Benoni Stebbins^[1]

1655 - 1704  (48 years)

• Name	Benoni Stebbins
  Birth	23 Jun 1655	Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, USA   [2, 3, 4, 5]
  Gender	Male
  Residence	1679	Hatfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts, USA   [6]
  Residence	1684	, , Massachusetts, USA   [6]
  Death	29 Feb 1704	Deerfield, Franklin, Massachusetts, USA   [2, 4, 5]
  Burial	Deerfield, Franklin, Massachusetts, USA   [5]
  Person ID	I30012	Master
  Last Modified	18 Apr 2018

  
  

  Father	John Stebbins,   b. 1626, Bocking, Essex, England d. 7 Mar 1679, Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts, USA (Age 53 years)
  Mother	Mary Anne Munson,   b. 1623, , , , England d. 1656, Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, USA (Age 33 years)
  Marriage	14 Mar 1646	Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, USA   [2, 7]
  Family ID	F7436	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Hannah Atkinson,   b. 5 Jan 1653, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA d. 7 Sep 1735, Deerfield, Franklin, Massachusetts, USA (Age 82 years)
  Marriage	1691	, , Massachusetts, USA   [4]
  Children	+ 1. Benjamin Stebbins,   b. 30 Sep 1692, Deerfield, Franklin, Massachusetts, USA d. 16 Sep 1780, Ridgefield, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA (Age 87 years)   2. Esther Stebbins,   b. 25 Apr 1695, Deerfield, Franklin, Massachusetts, USA d. 15 May 1711, Deerfield, Franklin, Massachusetts, USA (Age 16 years)  [Father: natural]
  Family ID	F7438	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	18 Feb 2018

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 23 Jun 1655 - Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, USA Residence - 1679 - Hatfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts, USA Residence - 1684 - , , Massachusetts, USA Marriage - 1691 - , , Massachusetts, USA Death - 29 Feb 1704 - Deerfield, Franklin, Massachusetts, USA Burial - - Deerfield, Franklin, Massachusetts, USA  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Notes

  THE FIGHT AT BENONI STEBBINS HOUSE From George Sheldon's History of Deerfield "The house of Benoni Stebbins stood about eight rods southwest of Ensign Sheldon's. It was occupied by Sgt. Stebbins, his wife and five children; David Hoyt, his wife and child, and probably Joseph Catlin with his wife, and Benjamin Church, a soldier." (Note: a seasoned soldier who came to Deerfield to help after the Nims/Williams capture the previous fall.) "There were besides three other men, and perhaps other women and children. This house being "attaqued later than some," the inmates were aroused, made ready to defend themselves, and the assailants were driven back with loss. It was again beset by a strong force, but the little garrison was a match for that. Again later in the morning nearly the whole army surrounded the house, pouring bullets upon it from every quarter. The fire was bravely returned, and several of the enemy fell before the sharp shooters; among them a French lieutenant, the second in command of the expedition. Desperate attempts were now made to set the house on fire, which cost the lives of a Macqua chief and several of his men. The fury of the assailants increased with their losses, but they were forced to leave the field and take shelter in the Sheldon house and the meeting house. From these covers they continued to shower their bullets upon the heroic garrison, which, however, kept them at bay until relieved by the reinforcement. Sgt. Stebbins was killed. Mr. Hoyt was wounded, and also a soldier, probably Church. "In all the wars of New England there is not a much more gallant act recorded than this defense of an unfortified house, by seven men and a few women, for three hours, against, not only the fury and wiles of an unorganized horde of savages, but also a large force of French soldiers, under officers of the line trained in the wars of France. "The check received here by the enemy, probably tended strongly to stay the tide of devastation, and so saved the south part of the town." Biography Benoni (Benony) Stebbins (Stebbing) Origins Benoni was born June 23, 1655 [1] at Springfield, Hampden Co., Massachusetts. He was a son of John Stebbins and Anne Munson. [2] Early Life Benoni, at age twelve, with several Northampton friends, planned to run away to join the French. The boys stole money and paid Juanguelatt, an Indian friend, to guide them to Canada. The plot was found out, and all were caught before they had really begun. Benoni was sentenced to either eleven lashes or a fine, for his part in the escapade. His father, John, paid the fine. [2] Family Marriages: Benoni was building a cabin for himself and his bride at his father's property at Deerfield, MA, when, on Sept 19, 1677, he was captured by Native Americans as part of the "Ashpelon Raid." As the captives were marched northward, on Oct 2nd, Benoni escaped. The remaining captives narrowly missed torture, (a usual retribution for anyone escaping). In the end, Benoni brought information on the raiders' strength and plans to Major John Pynchon, thus facilitating the rescue. [2] 1. Married 1676 at Deerfield, MA, Mary (Broughton) widow of James Bennett. She died August 2, 1689. [2] Children: [2] Ebenezer b 1677 Thankful b 1680 Abigail b 1683 Mindful b 1685 Joseph Feb 6, 1688 Esther Feb 6, 1688, d Jan 26, 1690 2. Married in 1691 at Hannah (Atkinson) widow of Joseph Edwards. Hannah Edwards Stebbins, (d Sept 7, 1735), afterwards married Thomas French. [1] Children: [2] Benjamin b 1692 Esther b 1695 Note: Benoni STEBBINS was widowed with 2 newborns and 4 other children under age 11 (from his first marriage to widowed Mary BROUGHTON Bennett. However he waited 2 years before remarrying again - to widowed Hannah ATKINSON Edwards, another widow. Benoni and Hannah Bore two more children in 1692 and 1695. Occupation Benoni was chosen as one of the first recorded Deerfield town officers. Six Selectmen Townsmen or Overseers were chosen. No date is given in the record, but it was probably Dec 16, 1686. In 1692, Benoni was again chosen as one of six Selectman for the ensuing year. At this point, he is identified as "Sergeant Benoni Stebbins." [2] Queen Anne's War Queen Anne's War (1702–1713) was fought partly in Massachusetts. The French directed numerous Indian raids on towns in New England, attempting to limit English settlement. One of the more famous was the Deerfield Raid. Benoni Stebbin's house was a legendary hold-out during the Deerfield Raid. Defended only by seven men and few women with children, they held off professional French troops and "hoards" of Indians for over three hours, until reinforcements arrived. Even attempts to burn the house were rebuffed. Benoni Stebbins was the only fatality. [3] Benoni Stebbins took the oath of allegiance February 8, 1678 Death and Legacy February 29, 1703/4, during the attack on Deerfield by the French and Indians, the house of Benoni Stebbins was used as a refuge for about a dozen men, women, and children. The house was beset again and again by forces of more than three hundred. The defenders held out, returning fire, until at last the whole army surrounded them firing from all angles. Every attempt was rebuffed until, at last, reinforcements from Hatfield arrived. Losses included Sargent Stebbins. [2] NOTE: The house that Benoni Stebbins and his family lived in was the garrison house at Deerfield. His death was a fluke--an Indian shot an arrow through the window of the upper story of the house which struck Benoni in the eye, killing him. No other person who had sought safety in the house was injured. Attack 17 Sept 1677 Upon the return of peace the scattered inhabitants began to look with longing eyes toward Pocomptuck, and some of the most adventurous returned and began to rebuild their ruined homes. On the 17th of September, 1677, as Sergt. John Plympton, Quintus Stockwell, Benoni Stebbins, John Root, and Samuel Russell were so engaged, they were surprised by a party of Pocomptuck and Nipmuck Indians under Asphelon, who fired upon them and then rushed up with knife and tomahawk. Root was killed and the others captured. Earlier in the day this same party had made a destructive assault upon Hatfield, where they killed 12, wounded 4, and took captive 17 of its inhabitants (all but one of the latter women and children). The Pocomptuck captives were soon joined with these, when the whole party began the fearful march to Canada, the first party of whites ever carried there from New England. It was near dark when they moved, and toward morning they camped in a deep hollow near the mouth of Hearthstone Brook. The next morning the party crossed the Connecticut at Sheldon's Rocks, and again at Peskcompskut, reaching Northfield Meadows the next night. Here they intended stopping to hunt, but, a party of English going in pursuit, they crossed the river and scattered. Benoni Stebbins made his escape soon after. Upon reaching Canada, Sergt. Plympton was tortured to death by fire at a celebration of their success. The rest of the captives, save two who sank on the march, were redeemed through the heroic valor of Benjamin Wait and Stephen Jennings. A full account of their adventurous journey may be looked for in another part of this work. Sergt Benoni Stebbins part in the February 29th attack The house of Benoni Stebbins stood about 8 rods southwest of Ensign Sheldon's house, It was occupied by Sergt Stebbins and his wife and 5 children: David Hoyt and his wife and child and probably Joseph Catlin and his wife and child and probably Joseph Church(a soldier). There were others there also. 3 men and perhaps other women and children. These people held off the attack of the French and their Indian comrades. The Stebbins house was surrounded and bullets were poured into it. The people in the Stebbin house were able to return the fire and were able to kill many. Some of those killed were important to the French cause. They were the Macqua Chief and a Frech lieutenant that was the 2nd in command. Sergt. Stebbins was killed during this attack on his house. The French later retreated to the Sheldon house and the meetinghouse and fired on the Stebbin house from those vantage points. Mrs Hoyt and probably Church(soldier) were wounded. Much of this information was taken from George Sheldon's "History of Deerfield". The Raid on Deerfield occurred during Queen Anne's War on February 29, 1704, when French and Native American forces under the command of Jean-Baptiste Hertel de Rouville attacked the English settlement at Deerfield, Massachusetts just before dawn, burning part of the town and killing 56 villagers. French organizers of the raid drew on a variety of Indian populations, including in the force of about 300 a number of Pocumtucs who had once lived in the Deerfield area. The diversity of personnel involved in the raid meant that it did not achieve full surprise when they entered the palisaded village. The defenders of some fortified houses in the village successfully held off the raiders until arriving reinforcements prompted their retreat. More than 100 captives were taken, and about 40 percent of the village houses were destroyed. The raid has been immortalized as a part of the early American frontier story, principally due to the account of one of its captives, the Rev. John Williams. He and his family were forced to make the long overland journey to Canada, and his daughter Eunice was adopted by a Mohawk family; she took up their ways. Williams' account, The Redeemed Captive, was published in 1707 and was widely popular in the colonies. The Connecticut River valley had been identified as a potential raiding target by authorities in New France as early as 1702. The forces for the raid had begun gathering near Montreal as early as May 1703, as reported with reasonable accuracy in English intelligence reports. However, two incidents intervened that delayed execution of the raid. The first was a rumor that English warships were on the Saint Lawrence River, drawing a significant Indian force to Quebec for its defense. The second was the detachment of some troops, critically including Jean-Baptiste Hertel de Rouville, who was to lead the raid, for operations in Maine (including a raid against Wells that raised the frontier alarms at Deerfield). Hertel de Rouville did