AMERICA THE GREAT MELTING POT
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John Plimpton
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FAMILY TREE
Born: 1620, England
Married: 13 Mar 1644 Dedham, Norfolk, MA
Died: 19 Sep 1677 near Chambly, Quebec, Canada
WIFE
CHILDREN
1.
Hannah Plympton
Born: 1 Mar 1645 Dedham, Norfolk, MA
Married: 1st 31 Jan 1665 to Nathaniel Sutcliff,
Medfield, MA
Married: 2nd 24 Jan 1676/7 to Samuel Harrington,
Hatfield, MA
Died: Bef. 1693 Branford, New Haven, CT
2. John Plympton
b. 21 Mar 1646 Dedham, Norfolk, MA
d. 26 Apr 1646 Dedham, Norfolk, MA
3. Mary Plympton
b. 9 Apr 1648 Dedham, Norfolk, MA
m. 16 Nov 1671 Nathaniel Johnson
d. 27 Nov 1736 Marlborough, Middlesex, MA
4. John Plympton
b. 16 Jun 1649 Dedham, Norfolk, MA
m. 2 Jan 1677/8 Elizabeth Fisher
d. 30 Jan 1704 Medfield, Norfolk, MA
5. Peter Plympton
bap 7 Mar 1652 Dedham, Norfolk, MA
m. 2 Jul 1677 Mary Mundan
d. 27 Mar 1717 Marlboro, Middlesex, MA
6. Joseph Plympton
b. 7 Oct 1653 Medfield, Norfolk, MA
m. 3 Nov 1675 Marie Morse
d. 22 Jun 1702 Medfield, Norfolk, MA
7. Mehitable Plympton
b. 15 Sep 1655 Medfield, Norfolk, MA
m. 1676 Ephraim Hinsdale
m. 1691 Joseph Cheney
m. 1717 Jonathan Adams
d. 8 Aug 1725 Medfield, Norfolk, MA
8. Jonathan Plympton
b. 23 Nov 1657 Medfield, Norfolk, MA
d. 18 Sep 1675 Deerfield, Franklin, MA
9. Eleazer Plympton
b. 20 Feb 1659/60 Medfield, Norfolk, MA
d. 15 Jul 1660 Medfield, Norfolk, MA
10. Eleazer Plympton
b. 7 May1661 Medfield, Norfolk, MA
d. 1661 Medfield, Norfolk, MA
11. Leida Plympton
b. 2 Feb 1663 Medfield, Norfolk, MA
d. 14 Feb 1663 Medfield, Norfolk, MA
12. Jane Plympton
b. 3 Jun 1664 Medfield, Norfolk, MA
d. 12 Jun 1664 Medfield, Norfolk, MA
13. Henry Plympton
b. 9 Jun 1666 Medfield, Norfolk, MA
d. 4 Jan 1668/9 Medfield, Norfolk, MA
https://www.latest.facebook.com/SocietyOfJohnPlimptonDescendents/posts/1808265519263457
A Narrative History of Sgt. John Plimpton - first generation in America.
In 1620, just before the
Mayflower arrived near Cape Cod, John Plympton was born in England, likely
in the area of Cambridge or Lincoln. He was born into a strict Catholic
family, but in his teens was attracted to the teachings of a religious
reform group known as Puritans.
The Puritans felt that the dogma and ritual of the Catholic Church, as well
as the Anglican Church of England, had strayed from the actual message of
the Bible and sought to practice a more “pure” form of Christianity. One
group of Puritans, led by John Bradford and William Brewster, moved to
Holland in 1607 and later crossed the Atlantic to found the Plymouth Colony
in America in 1620. By 1640, the Colony was some 9,000 strong. It was into
this young but established society that young John Plympton would arrive. It
should also be noted that about the same time, three other Plymptons arrived
in the new world – Thomas, Henry and Elizabeth. Only Thomas left descendants
– all with the PLYMPTON name.
