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Episode 078-December 1, 2018
This month we celebrate the 5th anniversary of Maple Stars and Stripes
with a listener-requested topic: English captives carried to Canada. Guest George Gill Ducharme takes us along on his journey of discovery— from wondering about his middle name to discovering his Abenaki heritage.
Samuel Gill: English Captive to Abenaki Chief
In this episode, George and I discussed the following:
- His questions regarding his middle name “Gill.”
- The practice of capturing English colonists by both the French and the Indians and carrying them back to Canada.
-Some captives were redeemed and returned home.
-Others, mostly women and children, chose to remain in Canada.
The Gills
- Samuel Gill resided in Salisbury, Massachusetts.
- He was captured as a 10-year-old boy on June 10, 1697, and taken to Odanak.Samuel became an Abenaki chief. He married a fellow captive, Rosalie James. Their oldest child, Joseph Louis Gill, eventually became known as the White Chief of the Abenaki. George is descended from another son, François.Samuel died in approximately 1738.
- George’s great-grandparents were the first to move from Canada to Lowell, Massachusetts.
- There are many Gills still residing in Odanak, and many more buried in its cemeteries.
- A local priest, l’Abbé J. A. Maurault, wrote Histoire des Abenakis depuis 1605 jusqu’à nos jours (History of the Abenakis from 1605 up to the present day) in 1866. There is an entire chapter on the Gill family.
- George eventually discovered the origins of his first and middle names.
- He learned that Samuel Gill was a member of the Abenaki tribe.
- He eventually studied under the direction of Dr. Colin Calloway of Dartmouth College’s Native American studies department. Dr. Calloway had produced quite a bit of written material about the Abenakis and the Gills.
- George was also eventually granted membership into the Abenaki tribe.
- He also learned why his aunts never talked about the family’s heritage.
They kept it secret because of the eugenics movement in Vermont. This was a movement to purify the genetic pool by sterilizing people who were “contaminating” that pool. French Canadians, and especially those of mixed Native ancestry, were targets of the movement. George recommends the book Breeding Better Vermonters: the Eugenics Project in the Green Mountain State by Nancy L. Gallagher for more information.
Abenaki archives
John with his wife Donna Roberts Moody is the leading genealogist for the Abenaki tribe. They created the Winter Center for Indigenous Traditions in Hanover, NH. From Donna Moody’s biography, “The Winter Center Archives, Library, and Research Center is focused on maintaining and increasing the ethical accessibility of a substantial archive of records, research files, documents, oral histories, videos, and other items gathered over the last forty-five years, and to continue to be an indigenous peoples’ archive and a public educational resource.”
Resources
- John Moody and the Winter Center for Indigenous Traditions on the Hartford and Norwich, VT, border
- Emma Coleman’s New England Captives Carried to Canada-out of print and at this time, outrageously expensive on Amazon.com. Check a library.
- George Gill Ducharme’s thesis from Dartmouth College: GILL: A Chronicle of a White Indian Family
- The Year in Photos 2011: Hartford, Vermont Celebrates 250 Years, Susanne Abetti, editor (chapter on Abenaki History)
- George explained the history of Dartmouth College as an Indian school. There is a useful manuscript collection in the college’s library.
He also recommends the research library at the Pequot Museum in Ledyard, CT. Download a copy of the museum’s History & Culture eBook here. - English Captives and Prisoners Remaining in New France: the Story of Capture and Survival in Québec by Prof. Roger W. Lawrence. There is a chapter on Samuel Gill.
- Captors and Captives: the 1704 French and Indian Raid on Deerfield by Evan Haefeli and Kevin Sweeney
- The White Chief of the St. Francis Abnakis-Some Aspects of Border Warfare: 1690-1790
- Gill: a Chronicle of a White Indian Family by George Gill Ducharme
Journal Rundown
In this episode, we’ll take a look at articles located in volume 41 of Je Me Souviens, the journal of the American-French Genealogical Society in Woonsocket, RI. Contact the AFGS for copies of any articles.
Issue 1:
Acadian Lent and Easter Traditions
The Trial and Execution of Gillette Banne and Jacque Bertault
Do I Have German Ancestry?
