This is the story of Captain John Elden Jr. and his wife Ruth Sands along with details about some of their close relatives. This has been a fascinating venture into the past and a wonderful opportunity to get to know John and Ruth a little better. John was a forceful leader who led in colonizing the Maine wilderness, establishing a community and fighting for his freedom at the birth of our country. His wife was every bit his equal. It has been amazing and inspiring to think of all they accomplished in their lives despite the adversity and primitive conditions they faced.
Early Life in Maine
The setting for our story is southeastern Maine in the 1700's. This is a ruggedly beautiful northern country with vast forests, cold winters
and heavy snowfall. The first European settlements were established along the coast in the early 1600's by the English where they traded with
the Native Americans, launched fishing expeditions, and harvested timber. Despite the harsh climate and frequent conflict with hostile natives,
the towns gradually grew as settlers created subsistence farms, built mills on the rivers, and started industries that created wood products
such as ships, clapboards and turpentine.
There were multiple and conflicting claims to the territory. Competing English land grants resulted in competition between Englishmen. In
the latter 1600's the land came under control of the Massachusetts colony so it was essentially a colony of a colony for many years. While the
competing English claims resulted in political drama, other claims to the territory were much more deadly. Both England and France claimed
territory in Maine and the way this international competition played out at the local level was conflict between English settlers and Indians
allied with the French. Of course the root conflict between settlers and Natives was the result of conflicting value systems, competing
interests for land usage, unscrupulous traders that took advantage of Natives and both sides killing in vengeance for past wrongs.
Especially
during times of war between Britain and France, the Canadian French frequently sought to take advantage of these strained relationships by
encouraging their Indian allies to attack English settlements. As a result, there was nearly constant armed conflict between the Native peoples
and English settlers for 100 years before the American Revolution. Primary conflicts were King Phillip's War (1670-1678), King William's War
(1689-1699), Queen Anne's War (1701-1713), Dummer's War (1721-1727), King George's War (1744-1749), and Seven Years or French and Indian War
(1754-1760). The times between these wars were punctuated with fighting and far from
peace filled. Most towns had forts or garrisons for defense. Men would take weapons with them when they went to work in the field or forest.
Stories of abductions and death were common. Thus, the people in these villages were well acquainted with armed conflict and military tactics
long before the Battle of Lexington and Concord started the American Revolution.
In addition to the constant safety threats that resulted from conflicts with local Indians, life was just plain hard when compared to our
lives today. The first homes were log cabins but as families became more established they built frame homes. Even then, they did not have
central heating or air conditioning, much less electricity. Work was done manually rather than by machine. Trees were felled with axes, brush
cleared by setting it on fire, seeds sown by hand, crops harvested with hand scythes, thread made on spinning wheels, and cloth made on hand
looms. Even the use of draft animals was limited. Luxuries were scarce and expensive as they had to be imported from England. Only the very
richest colonists had horses. There was an abundance of work for these hardy people as they carved their primitive homes from a wilderness all
the while facing the threat of violence from Indians and the realities of living in a cold climate. Yet, not only did they survive, they
thrived. They raised large families, lived, laughed, and loved. These ancestors left us an incredible legacy of hard work,
devotion, perseverance, patriotism, survival and overcoming adversity.
John's Family
The parents of Capt. John Elden Jr. were John Elden Sr. and Martha Knight. John Elden Sr. was born around 1699 to Major Read Elden and
Hannah Pemberton. Read and Hannah were married in Boston3 so presumably John Elden Sr. grew up in Massachusetts in or around Boston. At some
point he moved to Maine where he met Martha Knight.
Martha Knight was born in 1703 in Portsmouth, Rockingham, New Hampshire to Nathan Knight and Mary Westbrook. She was one of six daughters
and two sons born to Nathan and Mary. Her family lived in Scarborough, Maine around 1720 where her father began operating the Blackpoint
Ferry and later went into business with his brother-in-law to provide timber to the Royal Navy for building ship masts. It must have been at
this time when John Elden Sr. met Martha.
John and Martha fell in love and were married sometime between 1725-1730 in Biddeford, Maine where they made their home and started their
family. Late in 1730 or early in 1731 Martha gave birth to a son they named John Elden Jr. He was christened on February 14, 1731. It is
thought that they had seven children5. One was a son named Benjamin who was listed on a 1757 muster roll. We know John operated mills because
in 1731 he and five other men jointly purchased a saw mill on the Saco River7. In 1732 John Elden Sr. was elected highway surveyor for the town
of Biddeford8. He must have been held in high regard by his community peers to be trusted with this important responsibility. Little else is
known about John and Martha other than they lived out their days in Biddeford.
Ruth's Family
Ruth Sands was born around 1728 to James Sands and Emma Jepson. James emigrated from England. After he and Emma were married, they first
lived in Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts, where some of their children were born, including James Jr. who was born before 1720 and Ephraim who
was born in 17259. However, they soon moved to Biddeford. From his will, written in 1745, we learn that he was a cordwainer, a maker of shoes
who made soft leather shoes and other luxury leather items. We also learn he had seven children, three sons and four daughters. His eldest son
was named James and his other two sons, who were also the executors of his will, were named Ephraim and Tomas. When he wrote his will, his two
eldest daughters, Hannah and Mary, were married while his two younger daughters, Ruth and Patience, were single and under 18 years of age.
John Jr. and Ruth
Nothing more is known of John Jr. or Ruth's childhood. Living in a frontier setting, they were both surely acquainted with the hard work
needed to survive as well as the uncertainties and dangers of where they lived. They were tough and had to grow up fast. Ruth lost her father
before she turned 18 years old and so had to deal with the challenges of survival without a father.
We do not know when John Jr. or Ruth met or what their courtship was like, although it was probably typical for the times. They were married
on December 17, 1747 in Biddeford, Maine. John was around 17 years old and Ruth was around 19 years of age.
John Jr. and Ruth first settled in Saco where their first two children were born. Martha was born October 14, 1748 and Mary was born May 17,
1750. Not long after Mary's birth, John and Sands moved their family to a nearby township called Narraganset, No. 1 (later called Buxton) that
was just being settled. Here they helped build a new community and lived the rest of their lives. Ruth's brother Ephraim Sands also moved to
the Narraganset Township at about the same time, between 1750 and 1754.
Settling Narraganset Township, No. 1
Narraganset Township, No. 1 was one of seven townships established in 1728 and 1733 for soldiers and their heirs who were part of a winter
campaign against the stronghold of the Narraganset Indians in 1675 as part of King Phillip's War. These men were promised land in addition to
their wages if their war campaign was successful. When the Massachusetts General Court created Narraganset Township, No. 1 in 1733, the land
was awarded to 120 proprietors.
As proprietors, these men had sole ownership of the land in the township as well as the responsibility to attract additional settlers, make
improvements to the land, build roads, locate home sites, and manage common lands within the township16. When the townships were granted it was
with the stipulation that the proprietors settle sixty families and a minister in the township within 7 years or forfeit their grants.
The settlement of all seven townships, including Narraganset Township, No. 1, was very slow and when the seven years had passed only a few
families were living in Narraganset Township, No. 1. As a result, on May 26, 1742 a group of 62 inhabitants of Biddeford and Scarborough
petitioned the General Court stating that no more than ten or twelve of the original grantees of Narraganset, No. 1 had settled in their lots.
The seven years that the proprietor's had to settle was now past and these men were asking that the grants be forfeited and opened to other
inhabitants of the area. The petitioners stated that they had already incurred considerable labor and costs to build roads and bridges in order
to to harvest timber for ship masts in the area. It is interesting to note that Nathan Knight, father-in-law to John Sr., had a contract to
produce masts for the King's Navy and was one of the signers on the petition. John Elden Sr. was another signatory as well as Walter Foss,
who's granddaughter Dorcas would later marry John Elden III, grandson of John Elden Sr. Since John Sr. was a signatory on this petition we
conclude that the Elden family was not amongst the original grantees of the township. Rather they obtained a proprietorship later, presumably
by purchasing it from an absent proprietor.
A petition dated the same day, May 26, 1742 from eleven settlers at Narraganset, No. 1 complained that the other grantees had neglected
their responsibility and, as a result, these individuals had to live without a church, school, public buildings, or any fortifications. They
petitioned that the grants be forfeited and others allowed to settle. One of the petitioners was James Sands Jr., brother of Ruth Sands.
Since he was an original proprietor, either a relative must have been involved in the Narraganset campaign of 1675 or he bought his allotment
from an original proprietor. In any event, he does not appear in the record again so his stay in the township must have been temporary. Two of
his younger brothers, Ephraim and Tomas were proprietors in the township in the 1750's so they must have purchased the proprietorship from him.
Both the petitions spurred the delinquent grantees into action. The proprietors called a meeting,levied taxes, and appointed a committee to
secure a preacher in an effort to avoid action by the General Court. They also formed a committee to sell lands of proprietors who had not paid
their taxes. A letter dated March 23, 1743-4 directed their town clerk to call meeting of town proprietors to discuss gathering money to build
a road to the town of Biddeford, build a sawmill, establish the boundaries of the town, glaze the meetinghouse, and clear the area around the
fort. These Proprietor Meetings were open to the town proprietors and were the formal mechanism they used to take care of town business. It was
very similar to the town council meetings held today except the voting members were not elected officials but all the landowners in the town.
John Elden Sr. was a signatory on the letter as a proprietor so he probably purchased his proprietorship at about this time.
In response to rising tensions between England and France, the Massachusetts House of Representatives allocated funds to build a garrison in
the township in 1743. While the garrison was built, the town was abandoned due to fear of an Indian attack because England and France went to
war in 1744 (King George's War). There were at that time only about 15 men living in the town and they were not strong enough to withstand an
Indian attack, despite their small fort. The residents relocated to larger communities closer to the coast for the next five years. This is
when James Sands Jr. must have moved out of the township, never to return. It was also during this time that John Elden Jr. and Ruth Sands were
married in Biddeford. As a young man about 17 years of age, John now faced the responsibility of establishing and providing for a household.
His father may have sold or given his proprietorship to his son as a way to help him begin to get established. This generosity is in keeping
with what we know of John Elden Sr. When one of his daughters, Mary, was engaged to a man named John Davis, John Elden Sr. sold his future son
-in-law 15 acres of land just two weeks prior to the wedding.
Peace between Britain and France was finally reached and a treaty signed between the New England colonists and the Indians in 1749. That
same year on Aug. 21, 1749 two of the original settlers and relatives of other settlers gathered in Biddeford to call for a proprietor's
meeting. Thus they began to take care of community affairs. On February 6, 1750 they requested permission from the legislature to move their
fort because it lacked a water source. (It was necessary to request this from the legislature since that body paid for the initial construction
of the fort.) They must have been happy when their request was granted. In May, 1750 a proprietor's meeting was held and resettlement began
in earnest. We know that John Elden Jr. settled in the town at this time because he is listed on a deed dated October 12, 175028. As a
proprietor his name began appearing in proprietor meeting minutes beginning in 1750. Not long after settling in the town, John and Ruth
celebrated the birth of their their third child and first son. Nathan, born March 21, 1752, was the first male child born in the community.
