In 1853 Spencer Chamberlain told his grandson about the naming of Chamberlain Lake and the clearing of Chamberlain farm.

Chamberlain Lake was mentioned in the first paragraph of a document titled, “Spencer Chamberlain’s Ancestors”. This document presented the best information available about his family when Alonzo C. Phillips wrote it. This undated document was mentioned in a letter from Alonzo Phillips to his Chamberlain cousins in Spencer Iowa. The letter was dated December 21, 1927, when Phillips was 81 years old.

Spencer Chamberlain lived with his daughter Jeanette Phillips and her children in Glover, Vermont in his last illness in 1853. Her son Alonzo Phillips (Spencer’s grandson) was then 8. The document he apparently wrote many years later is an intriguing puzzle from its beginning. The last sentence of the first paragraph clearly shows it was from the memory of Spencer Chamberlain:

“The first Chamberlain that landed in this country of the Spencer Chamberlain family located on the east coast of Maine in 1700. One of the boys went up north in Maine not far from Moosehead Lake on a shore of a rather large lake and put it on the map as Chamberlain Lake. There he cleared up a farm and to this day it is known as Chamberlain Farm. Nothing of any further note is attached to his memory, only the naming of the lake and farm.“¹

This is true. There is a Chamberlain Lake in the Northern Maine Woods. It is 14 miles long and 2 miles wide and covers almost 11,000 acres. Chamberlain Farm is located on the east shore of Chamberlain lake even today, (2017).

Who named Chamberlain Lake?

I searched the history of Chamberlain Lake but had no luck finding how the lake and farm got their names. However, Spencer Chamberlain’s comment to his grandson from the 1850s may hold the answer to that mystery.

A land survey in the Allagash waterway of northern Maine was conducted from 1825 to 1833. They ran a monument line south of Apmoojenegamook Lake, (the lake’s original Indian name). This formed a base line for laying out townships to the north.²  When George W. Coffin published his map in 1835 the lake was labeled “Apmoojenegamook or Chamberlin L.”. (The last few letters are unreadable due to a crease in the map).³ Someone had “put it on the map as Chamberlain Lake”. This is just as Spencer Chamberlain described it!

The earliest white settlers began settling in the Allagash area in about 1837. A number of dams and locks were constructed on the Allagash River and various lakes beginning in 1841. These were built to facilitate the movement of lumber from the woods of northern Maine to the mills in Banger. Ebenezer S. Coe built Chamberlain Farm halfway up the eastern shore of Chamberlain Lake in 1846. The farm provided a source of hay and oats for workhorses, and winter vegetables for lumber crews. It also served as a lumbering depot on Chamberlain Lake.⁴

The Chamberlain who named the Lake was likely a prominent member of the survey crew that was working in the area some twenty years earlier. The survey took eight years. It seems reasonable that this work crew would also need a headquarters and a farm to feed its men and horses while they were working in the wilderness. Spencer said that “one of the (Chamberlain) boys” went up north, “cleared a farm and to this day it is known as Chamberlain Farm.” Eban Coe expanded that farm in 1846 to meet the needs of the lumber industry and kept the name.

Chamberlains settled on the east coast of Maine

Spencer believed that the first of his Chamberlain family line who landed in this country “located on the east coast of Maine in 1700.” This is not exactly correct, because Thomas and William Chamberlain arrived in Virginia in 1635 and re-located to Massachusetts in 1644. Our family’s Y-DNA test results prove that our paternal line through Spencer Chamberlain goes back to one of the Thomas, Edmond or William Chamberlain brothers.

Therefore, to find the time and location of the earliest Chamberlain settlements in Maine, I searched genealogical birth, marriage and death dates and locations.  I found settlements in Lebanon 1751, Hallowell 1767, and Brewer 1793. None of these were satisfactory because they were much later than Spencer’s description and more important, they were not on the coast.

Then I found a Chamberlain settlement in Rye, New Hampshire. It is right on the coast adjacent to the New Hampshire-Maine border. All the early births were recorded in Rye, New Hampshire, but by the 1800s it was evident that the majority of the family lived in York County Maine, just across the river. This is the first Chamberlain family to locate on the east coast of Maine. They located there sometime between 1701 and 1704.

William Chamberlain, of Woburn Massachusetts was the son of the William Chamberlain who emigrated from England. He married Deliverance Ferguson and they had four children. Their third child, Sarah, was born about 1701 in Cambridge Massachusetts. Their fourth child, William, was born in Rye, Rockingham, New Hampshire in 1704.

William Chamberlain (the third) married Mary Rand in Rye, New Hampshire 7 Nov. 1729. They had six children, Lydia, Samuel, William, Mary, John and Thomas. William, John and Thomas died in Pepperelboro, York County, Maine in 1812, 1832, and 1798 respectively. Samuel died in Augusta, Kennebec, Maine in 1811. It is possible that a son or grandson of one of these brothers worked on the survey crew between 1825 and 1833, cleared a farm and literally put Chamberlain Lake on the map.

It is believed that Spencer Chamberlain was born about 1786 in Westmoreland, NH. There is no evidence that William (3rd) or any of his sons came to Westmoreland, nor that they are direct ancestors of Spencer Chamberlain. However, Thomas Chamberlain, who was one of the early settlers of Westmoreland, was a nephew of William Jr, the first Chamberlain to settle on the east coast of New Hampshire and Maine.

Thomas apparently lived in Rye Rockingham, NH for a while when he was a child. Records show his younger brother was born there. Therefore, it is likely that Thomas and his parents Daniel and Mary, were among the first Chamberlains who, Spencer Chamberlain said, “located on the east coast of Maine”. Daniel and his brother William may have moved there together with their wives and children to Rye, Rockingham, New Hampshire in 1703 or 1704. Daniel’s family, however, moved back to Billerica between 1708 and 1712 by the time Thomas was nine years old.

Some of Thomas’ family returned and settled in Maine before 1810. Therefore, it is possible that members of his family were the ones who cleared the farm and named the lake.

Family Line of William Chamberlain, Jr.,⁵ (Son of the William Chamberlain who came to America)

William Chamberlain, b. 3 March 1652, Woburn, Middlesex MA, d. 20 Jan. 1734, Lexington MA. Deliverance Ferguson, b. about 1656, Woburn, Middlesex, MA. d. unknown. William and Deliverance m. 20 December 1698. Children:

1- “Child” Chamberlain, b. about 1699 Lexington, MA, d 1703 Lexington, MA.
2- Rebecca Chamberlain, b 1700 Billerica, Middlesex, MA, d. unknown.
3- Sarah Chamberlain, b. about 1701, Cambridge, MA, d. unknown
4- William Chamberlain, b. 1704 Rye, Rockingham, NH. d. 3 June 1781.

William Chamberlain b. 1704 Rye, NH, Married Mary Rand b. 3 Oct 1709, Charleston, Boston, Suffolk, MA., d. 5 May 1753, Hampton Rockingham NH. Children:

1- Lydia Chamberlain, b. 3 April 1738, Rye, Maine, d. unknown.
2- Samuel Chamberlain, b. 18 August 1740, Rye, Rockingham, NH., d.1811, Augusta, Kennebec, Maine.
3- William Chamberlain, b. 17 May 1743, Rye, Rockingham, NH., d. Pepperelboro, York, Maine.
4- Mary Chamberlain, b. 20 July 1746, Rye, Rockingham, NH., d. 1819.
5- John Chamberlain, b. 14 July 1749, Rye Rockingham, NH., d. after 1832, Pepperelboro, York Maine.
6-Thomas Chamberlain, 15 October 1752, Rye Rockingham, NH., d. 1798 Pepperelboro, York, Maine.

Daniel Chamberlain⁶

Daniel Chamberlain b. 27 Sept 1671 Billerica Middlesex, Massachusetts f. William Chamberlain, m. Rebecca Addington, d. 22 November, 1725, Billerica, Middlesex Massachusetts; m. 1694 Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts to Mary Swain 1673-1713.

Children of Daniel Chamberlain and Mary Swain⁶

1- Isaac Chamberlain b. 3 Aug. 1695, Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts.
2- Ebenezer Chamberlain b. 5 September 1698, Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts.⁶
3- Ephraim Chamberlain b. 16 January 1701, Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts.
4- Thomas Chamberlain b. 9 August 1703, Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts.
5- Johnathan b. 21 February 1708, Rockingham, New Hampshire, d. 23 January 1790.
6- Mary Chamberlain b. 1712, Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts, m. 1 December 1732, Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts, to Johnathan Cram.
7- Dorothy b. 25 December 1713, Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts.

To be continued ….

 Chapter 10- The Chamberlain Families of Westmoreland

If you got this far, please click Goodbye or Table of Contents. This will simply tell me that someone looked at this post. Thank you! Dennis Chamberlain

© Dennis D. Chamberlain, The Chamberlain Story, 2017. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the written content of this site without express and written permission from the author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that  credit is given to Dennis D. Chamberlain and direction to  www.thechamberlainstory.com.

