William Smead Jr

Citations

1. [S289] George Sheldon, History of Deerfield, Massachusetts, Volume 2 (Deerfield: E.A. Hall and Co., 1896), Genealogies p. 301.
2. [S299] Charles Henry Pope, History of the Dorchester Pope Family 1634-1688 (Boston: privately published, 1888), p. 53-55: date of inventory 1 Jun 1649, deceased 12th of the 2nd month, 1646 [12 April 1646]; "Item I give unto my sarvant mayd Ane Wellmoton 15 shillings and unto my sarvant Hannah Janson 15 shillings at the end of hir time Also unto William Smead, my Littell boye my Lomes and such Taklinge as do belong unto them which is to the vallew of three pound : provided that he be willing to dwell with my wife after his time is out also provided that he be willing to Learn my Trad." William would have been about eleven years old at the time of John Pope's death, his parents both having been deceased by 1639. It is presumed by this that William was raised for a few years by John Pope. His half-siblings would have been about 18 and 17 at the time of their mother's death.
3. [S289] George Sheldon, History of Deerfield II, p. 301 "Widow Judith [Smead], of Dorchester, 1636; she was sister of Israel Stoughton. She had m. in England, John Denman, prob. abt. 1620, and Smead prob. abt. 1634. Nothing is found about either husband; she d. 1639. Ch.: Mary Denman, abt. 1622; m. Clement Maxfield; she d. May 30, 1707; John Denman, —; alive 1656; William, abt. 1635 (2)."
4. [S749] Wm. B. Trask, "Abstracts from the Earliest Wills on Record in the County of Suffolk, Mass.", New England Historical and Genealogical Register 9 (1855): IX:344; Widdow Smead.--Mr. Israel Stoughtn, Administrator to Mrs Judith Smeed, widdow, deceased, as by Inventory taken ye 18: 3d : 1639. Mentions payment to Batcheller of Salem; Dea. John Pope of Dorchester; dau. Mary Denman, wife to Clement Maxfield; Roger Clap, Christopher Gibson, Hopestill Foster as examiners; division of the estate among children John Denman, Mary Denman (now Maxfield) and Wm Smeed. Also mentions "sister Visallah" [Ursula Knight], John Scudder, "Bro. Knight", Oliver Purchase, sister Clarke, brother Clarke, Tomkins, Bro. Kinsly, Sumner, Jewett, Oldreges [poss. Aldredge].
5. [S289] George Sheldon, History of Deerfield II, p. 301: "On the death of his mother he was put under the care of John Pope. Pope died April 12, 1646, leaving by will, "unto William Smead my little boy my looms and such tacklings as do belong to them which is to value of three pounds provided he be willing to learn my trade, and that there be a comfortable agreement made between them afterwards."
6. [S166] Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England (Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995-2011), V (M-P):484; undated will; d. 10 Apr 1646; bequeaths to wife, dau. (unnamed); names servants Hanna Janson and Ane Wellington and "William Smead, my little boy"; names Stephen Hoppen (a worn loom), brother Thomas, brother Joshua "my sister's husband." Inventory totalled £184 12s 6d.
7. [S299] Charles Henry Pope, History of the Dorchester Pope Family, p. 53-55: date of inventory 1 Jun 1649, deceased 12th of the 2nd month, 1646 [12 April 1646]; "Item I give unto my sarvant mayd Ane Wellmoton 15 shillings and unto my sarvant Hannah Janson 15 shillings at the end of hir time Also unto William Smead, my Littell boye my Lomes and such Taklinge as do belong unto them which is to the vallew of three pound : provided that he be willing to dwell with my wife after his time is out also provided that he be willing to Learn my Trad."
8. [S813] A Report of the Record Commissioners of the City of Boston Containing Dorchester Births, Marriages, and Deaths to the End of 1825 (Boston: Rockwell and Churchill, 1890), p. 20, Marriages; William Smead and Elizabeth, dau. of widow Lawrence; marr. by Maj. Atherton, 31.10.58 (31 Dec 1658).
9. [S2137] Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, online FamilySearch.org, Boston > Transcript of County Records, 1643-1660; Vol. 1 Births, Marriages Deaths from 1630-1666, p. 509, img. 257/306, Dorchester Marriages. William Smead and Elizabeth, dau. of the widow Lawrence, marr. 31 of the 10th month 1659. Hereinafter cited as Mass. Town Records 1626-2001.