Resettlement of the town was rather rapid for when the region again experienced war and the threat of Indian attack only four years after
resettlement began, there were enough families in the township that they decided not to abandon the town again but instead to fortify it.
Tensions were building between Britain and France and reached a peak in 1754 with the beginning of what became known as the French and
Indian War. In 1754 the town proprietor's, ever wary of attack by French allied Indians, voted to construct a fort. The fort was constructed
at Pleasant Point overlooking the Saco River. Though he was only 23 years of age, John Jr. was given command of the fort. The fact that he
was given this command shows the confidence the other settlers had in him and the leadership he exhibited. His wife
Ruth was no less capable than her husband. At one point the families of the settlers were gathered in the fort for safety while the men were
away for a day and night. A runner brought news that Indians were nearby and there was a threat of attack by them. Ruth Sands rose to the
occasion. She donned her husband's uniform, grabbed a sword and imitated a man's voice in rallying the other women in defense of the fort. The
other women also dressed as men, gathered weapons, and prepared to defend the fort. The women kept up their charade successfully throughout the
night until the men returned the following day. Their bluff was successful as they were not attacked!
With the outbreak of the war a militia was formed under the leadership of Captain Joseph Woodman, one of the original proprietors. John
Elden was one of the men who served under Capt. Woodman and had a position of responsibility. His brother Benjamin Elden, was also listed on
the muster role. Their dates of service were Aug. 29 - Oct. 31, 1757 and April 19 - Nov. 14, 1757. Fortunately, the militia were not called to
fight elsewhere and the town was not attacked during the war.
John Elden Jr.'s name appears frequently in the minutes of proprietor's meetings showing that he fulfilled his duties as a proprietor and
was actively engaged in doing his part to settle the countryside and help manage town affairs. From proprietor meeting minutes between the
years 1750 and 1773 we know that he performed a variety of duties including building two bridges large enough for a loaded cart to pass over
swamp lands, managing the cutting of hay in common meadows, participating in defining the township's water resources, mending highways,
requesting that a fort be constructed, providing for preaching in the town, repairing the meeting house, monitoring the harvesting of timber
on public lands, and surveying the town boundaries and lots within the town. In 1764 he was one of the signatories on a letter calling for
a proprietor's meeting that would discuss the incorporation of the town.
Also in 1764, the citizens sent an interesting petition to the Massachusetts governor and the legislature dated Nov. 1, 1764 pleading for
relief from a tax imposed in 1762 that the citizens of the township claimed they were unable to pay due to their poverty resulting from a
drought and fire. The petition gives a first hand account of the difficulties these people faced in establishing their town on what was then
the fringes of civilization. Fortunately for them, their request for reprieve was granted. The original document is found in the Massachusetts
Archives, Ante, page. 71. The full text of the petition is below.
"To his Excellency Francis Bernard Esqr Commander in Chief in and over the Province of the massats Bay, the Honble his majesty's Councill &,
House of Representatives in General Assembly Convened Humbly Shew The Subscribers Inhabitants of Narraganset N° one in the county of York, That
the said Settlement being a Frontier were under Continual Fears of the Indian Enemy, and were obliged to keep Watch and Ward till the Reduction
of Quebeck in 1759 - - That before the two late years of Drouth &, Scarcity they were few in Number, and very Poor,
being scarcely able with their utmost Diligence in the Improvement of such means as their Situation afforded to procure the Necessarys of Life
- - That the two years of Scarcity, almost reduced them to Famine: - - in addition to which in the year 1762, a desolating Fire Ravaged their
small Improvements, Burnt several of their Dwellings and much reduced the very little the Drouth had left 'em That these repeated calamitys
obliged many of the then Inhabitants for the preservation of Life to pluck up Stakes and leave the Settlement, and those that remained were
Just preserved from Perishing with Want, by the Belief afforded from some of the Neighboring Towns - - That your
Excellency and Honors did lay a Tax on the said distressed Inhabitants in the year 1762, To the amount of Forty four Pounds seven Shillings &
six pence which they are unable to pay, as many of the then Inhabitants are reduced to Penury by the calamitys aforesaid,
and removed to other places - - and those that remain are in a Condition but Little Better - - Wherefore your Poor Petitioners Humbly pray your
Excellency & Honours to Compassionate their distressed Circumstances & Remit to them the said Tax and Grant 'em such other relief in the
Premises as your Wisdom shall direct & your Poor Petitioners as in duty Bound shall ever Pray."
It is interesting that the name John Elden appears twice in this document. One of those signatures is certainly that of John Elden Jr. The
other must be that of his father John Elden Sr. as John Elden III would have only been 10 years old at the time. We know that John Elden Sr.
lived out his days in nearby Biddeford. If he did obtain a proprietorship in the 1740's then it is quite possible that he retained a portion of
the land and deeded a portion of it to his son John Jr.. Since he continued to live in Biddeford, he probably left the day to day management of
his interests in the township in the hands of his son and therefore was not actively involved in proprietary meetings. However, during such a
time of extreme trial and due to the important nature of the petition, he probably decided to exercise his proprietary rights and sign the
petition along with his son.
John Elden Jr. followed in his father's footsteps in two respects. Both of them were elected as surveyors for their communities and they
both operated grist and saw mills. In September 2, 1752 John Elden Jr. and Joshua Woodman were selected in a proprietor's meeting to build a
grist mill and saw mill on the Little River. He was later mentioned in a deed dated in 1761 for the grist mill and saw mill. On July 26, 1769
at a Proprietor's meeting Captain John Elden Jr. and three other men were granted permission to build a grist mill on Salmon Falls on the Saco
River provided they built it within two years. At a July 25, 1770 meeting the men were granted a deed and four acres of land for their mill.
