It was upon such evidences as this that the English held their "land title" to the township of Rehoboth from Nov. 1, 1642, until March 30, 1668, when a "quit claim" in form and in writing was obtained of King Philip, son of the deceased chieftain Massasoit, of whom it was claimed by the English that the purchase had long since been made (Appendix, No. 7). In 1649, the English purchased ancient Bridgewater of the Indians, or what now constitutes the 'terra firma' of Abington, Bridgewater, Brockton, East Bridgewater, Rockland, South Abington and West Bridgewater, and of this the grantees took a written deed that was duly recorded, and the further particulars of which may be learned by consulting the Appendix, No. 8. *(I-21). Nov. 29, 1652, the English obtained a deed from the natives of ancient and original Dartmouth. That also embraced what afterwards became the townships of Fairhaven and Westport, the city of New Bedford, and nearly all of the township of Acushnet (Appendix, No. 9). *(I-22). March 9, 1653, Massasoit, who was then called Osamequin, and his son Wamsutta, conveyed by deed to the English several parcels of land lying on the south-easterly side of Sinkunke, alias Rehoboth, "bounded by a little brooke called Moskituash westerly [35] and soe running by a dead swamp eastward and soe by marked trees unto the great river and all the meadow about the sides of both and about the neck called Chachacust, also Popasquash neck, also the meadow from the bay to Keecomwett," and all in consideration of 35 pounds sterling. Sept. 21, 1657, Massasoit ratified in writing the sale to the English of Chesewanocke, or Hog Island, as it came to be called, which his son Wamsutta had bargained and sold to Richard Smith of Portsmouth, R.I., under date of Feb. 7, 1653. For further particulars concerning Hog Island, see Appendix, No. 10.

Of the lands claimed and occupied by European settlers within the former domain of Massasoit, by far the greater portion at the date of that chieftain's death had not been secured to the white people by written instruments or deeds from the native Indians. But that circumstance or fact, of course, does not in and of itself prove that the titles claimed by the white people were not justly and fairly acquired, and in consideration of proper remuneration well and truly made to the red men, the former possessors and rightful owners of the soil. We here cite these facts that those who so confidently assert that the Indians were paid for 'all' their lands taken by the whites within the limits of Plymouth Colony, until the war of 1675-6, may learn that there is now extant no positive proof whatever whether the white people did or did not pay the Indians for all their lands, and upon circumstantial evidence alone can that point be determined; and while one person can discover satisfactory evidence to prove that the natives were well and truly paid for their lands, another with equal honesty may see cause to believe that they were not thus fairly dealt with and paid. Whether the Indians were paid for 'all' their Old Colony lands that came to be occupied by the English settlers between [36] 1620 and 1676, is therefore, even now, an open 'question', nor will it be finally disposed of by any mere assertion though repeated many thousand times. We live in an age when appeal is made to that god-like attribute 'reason', that constitutes the essential difference between a man and a brute, and is that which has raised man to occupy a higher sphere than a brute, and qualified him to rule over all other species of animate nature. To reason, therefore, must we look to determine this and all other vexed questions; reason is everything - mere assertion nothing. The general course of conduct of the whites toward the natives in other matters should be the principal criterion by which to judge what their conduct really was in this, and to that test will this question be finally subjected, and thus will its merits be decided. *(I-23)

The chieftain Massasoit had two brothers, named Quadequina and Akkompoin.

Massasoit had at least one wife, and as poligamy was then practiced among the Indians, perhaps he had several wives. He had three sons and one daughter, and is believed to have had other children of whom no account has been handed down to us. Let us now proceed to consider the personal history of each of the children of Massasoit, male and female, so far as the names of these have come to our knowledge, referring to them in the supposed order of their births.

END OF CHAPTER ONE

Here is King Philip's signature taken from a deed: