Indian Boys Arrive in Longmeadow
On this day in 1800, Thomas Thorakwaneken Williams arrived in Longmeadow with his two young sons, Eleazer and John. Thomas was the grandson of Eunice Williams, captured as a child during the 1704 raid on Deerfield. Adopted into a Kanienkehaka family, Eunice chose to remain with them for the rest of her life despite vigorous attempts to "redeem" her. When her great-grandsons were brought to Massachusetts to attend school, they wore blankets and moccasins and feathers in their hair and spoke no English. Gradually they shed their Native dress and language. After five years, John returned to Canada but Eleazer spent the rest of his life moving back and forth between his Native American and white identities.
Related Moments
King Philip's War Breaks Out
King Philip's War Breaks Out
On this day in 1675, Wampanoag warriors killed seven colonists in Swansea in retaliation for a series of injustices suffered at the hands of the English. This raid is generally considered the beginning of King...
Abenaki Warriors Attack Groton
Abenaki Warriors Attack Groton
On this day in 1694, Abenaki warriors raided the frontier town of Groton, on the western edge of Middlesex County. Striking at daybreak, they killed 20 people and took 12 captives, most of them children....
Lucy Terry Prince Composes Poem
Lucy Terry Prince Composes Poem
On this day in 1746, Lucy Terry Prince was among the residents of Deerfield present during an Abenaki raid on the village. Lucy, an enslaved woman, described the horrific event in "The Bars Fight," the earliest...