John Jr. established his home on a plot of land on the right side of the road between Salmon Falls and Union Falls. Here he and Ruth raised
their family and lived out their days. In addition to Martha, Mary, and Nathan, seven more children were born to the family. They were John III
(born April 10, 1754), Emma (born July 9, 1756), Elizabeth (born October 5, 1759), Gibeon (born June 2, 1761), Ruth (born December 3, 1763),
Lydia (born January 12, 1766), and Hannah (born April 13, 1769).
John Jr. continued to play an active role in establishing the community and as his children grew to adulthood he and Ruth must have enjoyed
seeing them marry and establish their own families. Their eldest daughter Martha married Daniel Kimball on April 20, 1764 and settled in Buxton
where they raised seven children. Mary, their second daughter married Benjamin Bradley on July 9, 1767 and they moved to Ohio. In 1772 the town
was incorporated as Buxton. This was surely a happy and exciting time for John and Ruth. They must have felt immense satisfaction in seeing the
fruit of their hard work in establishing their homestead and community. To make the year even more exciting, Nathan, their eldest son, married
Elizabeth Roberts on May 12, 1772 and they settled in Buxton. The following year brought tragedy to John Jr., though, for Ruth, his dear
companion of twenty six years passed away. She was in her mid 40's. John lived as a widower for more than twenty years and must have sorely
missed her. The following year their daughter Emma married Deacon Amos Chase Jr. on
April 28, 1774 and the couple moved to Limington, Maine.
As 1774 came to a close and 1775 began, political unrest was about to erupt into a war that was to have a tremendous impact on John and his
family. John Jr. was around 45 years old and had already lived a full life. While he had certainly accomplished much in building a new
community on the edge of the wilderness, establishing a new home, serving as a leader in the local militia, braving the elements and unfriendly
Natives, and raising his children; some of his life's most dramatic adventures were just about to begin.
The American Revolution
Captain John Elden Jr. was known as “an active and enterprising man”54 and a man with “great force of character”. He was a natural leader, the
first militia captain in town who first received his military commission under the authority of the king. His previous experience as commander
of the town fort gave him valuable military experience.
As tensions began to rise between Great Britain and her American colonies, John's loyalties were certain. He was devoted to the cause of the
rebel colonists and became a leader for the independence movement in the town of Buxton. He served in the war as a Captain in the local militia
and all three of his sons served as well. Nathan, the eldest, was 23 years old when hostilities started in 1775 and had the
longest period of service. John III was 21 years old when the war started and also served with distinction being promoted from private to
corporal to sergeant. Gibeon, the youngest, was only 14 years old in 1775 and did not begin serving until 1777. Even then, he first enlisted at
the tender age of 16.
Boston was the seedbed of the Revolution and its inhabitants were the first to openly resist British rule. One of their most blatant acts of
defiance occurred on December 16, 1773 when a group of men dumped nearly $1 million worth of tea into the Boston Harbor. The Boston Tea Party
brought a swift reaction from the British Parliament in the form of four acts which became known as the Coercive Acts. The first act, called
the Boston Port Act, passed on March 25, 1774 and mandated the closing of the Port of Boston until the town could pay for the lost tea. The
inhabitants of Buxton sided strongly with their sister city of Boston. When news reached Buxton the town leaders met on June 20, 1774 and
appointed Capt. John Elden, John Lane, Samuel Hovoy, Samuel Merrill, and John Mason as a committee to write a resolution expressing the
community's dissatisfaction with the actions of the British government. The document was adopted at a meeting held a few days later on June
26.
Spring of the following year the Revolutionary War erupted with the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 18, 1775. News of the battles
spread like wildfire and reached Buxton by the next day. In response, the local militia was mobilized. Capt. John Elden and his company were
called into action by Colonel Tristram Jordan61 and they marched to Biddeford on April 24. Capt. John's two eldest sons, Nathan and John III,
marched as private in his company as did his nephews Samuel, James and John Sands. After only a day and a half of service the company was
demobilized.
Thompson's War
Meanwhile another showdown was unfolding about 15 miles away from Buxton in the port town of Falmouth (now Portland) that would lead to
another mobilization for Capt. John Elden, his oldest sons, and nephews at the end of the year. In response to the Boston Tea Party, the first
Continental Congress set up the Continental Association, which was a cooperative system amongst the colonies established to enforce a boycott
of British goods63. When a British ship came into the port of Falmouth in March 2, 1775 with a load of sails, rope and rigging, representatives
of the Association demanded that the ship leave. However, the ship was joined on March 29 by the warship HMS Canceaux commanded by a Captain
Henry Mowat. Under her protection, the cargo ship unloaded. Then on April 21 the news of the Battles of Lexington and Concord swept through the
town of Brunswick. (Brunswick is 26 miles to the north along the coast and just north of Freeport.) Immediately thereafter, the militia of
Brunswick began devising a strategy to capture the Canceaux. Fifty men, led by a man named Samuel Thompson, secretly arrived in Falmouth in
small boats intent on capturing the Canceux. This became unnecessary, however, when they captured Capt. Mowat on May 9 as he came into town to
arrange church services for his crew. The crew on the Canceaux fired two cannon towards the town of Falmouth and threatened to attack the town
if the captain was not released. Militiamen from neighboring communities quickly rallied and came to town in support of Mr. Thompson and his
militia Within a few days Capt. Mowatt was reunited with his ship and he sailed out of port on May 15. This event became known as “Thompson's
War”.