At that time, many settlers who were single or with young children needed
help to farm their land. They offered to pay passage in exchange for 3 years
of service, a practice called indentured servitude. At age 17, wanting to
escape the persecution of his family and community, John accepted such an
offer from Dr George Alcocke of Roxbury, MA, part of the Colony near and
around Boston. He finished his servitude in 1640 and moved to Dedham, about
8 miles SW, where he was accepted into the church there as a freeman. At
that same time, he changed the spelling of his name to "Plimpton" and joined
the Incorporated Artillery Company, a militia which was formed to provide
mutual assistance against Indian attacks, which were common as the settlers
pushed the native Americans from their tribal lands.
The next year, he married Jane Dammin (age 19), who had arrived in America
about the same time as John, and also lived in Dedham, near the Charles
River. At that time, Dedham was a remote village on the frontier, with vast
forests and frequent skirmishes with the native Indians, who were pushed off
their lands by the new Europeans and ravaged by the diseases they brought.
The young town was connected to the other colonies only by a rough cart
trail. It had a meeting house and small houses made of local wood and
thatched roofs. In Dedham “society is harmonious and religious interest in a
thriving condition”. Indeed, the original name of the settlement was
Contentment. John and Jane helped build a schoolhouse, with a watch tower on
top. Life was undoubtedly hard for the young couple, but freedom and
opportunity were prized.
The young couple probably lived in a small thatched hut and farmed some of
the “common land” for 2 years, until they bought their first 2 acres of land
on the edges of the settlement and built a home there. They paid 5
shillings, which is about $130 in today’s US dollars. By that time, the
family welcomed daughter Hannah (1645) and had lost a son (John) in infancy,
which was not uncommon in that time and place, given the hard work that
women did, disease and lack of medical facilities. Hannah was joined by Mary
in 1648 and John Jr in 1650, by which time father John had earned the rank
of Sargent, which made him a respected community member.
But, the land proved to be poor and combined with the many animals, rodents
and Indian attacks, the family decided to move to a new settlement at
Medfield in 1652, just as their 2nd son Peter was born. The Medfield
settlement was about 10 miles further SW from Dedham and offered fresh land
that was flatter and more tillable. It was also in the territory of the
Nipmonk tribe, who were initially more welcoming to the settlers than the
war-like Massachusetts. And there, the family seemed to thrive. A year after
they arrived, Joseph was born, followed by Mehitable and Jonathon, their
last, though Jane would suffer 5 infant deaths in her 40’s (1659 to 1666).
Medfield was mostly populated by folks from Dedham, so the family was among
friends and John’s place as an active community member and leader grew. In
addition to his duties as a sergeant in the militia, he was called upon to
help survey and map the village streets and surrounding roads and clear
forest beyond the common planting area for livestock grazing. He was elected
as one of two village constables and was responsible for laying a new road
through a swamp to the Stop River. All this he did in addition to farming
food for his family on their 13 acres of land. The family lived in relative
safety on the main street of town, which was also the road from Boston to
the frontier settlement of Mendon, some 15 miles further west. The road gave
good access to supplies from Boston, some 30 miles to the NE.
Sgt. John, Jane and their 5 children seemed to do well over the next 20
years in Medfield. But as years passed, there were inevitable changes.
Hannah married a local man (Nathanial Sutcliffe) in 1665 and moved to her
own home. Mary followed in 1671 and moved with Nathanial Johnson to
Marlborough, MA. John moved to Boston to become a tailor, leaving just
Peter, Joseph, Mehitable and young Jonathon at home. Thus, it seems somewhat
surprising that the family moved from their comfortable home in Medfield to
Deerfield, near the current Vermont border.