References:

1. Alonzo Chamberlain Phillips, Spencer Chamberlain’s Ancestors, Unpublished document held by Chamberlain family.
2. Dean B. Bennett, The Wilderness from Chamberlain Farm: A Story of Hope for the American Wild. Shearwater Books, Washington, London 2001, p. 54.
3. George W. Cowen, Plan of the Public Lands of the State of Maine, surveyed under the Instructions from the Commissioners and Agents of the States of Massachsetts (sic) and Maine. 1 August 1835.
4.  Dept. of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Allagash History, www.maine.gov
5. Familysearch.org, New Hampshire Births and Christenings, 1714-1904, & New Hampshire Marriages 1720-1920.
6. Familysearch.org

The son of Paugus seeks to avenge his father’s death

After the fight at Seco Pond, the Indians left Pequawket and went to Canada. There was peace for a time. John Chamberlain returned to his family, farm and mill on the Chamberlain homestead at Baddacook in Groton north of Brown Loaf Hill.¹ That fall, however, a son of Paugus came to Dunstable looking for Chamberlain to avenge his father’s death.^2,4  (Butler’s account says he went to Dunstable which really makes sense. Apparently, the Indian would learn there that Chamberlain lived in Groton).

The son of Paugus went to a neighbor in the village with some pretended business that his design might not be discovered. The man thought the Indian resembled the old chief and therefore suspecting his errand. He went directly to the mill and told Chamberlain to look out for young Paugus. Chamberlain thanked the man and went right up to the house and got his gun and went back to the mill.

He took a stick and put his coat on it and then put his hat on top of it and stuck it up by the saw frame. Also, he cut a port-hole above the door so he could conceal himself and command the entrance to the mill. He had only gotten every thing ready when he saw the young Indian step out of the bushes at the edge of the mill pond.  When the Indian saw what he thought to be Chamberlain, he pulled up his gun and put a bullet through Chamberlain’s coat. The smoke from his gun had not passed away when a ball from Chamberlain’s gun pierced his heart, and with a savage yell he fell into the pond.^2,3

 

 

 

 

Fact or Fiction

There are several versions of this story and it is difficult to know fact from fiction. The above story is partially from my own family’s unpublished tradition, which I have modified with excerpts from Caleb Butler’s published edition which seems to be closest to reality. Historian Butler expresses this opinion regarding the story:

If ever young Paugus sought to avenge his father’s death, and it seems pretty evident, from tradition that he did, it was probably at Groton, where tradition places it, and the old dam, near School House No. 9, is said to have been the dam of Chamberlain’s mill and further, a deep hole in the brook, between the lands of Deacon Thomas Hutchins and Merick Lewis, is called “Paugus’ s Hole,” wherein it is said Chamberlain sunk his body after he had killed him.²

Land ownership of John Chamberlain

On May 31, 1727, Massachusetts granted the township of Suncook (now Pembroke NH) on the Merrimack River to sixty grantees who served in Lovewell’s expeditions. As a result, John Chamberlain received a tract of land granted “to the Officers and Soldiers lately in the service of the Province under the command of Capt. John Lovewell, deceased, and others, in an expedition to Pigwacket against the Indian enemy, and which shall hereafter acrue and fall to me as one of the soldiers under Capt. Lovewell.”¹

On January 5, 1729 John sold the Chamberlain homestead and mill at Baddacook to Samuel Woods, Sr., of Groton.¹

12 April 1729 John Chamberlain sold the land he had acquired in 1727 to Joseph Gilson of Groton for twenty pounds and ten shillings.

19 February 1730 He bought another farm at a place called the “Four Acres” in Groton from James Lakin.

John’s father-in-law, Thomas Woods of Groton, died and there was trouble settling the estate. On September 8, 1740, John Chamberlain and Amos Woods, two of the heirs, petitioned the Judge of Probate for Middlesex, to have Samuel Chamberlain, of Chelmsford, a gentleman, appointed administrator. A law suit followed.¹

20 April 1741 John Chamberlain deeded his farm to Samuel Chamberlain of Chelmsford, a gentleman.

20 August 1741 John’s wife Abigail, sold to the same Samuel Chamberlain and Josiah Sartel, of Groton, her share of her father’s estate, located on the north side of Brown Loaf Hill. George W. Chamberlain believes this Samuel Chamberlain is the uncle of Paugus John and the father of Souhegan John. He was also known as Captain Samuel Chamberlain, and is not the contemporary Lieutenant Samuel Chamberlain of Westford.¹

