“Bonjour.“ Or hello. My name is John Lougee. This is my life growing up in the 16 and 1700’s. I am 16 years old and remember, if you will, I do not know what a “Wii, computer, laptop, i-phone, television or radio is? My entertainment is what we make for ourselves. The well-to-do folks do have parties and big dinners. But us, The Lougee’s, we are a big family, but considered in the eyes of many, “POOR”.
By the time I turned 16 most of my family had passed away from sickness, due to lack of food, health, and medicine. And the other half got married and moved on. At this time, when I was working in the field to earn food for the day, my employer was JOHN STEPHENS and his wife was Mrs. Elizabeth Stephens. They had John’s mom living with them, Mrs. Alice Stephens, and a son, William Stephens, aged 21. Their home and field was located in the town of Caversham, county Oxford, U.K. I overheard the Queen wanting to start a war. I asked a fellow worker who was older and he said that The War of the Spanish Succession is to be fought in our area.
With fear of myself and my sister Grace, I asked the older man if anyone was leaving town to escape from being part of the war. He told me there was a ship leaving for the New World. By the grace of God, I heard my employer and family were leaving on that ship.
Nervous and not knowing what to do, and watching my sister work hard in the field, I so badly wanted to leave to the free world and save both of us. So when I went to collect my payment for the day’s work, I boldly asked my employer if he needed help loading his belongings onto the ship. I told him that my sister and I would help for just half of the regular pay we get. He told me that he would think about it and tell me tomorrow when I get paid.
The next day is here and I’m excited and nervous. It seemed like a LONG day waiting to get paid. When I collected for myself and my sister, he said “YES”. When we finished loading the boat, I then, again, asked if we can serve him on the boat, that we had no place to go and were poor. He thought for a minute, which seemed like forever, then he said sure. As servants, we worked our way to the Freedom of The New World.
When we got to the boat, to a 16 year old it was BIG. There were just over 100 people including the Captain, John Gibson . The ride was long and scary. It went for miles, and days infact. We sailed through sunny days and some stormy nights. Motors were not invented then so, the only way accross was good old hand power.So, it took us 13 days, 2,951.34 miles in the heat, cold, rain and sun. The ship left on April 11, 1683 and landed in Boston on April 24, 1683.
From Boston, MA. I manged to support myself and my sister with my trade as a knitter. We soon made our way up to Exeter, New Hampshire. By the time I arrived, the war was on. Indians after the whites, Whites after the Indians. For a while I thought I was free from the war, but the call was made in 1710 for more men to keep our freedom.
Colonel Winthrop Hilton, a leader in the Northern Army, went out on the twenty second of July with a party of seventeen men, to peel some large hemlock logs which he had cut for masts the previous season, and which were liable to be injured by worms unless stripped of their bark.
They were lying at the distance of about fourteen miles to the westward of his house. The day had been stormy. While we were employed in doing the work, a body of Indians fired upon us from an ambush and killed three, Colonel Hilton and two others.
The remainder of us, intimidated by our loss, and finding their guns unuseable by the wet, fled, except two who were taken captive. Mr Dudley Hilton, a brother of the colonel, and myself.
The next day one hundred men marched in pursuit of the Indians, to try and rescue us, but discovered only the bodies of the fallen. The enemy in their triumph had struck their hatchets into the brain of Colonel Hilton, and left a lance sticking in his heart. His body was brought to his home, and buried with every mark of respect and honor.
Dudley Hilton a close friend was never more heard from, and probably perished in captivity. As for me, I was taken to Canada and then right back to my old home in England just to start all over again. I found another ship going back to america in 1716 when I was 33 years old, At that time , the war was over and I meet Mary Gilman. Mary was born in 1695 in Exeter NH. After courting Mary for some time, we both decided to settle down and have a family. We did of course get married in the year of 1718 in the town of Exter. I was 35 and Mary was 23. This is my home in Exeter N.H.
Joseph had been married twice. Joseph was a tailor for most of his life. Elizabeth was his first wife. She was aged 49 at her death in 1774. A few years later, by 1787, Joseph married Lydia Lamson, daughter of William and Joanna (Tuttle) Lamson.
Lydia died in Gilmanton in January 1811. After their First daughtor Betty, who was born in 1747 in Exeter, He moved his family to Gilmanton. In all, Joseph had 8 children
My daughtor, Anna Lougee had found a hansom young man, Jonathan Folsom. They married On December 14, 1753. She was 28 and he was 33 years of age. They raised 3 chilren. A girl, Anna, in 1757, and two sons,Nathaniel in 1758, and Jeremiah in 1759.
My son Moses had married Jonathan Folsoms sister Lydia. She was born in 1730. They courted and got married in 1748 when he was 21 and she was 18. Lydia lived until April 16, 1755 and died at the age of 55. Moses lived for 3 more years and died on April 16, 1785 at the age of 58. They both raised 6 children and lived with us in Exeter N.H.
Gilman had lived with the family until he was 27. He fell in love with Susanna Mudgett. He was 28 years old and she was 20. They got maried on March 5 1757. The both of them stayed in Exeter for 6 years until moving in the early spring of March 1763, where they moved to Gilmanton NH. They raised 11 children before Susanna's untimely death on January 4, 1811 at the age of 73. Sadly, Gilman live just 5 months and 19 days more when he past away on June 28, 1811 at the age of 82.
Edmund also had the desire to get married and start a family. At age 23 he married Hannah Lord. A sweet young lady from a pleasent family. She was born in 1733 and was 21 when they married. While living in Exeter, they raised 7 well behaved children , just like the rest of my kids. Then they moved to Merrimack N.H. For some time in 1789, Hannah became ill due to the harsh cold weather. They traveled to Canterbury N.H. to seek medical help where Hannah passed away on February 15, 1790 at the age of 57. Edmund contued to live for 17 years without ever remarring and died on June 3, 1807.
At the ripe old age of 80, I was privledged to give my daughter away Bejamin Safford from Ma. Shauh, at the age of 29 got married in February of 1763 and had 11 children. They both stayed in Exeter to help her aging parents .
My second to oldest daughter, Elizabeth married Robert Lord. Another fine young man on October 20, 1757. She was 20 and he was 22 years of age. They raised 5 wonderful children whome I love seeing every day.
And my Last child, the eldest one, Joanna. At an old age of 84 , this was my last child to give in marrage and watch growing up into a fine adlut. On April 2, 1767, Joanna married Eliphalet Gilman. they had 9 children and moved to Kennebec Maine.
From living as a poor child in the U.K. to coming to the new world for freedom. I became rich in sight of god by raising 9 wonderful children and 67 grand children into a free nation. Due to the time of my wifes passing at 74 years old. I have reached 88 years of life. May my children and many more pass through of countless generations rember one lesson in life. Family is everything . My oldest son, John, helped to keep our family line going. At the age of 23 he moved away from home to Gilmanton. This is his story.
