Nov. 24, 1711, she married Jacques Ro,i who was from St. Lambert,
Quebec. With him, Martha had six children who lived to adulthood.
Sometime after that Jacques died. In 1733, her youngest child died
and on May 4 of that same year, she took Jean-Louis Menard as her
second husband. She had three more children with him.
Abigail French
Abigail was Thomas and Mary Catlin French's youngest
daughter. She was born on Feb. 28, 1698, and was captured during
the 1704 attack. The Kanie'kehaka town of Kahnawake became her new
home, and she spent the rest of her life there. Abigail never married.
John French
John was the youngest child of Thomas and Mary
Catlin French. He was an infant, born on Feb. 1, 1704, and he was
killed during the attack.
Thomas French (Jr.)
Thomas was born on Nov. 2, 1689. He was captured
in the 1704 attack on Deerfield and was redeemed. He married Joanna
Field of Sunderland, MA, on June 11, 1713. They had five children
who reached adulthood. Three other children died of illness within
days of each other in Oct. of 1727. Thomas died on July 26, 1759.
Samuel Gillett
Samuel was born on May 14, 1673, to Samuel and
Hannah Dickinson Gillett. He participated in the Meadows Fight at
the end of the 1704 raid, where he lost a pair of shoes.
Mary Harris
Nothing is known about Mary Harris before her capture. She may have been about nine years old then. She married a Native American from Kahnawake and had at least two sons. She must have lived in Ohio for a while, as a branch of the Muskingum River there is called "White Woman's Creek" after her. However, by 1756 she was again in Kahnawake.
Samuel Hastings
Samuel was born on Mar. 15, 1685. He may have been a soldier stationed in Deerfield. He was taken captive on Feb. 29, 1704, and taken to Cap St. Ignatius in Canada. At his baptism he was renamed Joseph. It is believed that he eventually returned to New England sometime after 1710.
John Hawks
John was the son of John and Martha Baldwin Hawks. He was born in 1673. In 1695 he married Thankful Smead and they had three living children. He and his entire family were killed during the attack.
Thankful Smead Hawks
Thankful was the daughter of Elizabeth and William Smead. She was born on May 13, 1677, and married John Hawks around 1695. They had three living children, all of whom perished along with John and Thankful, on Feb. 29, 1704.
John Hawks (Jr.)
John was born on June 6, 1696, to John and Thankful Smead Hawks. He died along with his whole family during the 1704 attack.
Martha Hawks
Martha was the oldest daughter born to John and Thankful Smead Hawks on Oct. 4, 1699. She died on Feb. 29, 1704, along with the rest of her family.
Thankful Hawks (Jr.)
Thankful was the daughter of John and Thankful Smead Hawks. She was born on Nov. 18, 1701, and was killed with the rest of her family during the 1704 attack.
Elizabeth Hawks
Elizabeth was the daughter of Sgt. John and Alice Allis Hawks. She was born on Sept. 22, 1697, and was captured in 1704 and killed on the march north to Canada.
John Hawks (Sgt.)
Sgt. John Hawks was born in 1643. On Dec. 26,
1667, he married Martha Baldwin and they had one surviving child.
They arrived in Deerfield prior to 1675 and Martha died in 1676.
John took Alice Allis, the widow of Samuel Allis, as his second
wife on Nov. 20, 1696, and they had one daughter who was killed
on the march to Canada following the attack. Following the 1704
attack, John moved to Waterbury, Connecitcut, and lived there with
his daughter.
Alice Allis Hawks
Alice was the widow of Samuel Allis when she married
Sgt. John Hawks on Nov. 20, 1696. She had seven children by Samuel,
all of whom were in their teens or older by 1704. With John Hawks,
she had one daughter who was killed on the march north following
the 1704 attack. Alice and two of her children from her previous
marriage were also killed during that same attack.
Jacob Hickson
According to Stephen Williams, Jacob Hickson was a soldier. He was captured by the Abenaki during the 1704 attack and died of starvation in VT, while still being held captive.
Mehuman Hinsdale
Born in 1673, Mehuman had the distinction of being
the first white man born in Deerfield. With his wife, Mary, they
had one living child by 1704. During the attack, Mehuman and his
wife were captured and his child was killed. Mehuman was redeemed
in Aug. of 1706. In 1709, he was captured again. This time he had
to travel through both France and England before returning home
in 1712. He died on May 9, 1736.
Mary Hinsdale
Mary was the wife of Mehuman Hinsdale. She was
captured during the 1704 attack along with her husband. Their only
child was killed. Mary was redeemed, and following Mehuman's death
in 1736, she married George Beal on Apr. 2, 1742, and died a widow
on Jan 7, 1763, in Hinsdale, New Hampshire.
Samuel Hinsdale
Samuel Hinsdale was the son of Mehuman and Mary Hinsdale. He was born on Nov. 12, 1702, and was killed on Feb. 29, 1704.
David Hoyt
David was born in 1651 and moved to Deerfield
in 1678. On Apr. 3, 1673, he married Mary Wells of Hatfield. They
had two childre,n and Mary died sometime before Sept. of 1676. David
then married Sarah Wilson in 1678 and had three children with her
before she died around 1689. Around 1691, he married Abigail Cook
Pomroy, the widow of Joshua Pomroy. David had three more children
with her. In the 1704 attack, David, Abigail, and two of their children
were captured. Their third child was rumored to have hidden in a
grain bin and escaped capture. David died of starvation in May of
1704 in Coos, New Hampshire, while still a captive. Abigail was
redeemed and remarried. One captured child never returned, and the
other was killed on the journey north to Canada.
David Hoyt
David was the son of David and Mary Wells Hoyt.
He was born in 1675. In 1699, he married Mary Edwards. At the time
of the 1704 attack, they had one nine-month-old daughter, Mary.
David and his family were in the home of Benoni Stebbins, helping
to defend it. His wife was wounded ther,e and David was killed in
the Meadows Fight at the end of the raid.
Abigail Cook Pomroy Hoyt
Abigail Cook was born around 1660. She was the
widow of Joshua Pomroy when she married the widower David Hoyt around
1691. David already had three teenaged children, and he and Abigail
added three more children to the family. During the attack, one
of their children is said to have hidden in a grain bin and avoided
capture. However, the rest of the family was captured. Abigail was
the only one to return. She eventually married Nathaniel Rice of
Wallingford, Connecticut.
Abigail Hoyt (Jr.)