10. [S165] James Savage, A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, four volumes (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1860-1862), III:108-9, entry for Smead; "William, Dorchester, prob. one of the ch. b. in Eng. of wid. Judith Smead, sis. of Israel...He m. 31 Dec. 1658 Eliz. d. of Thomas Lawrence and was freem. 1680, at Northampton, whither he rem. a. 1660, had William; Eliz. b. 20 May 1663; Judith, 18 Feb. 1665; Mehitable, 2 Jan. 1667; Samuel, 27 May 1669; John, 27 Aug. 1671, d. soon; John, again, 1673; Ebenezer, bapt. 9 May 1675; Thankful, 13 May 1677 ; and Waitstill, a d. b. 15 Mar. 1679. He rem. a. 1684 to Deerfielcl, and there d. but the time is not kn. His wid. with sev. of the same name, ch. or gr. ch. were slain by the French and Ind. 29 Feb. 1704. The first ch. William, b. prob. at D. was k. 18 Sept. 1675, with the flower of Essex under Capt. Lothrop at Bloody Brook ; but Samuel, John, and Ebenezer had fams. at D."
11. [S289] George Sheldon, History of Deerfield II, pt. II 301.
12. [S1024] James Russell Trumbull, History of Northampton Massachusetts From Its Settlement in 1654 (Northampton: Gazette Printing Co., 1898, 1902), two volumes, I:87. The lot was on South Street next to Ralph Hutchison's lot and was granted for ten shillings.
13. [S741] George Sheldon, History of Deerfield, Massachusetts, Volume 1 (Greenfield, Mass.: E.A. Hall and Co., 1895), p. 47.
14. [S925] Battle of Bloody Brook, online http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/bloodybr.html, During September, 1675, bands of warriors roamed the Connecticut River valley, attacking villagers as they worked in the fields or traveled between villages on business. Unlike the English who were accustomed to fighting fixed battles on open plains, Amerindians fought from concealed spots and attacked small groups. This "American" way of fighting would be a problem for the British during the next century also. The colonists used these same guerilla tactics, which they learned fighting the Amerindians, to fight against the British troops in the American Revolutionary War.
    The military garrison at Hadley grew as more troops were sent there to aid the English settlers. Provisions had to be sent from the individual villages to feed these troops. On September 19, 1675, Captain Lathrop and 80 men were riding convoy for a wagon train loaded with threshed wheat on its way to the mill just north of the Hadley garrison.
    The group of carts started from Deerfield on this fateful morning. Even though the trail led through dense forest, no vanguard or flankers were sent out. The force was so large, surely no warriors would attack them. As the convoy emerged from the dense forest into a narrow, swampy thicket, it slowed down to cross a brook. Realizing the crossing would take a long time as each heavily-laden cart lumbered across, the soldiers tossed their rifles on top of the wheat and prepared to relax. Some soldiers began to gather the grapes growing alongside the brook.
    At a given signal, hundreds of warriors, who were lying concealed all around the spot, opened fire on the convoy. Chaos followed, bullets and arrows flew from every direction. Captain Lathrop immediately fell. Of the 80 soldiers, only 7 or 8 escaped; none of the Deerfield men who were driving the carts survived.
    Captain Moseley and a troop of 60 soldiers who were in the area heard the sounds of the ambush and hurried to the scene. For approximately 6 hours, a battle was fought with neither side gaining the upper hand. Each soldier fought in the Amerindian style: conceal yourself, select a target and shoot. Finally a troop of 100 Connecticut soldiers with a band of Mohegans arrived. Realizing they could not win now, the warriors disappeared into the forest. The surviving soldiers straggled back to Deerfield for the night. According to D. E. Leach in his book, Flintlock and Tomahawk, p. 88, "Moseley retired to Deerfield that night, and there he and his grim-faced men were taunted from a safe distance by a group of the enemy warriors who gleefully displayed articles of clothing taken from the English dead." The surviving soldiers returned the next day to bury the dead in a mass grave. The sluggish little brook was re-named Bloody Brook. Deerfield was abandoned shortly afterward and later the village was destroyed by King Philip's warriors.
