HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF ANDOVER, (COMPRISING THE PRESENT TOWNS OF NORTH ANDOVER AND ANDOVER), Essex County MASSACHUSETTS.

BY
SARAH LORING BAILEY.

None are so apt to build and plant for future centuries, as those noble-spirited men who have
received their heritages from foregone ages:- WASHINGTON IRVING.

Neque,
Si chartae sileant quod bene feceris,
Mercedem tuleris. - HORACE,

BOSTON:
HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY.
The Riverside Press, Cambridge.
1880.

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[Sarah Loring Bailey, Historical Sketches of Andover (Extracts) - Note: Eric Krause extracted only those parts which concerned Louisbourg and Cape Breton. He also did additional editing, corrected obvious OCR errors, and formatted text without having the book in hand - February, 2004]

CHAPTER IV.

THE PART OF ANDOVER IN THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR.

 In the wars with the Indians during the first century of Andover's history, the colony had received little help from the mother country, but had planned and carried forward expeditions according to its own pleasure and largely at its own expense. But the series of wars which began with the second century, and continued till near the Revolutionary disturbances, were carried on by the joint operations of the British and the Provincial governments. The possession of the country called by the French, Acadie (Nova Scotia), which, they claimed, extended to the Kennebec River, was stoutly contested by the rival nations in the war which occupied the five years from 1744 to 1749. This war was conducted for the Province by Governor Shirley; Louisburg and Annapolis as the keys of Acadie, and Crown Point as the key of Canada, were the points aimed at. The two former were taken by the English, the latter attempted, but not taken, when the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle put an end to the hostilities, and by its terms of mutual restoration of conquered territory, left the two nations in America just where they were before the waste of blood and treasure. During this war the captains in the militia,(1) at Andover, were Capt. Timothy Johnson, Capt. George Abbot, Capt. Joseph Sibson, Capt. Nathaniel Fry, Capt. James Stevens.

 Capt. James Stevens commanded a company in the expedition to Cape Breton, in which Louisburg was captured. James Fry, afterward Lieutenant-colonel at Crown Point, 1756, and Colonel in the Revolution, was at the taking of Louisburg, and he at the battle of Bunker Hill rallied his men by reminiscences of that anniversary-- the 17th of June, 1745:

       (1) See town officers, also parish officers in town and parish records.

[p. 239 ...]

 "This day thirty years I was at the taking of Louisburg when it was surrendered to us; it was a fortunate day for America, we shall certainly beat the enemy."  Colonel, afterward General, Joseph Fry, also began(1) in this war his long and brilliant career of military service.

 The town records present the following register of deaths "in the king's service:"--

       "1745. June 14. Benj. son of John & Ruth Frie died at Lewisburg, in the king's service. He was shot with a gun and died.
       "Aug. 27. Samuel Farnum Jr. in the king's service at Lewisburg.
       "Sept. 12. Ephraim son of Joseph & Sarah Barker in the king’s service at Lewisburg.
       "Oct. 1. Andrew son of Andrew & Hannah Johnson at Lewisburg in the king's service.
       "Oct. 25. Jonathan son of Joseph & Sarah Chandler at Lewisburg in the king's service with sickness in the place.
       "Oct. 29. David son of Andrew & Hannah Johnson at Lewisburg in the king's service.
       "Nov. 3. Isaac son of Thomas & Hannah Abbott with sickness in the king's service aged 28 yrs. 8 mo. & 21 days.
       "Nov. 12. Francis son of John & Sarah Dane died with sickness in the king's service at Lewisburg in the 20th yr of his age.
       "Dec. 15. Andrew Allen the son of Andrew & Mary Allen with sickness in the king's service at Lewisburg.

