The following is a story based on facts, a historical interpretation told from Hannah's perspective. I hope you enjoy it.
A woman's work is never done - especially since my Mister died! I'm sorry you chose my cooking day to stop by cause I'm most busy, but I can take a few minutes to tell you a
little bit about myself!
Well, lets see, my Mister - his name was Nathaniel - and four of our boys came up here to God's country back in 1765 to see how the land looked. We'd lived in Salisbury and the land was all wore out down there. We couldn't even cut a tree on our own land without gettin' permission from the town fathers. So when we found out about this land the Kennebec Proprietors were offerin' up heah in the backcountry of Maine my Mister decided he wanted to look it ovah. Well, the menfolk liked what they saw - you will have to visit my boy
Nathaniel if you want to hear that story. He's quite a storyteller and he'd like your company too. My boys
Thomas and
William might be home too if you check in with them. They was all theah with my Mister when it happened.
Well, we moved up heah into this forsaken place. The land was all black from the great burn and bare as could be from all the cuttin' the boys done. Thank the good Lord my young'uns were all growed by that time, but my daughters-in-law - they didn't have it easy. Mrs. Nathaniel - well she had 11 to take care of, and Mrs. Thomas she had 10 and Mrs. William - well she had the most. 16 young'uns! This hill was crawlin' with Whicher kids for some years! Thank the goodness there were plenty of girls so my daughters-in-law had plenty of help. Twas so much for us womenfolk to do when we first moved up heah. The menfolk had to get the land cleared, the barns and our frame houses built, crops planted and harvested, ice cut for the ice house. My land - we didn't see em from sunrise to sunset. So, us womenfolk had to keep the home fires a burnin', take care of the young'uns, do all the washin' and cookin' and cleanin' and make soap and all that, and take care of the milkin' and animals besides. And I always stood watch for Indians every minute!
Now I am a gonna tell you a story that is hard for me to tell, but I think you ought to know about it! I got kidnapped by Indians when I was a young girl back durin' the French and Indian War, so I was always scared to death we'd get into Indians up here in the wilderness! I was knee high to a grasshopper when they snuck right onto our farm in Salisbury and took me all the way up to an encampment up here in Maine on Sandy River - my boys tell me that is where Farmington Falls is now. I thought it was awful pretty there - I could see the distant mountains from there, and the fertile intervales were somethin' to behold. The Indians raised corn there. There were mighty big trees and a quiet little winding river folks call the Sandy River now. I was made to work in the fields - I don't know for how long but it seemed like forever! I finally escaped - and I can't even tell you how or what happened I was so scared. But I made it back to Salisbury with my scalp still intact and married my Mister when I was only 16. Then I gave him 10 healthy young'uns and what did he do but drag me and our all our family up here into Indian country, and then he went and died on me in 1784. My oldest - Ben even went on up and settled right where those wretched Indians carried me to when I was a girl! I kind of blame Stephen Titcomb's wife for that! Titcombs were the first to settle up there in Sandy River Plantation - they call it Farmington now - and one time when Stephen and his wife and children were passin' through here, on their way home from Hallowell, a big snowstorm set in and they got stranded here in Readfield for four months til spring. The the men went on ahead on snowshoes but that Mrs. Titcomb and the young'uns stayed here and she filled everybody about how beautiful it was up in there on the Sandy River and about all the land there was. I personally think she was just lonesome and wanted other women folk around and a bunch of young'uns so she could get a school agoin' for hers, but I will never know for sure. Well, whatever she said to Benjamin worked and off he - and a whole lot of other Readfield folks - went to live in Sandy River Valley - right smack dab in the middle of where those cursed Indians carried me to when I was a girl! Who'd have ever thought somethin' like that could happen? Land to glory be what will I do? Thanks be I had my other boys when my Mister died and 37 of my grandkids livin' nearby cause they watched out for me!
I've been pretty lucky about my kids - bettah than some. I know where most of em are - even though Nathaniel is the only one who still lives near me. I lost my boy Abel durin' the great Rebellion and I was afeared I'd lose the others, but they all came home. I lost track of where my Marion went. She married that Sam Shaw and they don't stay in touch with me very good. William and Thomas even moved on. I never thought they would leave me. I'm not complainin' though. They are all good kids blessed be to God.
Well that's enough for now! Come back another time when I have the time to sit down and have a cup of tea with ye - if the Indians ain't carried me off, that is!
Children of Nathaniel and Hannah (Clough) Whittier:
1) Benjamin b.1736 d.1822 Farmington m.1755 Mary Joy
2) Mary b.1739 m. Porter Kimball
3) Ruth b.1741 d.1833 m.1761 David Brown
4)
Nathaniel b.1743 d.1798 Readfield m. Elizabeth Prescott
5) Hannah b.1744 d.1834 Palermo, ME m.1760 Edward Eastman
6) Sarah b.1746 d.1811 Winthrop, ME m.1778 Jonathan Whiting
7)
Thomas b.1747 d.1815 Searsmont, ME m.1781 Waitstill Bishop
8) Miriam b.1749 m. Samuel Shaw
9)
William b.1752 d.1814 Mt. Vernon, ME m.1774 Elizabeth Hankerson
10) Abel b.1754 d.1776 St. John, New Brunswick
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