Abigail was the daughter of David and Abigail
Cook Pomroy Hoyt. She was born on May 1, 1701, was captured during
the 1704 attack, and killed on the journey to Canada.
Jonathan Hoyt
Jonathan was born to David and Sarah Wilson Hoyt
on Apr. 6, 1688. He was captured on Feb. 29, 1704, and taken to
Lorette in Canada. In 1706, while in Quebec with his Native American
master, he was spotted by two Englishmen who quickly purchased him
for 20 silver dollars. He was then hurried on board a ship before
his former master could change his mind. The master did regret his
decision, but too late. Jonathan returned to Deerfield and on June
26, 1712, he married Mary Field and had five children who lived
to adulthood. Among other achievements, he served as a scout, since
he still spoke the Native language of his captors. His former master
visited him so often that Jonathan petitioned the colony for funds
to cover hosting expenses. Jonathan died on May 23, 1779.
Ebenezer Hoyt
Ebenezer was the son of David and Abigail Cook
Pomroy Hoyt. He was born on Aug. 21, 1695, and captured during the
1704 raid. According to one account he never returned, but another
report states that he was killed on the journey to Canada.
Sarah Hoyt
Sarah Hoyt was born to David and Sarah Wilson Hoyt on May 6, 1686. She was captured during the 1704 attack and taken to Lorette in Canada, where she was being pressured to marry a Frenchman. She refused, but offered to marry any other fellow captive. Ebenezer Nims became her husband. By the time they were redeemed in 1714, Sarah and Ebenezer had a son. Leaving was made difficult because the priests and Native people who had adopted Ebenezer wished to keep them, or at least their child. The family did return to Deerfield and had four more children. Sarah died on Jan. 11, 1761.
Benjamin Hoyt
Benjamin was born to David and Abigail Cook Pomroy
Hoyt on Sept. 15, 1691. It is believed that he escaped capture during
the 1704 attack by hiding in a grain bin. He eventually moved to
Ridgefield, Connecitcut, married and had at least two sons. He died
before 1773.
Elizabeth Hull
Elizabeth was born December 23, 1688 to Jeremiah
and Mehitable Smead Hull. Her father died when she was three. Seven
months later her mother married Godfrey Nims. Elizabeth was taken
captive, redeemed, and returned to Deerfield, where she married
her stepbrother, John Nims, December 19, 1707. They had 12 children.
She died in Deerfield September 21, 1754.
Benjamin Hurst
Benjamin (Benoni) was not yet two when taken captive
and killed on route to Canada. He was born in Deerfield, April 29,
1702, soon after his father, Thomas, had died. His mother, Sarah
Jeffreys Hurst, also was captured along with five of her other children.
Benoni Hurst
Benoni was born to Thomas and Mary Jeffreys Hurst
on Apr. 29, 1702. He was captured during the 1704 raid and killed
along the march to Canada.
Ebenezer Hurst
Ebenezer was born in Deerfield May 7, 1698, the
sixth child of Thomas and Sarah Jeffreys Hurst. He, his mother,
and five siblings were taken captive. The youngest, Benjamin, was
killed on the march. In December, 1705, Ebenezer was baptized Antoine
Nicholas while living with Jacques Charbonnier, a Montreal merchant.
Ebenezer returned by ship to Boston in 1713. Nothing further is
known of him.
Elizabeth Hurst
Elizabeth was born in Deerfield on August 15,
1687, to Thomas and Sarah Jeffreys Hurst. She was captured along
with her mother and five siblings. Her youngest brother was killed
on the march north. Records show that she married a Newfoundland
captive, Thomas Becroft, on October 3, 1712, in the parish town
of Villemarie. Elizabeth and Thomas had two children in Montreal,
in 1713 and 1714. They subsequently disappeared from the historical
record, but evidence suggests that she returned to New England.
Hannah Hurst
Hannah, born in Deerfield on May 26, 1695, was
the daughter of Thomas and Sarah Jeffreys Hurst. She was captured
with her mother, three brothers, and two sisters. Hannah never returned
home. She was naturalized as a French citizen in 1710. Baptized
Marie Kaiennonni, she married Michel Anenharison on June 4, 1712,
and chose to live her life as an Indian with the Iroquois of the
Mountain. There is a record of one child, Simon, born to the couple
in September, 1719.
Sarah Jeffreys Hurst
Sarah Jeffreys married Thomas Hurst, one of the
early settlers of Deerfield. They had seven children, one of whom
died in infancy. Her husband died on February 9, 1702. Sarah and
her six children were taken captive in the raid. Benjamin, the youngest,
was killed on the march. In Canada, Sarah converted to Catholicism,
became a naturalized French citizen, and married William Perkins
in 1710. He was an Englishman, taken captive in Newfoundland. On
September 21, 1714, she arrived by ship in Boston, along with 25
other released captives.
Sarah Hurst
Sarah was the eldest child of Thomas and Sarah Jeffreys Hurst. She was born in Deerfield July 26, 1685. She was forced into captivity with her mother, three brothers, and two sisters. Sarah was one among many Deerfield captives looked after by Montreal's elite families. She was redeemed and returned to New England.
Thomas Hurst
Thomas, born in Deerfield on June 12, 1691 to Thomas and Sarah Jeffreys Hurst, was captured with his mother and five siblings. Benjamin, the youngest, was killed on the trek north. Thomas was ransomed from the Iroquois and lived at the Lorette Mission in Montreal. Thomas never returned to New England. Upon his conversion to Catholicism and marriage, he was given land, taught the carpentry trade, and loaned money for a house, clothing, and tools. Records show that Thomas married Marie (Marguerite) Thibaud. A year after her death in 1717, he married Marie Francoise Rouleau. They had six children. Thomas died in about 1741.
Joseph Ingersoll
Joseph was a 28 year old garrison soldier stationed
in Deerfield. He was one of two known garrison soldiers who died
in the village during the attack.
Jonathan Ingram
Jonathan was from Hadley, MA. He was one of nine soldiers slain in the Meadows Fight, as he pursued the French and Indians as they withdrew from Deerfield.
Joanna Kellogg
Joanna was born in Deerfield on February 8, 1693,
to Martin and Sarah Dickinson Kellogg. In the 1704 raid, she, her
two brothers, and sister were taken captive, and her brother Jonathan
was killed. Rebecca married an Indian chief at Kahnawake and never
returned to live in New England. She visited her brother near Wethersfield,
Connecticut, accompanied by her seven children. Despite inducements
to remain, she returned to live out her life in Canada.
Jonathan Kellogg
Jonathan's parents were Martin and Sarah Dickinson Kellogg. He was born in Deerfield on December 17, 1698. Jonathan was killed in the attack. His father, two brothers, and two sisters were taken captive.
Joseph Kellogg
Joseph was born in Deerfield November 5, 1691,
to Martin and Sarah Dickinson Kellogg. He was taken captive along
with one brother and two sisters. Another brother was killed in
the attack. Joseph remained in New France for 10 years, traveling
amongst the French and Indians as a warrior and fur trader. It is
likely that he was the first Anglo-American to see the Mississippi
River. In 1714, his brother Martin convinced him to return home
with the promise of lucrative government work. That year he married
Rachel Devotion, of Suffield, MA. They had five children. Joseph
was named a Captain in 1723. He continued to serve as a soldier,
diplomat, interpreter, and magistrate until his death in 1756.
Martin Kellogg
Martin, born 1658, was among the early permanent
settlers of Deerfield. He married Anna Hinsdale July 19, 1689. After
the birth of their second child, Anna died and Martin married Sarah
Dickinson in 1691. They had four children. In the 1704 attack, Martin
was captured, his youngest son killed, and two sons and two daughters
were forced into captivity. He was redeemed in 1705, and lived afterward
in Suffield, Connecitcut. After Sarah's death in 1731, Martin took
a third wife, Sarah Huxley.
Martin Kellogg (Jr.)
Martin, born October 26, 1686, was one of two
children born to Martin Kellogg and his first wife, Anna Hinsdale.
He was forced into captivity in 1704, along with a brother and two
sisters. Martin escaped with three other Deerfield men, returning
home on June 8, 1705. In August, 1708, he was captured again while
on a scouting mission near Cowass. He remained among the French
and Indians for several years, learning the languages of both. Upon
their return, the colony employed both Martin and his brother Joseph
as messengers, interpreters, and spies. Martin married Dorothy Chester
of Wethersfield, Connecticut. They had a family of nine children.
Martin died at Newington, Connecticut on November 13, 1753.
Rebecca Kellogg
Rebecca was born in Deerfield, December 22, 1695,
to Martin and Sarah Dickinson Kellogg. She, her two brothers, and
one sister were taken captive, and her brother Jonathan was killed
in the attack. She lived for many years at Kahnawake before reluctantly
returning to New England. In 1745, she married Captain Benjamin
Ashley, a teacher at the Stockbridge school, where she served as
interpreter. She died in 1757 at the Iroquois village of Ouquaga.
John Marsh
John Marsh was a 24 year old militiaman from Hatfield.
He was captured while pursuing the French and Native attackers as
they withdrew from the town. John was later redeemed and returned
home.
Philip Matoon
Philip was born to Philip and Sarah Hawks Matoon
on April 4, 1680. He married Rebecca Nims of Deerfield on January
15, 1702. His wife and infant daughter were killed in the attack.
Philip died on the journey north.
Rebecca Mattoon
Rebecca was the daughter of Godfrey and Mary Miller Nims, born August 14, 1679. She married Philip Mattoon January 15, 1703. Rebecca and her infant son were killed in the raid. Her husband was killed on the march north.
Sarah Mattoon
Sarah was born in Deerfield, April 25, 1687, to
Philip and Sarah Hawks Mattoon. She was taken captive and redeemed.
Sarah later became engaged to Mathew Clesson, but he was killed
by Indians in June of 1709. On December 31, 1711, she married Zechariah
Field. Sarah and her husband were among a group of Deerfield residents
who resettled Northfield, MA, after 1714. She bore nine children.
Her husband died in 1746. Sarah married Samuel Childs in 1750 and
died less than two years later, March 21, 1752.
Michael Mitchell
At the time of the 1704 attack, Michael and his
wife, Sarah Catlin Mitchell, had five children. All escaped unharmed.
Benjamin Munn
Benjamin was born elsewhere in 1683 and came to
Deerfield with his mother and brother, John. He was a carpenter.
In 1703 he married Thankful Nims, and in January of the following
year they had a daughter, also named Thankful. At the time of the
1704 attack, Benjamin and his family lived in a small home built
partly underground into a hillside. There is a story that his home
was buried in snow, and he and his family escaped harm because the
attackers could not see the house. Benjamin died in 1774 at the
age of 91.
John Munn
John was born elsewhere in 1682, and his mother
brought him and his brother Benjamin to live in Deerfield. He was
the son of John and Abigail Parsons Munn. John survived the skirmish
in the meadows at the end of the 1704 attack. He died around 1710.
Abigail Nims
Abigail was born in Deerfield on May 27, 1700.
She was the daughter of Godfrey and Mehitable Smead Nims. Her family
was devastated and her home burned in the 1704 attack. Abigail was
taken captive and baptized Marie Elisabeth Naim, only four months
after reaching Canada. Her brother John, sought her redemption years
later, but she refused to return with him to New England. On July
29, 1715, she married Deerfield captive Josiah Rising, renamed Ignace
Raizenne. She and her husband raised eight children. Abigail remained
in Canada, a devout Catholic. She died in February, 1748.
Ebenezer Nims
Ebenezer was born on March 14, 1687. His parents
were Godfrey and Mary Miller Nims. He and his sister Abigail were
taken captive. One brother and a sister were killed in the attack.
Three of his sisters died when smothered in the cellar below their
burning house. Their mother was killed on the march north. In captivity,
Ebenezer married the Deerfield captive Sarah Hoyt when she refused
to be coerced into marriage with a Frenchman. The Reverend John
Williams and Colonel Stoddard managed to bring the couple and their
baby back to Deerfield in 1714. They had six children, all sons.
Ebenezer died shortly before his wife, in about 1760.
Godfrey Nims
Godfrey grew up in Northampton, MA, and purchased
land in Deerfield in 1674. He first married Mary Williams, with
whom he had 6 children. He then married Mehitable Smead Hull in
1692. She brought two children into the Nims household and she and
Godfrey had 5 more children. In 1694, the Nims home burned to the
ground, killing Godfrey's stepson. In the 1704 attack, the Nims
home was again burned, killing three children. Two older children,
Rebecca Nims Mattoon and Henry Nims, were killed during the attack
and two children, Ebenezer and Abigail, were captured. Mehitable
was captured and killed along the trek to Canada. Godfrey died in
1704.
