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Around 1800 an old Pequaket Indian woman, Molly Ocket, lived and traveled throughout the White Mountain area. She is remembered well in Conway, N.H. for a couple of interesting incidents. Each spring Molly would bring a sack of seed corn to Colonel McMillan for planting. This time she laid the sack of seeds down by some old logs and went wandering for a while. The bag of corn seed was found and carried off to the mill where it was ground into meal by mistake. The incident inspired a local to write the following jingle:
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Molly is also remembered for saving the life of a Boston fur trader. She saved him by making a long journey through the wilderness to warn him that an Indian named Tomhegan was plotting to kill him. She was rewarded by the trader for her loyalty.
Sometime around 1774 Molly moved to Bethel, Maine. Here her name was spelled Mollyockett and she continued to practice Indian medicine and perform many charitable acts for the people.
Molly Ocket died in 1816 and is buried in Andover, Maine under her Christian name Mary Agatha. The citizens of Bethel, Maine still observe an annual "Mollyockett Day" in her memory.
Numerous place names recall Molly's memory even today. They are: Molledgewock Brook in Errol, Mollockett Brook near Berlin, and Molly Lockett Cave near Fryeburg, Maine.
Kancamagus was the son of Nanamocomuck who was Sachem of the Non-praying Pennacooks. He was the nephew of the Pennacook Chief Wonalancet, who was the son of Chief Passaconaway. During the King Philip's War, Kancamagus traveled with his father from the Wachusetts to the Androscoggins where they opposed the English immigrants because they were arriving in larger numbers and building closer to the Indians' fishing, hunting, and planting sites. Kancamagus became a Sagamore at the Androscroggins and bravely fought the English with Squanto and the Sacos in 1675-1678.
Kancamagus became a chief in 1685. He tried to be friends with the English, but he was abused and mistreated. Kancamagus united the Pennacooks, Ossipees, Pequakets, Sacos, Androscroggins, and others to oppose the English settlers in 1689. Kancamagus finally led the Pennacooks in their last uprising against the white settlers. Kancamagus planned and executed the attack on Dover, N.H. [Cocheco Massacre] in 1686. Both sides suffered heavy casualties and the Pennacooks were almost exterminated. The Pennacooks attacked a group of homes along the Cocheco River killing twenty-three and capturing twenty-nine inhabitants. They also killed Waldron, Sr. because of his trickery earlier. He was defeated and disheartened as he lead his people in retreat to the Abenaki village in St. Frances, Quebec.
Today place names like Kancamagus Mountain and Kancamagus Highway are all that preserve his memory.
Paugus was a member of the Pequaket tribe. Paugus was not a Pequaket chief, but an under chief. Chocorua was also Paugus's son.
It was on May 8, 1725, that Captain John Lovewell Left Dunstable, Massachusetts with a party of 34 men called militiamen. They went to the head of a pond to attack an Indian village near Fryeburg.
The battle which was fought in the woods, lasted all day. Sixty Indians were killed in the battle while only eighteen white men were killed. Only about half of the scouts survived to return to Dunstable and about twenty Indians survived the battle.
According to the legend, Paugus and one of the militiamen saw each other. They both started to prime their weapons. After they primed their weapons, they both shot and both missed. Paugus was eventually shot and killed by a militiaman. Just before he was killed Paugus yelled, "Me kill you!" Both quickly began to prime their guns, but the white man's gun self-primed when he struck it with force. The white man yelled to the Indians and Paugus, " The Chief Lies!" and then shot him.
Paugus was so highly thought of that his death was a great mental defeat. After his death, the remaining Indians left New England altogether and went up to St. Francis on the St.Lawrence River. The battle was called "Lovewell's Massacre" and rightly so, because Captain Lovewell and Paugus were both killed.
There is an old ballad that goes like this:
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The chief's Indian name was Papisse-conewa meaning "papoose bear" or "Child of the Bear." The English people named him Passaconaway. Passaconaway became chief of the Pennacooks in 1620. He ruled a powerful federation of thirteen tribes in New Hampshire. He was famous throughout New England for his leadership. Passaconaway had six children and was a great sorcerer. He was friendly to the English even though they kidnapped his wife and son,Wonalancet. Legend says that just before his death, he warned his fellow Indians to be friendly and peaceful to their English neighbors or they would be destroyed in the ensuing conflict. Passaconaway usually spent his winters at Pennacook and during the fishing season, he lived at Weirs Beach. Legend also says, "that at the moment of his death he "translated" to heaven from the summit of Mt. Washington in a sled drawn by wolves."
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Wonalancet was born circa 1619 and died after 1697. The name Wonalancet means "Breathing Pleasantly." Wonalancet also means "Governor." Wonalancet was the son of Passaconaway, the leader of the Pennacooks. When his father died in 1669, Wonalancet became chief of the Pennacooks. When Wonalancet became chief, he was not a strong leader like his father. This meant when Passaconaway spoke the tribes listened, but when Wonalancet spoke not everybody listened. Passaconaway was a famous Sachem . Wonalancet was not as infamous as his father .