not return to Montreal until the fall. The force assembled at Chambly, just south of Montreal, numbered about 250, and was composed of a diversity of personnel. There were 48 Frenchmen, some of them Canadienmilitia and others recruits from the troupes de la marine, including four of Hertel de Rouville's brothers. The French leadership included a number of men with more than 20 years experience in wilderness warfare. The Indian contingent included 200 Abenakis, Iroquois,Wyandots, and Pocumtucs, some of whom sought revenge for incidents that had taken place years earlier. These were joined by another 30 to forty Pennacooks led by sachemWattanummon as the party moved south toward Deerfield in January and February 1704, raising the troop size to nearly 300 by the time it reached the Deerfield area in late February. The expedition's departure was not a very well kept secret. In January 1704, New York's Indian agent Pieter Schuyler was warned by the Iroquois of possible action that he forwarded on to Governor Dudley and Connecticut's Governor Winthrop; further warnings came to them in mid-February, although none were specific about the target. The raiders left most of their equipment and supplies 25 to 30 miles (40 to 48 kilometers) north of the village before establishing a cold camp about 2 miles (3.2 km) from Deerfield on February 28, 1704. From this vantage point they observed the villagers as they prepared for the night. Since the villagers had been alerted to the possibility of a raid, they all took refuge within the palisade, and a guard was posted. The raiders had noticed that there were snow drifts all the way to the top of the palisade; this greatly simplified their entry into the fortifications just before dawn on February 29. They carefully approached the village, stopping periodically so that the sentry might confuse the noises they made with more natural sounds. A few men climbed over the palisade via the snow drifts and then opened then north gate to admit the rest. Primary sources vary on the degree of alertness of the village guard that night; one account claims he fell asleep, while another claims that he discharged his weapon to raise the alarm when the attack began, but that it was not heard by many people. As the Reverend John Williams later recounted, "with horrid shouting and yelling", the raiders launched their attack "like a flood upon us." The raiders' attack probably did not go exactly as they had intended. In attacks on Schenectady, New York and Durham, New Hampshire in the 1690s (both of which included Hertel de Rouville's father), the raiders had simultaneously attacked all of the houses; at Deerfield, this did not happen. Historians Haefeli and Sweeney theorize that the failure to launch a coordinated assault was caused by the wide diversity within the attacking force. Illustration by Howard Pyle showing the journey back to Canada The raiders swept into the village, and began attacking individual houses. Reverend Williams' house was among the first to be raided; Williams' life was spared when his gunshot misfired, and he was taken prisoner. Two of his children and a servant were slain; the rest of his family and his other servant were also taken prisoner. Similar scenarios occurred in many of the other houses. The residents of Benoni Stebbins' house, which was not among the early ones attacked, resisted the raiders' attacks, which lasted until well after daylight. A second house, near the northwestern corner of the palisade, was also successfully defended. The raiders moved through the village, herding their prisoners to an area just north of the town, rifling houses for items of value, and setting a number of them on fire. As the morning progressed, some of the raiders began moving north with their prisoners, but paused about a mile north of the town to wait for those that had not yet finished in the village.The men in the Stebbins house kept the battle up for two hours; they were on the verge of surrendering when reinforcements arrived. Early in the raid, young John Sheldon managed to escape over the palisade and began making his way to nearby Hadley to raise the alarm there. The fires from the burning houses had already been spotted, and "thirty men from Hadley andHatfield" rushed to Deerfield. Their arrival prompted the remaining raiders to flee, some of whom abandoned their weapons and other supplies in a panic. The sudden departure of the raiders and the arrival of reinforcements raised the spirits of the beleaguered survivors, and about 20 Deerfield men joined the Hadley men in chasing after the fleeing raiders. The English and the raiders skirmished in the meadows just north of the village, where the English reported "killing and wounding many of them". However, the pursuit was conducted rashly, and the English soon ran into an ambush prepared by those raiders that had left the village earlier. Of the 50 or so men that gave chase, nine were killed and several more were wounded. After the ambush they retreated back to the village, and the raiders headed north with their prisoners. As the alarm spread to the south, reinforcements continued to arrive in the village. By midnight, 80 men from Northampton and Springfieldhad arrived, and men from Connecticut swelled the force to 250 by the end of the next day. After debating over what action to take, it was decided that the difficulties of pursuit were not worth the risks. Leaving a strong garrison in the village, most of the militia returned to their homes. The raiders destroyed 17 of the village's 41 homes, and looted many of the others. They killed 44 residents of Deerfield: 10 men, 9 women, and 25 children, five garrison soldiers, and seven Hadley men. Of those who died inside the village, 15 died of fire-related causes; most of the rest were killed by edged or blunt weapons. They took 109 villagers captives; this represented 40 per cent of the village population. They also took captive three Frenchmen who had been living among the villagers. The raiders also suffered losses, although reports vary. New France's Governor-General Philippe de Rigaud Vaudreuil reported the expedition only lost 11 men, and 22 