England in 1866, and there obtained valuable materials from original sources. In some instances he also assisted others, engaged in like pursuits, with money and friendly services. After he removed to New Hampshire and while he was a member of the Legislature of that State, he aided in inducing that body to continue and complete the publication of the series of volumes of State Papers, which has been so successfully carried through under the editorial conduct of the Rev. Dr. Bouton; a most timely and praise-worthy undertaking. Mr. Towne was a thoroughly honest and sincere man. He was a good man in the best sense of the word. His prudence and sagacity were seldom at fault. He had no whims, no jealousies, no vanity, no suspicions of his associates or neighbors. He was modest and simple in his tastes and habits. His memory survives without even the shadow of a stain. The currents of his emotional nature ran deep and smooth; but he had a tender heart that beat quickly in response to every worthy appeal of friendship or humanity. Of his domestic life we may say only this, that he was a devotedly affectionate father and husband. In all the essential attributes of a good and strong character, Mr. Towne was a rare man; such a friend was and will be even more rare. BIRTHS, MARRIAGES AND DEATHS FROM THE RECORDS PENHALLOW PAPERS-INDIAN AFFAIRS. Communicated by PEARCE W. PENHALLOW, Esq., of Boston. JOHN PENHALLOW, extracts from whose letter-book are here printed, was the son of Samuel Penhallow, Esq., author of the History of the Indian Wars. He was born January 13, 1693. His family and connections will be found in the subsequent genealogy. He was clerk of the Superior Court in New Hampshire in 1711, and later was with his brother-in-law, James Pemberton, merchant in Boston, and afterwards connected in business with John Watts, under the name and firm of John Penhallow & Co. He also had a business connection with Capt. Oliver Noyes, Esq., physician, so styled; and was engaged in trade with the West Indies and with England, as appears from copies of his business letters. Also we find under date of February 4, 1718-19, a copy of a letter from Gov. Shute, in which he writes to Thomas Bendysh, Esq., of Jamaica, as follows: "I have writt to y Gov of ye Island to desire him to take up a negro man that belongs to Mr John Penhallow, a merch' here." After describing the fugitive, he adds: "Cause him to be took up and sent by ye first vessell bound to this place, consigned to 0. Noyes, Esq.," his attorney at that time, Penhallow being engaged in a new settlement, "in ye Eastern parts of our Country," viz. at Georgetown, Hanover Island, or Arrowsick, about sixty miles east of the Piscataqua, where he had a long-continued warfare with the savages. Mrs. Penhallow, writing, May 22, 1721, to her kinsman Sir Bibye Lake in London, says, "We have met with many discouragements in this new settlement." What some of these were,. will appear from the following I suppose you have, ere this, seen Edgar, and have had an act of ye Confusions & Disorders occasioned by ye Indians, both at Cork and at Garden Island weh has driven ye people from Cork down here, who would have gone to Boston in their frights if we had not stopped 'em and suffered only some of y' wives and children to go off, they had a prospect of a very considerable crop of Corn wch they were obliged to leave inasmuch as they were threatened to be knocked in ye head if they continued there any longer; the men are going up to day in order to Hill & secure their Corn. Altho' we are, every man belonging to y° town, at Present engaged in fortifying Mr. Newman's house and enlarging ye Garrison & Strengthening it. I have, VOL. XXXII. 3 * Col. Edward Hutchinson.