by guest blogger, Tom Tufts
I hope my Great-Grandfather forgives me. James Arthur Tufts
I was a professor of English at Phillips Exeter Academy for 50 years and on
local library boards to prevent Henry Tufts's book from being bought for the
public to read. Henry was not an ancestor of mine and his book is what I call
barely historical fiction. It tells the tale of his life of criminal activities
and “sufferings”. Titled;
A Narrative of the Life, Adventures, Travels
and Sufferings of Henry Tufts, Now Residing at Lemington, in the District of
Maine, in Substance, as Compiled from His Own Mouth. The printing shop that originally printed it
was burned down on account of it but later it was edited and released by
Edmund Lester Pearson in 1930 and in 1993 with an extensive introduction by Neal Keating. It is available occasionally today from online
sources. Some stated it was really written with Thomas Tash, a revolutionary
hero and neighbor of Henry’s in Lee NH.
The story contains
narrative of his first exploits stealing fruit from a neighbor’s orchard as a
child and continues stealing whenever he needed throughout his life. He seemed
proud of it, stole from his own family and found fault with those who would not
lock things up. He fathered children with several women, even marrying them
without leaving his previous wife. He joined the army and deserted when he got
bored. After a time this all caught up with him and he often was jailed but
prided himself with his ability to escape jails including Exeter, Dover, and in
Maine and Massachusetts. He even was committed to death for offenses in
Massachusetts and only was reprieved at the last moment and sent to the Castle
prison in Boston. He later was moved to Salem where he escaped the last time
fleeing to Maine where his wife and their children had established homes. He
had spent time living with the Abenaki Indians to recover from an illness and
learned the Indian method of medicine from Molly Ockett which he later
performed for many others, perhaps making up for his many disgraces.
That is the short version. It barely details the full story. A quick
internet search will bring up results for many books and articles where the
book is mentioned. It is not bad if you look at it as entertainment or for a
look into what life was like in the colonial era. The book Landmarks in Ancient Dover, New Hampshire by Mary Thompson
describes him in her description of the Lee/Durham boundary line which ran
through their farm. Notable Events in the
History of Dover New Hampshire From the First Settlement in 1623 to 1865
by George Wadleigh is another. The full review of his book which I prefer
appears in Harper's new monthly magazine Volume
76, Issues 451-456. This review by Thomas Wentworth Higginson really describes
it better than I could. He details many of his exploits stealing horses and
travelling the continent.
I would rather tell the story of the true Tufts family that is filled
with leaders in many fields. They were teachers, preachers, soldiers, and
farmers, and all respectable members of society. The book itself describes the
family as Boston “Brahmin”. Most of us can trace our roots to Henry’s great-great-
grandfather Peter Tufts who came to Charlestown Massachusetts from Norfolk
County England around 1638. Henry’s grandfather was a respected Harvard
educated preacher and his cousin Lieutenant Thomas Tufts of Greenland NH was
one of the New Hampshire Militia in the siege of Louisburg Nova Scotia in 1745
and died from illness acquired there. Colonel Henry Tufts, no direct relation,
and of a much later date was the first head of the US Army Criminal
Investigation Division. Descendents of his family and his father’s family were
early settlers of the Farmington NH area and Limington ME. I expect to greet
many of them at the annual reunion in Middleton NH this month. There are many
patriots and civic leaders in the families even today. A Dennis Robinson of
seacoastnh.com recently reviewed the book with no reference to respectable
Tufts. The best reference for this family is
Tufts Kinsmen by Herbert Adams and the Tufts Kinsmen Association
(2010 and earlier editions). It can be obtained by e-mailing
tuftskinsmenbook@gmail.com
For more information:
A Narrative of the Life, Adventures, Travels and Sufferings of Henry Tufts, now residing at Lemington, in the District of Maine, by Henry Tufts, printed by Samuel Bragg, 1807 (the original book can be seen at the Essex Institute, Salem, Massachusetts and at the New York Public Library) 1993 reprint available.
Genealogy:
Generation 1) Peter Tufts (1617 - 1700) m. Mary Pierce
Generation 2) Thomas Tufts (1883 - 1733) m. Mary Lynde
Generation 3) Henry Tufts (1716 - 1780) m. Mary Wedgewood
Generation 4) Henry Tufts was born 24 June 1748 in Newmarket, New Hamphsire, and died 31 January 1831 in Limerick, Maine. He was married about 1770 in Durham, New Hampshire to Lydia Bickford, daughter of Joseph Bickford and Margery Unknown. In the Tufts Kinsman he is listed as "vagabond, soldier AR, Indian doctor".
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Copyright 2012 Heather Wilkinson Rojo and Tom Tufts
