52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2017 WEEK 43:EPHRAIM STEVENS OF ANDOVER

My 8x great grandfather Ephraim Stevens is the subject of Week 43.  This is Charlotte Helen
Abbott's  entry for him in her Early Records of the Stevens Family of Andover,

Ephraim(2) b. about 1648; he was a Scout; was in the Narragansett War; in 1679
received a grant of land to repay his loss in the Indian Raid; was Sgt.; Selectman;
Assessor; Clerk of Market 169(?) to 1696; Surveyor 1693; m. Oct 11, 1680; Sarah(2)
Abbott, dau. of George Abbott and w. Hannah Chandler; Sarah was b. Nov.14, 1659;
d. June 28, 1711; he d. June 26,1718; no sons lived. pp2-3


Ephraim and Sarah (Abbott) Stevens had eight children, one boy and seven girls, but only
six of the girls survived to adulthood and are named in Ephraim's will:

Sarah Stevens b. 28Oct 1681; d.25 Dec 1750
Elizabeth Stevens b. 7Aug 1683; d. 8Jan 1761
Hannah Stevens b.18Nov  1685; m. Robert Swan
Mehitabel Stevens  b.29Sep 1691; d. 1700
Mary Stevens b. 21 Feb 1694
Ephraim Stevens b. 13Jul 1698
Mehitabel Stevens b. 31 Aug  1700

I'm descended from Sarah Stevens who married Stephen Abbott. They were first cousins.

I have a copy of the will and will be transcribing it soon.

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2017 WEEK 42:JOHN STEVENS OF ANDOVER

The subject for Week 42 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is John Stevens of Andover, Ma.,
my 9x great grandfather. From Charlotte Helen Abbott's Early Records of the Stevens
Family of Andover,

 
JOHN (1) STEVENS, born 1605, came to Newbury in 1638, on the ship CONFIDENCE,
from Southampton. He is recorded as a husbandman from Cavesham, Oxford Co.,
England. With him were his wife Elizabeth, born 1613, his mother, Alice and his
brother , William, then 21 years of age. John came to Andover in 1645...


...John (1) Stevens and wife, Elizabeth, had:-
John (2) b. June 20, 1639, in Newbury; was a Lieut .; m. Hannah Barnard
June 13, 1662; she was dau. of Robert Barnard and w. Joan Harvey; she d.
March 13, 1675; he m. 2nd., Esther Barker, August 10 1676; she was daughter
of Richard and Joan Barker; she died "suddenly" June 25, 1713; John was a
Selectman and Surveyor; died March 4 (or 5) 1689 at Casco Bay on service in
the Indian War.


Timothy (2), b.  Sept. 23, 1641 in Newbury; settled in Roxbury; m. Sarah Davis
of Roxbury, March 12, 1665; she was dau. of Tobias Davis, b.1647; she d.April
6, 1695; Timothy was a Deacon; also Ensign. He helped capture Castle and Fort
Hill when Andros was driven away, in 1689; he d. Jan.31, 1708.


Nathan (2), b. 1643; some claim that he was born in Andover and was  the first
white child born on the plantation; he was a Cornet; also  Surveyor; also Tythingman;
 he never married; died Feb. 19, 1718 at 75; said to be buried near his father, under
a freestone slab  or table,-a sort of monument. (This is incorrect; he has a stone standing
----1935)


Elizabeth (2), b. about 1645; m. Joshua Woodman 1665; he was a carpenter; he was
buried in Byfield; has a monument.


Ephraim(2) b. about 1648; he was a Scout; was in the Narragansett War; in 1679
received a grant of land to repay his loss in the Indian Raid; was Sgt.; Selectman;
Assessor; Clerk of Market 169(?) to 1696; Surveyor 1693; m. Oct 11, 1680; Sarah(2)
Abbott, dau. of George Abbott and w. Hannah Chandler; Sarah was b. Nov.14, 1659;
d. June 28, 1711; he d. June 26,1718; no sons lived.


