Ebenezer Carter

Deerfield massacre of 1704 February 29, 1704, Deerfield, Massachusetts

Ebenezer Carter was one of the many families that were raided by French and Indians on the fateful night of February 29, 1704. His father (Samuel Carter) was away at Springfield, Massachusetts at the time. The family was awakened very early in the morning. His Brother Thomas was killed in the house. His mother, Hannah and sister and brothers were taken on the long march to Canada. His sister Mercy married an Indian man. John changed his name to Jean Chartier. Samuel drowned in the St Lawrence river when he was 12 years old. Ebenezer was finally ransomed back to his father in 1707 for 24 borrowed pounds. He settled in New Canann, Connecticut and married. found on ancestry.com

Captured By Indians 1704, Deerfield, Massachusetts. Captured by the Indians in 1704 from Deerfield, Massachusetts and redeemed in 1707 by payment of 24 pounds.

Ancestral Link: Lura Minnie Parker (Stagge), daughter of Minnie May Elmer (Parker), daughter of Mark Alfred Elmer, son of Hannah Polina Child (Elmer), daughter of Alfred Bosworth Child, son of Hannah Benedict (Child), daughter of Hannah Carter (Benedict), daughter of John Carter, son of Ebenezer Carter.

• Source: Stagge-Parker

Ebenezer Carter was born in Deerfield, Massachusetts on September 9, 1697 to Samuel and Mercy (Brooks) Carter. His mother died on January 22, 1701 and his father remarried to Hannah Weller on July 1, 1701.

Ebenezer grew up during a time of great hostilies between the Indians of the area and the Colonists. At dawn on February 29, 1704, a group of 247 Frenchmen, Abenaki, Kanienkehaka, Wyandot, and Pocumtuck attacked Deerfield. Fifty-six colonists were killed including 9 women, and 25 children. Of the survivors, 109 were taken captive and marched to Quebec some 300 miles. The brutal trek combined with harsh treatment and exposure to the cold weather killed many of the captives.

Deerfield residents and surrounding communities raised funds to ransom the remaining captives. Finally the redemption of some captives was negotiated. One of the ransomed was the famous minister John Williams who later wrote about his experience.

Ebenezer was age 7 at the time of the attack. His march to Quebec lasted 40 days. His stepmother Hannah died on the trek near Lake Champlain, Canada. His half sister Hannah (age 3) died near Lake Champlain. His brother Samuel died in Quebec around 1714. His brother Thomas (age 4) died on the day of the raid. Seven month old sister Mary died enroute.

Most ransomed captives returned to New England. Ebenezer was ransomed in 1707 for 24 English pounds and returned to Massachusetts. However, some of the younger English captives were adopted into the tribes where they became assimilated and married into French or Mohawk society. Such was the case with Ebenezer's brother John who assimilated into the French culture and changed his name to Jean Chartier, becoming a Catholic. His sister Mercy chose to stay in the Indian culture and married a Mohawk man.

Ebenezer married Hannah St. John in 1721. They became the parents of Mercy, Samuel, Hannah, Sarah, John, Elizabeth and Mary. He died in July 1773 in Norwalk, Connecticut.

A version of Mercy's experience is contained in a teen read book by Caroline B. Cooney titled, "The Ransom of Mercy Carter", New York: Delacorte Press, 2001.

• Source: Find-A-Grave
• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Feb 27 2019, 22:33:56 UTC