Living in newly settled territories in the 1600s was not without danger. John Harris and his wife, Amy, were some of the early settlers of North Yarmouth, Maine after moving there from Charlestown, Massachusetts. That area of Maine, which is just north of Portland, was already known for raids by Native Americans. John became a victim.
Family member name: John HarrisYears of life: 1630 - 1695
Tree branch: Pearson
Places lived: Charlestown, MA; North Yarmouth, ME
Relation: My 8x great-grandfather (my dad's dad's mom's dad's mom's dad's dad's dad's dad's dad)
Yes, my 8x great-grandfather was captured by Native Americans in 1688 when he was about 58 years old. At that same occurrence, a prominent citizen named Capt. Walter Gendall was killed. Grandpa Harris was not the only one captured that day, it seems he was one of many.
Sources:
Relation: My 8x great-grandfather (my dad's dad's mom's dad's mom's dad's dad's dad's dad's dad)
See the highlighted section of the Harris Family portion of the book "Old Times in North Yarmouth, Maine".
What was it like to be captured? We don't know what it was like for Grandpa John. At that time, Native Americans killed the majority of their victims. Many were held for ransom or sold. But interestingly, many captives were adopted by the tribe. Adoption was practiced on a large scale by Native Americans in order to produce peace between the tribe and others. Part of the adoption ceremony stated "you are now one of us" and they were treated as family from then on. Several firsthand accounts of captured colonists relate that, when given the opportunity to return to their English family, they actually preferred to stay with their new Native American family.
We don't know if Grandpa John was ransomed, let go, escaped or rescued by force. We don't know how long he was in captivity (days? months?) or how much suffering it involved. But it is possible that his captivity with the Native Americans in Maine was not torturous, but instead peaceful.
Grandpa Harris passed away seven years later in Rowley, Massachusetts in March, 1695, which is 326 years ago this month.
Sources:
Book "Old Times in North Yarmouth, Maine" by Corliss
