Great Events in the History of North and South AmericaGoodrich, Charles A. (Charles Augustus)
History
Great Events in the History of North and South America
Goodrich, Charles A. (Charles Augustus)
North America -- History; South America -- History; United States -- History
In the year 1706, fifty-seven of these captives were conveyed to
Boston in a flag-ship, among whom were Mr. Williams and all his
remaining children (two having been ransomed and sent home before),
except his daughter Eunice, whom, notwithstanding all his exertions,
he was never able to redeem, and whom, at the tender age of ten years,
he was obliged to leave among the Indians. As she grew up under Indian
influence, having no other home, and no other friends who could
counsel and guide her, she adopted the manners and customs of the
Indians, settled with them in a domestic state, and, by her husband,
had several children. She became also, it is said, a Catholic, and
ever afterwards firmly attached to that religion. This, perhaps, is
scarcely a matter of surprise, as the sentiment was, the more easily
instilled into her mind, from her age and the circumstances in which
she was placed. Some time after the war, she visited her relations at
Deerfield, in company with her husband. She was habited in the Indian
costume, and, strange as it may seem, though every persuasive was used
to induce her to abandon the savages, and to remain among her
connections, all was in vain. She continued to lead the life of a
savage, and, though she repeated her visits to her friends in New
England, she uniformly persisted in wearing her blanket and counting
her beads. Two of the children of Mr. Williams, after their return,
became worthy and respectable ministers; one at Waltham, the other at
Long Meadow, in Springfield.
The captive Mr. Williams, upon his return to the colony, was desired,
by the remnant of his Deerfield friends, to resume the duties of his
pastoral office in that place. He complied with their request, and,
having rëmarried, reared another family of children, and died in 1729.
During Queen Anne's War, no other single tragedy occurred like that of
Deerfield; but, at all times, the enemy were prowling about the
frontier settlements, watching, in concealment, for an opportunity to
strike a sudden blow, and, having done irreparable mischief, to escape
with safety. The women and children retired into garrisons; the men
left their fields uncultivated, or labored with arms at their sides,
and having sentinels posted at every point whence an attack could be
apprehended. Yet, notwithstanding these precautions, the Indians were
often successful, killing sometimes an individual, sometimes a whole
family, sometimes a band of laborers, ten or twelve in number; and, so
alert were they in their movements, that but few of them fell into the
hands of the whites.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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