The Massachusett Tribal Nation of New England

The Massachusetts Bay Colony took their name from the Moswetuset Hammock in Quincy (Arrowhead Hill), the seat of the Sachem and that Tribal Nation. The Massachusett Nation inhabited vast lands in the New England area in the 1600s. Their area extended from Salem to Plymouth and inland to Worcester which is very close to Nashaway (Lancaster, Massachusetts) founded by John Prescott. They used the territory they roamed for fields, harvest, quarries, hunting, and fishing. Besides the Massachusett Nation, there were many other tribes that roamed certain areas of what became Massachusetts.

Unfortunately, even before the Massachusetts Bay Colony was established, the fishing industries from England, Holland , and France brought disease which the Indigenous had no natural defenses. About eighty to ninety percent of the Indigenous People died before the 1630s. This disrupted their trade and left them near defenseless against other preying tribes.

The Indigenous People used the coastal areas as summer homes. They set up wetus, cultivated fields, dug clams (quahogs), and fished or whaled. They also quarried the land for resources for tools and weapons.

In the winter, they moved inland due to the harshness of winter nearer the ocean. Tiot ( later Dedham), about 7-8 miles away from the coast, was one of these lands they used for their winter location. Here they hunted, trapped and fished with weirs, which are traps within the water.

During the winters, they lived in lodges, large dwellings housing for several families.

The band that frequented Tiot (later Dedham) was the Neponset Band. You may recognize the name, Neponset. It is the name of one of two rivers near Tiot (Dedham). The other is the Charles River (Quinobequin). After their winter in Dedham, the band returned to their summer homes. nearer the coast, in the Blue Hills near Ponkapoag, known by the English as Dorchester.

There were several tribes within the greater Massachusett Tribal Nation. Sac’chem Chickataubut was the principal chief of all these when the Massachusetts Bay settlers arrived from England.

Governor John Winthrop made agreements with numerous Indigenous Sachems for land. The Indigenous Sachems were familiar with making trades upon an agreement. Some of the Sachem who dealt with John Winthrop were given a fine wool coat in the trade. Many times these coats with silver appointments. They might receive another coat each year. One sachem received a full set of clothes. Today that sounds paltry, but then, clothes were very expensive. That does not to say it was equitable recompense for the land.

Within the transactions, the Indigenous People usually retained the hunting, fishing, and dwelling rights on the land. The Neponset continued to winter at Dedham. The Natives possibly thought they were only sharing the land and that the settlers could also use it. The English, accustomed to granting of land from the King and purchasing land for ownership, thought they were buying the land for their own use. They acknowledged the few requests of the Natives, but misunderstandings between the cultures due to language and traditions led to problems later.

In 1630, Governor John Winthrop met with Sachem Chikataubut and Chauk, the primary chiefs of the Massachusett Nation, and Sachem John of Mystik. They deeded the land that would become Dedham (Tiot). Chickataubut and Sachem John both died about 1633 of yet another epidemic, probably smallpox.

Frequently the Indigenous land inheritance came down through the women of a tribe. In this case Chickataubut made the land transations with the Massachusetts Bay Colony General Court. Later the deed was contested by his son, because the mother owned the land not Chickatabut. The son inherited the land from his mother.

The Proprietors and the Indigenous People Sharing Dedham (Tiot)

Dedham was first founded primarily by people who originally settled in Watertown (called Saltonstall). Watertown received a large share of the newly arriving settlers from England and was the largest English town on the coast. They called their village “straited” (too full) with people. There were about 100 families there. 

The new settlers wanted to live where they would be first settlers in the town and receive land grants. However, the government of Massachusetts Bay Colony was wary of Native unrest. They wanted to keep the people in close proximity in case there were problems. At that time, the Indigenous People outnumbered the settlers, but the settlers had “firesticks,” long guns that balanced or over balanced the odds.

Soon, the General Court allowed the English to look for ungranted land to settle. In 1635 and 1636, Dedham (Tiot) and Concord (Musketaquid) were allowed to form new inland plantations or towns. The Dedham (Tiot) founders discovered ungranted land along the Charles River south of Watertown in the spring.

The Neponset had villages on Wigwam Plain near Wigwam Pond, a fifteen minute walk from The Fairbanks House. They also dwelled in the Purgatory Swamp area adjacent to Dorchester or Ponkapoag. That was the seat of the Massachusetts Nation. The Neponset used the Dedham land for hunting, fishing, storing grains for winter, and lodging even after the settlers established a town.

While Dedham was first breaking ground for a new village, the Pequot War broke out in 1636. The initial skirmishes were about 200 miles away. Dedham was required to maintain a watch and ward, alertness for suspicious activity. To prepare for possible conflict, every man in town was required to have a gun and ammunition.

Dedham continued to hear about the unfortunate plight of both the settlers and the Natives during the war. They remained wary, even though their town was surrounded by water and swamps except for one neck of high ground.

