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Saturday, October 22, 2011

Daniel Belden and the Deerfield Massacre

William Beldon (1609-1655) was born in Heptonstall Parish, Yorkshire, England. He settled in Wethersfield in the Colony of Connecticut in 1641. (Wethersfield is just south of Hartford.)

William Beldon married Thomasine Sherwood (1615-1655) and they had the following children.
  1. Samuel Beldon (1647-1737)
  2. Daniel Belden (Belding) (1648-1732)
  3. John Belden (1650-1713)
  4. Susannah Beldon (1651-1706)
  5. Mary Beldon (1653-1724)
  6. Nathaniel Beldon (1654- )
I descend from John Beldon (1659-1713) and his wife Ruth Hale Hayes (1646-1700). But this is a story about his brother, Daniel Beldon (sometimes known as Daniel Belding).

Daniel Beldon married Elizabeth Foot (1654-1696) and they eventually settled in Deerfield in the Colony of Massachusetts. Deerfield is in the western part of the colony (see map) and in the 1690s it was at the leading edge of the western settlements in the colony. This was a time when England was fighting a war against France (The War of the Grand Alliance). In the Americas it became one of the French and Indian Wars known as King William's War (1688-1697). (King William and Queen Mary were very popular British monarchs.)

At the time, the Mohawks (one of the Iroquois tribes) were allied with the French who occupied New France. On September 16, 1696 a band of Mohawks raided the Belden homestead killing Elizabeth Foot and three children: Thankful (one year old), John (four years old), and Daniel (16 years old). Samuel (nine years old) and Abagail (11 years old) were wounded. Another child, Sarah, escaped death or capture by hiding in the barn.

"Sept. 16, 1696. The Indians came along from up Green River to the town, and assaulted Mr. Daniel Belden's house; took Mr. Belden, his son Nathaniel and daughter Esther captive, killed his wife and three children, and wounded Samuel and Abigail, but they recovered, altho' Samuel had a hatchet stuck in his head, and some of his brains came out at his wound. Samuel was born Apr. 10, 1687.

"The Indians making an Assault upon Deerfield, in this Present War, they struck a Hatchet some Inches into the Skull of a Boy there, even so deep that the Boy felt the force of a Wrench used by 'em to get it out. There he lay a long while Weltering in his Blood; they found him, they Dress'd him' considerable Quantities of his Brain came out from time to time when they opened the Wound; yet the Lad recovered, and is now a Living Monument of the Power and Goodness of God." [Belden]
Daniel Beldon, his son Nathaniel (21 years old), and his daughter Hester (13 years old) were captured and taken north to Caughnawaga just across the St. Lawrence river from Montreal. (Now called Kahnawake.) Nathaniel was sold to the French in Montreal while Daniel and Hester remained in the Mohawk village.

DANIEL and his daughter were at first kept by the Indians. Later he was sold "...& lived as a servant with the jesuits at the Seminary; his business was to wait upon them & cutt wood, make fires & tend the garden &c. He accounted himself favorably dealt with." NATHANIEL "worked for the Holy Sisters." After Ryswick, "the Dutch Gentlemen" gathered up what captives...they could and returned june 8 & took Mr. B. and his xdren and Martin Smith...& arrived in Albany in about 15 days." There Belding and his children were clothed at the expense of his brother who lived in Norwalk. They returned to Deerfield by way of New York and Connecticut ...[Belden]
On his return to Deerfield, Daniel Belden married Hepzibah Buell (1650-1704). (Married on Feb. 17, 1698.)

On Feb. 29, 1704 Indians attacked the Beldon farm and killed Hepzibah. Daniel's daughter Sarah (1681-1759) was among the people captured in that raid and taken to Canada. (This was part of the renewed war in Europe—The War of the Spanish Successsion. Marborough's victory at Blenheim was on Aug. 2, 1704.)

Daniel then married Sarah Hawkes (1657-1751) and spent the rest of his life in Deerfield, fighting off another Indian raid in 1709.


26 comments :

Barry said...

Larry, I used to live in Heptonstall before I moved to the US. If you haven't visited then you should try if you travel to the UK. It's a beautiful place...if a little "gentrified" now.

@mankinholes

Anonymous said...

I just found out that I descend from Daniel Belden and Elizabeth Belden (through their son William). What a tragic story.

Hatte said...

Me too, I descend through their daughter Sarah who was taken captive later in 1704 with her husband, Benjamin Burt. Their son, Seaborn, my ancestor, was born on the voyage home from Canada in 1706. His daughter, Thankful Burt Folliett is my ancestor.

Earthystuff said...

Wow. Daniel and Elizabeth were my 7th grands and the living Hester whom married Ephraim Clark My 6th grands. Pretty wild to know some of the sum of people it took just to make ME and some of the hardships they survived.

Grandma & Pop-pop said...

The map shows the location of Deerfield, Vermont. Deerfield, Mass., where Daniel Belding lived, is quite a substantial distance down the Connecticut River. I am descended from Daniel Belding's third wife, Sarah (Hawks) Mattoon Belding, by her first husband Philip Mattoon.

