Dear Editor,
Thank you to
Walter Lunt for the wonderful informative article: Chief “Polin-Sebagoland’s
Wabanaki freedom fighter.” As I read the article a name stuck out as familiar
from my family tree’s history. It was the Ezra Brown, who was shot and killed
by chief Polin May, 1756; Chief Polin being shot and killed soon thereafter.
My fourth great
grandfather Eleazer Chase was of Windham and alternately also shown as from New
Marblehead. Eleazer’s second wife was Mary Brown, widow of Ezra Brown. Eleazer’s
first wife was Janet Elder, also shown as from New Marblehead/Windham. Eleazer
and Janet are my ancestors.
From the book,
“History of Buckfield” on page 559, Eleazer Chase married Mary Brown soon after
her husband was killed in an Indian raid. Janet Elder had passed away just
before this time. I never knew it was actually Chief Polin himself who was
responsible for the deadly raid and was himself killed in the same skirmish.
Eleazer Chase had
moved to Windham from Massachusetts specifically as a soldier to defend the
Windham garrison, already being well known as a scout and a bounty hunter,
infamous for retaliatory raids against the Native Americans.
My third great
grandfather Isaac Chase (Eleazer and Janet Elder Chase’s son) married Lois
Smith, whose mother was well known as half Abenaki from North Massachusetts.
For a period of time Eleazer, the infamous American Indian fighter, lived in
the same log cabin in Windham with his son Isaac and his wife Lois, well known for
American Indian blood.
This certainly
shows how complicated relationships and alliances were. Both Isaac Chase and
his father Eleazer Chase fought in the Revolutionary War; Eleazer way past the
age when it could have possibly been required of him. Eleazer was also a
veteran of the French and Indian war.
Thank you again
for the fascinating article,
John A Dow
Windham, Maine
No comments:
Post a Comment