HISTORY OF WOBURN, MASSACHUSETTS

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highly honored and respected; and one of their number, Major James Convers, a gentleman of much distinction in the Commonwealth as well as in the town, there will be occasion particularly to notice hereafter.

By his first wife, Sarah, who accompanied him from England, Deacon Convers had three sons, viz: Josiah, James and Samuel (see genealogy), and a daughter, Mary, who first married Simon Thompson, 19th Dec. 1643, and he dying in May 1658, she married John Sheldon, of Billerica, Feb. 1, 1659 - Woburn and Billerica Records of Marriages, Deaths, etc.

Deacon Edward Convers' wife dying, 14tH Jan. 1662, after he had made his will (in which he mentions her, and which is dated in Aug. 1659, and recorded Oct. 7, 1663), he married a second wife, Mrs. Joanna Sprague, of Charlestown, relict of Ralph Sprague, Sept. 9, 1662. - See Woburn Records, and Will of Edward Convers.

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James Convers, Jr., the last of those worthies, who subscribed the above Declaration of the church of Woburn in 1703, and familiarly known in his day as Maj. James Convers, was the eldest son of James Convers, Senr., and was born in Woburn November 16, 1645. He was a gentleman that, for a succession of years, appears to have faithfully and acceptably discharged various civil trusts reposed in him by the town.

But he is most celebrated for his services to his country in the military line, and especially for his gallant defence of Storer's garrison at Wells, during the war against the French and Eastern Indians, which began in 1688, and has been called, "The Ten Years War." That exploint of Major (then Captain) Convers, is spoken of, both by Hutchinson and by Belknap in their respective Histories, in terms of commendation. (23) Mathers also, in his History of this War, entitled, "Decennium Luctuosum," gives a minute and interesting account of this celebrated action, and as it is highly creditable to this distinguished son of Woburn, an abridgment of it may not improbably be gratifying to citizens of Woburn at the present day.

It seems that on November 29, 1690, six Indian sachems had agreed at Sagadahock with Capt. John Alden upon a truce till the first day of May 1691, on which day they promised to bring all the English captives in their hands into Lieut. Storey's house at Wells, and there conclude upon terms of a firm and lasting peace.

Accordingly, on the day appointed. Deputy Governor Dan-

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23 Hutchinson's History, Vol. II., pp. 67, 68, 72. Belknap's History of New Hampshire, p. 135. "But on the tenth day of June, (1691) all army of French and Indians made a furious attack on Storey's garrison at Capt. Convers commanded; who, after a brave and resolute defence, was so happy as to drive them off with great loss."

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forth and certain other gentlemen came from Boston to Wells, suitably guarded, expecting the fulfilment of this engagement by the Indians. But, as Mather expresses it, "the Indians being poor musicians for keeping of time," Capt. Convers went out, and returned with some of them, who brought in six English captives in company, and promised " that in twenty days more they would bring in to Capt. Convers all the rest." After waiting for the Indians beyond the term agreed upon, the Deputy Governor and company withdrew; and Capt. Convers, suspecting treachery, made earnest application to the County of Essex for help to be sent him as speedily as possible; and received from that quarter thirty-five men. This providential reinforcement saved the place. For scarcely half an hour had elapsed from their entering Storey's house on June 9, 1691, before Moxus, a fierce sachem, beset it, with two hundred Indians. But, receiving a brave repulse from the garrison within, he became discouraged drew off. This gave occasion to Madockawando, another noted Indian sachem, and a virulent foe to the English, to say, as was afterwards reported,"My brother Moxus has miss'd it now; but I will go myself the next year, and have the dog Convers out of his hole." The event proved that this was no empty threat; that Madockawando meant as he said. For, on June 10, 1692, just a year and a day from the time that Moxus commenced his attack on the garrison of Wells the year before, the cattle of that place came suddenly home from the woods affrighted, and some of them wounded. Warned by this infallible sign that Indians were nigh, the inhabitants of the place fled for refuge to the garrison house; and the next morning, an army of French and Indians, from 300 to 500 in number, commanded by Labocree, a Frenchman, and under him, by Moxus, Madockawando, Egeremet, and other Indian sachems, was discovered lurking around. To defend himself against this host, Capt. Convers had only fifteen men in the garrison, and as many more aboard of two sloops and a shallop in the river hard by, which arrived from Boston with ammunition for the a contribution of supplies for the impoverished inhabitants of that vicinity. So weak and contemptible did the

