Nicholas E. Hollis
Three hundred, twenty-five years ago Hatfield, Massachusetts, consisted of a small fort and several houses outside the log palisades with nearby fields cleared for agriculture. There were no roads, just traces and cuts through the thick forests primeval. Most regional traffic moved north/south on the mighty Connecticut River. It was the frontier’s edge, and there pioneers lived under the threat of constant attack by hostile Indians.
Family records over the many generations indicate young Stephen Jennings married Hannah Dickinson Gillett at Hatfield on May 18, 1677. Hannah was the daughter of John Dickinson of Hadley and the widow of Samuel Gillett who had been killed by Indians at the Battle of Turner’s Falls. She had two daughters by him.
Traces in the Wilderness
Seeing the spiraling smoke, Hatfield’s men rushed back to find the devastation with a few lucky souls still barricaded in the fort. Waite, a veteran Indian fighter from Turner’s Falls, urged an immediate pursuit and reconnaissance, but with the actual size of the raiding party unknown and its direction uncertain, caution prevailed. There was concern that, if Hatfield’s men organized a pursuit as a group, the Indians might crush them all and/or circle back and destroy the fort.
"In Action Faithful, and In Honor,
In early October a break came while Waite was securing authorization letters in Springfield and Cambridge (seat of the Colony). One captive (Benoni Stebbins Of Deerfield) had escaped, and his information confirmed the Indians (Norwottucks and Pocumtucks) were heading for Canada up the "Great River" (Connecticut)./1
Waite and Jennings then moved promptly to secure permission from the Royal Governor of New York to proceed north to Canada. After a chilly reception, owing to ill will between New York and New England colonies, the desired authorization was provided. This facilitated the receipt of similar approval from Albany (Captain Salisbury).
The Searchers’ Ordeal
Waite and Jennings paddled the length of Lake George (32 miles) according to direction and shouldered the canoe upon reaching the northern shore, carrying it over the ground where Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point would stand years later. They camped overnight on the southern shore of Lake Champlain. The lake was frozen over as far as they could see. They hid the canoe and started out on foot, not realizing the size of the body of water. After a day’s journey, they came to open water, which forced a difficult backtracking to retrieve the canoe. They embarked again, following the length of the lake to Richelieu River (120 miles), though they were forced to abandon the canoe again when they reached Grand Isle. The lake divided there and was frozen from that point onward.
Cheating the "White Death"
On January 6th, Waite and Jennings reached the French settlement of Fort Chambly (near modern-day Montreal). Their appearance was regarded by the French as miraculous. After regaining their strength, the searchers convinced the French to assist their mission. Captain de Neuville was attached to accompany them with several soldiers and Indian guides. Forty miles further along the banks of the St. Lawrence River Waite and Jennings found their captive wives and children at a poorly guarded wigwam near Sorel. With the French military participation, the returning Indians claimed that the original raiding party had bartered the captives to another tribe – a fact of chattel, which necessitated negotiations with the new captors. At Quebec, French Governor Frontenac agreed to front the ransom money and, apparently impressed with the two men’s courage, provided them with a larger military escort under the command of Sieur de Lusigny. The party of captives now numbered twenty as two children had been born during the four month captivity and several had died – or been killed in the long, northward journey. De Lusigny’s eleven soldiers were ordered to guide and protect the party during their trip back to Albany. After all were rested and well, in the spring, the party headed south. It took sixteen days to reach Albany.
A few days later the party moved on to Kinderhook, New York, where they were greeted as true heroes by their overjoyed loved ones and other Hatfield residents, who had rushed to meet and escort them, having early word of their successful movements. In early June, Massachusetts Governor Leverett declared June 6 a day of fasting and humility (thanks) in the colony in recognition of the celebrated rescue. The governor also had a practical purpose. Notes over his signature were sent to all churches in the colony’s 46 settlements urging a collection be taken to assist Waite and Jennings cover their expenses (and the funds advanced by Governor Frontenac). Nearly 350 pounds were raised in this manner which was more than sufficient to meet the costs of the expedition and redemption of the captives.
As with many frontier stories, Waite and Jennings did not enjoy old age. Waite was killed and skinned by a large contingent of French and Indians on February 29, 1704 during the famous Deerfield massacre. Stephen Jennings was killed on July 20, 1710 with his son, Benjamin Jennings, near Brookfield, Massachusetts where he lived on his farm near two other sons, Stephen II and Joseph. Another of Stephen’s sons, Jonathan Jennings, born in 1692, carried the line forward with four children, including my ancestor, Moses Jennings, who served as a corporal in the French and Indian War (1755-1763) and the Revolutionary War.
Conclusion: Character Education through
As Americans in this perilous, testing time for a national will, we could usefully reflect on the sacrifices and courage of these ancestors who came before and helped give us the freedom and institutions we often take for granted. Heroes such as Stephen Jennings and Benjamin Waite and their inspiring stories offer strength today as we stare into the abyss since September 11. We can chart the bolder course. Understanding our past can provide us and our families with important building blocks and values for the tough road ahead.
Nicholas E. Hollis is president of The Agribusiness Council, a nonprofit/tax-exempt organization established in 1967. He is a direct descendant of Stephen Jennings and a native of New England. Much of the Waite-Jennings narrative was provided during interviews in 1979 with his great aunt, Ruth Hastings Jennings Anderson (1893-1987), and is also documented in The Young and Old Puritans of Hatfield by Mary P. Wells Smith, Boston (1900).
1/Smith, Mary P. Wells. The Young and Old Puritans of Hatfield. Boston (1900), p. 37.
2/Wells Smith notes that on the evening before the attack six Mohawk warriors with two captive women (presumably taken in a raid on another tribe) requested food and shelter at the gates and were allowed to sleep outside the Hatfield fort on the condition that they would be gone at dawn. In hindsight these Indians were seen as advance scouts for the main raiding party .
"Leadership Education and Character Development Through Historical Scholarship"