in that matter; the people here seeming to be greatly spirited therein. It is
very unhappy that the animosities and divisions amongst the people in yo"^ parts
and refusing to subject to any order should make them careless and neglective
of their duty for their own security and to expose themselves thereby to the in-
cursion of the Enemy. Its hoped this sad providence will awaken them that
are yet untacked to unite for the comon safety, and to make provision accord-
ingly, and be very diligent in their watches to prevent a surprise. Should the
French gain any more such advantages it is to be feared that it would further
their Jesuitical insinuations with the Indians and draw them to their side when
they see their Success and observe the security and divisions that are among
the English yo^ care and endeavors to hold the Indians to their promises and
covenant lately renewed may by no means be wanting at this time. And it will
highly concern the English of those Colony^ and those of New Yorke and
Maryland, &c were to maintain a good correspondence and intelligence at this
critical time and to unite against a comon Enemy. In which we shall not be
wanting on our part as occasion shall offer. Wee thank you for y"^ care in the
Speedy Intelligence and notice given of the danger to the upper Towns of this
Colony. And desire the further communication from time to time of what may
occur for their Majt'^s service. Comending you to the gracious protection of
the Almighty

Subscribe Gent : y'' Friends and Servants the Governou'^ and Council of their
Maj^<^« Colony of the Massachusetts Bay

Signed by their order."

(Vol. 35, pages 277-278, Mass. Archives).

Preparations were made for the attack upon Nova Scotia, the
government deeming that to be the way to defend Maine.

"Capt. Nathanael Green,^ m^. Richard Middlexot, Nathaniel Oliver Esq.,
Andrew Belcher and Capt. Samuel Legg are desired and appointed a Comittee
to consult and devise what may be necessary of a Shiping Provision and Am\i-
nition and other stores to accomodate the Expedition ag» the French at Nova

' This undoubtedly referred to the proposed expedition of Sir Wm. Phipps.

2 The oldest gravestone in the Eastern Cemetery upon which there is any
legible inscription, has the following, viz. : " Here'lyes ye body of Mrs. Mary
Greene, ye Dau' of Capt Nathanael and Mrs Mary Green of Boston, aged 54
years. Dec.^ May y* 23, 1717."



54 CAPTURE OF FORT LOYALL.

Scotia and L'Acadie and make provision accordingly with all speed. And re- |

pott the same to this Court i

Voted by the deputies in y^ affirmative. j

p'' order Joseph Lynde. \

Consented to by the magistrates â– 

Is^ Addington, Secy." |
(Vol. 35, p. 314, Mass. Archives).

Another party started from Three Rivers on the 28th of January, j
who were commanded by Francois Hertel,' and his nephew, Sieur \
Gastineau, as lieutenant. It consisted of twenty-four French, I
twenty Abenakis of the Sokokis band, and five Algonquins. The j
notorious Hopegood ^ was in command of the Indians. After two i
months of extreme hardship they reached the little stream that \
separates Maine from New Hampshire, on the night of the 27th \
of March, 1690. They lay hidden in the forests that bordered the |
farms and clearings of Salmon Falls. After midnight while the ;
inhabitants were asleep, they made their attack, burning houses, I
killing cattle, murdering many of the inhabitants, and taking some ;
captives. While in the midst of their murderous career two '
Indian scouts brought news that a force of English were advanc- j
ing from Portsmouth. Hertel then, with his captives, some of •
whom were murdered on the way, began his retreat. After some j

' Francois Hertel (Artel) lived at Three Rivers, was one of the officers of the j

colony, and had command of important expeditions against the English. He I

was ennobled by the king in 1691 ; was killed in the attack upon Haverhill, Aug. |

29, 1708. (N. Y. Col. Man.; Drake's Indians, iii, 140). '