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Indians account these few opponents, and so sure were they of victory, that one of the first things they did after their arrival was to agree upon a division among themselves of the prisoners and of the spoils.

They then made a violent assault upon the garrison. But meeting there a hot reception, and having no cannon, they were glad to leave it for that time, and try their efforts upon the sloops. So narrow was the river or inlet where these lay, that, the enemy could approach them within twelve yards of the land; and from hence, behind a pile of plank, and a haystack fortified with posts and rails, they discharged their volleys upon them. By means, too, of fire arrows, they succeeded several times in setting the sloops on fire. But the sailors, with a swab at the end of a rope tied to a pole, and so dipt into the water," contrived to extinguish the spreading flames; and, encouraged by their resolute commander, Lieutenant Storer, they made such stout resistance, that before night their assailants, disappointed, withdrew. But they soon returned, to try the effect of stratagem and threatening. In the course of the night, they inquired of the men on board the sloops, Who were their commanders? And, being answered, " We have many commanders," the Indians replied, "You lie; you have none but Converse, and we will have him too before morning." But morning arrived, and found. Convers still alive and well within the walls of Storer's house. On that morning, by daylight, the Indians commenced preparations for another assault upon the garrison. They began to march towards it in a body, with great display; and so terrific was their appearance, that one of the garrison ventured to suggest the expediency of a surrender. But Captain Convers rendered indignant by such a proposal, "vehemently protested' that he would lay the man dead who should so much as mutter that base word any more." When the Indians had come within a short distance from the garrison, they raised a shout that caused the earth to ring: and crying out in English, "Fire, and fall on, brave boys," they all, being drawn into three ranks, fired in a body at once.

But, violent as this onset was, Capt. Convers was prepared to

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meet it. His men were all ready, waiting his commands; and the female inhabitants of the town, who had fled to the garrison for protection at the approach of the enemy, were not only active in handing ammunition to the men, but several armed themselves with muskets, and discharged them. Capt. Convers had given orders to his men to refrain from firing till they could do it to most advantage; and, when they came to discharge their artillery at his word, such was the execution done, that many of the enemy were swept down before them, and many others were constrained to flee. Baffled in this, their second attack upon the garrison, the enemy now renewed their attempts upon the sloops. They constructed a raft, eighteen or twenty feet square, which they loaded with combustible materials, and then towing it as near as they dared, set fire to it, and left it for the tide to float it towards the sloops. And now the men on board, perceiving their imminent danger of perishing by fire, commended themselves to God for help. And suddenly, it is recorded, the wind shifted, and the raft was, driven upon the opposite shore, and so much split as to let in water, with which the fire was quenched. By this time, the enemy's ammunition was nearly exhausted, and numbers of them disheartened with their ill success, began to draw off. The rest, after some consultation, thought best to send a flag of truce towards the garrison advising them to surrender. But, Capt. Convers sent them word, that " he wanted nothing but for them to come and fight him." The Indians replied, " Being you are so stout, why don't you come and fight in the open field, like a man, and not fight in a garrison like a Squaw? " The Captain rejoined, " What a fool are you! do you think thirty men a match for five hundred? No: come with your thirty men upon the plain, and I'le meet you with my thirty as soon as you will." Upon this, the Indian answered, "Nay, mee own, English fashion is all one fool; you kill mee, mee kill you! No better ly somewhere, and shoot a man, and he no see; that the best soldier!"