were wounded, including Hertel de Rouville and one of his brothers. John Williams heard from French soldiers during his captivity that more than 40 French and Indian soldiers were lost; Haefeli and Sweeney believe the lower French figures are more credible, especially when compared to casualties incurred in other raids. For the 109 English captives, the raid was only the beginning of their troubles. The raiders still had to return to Canada, a 300 miles (480 km) journey, in the middle of winter. Many of the captives were ill-prepared for this, and the raiders were themselves short on provisions. The raiders consequently engaged in a brutal yet common practice: captives were slain when it was clear they would be unable to keep up. Only 89 of the captives survived the ordeal; most of those who either died of exposure or were slain en route were women and children. In the first few days several of the captives escaped. Hertel de Rouville instructed Reverend Williams to inform the others that recaptured escapees would be tortured; there were no further escapes. (The threat was not an empty one — it was known to have happened on other raids.) The French leader's troubles were not only with his captives. The Indians had some disagreements amongst themselves concerning the disposition of the captives, which at times threatened to come to blows. A council held on the third day resolved these disagreements sufficiently that the trek could continue. According to John Williams' account of his captivity, most of the party traveled up the frozen Connecticut River, then up the Wells River and down the Winooski River to Lake Champlain. From there they made their way to Chambly, at which point most of the force dispersed, with the captives accompanying their captors to their respective villages. Williams' wife Eunice, weak after having given birth just six weeks earlier, was one of the first to die on the trek; her body was recovered and reburied in the Deerfield cemetery. The raid failed to accomplish one of Governor Vaudreuil's objectives: to instill fear in the English colonists. They instead became angry, and calls went out from the governors of the northern colonies for action against the French colonies. Governor Dudley wrote that "the destruction of Quebeck [sic] and Port Royal [would] put all the Navall stores into Her Majesty's hands, and forever make an end of an Indian War", the frontier between Deerfield and Wells was fortified by upwards of 2,000 men, and the bounty for Indian scalps was more than doubled, from £40 to £100. Dudley also promptly organized a retaliatory raid against Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia). In the summer of 1704, New Englanders under the leadership of Benjamin Church raided Acadian villages at Pentagouet (present-day Castine, Maine), Passamaquoddy Bay (present-daySt. Stephen, New Brunswick), Grand Pré, Pisiquid, and Beaubassin (all in present-day Nova Scotia). Church's instructions included the taking of prisoners to exchange for those taken at Deerfield, and specifically forbade him to attack the fortified capital, Port Royal. Deerfield and other communities collected funds to ransom the captives, and French authorities and colonists also worked to extricate the captives from their Indian masters. Within a year's time, most of the captives were in French hands, a product of frontier commerce in humans that was fairly common at the time. The French and Indians also engaged in efforts to convert their captives to Roman Catholicism, with modest success. Some of the younger captives, however, were not ransomed, and were adopted into the tribes. Such was the case with Williams' daughter Eunice, who was eight years old when captured. She became thoroughly assimilated, and married a Mohawk man when she was 16. Other captives also remained by choice in Canadian and Native communities such as Kahnawake for the rest of their lives. Negotiations for the release and exchange of captives began in late 1704, and continued until late 1706. They became entangled in unrelated issues (like the English capture of French privateer Pierre Maisonnat dit Baptiste), and larger concerns, including the possibility of a wider-ranging treaty of neutrality between the French and English colonies. Mediated in part by Deerfield residents John Sheldon and John Wells, some captives were returned to Boston in August 1706. Governor Dudley, who needed the successful return of the captives for political reason, then released the French captives, including Baptiste; the remaining captives that had chosen to return were back in Boston by November 1706. Previous was taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_Deerfield. Following was taken from http://www.1704.deerfield.history.museum/popups/people.do?shortName=BenoniStebbins#Attack I greatly urge anyone who wants to know more on the subject to visit http://www.1704.deerfield.history.museum/home.do# .... they even have a flash video setting the scene! This is at the end as well, but to put it out there sooner: This narrative was written by Susan McGowan Titus. More on Benoni and John Stebbins: 1655 Benoni Stebbins, like many Deerfield inhabitants, moved to the village from Northampton. He was an adventurous youth who grew up to become a respected member of the Deerfield community.Illustration copyright Francis Back. Benoni Stebbins led a risk-filled adventurous life, although he lived only 49 years and spent all of it within the narrow confines of the Connecticut River valley of Massachusetts. He left quite a mark in records from this period. Born on June 23, 1655, in Springfield, Massachusetts, Benoni Stebbins was one of two surviving children of John Stebbins and his first wife Mary (Munson) Munden. Shortly after the birth of Benoni and the death of his wife, John Stebbins moved his family to Northampton, Massachusetts. John remarried in November of 1657, to Abigail Bartlett who then became stepmother to 10-year-old John and two-year-old Benoni. John and Abigail would become parents to 11 more children, one born every two years from 1659 to 1678. It must have been a crowded and often chaotic house by 1678, the year Benoni left home to be married. When he was 12 years old, Benoni got in trouble with the law. In 1667 his name appeared in the Hampshire County Court Records when three "lads"—Benoni Stebbins, his older brother John, and Godfrey Nims—were found guilty of stealing twelve shillings of silver and seven of wampum while "townsmen were in church." The boys took the money to pay a local Indian, Quanquelatt, who had promised to help them run away to Canada. Who was Quanquelatt? He must have lived in Northampton and knew enough English to communicate with the boys. As a Native of the valley, he may have had kinsmen who had moved north to Native villages, along the Saint Lawrence River, and so could entice the boys with thoughts of a walk to a foreign land. In any event, the court instructed them to return the money and suffer a punishment of lashes on their naked backs—perhaps in full view of the townspeople—15 to the ring leader, John, and 11 each to the two accomplices. Quanquelatt received 20 lashes. Dreams of adventure in Canada were soon only a memory. In 1676, at age 21, Benoni was again in court—this time for "wearing his hair too long." In 1677, he married a woman named Mary Bennet who had similar spirit and disregard for the law and who, one year later, was admonished for violating the sumptuary laws and fined 10 shillings. Benoni refused to pay Mary's fine, and drew his own fine for "openly affronting the Court." Assault on Peskeompskut May, 1676 Illustration copyright Francis Back. The Falls Fight Belligerence and indignation may not be desirable human qualities in town or social affairs, but they may be seen as attributes in times of war—and in 1675 war came to the English settlements in the mid-Connecticut Valley for the first time. Metacom, a Wampanoag, (called King Philip by the English) had begun raiding English towns in the eastern part of New England early in the summer of 1675, and by late summer fighting had spread to western Massachusetts. Native peoples burned houses and killed livestock in an effort to reclaim land taken from them by the English. In the spring of 1676, Benoni Stebbins and Godfrey Nims, two of the "lads" from the 1667 court case, were among the approximately 150 men who answeredCaptain William Turner's plea for volunteers to attack an Indian camp at a place called Peskeompskut on the Connecticut River. Metacom, called King Philip by English colonists, was a Wampanoag sachem who lead an allied force of Native people from present-day New England in a war to stymie English expansion in Native homelands.Copyright Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association. All Rights Reserved. Benoni was still living at home with his parents when Northampton was attacked on March 14,1676, and the new palisade breached. Had he and Godfrey Nims, as energetic, eager residents, helped to build the palisade? And were they now eager for revenge? Captain Turner's daring plan may have provided the opportunity they had been waiting for. The "army" of Captain Turner would attack the Indian camp at Peskeompskut, one of the most popular fishing spots along the Connecticut River, where people from different Native nations traditionally gathered in the spring to fish the shad and salmon and hunt the surrounding woods for game. The fighting force under Captain Turner contained both militia men from eastern Massachusetts and volunteers—more than half of whom, like Stebbins and Nims—came from towns in the Connecticut River Valley. They gathered at Hatfield, each one with his own horse and as armed as he could manage. The 20-mile march began on the evening of May 18, to the site of the falls of the Connecticut where the large party of Native peoples were camped. The route took the men past the site of the Bloody Brook ambush of September 18, 1675, and Benoni must have told his fellow soldiers as they crossed the stream, about the military exploits of his older brother John. John Stebbins was the only Englishman known to have survived that attack and he was still a soldier, now serving with Captain Moseley, fighting to subdue Philip. Northward they rode to the main street of the ruined English village at Pocumtuck (Deerfield), where they saw the houses scorched by Native raiders in the late summer of 1675. Both Benoni and Godfrey had land claims in the burned-out village. Benoni's grandfather Rowland—an original Deerfield proprietor—drew Lot 13 in 1671, and Godfrey Nims, himself, had bought land there in 1674. Perhaps the two young men wondered, as they passed the gaping cellar holes and stark chimney shadows, if houses—their houses —would ever line that street again. At dawn on May 19, 1676, Captain Turner and his band of raiders reached the river and commenced a surprise attack on the sleeping Native camp. The assault resulted in the death of over 300 Indians, most of them children, women and the elderly. Arriving Native warriors pursued the English and killed 38 of them, including Captain Turner. Both Benoni and Godfrey escaped unharmed. Strife and Survival in the Connecticut River Valley Ashpelon's Raid By the time Metacom's War was winding down in the late summer of 1676, the English could find few obvious signs of Indians in the Connecticut River Valley. Many had moved westward to Schaghticoke, or northward to settle in Native villages along the Saint Lawrence River. Others had retreated into isolated areas of their homelands in southern New England. By the summer of 1677, a handful of displaced Englishmen, living in Northampton or Hatfield, were making tentative efforts to resettle the English village at Pocumtuck, or Deerfield as they had begun to call it. In an attempt to rebuild, a small party of young men—22-year-old Benoni Stebbins among them—was led by 57-year-old Sergeant John Plympton. What brought Benoni to such a dangerous place at such a perilous time? He was a risk taker, there in spite of certain danger, with the intent of claiminthe homelot his grandfather had been granted when the town was originally laid out in 1671. Benoni was probably making plans for a house on land that he was sure to inherit from his father. Not long after they arrived at Pocumtuck