Children of Thomas Chamberlain II

Thomas Chamberlain  b. about 1639; d. 28 March or May 1727, (Grandfather of Paugus John). Sarah Proctor b. 12 October 1646 in Concord MA, d. 27 March 1727). Children of Thomas and Sarah (Proctor) Chamberlain (married 10 August 1666):⁵

1. 1. Thomas, b. 20 May 1667 Chelmsford MA; m. Elizabeth Heald
   2. Samuel, b. 11 Jan 1679, Chemlsford, MA
   3. Jane, b. 19 Nov 1682
   4. Elizabeth, b. 21 July 1685⁵

Children of Thomas Chamberlain III

Thomas Chamberlain b. 30 May 1667 Chelmsford MA; d. 11 May 1709. (Father of Paugus John).

Elizabeth Heald married Thomas Chamberlain 9 Jan 1690. She died at Groton 13 June 1699. Children of Thomas and Elizabeth (Heald) Chamberlain:

1. John, b. at Chelmsford 29 March 1692
2. Joseph, b. at Chelmsford 11 Oct 1693
3. Moses, b. at Chelmsford 3 July 1695 (twin)
4. Aaron, b. at Chelmsford 3 July 1695 (twin)
5. Gershom, b. at Chelmsford 18 October 1697; d. at Groton 29 March 1699
6. Sarah, b. at Groton 23 March or May 1699; d. 14 October 1699

Abigail Nutting  married Thomas Chamberlain 16 August 1699⁶, she was still living in Groton in 1718⁵. Children of Thomas Chamberlain and Abigail (Nutting) Chamberlain:

1. Elizabeth b. 26 May 1700; m. 25 June 1719 Jonathan, son of John Shattuck; lived in Groton until 1724 or 25, she was living in Pepperell, MA in 1738.
2. Abigail, b. 21 June 1701; m. 18 April 1723 to Thomas Woods son of Nathaniel Woods of Groton. Thomas Woods died at fight at Pequawket 8 May 1725.
3. Thomas, b. 3 February 1703; he had two daughters Azubah and Abia.
4. Jane, b. 2 February 1706
5. Mary, m. 9 April 1732 John Scott
6. Dorothy, m. February 1729 Nathaniel Lawrence son of Nathaniel and Anna Lawrence.
7. Sarah, b. 4 August 1709; m. James Shattuck.

Children of (Paugus) John Chamberlain

John Chamberlain b. Chelmsford, MA, 29 March 1692.

John Chamberlain married Abigail Woods, (daughter of Thomas and Abigail Woods of Groton), 13 October 1713).¹ Children of John and Abigail (Woods) Chamberlain:

1. 1. Elizabeth, b. 27 Oct., 1714; m. 23 March 1736, Jeremiah, son of Zachariah and Abigail Lawrence.
   2. Hannah, b. 18 January 1716.
   3. John Jr., b. 24 March 1720; m. 3 Dec. 1746 Rachel the daughter of Zachariah and Abigail Lawrence.
   4. Sarah, b. 27 April 1727.
   5. Abigail, b. 8 Jan. 1732
   6. Thomas, b. 2 Sept. 1735

Children of John Chamberlain, Jr.

John Chamberlain, Jr b. 24 March 1720; d. 17 March 1802.

Rachel Lawrence, daughter of Zechariah Lawrence and Abigail Parker, was born in 1727 and died 6 Oct. 1756, Groton MA).  John Chamberlain and Rachel (Lawrence) Chamberlain, married 3 Dec 1746. Their children were:

1. Rachel Chamberlain, b. 10 July 1747; bapt. 30 Aug 1747, Pepperell, MA; d. 13 Oct 1756, Pepperell, MA.
2. Abigail Chamberlain, b. 8 September 1749; bapt. 17 September 1749, Pepperell, MA; d. 17 March 1786, Groton, MA; 7 June 1770, Pepperell, MA, Edmond Shattuck, son of Benjamin and Dinah (Hunt) Shattuck.
3. John Chamberlain, b. 27 February 1752; bapt. 8 March 1752, Pepperell, MA, d. 30 Dec 1773*, Pepperell, MA. *(This death date would exclude this John Chamberlain as the father of Spencer Chamberlain, however, I have not yet been able to verify this date.)
4. Ede Chamberlain, b. 9 October 1754; bapt. 17 November 1754, Pepperell, MA. She was also known as Eda Chamberlain.⁷

Historic Monuments of Groton

As a High School senior project, Jonathan Pierce of Groton, Massachusetts photographed the historic monuments in Groton. He set up his own website. Some monuments were hard to locate, especially the John Chamberlain Mill location. Michelle Pierce and her son Jonathan finally found the monument and provided the correct photo for The Chamberlain Story. Here is the link to Jonathan’s website: www.grotonhistoricallandmarks.com.