Henry Nims
Henry was born April 20, 1682, to Godfrey and
Mary Miller Nims. Henry was killed in the attack along with his
sister Rebecca. Three sisters burned to death in their house after
it was set on fire by members of the raiding party. One sister and
two brothers were taken captive. His mother was killed on the march
north, and his father died soon after the attack.
Mary Nims
Mary, born on Feb. 28, 1699, to Godfrey and Mehitable
Smead Nims, died in the cellar of her burning house, along with
her twin sister, Mercy, and older sister, Mehitable. One sister
and two brothers were taken captive. Her mother was killed on the
march north. Her father died soon after, in Deerfield.
Mehitable Smead Nims
Mehitable, born January 2, 1668, was the second
wife of Godfrey Nims. They were married on June 27, 1692. She was
the widow of Jeremiah Hull and daughter of William and Elizabeth
Lawrence Smead. She gave birth to five children. Her son Thomas,
died in 1697, before turning five. Three of her daughters died in
the cellar of the Nims's burning house on the day of the attack.
Mehitable and her youngest daughter Abigail, were taken captive.
Mehitable was killed on the fourth day of captivity. Abigail never
returned to New England
Mehitable Nims
Mehitable perished in the cellar of her burning
house, along with her sisters, Mary and Mercy. Mehitable was born
on May 16, 169,6 to Godfrey and Mehitable Smead Nims. Three other
siblings were taken captive. Her mother was killed on the march
north. Her father died soon after the attack.
Mercy Nims
Mercy, born February 28, 1699, to Godfrey and
Mehitable Smead Nims, died in the cellar of her burning house, along
with her twin sister, Mary, and older sister, Mehitable. Her family
was devastated in the attack. Three siblings were taken captive,
another two were killed, their mother was slain on the march; their
father died in Deerfield soon after.
Thankful Nims Munn
Thankful was the daughter of Godfrey and Mary
Williams Nims. She was born on Aug. 29, 1684, and married Benjamin
Munn in Jan. of 1703. At the time of the attack, they had a daughter,
also Thankful, born in January of that same year. The family lived
in a partially submerged home built into a hillside. There is a
story that her home and family escaped harm because the house was
buried in snow and could not be seen. Thankful and Benjamin had
10 more children, eight of whom lived to adulthood. Thankful died
in July of 1746.
Parthena
Like her husband, Frank, Parthena was an African
slave belonging to the Reverend John Williams. Parthena was killed
early in the raid. He husband was taken captive and slain one day
later. Nothing is known of her Parthena prior to her arrival in
Deerfield.
Ensign René Boucher de la Perrière
Born in 1668, Ensign René Boucher de la
Perrière was in his mid-thirties at the time of the 1704
raid. The attack on Deerfield was but one incident in a 50-year-long
military career. In the years following the 1704 raid, Boucher served
in a variety of posts in western New France, including Fort Beauharnois,
on the banks of the Missouri River. He also served as the commander
of Fort St. Frederic (Crown Point.) Boucher was promoted to Lieutenant
in 1710, and then to Captain in 1726. In 1736, the king awarded
Boucher the Cross of St. Louis in recognition of his decades of
devoted service to France. Despite his military honors, Boucher
did not prosper financially. He endured illness and generally poor
health for many years before dying in Montreal in 1742.
Joseph Petty
Joseph was born in 1672 to John and Ann Canning
Petty. He married Elizabeth Edwards of Northampton on February 14,
1701. She died the following Feb., a week after childbirth. Joseph
remarried Sarah Edwards on June 2, 1703. Both were taken captive
in the Deerfield attack. Joseph escaped in May, 1705, with Thomas
Baker, John Nims, and Martin Kellogg. After a harrowing ordeal,
he successfully returned to Deerfield on June 8, 1705. Joseph and
Sarah had two children. The family relocated after articles were
drawn up in 1714 for the resettlement of Northfield. Years later,
Joseph wrote an account of his escape, which he gave to Stephen
Williams.
Sarah Petty
Born Sarah Edwards, she married Joseph Petty on June 2, 1703. She and Joseph were forced into captivity in 1704. Sarah was redeemed and Joseph escaped. Both returned to Deerfield. She gave birth to two children. Sometime after 1714, she and her family were among a group who left Deerfield to resettle Northfield, MA. She died there in 1754.
Esther Pomroy
Esther was the second wife of Joshua Pomroy. Both she and her husband were captured in the raid. She was killed on the march north.
Joshua Pomroy
Joshua was born September 24, 1675. He was the
son of Joshua and Elizabeth Lyman Pomroy. He married Sarah Leonard
May 1, 1700. After her death in 1702, Joshua married Esther, who
was taken captive and killed. He and his sister Lydia were taken
captive and redeemed. Upon his return to New England, he settled
in Dorchester, MA, and married twice more.
Lydia Pomroy
Lydia was born in Deerfield March 5, 1685, the
daughter of Joshua and Elizabeth Lyman Pomroy. She and her brother
Joshua were taken captive and redeemed. Lydia married Nathaniel
Ponder of Westfield.
Mary Webb Field Price
Mary was the wife of Robert Price. At the time
of the 1704 raid, she and Robert had five children. She was killed
during the raid, along with her daughter, Mary Price Smead. Her
son, Samuel, and daughter Elizabeth Price Stevens, were captured.
Samuel returned, but Elizabeth remained in Canada and remarried.
Samuel Price
Samuel was born about 1685. His parents were Robert
and Mary Webb Price. He and his sister Elizabeth were captured.
His sister Mary was killed. Samuel was baptized Louis Price. Samuel
and his sister were naturalized as French citizens in 1710. He worked
with his brother-in-law, John Forneau, as a shoemaker. The precise
date of his return to New England is unknown. On April 7, 1714 he
married Dorothy Fox. They settled in her hometown of Glastonbury,
Connecticut.
Sarah Price
Sarah was the daughter of John Webb of Northampton,
MA. On Dec. 17, 1668, she married Zecheriah Field. They had two
living children and she became a widow in 1674. Around 1677, she
married Robert Price and together they had five children. Sarah
was killed during the 1704 attack.
Jemima Richards
Jemima was the daughter of John Richards of New
London, Connecitcut. John was a selectman and schoolmaster in Deerfield.
Jemima was 10 years old at the time of the attack. Her house burned
and she was taken captive. She was killed during the first two days
of captivity.
John Richards
John was Deerfield's schoolmaster in 1703. His
home was burned during the 1704 raid, and one child, Jemima, was
captured and never returned. John's wife, Abigail Parsons Munn,
brought two children into the marriage from her previous marriage
to John Munn. John Richards eventually moved to New Jersey.
Josiah Rising
Josiah, the son of John Rising of Suffield, Connecticut,
and Sarah Hale of Windsor, Connecitcut, was born February 2, 1694.
At the time of the attack, he was living in Deerfield with his father's
cousin, Mehuman Hinsdale. In captivity, Josiah was baptized and
given the name Ignace Raizenne. In 1715, he married 15-year-old
Abigail Nims, also a Deerfield captive. At first, they lived as
both Iroquois and Catholics at the mission at Sault-au-Recollet,
near Montreal. In 1721, the priests granted the couple a large tract
of land near the Lac de Deux Montagnes. They raised eight children
as devout Catholics.
Mercy Root
Mercy, born in 1689, was the daughter of Hezekiah and Mehitable Frary Root. At the time of the raid she was an orphan, living in Deerfield with her grandparents, Samson and Mary Daniels Frary. Both she and her grandfather died in the attack. Her grandmother was captured and killed on the march to Canada.
Jean Baptiste Hertel de Rouville
Jean-Baptiste Hertel de Rouville was born in 1668
in the French colony of New France. His father and his brothers
all sought honor and advancement by serving as officers in the French
Troupes de la Marine. Jean Baptiste was a 35-year old Lieutenant
in the French troupes de la Marine when he assumed command of the
300-plus member expedition against the English outpost of Deerfield
in 1704. The raiding party apparently also included three or four
brothers (probably René Hertel de Chambly, age 29; Lambert
Hertel, age 27; Pierre Hertel de Moncours, age 17; and perhaps Michel
Hertel, age 19.) Although he was wounded in the arm, Jean Baptiste
survived the raid and returned to New France, where the French government
rewarded his efforts by promoting him to captain. Hertel married
twice. His first wife, Jeanne Dubois, died in 1700, after two years
of marriage. He was remarried in 1708, to Marie-Anne Baudouin, the
daughter of a Quebec doctor. His father, Joseph-François,
was enobled in 1716, making the Hertel family the eleventh and final
family in New France to receive this honor. The French Corwn rewarded
Hertel's continued military service with the Cross of St. Louis
in 1721. Jean-Baptiste Hertel de Rouville died the following year,
at the age of 54.
Thomas Selden
Thomas was born November 12, 1677 to Thomas and
Felix Lewis Selden, of Farmington, Connecitcut. His family settled
in Deerfield when he was nine. Thomas was one of five garrison soldiers
killed in the attack, one of two known to have died in the village.
Joseph Severence
Joseph was the son of John and Mary Severence.
He was born in 1682 and made his living as a tailor. He participated
in the Meadows Fight at the end of the 1704 attack, where he was
crippled for life. He married Anna Kellogg and they had nine children.
Joseph died in 1766.
Ebenezer Sheldon
Ebenzer was born in 1691, the son of John and
Hannah Stebbins Sheldon. He, one brother, one sister, and a sister-in-law,
were taken captive. His mother and youngest sister were killed in
the attack. His father traveled to New France and secured his release
in May 1705. He returned to the Old Indian House in Deerfield, where
he ran a tavern. Ebenezer married Thankful Barnard, daughter of
Deerfield resident Joseph Barnard. They had 10 children. In 1735,
the General Court granted to him and his sister, Mary, 300 acres
of land. This was compensation for the expense of entertaining visiting
Kahnawake Indians, their former captors, who made frequent visits
to Deerfield. He relocated to Bernardston, MA, where he built Sheldon's
Fort, serving as a lieutenant with four of his sons reporting to
him. Ebenezer died on April 12, 1774.
Hannah Sheldon
Hannah, the daughter of John and Mary Munson Stebbins,
was born in Northampton on July 8, 1664. At 15, she married Ensign
John Sheldon of Deerfield. They had seven children, one of whom
died in infancy. Hannah was killed in the 1704 raid when attackers
fired through a hole hacked in what later became known as the "Old
Indian House" door. Her eldest son escaped from a second story window.
Her youngest daughter Mercy, was killed on the doorstep. Three other
children were taken captive. Her husband escaped unharmed.
Hannah Chapin Sheldon
Hannah, the daughter of Japhet Chapin of Springfield,
MA, married John Sheldon Jr. on December 3, 1703. They jumped from
their chamber window during the assault. Hannah injured her ankle
and sent her husband off to Hatfield to enlist help. She was taken
captive and lived with the French in Montreal until her father-in-law,
Ensign John Sheldon, negotiated her release in May, 1705. Hannah
returned to Deerfield, where she and John, Jr. had four children
before her husband died in 1713. Hannah married Lieutenant Timothy
Childs November 26, 1719. She lived to be 85, dying on September
30, 1765.
John Sheldon
John was born in 1658 to Isaac and Mary Woodford
Sheldon. He was one of Deerfield's earliest settlers and owned what
would become known as the "Old Indian House." During the
1704 attack, raiders tried to destroy Sheldon's front door, but
failed because it was so heavily studded with nails. The door exists
to this day at Memorial Hall Museum in Deerfield, Massachusetts.
John and his eldest son, John, escaped harm during the attack, but
his wife, Hannah Stebbins Sheldon, was killed by attackers firing
muskets through a hole they had hacked in the front door. His young
daughter, Mercy, was also killed during the attack. His children
Mary, Ebenezer, and Remembrance were captured, along with his son
John's wife, Hannah Chapin Sheldon. All four returned. John Sheldon
went three times to Canada to rescue captives and was successful
in redeeming many of them. He eventually moved to Hartford, Connecticut,
where he died around 1733.
John Sheldon (Jr.)
John was the son of John and Hannah Stebbins Sheldon.
He was born in 1681. At the time of the 1704 attack, he and his
wife, Hannah Chapin Sheldon, were living in his father's house.
They escaped out a window; John ran to Hatfield for help, but his
wife remained with an injured foot and was captured. She was redeemed,
and they had four children by the time John died on June 26, 1713.
Mary Sheldon
Mary was born in Deerfield on July 24, 1687, to
John and Hannah Stebbins Sheldon. She, two brothers, and her sister-in-law,
were taken captive. Her mother and little sister were killed in
the attack. On her father's second trip to New France in 1706, he
was able to redeem Mary. She married her first husband, Samuel Clapp,
of Northampton, in 1708. Her second husband was Jonathan Strong.
Mary's Kahnawake "mother" often visited her in Northampton. In 1735,
she and her brother Ebenezer were granted 300 acres as compensation
for the expense of entertaining visiting Indians.
Mercy Sheldon
Mercy was John and Hannah Stebbins Sheldon's youngest
child. She was born on August 25, 1701. In the attack, Mercy was
killed on the doorstep of the "Old Indian House." Her mother was
shot dead; three siblings were taken captive, and her oldest brother
escaped and ran to get help. Mercy's father was able to escape unharmed.
Remembrance Sheldon
Remembrance was born in Deerfield February 21,
1693, the son of John and Hannah Stebbins Sheldon. His mother and
little sister Mercy were killed in the attack. Remembrance, one
sister, one brother, and sister-in-law, were taken into captivity.
He and his sister Mary were redeemed on May 30, 1706, through their
father's negotiations. He went with his father to live in Hartford,
Connecticut. Remembrance married Hannah Drake of Windsor, Connecticut
on February 19, 1719. They had five children.
John Smead
John was born in 1673. He married Anna Weld on
Nov. 22, 1699, and they had one living child by 1704. During the
attack, he participated in the skirmish in the North Meadows and
was wounded, but escaped capture, as did the rest of his family.
He and Anna had three more children before she died in 1712. He
then married Abigail Brown on Dec. 31, 1714. John died on Apr. 30,
1720.
Anna Weld Smead
Anna was born to Daniel and Mary Hinsdale Weld
on May 17, 1672. On Nov. 22, 1699, she married John Smead, and by
1704 they had one living child. She and her family were not captured.
Anna had three more children with John and died on Oct. 31, 1712.
John Smead (Jr.)
John was born on Sept. 23, 1702, to John and Anna
Weld Smead. He and his family were not captured in 1704. He married
Mary Allis on Sept. 26, 1723. By 1746, they had six living children.
On Aug. 20 of that year, John, his pregnant wife and five of their
children were captured and taken to Canada. Two days later his daughter,
"Captivity," was born. He and three of his children were redeemed
in 1747. His wife and three children, including Captivity, died
in Canada in 1747. Seven weeks after he returned, Native Americans
killed John.
Mary Price Smead
Mary was born on March 21, 1681, to Robert and
Mary Webb Field Price. She married Samuel Smead in 1699 and was
smothered in the cellar of her home during the 1704 raid, along
with her two children, Sarah and William.
Samuel Smead
Samuel Smead was born in 1669. He married Sarah
Price on Mar. 17, 1699, and together they had two children. During
the 1704 attack, his home was burned and his whole family plus his
mother, Elizabeth, were smothered in the cellar. Smead was not captured.
On Apr. 18, 1707, he married David Alexander's widow, Mary. They
had four children who lived to adulthood. Samuel Smead died on Jan.
1, 1731.
Sarah Smead
Sarah was the daughter of Samuel and Sarah Price
Smead. She was born on Feb. 25, 1700, and smothered in the cellar
of her burning home during the 1704 attack.
William Smead
William was born on Dec. 16, 1701, to Samuel and
Sarah Price Smead. His home was burned during the 1704 attack, and
he smothered in the cellar along with his sister and grandmother.
Elizabeth Smead
Elizabeth Smead came from Hingham, MA. She was
the daughter of Thomas Lawrence. She married William Smead on Dec.
31, 1658. They had nine children. At the time of the 1704 attack,
she was a widow with one daughter married to Godfrey Nims, another
to John Hawks, and a third to Ebenezer Warner. All three daughters
perished either during the 1704 attack or on the march to Canada.
Mrs. Smead lived with her son Samue,l and smothered in the cellar
with two of his children when his home was burned.
Martin Smith
In 1674, Martin was fined 20 shillings for attempting
to kiss Jedediah Strong's wife on the street in Deerfield. He married
Mary Phelps in 1684. She died in 169, and he was captured by Native
attackers on Oct. 13, 1693. By 1694, he had married a woman named
Sarah who was hanged in August of 1698 for the murder of her illegitimate
child. She claimed John Evans of Deerfield as the father. Martin
died in the cellar of John Hawks's home during the 1704 raid.
Benoni Stebbins
Benoni was the son of John and Mary Munson Stebbins,
born on June 23, 1655. As a youth he conspired to "run away to the
French," but was caught and punished. Benoni fought in King Philip's
War, and was captured by Indians, but escaped in 1677. He was a
Deerfield selectman, town assessor, and constable. Benoni married
Mary Broughton in 1677. They had six children before she died in
1689. He had two more with his second wife, Hannah. Benoni built
a fortified house on his father's house lot within the stockade.
In the 1704 attack, seven men and a few women successfully defended
the house for over two-and-a-half hours. Benoni was killed in that
defense.
Dorothy Stebbins
Born Dorothy Alexander, she was the daughter of
John Alexander of Newton, MA. Her house, situated north of the stockade,
was burned in the raid, and she and her entire family were taken
captive. She, her husband, and eldest son returned to Deerfield.
Her husband died in 1724. There is a record of her residing in Newton
in 1733.
Ebenezer Stebbins
Ebenezer was born in Deerfield December 5, 1694.
His parents were John Stebbins, one of the early Deerfield settlers,
and Dorothy Alexander Stebbins of Newton. His entire family was
taken captive in the raid and his home was burned. Though seemingly
inclined to return to New England, Ebenezer remained in New France.
On June 29, 1708, he was baptized Jacques Charles. He lived at Boucherville
with his sister Abigail, renamed Marguerite, and her French husband.
Nothing is known of Ebenezer beyond his French naturalization in
1710.
John Stebbins
John was a carpenter and soldier. He is the only man known to have escaped unharmed from the 1675 attack at Bloody Brook in King Philip's War. He married Dorothy Alexander of Newton. They had six children. All were captured and their house, situated north of the stockade, was burned. It is believed that none were killed in the raid or on the march north because John's daughter Abigail had married a Frenchman, Jacques de Noyon. Five of John's children remained in Canada. Only John, his wife, and their eldest child returned before the war's end. He died in 1724, leaving a will that offered one-eighth of his lands to any of his children who would return to Deerfield. Only his son Samuel and his grandson Aaron took up the offer.
John Stebbins (Jr.)
John was born about 1685. His father, John, was
an early English settler of Deerfield, and his mother was Dorothy
Alexander of Newton. He and his entire family were taken into captivity
in the 1704 attack and their house was burned. John and his parents
returned to Deerfield before the war's end. Five siblings remained
in Canada for many years.
Joseph Stebbins
Joseph was born in Deerfield, April 12, 1699.
He was the son of John Stebbins, one of the early Deerfield settlers,
and Dorothy Alexander Stebbins of Newton. In the 1704 attack, his
house burned and he, his parents, and all six children were taken
captive. Joseph never came back to Deerfield, despite his father's
offer of an eighth part of his lands were he to return. Joseph instead,
chose to remain in New France, where he married Marguerite Sanssoucy
around 1734. The couple settled in Chambly, where they had eight
children. Joseph died on April 23, 1753
Samuel Stebbins
Samuel was born December 25, 1688 to John Stebbins,
one of the early Deerfield settlers, and Dorothy Alexander Stebbins
of Newton. Samuel was taken captive with his parents, three brothers
and two sisters. His home was burned. While in New France, he lived
close by several siblings. Samuel remained in New France until 1728.
He was lured back to Deerfield by his father's will, which offered
him one-eighth of his father's lands on the condition that he return.
Thankful Stebbins
Thankful was born in Deerfield on September 5,
1691 to John and Dorothy Alexander of Newton. She was taken captive
with her entire family and her home was burned. Soon after her arrival
at Chambly, she was ransomed from her Indian captors by Joseph Francois
Hertel. On April 23, 1707, Thankful was baptized Louise Theresse
Stebens. She married Charles-Adrien Legrain, called Lavalle, on
February 4, 1711. She bore 10 children, then died giving birth to
the eleventh, in 1729.
Andrew Stevens
Andrew, "The Indian," married Deerfield resident Elizabeth Price on December 6, 1703. His origins are a mystery, but it seems likely that Andrew was an Englishman, who was a former captive, and had been baptized or renamed by the French. Andrew was killed inside the stockade. Elizabeth was taken captive and eventually married a Frenchman.
Elizabeth Price Stevens
Elizabeth was born on August 12, 1683, the daughter
of Robert and Mary Webb Price. She married "the Indian," Andrew
Stevens, on August 12, 1683. Andrew was killed in the attack on
Deerfield. Both Elizabeth and her brother Samuel were captured.
Her sister Mary was killed. Having few family ties remaining in
Deerfield, Elizabeth converted to Catholicism and married Jean Fourneau
on February 3, 1706. Fourneau was an ex-soldier turned shoemaker.
She became a naturalized French subject in 1710, and had seven children.
Elizabeth died, probably from childbirth complications, in November
1716.
Jacques-René Gaultier de Varennes
Jacques-René Gaultier de Varennes was the
second son of Rene Gaultier de Varennes, the governor of Trois-Rivières
in New France, and Marie Boucher. He married Marie Jeanne le Moyne
de Sainte-Hélène in 1712. He accompanied his uncle,
Ensign René Boucher de la Perrière, on the 1704 raid.
A twenty-seven-year-old cadet in the French troupes de la Marine,
Jacques-René survived the raid and was later promoted to
Lieutenant. He married and settled in Montreal. After taking command
of a military outpost on Lake Superior, he profited from the lucrative
fur trade. He was promoted to Captain in 1736 and successfully placed
his sons in the troupes de la Marine. Later, however, he endured
disgrace and the loss of his commission when the French government
broke him for refusing to assist authorities in arresting his brother-in-law.
Jacques-René died 14 years later, at age 80.
Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de la Vèrendrye
Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de la Vèrendrye
was only 19 when he joined the raiding party in 1704. One of 12
children, Pierre joined the French troupes de la Marine and was
a young cadet when he accompanied an uncle (Ensign René Boucher
de la Perrière) and a brother (Jacques-René Gaultier
de Varennes) on the raid on Deerfield in 1704. Like his uncle and
brother, Pierre survived the attack. He served in the French army
in Europe from 1706-09. He returned to New France and married. Pierre
engaged in the fur trade as well as farming. Pierre gained fame
for his activities in later years as an explorer. In his quest to
find the illusory Northwest Passage to the western se,a and in attempts
to discharge his many debts, he established trading posts, contacted
many Native peoples, and extended French presence as far west as
Lake Winnipeg. These feats brought fame rather than fortune; deeply
in debt, Pierre returned to Montreal in 1744. He died five years
later, at the age of 64.
Benjamin Wait
Benjamin Wait was from Hatfield, MA. In 1677,
his wife and three children were among 30 captives taken to Canada.
Benjamin made the journey north and succeeded in rescuing all but
three. On February 29, 1704 Benjamin was one of nine soldiers killed
in the Meadows Fight, in pursuit of the withdrawing French and Indians.
Ebenezer Warner
Ebenezer was born in 1676 to Isaac and Sarah Boltwood Warner. He married Waitstill Smead on January 5, 1699. They had two daughters, Sarah and Waitstill. Ebenezer and his entire family were taken captive in the 1704 raid. He was redeemed, having been held in or near Quebec. In 1714 he made a return trip to New France, perhaps seeking the whereabouts of his daughter, Waitstill.
Nathaniel Warner
Nathaniel was from Hadley, MA. He was one of nine
soldiers killed in the Meadows Fight, in pursuit of the withdrawing
attackers.
Sarah Warner
Sarah, daughter of Ebenezer and Waitstill Smead Warner, was taken captive with her parents and two-year-old sister. Her pregnant mother was killed on the march. She and her father were redeemed.
Waitstill Smead Warner
Waitstill was pregnant at the time of the attack. She was taken captive and killed on the march north, being deemed too weary to continue. Her husband and two daughters were taken captive as well.
Waitstill Warner
Waitstill was two years old when taken captive with her parents and four-year-old sister Sarah. She was the daughter of Ebenezer and Waitstill Smead Warner. Her pregnant mother was killed on the march and her father and sister were redeemed. Waitstill's fate is unknown.
Daniel Weld
Daniel Weld was born on Sept. 25, 1642, and settled in Deerfield by 1673. On June 8, 1664, he married Mary Hinsdale. They had five children. During the attack one of his children, Mary Weld Alexander, was captured and later redeemed.
Mary Hinsdale Weld
Mary was the daughter of Robert and Ann Woodward
Hinsdale. She was born on Feb. 14, 1644, and married Daniel Weld
on June 8, 1664. One of her five children, Mary Weld Alexander,
was taken captive in 1704 and was redeemed.