-ED. I think, pretty well secured my own House; we keep (by ye Inhabitants) a constant watch in the Town of four or six men to prevent being surprised, hoping y publick will, at this Session, strengthen the settlemts here & not leave us to be insulted by ye Indians, weh we shall Experience by ye men's being drawn off to Casco; Whereas the prayer of ye Petition was for this river for wch they were Granted, and now all but about 18 men drawn off to Casco & ye remainder going to-morrow, ye sloop is ready to take 'em in wch obliges us to be ye more carefull for our security, and comes hard upon so few people, and more especially as ye whole town has been obliged for 6 or 8 days past to do nothing but fortify ourselves; I hope you will consider hereof and use your utmost that proper methods may be taken to Secure & defend us & ye Settlemts or let ye Public draw us off, if they will pay ye charges, inasmuch as they Encouraged ye Settlers, for we are Englishmen and Desire y privileges as such if we are still encouraged. Endeavour to get ye Arms sent back that were sent up to be repaired, as also some Ammunition. Wth my Respts to y' lady I am Sr Y most Humb' Seryt I now write to ye Gov,* be pleased to communicate this to Col Winthrop &c. I have writ to y° people at Topsham to stand their ground, for yo present at least, and do wt I can to encourage 'em. I have desired ye Gov' to Let Com" be made out for this place. I desire to be excused. May it Please Y' Excellency G. Town July 13th 1720. I Judge y' Ex ere this has an Acc from his Hon' y° L¢ Gov of N. Hamps† of his Treaty wth ye Indians here concerning one Hannoch, an Indian supposed to be kill at Piscate, wch was concluded with seeming Joy & Satisfaction. Immediately after y business being finished ye Gov' went hence. Ye next day ye Inhabitants in Merrymeeting Bay were threatened by ye Indians if they did not immediately remove, they sha be knocked in y head, upon Wch 7 or 8 families came here, ye men we endeavored to prevent going off till orders from ye Govern', altho' some of their wives and child" went away. Upon weh ye people of yo Island tho't proper to put 'emselves into a Defensible Posture, & have & are Garrisoning three Houses in suitable places of ye town, & keep à strict watch. I tho't it proper to inform y' Excy, that yo forces in His Majtys service are chiefly remote from us, & ye remainder part going away, weh I hope y' Exey will think of inasmuch as this River is ye Boundary of ye Province, & more immediately exposed to ye rage & malice of ye Norridgewalk Indians, who have an insulting fellow of a Jesuit among 'em and is ye Instigator of Disorder; We hope & desire your Exc will take us under your Paternal Care & screen us from all those Dangers that threaten us. We have only one Com officer here (Lt. Trescut). Col. Hutchinson will nominate others to y' Excy if y' Exey will be pleased to appoint & Commission 'em. We rely wholly on y' Excy care and tho't of I am in behalf of ye Town, y' Exeys Most Dutifull & Most Obt Hume Servant us. p Mr. Peet. * Samuel Shute, governor of Massachusetts.-ED. J. PENHALLOW. In August, 1721, Penhallow, then governor of Arrowsick, was commissioned a captain that he might fight for his property and kill Indians according to law and order. May it please Y' Exer G. Town June 15th 1722 abt 5 of ye Clock in afternoon. The Common Calamity of this part of the Country is such that the people upon the River & Merrymeeting Bay are all flying for shelter, & that no arguments can persuade to keep their houses, at least for the present. The Indians began their Hostilities upon 9 or 10 families, and took such a number of 'em as they tho't fit; they used 'em very barbarously coming to & forcing into their houses at midnight, hauling 'em out of bed by the hair & stripped 'em of whatever was valuable, those they gave Liberty to go away they left hardly any thing to Cover 'em. About 30 people they have already treated thus; Yesterday morning they kill'd 10 oxen belonging to M' Alexander Hamilton & Broens, & some others of their Cattle, & carr'd away only the fat of their inwards, they make great spoil of cattle, & let their flesh lye perishing upon the ground. They have burnt Mr Temple's house at the Chaps of the Bay & killed some of his Cattle, Cut all the Canoos to p' yt they met wth to prevent any intelligence. Have burnt Co1 Winthrop's mill & mill house & killed what Cattle they met wth there, in short they have done what they pleased in Merrymeeting Bay & upon this river home to the guards, & have endeavored for some days (wch we have since discovered) of surprising the Whaleboats that meet in