Mary(2), b. about 1649; m. Capt. John Barker, July 6, 1670; John was son of Richard
and Joan Barker, b. 1643; Mary d. 1703; two of the sons were named in Stevens' wills.


Joseph(2),  b. May 15, 1654;  m. May 28, 1679 Mary Ingalls, daughter of Henry Ingalls and
wife, Mary Osgood, b. Jan.28, 1659; she d. Sept.21, 1699;he m. 2nd, Elizabeth Brown of
Salem, 1700; she was probably a widow; she d. 1745; Joesph was a Surveyor 1694-6;
ws on the Grand Jury at Ipswich, 1696; was a Deacon; d. Feb (?) 1743.


Benjamin(2), b.June 24, 1656; was Justice of the Peace, 1686; Field Driver 1694; Capt.;
Representative, 1712-3; 1721; 28;30; was in Indian War, 1725;while away with his company,
the Indians looted his home; he m. Oct.18, 1715, Susanne, widow of John Chickering of Charlestown; she was the daughter of Zachary Symmes of Bradford and was 38 at marriage
to Benj.; died July 20 1753; Benj. died Jan.8, 1730; buried in old cemetery in No. Andover.    
pp.2-3  

I visited the Old North Burial Ground in North Andover, Ma in May of 2014. This is a photo

of what probably is a replacement for the original headstone of John Stevens:

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2015 WEEK 38: THE DEBORAH STEVENS CONUNDRUM

One of the reasons I like the 52 ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge is it's a way to go back
through all my ancestors and recheck the information I have on them in my database. Most
of the time the dates and names are confirmed. Occasionally, I find something that needs to
be more closely reexamined and if need be, corrected. Such is the case with my 8x great
grandfather John Stevens' wife.

You see,  I thought she was Elizabeth Hildreth, who is listed in the Chelmsford Vital Records as marrying John Stephens on 15Dec 1664. Their daughter Deborah married Joseph Wright and  is my 7x great grandmother. or so I believed.. But recently I've seen claims that her parents were John Stevens and Hannah Barnard of  Andover, and another that they were John Stevens and Sarah Snow of Chelmsford.

Now, the two new sets of parents have problems.

While John Stevens and Sarah Snow were from Chelmsford, their daughter Deborah was born
in 1698, much too late to have been the Deborah Stevens who married Joseph Wright in 1697.

And I can't find any record of John Stevens and Hannah Barnard of Andover having a daughter
named Deborah.

On the other hand, I can't find a birth record for Deborah Stevens, daighter of John and Elizabeth Stevens in the Chelmsford Vital recocds.

This might take some time to straighten out. For now, it's a conundrum.

GPS GENEALOGY ROADTRIP

Now that mud season is over and the weather is turning warmer, I'm trying to get out
more. One of my problems is that I am not really comfortable driving long distances
on the highways. I've had no reason to for the last twenty five years or so since I could drive the secondary roads back and forth to work. I'm trying to reacclimate myself so
I can visit some places further away like the cemeteries where my Middlesex, Worcester, and Essex counties ancestors are buried. I've loaded the street addresses into my GPS, and on a whim today I set out for North Andover and Methuen, Ma.

After about an hour or so of whiteknuckle driving I reached the Old North Burial Ground in North Andover. My Dad's maternal line, the Barkers, came from the area and I was hoping to find some of them buried there, but the first headstone I saw belonged to an ancestor from a different family line, 9x great grandfather John Stevens. He was born in England in 1605 and died on 11Apr 1662. I didn't see a stone for his wife Elizabeth (Parker)Stevens but she outlived him by thirty years so she probably remarried. Also, the stone is in excellent condition so I'm wondering if it is a replacement for an earlier one.

I did find plenty of Barkers, mostly collateral line cousins, but I also found two direct Barker ancestors: my 7x great grandparents Benjamin Barker and Hannah (Marston) Barker.