    Today, in the town of South Deerfield, Massachusetts, there is a stone shaft marking the edge of the swampy area where the ambush occurred.
15. [S926] Kyle F. Zelner, "Essex County's Two Militias: The Social Composition of Offensive and Defensive Units during King Philip's War, 1675-1676", The New England Quarterly 72:4 (Dec. 1999): "On 18 September 1675, Captain Thomas Lathrop and his company of seventy-four soldiers were ordered to protect the wagon trains leaving Deer?eld, Massachusetts, from Indian attack. Since towns on the western frontier were not yet able to muster the necessary manpower for an adequate defense against King Philip’s warriors, the defensive force from Essex County had been gathered just the month before to strengthen vulnerable garrisons.’ In mid-September, as enemy activity up and down the Connecticut River Valley intensified, military and town leaders decided to abandon Deeriield. As the townspeople made their way toward Northampton, Lathrop's men felt they had little to fear. As a rule, the Indians did not attack large companies; instead, they preferred to take on unsuspecting frontier towns and garrison houses. Not one flanker or vanguard was sent out, and it was later reported that many of the men had stacked their weapons in the carts and were picking wild grapes along the trail. In a small clearing, the Indians attacked; hundreds of warriors charged the bewildered and outnumbered soldiers. That day Muddy Brook became forever Bloody Brook as Lathrop and much of his command.
16. [S289] George Sheldon, History of Deerfield II, 100-111.
17. [S1024] James Russell Trumbull, History of Northampton, I:268–269.
18. [S946] George M. Bodge, Soldiers in King Philip's War (Boston: privately published, 1891), 196–210. Note that contemporary dates are Old Style (before the calendar reform of Sep. 1752). Excerpts: p. 199–202:
    "I think the following is a fairly accurate account of the campaign of Capt. Turner in May, 1676, closing with the Falls Fight on the 18th....
    "A large body of the Indians were gathered near the " Upper Falls" of the Connecticut, divided into several parties, one of which was located on the high ground on the right bank at the head of the Full, another on the opposite bank, and a third at what is known now as " Smead's Island," about a mile below, and all were intent upon their fishing. Hearing, however, that the English had turned some of their cattle out into Hatfield meadows, a detachment was sent out upon May 12th, and succeeded in " stampeding" about seventy head of these cattle, and driving them safely into the woods. This fresh outrage was carried out with impunity, and so enraged the English that they urged to be led out against their enemies at once, and when Reed, abovementioned, came in on May 15th, and disclosed the carelessness of the Indians, it was resolved to wait no longer, but to gather the forces and strike a blow...
    "Preparations had been completed for several days, and the men, gathered from the inhabitants and soldiers of the several towns and garrisons, were appointed to meet at Hatfield at the summons of the commander. Day after day passed, while they waited impatiently the company which Connecticut authorities had ordered to march to their assistance. These, delayed in turn by the failure of the Sachems to appear at a promised meeting, and fearing to make any hostile movement while English captives were held by the Indians, did not move, and so on May 18th Capt. Turner gathered all his available force at Hatfield, numbering upwards of one hundred and fifty rank and file. Of the garrison soldiers I think only volunteers were taken in this expedition, as it would not be safe to weaken the garrison by withdrawing a large number of the men away from the defence of the towns, which was their proper service. A comparison of the lists below will show that a very small number of eastern soldiers are among the claimants, though the list of killed has many names not represented there. A very large part of Capt. Turner's original company had marched home to Boston on April 7th, leaving him with a company of single men, boys and servants, selected from Major Savage's forces, for garrison duty. Of this expedition the officers were William Turner, Captain ; Samuel Holyoke, Lieut.; Isaiah Toy (or Tay) and John Lyman, Ensigns ; Rev. Hope Atherton, Chaplain; John Dickinson and Joseph Kellogg, Sergeants; Experience Hinsdell and Benjamin Wait were guides.
