Highlights: George,
born in Charlestown, Phillippa born in London, lived in Charlestown. Prospered in Casco Bay, until George was
killed in King Phillips War, after which Phillippa and children lived in Salem. Phillippa remarried twice there.
George spent his early years with his parents in
Charlestown, first in a log cabin, then in a nicer home in modern Everett. He may have spent some time in Salem as a
house proprietor in his late teens. When
his family moved to Casco Bay, George went with them, where he was made a
Freeman in 1660. It is clear that he
intended to move to Casco Bay to live, probably adopting the lifestyle of his
father George Felch[1]—homesteading
and trading with the Native Americans.
In 1662, George married Phillippa Andrews, the daughter of
Samuel and Jane Andrews. They had come
from London to America in 1635, living in Casco Bay. Samuel died in 1637, prompting Jane to
remarry Arthur Mackworth, a very prosperous Bay inhabitant[2]. Mackworth died in 1657, leaving a widow very
financially secure. Phillippa was a
daughter of privilege, in spite of her trials.
As a wedding gift, George Sr. gave his son 40 pounds, and
signed a deed promising 60 more pounds in his will. A few years later, widow Mackworth gave him a
homestead in Casco Bay and 100 acres of land in Mussel Cove. (Rowe) George and Phillippa had a great start!
George immediately involved himself in civic affairs. He signed a petition to change the government
in Casco Bay, still under Massachusetts Colony jurisdiction. Apparently, those governing were heavy-handed
and disagreeable. He served on a jury
for a murder case in 1666. (Morris)
And George Jr, like his father, bought more land. In 1672, George bought a large tract from
Native Americans, which others later disputed.
Nonetheless, over the next few years George became owner of several
Islands and other tracts of land. Among
them, Lower Clapboard Island, Three Brothers and Little Chebeaque Islands,
along with various marshes and woods.
The family lived in Mussel Cove, in view of the many islands in their
possession. George prospered when the
nearby towns of Falmouth and Yarmouth thrived.
 |
| Thanks to Google Maps for images used to make this map. |
This prosperity came to an abrupt end with the outbreak of the
King Phillips War in 1675. The families
in the area built their homes to be in sight of each other to ensure each
other’s safety. (Goold) As George scanned the horizon, finding smoke
coming from several of his neighbor’s homes, he knew there was trouble. Putting his family in a canoe, he rowed
closer to see what was happening.
Finding possessions scattered in the area, George rowed toward James
Andrews Island, now Cushing, for safety.
Landing, they found other families seeking refuge from the attack. They probably stayed in Munjoy’s fortified
house on the island, within view of the other fortified homes on each
island. In their haste, they had left
food and provisions behind. A group
successfully rounded up gunpowder from their properties by night using their
small sailboats.
Soldiers had marched into the area to aid the settlers. One group led by a Captain William Hathorne
marched into Casco Bay area, arriving 20 September 1676. Coming across our group with their small
boats, Captain Hathorne commandeered the vessels and pressed the men into
service. Hathorne had seen the
destruction in the area and didn’t want any stragglers about. Hathorne and his men may have also sought
refuge in Muntjoy’s fortified house. Within
days, they were starving. Some of the
local men were also concerned about their property.
The
local men in the party determined to sail to Munjoy Island, now Peaks Island,
where sheep were known to roam. According
to Reverend William Hubbard, they also planned to save some of their
provisions. They approached Captain
Hathorne, asking to be released from duty long enough to make the expedition. He encouraged them to have patience and wait
a bit longer. The men insisted, saying
that their families would starve at home without their making this trip. (Some of the men must have left their
families at home instead of bringing them with them.) (Hubbard)
Knowing the danger, and having been warned against going
they left on Saturday, 23 Sept, 1676.
Seven men landed; Native Americans immediately attacked. The men scrambled towards the burned-out
stone house Munjoy had built on Peaks Island.[3] Although ruined, the home offered protection
for a time from the attack. Hubbard said
they were stoned or shot by the Native Americans, all but one immediately
killed. One survived for a few days
before succumbing to his injuries. (Hubbard) Witness Richard Martin wrote that the Native
Americans set the house afire. (Goold) Likely, a combination of the tactics took the
lives of all seven men.
The women and children survived, probably aided by Captain
Hathorne and his men. Phillippa left for
Salem, far from the trouble. Perhaps she
settled where George had served as proprietor or had some family there. She married 19 Dec 1682 Samuel Platt, a
widower. After his death, she married 9
Apr 1690 Thomas Nelson, a widower twice.
She survived him, dying 29 Sept 1709 in Salem.
George’s sons say that they
stayed in Casco Bay, on their father’s land, improving it. Perhaps they stayed with their grandparents
George and Elizabeth Felch in hiding somewhere in the area. They may have also lived with their uncle
Moses Felt, who remained in the area in Purpooduck. Although in their teens, these boys may have
succeeded in rebuilding their former home to make it inhabitable again.
After working so hard to renew their land, they had to fight
to prove the land was theirs. With so
many documents having literally gone up in smoke, they had to petition the
court to acknowledge their ownership of their father’s lands. In a statement dated 23 March 1687/8, the
brothers recount the various means by which the land was acquired by their
father. (Morris)
Unfortunately for the boys, King William’s war broke out in
1688, causing a second flight for safety for all the inhabitants of Casco
Bay. By 1690, the brothers all appear in
Salem intent on settling. George 3rd
deeded the tract of land his father bought of Native Americans to someone in
Salem. The family lived near each other in Salem from
that time forward.
Unanswered questions:
Where did they seek refuge until the end of the war? Why would Phillippa allow her kids to remain
in such a dangerous area alone?
Disclaimer: This was
written using the information available at the time it was written. The author did her best in good faith to
represent George and Phillippa Felt
accurately and kindly. Author is solely
responsible for the content.
Bibliography
Goold, Nathan. A History of Peaks Island and It's
People: Also a Short History of House Island, Portland, Maine. Portland,
Maine: Lakeside Press, 1897.
Hubbard, William. A
Narrative of the Indian Wars in New England: From the First Planting Thereof
in the Year 1607 to the Year 1677. Stockbridge, Mass: Heman Willard,
1803.
Morris, John E. The
Felt Genealogy: a Record of the Descendants of George Felt of Casco Bay.
Hartford, Connecticut: Press of the Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co., 1893.
Rowe, William
Hutchinson. Ancient North Yarmouth and Yarmouth, Maine, 1636-1936: A
History. Yarmouth, ME, 1937.
[1] George
Felt Jr was named Jr by his contemporaries after his father began to be called ‘George
Felt’ in his later years. George Sr.
originally called himself ‘George Felch’ in America. His family in Bedfordshire went by ‘Felce.’ The author prefers to call him by his
self-called name, not the name others gave him in his declining years. Hence the addition of Sr. and Jr. to
different last names.
[2] An
Island is named after him.
[3]
The inhabitants John Palmer and his family had fled at the onset of the war a
year prior, leaving the home abandoned and ruined.
No comments:
Post a Comment