Nearby I found the headstones of two of their children, my6x great grandaunt Alice Barker
and 6x great granduncle Benjamin Barker Jr.

The cemetery was in good shape for the most part, although there was sad evidence of
worse times in the past.

After taking 62 photos I got back into my car and followed the GPS directions to the Meeting House Hill Cemetery in Methuen where 6x great grandfather Jonathan Barker is buried, I should have checked before I left my house because if I had, I would have known the cemetery was closed to the public. I drove around it outside the stone walls and chainlink fence, then got directions home from the GPS and left. Roughly an hour and a half later I was home after dealing with the start of rush hour traffic on the highway.
I'd left my apartment around 11:30am  and was home a little after 3:30pm. 

I'll have to find some more cemetery locations to enter into the GPS!

THE INDIAN ATTACK ON RUTLAND,MA., 14 AUGUST,1723

((Today marks the 289th anniversary of an Indian attack on the town
of Rutland, Ma. of which several of my cousins were victims. This was
first posted in February, 2009)) 


It seems as though my Willard and Sawyer relations had more than their share of
adventurous and sometimes fatal encounters with Indians well into the 18th century.

As I mentioned previously, Cyprian Stevens had married Mary Willard, one of
Simon Willard's daughters, and their family was prominent in the continuing
settling of the New England wilderness. Their son Joseph Stevens and his
family were living in Rutland, Ma. on the morning of 14 Aug, 1723
when tragedy struck:

"... after family devotions and breakfast, he and his four sons went to Meeting
and were surprised by five hostile Indians. While Captain Stevens made his
escape in the bushes, two sons, Samuel and Joseph, were slain and scalped,
and the other two Phineas and Isaac, carried away prisoners to Canada. The
pluck of Phineas, who carried his younger brother on his back when he was
exhausted, saved him from being slaughtered to get him out of the way or left
to die alone in the forest. It was more than a year before the boys were
redeemed. A subscription was taken in the Framingham church, where the
Stevens family had been members, April 19, 1724. The father made two trips
to Canada and returned finally with Isaac August 19, 1725. Isaac was much
attached to his Indian foster mother and would have preferred to stay with
her, it is said. The cost of this ransom and other misfortunes impoverished
Captain Stevens and he died in want, Nov. 15, 1769."

((Ellery Bicknell Crane, Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical
and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County, Massachusetts N.Y. N.Y,
Lewis Publishing Company,1907 p 277 ))

Meanwhile their cousin, Reverend Joseph Willard, the minister of Rutland,
was out hunting when he was attacked by other members of the
Indian war party:

"Being out with his gun on August 14th, hunting, or to collect fodder for
the coming winter, he was surprised by two Indians, — one of the Indians'
guns missed fire, the other did no execution. Mr. Willard returned the fire and
wounded one of them, it is said, mortally ; the other closed in with Mr. Willard ;
but he would have been more than a match for him, had not other three come
to his assistance. And it was some considerable time before they killed Mr.
Willard. "

((Jonas Reed and Daniel Bartlett, A History of Rutland: Worcester County,
Massachusetts, from Its Earliest Settlement, with a Biography of Its First Settlers
Worcester, Ma, Mirrick & Bartlett, Printers, 1836))

Another account says the young Stevens boys witnessed his cousin's death before
being taken to Canada. Phineas was 16 years old and during his captivity learned
much about the Indian's methods of war and hunting, and in his adulthood would
become, as we'll see, one of the leading Indian fighters of the colony.

MY ANCESTOR THE KNAVE4 ?