    "This company of volunteers, thus officered, and more than one half inhabitants of the several river towns, mounted upon their own horses, and armed as each might be able, or from the garrisons, took up the line of march in the evening of May 18th, from Hatfield towards the Falls, twenty miles away, through the woods. Taking their way northward through Hatfield meadows and on by the road where both Lathrop and Beers had met disaster and death, past the ruins of Deerfield, they crossed the river at the northerly part of the meadow (a late high authority says "at the mouth of Sheldon's brook"), and thus eluded the Indian outpost stationed at a place "now called Cheapside," to guard the usual place of crossing. These Indians, it is said, overheard the crossing of the troops and turned out with torches, and examined the usual ford, but finding no traces there and hearing no further disturbance, concluded that the noise was made by moose, crossing, and so went back to their sleep. A heavy thunder shower during the night greatly aided the secresy of the march, while it drove the Indiana to their wigwams and prevented any suspicion of an attack. This danger safely passed, the troops rode forward through Greenfield meadow, and, crossing Green river "at the mouth of Ash-swamp brook to the eastward, skirting the great swamp " (says Mr. Sheldon), they at length, about daybreak, reached the high land just south of Mount Adams, where the men dismounted, and leaving the horses under a small guard, pushed on through Fall river and up a steep hill, and halted and silently awaited daylight upon the slope above the sleeping Indian camp. Here all was wrapped in profound sleep. It is said a great feast had been celebrated the night before by the Indians, at which they had gorged themselves with fresh salmon from the river, and beef and new milk from the Hatfield cattle. Not a guard had been set, and no precaution had been made, so secure were they and unsuspicious of an English raid. And now with advancing daylight the sturdy settlers gather silently down and about their unconscious foes, to whom the first warning of danger was the crashing of a hundred muskets, dealing death in at their wigwam doors. Many were killed at the first five, and scarcely a show of resistance was made. The savages who escaped the first fire were terrified at the thought that their old enemy was upon them, and fled towards the river yelling " Mohawks ! Mohawks ! and wildly threw themselves into the canoes along the banks, but many of these, overcrowding the canoes, were thrown into the river and carried over the falls to certain death ; others were shot in attempting to reach the other side ; others were chased to the shelving rocks along the banks and there shot down. It is said that Capt. Holyoke there despatched five with his own hand. Very few of the Indians escaped, and their loss was computed by contemporary writers at three hundred. One only of the English was killed, and he by mistake, by one of his comrades, and another was wounded in this attack. The soldiers burned all the wigwams and their contents, captured the tools of the Indian blacksmiths who had set up two forges for mending arms, and threw " two great Piggs of lead (intended for making bullets) into the river." But while this was being accomplished, the several larger bodies of Indians upon the river above and below, rallied, and from various quarters gathered in and about the English. A small party as decoys showed themselves crossing the river above, and succeeded in drawing a portion of our force away from the main body only to meet a large force and to regain the command with difficulty. Capt. Turner, enfeebled as he was by his disease, collected and drew off his troops towards the horses, where the guards were about this time attacked by the enemy, who hastily withdrew at the coming of the main body. Mounting their horses, the English began the march for Hatfield. The Indians in increasing numbers gathered upon flank and rear.
    "Capt. Turner led the van, though so weak from long sickness as scarcely able to manage his horse. The intrepid Capt. Holyoke commanded the rear guard, but in effect conducted the retreat. The Indians advanced upon the left and rear, and several sharp skirmishes ensued while they tried to separate the rear guard from the main. Once Capt. Holyoke's horse was shot down, and he narrowly escaped capture by the Indians, who rushed forward to seize him, by shooting down the foremost with his pistols, till his men came to his aid. On the left of the line of inarch, nearly all the way to Green river, was a swamp in which the Indians found safe cover. A rumor was started (by an escaped captive, it is said) that Philip with a thousand warriors was at hand, and a panic ensued. The guides differed as to the course, and some following one and some another, disorder prevailed, and the command was broken up. Two parties leaving the main body were cut off and lost. Capt. Turner pushed forward with the advance as far as Green river, and was shot by the Indians while crossing the stream, near the mouth of the brook upon which afterwards stood " Nash's " Mill. His body was found near the place by a scouting party a short time afterwards.
