Before dawn on February 29, 1704, about 300 French and Native allies raided the English settlement of Deerfield, Massachusetts, killing 47 villagers and capturing 112 men, women and children. The captives were forced to march 480 kilometres (300 miles) to Quebec in harsh winter conditions. The march lasted a month. Only 89 survived the ordeal.
My friends who have Deerfield captives in their family tree will especially be interested in an event taking place this weekend in Deerfield.
This Saturday and Sunday, the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association will host a commemoration of the raid in Deerfield. Among the activties is a re-enactment of the battle and a lecture, Raiding and Captive Taking along the New England and New York Borders 1688-1748, by historian Kevin Sweeney.
The full weekend schedule is available on the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association website.
A list of those taken captive was compiled by Debbie Babcock and appears on her website, Debbie’s Pages.