on the evening of September 19, 1677, a band of 26 Indians, under the leadership of Ashpelon, struck. All the attackers are believed to have been Natives originally from the middle Connecticut River Valley, survivors of Metacom's War, who had—according to Benoni Stebbins—fled north and lived with the French after the war. Stebbins identified them as "Norowottuck, all except one, a Narragansett,"and described the marauders as composed of "eighteen fighting men and the rest two squaws, old men and boys." Some of the captors must have been English-speaking, since Stebbins reported that they revealed that the French had "Incouraged them" to take captives, paying eight pounds apiece, and further that the "french Indians did intend to come with them the next time in spring or winter if they had success this time." Of the would-be Deerfield settlers, four were captured: Sergeant Plympton, Quinton Stockwell, eight-year-old Samuel Russell, and Benoni Stebbins. The four were taken to East Mountain where they joined 17 captives—some of whom they knew — taken captive earlier that day in Hatfield. Because there were nearly as many captives as captors, the English were fastened securely at night by "staking down" their limbs. This involved stretching out arms and legs and fastening them to the ground with stakes, and tying cord around the neck so they could not stir. Quinton Stockwell remembered "being much tired, I slept as comfortable as ever." The long journey to Canada began the next day. When the group reached a point two days above Squaheag (Northfield), they paused. The leader decided that part of their company should travel to the "Wotchuset" hills to "fetch away two small company of Indians that had lived there." Benoni was, at this time, sent off with two squaws and a mare "to fetch some hucleberies (huckleberries) a little way from the company." Stebbins contemplated the risk and seized the opportunity to take the horse and escape. The fact that he "got upon the mare and rid til he tired the mare and then run on foot, and so escaped to Hadley, being 2 days without victuals," demonstrated again his dogged determination to survive. For the next five years, Benoni Stebbins was probably living in Northampton. He and his wife Mary's first child, Ebenezer, was born August 4, 1678, followed by Thankful on March 10, 1680. Life in Deerfield This map shows the placement of Lot 13, Benoni Stebbins's houselot and fields. Click here to take a closer look. Copyright Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association. All Rights Reserved. Resettlement of the town of Pocumtuck, soon renamed Deerfield, began in 1682. As expected, Benoni did inherit Lot 13 when his father died in 1679, and in 1682 or 1683 he built a house. The lot was conveniently located in the center of the village on Meeting House hill, just north of the ministry lot where the town would build a house and barn for their new pastor, the Reverend John Williams, when he arrived in June of 1686. Benoni's older brother, John, settled further north on the Deerfield street, on Lot 35. At the December town meeting, Benoni Stebbins, age 31, began his service to the new town by agreeing to serve as selectman, one of the most esteemed offices, and probably one that involved the most work. His fellow selectmen ranged in age from 27 to 51 and were five in number. Election to town offices, particularly the positions of moderator, selectman, and clerk, suggested that the individual was highly regarded by his fellow townsmen. Stebbins apparently served well for he was elected again in 1689, 1692, and 1701. Before he was 40, Benoni was one of the wealthiest land owners in Deerfield. He not only owned the well-situated homelot, but also 26cow commons second only to the 30 owned by Lt. Thomas Wells. The majority of Deerfield men held between 10 and 20 cow commons. Only seven men had fewer than five. Benoni Stebbins, like so many of his neighbors, was a farmer, and his days were governed by the seasons. Each day, except Sunday, the yeomen farmers walked to their barns or to the north or south meadows to plant and tend crops, mend fences, and care for their livestock. Men owned their cropland individually, the farmland laid out in long strips and apportioned to each homelot. At times, both labor and equipment were shared. The town meeting regulated grazing seasons, planting times, and the raising and lowering of fences. Deerfield farmers produced wheat, malt, hops, peas, barley, rye, hay and corn and there were cattle and some pigs; many men, including Benoni Stebbins, owned a horse. While a farmer's work was largely seasonal, women's work was constant and included repeated daily chores such as cooking and child care; and chores dictated by the change of season, such as soap and candle making, planting of the kitchen garden, and all the household concerns having to do with preparation for winter. Women's days revolved around these household tasks and the raising of the children. Mary Stebbins had given birth to twins, Joseph and Esther, on February 6, 1689, but she died two months after their birth, leaving Benoni with two newborns and four other children under age 11. Many widowers, unskilled in the care of young children, married again within months. Benoni, however, waited two years before he married again — this time to another widow, Hannah Edwards; she bore him two more children in 1692 and 1695. His oldest daughter, Thankful, was only nine-years-old when her mother died. At that age, was she already trained enough in household routines to help to hold the family together? The February 1690 town meeting had as its main order of business "that yr shall be a good sufficient fortification made upon the meeting hous hill." Benoni Stebbins, age 34, was one of a committee of seven appointed by the town to see to the building of a wooden palisade that would enclose an area large enough to shelter the whole population of Deerfield, 202 rods (one rod = 16 feet) around. The fort was ordered to be "don & finished by 8 March," only two weeks away. Benoni and his committee must have called upon every able-bodied man in the village of some 240 to 