At the time, Deerfield was a small disorganized outpost, some 70 miles NW of
Medfield and over 100 miles along rough trails from Boston. Moreover, Sgt
John was white-haired and 53 years old, in a time when life expectancy was
just 35 and a man of 45 was considered “very old”. Jane was 52 and had just
lost 5 children to infant mortality. In addition, the Massachusetts Indians
had been increasing their raids and King Philip’s War was about to begin.
But, because the family still owned land in Dedham, they were offered some
very productive farm land right along the Connecticut River at Deerfield.
In the 50 years since the first colonists arrived in Plymouth, their numbers
in the Massachusetts Colony had swollen to over 80,000, while the native
population, decimated by disease and slaughter by the settlers had decreased
from an estimated 100,000 to just 6,000. For the most part, they had little
choice but to retreat. But they continued to raid colonial villages for
food, materials and retribution. “King Philip”, the chief of the
Narragansetts, organized an alliance between all the tribes of New England
in 1674 and began increasing organized attacks on outlying villages. He was
arrested and released in 1775, which led to an all-out war.
It was in this climate that Sgt John, Jane and the four children left their
Medfield home and moved to “the wilderness” of Deerfield. Their route would
probably been along the “Bay Path”, a well travelled route from Boston the
settlements along the Connecticut River. The route went through Worcester,
Brookfield, just north of Sturbridge, across the Connecticut at Hadley and
following the river north to Deerfield. The main attraction of Deerfield was
that it was in the flood plain of the great Connecticut River and as such
had broad meadows with rich soil, which produced enormous crops of flax,
corn and wheat. The town consisted of just one main street (now Old Main
Street), where Sgt John bought an existing home from John Bakan, as well as
his acreage along the river. Son Joseph was married in Deerfield.
Soon after the family settled in and began farming their new land, the
Indian War began. All colonies and settlements were put on alert. Sgt John
was recalled to active duty as the ranking and most experience military
officer in the settlement. He began training all the men, including his
young sons, who were 20, 21 and 17 at the time. He oversaw the fortification
of the village and organized the scouting parties and watchmen. Many groups
of Indians were spotted, but none attacked the well fortified village, until
in September 1675, a man was shot while away from the fort searching for his
horse. The Indians burned some sheds and crops, but no further injuries. The
next week another attack damaged the fort and killed one guard. A company of
soldiers was sent from Boston to help protect the fort and the workers as
they harvested a bumper crop of wheat and corn, with every man, woman and
child contributing. Soon, another company of soldiers arrived to escort the
precious harvest to the river port at Hadley. Sgt John had to arrange for
all the soldiers to be housed and fed. Their good cheer belied the calamity
that was to come.
The wagon train of 18 large ox-drawn carts was loaded high with bags of corn
and wheat, as well as other produce from Deerfield and headed south to
Hadley, with young Jonathon Plimpton (17) driving one of the wagons. The
wagons got only about 5 miles south of town when they were attacked at a
brook (now called Bloody Brook). It is said that the screams of the men
could be heard all the way back in Deerfield. The train was attacked by an
estimated 700 warriors, who so surprised the soldiers that they were killed
before they could reach their muskets. Sgt John led the rescue party, but
arrived after the Indians had fled. Only 8 men survived the ambush and young
Jonathon lay among the dead. It was one of the worst massacres of King
Philip’s War. John Jr was serving in the Army with Capt Mosely at the time
and was billeted at the Hatfield Fort. They were dispatched to pursue and
kill the band of Indians after the massacre. Unknown whether father and son
met at that time.
The grieving family and all other remaining residents of Deerfield moved
what they could to the fort at Hatfield, about 15 miles south, near the
Hadley river crossing. Hannah’s husband Nathaniel died in other fighting
during that time and she joined them at Hatfield, with her 3 children.
The family stayed in Hatfield for almost 2 years when they returned to
Deerfield, which had been completely destroyed by the Indians. Many of the
original Deerfield settlers felt it too soon to return. Although the war was
just about over, they carried guns at all times to defend against the stray
Indians fleeing west and north. The Plimptons were the first family to
resettle in Deerfield and in that first year, harvested the only crop of
corn and built the only house – a small 18 foot shelter. By the fall, at
least 5 other families had returned and fashioned lean-to shelters.
