PULSIFER Benedict (Jr.)

Abt 1663 -

• Name	PULSIFER Benedict (Jr.)
  Birth	Abt 1663
  Gender	Male
  Notes	One of the most interesting stories revealed in the old Ipswich court records involves the conviction of Benedict Jr. in 1682 for burglary aboard a sloop. This incident was a profound embarrassment to his father. Benedict Sr. submitted a lengthy written petition to the quarterly session of the court seeking to defend his son against conviction in May 1682. Benedict Sr. was ahead of his time, in a way, in his use of defense which, with some embellishments, has become popular in the latter half of the 20th century, known as the "diminished capacity" defense. The profile presented, quite a lengthy, and written in the first person, is of a father persistently concerned about the value of education for his son, despite the son's apparent dull-wittiness. This account shows that Benedict Sr. was quite literate in an age when education among Englishman was rare. Benedict Sr. painted a picture of his son as a dull-witted lad hopelessly unable to learn to read despite the extraordinarily painstaking efforts of his father and who was innocently led into mischief by a Negro slave who was more cunning. His pleas for mercy was in convincing to the court. Benedict Jr. was convicted of " being with Stephen Crose's Negro aboard Crose's sloop, stealing wine, sugar, and biscuit to the value of 36s". The court ordered Benedict to pay half the treble damages to Crose and also to be whipped. In the summer of that same year, Benedict Jr. again got himself into trouble with the law. In August 1682, Benedict Jr. was convicted in Salem court, along with two other youths of stealing 37s in silver which they took from a box from the house of Nathaniel Treadwell to finance their plan to runaway from home. In July of 1682, 19 year old Benedict Jr. along with John Yell and James Dunaway made a secret agreement to abandon their Failes and leave town. They also took a boat from Thomas Clerk and "a sayle and oare from Robert Cross". The youths left the boat at York and went by land to Black Point, where they were apprehended by Andrew Birdsley and brought back to the great island in Pascataquay, and from there returned to Ipswich. Benedict avoided a public whipping by paying a fine and his share. His restlessness continued, and in September of 1688, he had wandered north to the banks of the Royal river in what is now the town of Yarmouth, Maine, but then called Westcustogo. He became involved in the first bloodshed in the state of Maine in what came to be called, "King Williams War". This involved a number of bloody outbreaks between white man and Indians. The abundance of fish and game and large stands of timber attracted the white man to this region. Yet the Indians resented the encroachment into their homeland and considered it a violation of treaties. Benedict was among those involved in building a stockade against the Indians on the west side of the river. On one fateful morning in Sept 1688, Benedict and a man named Larabee and a few others were sent over from the block house before the rest of the workmen to make preparations for the days work. The Indians were lurking in ambush. With their faces smeared with war paint, the Indians sprung from the bushes to attack. One of the Indians gave Larabee a violent push. Larabee immediately lifted his gun and shot the Indian dead. While he fired, a second Indian seized Larabee and Benedict struck the Indian squarely on his shoulder with the edge of his broard axe and the Indian fell to the ground. The fight now broke into general chaos. The Indians ultimately retreated with two captive men who they put to death by torture back in their camp. The settlers fled the region, and it was not repopulated with white people until 1713. Benedict continued his travels and in 1690 Benedict Jr. enlisted in Sir William Phip's expedition to Quebec as a member of Captain Abraham Tilton's company. It is quite possible he was killed or taken prisoner in the unsuccessful attempt to take the Canadian stronghold. No further records on benedict Jr. are available. He apparently died unmarried and childless.
  Person ID	I6864	Freeman-Smith
  Last Modified	10 Apr 2024

  
  

  Father	PULSIFER Benedict,   b. Abt 1637, England d. 1710, Ipswich, Essex Co., MA (Age 73 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	unknown   d. 16 Jul 1673, Ipswich, Essex Co., MA
  Relationship	natural
  Marriage	Abt 1661	prob. Ipswich
  Family ID	F10440	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart