Wilmont Kreis

Tony asked: I had an ancestor, Ruth Caitlin, taken in the Deerfield raid. Why isn’t she mentioned in your book?

It’s true, Tony, Ruth was a captive taken to Montreal and returned to Deerfield in 1707. Four other Catlin’s were taken or killed along with a couple others who were then known by their married names. I am including a handy list of all captives compiled by another Deerfield descendant. A common difficulty with historical fiction is being confronted by a cast of characters over whom the author has no control other than to simply ignore some, and in my experience, there are always too many characters. For this reason I began limiting the characters with the ALLARDS SERIES and included a list of characters at the beginning of each book. My apologies to all the readers whose ancestors did not appear in FEARFUL PASSAGE NORTH.

DEERFIELD CAPTIVES

Name of resident: Age, Killed, Captured, 0r Died in Route and Notes

David Alexander 45 X Killed In the Meadow
Mary (Weld) Alexander 37 X Captured
Joseph Alexander 23 X Escaped First night
Mary Alexander 2 X Killed in Village
Sarah Allen 12 X Remained, as Marie Madeleine
Mary Allis 22 X Redeemed 1710
Samuel Allis (Of Hatfield) 25 X Killed In the Meadow
Capt. Thomas Baker (sol) 22 X Escaped 1705
Hannah (Barnard) Beaman 58 X Captured
Simon Beaman 59 X Captured
Hepzibah (Buell) (Wells) Belding 55 X Killed in Route
Robert Boltwood (of Hadley) 21 X Killed in the Meadow
Samuel Boltwood (of Hadley) 56 X Killed in the Meadow
William Boltwood (of Hadley) 17 X Died in 1714 returning
John Brigdman (sol) 29 X Escaped same Day
Mary (Williams) Brooks 31 X Killed in Route (Miscarried)
Mary Brooks 7 X Captured, never returned
Nathaniel Brooks 40 X Redeemed 1707
William Brooks 6 X Captured, never returned
Abigail Brown 26 X Captured Returned
Benjamin Burt 24 X Ransomed 1706
Sarah (Belden) Burt 22 X Ransomed 1706
John Caitlin 61 X Killed in the Village
John Caitlin 17 X Ransomed in 1706
Jonathan Caitlin 42 X Killed in the Village
Joseph Caitlin 23 X Killed in the Meadow
Ruth Caitlin 20 X Redeemed 1707
Ebenezer Carter 7 X Ransomed 1707 for 24 lbs.
Hannah (Weller) Carter 30 X Killed in Route
Hannah Carter 3 X Killed in Route
John Carter 9 X Remained, as Jean Chartier
Mary Carter 7mo X Killed in Route
Mercy Carter 10 X Remained, married an Indian
Samuel Carter 12 X Died in Canada, 1714
Thomas Carter 5 X Killed in the Village
Elizabeth (Caitlin) Corse 34 X Killed in Route
Elizabeth Corse 8 X Remained, as Marie Élisabeth
Daniel Crowfoot (sol.) X Captured
Abigail (Stebbins) de Noyen 26 X Remained with husband
Jacques de Noyen 27 X Remained
Sarah Dickinson (of Hadley) 48 X Captured
Joseph Eastman (student) 21 X Redeemed 1707
John Field 4 X Ransomed
Mary (Bennett) Field 28 X Ransomed
Mary Field 7 X Remained, Married
Sarah Field 2 X Killed in Village
Samuel Foote (of Hatfield) 27 X Killed in the Meadow
Mary (Daniels) Frary 62 X Killed in Route
Samson Frary 72 X Killed in the Village
Abigail French 7 X Remained, lived with Indians
Freedom French 12 X Remained, as Marie Francoise French
John French 1mo X Killed in the Village
Martha French 9 X Remained, as Marguerite Married a French man
Mary (Caitlin) French 40 X Killed in Route
Mary French 18 X Ransomed in 1706
Thomas French 47 X Ransomed in 1706
Thomas French 17 X Ransomed in 1706
Mary Harris 11 X Remained, Married
Samuel Hastings (sol)? 20 X Captured, Never Returned
Alice (Allis) Hawks 57 X Killed in the Village
Elizabeth Hawks 7 X Killed in Route
John Hawks 31 X Killed in the Village
John Hawks 8 X Killed in the Village
Martha Hawks 5 X Killed in the Village
Thankful (Smead) Hawks 27 X Killed in the Village
Thankful Hawks 3 X Killed in the Village
Jacob Hickson/Hix (sol)? 19 X Killed in Route
Mehuman Hinsdale 31 X Ransomed in 1706
Mary (Rider) Hinsdale 24 X Ransomed in 1706
Samuel Hinsdale 1 X Killed in the Village
Abigail (Cooke) (Pomeroy) Hoyt 44 X Captured, Redeemed later
Abigail Hoyt 3 X Killed in Route
David Hoyt Sr. 52 X Killed in Route
David Hoyt Jr. 28 X Killed the Meadow
Ebenezer Hoyt 9 X Captured, Never Returned
Jonathan Hoyt 16 X Ransomed in 1707
Sarah Hoyt 18 X Redeemed in 1714
Elizabeth Hull 16 X Captured, Later Redeemed
Benjamin/Benoni Hurst 2 X Killed in the meadow
Ebenezer Hurst 5 X Remained as Antoine Nicolas
Elizabeth Hurst 16 X Remained as Marie Elizabeth
Hannah Hurst 8 X Captured, Later Redeemed
Sarah (Jeffreys) Hurst X Captured, Later Redeemed
Sarah Hurst 18 X Captured, Later Redeemed
Thomas Hurst 12 X Remained
Joseph Ingersol (sol)? 29 X Killed in the Village
Jonathan Ingram (of Hadley) X Killed in the Meadow
Joanna Kellogg 11 X Remained, Married an Indian
Jonathan Kellogg 5 X Killed in the Village
Joseph Kellogg 13 X Released in 1714
Martin Kellogg 46 X Ransomed 1706
Martin Kellogg 18 X Escaped 1705
Rebecca Kellogg 9 X Remained, w/Indians until 1728
John Marsh (of Hatfield) 32 X Captured
Phillip Mattoon 24 X Killed in Route
Rebecca (Nims) Mattoon 24 X Killed in the Village
Baby Girl Mattoon X Killed in the Village
Sarah Mattoon 17 X Escaped 1709/Ransomed 1711
Abigail Nims 4 X Remained as Marie Elizabeth
Ebenezer Nims 18 X Redeemed 1714
Henry Nims 22 X Killed in the Village
Mary Nims 5 X Killed in the Village
Mercy Nims 5 X Killed in the Village
Mehitable (Smead) Nims 36 X Killed in Route
Mehitable Nims 7 X Killed in the Village
Joseph Petty 31 X Escaped 1705
Sarah (Edwards) Petty 25 X Ransomed 1706
Esther Pomeroy X Killed in Route
Joshua Pomeroy 29 X Captured Returned before 1708
Lydia Pomeroy 10 X Captured, Later Returned
Samuel Price 18 X Redeemed about 1714
Sarah (Webb) Price 53 X Killed in Route
Jemima Richards 9 X Captured never Returned
Josiah Rising (Visiting) 10 X Remained as Ignace Raizenne
Mary/Mercy Roote 15 X Killed in the Village
Ebenezer Sheldon 13 X Captured, Later Returned
Hannah (Stebbins) Sheldon 40 X Killed in the Village
Hannah (Chapin) Sheldon 24 X Ransomed 1706
Mary Sheldon 17 X Ransomed 1706
Mercy Sheldon 3 X Killed in the Village
Remembrance Sheldon 7 X Ransomed 1706
Thomas Sheldon 27 X Killed in the Village
Elizabeth (Lawrence) Smead 66 X Killed in the Village
Mary (Price) Smead 23 X Killed in the Village
Sarah Smead 4 X Killed in the Village
William Smead 3 X Killed in the Village
Martin Smith (Sol) ? X Killed in the Village
Benoni Stebbins 49 X Killed in the Village
Dorothy (Alexander) Stebbins 44 X Redeemed 6 Days Later
Ebenezer Stebbins 9 X Remained as Jacques Charles Stebenne
John Stebbins 57 X Redeemed 6 days Later
John Stebbins Jr. 20 X Redeemed 6 days Later
Joseph Stebbins 4 X Remained as Joseph Stebenne
Samuel Stebbins 16 X Returned in 1723
Thankful Stebbins 12 X Remained as Louise Therese
Andrew Stevens (Indian) 25 X Killed in the Village
Elizabeth (Price) Stevens 21 X Remained as Marie Elizabeth, Married
Benjamin Waite (of Hatfield) 64 X Killed in the Meadow
Ebenezer Warner 29 X Captured, Redeemed
Sarah Warner 5 X Captured, Redeemed
Waitstill (Smead) Warner 25 X Killed in Route
Waitstill Warner 3 X Remained
Nathaniel Warner (of Hadley) 23 X Killed in the Meadow
Mary Wells 29 X Killed in the Village
Esther Williams 13 X Ransomed in 1706
Eunice (Mather) Williams 40 X Killed in Route
Eunice Williams 8 X Remained, Married an Indian
Jersua Williams 1mo X Killed in the Village
John Williams 1 X Killed in the Village
John Williams 40 X Ransomed 1706
Samuel Williams 15 X Ransomed 1706
Steven Williams 9 X Ransomed 1706
Warham Williams 4 X Ransomed 1706
Frank (Williams servant) X Killed in Route
Parthena (Williams servant) X Killed in the Village
John Weston (sol)? X Captured
Judah Wright (Sol) 27 X Redeemed about 1707

