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Marlboro

While documentation proves, disproves, or suggests early ancestors, it does little to tell us of their lives. The facts of the narrative below is drawn from Hudson's History of Marlboro.

Marlboro was set off from Sudbury in 1656 at the request of several leading inhabitants of Sudbury, many of whom were other early ancestors: Thomas Goodnow, John Howe, Peter and John Bent. In actuality, there were two plantations laid out at this time--that of the Indian Plantation who had so long resided there and the English plantation. The first included about six thousand acres and a "planting field" for the Indians, and the second "Whipsuppenicke" consisted of some 29,000 acres or some 35,000 acres including that part reserved for the Indians. Marlborough was originally called by the name of Okommakamesitt."

By 1659, formalities of settlement were underway, and the proprietors held a meeting to ensure that those who lay claim within the plantation proceed in "perfecting their house lots" else lose claim. Various tax rates and assessments of the proprietors and of the inhabitants of the plantation were also put into effect.

It is noted by Hudson that although there was some trepidation about the close adjacency of the Indian Plantation, in the earliest years, matters were reasonably peaceful between these particular Indians and the early plantation settlers. He further notes that they were, "more advanced in civilization than most of the savage tribes." While Hudson is a temperate historian, a personal observation is that no matter how couched, explained away or reasoned, The Indians were native, the English the intruder, and as history makes clear, it was the Indian who was ultimately savaged, and not the reverse. That this would in good time provide a bloody battleground awaited only chance and circumstance.

By 1674, the village of "Marlborough contained only about ten families and about fifty "souls," and of the entire plantation, it comprised about six thousand acres. There was little apprehension from Indian danger, as, indeed, numerous tribes had "submitted" to the Colony, agreeing to live in peace and friendship and in essence "put themselves, their subjects, lands and estates under the government of Massachusetts." This treaty encompassed moral law as well, and when informed that they should not labor on the Sabbath, The Indians replied that as they had little work to do, they would readily comply. One wonders if the Indians in their joy of the natural land, considered their activities to be "work" in the same sense as the English.

Within a year, the horror would begin. The famous King Philip's war, formally the Narraganset, would terrorize the all of the colony, including the outpost settlement of Marlborough.

For Philip, the "bold and daring" Chief of the Wampanoags, was secretly plotting the extermination of the English settlements. As Hudson fairly suggests, Philip plainly foresaw that if the English were permitted to multiply on these shores, the fate of the Native Tribes might be a question of time, and he thusly conceived the bold design of ridding his native land of what he considered its spoilers. He enlisted most of the subordinate tribes and ultimately the powerful Narrangansets. And it would become not a question of land or territory, but one of survival.

As Hudson, so poignantly explains, that although the war lasted only fourteen months, every eleventh family was homeless, numerous towns wholly or partially destroyed and many of the inhabitants massacred, tortured or carried into captivity, An appalling number of the young men who were to be the future of the young nation were killed. It is said that some perished in their burning houses rather than suffer torture and death and the tomahawk outside. Brookfield (somewhat later the home of some of our ancestors) was wholly burned, with the exception of one home, to which several of the inhabitants had fled. The Indians surrounded the home and for two days the Indians attempted to burn it, thus forcing the fearful families inside, to the outside. An expedient rain and calvary assistance came to the rescue of these poor frightened souls, but one can imagine their terror. Others were not so fortunate.

No less cruel was the revenge sought by the colonists. In a decisive encounter with Philip at his fortress in a Swamp near South Kingston, and after a bloody battle, The English prevailed and set fire to the wigwams. As Hudson describes it, The smoke and blaze of six hundred wigwams rolled up to the heaven, while the shouts of the victors mingled with the shrieks of women and children, the old and infirm perishing in the flames. The Indians in the fort were estimated at four thousand, of these seven hundred waarriors were killed, and three hundred more died of their wounds, three hundred were taken prisoner, and as many women. The rest, except such as were consumed; in their wigwams, fled.

Despite this victory, Philip was not subdued, and threw himself upon the border settlements, and one after another was wrapped in flames. Small predatory parties lurked about almost every settlement cutting of a laborer, or family here and there, burning solitary houses and destroying or carrying the families into captivity. Emboldened and with new assistance he took on other towns and the fate of those in the following story in Lancaster was not uncommon. Gathered in a Garrison house, those of the settlers that remained, about 42, were forced to the outside when the Indians finally set it afire. Only one man escaped. Twelve were either put to death on the spot or reserved for torture. The balance were carried into captivity.

Closer to home in Marlborough, on the 26th of March, 1676, and at the church, the dread cry arose, "The Indians are upon us." Fleeing for their lives they made for the garrison, and save one person, they were able to defend themselves. The town itself, however, was nearly destroyed. Dwellings, barns, animals and orchards were systematically destroyed, possessions taken away.

Thomas Bruce and his wife, Magdalen, and their small children were undoubtedly among those at the Garrison, and it's easy to imagine their utter fear and desolation. In Hubbard's History of the war. it is noted that a Captain Henchman fell suddenly upon a group of Indians at Grafton, and "rescued the miller's boy taken the week before at Marlborough." It seems all too likely that this was one of the Bruce children, given that Thomas was "miller" of the town. We also know that John Howe lost his life, as did Henry Axtell, of the many who were slain.


That they survived, is of course fortunate for them and those of us who came after, but is harsh testimony to the the extremities of the times in which they labored. During this cruel war, every family was exposed at any time to sudden attack, whether toiling in the fields, outside their dwellings, or asleep in their homes. Fear was constant and unrelenting, with their worst nightmares coming true. .

Ultimately Philip was quelled. Surrounded in his swamp fortress, Philip fled into a thicket and into the arms, so to speak, of his enemy. He was intercepted, shot to death, then, in yet another act of savagery, beheaded and quartered.

There would be other battles to fight.

While the French and Indian war did not peril the entire existence of a town, every awakening day and hour was subject to surprise attack,assault, murder, scalping, torture or captivity--a palpable and lingering terror from the opening of the century until the treaty of Ultrecht, in 1713, brought the war to a close.

In Marlborough there remain a few records exemplifying the suffering of the settlers in yet another war. In 1704, during the French and Indian War, a small party of Indians entered in the westerly part of Marlborough, rushed suddenly from the woods, and killed the Nahor, son of Edmund Rice, then seized Silas and Timothy, Ashur and Adonjah and took them into captivity. Ashur was redeemed by his father, but the remaining children lived with the Indians, married Indian wives and lost all knowledge of the English Language, thus lost to their parents forever, dead or alive.

In 1707, while Mary Goodnow, daughter of Samuel Goodnow, and a friend, Mrs. Fay were gathering herbs in a meadow, a group of twenty Indians surprised them. They immediately ran for the fort, and while Mrs. Fay succeeding in reaching it and locking the doors, Mary Goodnow, being lame, was overtaken, dragged away, killed and scalped. Several other townspeople were attacked or killed as well. There are other stories, other days, other years, but suffice it to say, life was not easy for these early Colonials.

All too soon we would be swept up the the Revolutionary War and fight once again for our lives, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.