' Hopegood was a celebrated chief of the Norridgewock tribe. He was the ]
son of Robin Hood. His career was long and bloody. One of the most im-
portant actions in which Hopegood was engaged was that against vSalmon Falls
in New Hampshire, which is minutely detailed by Charlevoix, from whose his-
tory, and which translated, is as follows : " Three expeditions had been set on
foot by Governor Frontenac, the troops for which had been raised at three
places, Montreal, Three Rivers, and Quebec. Those raised at Three Rivers
were ordered against New England, and such was the insignificance of that
place that but 52 men could be raised, including 5 Algonquins and 20 Sokokis;
these Indians had lately returned from an eastern expedition. They had at
their head one of the officers of the colony, to whom could be intrusted the ex-
ecution of an enterprise of such a nature with the greatest confidence." Such is
â–  the testimony which Count Frontenac gave in a letter which he wrote at the
time to M. de Seignelay. That officer was the Lieut. Hertel. In the small
company which he commanded he had three of his sons and two of his nephews,
viz., the Lieut. Crevier, Lord of S. Francois, and the Lieut. Gatineau. (Drake's
Indians, iii, 116).



DESTRUCTION OF FALMOUTH. 55

skirmishing -with the whites he managed to escape with his whole
force. He did not attempt to return to Canada the way he came,
but made a route through the wilderness of Maine to the waters
of the Kennebec. On his arrival among the Indian tribes of
that section he found needed rest and protection. He sent his
captives " on to Quebec, and remained with his warriors to wait
the coming of the party from Quebec who were intending the
destruction of Casco. At one of the Abenaki villages he learned
that the party he was expecting of the French and Indians had a
day previous passed south (this was about the first of May) on
their way to attack Casco.

The following instructions were sent to Major Frost :

" Province To Major Charles Ffrost^

of Mayne Instructions as followeth.

Pursuant to the Comission signed & bearing same date with these p'sents.

You are with all care to hasten gathering of your soldjers together, and in
case Capt. Simon Willard be in any way disabled that he can* attend ye service
you are to comissionate such other meet person as you shall Judge meet, & ap-
poynt all other officers as you shall have occasion. You shall in all places &
by all wayes & meanes to your power take, kill & destroy y« enemy without limi-
tation of place or time as you shall have opportunity, & you ar also impowered
to comissionate any other person or persons to do the like.

You shall carefully inspect all the Garrisons in y^ Province, & reduce them
to such a number,^ & appoynt such places as shall in yo' wisdome most con-
ducive to the preservation of the people & y« great charge now expended for y®
same may be abated.

'The principal captives takefi by Hertel were six or seven children of the
Short family, Robert Rogers, James Key, Mehitable Goodwin, Mary Ferguson,
and others. (Mather, ii, 598, 599).

^ Upon the advice of this mischief in the west (capture of Schenectady)
orders were dispatched unto Maj. Frost in the east that the towns there must
stand upon their ground. The Major did his duty, but they did not their5.
They dreamt that while the deep snow of the winter continued they were safe
enough, but this proved as vain as the dream of a dry summer. (Mather, ii,
595)-

^ According to these and previous instructions, the Government was endeav-
oring to reduce the troops in Maine to as small a number as was possible.



56 CAPTURE OF FORT LOYALL.

Comitting you to y'' Co & pe of God Almighty upon whom

you have all yo"" dependance.

I subscribe

Yo' Loving friend
Ffeb. 17, 1689. Tho. Danforth, Presid'.'

[Along the margin is written.]

I have prevailed with Lt. Andrews to come back esteeming him a fitt man for

your Lt. and I would y' you accordingly enterteyn him

(Superscription]

To Majo"" Charles

Frost in

Kittery
P. Lt Andros."*

The attack on Salmon Falls was a bold surprise to all the
whites in that vicinity, and immediately letters and appeals for
assistance were sent to the Massachusetts authorities, and the fol-
lowing from the Massachusetts Archives will be found of interest:

"Portsmouth March 18 leSg'go
Much Honord.

