Soldiers in King Philip's war. Containing lists of the soldiers of ...

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The following letter was written by his son, who was then at
Portsmouth, as is seen.
Portsm : 28 th : June 1689 ab 4
8 a clock morning
Just now came ashore here From Cocheca Jn° Ham & his wife who
went hence last night homewod (they living w th in a mile of Maj r
"Waldron) & ab' break of the day goeing up the river in a cannoo they
heard guns fired but notw th standing proceeded to Land at Maj r Waldrons
landing place by w ch time it began to be light & then they Saw ab*
twenty Ind" 9
near Mr. Coffins Garrison Shooting & Shouting as many more
about Richard Otis's & Tho: Pains but Saw their way clear to Maj r Waldrons
where they Intended Imediately to secure themselves but comeing
to the gate & calling & knocking could receive noe answer yet saw a light
in one of y e Chambers & one of y m say (looking through a crack of the
gate) that he saw Sundry Ind" 9 w th in y e Garrison w ch suppose had mur-
ther'd Maj r "Waldron & his Familie & thereupon they betook
m
y selves to
make an escape wch they did & mett w th one of Otis sons who alsoe escaped
e
from his Fathers garrison Informing y' his Father and y rest of the Family
were killed. Quickly after [they] set sundry houses afire this is all the
Accu r
wee have at p sent w ch being given in a Surprize may admitt of some
alteration but Doubtlesse the most of those Families at or ab' Cochecha
are destroyed.
The above Acc lt was related to mee. Richard Waldron jun r .
Mass. Archives, Hutchinson Papers, Vol. 3, p. 376.
Tims tragically closed the eventful life of Major Richard Wal-
derne, in the opinion of many the most notable of the early settlers
of New Hampshire.
Wannalanset. On page 254, the signature is misprinted "Wannalancet
by a mistake of the printer after the last revision of the proof. In the
ancient documents and earliest published references the name is variously
spelled, like other Indian names. Indian signatures are nearly always
rude marks, to which some Englishman attached the Indian's name, spelling
it according to his ability to transfer the sound as the Indian pronounced
it; Sam 11 Numphow apparently signed his own name, he being
one of the " Praying Indians," who had been taught the rudiments of reading
and writing. The Christian name Samuel, was given of course by the
English, according to the custom; so that there is no proper authority for
Indian names except the custom of their immediate successors; and in the
text I have followed the most prevalent form of spelling the name (i.e.)
Wannalancet, while the signature attached to the old chief's mark is spelled
with an s, instead of a c. The signature is a copy, of course, the text being
left to the writer's own taste or opinion.