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Subject: Howe Captives, French & Indian Wars
Date: Wed, 23 May 2001 19:43:43 EDT

Howe Captives, French & Indian Wars

New England Families Genealogical and Memorial: Third Series, Volume IV

Caleb Howe, third son of Nehemiah and Mary (Willard) Howe, was born December
3, 1723, in Sudbury, and removed with his father to Westmoreland, New
Hampshire, where he was elected town clerk, March 31, 1752. Soon after he
removed to Vernon, Vermont, which was formerly a part of the town of
Hinsdale, New Hampshire. He married Jemima, daughter of the Josiah Sartwell
or Sawtelle, who built the old fort bearing his name in Vernon, Vermont, in
1739.

In company with two others, Hezekiah Grout and Benjamin Garfield, Caleb Howe
was engaged in hoeing corn in June, 1755, in the meadow on the east side of
the Connecticut river and started on the night of June 27 of that year to
return to Bridgman's Fort on the Connecticut river, just below Fort Sartwell.

They were attacked by twelve Indians in ambush, and Howe, who had two young
lads on the horse with him, was brought to the ground by a shot in his thigh.
They also pierced him with spears and tore off his scalp. The next morning he
was found by a party from Fort Hinsdale still living, and was carried to the
fort where he died.

Grout escaped unhurt, and Garfield was drowned while trying to escape. The
Indians took the wives of these three men, Jemima Howe, Submit Grout and
Eunice Garfield, a child of Garfield, three children of Grout, and seven
children of Mrs. Howe, the eldest of the latter being eleven years old, and
the youngest six months. The two eldest were children by her first husband,
William Phipps, who was also slain, July 5, 1743, by Indians.

The Indians plundered and fired the fort. After camping one night six Indians
returned to the fort to do more destruction. The next morning they started on
the long journey to Canada, and sold their captives in Montreal. Mrs. Howe's
youngest daughter was given to Governor De Vaudreuil. Her baby was carried
off by a hunting party to Missiquoi, on Lake Champlain, where he died. Mrs.
Howe was kindly treated by the French and was finally ransomed and returned
home.

Her eldest daughter was taken to France and married a Frenchman; the other
children were scattered. Colonel Schuyler contributed two thousand seven
hundred livres to her ransom. He had been a prisoner at Montreal when she was
there. Her story has been told in various histories and she was known as the
"Fair Captive."

She married (third) Amos Tute, who died April 17, 1790, in his sixtieth year.
She died March 7, 1805, aged eighty-two. Her epitaph states: "Having passed
through more vicissitudes and endured more hardships than any of her
contemporaries."

No more can Savage foes annoy,
Nor aught her wide-spread fame destroy.


Her children by her first husband, William Phipps, were: Mary and Submit
Phipps. Children of Caleb and Jemima Howe: William, Moses, Squire, Caleb,
infant, died from exposure in Canada.

Moses Howe, son of Caleb and Jemima Howe, was born in 1749-50, and lived at
Vernon, Vermont, at the old homestead, after his return from captivity. His
children were: Elijah, Ebenezer, Samuel, Edwin and Adeline.

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