Slavery in the District of Maine 224 SPRAGUE'S JOURNAL OF MAINE HISTORY Slavery in the District of Maine copy of a Deed or Bill of Sale of a Negro Slave in Kittery, Maine, in 1748-9, and taken from "Eliot Miscellany" (page II), compiled and published by Alfred Little in 1876. The original document was then in Mr. Little's possession. To all People, to whome these presents Shall Come Greeting: Know ye that I John Perry of Kittery, in ye County of York in ye Province of ye Massachusetts Bay in New En-land, Gentleman, for & in Consideration of ye Sum of One Hundred & Twelve Pounds Ten Shil- lings Lawfull Money of ye Province aforesaid, to me in hand, well & truly paid by James Gowen of Kittery aforesd, Yeoman the receipt whereof I Do Acknowledge & my Self therewith fully Sattisfied, Contented & paid, for a Certain Negro Man about twenty one Years of Age, named TRYSELL, To Have and to Hold ye said negro man from this time forward, and I ye said John Parry, warr't and Engage to & with ye aforesd James Gowen, that I am ye true & Lawfull Owner of ye aforesd Negrornan, and have in my Self Good right full Power & Lawfull Authority to Sell & Convey ye aforesd Negro man in manner as aforesaid, & will warrant, Secure & Defend ye Said Negro man against ye Lawfull Claims or Demands of any Person or Persons whatsoever-in wittness whereof I Do hereunto Sett my hand and seal this first Day of February, Annoqr Domim, 1748-9. JNO.PARRY. Signed, Sealed & Delivered In Presence of Benja' Stacy Robert Tiday Documents and Letters Referring to Colonial Maine Subsequent to its Sub- mission to the Massachusetts Bay Colony (From "BAXTER MANUSCRIPTS" IN THE DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF MAINE) Deposition of Lenox Beverly Aug. I7, 1689. Lenox Bevery aged ab't 25: years being sworn saith that he being soldier at Penyquid ye winter time 1688: where was Cap't Gen'l Sr Edm: Andross Kn't there came to ye fort where S'r Edm. then was two squaws the one Madochawondoes sister & ye other Moxis wife as was said, & two otber Indian women that went along with them, they were in the fort with S'r. Edm: two dayes & when they came forth they seemed to be halfe drunk. Ibis Deponant & Peter Ripley was commanded to guard these Squaws flom Penyquid to New harbour, being in distance ab't two miles, and as wee DOCUMENTS AND LETTERS 225 passed on ye way Madochowondoes Squaw Layd down her burden in the snow, & comanded the Depon't to take it up: wherevpon ye Depon't look into ye basket, & saw a small bag wch be opened & found it to be Gun- powder w'ch he judged five pound w't, and a bag of bullitts of a greater w't, and the w't of y't baskett I took up was as much as ye Depon't could well cary along. & ye other 3: Squaws had each one of them their has- kett w'ch appeared to be rather of greater then lesser burden y'n'y't ye Depon't caryed, w'ch were all of them loaden & brought out of ye fort, and Modachowandos Squaw said shee had ye powder of S'r Edm: and added y't, shee was to come againe to him within 4: dayes: BOSton' August 1686. Lenox X Bewerly Sworn in Councill his mark Attest'r Is'a Addington Sec'rv This convent'n. haueing pased an order drawn by the Presid't of the Province of Mayne empowering Capt Silvanus Davis Cap't Anthony Brackett. L'!. George Ingerson, L't Thadeus Clark, Elisha Gunnison & L't Elisha Andrews a committee for regulating the affaires of the plantaccon of falmouth, and for the ordering and disposeing ye people into Garrisons, Scoutings, watches, & wardings and for regulating the militia of ye Town for their defence & destrticcone of ye Enemy, Do approve thereof, and the like order to be made for other Towns in y't Province of Suitable persons in their respective Towns. I7' Aug' 1689. Approved of by the Governo'r and Councill. Is'a Addington Sec'ry Consented to by the Representatives 17' Aug. 1689. Ebenezer Prout Clerk (Documentary History of Maine, Baxter Mss. Vol. 9, P. 31.) SIR WILLIAM PHIPPS TO EARL OF NOTTINGHAM. Boston in New England Feb: 21St p69-2/3 May it Please your Lordship By the Captain of the Samuell & Henry, I gave ye account, that at my arrivall here, I found the prisons full of people, Comitted upon suspition of witchcraft; and that Complaints were Continually made to me, that many persons were grieveously tormented, by witches, and that they cryed out vpon severall persons by name, as the Cause of their Torments. The num- her of those Complaints increasing every day, by advice of the Liev't. Govern'r. and the Councill, I gave a Commission of Oyer and Terminer to try som of the suspected witches, and at that time the generallity of people, represented the matter to me as Reall witchcraft, and gave very strange instance of the same; The first in ye Comission was the Liev". Governour, and the rest were persons of the best prudence and ffigure that could then be pitched upon, and I depended vpon the Court for a right method of proceeding in cases of witchcraft; att that time I went to Com- mand the Army at the Eastern part of the Province, for ye ffrench, and Indians, had made an attacque vpon som, of the frontier Towns, I continued 226 SPRAGUE'S JOURNAL OF MAINE HISTORY there some time, but when I returned I found people much dissattisfyed, al ye proceedings of the Court, for about twenty persons, were