Clymer Weir Cox Genealogy » Hannah White Porter Killed by Indians (1642-1677)

Personal data Hannah White Porter Killed by Indians 

• She was born on September 5, 1642.
• She died on September 19, 1677, she was 35 years old.
• A child of JOHN VESSEY PORTER and ANNA ROSANNA ALLGAR WHITE
• This information was last updated on March 4, 2022.

Household of Hannah White Porter Killed by Indians

She is married to JOHN HIGGINSON COLEMAN.

They got married

Notes about Hannah White Porter Killed by Indians

Hadley is further south on the Connecticut River than Hatfield. In modern times, it isn't a very far distance.

This account of the ancestry of Hannah Porter is based on the Porter Genealogy recorded on page 753 in theHistory of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut,by Henry R. Stiles, M.D. The date of her marriage to (Dea.) John Coleman is recorded on page 6 of "The Descendants of John Porter of Windsor." The manner of her death is recorded on pages 175-178 in theHistory of Hadley,by Sylvester Judd.

HANNAH PORTER, the daughter of John Porter and Rose , was born on 4 September 1642 in Windsor, Connecticut. She was slain by Indians on 19 September 1677 at her home in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She married (Dea.) John Coleman, the son of Thomas Coleman and , on 29 May 1663 in Windsor. Hannah was the mother of six children.
Hannah Porter was married when she was 20 years old and joined her husband in Hadley, Massachusetts. She had her first child a little over nine months later. She was 35 years old in the fall of 1677 when, in the late morning hours on September 19th, Indians attacked her home while her husband was working in the fields. Both she and her eleven month old baby, Bethia, were killed, one of her children was wounded, and two of her children were taken captive. The captives were rescued eight months later in Canada.

Hadley was first settled in 1659 and was officially incorporated in 1661. Its settlers were primarily a discontented group of families from the puritan colonies of Hartford and Wethersfield, Connecticut, who petitioned to start a new colony up north after some controversy over doctrine in the local church. At the time, Hadley encompassed a wide radius of land on both sides of the Connecticut River, but mostly on the eastern shore. In the following century, these were broken off into precincts and eventually the separate towns of Hatfield, Amherst, South Hadley, Granby and Belchertown.