Unknown said...

Larry - Your story is excellent and I'd like to copy it with your permission for family members to see. I'm related through Elizabeth Foote. Her grandfather, Nathaniel Foote Sr is my 8th great-grandfather so that makes me Elizabeth's first cousin, eight removed.

Let me know about permissions,

David Sadler

Unknown said...

Hello, I am also descended from Daniel and Elizabeth through their son William (via his son Daniel). There is a fairly extensive tree of Beldens on geni.com, should anyone be interested: http://www.geni.com/family-tree/index/6000000002447016779

Unknown said...

This is great historical story and as Daniel Belden is my husband's 8th Great Grandfather through his daughter Esther Belden. It is the stories that make the history come alive. Thank you.
Suzy Burlock

Unknown said...

I am also a descendant of Daniel and Elizabeth through Hester and therefore a Deerfield Descendent. If you have never visited Deerfield, please do. They have many programs and a summer descendant's reunion etc. The village has been kept as sort of a low key Williamsburg ...very nice to visit and see even the route to Canada if you are so inclined.

Unknown said...

I also descend through Hester/Ester who married Ephraim Clark...hi cousin!!

cb said...

I am a direct descendant as well. I have a family tree, somewhere, and will have to replicate it through Ancestry.com

Looking Foreward said...

I am a descendant of Daniel and Elizabeth's daughter, Hester, who survived kidnapping by the Mohawk attack in Deerfield of 1696. On another branch of that line, an ancestor was a member of the Abenaki tribe who this time joined the Mohawk and French in the 1704 attack. I suppose there are always two sides to any story.

WTETW said...

Thanks for the interesting story about one of my 9th great grandfathers!

Unknown said...

hello my name is sucora ,Daniel Belden is my 10th great grandfather I hope to connect with any of you on the family lineage on hope we can help eachother out to dig up more info on our family lineage mine goes from

Daniel Belden to his daughter sarah foot Belden had a son named Christopher burt had a son named Samuel burt had a son named Benjamin franklin burt had a daughter named Hannah burt she had a daughter named Lucinda bennett Hart had a daughter named Anna hart married Charles Brown it has been told though out my family the hart, and brown have native American blood in the Lineage ? if anyone can help please send me a email at sucora2009@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Daniel Belden was my 11X great grandfather.

Anonymous said...

My branch followed the one you named right down to Samuel’s son Ben F’s kids.... my branch came down to me through Hannah’s brother Ben F. Jr..

Unknown said...

I am also a descendant of Daniel and Elizabeth's daughter, Hester. I am interested in any details you have regarding what the other branch of that line is and how they are connected to the Abenaki tribe.

cb said...

I am also a descendent of Daniel Beldon. I still have the family name: Belding

Unknown said...

Daniel and Elizabeth are my 8th great grandparents. What a terrible history for the family. I’m descended from their son William. And then through Daniel.

It's almost summer said...

Thank you Mr. Moran for this post. Daniel & Elizabeth are my 7th Great Grandparents. Samuel, the little boy who thankfully recovered, is my 6th Great Grandfather. He married Anna Thomas, who died nine months later. He then married my 6th Great Grandmother Elizabeth Ingram (Ingraham). They had at least five children, one of whom, Elizabeth, is my 5th Great Grandmother. Without your post, I would not have otherwise known about this family history, so thank you again.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for posting this story! I am a descendant of Daniel and Elizabeth through their son Samuel (who survived a hatchet in the head). My line ended up in Dutchess county where I still resideWe--my mother's mother was a Belding. have visited Deerfield many times after stumbling on Wethersfield CT on vacation where Richard Belding and other family lines began in America. We love to visit that whole area whenever we can and always learn something new and interesting. After reading the stories of what my ancestors went through I remind myself to never complain about anything!

Unknown said...

I am a distant relative of Thankful Belden and Alexander Resseguie. Thankful is the child of Daniel Belden and Elizabeth Foote. I am related to their sone Timothy Resseguie. My grandmother’s maiden name was Laura Eleanor Resseguie. Her father and grandfather were also named William Resseguie. It was very common to name children after the parents and grandparents. You can read the genealogy of the Resseguie’s in The Resseguie Family book online or download for free from Google books. It only covers about 4 generations though.

Unknown said...

When I visited the museum there was a cloth banner hanging over the original plaque. It was placed there to have the language more politically accepted. I wonder if the original plaque is still installed there.

Mike R said...

I am a decedent of Hester Belden Clarke. It pains me to think of what she went through during her captivity for 2 years before being released. I am still angry at the French.

Anonymous said...

I also descend from Hester Belding, my 7th great-grandmother, down through the Clark family to the Harts who married into the Whittlesey's.

Anonymous said...

I am also descended from Hester Belding who married Ephraim Clark. My mother was a Clark. Interestingly Hezekiah Clark, grandson of Hester and Ephraim, fought in the Revolutionary War (and is listed as crossing the Delaware with Washington), them later married the granddaughter of Brig.-Gen. James Reed, who was at Bunker Hill, and moved the family to Quebec, where his ancestors had been captives. The ironies of history.