Condemned, and Executed, of wich number so-me were thought by many persons to be inocent, the Court still proceeded in the same method of trying them, which was by the Evidence of the afflicted persons, who when they were brought into the Court, as soone as the suspected witches, looked on them, instantly fell to the ground, in strange agonies, and grieveouse torment; but when touched by them vpon the arme, or some other part of their flesh, they imediately revived, and came to themselves, vpon which they made oath that the prison'r at the Barr, did Afflict them, and that they saw theire shape or Spectre, corn from their bodyes, which put them to such paines, and torments; when Inquired into the matter, I was Informed by the judges, that they began with this, but had humaine Testimony, against such as were Condemned, and undoubted proof of their being witches; But at length I found that the Devill, did take vpon him the shape of inocent persons, and some were accused, of whose Innocency I was well assured, and many Con- siderable persons, of Vublarnable life, and conversation were cryed out vpon as witches, and wizzards: The Deputy Govern'r notwithstanding per sisted vigorously in the same method, to ye great dissatisfaction, and dis- turbance of the people, vntill I put an end to ye Court, and stopped the proceedings; which I did because I saw many inocent persons, might other- wise perrish, and at that time I thought it my duty to give an account thereof, that their Maj'ties pleasure conferming this pplexed affaire might be signifyed, hopeing that for the better ordering thereof, the judges learned in the Law in England, might give such rules, and directions, as have been practiced in England, for proceeding in soe difficult and nice a point: when I putt an end to ye Court, there was at least fifty persons in prison, in great misery by reason of the extream Cold, and their poverty, most of them haveing onely spectre Evidence, against them, and their mittimus's being defective, I caused some of them to be lett out vpon Baile, and put the judges vpon Considering of a way to relieve others, and prevent their perishing in prison, vpon which some of them were Convinced, and ac- knowled that their former proceedings were too violent, and not grounded vpon a right foundation, but that if they might sitt againe they vould pro- ceed after another method; and whereas Mr. Increase Mather, and severall other Divines, did give it as their judgement, that the Devill might afflict in the shape of an Inocent person, and that the look, and the touch of the suspected persons, was not sufficient proof against them, these things hail not the same stress laid vpon them as before; And vpon this Consideration, I prnitted a Speciall superior Court to be held at Salem, in the County of Essex, on the third day of January, the Liev't Govern'r being Chief judge, Their method of proceeding being altered, all that were brought to tryall to the number of fifty two were cleared saveing three, and I was informed by the Kings Attorney Gen'll that some of the Cleared, and the Condemned, were vnder the same Circumstances, or that there was the same reason, to Clear, the three Condemned, as the rest according to his judgern't. The Deputy Govern'r signed a varrant for their Speedy Execution, and allso of five others, who were Condemned at the former Court of Oyer and Terminer, DOCUMENTS AND LETTERS but Considering how the matter had been managed, I sent a reprieve where- by the Execution was stopped vntill their Maj'ties pleasure were signifyed, and declared; The Liev't Govern'r vpon this occasion, was enraged and filled with passionate anger, and refused to sitt vpon the Bench at a Superior Court at that time held at Charles towne; and indeed hath from the begin- ing hurryed on these matters with great precipitancy; and by his warrant hath caused the Estates, goods and chatles, of the Executed, to be seized and disposed of, vithout my knowledge, or Consent; the stop put to the first method of proceeding, hath dissipated the black Cloud that threatened this province, with destruction, For whereas this delusion of ye Devill, did spread, and its Dismall effects, touched the lives and Estates, of many of their Maj'ties subjects, and the reputation of some of the principall person.; here, and indeed vnhapply clogged, and interupted their Maj'ties affairs, which hath been a great vexation to me. I have no new Complaints, but peoples mindes before divided, and dis- tracted, by different opinions, concerning this matter, are now well Com- posed. My, Lord I am yo'r Lordships most faithfull humble servant William Phips F:) Feb'y. 21 1693 To The Right Hon'ble The Earle of Nottingham att Whitehall London. (Ibid., Vol. 10, P. 4.) Deacon Ambrose Talbot, the first deacon of the First Church in Freeport, Maine, was a pioneer settler, the first of the Talbot name in Maine, and the great, great grandfather of Archie Lee Talbot, the writer of the interesting article on Robert Bayley, the first schoolmaster in what is now Portland, Maine. (c) 1998 Courtesy of the Androscoggin Historical Society ************************************************* * * * * NOTICE: Printing the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. 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