Jonathan Wells
Jonathan was born in 1659 to Thomas and Mary Beardsley
Wells. At age 16 he was involved in the Turners Falls Fight where
he was wounded but escaped. He was the military commander of Deerfield
in February of 1704. He and his family were unharmed during the
attack.
Mary Wells
Mary was the daughter of Thomas and Hepzibah Buel
Wells. She was born on Nov. 12, 1673. In June of 1693, Native people
attacked her home and the home of Thomas Broughton in Deerfield.
Mary, her two sisters, and her widowed mother were scalped. Mary
survived, but her sisters did not. She was killed during the 1704
raid on Deerfield.
Esther Williams
Esther was born in Deerfield, April 10, 1691. Her parents were the Reverend John Williams and Eunice Mather Williams. Esther was taken captive with her parents and four siblings. Two young siblings were killed and her mother was slain two days into the march. Within weeks of her arrival in Canada, she was ransomed from the Indians by Governor Vaudreuil. John Sheldon secured Esther's release in May 1705. She was the first of her family to be redeemed. In 1715, Esther married the Reverend Joseph Meacham of Coventry, Connecticut.
Eunice Mather Williams
Eunice was married to the Reverend John Williams
on July 21, 1687. She was the daughter of Northampton, MA minister,
Eleazer Mather, and his wife Esther. In the 1704 attack, attackers
killed two of her seven children. Eunice was taken captive with
her husband and five of her seven living children. Six-year-old
John and six-week-old Jerusha were killed. Her house was burned.
On the second day of captivity Eunice, weak from recent childbirth,
was slain while attempting to cross the Green River.
Eunice Williams
Eunice was born in Deerfield on September 17,
1696 to the Reverend John Williams and Eunice Mather Williams. She
was taken captive with her parents and four siblings. Two younger
siblings were killed in the attack. Her mother was slain two days
into the march north. Eunice was adopted into a Mohawk family at
Kahnawake. Many attempts were made to redeem her, but she refused
to return home. She stopped speaking English, was given the Indian
name Kanenstenhawi, and married Arosen, a Mohawk Indian, in 1713.
They had three children. In her adult life, she made several visits
to family members in New England, only once returning to Deerfield.
Eunice lived to be 95. She died November 26, 1785.
Jerusha Williams
Jerusha was born in Deerfield on January 15, 1704 to the Reverend John Williams and his wife Eunice Mather Williams. Jerusha and her six-year-old brother John were killed in the attack. Her parents and five remaining siblings were taken captive. Her mother was killed the second day of the march.
John Williams
John, son of Samuel and Theoda Parke Williams,
was born on December 10, 1664 in Roxbury, MA. He graduated from
Harvard College in 1683. In June, 1686, John Williams began preaching
in Deerfield and was ordained on October 17, 1688. He married Eunice,
the daughter of Northampton minister, Eleazer Mather. On February
29, 1704, John's youngest children, six-year-old John and six-week-old
Jerusha, were killed. He, his wife, and their five remaining children
were taken captive. His house was burned. On the second day of captivity
John's wife, Eunice, was slain. After a brief stay at Odanak, Williams
was ransomed from his Indian captors by Governor Vaudreuil. Though
treated cordially by the French, he was not released until October,
1706. Four of his children were redeemed and returned. His daughter,
Eunice, chose to remain with the Mohawks in Kahnawake. John Williams
wrote an impassioned account of the 1704 raid and his resulting
captivity titled, "The Redeemed Captive Returning to Zion,"
published in 1707. It was an immediate bestseller. He returned to
Deerfield and married Abigail Allen Bissell. They had five children.
The Reverend Williams continued to serve as Deerfield's minister
until his death on June 12, 1729.
John Williams (Jr.)
John was born on January 19, 169,7 to the Reverend
John Williams and his wife Eunice Mather Williams. He and his newborn
sister Jerusha were killed in the attack. His parents and five remaining
siblings were taken captive. His mother was killed the second day
of captivity.
Samuel Williams
Samuel was born on January 24, 1690, to John and
Eunice Mather Williams. He was captured during the 1704 raid and
eventually redeemed. Having learned French while a captive, in 1711
he escorted some French prisoners back to Canada. Samuel died on
June 30, 1713.
Stephen Williams
Stephen, son of the Reverend John Williams and
Eunice Mather Williams, was born in Deerfield May 14, 1693. He and
four siblings were forced into captivity along with their parents
in the 1704 raid. His younger brother and infant sister were killed.
Stephen's mother was slain two days into the march. He spent an
arduous year with the Abenaki Indians before being ransomed to the
French. In the summer of 1705, he was redeemed and returned home.
Stephen wrote a narrative on his captivity shortly after his return.
A graduate of Harvard College, he accepted a call to serve as the
minister for Longmeadow, MA, in 1716. Stephen married Abigail Davenport,
of Stamford, Connecticut. They had eight children. He served as
chaplain on several English campaigns and expeditions. After Abigail's
death in 1766, Stephen married the widow Sarah Chapin Burt. He died
on June 10, 1782.
Warham Williams
Warham was born in Deerfield in September, 1699.
He was the sixth child born to the Reverend John Williams and Eunice
Mather Williams. In the 1704 raid he was taken captive along with
his parents and four siblings. The two youngest, John and Jerusha,
were killed in the attack. Warham's mother was slain on the second
day of captivity. He was ransomed from his Indian captors by a French
noblewoman. In the fall of 1706, Warham, his father, and brother
Samuel were redeemed, arriving in Boston with 54 other English captives.
Warham graduated from Harvard College, became the minister of Watertown,
MA, and married Abigail Leonard of Newton. They had seven children.
Warham died on June 22, 1751.
John Wilton
Little is known of John Wilton, who was born in 1665. He was stationed in Deerfield as a garrison soldier and taken captive in the raid. By 1707 he was redeemed, and returned to New England.
Ebenezer Wright
Ebenezer was the son of Judah and Mercy Burt Wright.
He was born in 1679. He participated in the Meadows Fight at the
end of the 1704 attack.
Judah Wright
Judah was born in 1677, the son of Judah and Mercy
Burt Wright. A weaver and garrison soldier, he was captured in 1704,
redeemed, and settled in the Wapping section of Deerfield. On April
4, 1707, he married Mary Hoyt, daughter of David Hoyt. They had
six children. Judah died in 1747.
Joseph Younglove
Joseph was the third husband of Mary Weld Alexander Smead. They were married on Nov. 28, 1734. Nothing more is known about him.
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