Jeremiah Waite

Benjamin married Martha Leonard on 8 Jun 1670 in Hatfield, Hampshire County, Massachusetts. Martha was born on 15 May 1649 in Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

The daughter of John and Sarah LEONARD. (James Albury; Chris Bird; Dave Graves).

Notes:

Married:
". . .the epitome of courage and selflessness. . ." By Meredith Boissy Donatello

My favorite ancestors are Benjamin Waite and his wife Martha Leonard Waite. Benjamin, "The Hero of the Connecticut Valley," was a courageous, loving, and capable man. When his wife and three daughters were taken captive during the Hatfield Indian Raid of September 19, 1677, Benjamin did not sit idly by but was determined to set his wife and children free or share their fate. He and another man faced the hostile French and Indians and pursued them until he returned with his family to Hatfield. During her captivity Martha gave birth to her fourth daughter, Canada Waite. Martha Leonard Waite, like her husband Benjamin, was extraordinarily courageous. She made a three hundred mile forced march to Canada while pregnant and managed to keep her three small children alive. This feat is so extraordinary because the Indians killed those captives, especially women and children, who could not keep up. This family is and was the epitome of courage and selflessness that is embedded in the American Spirit.

Source: http://www.newenglandancestors.org/

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