Tantamous

Plaque marking the site of "Jethro's Tree" where Jethro witnessed sale of the land now comprising the town of Concord and Maynard

Tantamous (also known as Old Jethro or John Jethro[1]:137) (c. 1580[2]–1676) was a well-known Native American Nipmuc leader in seventeenth century Massachusetts. Tantamous was a "Natick powwow, healer, and spiritual leader who lived at Assabet"[3]:19–20 [1]:80 (now Maynard, then part of Stow) before moving to Nobscot and giving up his migratory way of life. Tantamous likely received his English name of "Jethro" because he gave good advice like the Biblical Jethro.[4]

Biography

In 1635 Old Jethro (or his son) witnessed sale of the land now comprising the downtown of Concord under an oak tree that became known as Jethro's Tree. In 1651 Old Jethro (Tantamous) transferred his land in what is now Maynard and Concord to Herman Garrett by defaulting on a mortgaged horse and mare, and in 1684 Tantamous' son Peter Jethro (Animatohu), a praying Indian (born c. 1611),[3]:52 and Jehojakim and ten others transferred further land in the area to the settlers. In 1659 John Smith of Charlestown unsuccessfully requested the Massachusetts General Court to deed him Tantamous' land near Sudbury as payment for a debt. Later in life, Tantamous and twelve of his family members lived on the northwest side of Nobscot Hill in Framingham and Sudbury.

Despite living amongst the praying Indians associated with John Eliot, Tantamous did not join their religion. In 1675 Tantamous and ten other Indians were falsely accused of committing a murder in the Lancaster raid allegedly due to their "singing, dancing, and having much powder and many bullets and slugs hid in their baskets," but they were acquitted when the true murderer, Monoco, a Nashaway, was discovered, and Peter Jethro actually communicated with the captors of Mary Rowlandson to obtain her release.[5][6] During King Philip's War, the government ordered Tantamous and his family to Deer Island, and in 1675 Tantamous received thirty lashes for abusive speeches.[7] Tantamous eventually escaped from Deer Island but his son, Peter, alerted the authorities (with alleged assurances that his family would not be harmed) of his father's whereabouts,[8] and Tantamous was captured at Cochecho (Dover, New Hampshire) and executed on September 26, 1676, on the Boston Common[9][3]:19–20 [1]:80 after being marched through the streets of Boston with a noose on his neck on the way to the Great Elm Tree.[10][11] In his history of the war, Increase Mather referred to the incident, stating, "That abominable Indian Peter Jethro betrayed his own Father, and other Indians of his special acquaintance, unto Death."[12] More recent historians suggest that Peter may have actually been working to turn in only John Monoco, the perpetrator of the Lancaster raid out of a sense of justice, and Monoco and Old Jethro may have intended to surrender peacefully in return for offering Canonicus, the Narragansett leader in exchange for their lives.[6] The remainder of Tantamous' family, other than Peter, were sold into slavery.

Legacy

Remnants of Tantamous' home and farm fields in Framingham could still be seen centuries after his death,[13] and his cave can still be seen today.[14] In Concord Center there is a plaque marking the site of "Jethro's Tree" where he was present for the sale of the land now comprising downtown Concord. Tantamous' name is memorialized in Tantamouse Trail in Sudbury and Jethro Street in Maynard, and the Tantamous Lodge of the Boy Scouts.[15]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Drake, Samuel Gardner. The Book of the Indians, Or, Biography and History of the Indians of North America: From Its First Discovery to the Year 1841. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  2. ↑ Bruce A. White, Tantamous: The Powwow from Penobscot (1976) https://books.google.com/books?id=6OovHAAACAAJ
  3. 1 2 3 Barry, William, A History of Framingham, Massachusetts (Boston: James Munroe and Company, 1847)
  4. ↑ Wayland Historical Tours re-publication of 1976 Wayland Historical Tours (2013), pg 21 https://www.waylandmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Wayland-Historical-Tours-Final.pdf
  5. ↑ Hezekiah Butterworth, Young Folks' History of Boston (1881) pg. 28-33
  6. 1 2 Lisa Brooks, Our Beloved Kin (Yale University Press, 2018) "Peter Jethro and the Capture of Monoco," https://ourbelovedkin.com/awikhigan/peter-jethro
  7. ↑ Records of the Court of Assistants of the Colony of the ...https://books.google.com/books?id=QDE2AQAAMAAJ (1901) pg. 54
  8. ↑ Provincial and State Papers Volume 1 New Hampshire (Colony) Probate Court (1867) p/ 360
  9. ↑ Gutteridge, William H. (1921). A Brief History of the Town of Maynard, Massachusetts. Maynard, MA: Town of Maynard.
  10. ↑ Hezekiah Butterworth, Young Folks' History of Boston (1883) pg. 25-35
  11. ↑ Barber, S., Boston Common: A Diary of Notable Events, Incidents, and Neighboring Occurrences (Christopher Publishing House, 1916), p. 32 https://books.google.com/books?id=p4QUAAAAYAAJ
  12. ↑ Kittredge, George Lyman, The Old Farmer and His Almanack: Being Some Observations on Life and ... (1920), pg. 370
  13. ↑ Temple, Josiah Howard, History of Framingham, Massachusetts: Early Known as Danforth's ... https://books.google.com/books?id=Q4AlAQAAMAAJ 1887 - Framingham (Mass.)
  14. ↑ LaMond, Carole, Staff Writer (Apr 2, 2008). "Preserving Nobscot's History". Sudbury Town Crier. WickedLocal.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Tantamous Lodge". Boy Scouts of America – Mayflower Council. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.