       "1746. Jan. 4. Benj. son of Christopher & Martha Carlton died with sickness in the king's service at Lewisburg in the 20th year of his age.
       "Jan. 29. Joseph son of Noah & Mary Marble died with sickness in the king's service at Lewisburg.(2)
       "Jan. 31. Philip son of Ebenezer & Elizabeth Abbot died with sickness in the king's service at Lewisburg.
       "Feb. 18. Isaac son of Philemon & Elizabeth Chandler died with sickness in the king's service at Lewisburg in the 19th year of his age.
       "Mar. 21. Jonathan Darlin at Lewisburg with sickness."

       (1) Mass. Archives, vol. lxxiii., p.737.
       (2) Rev. Samuel Chandler, of York, in his Journal, May 12, 1745, alluding to a visit to his native town, speaks of this death: "Went up to uncle Marble's.  They are mourning for their son who died at Louisburg; tarried there half an hour and got to father's at 9 o'clock." [p. 240 ...]  

      "April 26. Jacob Martin son of Joseph & Mary Martin who was in the kings service at Lewisburg came sick from thence to Boston & died April 26, 1746.
      "Dec. 16. Timothy Johnson Jr. died with sickness in the king's service at Lewisburg."

 For the "famous victory," which cost so much loss of life, great rejoicings were had. In the old South Church, in Boston, the Rev. Mr. Prince preached a sermon entitled: "Extraordinary Events the Doings of God and Marvellous in Pious eyes."

 Some of the Andover company who were in the expedition, and the relatives of those who died, subsequently petitioned the State for a reward of their services, in the form of a grant of land in the county of York:--

 "To His HONOR SPENCER PHIPPS,(1) ESQ., Lieut. Governor and Commander in Chief in and over His Majesty's Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England: To THE HONBLE HIS MAJESTY'S COUNCIL AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IN GENERAL COURT ASSEMBLED, Nov. 22, 1751.

 "The Petition of us the subscribers Inhabitants of the Town of Andover & other towns in the County of Essex & Middlesex who were most of us in the expedition against Cape Breton and the Rest the Representatives of others who lost their lives in s'd. expedition.

 "Most humbly sheweth that when the Legislature of the Province thought an expedition against said Place was of ye utmost Importance, and had Resolved therein, we with the utmost cheerfulness engaged to serve the Interest of our king and country, apprehending, if the expedition should fail, the enemy would gain upon us, they having (at the Commencement of the War) taken & burnt the habitations of the English at Canso which filled us with apprehension our frontiers were likely to share the same fate, for the prevention of which we engaged as aforesaid.  And we humbly hope our doing so with the view we had will Recommend us to your Honorable regards. And as your Honour and Honours in your wisdom manifest that the cultivation of our unimproved lands is of the highest importance to the well-being of the country and with grief behold the neglect thereof by those to whom lands have been granted for that purpose we beg leave to sympathyze with you and to say we desire ever to be profitable members of the common-

                    (1) Governor Shirley was in England from 1749 to 1753.

[p. 241... ]

wealth and in order we might further shew ourselves such, humbly pray your Hon'r and Honours in Consequence of our Service aforesaid and Desire to be still serviceable would grant us a Township of the unappropriated Lands of this Government somewhere in the County of York which if your Hon. & Hon'rs should see cause to do we expect to submit to such Injunctions as you think proper to Lay upon us.
                              JAMES STEVENS,
                              JAMES FRYE,
                         [and fifty-six other signers.]

 "The Committee to whom was referred the Petition of Capt. James Stevens & others, officers and soldiers & the Representatives of soldiers who were in the expedition against Cape Breton Praying for a Township of Land in the County of York in consequence of their Service in said expedition Have taken the same under Consideration and agreed to Report that a Township of the Contents of Six miles square on the Northwestern side of the line from Sebago Pond to the head of Berwick Boundary North Easterly on Saco River as near opposite the Township Granted to Capt. Moses Peirson & Capt. Humphrey Hobbs & their company as the land will admit of ..... Granted to said James Stevens .... on conditions that they take associates of the Cape Breton Soldiers, not excluding representatives of those who are dead so as to make the whole number of grantees one hundred and twenty," etc. ...