John Stevens’ involvement in the struggle between Thomas Chandler and Job Tyler began in the fall of 1667 and he had difficulties right from the start: “Complaint of John Stevens: that when he attached cattle taken by execution from Thomas Chandler and in the possession of Col. Crowne, the latter abused him, saying that he would make him an example for all the constables in New England for attaching cattle in the highway, etc. One Post of Oborne drove them away, etc. John Stevens, constable, aged about twenty-eight years, deposed that after he attached the cattle of Job Tyler and recovered them, they came to a stand. Post, son-in-law of Tyler, who was with Col. Crowne, asked him why he did not attach the cattle when they were in the yard, etc.” (Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts Vol 3 Nov 1667 p470) Now this Col. Crowne had been chosen by Job Tyler as one of the three arbitrators of the dispute with Chandler, so his action here was as a supporter of Tyler. But there’s nothing further in the entry about the particulars of this latest incident. Those came the following spring in March, 1668: "Job Tyler v. Thomas Chandler. Review. Special verdict found: that there was a bond of arbitration wherein both agreed to choose two men, and if they did not agree then a third was to be chosen; that two of the men did agree but the third did not; if two agreed and the agreement ended the case, they found for defendant, if not, for plaintiff. Court gave judgment for defendant.* *Writ, dated Mar. 16, 1667-8, signed by Robert Lord, for the court, and served by John Fry, constable of Andover. George Abbut, sr., surety on bond. Copy of writ, dated 27 : 3 : 1667, and copy of Ipswich court record, dated Sept. 24, 1667, made Oct. 15, 1667, by Robert Lord, cleric. Copy of award of the arbitrators, Edward Denison and Isaac Johnson, copy of letter from Joseph Aldregh, copy of agreement between plaintiff and defendant, and copy of depositions of John Chandler and William Cleaves, made Mar. 30, 1668, by Robert Lord, cleric. Richard Post of Woburn, aged about forty years, deposed that the marshal general called at his house, 24 : 6 : 1667, to have him go to Andiver to levy the execution. Chandler said that his land was made over to Mr. Brown of Salem. The day following, the marshal being obliged to return home on account of the council sitting, gave deponent an order to take the oxen and cows and deliver them to Job Tiler, which he did. But the marshal declared to Chandler before Col. Crowne that the cattle must go to Roxbury upon Chandler's charge before being delivered to Tiler. Then they all went homeward as far as Shawshin river and deponent was left with the cattle. When Col. Crowne returned, he said that he was to take the cattle, and when they reached Samuel Blanchard's house, Chandler and one Stevens, constable, came running after them and took the cattle by force, notwithstanding the fact that he read his deputation publicly to them, etc. William Crowne, aged about fifty years, deposed. Sworn, 11:8: 1667, before Simon Willard. William Park testified that he went with Job Tiller to John Chandler's house upon Mar. 1, 1665, etc. Joseph Alderegh, aged about thirty-two years, testified that Chandler came to him with the summons on Sept. 21 or 22, 1667, as "certanly as I can recken wth out an Almanake," and told said Chandler that Job Tiler did not live there then, for deponent had asked him to remove from his house because he needed the room which he used for corn. "I tould Chandeler he had noe famyly heere nor certaine place of aboade but lay some tyme at one, some tymes an other," but thought he had gone to Roxbury to his wife, etc. Sworn, 27 : 1 : 1668, before Elea. Lusher, assistant. 

(Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts Vol 4 Mar 1668 p1-2) 

 I have to admit I was a bit puzzled by this at first. It appears that the cattle were originally Job Tyler’s taken as surety for the court case by Thomas Chandler. I think they were then returned to Tyler, but he again lost his case in court and were once more supposed to be given to Chandler, which is when the confrontation took place between John Stevens and Col Crowne. I’m also puzzled as to why the marshal general wanted the livestock driven down to Roxbury. Does “Chandler’s charge” mean at his expense? And just what was this marshal general’s name and how had he become involved in this mess? Perhaps this was some circuitous form of revenge on Chandler by some enemies? Lastly, Joseph Alderegh(Aldridge?) stately made me grin when I first read it. A proto-Yankee farmer with a need for an almanac! This last incident seems to have been the straw that broke the camel’s back, as I’ll discuss in the final post of this series.

