Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-04-21
THE GOODRKDGE MASSACRE.



around and the first floor yet covered the eel
lar. The hewed steps that led to the cellar
bottom and the still heavier timbers of the
frame bespoke the antiquity Of the structure.
II had been of two stories In height, and con-
tained three large rooms on each floor Be
tween the boardings were bricks, after the
manner of building the ancient garrison
houses, 80 that the Indians could not pene-
trate it with their gun balls. Situated on q
swell of land it had a sunny and pleasant To-
cation shade trees stood near and the out
stretched fields were luxuriant with vegeta-
tion.
This was one OF the first houses in that sec
ton, being built, probably, by Mr.. Benjamin
Goodridge, upon his settlement there about
1856. He came from Newbury, where by his
three wives he had had several children born.
His father was William Goodridge, who emf
grated from Bury st. Edmunds Sufolkshire,
England in 1854, and settled in Watertown,
Mass. He had four children, three sons and
one daughter, who became the wife of Ed
ward Woodman, Jr., of Newbury, in 1858.
About 1916 Mr.. Goodridgo removed to New
bury, where he died in the spring Of 1G47.
His widow Margaret, afterwards married
John Hale Of Newbury, where she died in
1858. Williams youngest child was born in
Watertown, April IL, 1642. At the age of q
ho married Mary, daughter Of Francis Jordan
of Ipswich. On her death no married her
sister Deborah for his second wife She died
in 1876 and he again married, this time Sarah
Croad, November l6 1878, and about 1856,
as we have previously stated, settled at this
old place Of which we are writing. Mr.. Good
ridges children at the time of the massacre
in October, 1892 were as follows Benja
min, born in Nowbury about 1865; Joseph,
July 6, 1867 Daniel, March 3, 1910; Josiah,
Jan. l. 1874. (erroneously called john Sam
uel, Aug 10, 1852; Deborah, born about
1856, probably in Georgetown, and Ebene-
ger, born in Georgetown, Dec. 3, 1858. OF
these children it is not known how many
were present when the massacre occurred.
Mr. Benjamin Goodridge was a man of
some consequences in his time, and had he
lived in a more thickly settled place we
would find more evidence of his judgment
and strength of character and the estimation
in which he was held. He attended to the
active Christian duties Of the Sabbath, and it
is to his honor that at the close of a still, au-
tumn Sabbath day, we find him and his fam
lily kneeling around their altar engaged in
evening prayers. On this evening, the 23d
Of October, 1902, the sun having gone down
behind the tree-tops the wind blew gently
in through the open window, and the good
mans words of petition and thanksgiving
rose upwards, borne ON wings of love to the
throne OF grnce In the gathering dusk, and
being kneli in prayer, the stealthy step of a
tawny Indian was not noticed by the family,
until the report of a gun broke the outward
stiffness, aud Mr.. Goodridge fell to the floor,
a ball having pierced his breast. In the con-
sternation which followed, the Indians for
there were several, entered the house and
murdered Mr. Goodrdge and his wife and
two children, Ebenezer, aged three years,
and another, u daughter, probably, as Gage
speaks of two daughters being killed. His
daughter Deborah, then only seven years of
age, was taken captive, and carried away to
what might prove to her worse than death.
1t is thought by the writer that Samuel, who
was then aged ten years, was also carried
away with his sister, and afterwards escaped
or was redeemed. but there is no direct proof
of it. The victims Of this terrible tragedy
were buried together at the east of the house,
with no stone to mark the site
The Indians who perpetrated this deed Of
savage cruelty, 1t is said, belonged to one of
the eastern tribes and had been on an excur.
sion to commit some bloodthirsty act, but be-
ing unsuccessful they sought revenge on the
lives of this quiet and unobtrusive family.
Deborah the captive was redeemed the fol-
lowing spring, at the expense of the prov
ince. She afterward married Matthew Duty
Of Rowley, with whom she lived many years
in Newbury. After the death of her hus-
DhllI hlb bltlAh tue ToulhluutE OF nGE long It0
among relatives in Beverly. She often visit
ed the scene of that terrible tragedy, a dis
tant recollection of which she retained to her
death, which occurred in Beverly in IVA, at
the age of So years. OF the other children
Benjamin was living in 1853, and probably
settled in Lunenburgh, Mass. Joseph and
Daniel settled in Newbury; Josiah in Ber-
wick, Me-, and Samuel in Boxford.
Mr.. Allen Goodridge, "a great grandson of
the last named SamueD, Of the general land
Office, Washington, D. c., writes of his hear
ing this narrative told by his grandparents in
his early home in Vermont: ~ well remem-
Der hearing my grandfather and grandmother
talk of the murder of Benjamin by the Indi-
ans and one time in particular after grand
father died OSl5) before her death, (Which
occurred at my fathers house in 1921, when
l was fifteen years of age) grandmother told
the story of his being killed and the story of
Hannah Dustan of Haverill, TO my brother
and l. 1t made 80 deep an impression on
my mind that have never forgotten it,"
Thus may we seek to record the momen-
tous incidents of early times. Thus may we
keep fresh in our memory at what great cost,
at what terrible sufferings, our republic was
founded. Hunger, cold, solitude, danger
from the wild animals and more cruel men,
were the companions of those brave hearts
who first caused our virgin soil to yield her
cultivated fruit But their hunger made them
patient, cold made them tough and solitude
thoughtful, and danger made them more So
cial, more humane, more like family related
by common bonds of dependence yet from
their avocation they learned independence.
Thus dependence aud independence worked
side by side in those early days, and to those
two qualities may we trace the prime founda-
ton Of our government. Ge0rget0,on Mass.
AdDOcdte.
The Samuel Goodridge who settled in Box
ford, Mass, as mentioned above, was the
father of Benjamin, who settled and died in
Westminster, Vt, and of John, who settled
and died in Grafton, Vt. Benjamin died in
1905, aged SO, and John died in 1915, aged
Sc years. Mr. Austin Goodridge, at present
living in Westminster, is a descendant of
Benjamin. Mr.. S. F. Goodridge, whose sum
mer residence is at Bellows Falls, and Mr.
Samuel Goodridge of Grafton are descendants
of John. SophroniA Goodridge, now living
in Brattleboro, is daughter of Thomas and
granddaughter of Benjamin; Mrs. NJ. E.
Kemp of Brattleboro is a granddaughter of
| Thomas; George ]. Bennett of Westmore-
land, N. H., is grandson of Thomas. The
son born April 4, 1882, to the wife of Alex.
Aulsebrook of Nevadaville, Col, is a great
great. grandson of Thomas.
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