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[p. 267 ...]

... In 1758 the attempts to take the forts on Lake Champlain and vicinity were again renewed, and also to take Louisburg, which by the treaty of 1748 was restored to France ...

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... Of the military activities at Andover, the following relic is found among the papers of Capt. John Abbot:--

                       "To SERGEANT TIMOTHY HOLT,
                        ANDOVER, April 30th, 1758.

 "You are hereby ordered to Warn in His Majesty's Name all the Train .... Soldiers Belonging to your Precinct under my command to appear upon the Greene by the South Meeting House in Andover aforesaid on Tuesday the Second Day of May next at ten o'clock in the Forenoon with arms complete; all but those whose arms ware Taken for Bayonets, there to attend further orders.

"N. B. The fine for not appearing is L6 lawful Money. Hereof fail not & make Timely return to me of your Doing."    [Not signed.]

 There are also several printed forms of enlistment—the blanks not filled-- among Captain Abbot's papers:--

"I ______ do acknowledge to have voluntarily enlisted myself as a private Soldier to serve His Majesty King George the Second in a company of Foot to be raised for a general Invasion of Canada.

   "As witness my Hand this _______ Day of _______ In the year of our Lord 1758.
      County _________ _________
   "These are to Certify that _____ Aged _____ years ____ born _______came before Me, one of His Majesty's justices of the Peace for the said County; and acknowledged to have voluntarily enlisted himself to serve His Majesty King George the Second in the abovesaid service; and that he also acknowledged he had heard read unto him the Second and Sixth Sections of the Articles of War against Mutiny and Desertion and took the Oath of Fidelity mentioned in the articles of War."

[p. 268 ...]

 On the 7th and Sth Of July, 1758, occurred disastrous defeats of the English and Provincial troops, near Ticonderoga, by the French, under General Montcalm. Lord Howe was killed. A paper addressed, "To Mr. John Abbot the 4th, The Account of our Loss At Ticonderoga," gives the names of the killed and wounded. The names of their residence not being given, it is a matter of uncertainty who of them belonged to Andover. The town records register the following death in this year:--

 "1758, Sept. 2. Jonathan son of Jonathan & Elizabeth Hutcheson died at Lake George in the 18th year of his age."

 Capt. Asa Foster commanded a company in the expedition against Canada, in 1758. He presented a "Remonstrance",(1) dated Andover, March 28, 1759, in regard to a mistake in his muster rolls, by which two of his men were deprived of their pay:--

 "TO THE HONOURABLE COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL appointed to examine the muster Rolls of the several Captains in the last expededition towards Canada.

 "The Remonstrance of Asa Foster one of the captains in sd expedition humbly sheweth:

 "That in making the muster Roll, there is a mistake in the following persons' wages, viz John Peirce, Simon Frye and Thomas Richardson, each of which persons are made up ten shillings short of their just due in the Collomb of the whole of wages due, as will appear by examining the coppy of sd muster roll; for they all Listed ye 13th day of April and were all in the service until the 12th of November, which is sevene months and eighteen days, which amounts to L13, 15 and they are Cast L13. 5. 1; wherefore your Remonstrant prays that your Honrs would Rectifie sd mistakes, whereby justice may be done to the persons injured and you will much oblige your very Humble Servt.
                                      ASA FOSTER."

 Another relic of the expedition of 1758 to Canada, is the following petition(2) of a father whose son sickened and died on the way:--

 "The Memorial of John Farnum of Andover most humbly sheweth that Nathan Farnum, son of your memorialist, in the year 1758

         (1) Mass. Archives, vol. Lxxviii., p. 365.
         (2) Ibid., p. 484.

