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Subject: [GM-L] AMES, JACOB Last Man Killed by an Indian - 1744 Groton, MA
Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 23:21:33 EDT

Subject: Jacob AMES
Source: Groton Historical Series by Dr. Samuel A. Green Vol 3 1893


My note: Dr. Green denies the truth of the inscription on a monument
by the wayside. This was in 1893. And he outlines his reasons for
the error made. Looking thru Caleb Butler's History of Groton, 1848,
I found a long report on the 1744 killing of Jacob Ames by the Indian!


p.168 - Dr. Samuel A. Green's report:

A wayside monument standing on the westerly side of the Nashua River,
near Primus Hill on the easterly side of the highway to Pepperell, per-
haps a hundred rods from the Great Road between Groton and Townsend (MA).
The inscription is as follows:

"Near this spot Jacob Ames was killed in 1744*
who was the last white man murdered by the
Indians in this vicinity."

The truth of the matter is this: More than a hundred and fifty years
ago (speaking from the date of his 1893 book), John Ames lived in the
northwesterly part of the town of Groton, near the banks of the Nashua
River, a short distance below the present Hollingsworth paper-mills.

His dwelling was used as a garrison against the threatened assaults of
the Indians; but it has long since disappeared, though the old cellar
hole still remains. This house was attacked on Thursday, July 9, 1724
and in the assault John Ames was killed; and his death and the date
were duly entered in the Groton Town records. During the next autumn
Jacob Ames a son of John, petitioned the General Court of the Province
setting forth the fact that he killed one of the assaulting party, and
asking for an allowance from the public treasury, besides the customary
bounty, for his serice.

There is now no evidence to show that after
this date any white person was ever killed by the Indians in the neigh-
borhood of Groton. Certainly there was none killed in the year 1744*
as at that time there were no incursions by the enemy in this vicinity.
On April 12, 1753, this part of Groton became a District, which took
the name of Pepperell and subsequently was made a Town.

The following petition is found in the printed Journal of the Massachu-
setts House of Representatives (p.16) under date of Nov. 20, 1724, and
is sufficient authority for the main statements in the account just
given:

"A petition of Jacob Ames, shewing that he was one of the Weekly Scouts
near the Garrisons on the Westerly part of the Town of Groton; and on
the Ninth Day of July last, when it was the Petitioners Week to be on
Duty, a number of Indians appeared at the Garrison of the Petitioners
father, John Ames, and killed him at the gate, and then rushed violent-
ly into the garrison to surprize the People there. And the Petitioner
did with Courage and Resolution by himself defend the garrison and beat
off the Indians, slew one of them and scalped him; praying, that altho
it happened to be his Week to be on Duty, that this Court would take
the premises into their wise and serious consideration and grant what
other allowance more than the Establishment by Law, shall to them seem
meet, for his aforesaid Service. Read and in Answer to this Petition.
Resolved, that over and above the fifteen pounds due to the Petitioner
by Law, for recovering the said scalp, and the good services done this
Province thereby, the Sum of Fifteen Pounds be allowed and Paid out of
the Publick Treasury to the said Jacob Ames for his good service as
abovesaid. Sent up for Concurrence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

However, Caleb Butler in his History of Groton, beginning on p. 106
has this to say about Jacob Ames in 1744:

The three year's (or Lovewell'a War, closed in the winter or spring of
1726. From this time there was a general peace till 1744 when hostilities
between England and France and the frontier towns of New
England were once more in jeopardy from savage incursions. But the
settlements at this period had extended further northward and westward;
Groton was no longer a frontier town, and it is not supposed to have
suffered to any considerable extent, during this war. One man, however
by the name of Jacob Ames is said to have been killed about this time,
in the following manner.

An Indian had been seen for several days, lurking about the town, it
was conjectured, upon some ill design. Jacob Adams who lived on the
intervals on the west side of Nashua River, now owned (1848) by John
Boynton, Esq., went into his pasture to catch his horse. Discovering
the Indian he ran for his house; the Indian pursued and shot him as he
entered his gate. The dead body prevented the gate's closing as it
would otherwise have done (closed) of itself and the Indian pressed it
to enter the house where Ames had a son and daughter. The son seized
his gun, and shot at him as he entered the gate. The ball, striking
the latch of the door, split and one part of it wounded the Indian but
not severely. As the son attempted to close the door against the
enemy, afther the shot, the Indian thrust his foot in and prevented.
The son called to his sister to bring his father's gun from the bed-
side and at the same time striking the Indian's foot with the breach
of his gun, compelled him to withdraw it and closed the door. While
the Indian was in the act of reloading his gun, the young man found
means to shoot through a crevice and killed him. Two men, at work
about a mile distant in a mill, Ezra and Benjamin Farnsworth, hearing
the reports of the guns and suspecting the cause thereof, were soon
at the place and found the bodies of Jacob Ames and the Indian both
weltering in their blood. This is the last man killed by an Indian
within the bounds of Groton.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Material gathered and transcribed by Janice Farnsworth

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