Wee are just informed that ye Indian Enemy this morning Attacqued Salmon
falls & have surprised all the families above the fort, w^^ are about 10 or 12 &
have also taken possession of the fort & of Lords house where several fam-
ilies live. Wâ„¢ Plaisted,^ who gives this information made his escape from
Capt. (John) Wincols* house w^i^ was twice assaulted by ye Enemy but they

' N. E. His. & Gen. Reg., 3, 24.

^ Probably Lieut. Elisha Andrews. See page 41, ante.

^ William Plaisted was the second son of Roger, of Kittery, by his wife
Olive, rather than the eldest as given by Savage, Parsons, and in the Went-
worth Genealogy ; after the massacre of his brother Roger, 16 Oct., 1675, ^^
was the eldest surviving son, and administration upon his father's estate was
committed to him and his brother James. A letter of the Rev. Joshua Moody
(Mass. Hist. Coll., 4 S., viii. 362), shows that this William had been married
four or five years, 5 Sept., 1683, when his wife gave birth to their first child, at
Newichawanock. w. m. s.

* John Wincoll,^of Kittery; the name is spelt Wincoln, Wincol, Wincall, or
Winkle; was born in England in 1622; came to this country in 1635; lived at
Watertown, 1637; freeman 1644; removed to Kittery, and resided at that part
called Newichawanock; was a rep., 1653-5, and 1675-8, and from 1676-S5, in
the commission under both Stoughton and Danforth ; had a military commis-
sion as captain ; was register and clerk ; died Oct. 22, 1694, and was succeeded
in that office by Capt. Jos. Hammond. (Savage, 4, 592).



DESTRUCTION OF FALMOUTH. 57

were beaten of by six or seaven English men who were left in possession of s"!
house when he came away from there to give this advice & pray for relief, he
saw not above twenty Indians, we have already sent away from the banks be-
tween 20 & 30 men & have sent to our other Towns for further relief wee now
here see the smoak rising so y' they are burning all before them Wee humbly
pray a thorough serious consideration of the condition of this part of the
country & y' such measures may be forthwith taken as in y"" Honoâ„¢ wisdome
shall be thought most conducive to the prosecution thereof This is the whole
of wt information wee can at present give as soon as we have a further acct.
you may expect to hear farther from

Much Hon'« yo' Humble Servts

Wm. Vaughan,'

RiCHD. Martyn.^
(Vol. 35, page 319, Massachusetts Archives).

"Portsmouth, 19th March, 1689, '90.
Much HonorWe

Yesterday we gave ace' of ye dreadful! destruction of Salmon
Falls ; and the particulars whereof please to take as followth.

The enemy made their onset between break of the day &
Sunrise when most were a bed & no watch kept neither in fort nor house. The
presently tuk possession of y* fort to prevent any of ours doing it & so carried
all before them by a surprise, none of our men being able to get together into a
body to oppose them so that in the place were killed & taken between four score
& 100 persons of w"^^ between twenty & Thirty able men, the fort & upwards of
twenty houses burnt, most of the cattle burnt in their houses or otherwise kild,
which was very considerable, from thence the enemy proceeded to Quam-

' William Vaughan was one of the first counsellors of New Hampshire, from
1680 to his death in 17 19. He was made "freeman" in 1669; was Judge C.
C. P. from 1680 to 1686, and Chief Justice from 1708 to 1715. He married,
December 8, 1668, Margaret, daughter of Richard Cutts. She died January 22,
1690, aged 40. He had eight children, of whom George was Counsellor and
Lieut.-Gov. of New Hampshire; died November 2, 1721;. George's second son,
William Vaughan, was born Sept. 12, 1703 ; graduated at Harvard College in
1722; was Lieut.-Col. at the capture of Louisburg in 1745. He removed to
Damariscotta. He died in England in 1746. (Wentworth Genealogy, i, 297).
He was the grandfather of the William Vaughan who came to Portland from
Portsmouth in 1784, and purchased large tracts of land in the western part of
the city; one of whose children was the late William T. Vaughan of this city.

