 |
The headstone and footstone of Josiah Littlefield
at the Webhannet Burial Ground, on the Post Road in Wells, Maine |
HERE LYES Ye BODY OF
Mr. JOSIAH LETTLEFIELD
AGED ABOUT 50 YEARs
DIED APRIL Ye 26th
1731
Josiah Littlefield is my 8th great grandfather. You can read my post about my Littlefield lineage
HERE.
Josiah was the son of John Littlefield and his wife Patience (maiden name unknown). He was born about 1662 in Wells, York County, Maine. His paternal grandparents were Edmund Littlefield and Annis Austin, immigrants from Titchfield, Hampshire, England. Josiah inherited his father's sawmill. There is a marker for this sawmill on the Post Road in Wells, by the Josias River (named in his honor).
Josiah's life in Maine was marked by terribly sad and violent relations with the native people. There were frequent raids and massacres on both sides. On 10 August 1707 his wife (my 8th great grandmother Lydia Masters) and son, John Jr., were killed by the Indians on their way to Boston. On 22 April 1708 Josiah was captured by the Indians and taken to Canada, and not released until April 1710 as part of a prisoner exchange. On 18 April 1713 he was killed while working in his fields.
After his death his eight children (three sons and five daughters) were adopted by Samuel and Elizabeth Cole, and their baptisms were recorded in the records of Wells, Maine. His second wife, Elizabeth Hilton, carried on a long feud with Joseph Winn, who had been in charge of Josiah Littlefield's estate during his captivity. She sued Joseph Winn in what was the longest litigation in colonial Maine history (but it left great records about the family! Yay!) Elizabeth Hilton Littlefield remarried in 1716 to Malachi Edwards, who had been her lawyer during the lawsuit.
The book The History of Wells and Kennebunk: From the earliest settlement to the year 1820, at which time Kennebunk was set off an incorporated , by Edward Emerson Bourne, 1875, has an account of Josiah Littlefield on pages 267 - 274. This book also has this letter written from Josiah to his children during his captivity:
"Dear and loving children, my kind love remembered to you all, and my kind love to my brother and sister, and my kind love to all my friends att Wells, and to Mr. Emery in particular, dasiaring of him prayers for me and for my children, hoping in God they are in good health as I am att this present writing, blessed be God for it.
Aprel the 23 I was taken by foer Indans, and may the 3 I arrived att nongonuay (Norridgewock), and from thence to caback (Quebec), and arrived at caback may the 26 and from thence to Moriel (Montreal), and arrived at Moriel June the 2, and now I have liberty granted to me to rite to my friends and to the governor, and for my redemtion and for Wheelrite’s child to be redeemed by two Indena prisoners that are with the English now, and I have been with the governor this morning and hee have promised that if our governor will send them that wee shall be redeemed, for the governor have sent a man to redeem Wheelrites child and do lookes for him in now every day with the child to Moriel where I am, and I would pray whilrite to be very brief in the matter, that we may come home before winter, for we must come by Albany, and I have allso aquainted our Gofnear dedly (Dudley) with the same, no more at present but remain yours to command."
For the truly curious:
LITTLEFIELD Surname Saturday:
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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Josiah Littlefield, d. 1713 Wells, Maine", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 12, 2022, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/07/josiah-littlefield-d-1713-wells-maine.html: accessed [access date]).