Hatfield Indian Attack 1677
Posted15 Mar 2011bybmoore771
The following is fromHistory of Hadley Including theEarly History of Hatfield, SouthHadley, Amherst and Granby, Massachusetts, SylvesterJudd withan introduction by George Sheldon, Springfield: H. R. Hunting & Co., 1905,pages 175 - 179
Hatfield Attacked In1677.
On the 19th of September, 1677, a year after the war was apparently closed, some Indians made an unexpected and destructive inroad upon Hatfield. About eleven o'clock in the forenoon, when a greater part of the men were dispersed in the meadows, and others were employed upon the frame of a house without the palisades, a party of Indians suddenly assaulted the latter, and shot down three men, and proceeding to other buildings, killed nine more persons, wounded four others, took seventeen captives, and burnt seven buildings. This was a more calamitous assault than had been made upon any town in Hampshire during the two preceding years. All the persons killed, wounded and taken were women and children except five. All these women and children lived in the northern part of the village, and probably without the palisade.[1]
The Indians proceeded with their captives to Deerfield the same day, where a few people were preparing to rebuild their houses; of these they killed one and captured four.[2]They resumed their march up the Connecticut with twenty-one captives, the next morning, and they stopped on the east side of the river, about thirty miles above Northfield,[3]where they built a long wigwam, and remained about three weeks.
They were pursued as far as Northfield, but not overtaken. To aid in the pursuit, Connecticut sent up Capt. Thomas Watts with 50 men. Had they come upon the Indians, the prisoners would have been in danger of the tomahawk.
During the three weeks' stay of the Indians above Northfield, some of them proceeded to Wachuset, and brought back with them about eighty women and children. Benoni Stebbins, who was taken at Deerfield, going with them towards Wachuset, escaped, and returned to his friends. Others of these Indians came down and there was a parley[4]between them and the English, and it was agreed to meet again on the Sabbath, Oct. 14th, to make a treaty for the redemption of the captives.Hadley,Hatfield and Northampton sent down to Hartford for assistance in case of an attack, and for a suitable person to advise. The General Court of Connecticut, on the 11th, sent up Major Treat with 40 men to give assistance if needed. The endeavors of these towns and of Connecticut, to ransom the prisoners, were frustrated, and the Indians did not attend the meeting on the 14th.
Benoni Stebbins reported that the Indians who had been at Hatfield were about twenty-seven, including four women, and that they were of the old enemy, formerly neighbors, who had fled to Canada. Stockwell calls a part of them Wachuset Indians.
TheHadleymill which had been preserved by a small garrison in 1675 and 1676, was burnt by Indians in October, 1677. TheHadleyrecord does not note the day.
Sometime in October, the captors and the captives again moved up the river. They crossed the country to Lake Champlain, and after some delays, arrived in Canada in winter weather. These sufferers from Hatfield and Deerfield, were the first that were ever forced to leave their homes in New England, and travel through the dreary wilderness, to Canada. Hundreds were afterwards compelled to do the same.
The persons killed, taken and wounded, at Hatfield, Sept. 19, 1677, were as follows:–
Killed.–Sergt. Isaac Graves and his brother, John Graves; John Atchisson; John Cooper of Springfield, aged 18; Elizabeth, wife of Philip Russell and her son Stephen, aged 3 years; Hannah, wife of John Coleman, and her babe Bethiah; Sarah, wife of Samuel Kellogg, and her babe Joseph; Mary, wife of Samuel Belding; Elizabeth Wells, aged two years, daughter of John Wells; in all, 12.
Taken.–Sarah Coleman, aged four years, and another child of John Coleman; Martha, wife of Benjamin Wait, and her 3 daughters, Mary, aged 6, Martha, 4, and Sarah,2;Mary, wife of Samuel Foote, and a young son, and daughter Mary, aged 3; Hannah, wife of Stephen Jennings, and two of his children by a previous wife; Obadiah Dickinson and one child; Samuel, son of Samuel Kellogg, aged 8; Abigail, daughter of John Allis, aged 6; Abigail, daughter of William Bartholomew, who lived at Deerfield before the war; in all, 17.
Wounded.–A child of John Coleman; wife and daughter of John Wells; wife of Obadiah Dickinson.
Buildings burnt.–John Coleman's barn; John Allis's barn; Obadiau Dickinson's house; Benjamin Wait's house and bam; Samuel Kellogg's house and bam.
At Deerfield.–John Root was taken and then killed; and Sergt. John Plympton, senior, Quintin Stockwell, Benoni Stebbins, and Samuel, son of Philip Russell, aged 8 or 9, were taken.
At both places, there were 13 killed and21taken. After the escape of Benoni Stebbins, the captives were 20. Of these, three were slain in Canada, viz., Sergt. Plympton, Samuel Russell, and Mary, daughter of Samuel Foote. Seventeen returned to their friends, with an addition of two babes born in Canada.
The Canada babes.–The two babes born in Canada were females; one was a daughter of Benjamin Wait, born January 22, 1678; the other a daughter of Stephen Jennings, born March 14, 1678. To commemorate the captivity in Canada, Wait's child was named Canada, and Jennings' child, Captivity, and these names they ever retained. Canada Wait married Joseph Smith, son of the John Smith ofHadley,who was slain in Hatfield meadow, May 30, 1676; she was the grandmother of the late Oliver Smith and his five brothers. Stephen Jennings removed to Brookfield, and his daughter, Captivity, married Abijah Bartlett of that town.