MY ANCESTOR THE KNAVE 3 ?

The dispute between Thomas Chandler and Job Tyler would run its course over
a period of ten years. In 1665 the judgment was made against Job Tyler that he
had to pay 6 pounds and tack the placard on the meetinghouse with his apologies
for slandering Thomas Chandler. I'd thought that was the end of the case until
this past weekend when I found more court records.

Apparently Tyler didn't pay the 6 pounds and that led to Thomas Chandler's
next action in September of 1668 in the Essex County courts:

"Tho. Chandlour v. Job Tyler. Debt. Plaintiff made oath that he left a summons
at the house of John Alldridge, where defendant had lived seven weeks. Verdict for
plaintiff.

Writ: Ens. Thomas Chandler v. Job Tylar; debt; dated 27 :3 : 1667; signed by
Simon Bradstreete, for the court; and served by John Stavens, constable of Andover,
by attachment of two oxen, two cows and five acres of land of defendant.

Copy of Salem court record of 28 :9 :1665, concerning the same parties, made
by Hillyard Veren,§ cleric.

Thomas Chandler's bill of cost, for going to Quinopeg about 140 miles from
Andover out and in to serve warrant, Hi., etc., total, 4li. 6s. 4d.

Agreement, dated Oct. 29, 1665, between Thomas Chander of Andover and
Job Tiler of Roxbury, to leave the settlement of their differences to arbitration,
the former choosing Worshipful Mr. Bradstreet of Andover and the latter
Col. Crone; in case Mr. Bradstreet refused to serve, Mr. Edward Dennison
of Roxbury was to be chosen, with Capt. Johnson of Roxbury as third man, etc.
Wit: Phillip Curtis and Joshua Lamb, who made oath before Anthony Stoddard,
commissioner.

Letter dated Mendon, Sept. 23, 1667, signed by Joseph Aldregh, stating that he
did not know where to find Tyler and that he had not been at his house.

Job Tyler testified that he never saw the warrant which Thomas Chandler sent
him. Sworn, 21 : 7 :1667, before Richard Parker,f commissioner.

William Cleaves, aged about thirty-two years, deposed that he went with his
brother Thomas Chandler and heard the latter tell Tyler to pay the debt to
John Chandler, etc. Sworn in Boston, Sept. 21, 1667, before Edward Tyng,
commissioner.

John Chandler, aged about thirty-three years, deposed that he went with his
brother Thomas Chandler, etc. Also that he had never received the money.
Sworn in Boston, Sept. 21, 1667, before Edward Tyng, commissioner.

Award of the arbitrators, Edward Denisonf and Isaac Johnson,f dated Jan. 26,
1665, who ordered that Job Tiler should nail up or fasten upon the posts in
Andevour and Roxbury meeting houses in a plain legible hand, there to remain
fourteen days. Also that whereas no fine can be sufficient for the reparation
of a man's name, and considering Job's poverty and necessities, they judge that
he should pay the costs, 6li.; and for saying that Chandler was a base, lying,
cheating knave and had gotten his estate by cheating, and had cheated him out of 100li.,
he was to make public acknowledgment. Sworn by the arbitrators, 17 :7 :1667, before
Anthony Stoddard, commissioner (Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of
Essex County, Massachusetts Vol II Vol 3 sept 1667 pp442-443)


So now one of my other ancestors, John Stevens, was about to become involved in
this feud and in a way one might not expect in Puritan New England.

There was about to be a jurisdictional dispute.

To be continued...
.

PHINEAS STEVENS AND THE DEFENSE OF FORT NO.4

((This is another in a series of posts about the descendants of my
ancestor, Simon Willard, and their experiences in the Indian wars
of colonial New England.))


I've written earlier about the capture of young Phineas Stevens and his
brother by Indians in 1721. During his captivity he experienced and learned
much about Indian culture and this knowledge would shape the course of his
life.