Chapter 9- The Mystery of Chamberlain Lake 

Before he died in 1853, Spencer Chamberlain gave us clues that may help us find his ancestors, and information about the naming of Chamberlain Lake and the origin of Chamberlain Farm in Maine. Why was Chamberlain Farm cleared years before there were any white settlements and long before the logging industry came to the Allagash Wilderness?

If you got this far please go to “Table of Contents”, or click “Good Bye!” This will make my day to know that someone read my post. Thank you, Dennis Chamberlain

© Copyright Dennis D. Chamberlain, The Chamberlain Story, 2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the written content of this site without express and written permission from the author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that credit is given to Dennis D. Chamberlain and direction to  www.thechamberlainstory.com.

References:

1. George W. Chamberlain, John Chamberlain, The Indian Fighter a Pigwacket. Weymouth, Mass, 1898.
2. Caleb Butler, Paugus, son of Paugus & John Chamberlain of Groton, History of Groton, Massachusetts, 1848 p. 109
3. Alonzo Chamberlain Phillips, Spencer Chamberlain’s Ancestors, unpublished notes he as he remembers from his grandfather Spencer Chamberlain. About 1925.
4.  Samuel A. Green, M.D., Groton and the Indian Wars, Groton Mass. 1883.
5. George W. Chamberlain, One Branch of the Descendants of Thomas Chamberlain of Woburn, 1644, Weymouth, Mass., 1897.
6. The Chamberlain Family-The First Six Generations, http://www.babcockancestry.com/

 

Ten men return to Dunstable with terrible news

On May 11, 1725 the town of Dunstable was waiting for any hint of news coming from the forest. Twenty-six days ago 47 of their husbands, fathers, brothers and friends lead by Colonel Lovewell had headed into the deep woods to face Paugus, a chief of the Abanaki Indians at their central location at Pequawket.⁸

Abigail Chamberlain and her three children were among those anxiously waiting news of their men. Her husband John and her nineteen year old brother Thomas Woods were among the rangers.

Cries of anguish filled the night as ten men came from the forest into town with the terrible news. Colonel Lovewell and all the rest of the company had perished in an ambush, overwhelmed and out numbered by the Indians. John and Thomas and 30 others of Lovewell’s men did not return.

Benjamin Hassell was the only witness at the fight. He had ran from the scene of the battle about twenty-five miles to tell those stationed at the make-shift fort near Lake Ossipee. They all then made a hasty retreat to bring the bad news to the families waiting at Dunstable. That evening, Hassell prepared a note for the Governor dated May 11, 1725.⁸

At a debriefing on the morning of May 12, Hassell presented his note to Colonel Ebenezer Tyng. Tyng compiled a report and sent it with a horseman to Governor Dummer. The report arrived in Boston that afternoon.⁸

Eleven…no, fifteen more men return!

On May 13, grief and sorrow was blended with an measure of extreme joy as an unexpected band of eleven wounded and weary soldiers approached the town of Dunstable. They were alive! Eleven men from the middle of battle were home, and more were expected!

Two days later, four more men arrived in Dunstable including the hero and leader, Ensign Seth Wyman. Fifteen survivors of the fight had now returned. One man, Elias Barron, had gotten separated from the group and was unaccounted for. These men offered a more complete report of the battle, for Benjamin Hassell had run before the show was over.^4,8

Abigail Chamberlain was overjoyed to see her husband’s face, but wept as John gave her the tragic confirmation of the death of Thomas, her younger brother.

The survivors account of the fight

The Sunday Sermon of May 16, offered by the Reverend Thomas Symmes, was titled: Lovewell Lamented, or a Sermon occasion’d by the Fall of the Brave Capt. John Lovewell and Several of his Valiant Company, in the late Heroic Action at Piggwacket pronounced at Bradford, May 16 1725.⁵

The Rev. Symmes sermon gave an account of the fight of Saturday May 8, 1725 as he had heard it from the group of the survivors. He listed the names of the 33 men at the fight, and identified the dead and wounded. He purposely omitted the name of the one who left the battle scene early, saying: “Their names that made up this Company (excepting his that started from them in the beginning of the Battle, and ran back to the Fort, which I’d be excus’d from mentioning) were as follow.“⁴