250 people to fell the trees, hew the logs, dig the trenches, and position the finished pickets. This, in the dead of winter. The people of Deerfield were impelled to make this utmost effort by news of a French and Kanienkehaka (Mohawk) attack on the town of Schenectady, New York, on February 18, and the fear that they would be the next target. In addition to the building of the fortification, the town meeting determined that if there were families in houses outside the fort that could not be "conveniently received" by those in houses inside the fort, that they should have "habitations" provided for, inside the fort at the town's expense. Again Benoni stepped up to help, and he and two others were appointed to determine where the said houses or cellars would be located and how large they would be. A large attack did not come during the 1690s, though seven small raids killed a total of 12, wounded 5 and captured 5. With the palisade in place, the town relaxed a little and looked toward more peaceful building projects as they began to make plans for a new meeting house. The new building was to take the place of the one raised soon after 1682 at the resettlement, and was to be of "ye bigness of Hatfield meeting house only ye height to be left to ye judgement and determination of ye committee..." Although we believe the meeting house was not completed until 1695, the town voted on March 11, 1693, "that the new meeting hous shall now be seated." Seating the meeting house was a delicate issue and a cause of frequent social agitation. Age, rank, and dignity —the qualities that determined the seating plan — were not necessarily easy to determine, fairly and precisely. Only the bold would agree to be appointed to undertake this difficult charge, and they were David Hoyt, Deacon John Sheldon, and Benoni Stebbins. Education of Children A primary reason to teach children to read in seventeenth-century New England was so the populous could study the Bible.Copyright Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, All Rights Reserved. The education of children in a Protestant community was a standard commitment in New England. Residents were expected to be able to read the Bibleand, as a result, the literacy rate was high, even in the little towns along the knife-edge of the frontier. Benoni's name appears in the records of 1698, along with that of John Catlin and William Armes, as members of the committee to build a school house and hire a school master. Four of Benoni's children were of school age. In that same year, Benoni and his family—which now included a wife and seven children—felt the need to replace their house, a part of which Benoni had sold to John Catlin, who then moved it to his Lot 26, down the street to the south. In December Benoni petitioned the town for an exchange of land; he proposed to trade a piece of his property for a piece of town land at the front of his homelot; this would allow him to build his new dwelling within the protection of the fort. The petition was granted on June 12, 1699, and the building of the house probably commenced in the summer months. We may safely date his house, which figured so largely in the attack of February 1704, to the year 1699. Attack on Deerfield February 29, 1704 The new Stebbins house was framed with wooden timbers, as were all the houses in town, and although not fortified in the classic sense of having heavy doors and slots for shooting, its walls were filled with brick nogging, giving it added protection from musket fire. Four years after the house was finished, that musket fire began. It was on February 29, 1704, about an hour before daylight, when a large party of French and Indians breached the palisade and swarmed through the "protected" portion of the town of Deerfield. Neighbors had taken refuge in the house of Benoni and Hannah Stebbins, and their family of five children. Known to have been in the house that night were: David Hoyt, Jr. and his wife Mary with their nine-month-old baby Mary; Joseph Catlin and his wife Hannah, six months pregnant and with a boy under two years; and Benjamin Church, a soldier. Also in the house were three other men and an unknown number of women and children. The men in the Stebbins house drove back the assailants repeatedly, but later, nearly the whole force of the enemy surrounded the house, pouring bullets from every quarter. Again, Benoni and his now desperate allies returned the fire as the raiders attempted, unsuccessfully, to set fire to the house. The attackers, in a desperate move, tried to bargain with the defenders, offering mercy if they laid down their arms. They refused. Benoni had suffered the humiliation of captivity once and he did not want to be taken prisoner again. The fury of the English increased, and the assailants were forced to take cover in both the meeting house and Sheldon house next door on the north. From these buildings they continued to shower the Stebbins house with heavy musket fire. The fight lasted nearly three hours and, only as the enemy withdrew, chased by arriving militiamen from the neighboring towns, did the Stebbins house finally catch fire, probably lit by embers blowing from other houses that were burning. Epilogue 1704 Of his family, only Benoni was killed; his wife and five children were spared. According to the Table of Losses, compiled by Colonel Samuel Partridge for Governor Fitz John Winthrop of Connecticut, Stebbins lost real estate amounting to three hundred pounds — houses and "all goods Barn & Cattl burnt." The only property of similar high value lost that February night belonged to the Reverend Williams. The Stebbins estate was settled on March 8, 1704, with Hannah Stebbins, "Widow and Relict," as inheritor. Hannah later married Deacon Thomas French, town clerk of Deerfield, whose wife was killed on the march to Canada. French's house, located across the common from Benoni's, was still standing after the attack. Of the other Deerfielders in the house that night, David Hoyt, Jr. was killed in the Meadows fight chasing the attackers; his wife Mary had been wounded in the assault, but survived to marry again, in 1706, to Samuel Field who