Gail Coughlin, researcher of American History, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, has studied in the field of Native Americans. She says there were seven deeds with the Indigenous People within the bounds of the Dedham grant. These included the deeds for Wrentham (Wollomonopoag), place of shells, (referring to the two lakes in the area) and other areas of the grant. Dedham made deeds with Metacom (Philip) the second son of Massasoit for other parts of their land. The deeds are mentioned in the Dedham Town Records, Vol. 4 on pages 154-173-176-197.

In the 1600s, there were five Indigenous People recognized as living in the Dedham according to the Town Records. These perhaps lived there more than just seasonally. Three were in Wollomonopoag (Wrentham) near ponds. Sarah Indian seemed to be the major landholder with her brother, George Indian, and her son, John. The proprietors of Dedham made a deed with them to clear claims after making treaties with Metacom (Philip). This insured the utilization of the land would not be contested. Sarah, George, and John were in return deeded ten acres near the ponds (DTR, Vol 4, page 153).

Another Native that lived within the bounds of the original grant was Mayns. His wetu or “wigwam,” as the proprietors of Dedham called it, was on the south side of the Charles River (Quinobequin). That appears to be the Rosemary Meadows and very close to the first Praying Indian Village, Natick. (DTR, Vol. 4, page 13-14).

Ephraim Indian was taken into Sargent Stearnes home under the approval of the Selectmen in 1669. By 1671, Ephraim was paying country rates, required to do road work as everyone else in town, and was on the schoolmaster rates list in 1669 with no payment shown. Later in 1671, Ephraim paid school rates along with the other town members. Even after the unrest of 1675/76, Ephraim was still welcome in the town. (DTR, Vol 4., 170, 208, 210, 212).

Before 1651, Thomas Waban, the son of Waban, originally from Musketaquid (Concord) went to school in Dedham. The father, Waban, became the leader of Natick, the First Praying Indian Village. Thomas Waban, the son, was called back to his band to be the clerk of Natick.

It was not unusual for young Indigenous men to live with and learn the English language and ways to help their own people deal with the settlers. Other Indigenous, like Cockenoe, were taken from Long Island after the Pequot War. He was placed in a home that provided his English education. He became a translator for Reverend John Eliot and assisted with translating the Bible into the Massachusett/Algonquian language.

There are many town records of Dedham English Settlers interacting with their Indigenous neighbors. In 1667, Mangus was paid for killing four wolves and given 10 shillings for work on Robert Onion’s chimney (DTR, Vol. 4 , page 143).

 It seems there were more Indigenous People around town. In the book, Brethren by Nature: New England Indians, Colonists, and the Origins of American Slavery, by Margaret Ellen Newell, she mentions a petition from the Dedham selectmen to the Massachusetts General Court dated 1676. They complained of the Native Americans’ unwillingness to conform to English cultural traditions. The selectmen mentioned the habit for the Indigenous people to enter English homes unannounced and to not smile when passing people on the street. Perhaps these were both cultural misunderstandings. These two complaints came during the King Philips War that will be discussed in a later blog.

Sarah David Quapish, known as the “last Indian in Dedham,” died in 1774. She was believed to be the last person to be buried in the traditional burial site near Wigwam Pond (Gail Coughlin). The burial ground, which previously bordered Wigwam Pond was addressed in a book by (Mann, page 67).

The Massachusett Tribal Nation’s website names three Indigenous People that live in Dedham today.

The Neponset, Massachusett Indigenous People, and the Fairbanks House

According to Gail Couglin, there were no physical conflicts with the Indigenous People in and around Dedham. The Natives used the land around Wigwam Pond and Wigwam Plain, which were close to the Fairbanks House. They also used the land at Purgatory Swamp, Rosemary Meadows, and west in the area of Wollomonopoag (Wrentham) west of Dedham.

There are oral stories of interactions between the Natives and the original family of The Fairbanks House. The Neponset used Wigwam Plains for a winter home. They are believed to have followed a path that went along the east side of Fairbanks property near the house. Their homes were about a 15 minute walk from the Fairbanks house.

One of the oral stories says, once as the Natives passed the house, they entered, without being invited. That was not uncommon in the early 1600s. It is said the Natives who visited The Fairbanks House sat on the floor in the hall with their blankets around them for the night. The questions remain unanswered, perhaps they were caught in a storm, since Dedham was their winter home,

In my readings, I find the Indigenous People were very welcoming, inviting strange English into their abode and often into several homes within their village. Because of the cultural differences, they didn’t realized entering a settler’s house uninvited was not acceptable behavior for the English.

Early, the Indigenous brought berries, venison, and corn into the villages to sell, even door to door. That probably saved some of the newly settled Englishmen during their first years and in times of poor crops. Again, traditions, cultures, and hunger can alter how we feel about our or other’s actions.