The Unfortunate Catherine (about Catherine Lorion, the daughter of Mathurin Laurion and Françoise Morinet. She first married Pierre Vilan in Montréal in 1654.)
Issue 2:
Witchcraft and Miracles – the Stories of Two Filles à Marier: Marie Pontonier and Antoinette Grenier
An article about Louis Hébert
My Delaune Family Line of Louisiana by Way of Acadia and Nantes
Issue 3:
The Soldier and the Pelican Girl (Pelican Girls were the “filles du roi” of the Gulf Coast)
September 13, 1759: the Day Québec City was Lost, the Battle of the Plains of Abraham
The Large Footprint Left by our Ancestors (an article about the Trottier line)
French-Canadian Revolutionary War Patriots
The Cargnan Regiment and the Peopling of Canada
A two-page guide to Latin translations
Issue 4:
This issue is dedicated to the Acadians. Here you’ll find the following:
The Acadians of the Diaspora (follows our ancestors to their settlement post-deportation)
Our Unique Acadian Genealogy (covers various Acadian resources)
Sophie Peine-La Petite Misère (from the Magdalen Islands)
Jean Pineau, PEI Acadian Ancestor
Acadian Festivals
Acadian vocabulary
French-Canadian News
The Franco-American Centre
December 15, from 6-10 pm at the Stark Brewing Company in downtown Manchester: Soirée de Noël-Bring your instruments and your singing voice and join in celebrating the season with French or English carols.
The Quebec Family History Society
December 8, at 10:30 AM at the Briarwood Presbyterian Church Hall in Beaconsfield: Protestant Genealogical Records in Quebec
The Minnesota Genealogical Society’s Canadian Interest Group
December 16th, 1-3 pm at the Minnesota Genealogical Center in Mendota Heights: French-Canadian Catholic Church Records Part I: Baptism records – how to read and understand them
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I enjoyed todays podcast very much. Today was the first time that I was able to listen to the podcast on a timely basis. I’m still catching up on some older ones.
Two books that I’ve read regarding English captives come to mind. Flight of the Sparrow by Amy Belding Brown relates the true story of Mary Rowlandson. And Massacre on the Merrimack is the true story of Hannah Dustin of Haverhill, Ma. There’s a statue of her here in Haverhill.
I appreciate your attempts to review articles from Journals from other organizations.My only concern is a problem often occurs with access to these articles because you need to be a member of the group for full access to the article. ( as in the case of American French Genealogical Society) Not sure how to think about this right now but it is a bit frustrating when you have to join so many different organizations for information.
My name is Tammy Bond, and I am also a descendant of Samuel Gill and Rosalie James. Francois Gill was also my 7th or 6th great grandfather. How excited I was to hear this podcast, and learn more about my ancestry. After many years of knowing there was indigenous roots in my family that was not talked about, I took a DNA test and whoola…I was connected to the Gill family and the Captive Narrative. I am originally from Ontario, but now live in BC. There is also a very good book written about Noel Annancis called Abenaki Daring by Jean Barman. He is also a Gill descendant. Would love to connect with George Gill Ducharme and compare family details! Thank you for the podcast.
Hi Tammy, I am also related to Samuel Gill. My mother, Yvonne Robarge, used to tell us that we had Indian Blood but it was never investigated until her cousin, George Ducharme, put all his effort into it. We would see George 4 -5 times in the ’60’s and my mother and he would talk about family and us kids would want to know more, but it was not known at that time. In the 1990’s my mother sent me some information that George had sent her, regarding our family tree. There was always some confusion though, as to whether or not there was any actual Indian DNA either from Samuel’s marrige or if he had a previous Indian wife, or if Francois had married an Indian lady. There are some uncertainties as to the wives backgrounds.
Perhaps in your DNA test it shows if there is any Indigenous blood passed down. Any information would be appreciated as my 17 yr old daughter is showing interest in where she comes from.
I am far removed from my family as I live in Hawaii. I tried to contact George a few years ago but got no response.
Sincerely, Dennis O’Neill