Siege of Boston and the Battle of Bunker Hill
After the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the British Army retreated to Boston where they were besieged by colonial troops. This siege
would end up lasting nearly a year. On April 23, 1775, just days after the battles, the Second Provincial Congress of Massachusetts passed a
resolution to raise thirteen thousand six hundred men in the colony. Three days later the Congress voted that the regiments should be composed
of ten companies of fifty-nine men. Only two weeks after enlistments began, the York County regiment had enrolled 547 men and was on the march.
Col. James Scamman led the regiment and it was the first regiment to leave Maine in the Revolution.
The regiment was composed of ten companies. One was led by Capt. Jeremiah Hill of Biddeford. Many men from Buxton and Pepperrellboro (later
Saco) enlisted. John Elden III enlisted on May 368 and served as was one of the Corporals while his cousin John Sands was one of the privates
in the company. In addition, he served with other men who would play a larger role in his life in the future. John Foss, his future uncle-in-
law was another Corporal in the company and Levi Foss, a cousin to his future wife, was a private. Finally, another private in the company was
Nathan Woodman. Over 20 years in the future after John Elden III would die prematurely, Nathan's son the Honorable John Woodman, would marry
the widow of John Elden III.
Orders to march to Cambridge were issued on May 10 and Col. Scamman's regiment was marching soon thereafter. They marched at least four days
and arrived in Cambridge where the regiment was commissioned in the first part of June. The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, about
4 weeks after the regiment arrived in Cambridge. As the battle began to take shape Col. Scamman was ordered to go to where
the fighting was. He supposed the British would launch an amphibious attack against the American forces on the mainland by landing at
Lechmere's Point so he took his regiment there. Col. Whitcomb, who as acting as a general officer, ordered Col Scamman to the hill. Col.
Scamman thought this meant that he was to march to Cobble Hill to view the movements of the British vessels so he obeyed and waited with his
men on the hill. By this time the battle was at its peak. Col. Scamman sent two sergeants to General Putnam asking if his regiment was
needed. Before he heard back from General Putnam, he began to move his regiment forward towards the battle. However, the American's were in
retreat before he reached the top of Bunker Hill. Col. Scamman urged his men forward calling, “Come, my Yorkshire lads, now let us show our
bravery.” But when they met the retreating soldiers, Col. Scamman called on his regiment to retreat with them. Thus, his men did not fully
participate in the battle although two were wounded, probably during the assault on the hill. Col. Scamman was court martialed for not obeying
orders and cowardice. He was acquitted of all charges70 but the question of his honor continued to bother him.
General Washington arrived on July 3 and brought organized the assembled army into three divisions, each composed of two brigades. He
assigned Col. Scammon's regiment to General Heath's brigade, which was part of General Israel Putnam's division. The regiment staffed Fort No.
1 and the flank of Fort No. 2 at Cambridge. The regiment did its duty in holding the line during the siege of Boston and served until December
31. Their only action during this time were sporadic skirmishes along the siege line. Interestingly, records for John Elden III state that he
returned on September 27, 1755. As we will see later, this was probably because he had accepted another assignment.
Burning of Falmouth
The British Navy was supporting the British Army in Boston and trying to quell the rebellion that was spreading throughout the colonies. In
July the Vice Admiral of the British North Atlantic Fleet, Samuel Graves, issued orders to Captain Henry Mowat to take actions in seacoast
towns that would suppress the rebellion and “lay waste burn and destroy such Sea Port towns as are accessible to His Majesty's ships.” Captain
Mowat received the order on October 2. His recent humiliation only five months previous in Falmouth was still fresh in his mind and he sailed
directly to Falmouth with his ship HMS Canceaux as well as four other ships to exact his revenge. They anchored off the Falmouth harbor on
October 16. The next day he brought his ships into the harbor near the town and sent a message to the citizens that they had two hours to
evacuate before he attacked. The townspeople begged for mercy to which Capt. Mowat demanded they swear an oath of allegiance to King George and
surrender their weapons and gun powder in order to avoid the execution of his order. In response the people began to abandon their town but
they never signed the oath. Mowat set a deadline of 9:00 am on October 18 for the town to respond. By the morning of that day the town seemed
to be deserted and he began firing upon the town, which set it on fire. After some time he decided that the bombardment was not sufficient so
he sent some men to the town to set fire to any remaining buildings. Approximately 400 buildings, which was two thirds of the town, were
destroyed leaving many people destitute just before winter began.
In response to the burning of Falmouth, Capt. John Elden and his company were mobilized again. On the day Falmouth was burned the company
was mobilized and “marched to assist in preventing the landing of an enemy” and served for four days. On November 7 the company was ordered by
Tristram Jordan to “assist in fortifying” and was engaged in this activity for five days. They were also mobilized again by Tristram Jordan for
1½ days in December and marched to Biddeford when enemy vessels appeared to be coming into the harbor there. This was an attempt to avoid
suffering the same fate as Falmouth. Once again, both of his older sons Nathan and John III were involved in these mobilizations as were his
nephews Samuel, James, and John Sands. Thus ended a very eventful year for the Elden family and the first year in what was to become a long
struggle for independence.
End of the Siege of Boston
On February 5, 1776 Capt. John Elden was called to lead the 5th (Buxton) Company in the 3rd York County Regiment of the Massachusetts
Militia under under Col. Lemuel Robinson that was ordered to return to Boston to assist with the siege. Capt. John's son Nathan and nephew
Ephraim Jr. accompanied him as privates in his company. Their service turned out to be vital to the ensuing American victory.