Wonalancet moved the Indian government from Pennacook to Pawtucket. In 1675, he was determined to stay neutral during the "King Philip's War." When Wonalancet moved his tribe back to Pennacook, the English went after them. The English found the Indian's fort empty, so they burnt it along with the food. While the English were burning the fort, the Indians were hiding in the woods. Wonalancet spent the winter at the head of the Connecticut River. In 1676, Wonalancet signed a peace treaty in Cocheco, which is now called Dover. Wonalancet was still chief and leader of the Pennacooks in 1697.
After Passaconaway's death, Wonalancet wanted to marry Mineola, the daughter of old chief Chocorua. When Wonalancet and Mineola were married, the Medicine Man said,"Thus shall be the days of Wonalancet and Mineola and peace shall dwell in the land of the young Sachem."
Weetamoo was the daughter of the Great Sachem Passaconway and an Indian suncksqua, or "queen". It is reported that she had a total of six husbands at different times. Weetamoo was a Squaw Sachem of the Mattapoisetts and Pocassets. She was married to Wamsutta (Alexander), eldest son of Massasoit. She did not agree with Metacomet and his King Philip's War. When the English trapped King Philip at Mount Hope, their women and children escaped to the Pocasset of Queen Weetamoo. The English considered neutral tribes who helped the Wanipanoog as enemies. Throughout the summer they were hunted down and Weetamoo drowned while trying to escape. The English cut off her head and put it on public display in Taunton.
Weetamoo is remembered in place names at the following New Hampshire sites:
Six Husband Trail in the Great Gulf
Wamsutta Trail in the Great Gulf
Weetamoo Fall - West branch of Peabody River
Weetamoo Mountain in Sandwich Range
Weetamoo Trail - southern approach to Mt. Chocorua
Chocorua was a Pequaket Sachem and Propet, a minor branch of the Sokokis. There are many legends of Chocorua. One is about a lake called Chocorua Lake. The legend says that the stillness of the lake was sacred to the Great Spirit and the Indians reportedly believed that if an human voice was heard on it's waters, the offender's canoe would sink instantly to the bottom.
Another legend is about Mt. Chocorua. Even though there are a lot of legends, all of them agree that Chocorua met a tragic end at the mountain. One legend is that Chocorua died while hunting, from falling off the rocks. Many of the tales say that Chocorua's son died from eating fox poisoning, which white settlers had left out for the foxes. The Chief blamed the white settlers for his son's death. In revenge Chocorua killed the wife and children of a white settler named Cornelius Campbell. Campbell chased Chocorua and shot him, dying on the rocks. The story says he said to his slayers, "Chocorua goes to the Great Spirit and his curse stays with the white man." A little bit later, cattle began dying in the region. Another story says that Chocorua's son's death didn't take place in the story at all and that Chocorua was chased up the mountain , but was not shot, but leaped from the mountain, the only thing he could do.
Chief Grey Lock was a fearless St. Francis Indian warrior, who hated whites and was afraid of no one. He had terrified the English for half a century in the 1700's. Grey Lock had a castle [Indian Village] on the shores of Missisquoi Bay. He felt that the English had stolen his land and brought sorrow to his people. He never surrendered and it is assumed that he died shortly before the end of the French and Indian wars.
A high mountain in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts is named Mt. Greylock.
An Indian Chief that controlled the Indian raids at Oyster River and surrounding area. He was a fearless warrior who killed many of the early settlers in 1694. He was captured and sent to Boston where was put on trial. Several witnesses of the massacre spoke against him. Bomazeen escaped with his life at the trial, but was later slain in an attack on the Norridgewock's village in 1724.
Metallak was a chief of the Coo-ash-auke Indians. This band of Indians lived at the northern tip of New Hampshire. Chief Metallak had nicknamed his wife "Molly Molasses". Legend tells us that when she died, the chief put her body in a canoe and sent it down the rapids of the Androscoggin River until he came to an island that bears his name. He buried her here and built a hut to live in. Many years later in 1846, some hunters found him blind and starving. Metallak was taken to Stewartstown where he was a ward of the state. When he died he was buried in Stewartstown. He was the last of his people.
Hope Hood was the son of "Ould Robin Hood." He was called Wahowah. Hope Hood was a Sagamore chief from Exeter to Salmon Falls in the late 16th century. His father "Ould Robin Hood" sold a large tract of land that he owned in Gonic on January 3, 1686.
On May 16, 1689, Hope Hood and a band of Indians attacked Fox Point. They burned down three homes, killed 14 settlers, and captured 6 persons and carried them away. During the attack, Hope Hood was mistaken for an enemy. He was shot and killed by a French Indian.
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Stephen Laurent is the youngest son of Abenaki Chief, Joseph Laurent. Mr. Laurent lives in Intervale, N.H. A small Tract of land near the railroad tracks has a bronze plate marking Abenaki land. The plaque includes the symbol of the abenaki bear and turtle. The plaque also memorializes his father Chief Joseph.
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