^ Richard Martyn, of Portsmouth, was a son in law of Richard Cutts. He
held important offices and was in 1693 C. J. of C. C. P., and the same year app.
C. J. of the S. J. C. He m. ist, Sarah Tuttle, dau. of John Tuttle; 2d Martha
(Symonds) Dennison, widow of John Dennison ; 3d, Elizabeth (Sherburn) Lear,
widow of Tobias Lear; 4th, Mary (Penning) Wentworth, widow of Samuel
Wentworth. He died April 2, 1694. Of eight children he left two sons and
two daughters, wives of Richard Jose and John Cutts. (N. H. His. Coll., VHI,
311-317. Wentworth Gen., i, 116).



58 CAPTURE OF FORT LOYALL.

phegan, where lived onely Thomas Homes, who upon the alarm retired from his
house to a small Garrison built near his Saw mill whither also some of Salmon
falls y^ made their escape fled about 30 of the Enemie surrounded Holmes'
house but met with no opposition there till fourteen men of ours came up from
the lower part of y'' Town & undiscovered by ye Enemy made a shot upon y®
party of Indians at Holmes house. Sundry of yâ„¢ standing before the door at
w*'^ shot they say three of the Enemy fell ye run into the house and broke
through y'^ backside & roof & being more numerous than ours forced our men to
retire, nine of them got safe home & five escaped to Holmes Garrison, only
one of ours wounded in the encounter, then the enemy burnt Holmes house &
proceeded about a mile down & burnt the minister E house with two more &

Assaulted Garrison but were repulsed & so retired. James Plaisted '

who was taken at Salmon falls was sent by Hopegood (commander-in-chief of
the Indians), with a flag of truce to Thomas Holmes for ye surrend'' of his
Garrison — promising liberty to depart upon his so doing, but Plaisted returned
not now was y^ Garrison surrounded. The si^ Plaisted who was in y^ enemies
hands many hours Informe yt he saw of y"^ Enemy one hundred & fifty men well
accoutred & supposes them to be about one half ffrench. upon their taking
possession of ye ffort he saith that ten of them french & Indians made a dance
w<='^ Hopegood told him were all officers; he also told him of his Brother
Goodon^ who lived in Lord's house, was soon to be tryd for his life by a Coun-

'James Plaisted, who called himself " of York," was the next son of Roger
and Olive ; he married, first, Lydia, daughter of Richard and Lucretia Hitch-
cock, and granddaughter of Thomas Williams, of Saco; and presented two
claims in her right to land there before the Commissioners of " Eastern
Claims." It is apparent from the York (town) records that his first wife, Lyd-
ia, had deceased prior to 10 Dec, 1690, for he had then married second, Mary,
widow of John Sayward, and daughter of Edward and Susanna (Wheelwright)
Rishworth. She was carried into captivity with two of her daughters by Say-
ward, but redeemed in Oct., 1695, ^7 Matthew Gary, she returned home, and
bore Plaisted two daughters, the first of whom was named Lydia, in affection-
ate remembrance of his previous wife. It is somewhat of a digression, but this
research discloses bits of evidence that solve a much discussed question, and
go to prove that the above Susanna (probably the eldest), daughter of the Rev.
John Wheelwright, had first married Thomas Wight (i.e. White), of the Exe-
ter Combination, and had by him the daughter, Mary White, who was adopted
by Rishworth, is called " daughter [i.e. step-daughter], of Edward Rishworth,"
in her grandfather's will, and afterwards married the Rev. Shubael Dremmer.

w. M. s.

