Ancestral Lines of Chester Everts Howell - (PDF ... - Adkinshorton.net

BURTHenry Burt came from Harberton in Devonshire, England, a place abouttwenty miles from Plymouth in 1635. He had married Ulalia Marche of aHuguenot family living in the neighboring town of Deanprior. By 1638 he andhis family were in Roxbury, Massachusetts and in 1640 he went to Springfieldto settle. Here at Springfield he was "clarke of the writs" and his signatureand handwriting show he had more than the usual education for a man of thosetimes. When he removed from Roxbury, Henry had fourteen children and becauseof the large size of his family he was given a larger allotment of landthan the others who came at the same time to settle at Springfield. Ulalia hiswife lived until 1690 but Henry died at Springfield in 1662.David Burt born 1632 son of Henry ventured up the Connecticut River valleyand lived at Deerfield, a place at that time deep in Indian-held territory. Inthis region it was found that the fort-like houses built for protection were oflittle help in Indian surprise attacks. Two such attacks were so very savagethat their accounts in histories call them the Deerfield "massacres" of 1696and of 1704.In each of these years the Indians descended unexpectedly from the northand without mercy attempted to wipe out the settlement. Two years before theFebruary 1704 raid, Benjamin Burt (1680-1759) son of David had marriedSarah, a daughter of Daniel Belden of Deerfield whose first wife was killed inthe 1696 raid and his second in that of 1704.After the raid of 1704 Benjamin and Sarah, doubtless glad to be alive, foundthemselves being marched as prisoners of the Indians through the forests.Their destination later was learned to be Chambly, Canada. But because of thetime of the year and the hardships of the trail, many of the prisoners died beforethis place was reached. However Sarah must have had a wealth of physical,mental and moral strength to draw upon, for before the long march was over,she gave birth to her first child, a boy whom they called by the name ofChristopher. About two years later, friends of the Burt and Belden familieseffected a trade of prisoners which released Sarah, Benjamin and the baby.They were sent home by boat through the St. Lawrence River and the Atlanticas far as Boston. On shipboard a second child was born whom they appropriatelycalled Seaborn.This safe return to Deerfield was a most remarkable ending to the usualone-way journey of an Indian captive. A list has been made of the relatives ofBenjamin and Sarah whose fate was not so happy. This list reveals that betweenthe years 1677 and 1704 the Burt side of this family lost nine membersthrough Indian depredations: Benjamin's brothers David and John, three uncles,two cousins and the wife and child of a cousin. On Sarah's side of the familyher mother was killed in 1696 as were two brothers and a sister. In 1677 two ofher cousins and the child of one were killed. On the march to Canada in 1704her step-mother perished. In all the losses totaled seventeen.30