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Elizabeth (Meader) Hanson Captivity
There is a small possibility that we are related to the Hanson family from Dover, so I spent some time researching them. During my research I came across this extraordinary story. It is a first-hand account Elizabeth Hanson (maiden name Meader) from Dover, NH. Although I have yet to find a familial connection, I am including it here because it is a remarkable account by a woman living in the same place and time as our ancestors.
Wikipedia article
Elizabeth experienced a harrowing ordeal of Native American Abenaki capture and captivity in 1725, along with four of her children. Five months after their capture, Elizabeth and two of her children were ransomed by a French family in Canada. Her husband, John Hanson, managed to secure their release and find another daughter, but their eldest daughter, Sarah, remained behind.
Elizabeth and John Hanson had nine children together. During Dummer's War, when the Abenaki first attacked their area, Elizabeth, a Quaker, refused to take refuge in a garrison. On August 27, 1724, she and four of her children, Sarah, Elizabeth Jr, Daniel, and her two-week-old daughter, were taken captive. Two of her other children, Caleb and Ebenezer, were killed during the capture.
The journey to Canada was particularly challenging for Elizabeth, who had recently given birth. The lack of nourishment and clothing made it difficult for her to feed her newborn. However, Native American women showed her how to make a nut and corn infant formula, which saved her baby's life.
Elizabeth's captivity narrative, "God's Mercy Surmounting Man's Cruelty," published in 1728, provides a detailed account of her experiences. It reflects heavily on her Quaker faith and views on her captors and the French who eventually helped secure her freedom. Her narrative became popular for its insights into Native American captivity and the role of women in colonial New England. Elizabeth Hanson passed away in Dover, New Hampshire, in 1737.
| File name | Elizabeth Hanson Captivity.pdf |
| File Size | 45.42k |
| Linked to | I16502; I16494 |
| Albums | Ancestors Taken Captive by Native Americans |
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