^This was Thomas Goodwin, third son of Daniel, the emigrant, by his wife,
Margaret, daughter of Thomas and Patience (Chadbourne) Spencer; he was
"brother" [in-law] to James Plaisted, having married Mehitable, youngest child
of Roger and Olive Plaisted ; he had by her, among others, Capt. Ichabod,
whose grandson. Dr. James Scammon Goodwin, lately deceased at his home on
Spring street in this city. Mrs. Mehitable (Plaisted) Goodwin was captured
by the India,ns at Berwick, March 18, 1689, '90, as narrated by Mather's Mag-
nalia, 11, 598, and quoted by Belknap. She was a captive five years in Canada,
redeemed by Cary in October, 1695 (Gen. Reg., 24, 289). She returned to her
home in Berwick, where she died. w. M. S.



DESTRUCTION OF FALMOUTH. 59

cill of warr for yt in their taking Lord's house he said Goodson had killed one
ffrenchman & mortally wounded another & further said there was Eight french
ships assigned for Pascataqua river to destroy y« same. The alarm being given
to all adjacent Towns in order to their relief e wee sent about thirty men from
this Town, as many went from Dover, & a party from York together with w*
could be got from there own Town, but before they could unite there force it
was neare night & then they marched wth about loo men, under Comand of
Capt Jo Hamond ' of y'= upper part of Kittery, the scouts y' went before, just
as they came w"* in sight of Salmon falls discovered one of y*' Enemy who was
binding up his pack & staying behind his company fell into our hands, w^^*
proved to bee a ffrenchman, whose examination in short wee herewith send you
& to morrow morning intend to send the person towards you by land, none by
water being just ready to go; our ffriends proceeded in pursuit of y'' Enemy &
about 2 mile above y" ffort of Salmon falls at the farther house up in the woods

discovered them about y*^ setting of y® Sunn, our men presently fell upon

them & they as resolutely, opposed them, in short the fight lasted as long as they
could see friends from Enemies in w**^ wee lost two men, one of York another
of Cocheco kild upon ye place & 6 or 7 wounded. Some is feared mortally w'
damage wee did the Enemy wee cant at present say. This is all y" acct. we at
present give, to morrow intend you shall hear again from us. wee Intercom
Subscribe ourselves

Honbie Sirs

Yo'' humble Servts.

Wm. Vaughan,
RiCHD Martyn."
(Vol. 35, p. 326, Mass. Archives).

The French prisoner was sent to Portsmouth, and was quite



' Capt. or Maj. Joseph Hammond was the second son of Wm. Hammond
(the name was spelt in various ways), who was born in England in 1597, came
over in 1630, was made a freeman at Boston in 1636; moved to Wells ; had two
sons, Jonathan and Joseph, and daughters. He, William, died suddenly in
1702, aged 105 years. Joseph moved to Kittery; was made a counsellor of
Massachusetts, and received a military commission. He was appointed regis-
ter and clerk by Massachusetts Dec. 4, 1694, in the place of Capt. John Win-
coll, deceased.' He was seized by Indians near Saco fort, July 6, 1695, P^
carried to Canada. He was redeemed by Mathew Carey in October following,
and returned to Kittery. He held the office of register for many years. He
died, according to Savage, Feb. 24, 17 10, according to his son's account, in 1709.
He left one son, Joseph, and two daughters. (Savage, 2, 341. N. E. His. &
Gen. Reg., 9, 312, 24, 289, Mass. His Coll., 5, 5th series, 396. Williamson, i,
642).



6o CAPTURE OF FORT LOYALL.

communicative to the authorities. The following paper contains

his statement :

" PoRTSM", 19th March, 1689, '90.
Upon Examination of the frenchman taken at Salmon ffals he saith

