1649–1698
BIRTH 1 NOV 1649 • Haverhill, Essex, Massachusetts, USA
DEATH 22 FEB 1698 • Haverhill, Essex, Massachusetts, USA
7th great-grandfather
I’ve found several stories regarding the danger of living in Colonial America. Samuel Ladd (my 7th great-grandfather) was killed by Indians. His lover and mother of his three illegitimate children, Elizabeth Emerson, was hung after she killed her twins. They were born on May 8, 1691, and killed on May 10, 1691. Maybe Elizabeth was suffering from postpartum depression. Samuel was married and had many children with his wife. There’s certainly a story there.
Elizabeth was hung died June 8, 1693. Samuel was killed by Indians on February 22, 1698. The only one left was my great aunt, Dorothy Emerson who was born on 10 April 1686. She was 5 when her mother was hung and 12 when her father was killed. I wonder who raised her after that?
In Colonial times Natives were captured as slaves. Colonists were captured and raised by Natives or given/sold to the French Canadians as slaves. We were not very nice to each other. We started out being relatively civil, but things eroded quickly into endless wars. We all lost. If we could have done this differently think how the world would be today? Hopefully, we’ll eventually learn and apologize and forgive one another.
Source Ladd family genealogy :
From the notes of John Ladd: hhttp://www.laddfamily.com/
He ad little schooling and spent his youth helping his father on the farm. Farming was his occupation for life. On his 18th birthday, his father gave him a farm which he operated, living at home until he married Martha Corliss on December 1, 1674. As a wedding present, his father built him a house, next to his own, in the village.
On February 22, 1698, Samuel Ladd and Jonathon Haynes, with their eldest sons, Daniel and Joseph, left to bring in hay from a meadow about 3 miles west of town. Both Daniel and Joseph were 20 years old. When returning they were surrounded by Indians and taken prisoner with no chance to defend themselves. Samuel and Jonathon were killed and the two boys were taken to an Indian village at Pencock and held captive.
Notes from Warren Ladd: He lived in the West Parish, and his house stood on the spot where the West Parish church now (1889) stands. Chase, in his History of Haverhill, says: “Feb 22d, 1698, this Samuel Ladd, with his son Daniel, and Jonathan Hanynes, with his son Joseph, who lived in the western part of the town, had started that morning with their teams, consisting of a yoke of oxen and a horse each, to bring home some hay which had been cut and stacked the preceding summer in their meadow in the extreme western part of the town.
While they were slowly returning, little dreaming of the present danger, they suddenly found themselves between two files of Indians, who had concealed themselves in the bushes on each side of their part. There were seven of them on each side, with guns presented and cocked, and the fathers seeing that it was impossible to escape begged for ‘quarter’. To which the Indians replied ‘boon quarter, boon quarter!’ (good quarter).
Young Ladd, who did not relish the idea of being quietly taken prisoner, told his father that he would mount the horse and endeavor to escape. But the old man forbade him to make the attempt, telling him it was better to risk remaining a prisoner. He cut his father’s horse loose, however, and giving it the lash the horse started off at full speed, and though repeatedly fired at by the Indians, succeeded in reaching home, and was the means of giving an immediate and general alarm. Two of the Indians then stepped behind the fathers and dealt them a heavy blow upon the head.
Mr. Haynes, who was quite aged, instantly fell, but Ladd did not. Another of the savages then stepped before the latter and raised his hatchet as if to strike. Ladd closed his eyes, expecting the blow would fall, but it came not, and when he again opened his eyes he saw the Indian laughing and mocking at his fears. Another immediately stepped behind him and felled him at a blow. The Indians, on being asked why they killed the old men, said they killed Haynes because he was so old he no go with us’, meaning that he was too aged and infirm to travel; and that they killed Ladd, who was a fierce, stern-looking man, because ‘he to sour’. They started for Penacook, where they arrived with the two boys.”
Notes from file: Samuel Ladd was the father of three children born out of wedlock to Elizabeth Emerson, the last two being twins.
Children:
Dorothy Emerson, b: 10 April 1686 in Haverhill, Essex Co., MA;
Infant Emerson, b: 08 May 1691 in Haverhill, Essex Co., MA, d: 10 May 1691 in Haverhill, Essex Co., MA;
Infant Emerson, b: 08 May 1691 in Haverhill, Essex Co., MA, d: 10 May 1691 in Haverhill, Essex Co., MA.
Elizabeth was subsequently hanged in the Boston Commons after having been convicted of killing her twins. There is no evidence that Samuel assumed any responsibility with respect to Elizabeth and the children.
Note for ELIZABETH EMERSON:
Elizabeth was the daughter of Michael Emerson and Hannah Webster. She was born January 26, 1665, in Haverhill, Essex County, Mass., and died June 8, 1693, in The Boston Common, Boston, Suffolk Co., Mass. The Records of the Court of assistants of the Massachusetts Bay, Volume I, has an excellent account of the charges and related information regarding Elezabeth Emerson.
The Diary of Cotton Mather also has an extended account.
