[French and Indian Wars].
Manuscript Letter Fragment. Two full pages, recto/verso, trimmed Quarto, n.p., [176 ?]. Utterly absorbing manuscript letter describing a number of Indian raids and encounters, written in the form of an anecdotal remembrance by a frontier backwoodsman, who narrates the incidents in a halting, illiterate, careful and journalistic account. Each of the recollections relates to encounters with hostile Indians, either experienced by the narrator or reported to him by frontiersmen he has come into contact with. It seems likely that this narrative letter was written in response to a request for information about Indian activity in the region. Excerpts follow, with solecisms intact:
"My father was Borne 1739 when he was fifteen years ould in his sixteen year he and a number [ ? ] was up from North yearmouth to cutting the grate meadow...the Ingens came and robed the camp took a gun and all the aminishon except what he had with him took all his provision and several tools thair was no house in this town nor any land cleared this was in the year 1749 in what year thay begun the Blockhous I never heard him say but he says it was completed the year he was twenty one which was 1755...I have heard him speak of a number of things that took place while thay was building the Blockhous a coupel of thair hands wanted to go down to the old Bucks place to soe some turnop seed by the name of Cross and Beverage thay promised to comback that night but thay did not come and thay started Earley in the morning and when thay got thair Beverage ly [lay] Dead at the Door and Cross thay never heard of afterwards At another time thair was a coupel of hunters by the name of Tairwill and Taylor tha [they] had ben out and returning home by the litel [little] pond this side of Mr. Crockets thay see we air thair was some Beavers and thay got thair traps and come in with thair fir [fur] and caried it to North yarmouth and when tha came back tha [they] went out to thair traps and the Ingins had found and waylid thair traps and took tham And caried tham to quebeck after peace [1764] tha both returned taylor said when the Ingens took them thair was fifteen of tham and tha was going to tak[e] tham that was buld [building] the garson [garrison]..." .
Fine. Though the letter has been trimmed, and is incomplete, the text is an integral narrative, which may or may not have been completed by additional pages. Light age-toning, with some very moderate staining.
Estimated Value $200-300.