The siege of Boston had ground on for over nine months by this point. Strategically it was a stalemate and both sides were suffering from
disease and hunger. The previous May, Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen led American forces in capturing Fort Ticonderoga. In November General
Washington sent Henry Knox to retrieve badly needed cannons from the fort. Even though the task was fraught with immense challenges, Henry Knox
met them admirably and delivered 60 tons of cannons to Boston by January. General Washington used these to tip the scales in his favor by
setting some of them on some hills overlooking Boston Harbor called Dorchester Heights. On the evening of March 4 he ordered men to occupy and
fortify the Heights during the night. The ground was so frozen that they could not dig trenches. They had to haul the heavy cannons up to the
hill tops and build fortifications with logs and branches. Capt. John Elden and his son Nathan were engaged in this endeavor on that cold, long
night. The next morning the British awoke to find the heights fortified with cannon that
could hit any target in Boston and the harbor. They attempted to shoot down the fortifications, but their cannons could not shoot high enough
and their cannon ball bounced on the frozen ground. Finding their position indefensible, they abandoned Boston on March 17, never to return.
Invasion of Canada
In 1775 the Continental Congress authorized an attack on Canada in an attempt to raise support for the independence movement amongst the
French inhabitants. The strategy had a two-prong approach. One group of men led by General Richard Montgomery left Fort Ticonderoga in
September, moved up Lake Champlain and attacked Montreal, capturing it on Nov. 13. Also in September, General Washington sent about 1000 men in
another group, which was led by Benedict Arnold. They marched up the Kennebec River in Maine to attack Quebec. The trackless terrain was very
rugged, conditions harsh and many men either died or deserted. Finally, Arnold reached Quebec with 600 men on November 8.
While they did attack Quebec, they were too small a force to take it so they laid siege to the city. General Montgomery came with 300 men and
joined Arnold in a final desperate attack on December 30. Montgomery was killed, Arnold wounded and the attack failed miserably. Arnold
continued his siege and waited for reinforcements throughout the winter. The harsh conditions and disease took a heavy toll on Arnold's men.
While additional men did come, he was not successful in taking Quebec and when British reinforcements arrived in June 1776, he was forced to
retreat. He retraced Montgomery's steps and was back at Fort Ticonderoga by July. They tried to defend Lake Champlain with a small fleet of
ships they had commandeered from the British but were defeated by the British in October. The British halted their advance for the winter and
retreated back to Canada leaving Ticonderoga to the Americans for the time being. The stage was now set for the British General John Burgoyne's
campaign which began the following spring of 1777.
From military records, we know that 1) John Elden III returned in September from the siege of Boston when the rest of the company stayed
through the end of the year; 2) John Elden was a sergeant in Colonel Edward Wigglesworth's Regiment, Captain Timothy Eaton's company and his
cousin James Sands was a private in the same company; and 3) John Elden was reimbursed for his travel expenses coming back from Ticonderoga
late in 1776. Col. Wigglesworth served under Benedict Arnold and became the third in command as Arnold was retreating from Canada. Even
though the record does not specify which John Elden served as a sergeant under Wigglesworth, it must have been John Elden III. John Elden Jr.
held a Captain's commission and there is no record of him being demoted. Furthermore, it is a logical advancement for John Elden III to move
from private to corporal to sergeant. Piecing all the facts together, it appears that John Elden III was among the men who left the siege of
Boston in September 1775 to join Benedict Arnold in his attack on Canada. However, John III must have been delayed at home because he was
mobilized in November and December to respond to the burning of Falmouth so he was not with Arnold attacking Quebec. He also was not a deserter
because he held the commission of sergeant, something that would not have happened to a deserter. John III and James must have been amongst the
reinforcements which joined Arnold during the spring of 1776 and then played a role in the retreat and battle on Lake Champlain.
After he returned home, there is no other record of John Elden III serving in the Revolutionary War. Probably the main reason for this was
that his passions had turned from his country to a young lady named Dorcas Foss who he married on June 19, 1777.
Gibeon's Service Including Saratoga
In May of 1777 Gibeon, who was now only 16 years of age, first enlisted in the Continental army. His enlistments were different from those
of his brothers because they served primarily as members of the local militia, which was different from the Continental Army formed by the
Continental Congress. Gibeon joined Captain Samuel Grant's Company in Colonel Jonathon Titcomb's regiment and served for two months, twelve
days. He and his company were marched to Providence, Rhode Island where he served until his enlistment expired in July. Gibeon again enlisted
the following month on August 14 in a company from York County, Maine led by Captain Thomas Romery in Colonel Joseph Storer's Regiment. Gibeon
reports that he marched to Still Water, NY where he joined the Continental Army under General Horatio Gates and served until December. This
term of service means that he a participant in one or both of the Battles of Saratoga.
After the American's failed invasion of Canada that ended in the fall of 1776, the British launched a campaign in 1777 designed to separate
the northern colonies from the central and southern colonies. General John Burgoyne led an expedition from Montreal south along Lake Champlain
and the Hudson River. Meanwhile General William Howe was supposed to march north from New York City and the two forces were supposed to meet in
Albany, NY. However, Burgoyne's progress was slowed dramatically by American forces that felled trees and used guerrilla tactics to harass and
hinder his progress. Meanwhile, Howe never marched to Albany. Instead he took a detour to Philadelphia which he captured and occupied. Burgoyne
never made to Albany either. Benedict Arnold and Horatio Gates engaged Burgoyne in two crucial battles on September 19 and October 7 that
stopped Burgoyne's progress entirely and Burgoyne surrendered his forces on October 17. This was the turning point of the War in favor of the
Americans and led to the French joining the War as American Allies.
After his discharge Gibeon returned home for about a year and a half. He then enlisted one last time on July 3, 1779 for a period of nine
months. He was marched to Springfield, MA and from there marched to West Point, NY. He spent the majority of his time at West Point but spent
two months at White Plains, NY between February and April when he return to West Point and was discharged May 18, 1780. Like his older brother
John III did before him, Gibeon's attention turned from the patriotic effort to his own romantic effort. He met a young lady named Susana
Whitney and they wed on July 1, 1781.