With this, the Indian enemy, from daring Capt. Convers, had recourse to coaxing and fluttery. But, finding him too wise to

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trust the promises of insidious foes, and that all their devices to induce him to surrender, or to draw him from his stronghold, were ineffectual, they were thrown into a rage, and with a horrid imprecation declared, "We'll cut you as small as tobacco before tomorrow morning." But the only reply which the intrepid captain made to this vaporing threat, was, "to bid them come on; for he wanted work." The enemy themselves, notwithstanding their boast what they would do with him, came near him no more. Having now continued before the garrison and in its neighborhood forty-eight hours, and been disappointed in all their confident expectations, and defeated in all their efforts to get the dog Convers (as they had called him) and his men into their power, they first wreaked their vengeance upon all the cattle they could light upon, and cruelly tortured to death a poor unhappy captive they had taken on the morning they came to Wells, and then marched off, leaving some of their dead behind them, Labocree, their commander-in-chief, among the rest; thus giving cause of joy and thanksgiving unto God to the garrison, and to the country at large, for so wonderful a deliverance.

For this, his brave and successful action, Captain Convers was promoted the following year, by Governor Phipps, to the rank of a Major, and appointed to the command of all the Massachusetts forces then in Maine. Here, and in the Legislature, he still continued to serve his country during the remainder of the war, and shared at last in the honor of bringing it to an end. Towards the close of the year 1698, he and Colonel John Phillips, a member of the Council of the Province, with Captain Cyprian Southack, commander of the Province Galley, sailed from Boston for the Eastern country, intrusted by the Governmont with full powers for effecting a peace with the Indians. Proceeding to Casco Bay, they there met with the leading Indian sachems, and persuaded them, January 7, 1699, to accede to and solemnly subscribe a treaty, which was the same, in the main, with the one they had entered into at Pemaquid, but which they had broken, as they alleged, through the persuasion of the French. Peace had, previously to this, been made with the French by the treaty of Ryswick, 1697.

In 1699, the year in which peace with the Indians was con

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eluded, and in the four preceding years, and again in 1701, and the four following years, Major Convers was sent a member for Woburn to the General Court; and in three of those years, viz, 1699, 1702, 1703, he was chosen Speaker of the House. In 1706, he was again returned to the lower branch of the Legislature; but did not live to finish the term for which he had been elected. Being seized, apparently, with some sudden, violent sickness, death put an end at once to his usefulness and his life, July 8, 1706, in the 61st year of his age.

Major Convers married, Jarmary 1, 1668-69, Hannah, a daughter of Capt. John Carter. By her, he had nine children, six sons and three daughters. Four of these died in infancy or childhood, or in youth unmarried. Two of his sons, Robert and Josiah, the second son of the name, were men of influence and distinction in their day, and descendants of Josiah, of the third and fourth generations from his son Josiah, Jr., still live in Woburn, and maintain a highly respectable position and character in society.

While this distinguished citizen of Woburn was Town Clerk, he performed one piece of service, for which the town doth now, and ever will, owe him a grateful remembrance. After his accession to that office, observing that his predecessors had recorded the Births, Marriages and Deaths in Woburn upon sundry loose papers, which were then in a shattered and perishing condition, he procured a blank folio volume, well bound, at his own expense, and transcribed those Records into it, adding, in his own records of births, the names of both the parents, instead of the father only, as had previously been the custom. By this, his laudable care, and by the subsequent purchase of the new volume by the town, at the recommendation of his successor in the Clerk's office, Lieutenant Fowle, the valuable records of almost fifty years on the above mentioned topics, were preserved for posterity in fair hand, and in a durable form, which otherwise had long since perished, or been scattered and lost. (24)
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24 The original letters of Major Convers to Governor Joseph Dudley having been put into my hands by J. Wingate Thornton, Esq., of Boston, have thought it might be gratifying to many of the citizens .of Woburn have copies of them presented in the Appendix; which see, No. VII.