Just as calm seemed to return to their lives, it was shattered by a band of
Nashaway Indians from Canada, who broke into the house where Sgt John was
resting alone. They knocked him unconscious, bound him and dragged him away.
He soon found himself in the company of other English captives, most from
the Hatfield settlement, many of whom he knew. They were marched north along
the river, where they met another band with more captives from Deerfield,
but none were Plimptons. Soon another band arrived with stolen horses, corn
and clothing from the Deerfield settlement and other area towns.
After a few days forced march, the group arrived at a camp ground near
current day Walpole, NH. There, the Indians built a large bark-covered
wigwam, set a bonfire and danced furiously into the night – all the while
the captives feared for their lives. The next day another group of captives
arrived and all were sent out to gather fire wood and foods. This continued
for several weeks. Though the settlers were not bound, no escape attempts
were made for fear the remaining prisoners would be punished. At some point,
a small group of Indians ran into camp with news that many Indians had been
captured at Hadley and an exchange had been brokered. A meeting was called
and Sgt John, the elder “White Haired Chief” spoke for the settlers.
The meeting did not go well. The Indians did not trust an exchange, fearing
they would be captured by the large force of soldiers who had recently
arrived to Hadley. Instead, they decided to move the entire band of captives
north to Canada. By this time, it was winter and snow was falling. Many of
the settlers had no shoes and wrapped their feet in scrap cloth to keep them
from bleeding. There was little food and soon even the captured horses had
to be consumed.
At a place possibly near Burlington, VT, the party split into two groups.
They travelled over a great mountain and across a large lake (Lake
Champlain?) in canoes. They were cold and starving the entire journey as
they had been abducted in warm October weather and it was now late December
near the Canadian border. The group survived on racoon and a rare moose or
bear. They were met by a party of Frenchmen, who provided some comfort and
warm furs. They were taken to the current town of Chambly, Canada, which was
then a small French outpost of ten huts. Two children and one adult died on
the 300 mile march.
The Indians were apparently anxious to impress the French and demonstrate
their power over the English by burning one of their captives. As the
eldest, this dubious honor fell to old Sgt John. He was led to his death
around New Years Day of 1678. He is reported to have faced his fate with
great dignity. He was 58, hundreds of miles from his home and never learned
the fate of his family.
Just 5 days after Sgt John met his tragic death, a rescue party arrived and
ransomed the surviving settlers for 200 Pounds Sterling (about $3000 today).
The captives were safely returned to Albany, NY in May of 1778.
Widow Jane and the rest of the family continued to rebuild in Deerfield.
Hannah, who lost her first husband to the Indians at Medfield, remarried to
Samuel Harrington of Deerfield. Peter and his new wife stayed in Deerfield.
Mehitable married and moved to nearby Hatfield. Joseph married Mary Morse,
had one son in Deerfield and returned to Medfield, with his mother to become
a weaver.
Mary stayed in Marlborough with her husband and raised 5 children.
King
Philip’s War has been described as “the most brutal in American history”.
For the people of Colonial New England, that is certainly true. The war left
no family untouched by violence and devastation. Even those in the city
security of Boston lost relatives in the rural areas. Virtually every town
of consequence was either totally or partially destroyed.
In particular, the savagery and unspeakable acts committed by both sides was
appalling, even by the standards of war. Villages on both sides were burned
while inhabitants slept. Captives were mercilessly tortured and mutilated.
Severed heads were displayed like trophies in Indian and colonist camps
alike.
One writer posits that the Puritan dream of a religious society was given up
in the war. Indeed, universal church membership ended after the war and
church attendance declined.
For the Indians, the loss was near total. For the colonists, the loss of
life, homes and property would take years to recover.
.