After his eventual ransom and return home to his family, Phineas reached
adulthood and became an officer in the colonial militia. He also was sent
to Canada twice to negotiate the release of captives from Massachusetts and
on one of those he liberated was John Stark, who later became a general in the
American army and defeated in the British at the Battle of Bennington, Vt.

Phineas' most interesting exploit involves his defense of the frontier garrison
called Fort No. 4 which at that time was part of Massachusetts but it is now
Charlestown, New Hampshire. He took command of the Fort in March,1747
with a force of thirty men, and soon found himself under attack several
days later by a combined force of French and Indians led by General Debeline.
Phineas wrote about the siege to Governor Amherst of Massachusetts:

"Our dogs being very much disturbed, which gave us reason to think that the enemy
were about, occasioned us not to open the gate at the usual time; but one of our men,
being desirous to know the certainty, ventured out privately to set on the dogs, about
nine o'clock in the morning; and went about twenty rods from the fort firing off his
gun and saying, Choboy to the dogs. Whereupon, the enemy, being within a few rods,
immediately arose from behind a log and fired: but through the goodness of God, the
man got into the fort with only a slight wound. The enemy being then discovered,
immediately arose from their ambushments and attacked us on all sides. The wind
being very high, and everything exceedingly dry, they set fire to all the old fences,
and also to a log-house about forty rods distant from the fort to the windward; so that
within a few minutes we were entirely surrounded with fire — all which was performed
with the most hideous shouting and firing, from all quarters, which they continued, in
a very terrible manner, until the next day at ten o'clock at night, without intermission;
during which time we had no opportunity to eat or sleep. But notwithstanding all their
shoutings and threatenings, our men seemed not to be in the least daunted, but fought
with great resolution: which, doubtless, gave the enemy reason to think we had
determined to stand it out to the last degree. The enemy had provided themselves with
a sort of fortification, which they had determined to push before them and bring fuel
to the side of the fort, in order to burn it down. But instead of performing what they
threatened, and seemed to be immediately going to undertake, they called to us and
desired a cessation of arms until sunrise the next morning, which was granted : at
which time they would come to a parley. Accordingly the French General Debeline
came with about sixty of his men, with a flag of truce, and stuck it down within about
twenty rods of the fort in plain sight of the same, and said if we would send three men
to him he would send as many to us, to which we complied. The General sent in a
French Lieutenant with a French soldier and an Indian.

Upon our men returning, he desired that the Captain of the fort would meet him half-way,
and give an answer to the above proposal, which I did, and upon meeting the Monsieur,
he did not wait for me to give an answer, but went on in the following manner, viz. —
that what had been promised he was ready to perform, but upon refusal he would immediately set the fort on fire, and run over the top, for he had seven hundred men
with him, and if we made any further resistance, or should happen to kill one Indian,
we might expect all to be put to the sword. " The fort," said he, " I am resolved to
have or die. Now do what you please, for I am as easy to have you fight as to give up."
I told the General, that in case of extremity his proposal would do; but inasmuch as
I was sent here by my master, the Captain General, to defend this fort, it would not be consistent with my order to give it up unless I was better satisfied that he was able
to perform what he had threatened; and furthermore I told him that it was poor encouragement to resign into the hands of the enemy, that upon one of their number
being killed, they would put all to the sword, when it was probable that we had killed
some of them already. "Well," said he, "go into the fort, and see whether your men
dare to fight any more or not, and give me an answer quick, for my men want to be
fighting." Whereupon I came into the fort and called all the men together, and informed
them what the French General said, and then put it to vote which they chose, either to
fight on or resign; and they voted to a man to stand it out as long as they had life.
Upon this, I returned the answer that we were determined to fight it out. Upon which
they gave a shout, and then fired, and so continued fighting and shouting until daylight
the next morning."