In 1812 Gibeon, now an elderly man, gave a written statement to a judge summarizing his Revolutionary War service in an attempt to secure a
government pension for war veterans. Below is a transcription of his statement. (His request was granted and he received a pension of $8 per
month beginning in 1818.)
"I Gibeon Elden of Buxton in the County of York and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, fifty seven years. I citizen of said Commonwealth declare
that about the month of May 1777 – I enlisted for two months in Captain Grants Company. I was marched to Providence, state of Rhode Island, but
I am not able to recollect what regiment our company belonged. I continued the two months in Grants Company. I did duty at Providence till I
was discharged but I had nothing in writing, nor had others who were discharged at the same time. And about August or September 1777. I again
enlisted for three months in Captain Rummeries Company & Coll. Storers Regiment. I was marched to Still Water. I joined the Continental Army
under General Gates. I served till the three months expired in December or January I was discharged at . . . . about fourteen mile below
Albany, NY, but had no written discharge. And again about May or June 1779 I entered as a private soldier. I was marched to Springfield in this
state. I was there mustered under a Captain Fisher, if I recollect right, who came on from the Continental Army to conduct the recruits to
Headquarters, who marched us to West Point in State of New York and I was there turned into Captain Clarks Company in Coll. Tuppens Regiment
and Patterson Brigade in the Massachusetts line on the continental establishment. During said term I was at West Point, except about two months
of the latter part of the time I was stationed at White Plains and on the lines, and in frequent movements from place to place, during said two
months I was in Captain Smiths Company, but don’t recollect the Regiment. Some time in the month of April 1780 I was marched up to West Point,
and if I am not mistaken I was placed in Captain Francis Company, and Col. Tuppers Regiment; but I was so often shifted from Company to Company
I changed our positions so frequently that I cannot now definitely recollect them. About the time I was discharged there were but two in the
company, viz. Denise Foss and myself. I was discharged about the middle of May 1780 at West Point. My discharge was in writing but amount to a
pass to prevent my being stoped on the way & to enable us to draw rations and when I view?? last at Boston our pass discharge was demanded &
given up. And I have never seen it since. I have no pension. I . . . . my reduced in circumstances in life. I stand in need of some assistance
from my country or support, as I am enfeebled by age and bodily weaknesses as not to be able to labour."
Gibeon Elden
April 22, 1812
Final Service
In the end of 1778 or January of 1779 Captain John Elden and his company, which included Nathan Elden and James Sands were mobilized as
part of a regiment led by Colonel Mitchel to go to Falmouth and assist in fortifying the town. They served for a total of five days87. This is
the last record of military service by Captain John Elden or any of his sons in the Revolutionary War. When the end of the war was declared in
1783, John Jr. resigned his captain's commission. He was now 52 years old.
War's Aftermath and Twilight Years
The war had dragged on for eight long years and either Capt. John or one of his sons was actively serving in the war for half of those
years. They participated in the most crucial battles in the northern theater of the war. It was surely a relief to the family when the war
concluded. While John III and Gibeon married during the war, as it was concluding most of the rest of Capt. John and Ruth's daughter's wed as
well. Their daughter Ruth married Nathaniel Knight and settled in Westbrook, ME. Lydia married Thomas Harmon on April 22, 1782 and settled in
Buxton. Hannah married Captain Samuel Andrews and settled in Lovell, ME. Elizabeth, however, remained single. We do not know much more about
Capt. John's final years. As one of the town founders, a community leaders, successful business man, and militia Captain, he must have enjoyed
great respect amongst his fellow citizens of Buxton. Hopefully, his final years were peaceful. Capt. John died in 1793 and is believed to be
buried at Pleasant Point.
Capt. John & Ruth's Legacy in the Lives of Their Sons
Nathan Elden
Nathan Elden married Elizabeth Roberts on May 12, 1772 and they had 10 children91. He was a successful businessman and built the first saw
mill on the east side of Saco at Moderation and also established a general store, the first one, there. He also had a business presence at a
place called “Elden's Corner.” He was known for his honesty and integrity. He was known as "Squire Elden" and was actively involved in public
service. He served as a town Selectman from 1825-1828. He was also a justice, served in the Maine House of Representatives from 1820-1824, and
was elected to the Maine Senate in 182693. He died Nov. 14, 1811 and was deeply mourned by the community.
John Elden III
Like his brother Nathan, John Elden III followed in his father's footsteps by operating mills. In 1773 he requested permission at a
proprietor's meeting in 1773 for permission to build a mill at Salmon Falls. He On June 19, 1777 John Elden III married Dorcas Foss, daughter
of James Foss who was a leading supporter of the Revolutionary cause. They had eight children: Dorcas (born May 13, 1778),
Ruth (born Nov. 23, 1781), Nathaniel (born May 21, 1783), Abigail (born Aug. 2, 1785) who later married Jacob Townsend of Buxton, Narcissa
(born Dec. 6, 1787), James Foss (born Sept. 20, 1789), Mary (born Sept. 7, 1793) and John (born Oct. 1, 1797).
John III was involved in his community but not to the same extent as his father or two brothers. He was a signatory on an agenda dated June
10, 1782 calling for a Proprietor's meeting. On May 30, 1797 John drowned in the Little Ossipee River north of Buxton. Four years later his
widow, Dorcas, married the Honorable John Woodman on November 22, 1801.
John Woodman lived near next to the Elden's and the two families were certainly friendly with each other. They were both involved in mills
and harvesting timber. On January 30, 1772 he married Mary Bean and they had eight children. She died on June 1, 1800.
