Richard Otis married Rose Stoughton (My 9th GGrandparents)

Richard Otis was born 1626 in Glastonbury, Somerset, England and his wife to-be Rose Stoughton was born 1 Nov. 1629 in Stoughton, England. She was his first wife and we know that she died before November 5, 1677 as that was the date he married his second wife named Shuah (Sarah?) Heard. His third wife was Grizzel Warren whom he married about 1685.

Rose and Richard both immigrated separately to America, then married, and had children.

New Hampshire is where their daughter Judith Otis was born and ultimately married Ensign John Tuttle.

Richard was a blacksmith who immigrated in May 1655 to Boston, but settled in Dover after disagreements with the established Boston church. He would "miss" church and they would make him appear in "court" often. Rose was the daughter of Anthony, a staunch Puritan. 

Four years after Richard married Grizzel in 1685, his garrison was attacked on June 28, 1689, by Indians.  He was forced to admit to treachery and was murdered! The same happened to others in his family, except for Grizzel Otis and three older daughters and some of Richard's grandchildren who were captured by the Indians.

Cocheco Massacre at Dover, New Hampshire on June 28, 1689

 

In 1689 Cocheco Settlement NH became filled with Indians, over 400 Indians, who were anxious about menacing feelings regarding the confederation of Indian tribes, many from MA, battling the settlers from England. Living with the local tribe, some were unknown to one another, others were Wonalancets.  They were there to "trade."

 

As you can imagine, this many hostile Indians congregating in Cochecho must have been very troubling for the English residents. The local Indians even tried to warn Major Walderne of an imminent massacre.  Many or most or all settlers took shelter at the blockhouse nightly.  During the day, they kept weapons near them while farming, etc.  Braggart Walderne put down the fears of others claiming he could have a militia ready rapidly.  News traveled slow back then and his words were meaningless rather than meaningful.

  

Governor William Bradford (his wife Alice Southworth Bradford through her first husband is part of my proven Mayflower lineage) dispatched a letter to Walderne on June 27, stating "Some Indians . . . report that there is a gathering of Indians in or about Penacook with the design of mischief to the English...they have a particular design against yourself and Mr. Peter Coffin which the Council thought it necessary ...to give you notice that you take care of your own Safeguard, they intending to endeavor to betray you on a pretention of Trade."

 

The letter did not arrive until one day after the Massacre!

 

23 were killed; 29 captured as revenge by the Indians.  The long worked-for peace with the Penacook tribe was crushed!

 

Several of the Indian women asked to be sheltered at each of the garrison houses on June 27, a not uncommon peacetime practice.  But these were not peacetimes.

 

The morning of the 28th, these women opened the garrison doors to find several hundred Penacooks at the gates.

 

Major Walderne's (Waldron) Garrison: 

Indians charged into Major Walderne's garrison who did not have his sword in hand. The Indians tied him to a chair. Dishonesty towards the Indians was a deeply held  grudge harbored by the Indians who in retaliation  attacked the elderly 74 year old merchant.  Walderne was known to overly hold the scales intentionally down  when trading. Fury erupted as the Pencooks slashed his chest which screaming "I cross out my account!"  Then his nose and ears were hacked off and forced into his mouth.  They they forced him upon his own sword.  After he was dead, they then chopped off his "heavy" trading hand, burned down his home, and murdered or took captive the rest of the Walderne's family.   

 

Richard Otis' Garrison:

One of the five (of 50) targeted hilltop garrisons built during King Philip's War was the home of Richard Otis. The Indians slayed Richard and his son Stephen and daughter Hannah. 

 

By now Richard was married to is third wife, Grizel or Grizzel.  They had a baby, 3 month old Margaret, and two of Richard's grandchildren, Nathaniel and Stephen Jr.  Grizel and the children were taken captive to Canada where she became a Catholic. 

 

Richard Otis' family that were forced to Canada, primarily remained there.  His wee daughter  Margaret was ultimately rechristened Christine by French nuns who raised her in Quebec.  Christine married a Frenchman (Canadian?).  He died.  She wed a young officer from Massachusetts.  Richard's wife Grizel was re-baptised as Marie Madeleine and she married Philippe Robitaille of Montreal.

 

When Margaret/Christine was 45, she went to Dover, again, and opened a tavern.

 

Also taken were Judith, Experience, and Rose Otis.

 

Judith is my 8th Great Grandmother .  Rose, Esperance, and  Judith were later rescued a few days later in Conway! Judith went on to marry Ensign John Tuttle, my 8th Great Granddad.

 

EXPERIENCE:  Experience was born on Nov 7, 1666; She married Samuel Heard and later Rowland Jenkins.  Experience was attacked by Indians in 1696!  She was scalped, but managed to live long enough to give birth to a child.

 

ROSE: Stayed in Canada and married Jean Poitevin in 1696 and they had 10 children.

 

 

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Ensign John Tuttle m. Judith Otis (My 8th GGrandparents)

John Killed by Indians while at his sawmill.  He was 41 years old.

Ensign Tuttle was cut off in the prime of life by the hand of the 'Indian enemy.'  On the seventh of May, 1712, while attending to some business at his mill, on the upper falls of the Cocheco, accompanied by his eldest son Thomas, John was suddenly set upon by a party of marauding Indians, overpowered and slain.  Thomas, his son, escaped."  The day before this incident, another settler, John Cromit, was scalped.  Ensign Tuttle's wife, Judith, was thus left a widow with 6 children.  Judith was born in 1667 and as a child survived the "Great Massacre in Dover" in 1689, when most of her family was killed by the Indians and she and two sisters had been carried off by them, but were rescued by soldiers at Conway and returned to Dover. " Resource: Google books on Tuttle Family.

 

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Cpl. James Tuttle m. Mary Allen
(My 7th GGrandparents)

Rev. War Continental Army Cpl, Long's Regiment, NH

Born Feb. 9, 1711 Dover, NH and died July 9, 1790 NH

James lived on the west side of Back River, within a few rods of his brother Thomas. He was a man of great energy and enterprise; and, at the time of his death, the greatest land owner in Dover.

During the Revolutionary War he served in Long's Regiment of the Continental Army in New Hampshire.

He and wife Mary Allen Tuttle had many children, the 10th of whom was my 6th Great Grandfather Andrew Tuttle who married Esther .

 

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James Tuttle Jr. m. Mary Hayes??? (My 6th GGrandparents)