On May 17, 1725 a small article about the fight and the loss of Captain Lovewell was published in The Boston News-Letter.⁵

Colonel Tyng leads mission of recovery, two more survivors return

On Monday, May 17. Colonel Tyng of the militia, on the order from Governor Dummer, gathered together men from the surrounding towns to go on a mission of destroy and recovery. Benjamin Hassell was ordered to go as a guide but claimed he was unable due to illness. One of the survivors who had just returned volunteered to go in his place.^3,5

Colonel Tyng found the battlefield with trees riddled with bullet holes. There they buried the bodies of twelve men including Captain Lovewell and Lt. Robbins. They found the body and identified Chief Paugus. The Indians had buried him before leaving.⁵

The four wounded men who had been left behind waited for the expected aid, but finally, weak and hungry, they struggled toward the fort.

Josiah Jones traveled down the Seco River surviving on cranberries which he said would come out of the holes in his body. He arrived half dead at Biddleford, Maine on May 23.

 Eleazer Davis made it to the fort and food, and arrived May 27 at Berwick, Maine.

Lieutenant Farwell and Chaplin Frye died alone in the woods.^3,8

The second published account of the battle appeared in The New-England Courant dated May 24, 1725. It did not mention Chief Paugus or any of the surviving English except for Wyatt about whom it states: “His Honour the Lieut. Governour has been pleased to grant a Captain’s Commission to Lieut. Wyman who distinguished himself with great courage and conduct during the whole engagement.”¹

The John Chamberlain/Paugus story

Early published documents did not mention John Chamberlain. This is very understandable. He was a private, a miller from Groton and likely not well known outside of his home town. Seth Wyman, on the other hand, was an instant and well deserved hero and leader by default. He took immediate command when Captain Lovewell and Lt. Robbins fell.

An early ballad, The Song of Lovewells Fight by an unknown author, was sung for many years in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. It’s lyrics stated that Seth Wyman “shot the old chief Paugus which did the foe defeat”¹. Wyman was the published hero of the Battle at Pequawket, so this should not be surprising. The author of the ballad may never have even heard of a Private by the name of John Chamberlain.

However, in 1799, seventy-four years later, a publication, for the first time reported that the duel was between Paugus and John Chamberlain. By 1883 the John Chamberlain tradition was well established and wide spread. Then, however, one-hundred and thirty-eight years after the event, the story began to have its critics.

In 1883, historian Samuel A. Green wrote, “An attempt has been made in modern times to take from Chamberlain the credit of killing the Indian chief, but the earlier records and traditions seem to confirm the story.”

Today’s critics

Today (2016), another one-hundred and thirty-tree years have passed, and again many contemporary writers express doubt about the John Chamberlain-Chief Paugus tradition. Their reasons mainly center on the ballad and the fact that the first published account of Chamberlain-Paugus duel came out in 1799, seventy-four years after the battle.

Most were quick to point out that all survivors of the battle had by then died and therefore unable to present a dispute.  As if, forty-three years after the death of John Chamberlain, someone might have a vested interest in rewriting history.

The information fueling their skepticism is nothing new. It has been around for over 200 years. What all of these internet historians fail to do, however, is to present any of the evidence that supports the Chamberlain-Paugus showdown.

They do not seem to understand that 18th Century spoken but unpublished tradition had the power to transcend generations. To their credit, Kayworth and Potvin acknowledged the George W. Chamberlain evidence and gave a fair review.

Citing its unpublished tradition, historian Samuel A. Green in 1883 wrote: “The story of Lovewell’s Fight was for a long time repeatedly told in this neighborhood, (Groton, Massachusetts), and there is scarcely a person who has not from early infancy heard the particulars of that eventful conflict….Of this little Spartan band, seven belonged in this town; and one of them, John Chamberlain by name, distinguished himself by killing the Indian leader.”⁵

George W. Chamberlain’s case for John Chamberlain

Genealogist George W. Chamberlain presented, in his 1898 publication, his case for the John Chamberlain-Chief Paugus tradition. He asked these questions regarding the ballad, of unknown authorship, which mentioned Wyman as the one who shot Paugus.

If Wyman shot Paugus:

1. 1. Why did not the old people ascribe to Wyman this fact?
   2. Why did not Wyman’s neighbors accord that act to their own townsman?
   3. And why did not Wyman’s widow in her petition to the General Court in 1726, in giving the particulars of her husband’s military record, refer to his Paugus combat if the ballad story were true?¹

George Chamberlain’s point, of course, is that there has never been any claim or tradition made by Wyman’s family nor his towns people that the ballad story is true.