survived that same Meadows fight. Joseph Catlin was another of the nine men who fell in the Meadows fight; his wife Hannah had been wounded and carried to Northampton where she gave birth to a son John, in June 1704. Across the common, on Lots 27 and 28, Benoni Stebbins's old comrade Godfrey Nims endured a night of hell: four children killed; three captured; his wife captured and killed on the march to Canada; his house, barn, and all possessions and livestock, burned. Godfrey, himself, survived the attack, but died soon after, possibly of injuries suffered during the attack, but perhaps from a broken heart. The two renegades, Godfrey Nims and Benoni Stebbins, challenged life all the years they lived—from their scheme to run off to Canada when they were boys, to the defense of their homes against attack 37 years later; both died violently in a violent time. Benoni's brother John, older by eight years, lost his house and all his possessions. He and his wife and six children survived and were carried off to Canada, but only John, his wife, and John, Jr., returned to rebuild. When John wrote his will in 1723, he noted the names of his children who were still in Canada: Abigail, born 1687; Samuel, born 1688; Thankful, born 1691; Ebenezer, born 1694; and Joseph, born 1699. Of these, only Samuel appears to have returned, in the late 1720s. About This Narrative Benoni Stebbins was a real person who left evidence of his life – in court, in war, and in family and land records. He was a member of the third generation of Stebbines in this country: grandfather, Rowland (1594-1671) came to Ispwich from England in 1634; father, John (1626-1679), settled in Springfield and in Northampton. Benoni and his older brother John were early settlers in Deerfield. This narrative was written by Susan McGowan Titus. Additional information on the Stebbins Faminly From the Deerfield Museum online: Benoni Stebbins Benoni was the son of John and Mary Munson Stebbins, born on June 23, 1655. As a youth he conspired to "run away to the French," but was caught and punished. Benoni fought in King Philip's War, and was captured by Indians, but escaped in 1677. He was a Deerfield selectman, town assessor, and constable. Benoni married Mary Broughton in 1677. They had six children before she died in 1689. He had two more with his second wife, Hannah. Benoni built a fortified house on his father's house lot within the stockade. In the 1704 attack, seven men and a few women successfully defended the house for over two-and-a-half hours. Benoni was killed in that defense. Dorothy Stebbins Born Dorothy Alexander, she was the daughter of John Alexander of Newton, MA. Her house, situated north of the stockade, was burned in the raid, and she and her entire family were taken captive. She, her husband, and eldest son returned to Deerfield. Her husband died in 1724. There is a record of her residing in Newton in 1733. Ebenezer Stebbins Ebenezer was born in Deerfield December 5, 1694. His parents were John Stebbins, one of the early Deerfield settlers, and Dorothy Alexander Stebbins of Newton. His entire family was taken captive in the raid and his home was burned. Though seemingly inclined to return to New England, Ebenezer remained in New France. On June 29, 1708, he was baptized Jacques Charles. He lived at Boucherville with his sister Abigail, renamed Marguerite, and her French husband. Nothing is known of Ebenezer beyond his French naturalization in 1710. John Stebbins John was a carpenter and soldier. He is the only man known to have escaped unharmed from the 1675 attack at Bloody Brook in King Philip's War. He married Dorothy Alexander of Newton. They had six children. All were captured and their house, situated north of the stockade, was burned. It is believed that none were killed in the raid or on the march north because John's daughter Abigail had married a Frenchman, Jacques de Noyon. Five of John's children remained in Canada. Only John, his wife, and their eldest child returned before the war's end. He died in 1724, leaving a will that offered one-eighth of his lands to any of his children who would return to Deerfield. Only his son Samuel and his grandson Aaron took up the offer. John Stebbins (Jr.) John was born about 1685. His father, John, was an early English settler of Deerfield, and his mother was Dorothy Alexander of Newton. He and his entire family were taken into captivity in the 1704 attack and their house was burned. John and his parents returned to Deerfield before the war's end. Five siblings remained in Canada for many years. Joseph Stebbins Joseph was born in Deerfield, April 12, 1699. He was the son of John Stebbins, one of the early Deerfield settlers, and Dorothy Alexander Stebbins of Newton. In the 1704 attack, his house burned and he, his parents, and all six children were taken captive. Joseph never came back to Deerfield, despite his father's offer of an eighth part of his lands were he to return. Joseph instead, chose to remain in New France, where he married Marguerite Sanssoucy around 1734. The couple settled in Chambly, where they had eight children. Joseph died on April 23, 1753 Samuel Stebbins Samuel was born December 25, 1688 to John Stebbins, one of the early Deerfield settlers, and Dorothy Alexander Stebbins of Newton. Samuel was taken captive with his parents, three brothers and two sisters. His home was burned. While in New France, he lived close by several siblings. Samuel remained in New France until 1728. He was lured back to Deerfield by his father's will, which offered him one-eighth of his father's lands on the condition that he return. Thankful Stebbins Thankful was born in Deerfield on September 5, 1691 to John and Dorothy Alexander of Newton. She was taken captive with her entire family and her home was burned. Soon after her arrival at Chambly, she was ransomed from her Indian captors by Joseph Francois Hertel. On April 23, 1707, Thankful was baptized Louise Theresse Stebens. She married Charles-Adrien Legrain, called Lavalle, on February 4, 1711. She bore 10 children, then died giving birth to the eleventh, in 1729.

  
  

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