Hannah Dustin’s Revenge
The tale of Hannah Dustin, a colonial woman abducted by Abenaki warriors in the late 17th century, and her subsequent, violent escape, has cemented her place in American history. This act of defiance led to her becoming the first American woman to be honored with a statue, a testament to the enduring, albeit controversial, legacy of a figure caught in the crosscurrents of colonial conflict.
On the morning of March 15, 1697, the frontier settlement of Haverhill, Massachusetts, was shattered by the war cries of Abenaki raiders. This was during a time of intense conflict between English settlers and Native American tribes, often fueled by the larger imperial struggle between France and England for control of North America. The Abenaki warriors, allied with the French, descended upon Haverhill, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake. Twenty-seven colonists were killed, homes were burned, and thirteen individuals were taken captive, including the 40-year-old Hannah Dustin and her infant daughter, Martha, who was barely a week old.
Hannah Dustin, born Hannah Emerson on December 23, 1657, was a product of the staunch Puritan society of Haverhill. The eldest of fifteen children born to Michael and Hannah Webster Emerson, she grew up in a community defined by its religious convictions and its precarious position on the edge of the expanding English colonies. Life in Haverhill was a constant negotiation with the wilderness and its native inhabitants.
In 1677, Hannah married Thomas Dustin, a farmer and brick maker. Their union would prove fruitful, producing thirteen children, although only nine survived to the time of the Haverhill raid. The Dustins lived a typical colonial life, working the land and raising their family in a world increasingly shaped by the tensions of King William’s War (1688-1697). This conflict, part of the larger European War of the Grand Alliance, saw France and England vying for dominance in North America. The French, under the leadership of Louis de Buade de Frontenac, the Governor General of New France in Quebec, strategically employed their Native American allies to harass and weaken the English settlements through raids and skirmishes.
In that fateful year of 1697, the Dustin family resided in a house situated on the western bank of the Sawmill River. On March 9th, just six days prior to the raid, Hannah Dustin had given birth to her twelfth child, Martha. In the immediate aftermath of childbirth, a neighbor, Mary Neff, a 51-year-old woman, had come to stay with the family to provide assistance with the newborn and the other children.
The Abenaki attack on March 15th unfolded with terrifying speed. Thomas Dustin, who was working in the fields, heard the commotion and realized the settlement was under attack. He bravely attempted to defend his family, managing to secure the safety of his nine other children, but he was unable to reach his wife and newborn in time. As the warriors seized Hannah Dustin, her baby, and Mary Neff, they set the Dustin home ablaze, a stark symbol of the violence that engulfed the frontier.
As the Abenaki warriors began their forced march into the wilderness, Mary Neff, burdened by the weight of the infant Martha, struggled to keep pace with the raiding party. Showing no mercy, one of the warriors snatched the baby from her arms and brutally murdered her by smashing her head against a tree, an act witnessed by the horrified Hannah Dustin. This horrific event undoubtedly fueled the rage and desperation that would later define her actions.
The Abenaki raiding party soon converged with a larger group of their people, and the captives were forced to endure a grueling journey northward, covering nearly 100 miles through the harsh terrain of the unbroken wilderness. The trails were rough, the weather was unforgiving, and the constant threat of violence hung heavy in the air.
During the long and arduous trek, the Abenaki warriors taunted their captives with tales of what awaited them in Canada. They described how they would be subjected to humiliation, forced to run the gauntlet, beaten, and ultimately sold as slaves to the French. This constant barrage of threats and the despair of their situation likely contributed to Hannah Dustin‘s resolve to escape.
After nearly six weeks of captivity, the group reached the confluence of the Contoocook and Merrimack Rivers. Here, a smaller group of twelve Abenaki, including two adult men, two adult women, six children, took Hannah Dustin, Mary Neff, and a 14-year-old boy named Samuel Lennardson, who had been captured in Worcester, Massachusetts, some 18 months prior, and separated from the main party. This smaller group then proceeded toward what is now known as Dustin Island, located near the present-day town of Boscawen, New Hampshire. The island provided a temporary respite, a place where they intended to rest before continuing their journey to Canada.
In the relative quiet of the island camp, the Abenaki appeared to relax their guard, seemingly confident in their control over the captives. However, Hannah Dustin was biding her time, carefully observing her captors and formulating a plan for escape. After about six weeks after they were captured, under the cloak of darkness, she roused Mary Neff and Samuel Lennardson. Armed with tomahawks, they launched a surprise attack on the sleeping Abenaki, killing ten of the twelve, including two adult men, two adult women, and six children. Two, an injured woman and a boy, managed to escape into the surrounding woods.
After their desperate act of self-preservation, the three escapees gathered food and weapons, loading them into a canoe and setting off down the Merrimack River. However, Hannah Dustin had a sudden realization. She understood that their story, however compelling, would be met with skepticism without tangible proof. Driven by this understanding, they returned to the scene of the killings and scalped their victims, a gruesome act born out of the brutal realities of frontier warfare.
Traveling primarily at night to avoid detection, and hiding in the woods during the day, the trio made their way downriver. The final leg of their journey was undertaken on foot. After several days of relentless travel, they finally reached the safety of Haverhill, bringing with them a chilling tale of captivity, violence, and survival.
The Massachusetts General Court, upon hearing their account and seeing the evidence they presented, rewarded them for their actions. Hannah Dustin received 50 pounds, a substantial sum at the time, while Neff and Lennardson each received 25 pounds. The Dustins used this money to purchase additional land in the area, providing farms for several of their children, securing their family’s future.
Hannah Dustin went on to have another child in October 1698. Her husband, Thomas, died on November 17, 1732, after which she went to live with her son, Jonathan, on the southwest part of the original Thomas Dustin farm. She died four years later, on March 6, 1736, and was buried in Haverhill, Massachusetts.
While the story of Hannah Dustin was initially known primarily within the local community, it gained wider recognition when the Reverend Cotton Mather included her story in his book, published in 1702. However, it was in the 19th century that her legend truly took hold, as prominent writers such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Greenleaf Whittier, and Henry David Thoreau retold her story, further romanticizing and mythologizing her actions. Her story was soon incorporated into American history books, children’s literature, and magazine articles, solidifying her place in the national narrative.
Hannah Dustin was the first American woman to be honored with a statue, erected in 1874. The Hannah Duston Memorial, located in Boscawen, New Hampshire, was the first publicly-funded statue in the state. Another statue stands in her hometown of Haverhill, Massachusetts, in Grand Army Park, erected in 1879. Also standing in Haverhill is the Dustin House, which was under construction during the Haverhill raid of 1697. After Hannah returned from captivity, Thomas Dustin completed the home, which stood about half a mile away from their previous house. One of a very small number of surviving period houses built out of brick in Massachusetts, it stands at 665 Hilldale Avenue.
The legacy of Hannah Dustin remains complex and controversial. While some view her as a symbol of courage and resilience in the face of unimaginable adversity, others criticize her violent actions and the brutal nature of her revenge. The debate surrounding her story reflects the ongoing struggle to reconcile the perspectives of different cultures and to grapple with the dark realities of colonial history.