Merrymeeting Bay every day to give intelligences from place to place & to discover the Indians; the boats had not parted but a few hours before they began their Hostilities upon y° Inhabitants. I trust y' Exey has Expresses of this matter by Land so that I have only to inclose a letter I recă from one of the Captives by one of the Subscribers they set at Liberty. We shall keep on our cruises wth the whaleboats. Am also sending out about 20 men in 2 or 3 boats to save what Cattle the Indians have killed & left perishing on the ground. I am y' Exey most dutiful & most obt He Servt. J. PENHALLOW. Following the preceding letter in Penhallow's letter-book is this agreement without signatures: At a meeting of the officers, the subscribers, at Arrowsick to consider what is most proper to be done for the Covering & Securing the Inhabitants wth their Cattle & from the Insults of the Indians, Its agreed upon as follows, 1 That 20 men of Capt Penhallow's Comp" wth a Whaleboat be continued at Richmond. 2dly 10 men of Capt Harmonds* Comp* be continued at the Garrison at Garden Island. 3d That the Familys at Topsham, being but about 6 or 7 left will be safe at Brunswick if they remove there wth their Cattle, where there are Houses sufficient to receive 'em & feed eno' for their Cattle, there being no Garrison House or place of safety at Topsham; The Cattle Capt. John Harman belonged to York.-ED. & Hoggs being removed to Brunswick, the fields at Topsham & Summerset will be safe, the whale boats to cruise there two or three times a week, or as often as may be to prevent any further damage from the Indians also to make a discovery of the enemy's motions. 4th That 13 or 20 men of Capt Barker's Cop be removed to the Garrison at Maquoit in order to assist in Garrison a suitable house in the middle of Brunswick Plains that there may be 3 garrisons there, wch we judge will be sufficient to secure and cover the Inhabitants there, those garrisons will then be about a mile & a half distant from each other. 5thly That Capt Penhallow have thirty men at G. Town to Cover the garrisons there, and that three garrisons be kept if possible wth the assistance of the Inhabitants, & that he keep a good guard at his own house where the stores & arms are, and thus he sha have a Whaleboat there which is of necessity. 6thly That Capt Harmond remove to Augusta wth 30 men & a Boat, & take care of that Garrison there wch is worth a keeps for its Goodness & situation that he may be of security to ye Inhabitants in that township, where there's about 250 head of Cattle & in case of a Rupture may be Driven near the Garrison where there is summer feed enough & Hay Eno' for Winter in order for their security y' they may not fall into the enemy's hands. 7th Maj. Moody's* Comp" be at Casco, Pappoduck, Spurwink & Scarboro' where they are now posted & that a Whaleboat be at Falm°. Honrble Sir G. Town June 18th 1722. I doubt not but you have, ere this, heard of the Confusions and Distractions in this River occasioned by the Indians, & that some are taken Captive, I verily believe if they don't receive their Hostages in a little time they be for further damage, & if they can't take such persons here as they would they will endeavour to take some further Westward. I can't see wherein it will be for the Hon' of the Governm so to stoop as to give 'em up on their demand. Capt Harmond is posted at the Garr" at Augusta wth 30 of his Comp to secure that place and receive Inhabitants & creatures in case of a rupture, there being upwards of 300 head of that side. The Behav' of the Indians is such, together wth their threatening Language, y' I can see nothing but that a War should ensue. My humble service to Mad" y' Lady & family. I am Sir y' most Dutifull & most ob' H1e S'v To the Honrble Lt Gov" Wentworth. J. P. May it please Yr Excy G. Town July 4th 1722. I recd y' Excy Letter of Express of ye 20th ult: but last night; this morning I Dispatched away my whale boat up the river & called in the Inhabitants, also ordering the boat to Richm" to direct the officer there to keep strict guards, inasmuch as I had just heard of Capt. Westbrooks being at Maj. Samuel Moody belonged to Falmouth, Me.-ED. |