Benjamin Wait and Stephen Jennings, men of energy and perseverance, undertook to redeem their wives and children, and the other captives. They obtained a commission from the government of Massachusetts, and set out from Hatfield on the 24th of October, and went by way of Westfield to Albany. The ruling men frowned upon their enterprise, and after they had proceeded to Schenectady, brought them back by force to Albany, and sent them down to New York to Gov. Andros, under pretence of some new order from him. Capt. Brockhurst interceded for them, and they were sent back with a pass, and arrived at Albany, Nov. 19. Here they again met with discouragements, and were obliged to hire a Mohawk Indian to conduct them to Lake George. This savage was more humane and friendly than the governing men in the colony. The lake being open, he fitted up for them a canoe, about Dec. 16, and drew for them a draught of the lakes they were to pass.[5]They went down Lake George, and carried their canoe two miles upon their backs, to Lake Champlain, where they were hindered by ice and head-winds many days, and reached Chamblee on the 6th of January, 1678. At Sorell and the vicinity, they found the captives. They went down to Quebec, where they were civilly entertained by the French governor, who granted them a guard of eleven persons towards Albany. They left Quebec on the19thof April, and Sorell on the 2d of May, having redeemed all the captives. The French had been kind to them. They arrived at Albany, on Wednesday, the 22d of May.
From Albany, a messenger was sent to Hatfield with the following letters, written by two plain men. They are natural and unstudied, and coming from the heart, must have reached the hearts of others, especially Wait's.
Albany, May 22, 1678.
Loving wife,
Having now opportunity to remember my kind love to thee and our child, and the rest of our friends, though we met with great afflictions and trouble since I see thee last, yet here is now opportunity of joy and thanksgiving to God, that we are now pretty well, and in a hopeful way to see the faces of one another, before we take our final farewell of this present world. Likewise God hath raised up friends amongst our enemies, and there is but three of us dead of all those that were taken away–Sergeant Plympton, Samuel Russel, Samuel Foot's daughter. So I conclude being in haste, and rest your most affectionate husband, till death makes a separation.
QUINTIN STOCKWELL.
Albany, May 13, 1678.
To my loving friends and kindred at Hatfield,
These few lines are to let you understand that we are arrived at Albany now with the captives, and we now stand in need of assistance, for my charges is very great and heavy; and therefore any that have any love to our condition, let it move them to come and help us in this strait. Three of the captives are murdered,–old Goodman Plympton, Samuel Foot's daughter, Samuel Russell. All the rest are alive and well and now at Albany, namely, Obadiah Dickinson and his child, Mary Foot and her child, Hannah Jennings and 3 children, Abigail Allis, Abigail Bartholomew, Goodman Coleman's children. Samuel Kellogg, my wife and 4 children, and Quintin Stockwell. I pray you hasten the matter, for it requireth great haste. Stay not for the Sabbath, nor shoeing of horses. We shall endeavor to meet you at Canterhook [Kinderhook;] it may be at Housatonock. We must come very softly because of our wives and children. I pray you, hasten them, stay not night nor day, for the matter requireth haste, Bring provisions with you for us.
Your loving kinsman,
BENJAMIN WAITE.
At Albany, written from mine own hand. As I have been affected to yours all that were fatherless, be affected to me now, and hasten the matter and stay not, and ease me of my charges. You shall not need to be afraid of any enemies.

They remained in Albany five days, and on Monday, May 27, walked twenty-two miles to Kinderhook, where they met men and horses from Hatfield. They rode through the woods to Westfield, and soon all reached Hatfield in safety. The captives had been absent eight months, and Wait and Jennings, seven months. The day of their arrival was one of the most joyful days that Hatfield ever knew. The ransom of the captives cost above two hundred pounds, which was gathered by contribution among the English.
Copies of the letters of Stockwell and Wait were carried to Medfield, on the 29th of May, and Rev. John Wilson, of that place, immediately sent them to the governor and council at Boston, who had previously appointed the 6th of June, as a day of fasting and humiliation. After receiving these letters, they issued an additional notice to the public, May 30th:–
"Knowing that the labor, hazard and charge of said Benjamin Wait and his associate have been great, we recommend their case with thecaptives for relief, to the pious charity of the elders, ministers and congregations of the several towns; that on the fast day, they manifest theircharity by contributing to the relief of said persons. And the ministers are desired to stir up the people thereunto. For quickening this work,we do hereby remit a copy of Benjamin Wait's letter,[6]to be read publickly either before or upon that day; and what is freely given, is to be remittedto Mr. Anthony Stoddard, Mr. John Joyliff and Mr. John Richards, or either of them, who are appointed to deliver and distribute the same forthe ends aforesaid." Signed by Edward Rawson, Secretary.

[1]Gookin says the buildings burnt stood without the line.

[2]One of these Deerfield captives was Quintin Stockwell, and in 1684, Rev. Increase Mather published a Narrative of his Captivity, from his own words.

[3]This distance is Stockwell's guess. Their stopping-place may have been 15 or 20 miles above Northfield.

[4]Hubbard reports that the Indians attempted to takeHadleymill, and missing their end, pretended a kind of parley.

[5]They were ignorant of the country, being the first New England men that ever passed down Lakes George and Champlain to Canada.

[6]When Benjamin Wait wrote this letter to the people of Hatfield, he little thought that it would be read in all the pulpits of Massachusetts.

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