Known as “Paugus John” during his life time

In 1846, the Reverend Stephen Thompson Allen delivered a historical address at the centennial anniversary of the town of Merrimack, New Hampshire. In this address he mentioned one of the early settlers of that town. His name, Captain John Chamberlain a provincial representative of Merrimack from 1756 to 1775. In 1734, this John Chamberlain owned land at “Souhegan Falls” and erected the first mills there.

In his address Mr. Allen says: “It is by many supposed that this Chamberlain is the same that killed Paugus, the Indian Chief in Lovewell’s fight. But such is not the fact. They were cousins, and from a descendant of the family I learn that to distinguish them from each other, one was called “Paugus John” and the other “Souhegan John”.¹

In other words, John Chamberlain was known as “Paugus John” Chamberlain during his lifetime! One cousin was known as “Souhegan John” Chamberlain and the other cousin was known as “Paugus John” Chamberlain!

The Reverend Allen certainly knew what he was talking about. The two Johns were indeed cousins. One was the son of Thomas^T3, the other the son of Samuel and both were grandsons of Thomas Chamberlain^T2. And all of the other facts Allen presented about the John from Souhegan are verifiable and true.

Also, the descendant of John from Souhegan certainly would know their family history as it relates to the battle at Pequawket, for Souhegan John was married to Hannah Farwell the daughter of Lieutenant Josiah Farwell, and her mother’s brother was Captain John Lovewell!

What makes this story 100% credible to me, is the fact that no one is trying to claim credit for anything. It is all about giving credit were credit is due.

History of Groton, 1848

Caleb Butler, after many years of research, published his History of Groton in 1848. Page 104 gives the story John Chamberlain and Paugus.

Some time in the day the gun of John Chamberlain, of Groton, becoming foul by continued firing, he undertook to wash and cleanse it at the pond. While in this act, he espied Paugus, whom he personally knew, performing the same process upon his gun at a small distance. A challenge was immediately given and accepted, each confiding in his own dexterity, and predicting the speedy fall of his antagonist. Chamberlain, trusting to the priming of his gun by a thump on the ground, had time to take deliberate aim, while Paugus was priming his horn. Chamberlain’s ball reached Paugus’ heart just as he was in the act of firing. His ball passed over Chamberlain’s head.

As Butler Continues, he says that Wyman shot one who they believed to be the new chief.

After this event there was a short respite. The Indians withdrew. Ensign Wyman and Chamberlain crept unperceived after them, and found them formed in a circle around one in the center, whom they were qualifying, it was supposed, for a chief instead of the deceased Paugus. Wyman fired and killed this intended chief. Then both hastened back to their fellows at the pond.¹

An Indian Account of the Battle at Pequawket

In an Indian’s eye witness account, the English killed two of their chiefs during the battle. Butler’s written history is consistent with their version.

The daughter of Powack, a chief of the Penobscots, told the story of the Battle of Pequawket. The Penobscots and the Abenaki were allies in the Wabanake Confederacy. Generations retold this tale until written down and now in the book by Kayworth and Potvin.⁸

Powack wanted peace with the white man and called a council which sent him to the Pequawket. Powack took me (his daughter) and Little Elk, “brave me promised to”. While they were staying there, Paugus, “a big chief from another land” came to the village to recruit a raiding party against the English. He then led his warriors down the Saco River to the English settlements in Maine. Some of villagers stayed to fish at the south end of Saco Pond. They heard the gunfire from the battle.

“Paugus tell Powak he come on packs of white men. He count packs and know he has many more braves than whites so he attacks”

Powack and Little Elk remained at the battle while many of the of the Abenaki left the battle scene to return to the village.

“Long after moon is up, braves come to village only few. Say Paugus is killed, Powak is killed, Little Elk is killed.”

The remaining Indians from Pequawket moved to Canada and Powack’s daughter went with them until she found someone to take her back home.

Conspiracy theory creates another controversy

Was the date of the battle May 8 or May 9? Early newspapers and pamphlets published the date of the battle as Saturday, May 8. However, after Colonel Tyng debriefed Benjamin Hassell, he sent a written report to Governor Dummer with date of battle listed as May 9.

Fanny Hardy Eckstorm (1936)⁹ wrote an account about the date discrepancy accusing The Rev. Thomas Symmes, of purposefully falsifying the date to protect the Frye family from the infamy of Jonathan Frye the young chaplain.

