Taken
Native American Captives
The Memory Lives On
Alex S
Mary Rowlandson was born in England. She was probably brought to America when she was about 10 years old. She wrote a narrative about her 11 week captivity with the Wampanoag Indians during King Philips war. Her book was one of the most widely read books of the early colonial period, with over 30 copies of it printed, which was a lot back then.Her father became a wealthy landowner in the Massachusetts Bay colony area. There she married Joseph Rowlandson, a congressional minister. She had three children. The third died in captivity. She lived in Lancaster on the frontier and it was destroyed in February of 1679 by the Wampanoag tribe.
Citation:
RM, plc. "Mary Rowlandson." Hutchinson's Biography Database (2011): 1. History Reference Center. Web. 11 Feb. 2013.
I Cannot be a Captive
Blake F
Hannah Dustin was born Dec. 23, 1657. 2. She married Thomas Dustin and had 10 children. 2. On March 15th 1697, Native Americans did a raid on the Haverhill and killed many people. 1. Also they captured Hannah Dustin, her infant, and a nurse named Mary Neff. 1. Before the Indians took them they killed Hannah’s baby. 2. One night Hannah got one of the spears and killed most of the Indians. 2. She scalped them as well to prove she had killed them. 2. At last Hannah and Mary returned home safely. 2. Hannah Dustin died in 1736 but her memory lives on. 2.
1. Citation: "Dustin, Hannah Emerson." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2013. Web. 8 Feb. 2013.
2. Citation: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=4667
Faith and Survival
Davis L
Mary Rowlandson was a colonist captured in a raid at her home in Lancaster, Massachusetts by the Wampanoag tribe of Native Americans. These Indians went to war to protect their culture and land against the colonists. Both sides started attacks where hundreds of men, women, and children were killed or taken captive. During the 11 weeks she was a slave to her captors, Mary Rowlandson's Christian faith helped her survive through the pain of starvation, extreme cold, beatings, and the sadness at the death of her 5-year-old daughter Sarah, who was wounded in the first attack.1 She saw her experience as a test of her faith in "the Sovereignty and Goodness of God," who had decided whether she would live or die during her captivity.2 Her captors released Mary and two of her children (the third died in captivity) on May 2, 1676 when her husband paid a ransom of 20 pounds. 3
1 Rowlandson M. The narrative of the captivity and restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson. Narrative Of The Captivity & Restoration Of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson [serial online]. January 10, 2009;:2. Available from: History Reference Center, Ipswich, MA. Accessed February 11, 2013.
2 Sweeney K. Taken by Indians. American Heritage [serial online]. Fall2008 2008;58(5):22-25. Available from: History Reference Center, Ipswich, MA. Accessed February 11, 2013.
3 RM p. Mary Rowlandson. Hutchinson's Biography Database [serial online]. July 2011;:1. Available from: History Reference Center, Ipswich, MA. Accessed February 11, 2013.
As a Captive
Jackson G
Mary Rowlandson was captured along with her three children when her town was raided by the Wampanoag tribe. In captivity, one of her children passed away. She was released when her husband paid a hefty, for back then at least, twenty pound ransom. She and her two remaining children were relatively okay. She wrote a book about her captivity, and over thirty were printed. This was a lot back then, effectively making the first American bestseller.
Citation: RM, plc. "Mary Rowlandson." Hutchinson's Biography Database (2011): 1. History Reference Center. Web. 6 Feb. 2013.