In the early years of British Colonial America, the colonists were up against many obstacles -- finding fertile land, surviving harsh New England winters, building towns from scratch, and especially making peace with the local indigenous populations. The adversity they faced required a lot of tenacity, and my 7th great grandmother, Esther (Bobbett) Paul, survived it all.
Mrs. Mary Prudence Smith, The young Puritans in King Philip's war, Boston (Little, Brown and company) 1898; pdf, Library of Congress (www.loc.gov/item/98001083/ : accessed 28 Nov 2021).
Week 48: Strength
Esther was born 15 April 1669 in Taunton, Massachusetts to my 8th great grandparents, Sarah Tarne and Edward Bobbett, who were married 7 September 1654 in Boston. Taunton is one of the oldest towns in the United States. It was founded by members of the Plymouth Colony in 1637 and officially incorporated into a town two years later. Many of the settlers had originated from Taunton in Somerset, England, hence the name, but prior to its founding, the Native Americans called the region Cohannet, Tetiquet, and Titicut. The English bought the land from the Nemasket Indians as part of the Tetiquet Purchase, and the other remaining native families relocated. This is about when Edward Bobbett arrived to the colonies.
The Bobbetts lived a good distance from the garrison stockade of Taunton Green, near the Taunton River west of Plymouth, on land that is now known as Berkley and was thought to be previously frequented by indigenous tribes, due to the large quantities of Indian relics found strewn about the farm. This fact turned dangerous, as the uprising of the native populations approached (also referred to as King Philip’s War). Their location in the wilderness where Esther and all of her siblings had been born and reared, was no longer safe, and they were warned of imminent hostilities on June 25th, 1675. The Bobbetts were forced to take refuge in the garrison at Taunton -- their new stronghold.
Darley, The King Philip War - A Raid On The Settlers, engraving, The Providence Plantations for 250 Years, Welcome Arnold Greene, 1886; database with images, WikiCommons (https://commons.wikimedia.org : accessed 28 Nov 2021).
According to legend, Edward made a return trip, along with the family dog, to their home to secure a necessary article (a cheese hoop, as the story goes). He believed the canine would perhaps give some early alert, should prowlers approach him in secret. However, after securing the article and heading back to the fort, he became aware of his pursuit by Indians.
Edward climbed into a tree and likely would have remained hidden had it not been for his trusty pup, sadly disclosing his location. The aggressors took Edward’s life on the spot. It is thought, when he didn’t return to the fort, his search party buried him right where he was found, as the body had been mutilated. A stone was set there, about a half mile from Berkley Bridge (now at the address of 694 Berkley St.) that read --
Edward Bobbett
Kld June, 1675.
Tim Edney, 100_6382, photo of Edward Bobet headstone on display at the Old Colony Historical Society in Taunton MA, 11 Feb 2014, Taunton, Massachusetts; database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/2869533/person/-1791151631/media/4365face-f20d-4511-8a32-3d6f23e1367a?_phsrc=gIT689&usePUBJs=true : accessed 28 Nov 2021).
Years later, the old headstone had been placed on a stone wall nearby. It is now held at the Old Colony History Museum on the Church Green in Taunton (formerly referred to as Historical Hall). In 1911, funds were raised by descendants of the Bobbetts spanning North America to erect a bronze memorial tablet at the gravesite in its place.
Tim Edney, 100_6472, photo of memorial marker identifying the location where Edward Bobet was killed by the Indians and later buried nearby, 11 Feb 2014, Berkley, Massachusetts; database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/2869533/person/-1791151631/media/49f88500-ca52-4aec-878f-01828e34644d?_phsrc=gIT689&usePUBJs=true : accessed 28 Nov 2021).
My 7th great grandmother, Esther, had to have been of very strong will to continue on after the horrendous way in which she lost her father. She was only six years of age at the time of the raid and would spend the next couple years still at war with the local tribes. Her eldest brother Edward (certainly named for his father) would go on to marry Abigail Tisdale, daughter of John and Sarah (Walker) Tisdale. Abigail’s father was also slain by Indians just two days after Edward Bobbett, Sr. had been. She was only 15 and orphaned the following year when her mom passed away. She and Esther both held their strength into an advanced age, Abigail passing away in her 70s and my ancestor Esther making it into her 80s.
Thank you, Anna! It's so fun capturing all of the intriguing stories.
Loved reading about your ancestors! Quite interesting.