In my previous blogpost, John White mentioned in his report to Lt. Governor William Dummer that he would be sending along his journal of that April expedition against the Indians. Alma Larkin White includes the following in her book Genealogy of the descendants of John White of Wenham and Lancaster, Massachusetts, 1638-[1909]. It is a diary of that expedition and while the people who discovered it in 1876 had no idea who wrote it,it appears to be
John White's journal.
" In an appendix to an Address delivered in Bolton at the Centen-
nial Celebration, July 4, 1876, by Reverend Richard S. Edes, is printed
part of a diary 'found among the papers of the first clerks of the
town.' The copyist adds, 'How old the book is, no one can tell.' It
is a journal of the scout of Captains Lovell and White 'when tire 10
Indians were killed,' February, 1724 ; probably written by one of the
Lancaster soldiers there present. The minutes of the first eight days
have been torn off."
"9. We traveled 14 miles and camped at the norwest corner of
winipisocket pond.
10. We traveled 16 miles, and camped at the north side of Cusumpe
pond.
11. We traveled 6 miles N by E from Cusumpe and there camped
— and sent out scouts, and some of our scouts thought they discovered
smoke.
12. We sent out scouts, and they discovered nothing.
13. We lay still and sent out scouts, and to strengthen us to go
farther we sent home 29 men.
14. We traveled 10 miles toward Pigwackett, and then came upon
a branch of the Saco river, and sent out scouts.
15. We lay still and sent out scouts and discovered nothing.
lb. We traveled 6 miles and came upon an Indian wigwam — the
Indians being gone we left 16 men with our packs and the rest pursued
them till dark and stayed there all night.
17. We followed their track till eight o'clock next day and then we
came back to fetch our packs, traveled the remaining part of that day
and the night ensuing six miles.
18. We traveled 20 miles and camped at the great pond upon
Sawco river.
19. We traveled 22 miles and camped at a great pond.
20. We traveled 5 miles and came to a wigwam where the Indians
had been lately gone from, and then we pursued their track about 2
miles further, and discovered their smoke and then tarried till about
two o'clock at night and then came upon them and killed 10 Indians
which was all there was.
2 1 . We traveled 6 miles.
22. We lay still and kept scouts upon our back tracks to see if
there would any pursue.
23. We traveled 30 miles and Camped at Cocheco.
Then it becomes the journal of the April campaign:
A tru journall of my travells began the 5 th of April, 1725 We
trauel d to Groten 12 milds and thear stayed by reson of foul wether
6 day we trauel d to dunstabel 12 milds and thear Lay the night
7 day we Lay stil by reson of foull wether
8 day we mustared and went ouer the riuer to the hous of John
Taylors about 3 milds
9 day we marcht up the riuer about 8 milds and then campt one of
our men being taken uerey sik for he kold trauel no ferther, his name
was Thomas Simson, Our Doctor Joseph Whetcomb that night set his
fut into a Ketel of biling broth that he cold trauel no ferther
pp36-37
Genealogy of the descendants of John White of Wenham and Lancaster, Massachusetts, 1638-[1909]
Chase Brothers Publishers, Haverhill, Ma 1900
Doctor Joseph Whitcomb may have been my cousin or possible 7 or 8x great granduncle.
To be continued
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