    "The whole command now devolved upon Capt. Holyoke, who led his shattered force, fighting every rod of the way to the south side of Deerfield meadow to the place now known as the " Bars " (according to Gen. Hoyt's account). That the retreat did not end in a general massacre is doubtless due to the skill and bravery of Capt. Holyoke in keeping the main body together, and in protecting flank and rear while pushing forward to avoid the chance of ambuscades. As it was, they found, on arriving at Hatfield, that some forty-five or more of their men were missing. Rev. Mr. Russell's letter of May 22d gives some account of the losses, and says that six of the missing have come in, reducing the number of the lost to thirty-eight or thirty-nine. Of the Indian losses he gives the report of Sergt. Bardwell that he counted upwards of one hundred in and about the wigwams and along the river banks, and the testimony of William Drew and others that they counted some " six-score and ten. 'Hence we cannot but judge that there were above 200 of them slain.'
    "Of the slain of our soldiers the following list is taken from the best available authorities:
    
    Capt. William Turner, Boston.      Nathaniel Sutliff, Deerfield.
    Experience Hinsdell, Hatfield.      John Hadlock, Roxbury.
    Sergt. John Dickinson, Hatfield.     Samuel Veze, Braintree.
    William Allis, Hatfield           Josiah Mann, Boston.
    John Colfax, "               John Whitteridge, Salem.
    Samuel Gillet, "               George Buckley.
    John Church, Hadley.          Jacob Burton.
    Samuel Crow, "               John Foster.
    Thomas Elgar, "               Joseph Fowler.
    Isaac Harrison, "               Peter Gerin.
    John Taylor, Hadley.          John Langbury.
    Edward Hodgman, Springfield.     Thomas Lyon.
    George Hewes, "               Samuel Rainsford.
    Joseph Pike, " (?)               Thomas Roberts.
    James Bennet, Northampton.      George Ruggles.
    John Miller, "               John Symms.
    John Walker, "               John Watson.
    Jabez Duncan, Worcester.          William Howard.
    John Ashdowne, Weymouth.     
    
    p. 206 "A List of ye Soldiers yt were in ye Fall Fight under Capt. W m Turner, approved off by ye Committee of ye Gen. Court. (Dated June, 1736.):
    
    Allexander, Nath’l, N. Hamp'.     Grover, Simon, Boston.     Pike, Joseph, Spring.
    Alvard, Thom’s, Hadfield.     Gerrin,* Peter, North.     Pumroy, Caleb, North.
    Arms, William, Hadley.     Griffin, Joseph, Roxbury.     Preston, John, Hadley.
    Ashdown, John.          Hitchcock, John, Springfield.     Pratt, John, Mallden.
    Atherton, Hope, Hatfield.     Hitchcock, Luke, Springfield.     Pressey, John, Almsbury.
    Baker, Timothy, North Hampt. Hadlock, John.      Pearse, Nath’l, Woburn.
    Ball, Sam’l, Springfield.     Hoit, David, Hadley.     Rogers, Henery, Spring.
    Barber, John, Springfield.     Hawks, John, Hadley.     Roberts, Thomas, North.
    Bardwell, Rob’t, Hatfield.     Hawks, Eleaz’r, Hadley.     Ransford, Sam’l, North.
    Bedortha, Sam’l, Springfield.     Howard, William, North.     Ruggles, George, North.
    Beers, Richard, of Watert.     Harrison, Isaac, Hadley.     Read, Thomas, Westford.
    Belding, Sam’l.          Hughs, George, Spring.     Roper, Ephr’a.
    Bennett, James, South Hamp     Hinsdell, Experience, Hadley.     Siky, Nath’l.
    Boultwood, Sam’l, Hadley.     Hodgman, Edward, Spring.     Suttleife, Nath’ll, Hadley.
    Bradshaw, John, Medford.     Hunt, Sam’l, Billerica.     Stebins, Sam’ll, Springfield.
    Burnap, John.          Harwood, James.          Stebins, Benoni, North.
    Burnitt, John, Windham.     Ingram, John, Hadley.     Stebins, Thomas, Springfield.
    Burton, Jacob, North.     Jones, Sam’l.          Smeade, Wm, Northampton.
    Bushrod, Peter, Northampton.     Jones, Robertt.     Smith, John, Hadley.
    Chamberlain, Benja., Hadley.     Jilett, Sam’l, Hatfield.     Stephenson, James, Springf.
    Chamberlain, Joseph.     James, Abell, North.     Seldin, Joseph, Hadley.