Plus 2 other Frenchmen XX Captured

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Carrie asks in the Guest Book, "I saw somewhere the date of the Deerfield raid as February 29, 1703/04. What does that mean?"

Well, Carrie, as in much western history, it involves Popes and Emperors and today is an excellent day to address this issue as it had to do with determining the date of Easter each year. The early western calendar, called Julian for the Emperor of Rome, was a lunar calendar. Here the New Year began March 25 and this was adhered to by England and a few other western nations until 1751.
Attempting to address where Easter would fall, many others including France adopted a solar calendar designed about 1582 during the reign of Pope Gregory XIII, hence Gregorian. Here the New Year began on January 01. As it took five centuries to reach a consensus, at the time of the Deerfield raid the English considered the year 1703, and the French 1704, hence February 29, 1703/04. Confused enough?

Oh, by the way, Easter comes each year on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. But everyone knows that. Read More 

The 100-plus surviving captives are leashed and driven though the waist-deep snow on a month-long march through the total wilderness of what is today the length of the state of Vermont. Along the way several of their numbers fall victim to the elements, the tomahawk or the knife. As the survivors are forced to march over their slain family members and neighbors left to feed the animals along the three-hundred mile trail to Montréal. Read More 

1704—Deerfield Massachusetts is the very end of the New England Frontier and home for 400 Puritans souls. If life is not difficult enough in this frozen wilderness, they are attacked by a mélange of Indian tribes organized by the French-Canadian Military. On that one night during the area’s worst winter in memory, the town is burned and half its inhabitants are killed or taken captive. Read More