Their company that Attaqued Salmon ffals consisted of sixty men
30 french & 30 Indians who came from Canady the beginning of ffoube. (Feb-
ruary) from a Town called three rivers laying above Cabeck (Quebec), that they
had not been near any English Plantations since they came out till now but
waited about twenty or thirty miles off severall days for a party of 20 or 30
Indians who promised to meet & Joyn wth them but came not, that they have
lived wholly upon hunting, y* they came by order of the ffrench Gov'' at Canada
that both ffrench & Indians are in pay at ten livres pp month. The said Govf
is Count Frontonack y* arrived from ffrance last year in a man of warr wth
severall merchant ships w'^'^ went away again in 8 o^*"^, only two ships remain in
Canada of twenty-five guns a piece. That two partys of ffrench & Indians of
three hundred men in a Company, came out about the same time they came
but whither they were designed he saith he knows not. That he knows nothing
of the mischief done near Albany, that they intended to carry their captives to
Canada and there sell them y' their design was not against this place when
they came forth but principally against Monsieur Tyng & the place where he
lived,' but he saith the Indians who were their principal pilots ded often vary in
their opinions about what place to fall upon, wee cant understand whither it
were Mr. Tyng, of merrimack river ^ or Casco Bay. That they saw no Consid-
erable Company of Indians in their march only a few in some places hunting
that they brought out with them ten pounds of powder and sixty bullets a piece,
that there were sundry English captives at Canada, but he saw only three girls
& a boy, that the ffrench are able to rai.se four or five thousand men in Canada
able to bear arms & yt they had Thirty two Companies of fifty men in a Com-
pany in constant pay that the ffrench Cap" name of this Company is Monsieur
Artell (Hertel) his son being his lieutenant."
(Vol. 35, p. 325, Mass. Archives).

' This statement should have been good evidenee to the authorities that an
attack on Casco was contemplated. Monsieur Tyng, whom the Frenchman
named, should have been known to them as Capt. Ed. Tyng, the former
commander of Fort Loyall, who as a skilled warrior against the Indians, was
held in dread by them, and they were desirous of revenging themselves by an
attack upon Casco.

^ Mr. Tyng on the Merrimack river was a brother of Edward Tyng of Casco,
and sons of the first Edward, who came here in 1630. Jonathan's residence was
at Dunstable, near Tyngsboro, adjoining Lowell. He was father of Hon. John
Tyng, who at times was a large owner of real estate in Falmouth, who was born
in 1703, was a judge C. C. P.; died in Tyngsboro in 1797, aged 94.



DESTRUCTION OF FALMOUTH. 6 1

The information given by this French prisoner of the proposed
attack upon New England caused letters to be written from Major
Charles Frost and others, to the Government of Massachusetts,
dated Portsmouth, March 26, 1690, in reference to defending
Piscataquis river against the expected attack of the French.
(Vol. 35, page 371, Massachusetts Archives).

The Government sent to England for assistance :

"Order of Governor and Council.
(Andros' Tracts, 3, 63).
Ordered, that the sloop Resolution be forthwith be fitted up and despatched
away for England at the public charge, with advice to their Majesties of the
present danger their Majesties Colonys in these parts are in of Incursion by
the French in Canada now in actual hostility with the crown of England, and
of the want of armes and ammunitions to furnish the Country for their defence,
And that some Gentlemen or Merchants be desired to take up money on the
public Account to load her at the best rates they can agree. The Treasurer,
Mr. Edward Bromfield' and Mr. Joseph Parsons^ are appointed a Committee
to purchase oyle or Logwood to load her without delay.

Voted in the affirmative by their Majesties.

ISA. Addington, Sec''.
13 March 1689-90.

Consented to by the Deputies
Ebenezer Prout,

Clerk."

This now brings us to the third party which had been fitted out
by Frontenac for the destruction of Casco and Fort Loyall. It
consisted of fifty French soldiers and fifty Abenakis Indians from
the mission of St. Francis, They left Quebec in January, 1690,

" Edward Bromfield was born in England, June 10, 1648-49, came to New
England in 1675. ^^ ^^^ twice married, first about 1678, to Mrs. Elizabeth
Brading ; second to Miss Mary Danforth, of Roxbury. He was a member of
the Council from 1703 to 1728. He was a membar of the South church for
about fifty years. He died in June, 1734, and was entombed in King's Chapel
burying ground. The tombstone, still in good preservation, is in the northern
side of the enclosure. He lived on the street that now bears his name. (N.