    Chapin, Japhett, Springfield.     King, John, North.     Scott,      Wm, Hatfield.
    Chase, John, Almsbury.     Keett, Franc. Northamton.     Salter, John, Charlestown.
    Church, John, Hadley.     Kellogg, Joseph, Hadley.     Simonds, John.
    Clap, Preserved, Northampt.     Lee, John, Westfield.     (Smith, Rich’d.)**
    Clark, William, Northampton.     Lyman, John, North.     Turner, Capt. Wm, now Swan'y.
    Coleby, John, Almsbury.     Leeds, Joseph, Dorchester.     Tay, Isaiah, Lt., Boston.
    Coleman, Noah, Hadley.     Lenoard, Josiah, Spring.     Thomas, Benj’a, Spring.
    Colfax, John, Hatfield.     Langbury, John, North.     Taylor, John.
    Crow, Sam’l, Hadley.     Lyon, Thomas, North.     Taylor, Jonathan, Spring’d.
    Crowfott, Joseph, Springfiel.     Miller, John, North.          Tyley, Sam'll.
    Cunnaball, John, Boston.     Merry, Cornelius, North.     Veazy, Sam’ll, Brantrey.
    Dickenson, John, Hadley.     Morgan, Isaac, Springfield.     Wright, James, North.
    Dickenson, Nehemiah, Hadl.     Morgan, Jonathan, Spring.     Webb, John, North.
    Drew, Wm, Hadley.     Miller,      Thomas, Spring.          Webb, Richard, North.
    Dunkin, Jabez, Worcester.     Mun, James, Alive: Colchest.     Waite, Benjamin, Hatfield.
    Edwards, Benja, North.     Mun, John, Deerfield.     Witteridge, John, North.
    Elgar, Thomas, Hadley.     Monteague, Peter, Hadley.     Walker, John, North.
    Field, Samuel, Hatfield.     Mattoon, Phillip, Hadley.     Webber, Eleaz’r.
    Fuller, Joseph, Newtown.     Man, Josiah.          Wattson, John.
    Forster, John, North.     Nims, Godfrey, North.     Wells, Thomas, Hadley.
    Fowler, Joseph, North.     Newbury, Tryall, Boston.     White, Henry, Hadley.
    Flanders, John.          Old, Robert, Spring.     Warriner, Joseph, Hadley.
    Foot, Nath’l, Hatfield.     Pumroy, Medad, North.     Wells, Jonathan, Hadley.
    Gleason, Isaac, Spring.     Price, Robert, North.     Worthington, Wm
    
    * In the Northampton records Peter Jerrin. In Hull's accounts two persons appear in different places, Peter Jennings and Peter Genninirs. This may be one of the two.
    **This name is in the margin, and was added after the list was made out.
    *** "eldest son of Elnathan Beers."
19. [S1024] James Russell Trumbull, History of Northampton, I:270. Clapp, Kingsley and Hutchinson were also granted new lots near the center of town.
20. [S741] George Sheldon, History of Deerfield I, 205-06.
21. [S813] Report of the Record Commissioners, p. 7, Births 1660; William Smead, son of William Smead, b. 18 (5) [July] 1660.
22. [S1020] Provo, UT and Oxford, MA, Massachusetts Town and Vital Records: Northampton 1620/1650–1893/1988, unknown repository, unknown repository address, p. 6 in typed version, births in 1664: February 18 [actually 1665 new style] "Jude the daughter of William & Elizabeth Smead born". Hereinafter cited as Mass. Town and Vital Records: Northampton.
23. [S1020] Provo, UT and Oxford, MA, Mass. Town and Vital Records: Northampton: p. 9 in typed version; original [births in 1666] "january 2 Mehitabell Daugh' of William and Elizabeth Smeed was born."
24. [S1020] Provo, UT and Oxford, MA, Mass. Town and Vital Records: Northampton: p. 11 in typed version.
25. [S1020] Provo, UT and Oxford, MA, Mass. Town and Vital Records: Northampton: p. 12 in typed version.
26. [S289] George Sheldon, History of Deerfield II, Genealogies p. 301-02. Ebenezer, son of William Smead and Elizabeth Lawrence, bapt. 9 May 1675.