[p. 269 ...]

was a soldier in Col. Prebble's regiment in Capt. Herrick's company for the expedition then formed against Canada, and having marched as far as Hadly was taken sick, and upon your memorialist's receiving intelligence that he was unable either to march forward or to Return Home, he made a journey to Hadly to take care of his son; his expence on said journey was one pound six shillings.  But before your memorialist arrived at Hadly, his son, then very unable, was marched by the officers Left to bring up the Rear, and soon after his arrival at Lake George he was again taken sick and sent of in a waggon without any assistant to Albany, but was left by the way Near fort Edward unable to help himself,& Sending word of his Difficulties your memor-ialist was at the expense of a Journey to Albany, which Besides his Time cost him two pounds six shillings, where meeting with an officer of said Capt. Herrick's company he received the News of the death of his son & that nothing could be found of his cloathing, as by the account thereof herewith exhibited may more fully appear.

 "Therefore your Memorialist Doth humbly Intreat his Excel-lency & your Honors to Grant him such a Consideration as in your Great Wisdom & Justice shall appear to be reasonable & Just to defray the charges of your memorialist’s journey as aforesaid & make him a compensation for his time and loss of clothing as aforesaid & may it please his Excellency & your Honor your memorialist as in duty bound shall ever pray.
                                  JOHN FARNUM,JUNR.
 "ANDOVER, May 23, 1759"

 The petitioner was granted forty shillings.

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[269 ...]

 ... The expedition against Louisburg was successfully conducted by General Amherst, who after a few days' siege reduced the fortress to surrender. By the terms(1) of capitulation the garrison was to be sent to England, the merchants and other residents were to be permitted to go to France. In a collection of papers from the Archives of France printed in "Documents Relating to the Colonial History of New York",(2) is a letter written by the Governor of Louisburg who signed the terms of capitulation and was, at the time of writing, a prisoner of war. The letter is dated, "Andover, 23d September, 1758."  It is indexed as from Andover, Mass.,

      (1) See Haliburton's "History of Nova Scotia", vol. i.
      (2) Vol.x.,p.833. Letter of Chevalier de Drucour to M. De Massiac.

[p. 270... ].

altbough there does not appear to a casual reader anything to determine where the Andover was, whether in America or England. There may have been reasons why it was important for the French Governor to remain in America to arrange the terms of surrender, etc., more fully, and if so there could not have been selected a more safe and at the same time comfortable residence for a paroled prisoner of rank than Andover. Here also was the home of two of the colonels in the service and as Col. James Frye's house was a public house of entertainment it is not unlikely that the honor-able Chevalier de Drucour may have enjoyed the hospitalities of the Andover hero of the siege of Louisburg, in 1745.(1)

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[p. 273 ...]

  ... Another petition(2) shows that Capt. Peter Parker, of Andover, was in an expedition to Cape Breton, 1760, in Colonel Bagley's regiment, and that the vessel in which the company set sail for home was blown by storms to the West Indies, and did not reach home till 1761 ...

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[p. 277 ...]    

...   The following list presents the names of the principal officers in service in the French War:--

            LIST OF OFFICERS.

          1745-1763.

Col. Joseph Frye.                 Lt.-col. James Frye.              Adjt. Col. Moody Bridges.  Surgeon Ward Noyes.  Surgeon Abiel Abbot. Capt. John Farnum. Capt. Thomas Farrington. Capt. Abiel Frye. Capt. Asa Foster. Capt. Henry Ingalls. Capt. Peter Parker. Capt. James Parker. Capt. Thomas Poor.

Capt. Jonathan Poor. Capt. Asa Stevens. Capt. James Stevens. Capt.  John Wright.(1) Capt.  Isaac Osgood. Lieut.   John Peabody. Lieut. Nathan Chandler. Lieut. Jacob Farrington. Lieut. Nicholas Holt. Ensign Nathaniel Lovejoy. Ensign George Abbot.  Ensign John Foster. Ensign William Russ. ...

SOURCE:

OCR editing by Phyllis Holmes, HTML edit ____ volunteer needed
Scanned and OCRed by David Blackwell 1999
for the Free Books Online Effort, NEHGS, the Andover Historical Society, and ESOG

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