At a young age John Woodman began to hold public office and was actively involved in public service his entire adult life, including service
in the Revolutionary War. He was elected as a Selectman in many times, served as a state legislator and senator. He was first appointed as a
judge in 1797 and held that position the rest of his life. John Woodman was one of the most prominent citizens in Buxton
during his lifetime. He died on November 18, 1828. Dorcas died March 11, 1843.
Gibeon Elden
Gibeon Elden married Susana Whitney on July 1, 1781 and they had ten children102. After the Revolutionary War, Gibeon and two other men
were made the first commissioned officers in the town militia103. Captain Elden had a distinguishing career as a public servant. He served as a
justice of the peace, represented Buxton in the General Court of Massachusetts, was a member of the Maine constitutional convention, and was
elected a town Selectman in the years 1810, 1811, 1816 and 1817. the convention that formed the constitution of Maine. He was known as “a man
of excellent executive ability and comprehensive judgment” who was trusted and respected by his peers104. Capt. Gibeon Elden died October 7,
1841 and his wife Susanna died January 19, 1832.
Sands Family
Three of Ruth Sands' brothers played a part in settling Buxton and one of them, Ephraim, settled in Buxton as well. The Ephraim Sands and
Captain John Elden families must have been close. They certainly worked together and served in the military together. Because of the many close
connections they shared, it is only fitting to give a summary of what is known about this family. The Sands family originated in England and
the first person to immigrate was James Sands. He lived first in Ipswich, MA and later moved to Biddeford, ME. Four of his children would end
up living in Narraganset, No. 1 for some period of time. They were James Jr., Thomas, Ephraim and Ruth.
James Sands Jr. signed a letter in 1742 requesting the General Court allow the land belonging to neglected proprietorships in Narraganset,
No. 1 be sold to individuals living in nearby communities. After this he disappears from the record so he must have sold his proprietorship in
the town to his two younger brothers, Thomas and Ephraim.
Thomas Sands, who was living in Saco, purchased land in Narragansett, No. 1 on February 9, 1753, and then on Sept. 27, 1762 but then sold
both lots of land the same year. He appears in records of Proprietor Meetings in 1754 and 1761 but then disappears from the record108. From
this we presume that he settled in the town at least initially. After 1761 either he was still living there but not involved in the affairs of
the township, or had sold his land and relocated elsewhere.
Ephraim Sands was born in Ipswich, Massachusetts on January 25, 1720. He purchased land in Narragansett, No. 1, June 13, 1755, and settled
there permanently. As a proprietor, he participated in some of the Proprietor Meetings. Ephraim was a very skilled at hewing, or squaring
round logs for construction. This work was done with a broad-axe and men would usually draw a line down the length of the log as a guide so the
edge of the beam would be straight. Ephraim became such an expert with the broad ax that he refused to have his timber “lined.” With each blow,
he carried his axe through the log from the top to the bottom. Thus he was able to hew more in a day than two ordinary axe men. Ephraim became
a master mill-wright, which is someone who builds and repairs mills. He was in demand for building mills and assisted in building some of the
first mills on the Saco River. Since his brother-in-law, John Elden Jr., owned and operated mills, the two of them must have worked together
quite closely.
Ephraim married Elizabeth Jones and had four sons. They were Samuel (born 1744), James (born March 27,1746), Ephraim Jr (born 1750), and
John (born 1753). While the first three were older than their Elden cousins, John Sands was near the same age as Nathan Elden and John Elden
III and may have spent considerable time with one or both of them growing up. All four of Ephraim's sons served as privates in the local
militia under their uncle Capt. John Elden in the Revolutionary War.
Ephraim also served in the war under and/or alongside Captain Jabez Lane, also of Buxton. Capt. Lane was made a Captain by 1777 but no
roster of the men who served under him has survived. However, a booklet kept by Capt. Lane between the years 1775 and 1777 mentions Ephraim
Sands. Following is an anecdote attributed to Ephraim Sands. “At one time, when the company was called up at reveille, the
captain (supposed to be Capt. Jabez Lane) announced to his company that he wanted ten volunteers to attend him In an attack Involving great
personal danger, and asked who would be first. A dead silence prevailed for a while; at length Phineas Towle stepped forward and volunteered.
He was soon followed by William Andros, and these two were marched to and fro in front of the company, to the great admiration of their
comrades. This proved to be only a ruse of the captain to test the courage of his men.
Tragedy struck Ephraim's family when his son John was found drowned in a river sometime after the war. He was believed to have been
murdered. How difficult it must have been for Ephraim for his son to have survived his service in the war only to be killed when he returned
home. John was buried in a cemetery at Pleasant Point, near where the Elden family lived. Ephraim was short, had a fair complexion, and became
a bit portly in his old age. He formally joined the Congregational church on July 31, 1803 when he was 84 years old. He lived with his son
James at the end of his life. He died on Jan. 25, 1817 sitting on a block at the door of James' home. He was in his 98th year.
Epilogue and Final Thoughts
The legacy of fortitude, hard work and dedication to a cause left by Captain John Elden was carried on in his family. His grand daughter
Abigail Elden married Jacob Townsend and one of their children was named James Foss Townsend. When Mormon missionaries came to Buxton, James
and his wife Susan accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ whole heartedly. Like his grandfather before him, James did not just give lip service to
his beliefs, he acted on them with a zeal reminiscent of his grandfather. James and Susan left Buxton to gather with the saints and eventually
settled in Utah where he labored to build a new community on the frontier. He remained true to his faith and actively served in various church
capacities. May we all follow the examples of these great ancestors.
BRH