The twenty-year-old Frye wanted to take a young bride. His father disapproved. Frye, therefore, needed the 100 pound bounty offered by the government for Indian scalps to carry out his marriage plans. His fellows offered him the first scalp to fulfill his dreams. They killed the first Indian in the morning the day of the battle.

If the battle was on Sunday May 9, the company’s chaplain, had taken a scalp on the Sabbath! Eckstrom asserted that this would certainly cause great embarrassment to the young chaplain’s family. Therefore, she presented this as the motive for Symmes falsifying the battle date in his sermon and subsequent publications.

Was there a cover-up and conspiracy?  Yes, according to Eckstrom, because all the early publications listed the battle date as Saturday May 8 and were never changed or disputed. In addition, three witnesses including Seth Wyman attested to the general validity of the Reverend’s statements, even though the date was contrary to May 9, which was considered to be the “official” date.¹⁰

Seven things to consider:

1- The date discrepancy between the official record and news reports had gone unchallenged until 1936. There was no controversy until Eckstrom made it a contorversy.¹⁰

2- The men held “Morning prayer” on the day of the battle. It was implied that this showed it was the Sabbath. However, prayer was a daily activity. They were religious men and they were in combat.

3- Benjamin Hassell gave the date of May 9 to Colonel Tyng.  He had been in the woods for the last twenty-six days. Could it be possible that he gave the wrong date?

4- Eckstrom called May 9th the “official” date.  Benjamin Hassell gave that date to Tyng who immediately sent it to the Governor.  Thus, a government official recorded the date as May 9. Does that therefore make it automatically correct?

5- Seth Wyman and others in the battle told their story to Thomas Symmes including the date of the fight. The day following this interview, on May 16, Symmes delivered his sermon. The three men had signed a document to attest to the truth of their story. Their date of May 8 did not match the date Hassell gave to Colonel Tyng. Does this necessarily mean there was a conspiracy to give a false date?

6- The battle date of May 8 was published and re-published.  Yet, no one contested it. Eckstrom, therefore, claimed there was a massive conspiracy to change the date from the “official” date of May 9. Isn’t it just possible that no one complained, simply because May 8 was the correct date?

7- Benjamin Hassell left the scene of the battle at about 10 am. He arrived at the fort the next morning, about 24 hours later. The distance from Fryeburg (the battle scene) to West Ossipee (the fort) is 25 miles. At this rate, how long would it take him and the other nine men to travel from West Ossipe, (the fort) to Nashua, NH (Dunstable) which is 98 miles, almost four times the distance?

The 98 mile trip would take three full days

The trip from the fort at Lake Ossipee to Dunstable would take at least three full days. (They took 18 days when coming other direction). If the battle was on May 8, Hassell arrived at the fort on May 9. The ten men then traveled on May 9, 10 and 11 and arrived in Dunstable that evening. This left Hassell enough time to write his explanation to the Governor dated May 11. The fifteen men who left after the battle took considerably longer, arriving at Dunstable on the 13th or the 15th.

If the battle was on Sunday May 9 as Eckstrom claims, Hassell arrived at the fort on the morning of the 10th. They would then have only 36 hours to get to Dunstable by the evening of May 11. This is an extremely unreasonable and unlikely possibility.

The date of the battle was Saturday May 8, 1725.

To be continued….. Chapter 8- The Revenge of the Son of Paugus

For more Chamberlain history stories see “Table of Contents”, or please click “Good Bye!”

© Copyright Dennis D. Chamberlain, All rights reserved. The Chamberlain Story, 2016.

1. George W. Chamberlain, John Chamberlain, The Indian Fighter a Pigwacket. Weymouth, Mass, 1898.
2. Thomas_Symmes, https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/
3.  Pat Higgens, Lovewell’s Fight, http://www.mainestory.info/maine-stories
4.  Lovewell’s Fight 1725, https://www.scribd.com
5. Samuel A. Green, M.D., Groton and the Indian Wars, Groton Mass. 1883.
6. An Abenaki Account of the Battle, https://en.wikipedia.org
7. Battle of Pequawket, https://en.wikipedia.org
8. Alfred E. Kayworth and Ramond G. Potvin, The Scalp Hunteres, Abenaki Ambush at Lovewell’s Pond 1725, Brandon Books, Boston.
9. Fanny Hardy Eckstorm, Demolished Myths about the Fight, New England Quarterly, 1936.
10.  Alfred E. Kayworth and Ramond G. Potvin, The Scalp Hunteres, Abenaki Ambush at Lovewell’s Pond 1725, Brandon Books, Boston, p. 182.