Gail Coughlin, in her presentation on April 2022 for the Dedham Historical Society, mentioned that The Fairbanks House has two bowls made by Indigenous People. I will explore this for future presentations

Another oral tale of The Fairbanks House is that an arrow was stuck in the roof of the house for a very long time. Since there were no physical conflicts with the Indigenous People in and near Dedham, it is a mystery how it got there.

The Massachusett Tribal Nation’s website names three Indigenous People that live in Dedham today.

The First Praying Indian Village and Dedham

In 1648, Mr. John Allin, minister from Dedham, Mr. Thomas Shepard of Newtown (Cambridge), and Mr. John Eliot, minister of Rowley made up a committee to discuss how to educate the Indigenous People in both the English religion and in English ways. The Charter of the Massachusetts Bay Company addresses this as a prime responsibility of the Colony.

A group in England was formed to raise funds for that purpose. It was called the Act for the Propagation of the Gospel amongst the Indians. It was mandatory to read the funding requests at all English churches on Sunday. When enough funds were available, Mr. John Eliot, who became known as the Apostle to the Indians, initiated the development of Praying Indian Villages.

Not all Indigenous People chose to listen to the preaching of Eliot and some forbade other members to do so. After several attempts to find an acceptable location for those Natives who wished to learn about the English religion, Dedham was asked to cede part of their grant land for the establishment of the First Praying Indian Village.

The Indigenous Massachusett People under Waban were the band who would form the First Praying Village northwest of Dedham, initially on the north side of the Charles River (Quinobequin). They started the settlement in 1650, but it was formally established in 1651. They built a stockaded village with wetus arranged along streets. They built a two story building which functioned as a church, school, meetinghouse, and upstairs for storage and a room for John Eliot when he visited as their clergy.

Their were fifty-one Indigenous People in that village, now called Natick, about eleven miles from Dedham. There was unrest between Dedham and Natick over what land was proposed for the Praying Village from the beginning. There were only verbal and written communications until 1661 when the ownership and use of the land was taken to all three of the Courts of Massachusetts Bay Colony. The dispute was settled amicably. There were never any aggressions on either part (DTR, Vol. 4, Appendix).

Summary

The settlers from England had continual yet sporadic contact with the Indigenous People of the New World from the time they arrived. At times, the Indigenous People were the reason for the settlers’ survival in a land they didn’t know or understand. At other times, the disease the settlers brought with them devastated the Indigenous. The natives had not encountered the pestilence before and had not developed immunities that the English had from years of exposure. The settlers and the Indigenous collaborated at times against common enemies, but there were clashes at time between the English and Indigenous. Dedham had no physical conflicts with the Natives within the village of Dedham during the early 1600s. The Fairbanks lived within a short walk to the Indigenous that lived in Dedham (Tiot). There are stories of encounters, but none were negative in nature. The first Praying Indian Village was formed on land granted to Dedham by the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Dedham was later asked to cede additional land to this group who had owned it long before the settlers came. The early and mid-1600s were peaceful times in the Dedham grant. Later, that peace was tried in the outer towns formed from the Dedham grant.

Resources

Newel, Margaret Ellen, Brethren by Nature: New England Indians, Colonists, and the Origins of American, Cornell University Press, 2015.

Coughlin Gail. providing various lectures for The Dedham Historical Society and Museum and has written for their website at https://dedhamhistorical.org/dedhams-indigenous-histories/

Gookin, Frederick William. Daniel Gookin, 1612-1687, assistant and major general of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, R.R. Donnely, Chicago. 1920

Hill , Don Gleason, Dedham Town Records, Vol. 4.

Mann, Herman. Historical Annals of Dedham: From Its Settlement in 1635 to 1847. Salem, MA: Higginson Book Company, 1999., 67.

Mather, Cotton. The life of the Rev. John Eliot, : the first missionary to the Indians in North-America. London 1820 https://archive.org/details/lifeofrevjohneli00math

The Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag

The Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag http://massachusetttribe.org/chickataubut

The National Congress of American Indians. https://www.ncai.org/about-tribes

The Tribal Government of the Nipmuck Nation

What’s Up!

I have posted a YouTube presentation of Touring West Yorkshire, England: Focus on the Fairbanks . You can enjoy a pictorial and narrative presentation of the origins of the immigrant Fairbanks family who built the Fairbanks House in Dedham, Massachusetts. You will visit their land, their homes and churches in England and learn where the name Fairbank originated.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=touring+england+focus+on+fairbanks

Look for

What’s Next?

It’s time for a timeline
For the next several blogs, the important events in history as they pertain to the Fairbanks and Prescotts will be outlined. Starting from the late 1500s and early 1600s until the death of Grace Fairbanks, each blog will examine the events by date in about ten year increments what we know about the family and the conditions and events they encountered.