But the French apparently were not in such a good position as they claimed, for the next
day they asked for a second parley and sent two Indians with a new offer from General
Debeline:

"That in case we would sell them provisions, they would leave and not fight anymore; and
desired my answer, which was, that selling them provisions for money was contrary to the
laws of nations, but if they would send in a captive for every five bushels of corn, I would
supply them. Upon the Indians returning the General this answer, four or five guns were
fired against the fort, and they withdrew, as we supposed, for we heard no more of them.

In all this time we had scarce opportunity to eat or sleep. The cessation of arms gave us
no matter of rest, for we suspected they did it to obtain an advantage against us. I believe
men were never known to hold out with better resolution, for they did not seem to sit or
lie still for one moment. There were but thirty men in the fort, and although we had
some thousands of guns fired at us, there were but two men slightly wounded, viz.
John Brown and Joseph Ely. (Saunderson's "History of Charlestown, N.H")"
- quoted in The History of Sudbury, Massachusetts. 1638-1889 by Alfred Sereno Hudson.

Despite the failure of this attack more were to come. A year later in June, 1748, Phineas'
son Enos was captured by Indians in the field outside the fort and continued the family
tradition of being carried off to Canada. He was released shortly after and sent home
by way of Albany, N.Y., a rather roundabout way of returning.

But six years later another attack on Fort No.4 would result in several of Simon Willard's
descendants taking an even longer journey home from captivity.

THE INDIAN ATTACK ON RUTLAND,MASSACHUSETTS, 14 AUGUST,1723

It seems as though my Willard and Sawyer relations had more than their share of
adventurous and sometimes fatal encounters with Indians well into the 18th century.

As I mentioned previously, Cyprian Stevens had married Mary Willard, one of
Simon Willard's daughters, and their family was prominent in the continuing
settling of the New England wilderness. Their son Joseph Stevens and his
family were living in Rutland, Ma. on the morning of 14 Aug, 1723
when tragedy struck:

"... after family devotions and breakfast, he and his four sons went to Meeting
and were surprised by five hostile Indians. While Captain Stevens made his
escape in the bushes, two sons, Samuel and Joseph, were slain and scalped,
and the other two Phineas and Isaac, carried away prisoners to Canada. The
pluck of Phineas, who carried his younger brother on his back when he was
exhausted, saved him from being slaughtered to get him out of the way or left
to die alone in the forest. It was more than a year before the boys were
redeemed. A subscription was taken in the Framingham church, where the
Stevens family had been members, April 19, 1724. The father made two trips
to Canada and returned finally with Isaac August 19, 1725. Isaac was much
attached to his Indian foster mother and would have preferred to stay with
her, it is said. The cost of this ransom and other misfortunes impoverished
Captain Stevens and he died in want, Nov. 15, 1769."

((Ellery Bicknell Crane, Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical
and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County, Massachusetts N.Y. N.Y,
Lewis Publishing Company,1907 p 277 ))

Meanwhile their cousin, Reverend Joseph Willard, the minister of Rutland,
was out hunting when he was attacked by other members of the
Indian war party:

"Being out with his gun on August 14th, hunting, or to collect fodder for
the coming winter, he was surprised by two Indians, — one of the Indians'
guns missed fire, the other did no execution. Mr. Willard returned the fire and
wounded one of them, it is said, mortally ; the other closed in with Mr. Willard ;
but he would have been more than a match for him, had not other three come
to his assistance. And it was some considerable time before they killed Mr.
Willard. "

((Jonas Reed and Daniel Bartlett, A History of Rutland: Worcester County,
Massachusetts, from Its Earliest Settlement, with a Biography of Its First Settlers
Worcester, Ma, Mirrick & Bartlett, Printers, 1836))

Another account says the young Stevens boys witnessed his cousin's death before
being taken to Canada. Phineas was 16 years old and during his captivity learned
much about the Indian's methods of war and hunting, and in his adulthood would
become, as we'll see, one of the leading Indian fighters of the colony.