French and Indian Wars

Elizabeth Corse1 was born in Deerfield, Massachusetts in 1696 to James Corse2 and Elizabeth Catlin. Three months later, Elizabeth’s father died, the first of the many tragedies of her eventful life.

Throughout the 17th century frequent hostilities between the French, English, and native tribes made Deerfield, on the edge of the English frontier, vulnerable to attack. In 1702 the War of Spanish Succession in Europe3 expanded to North America, becoming the second of the four French and Indian wars. While both sides had Indian allies, the French colonists, being outnumbered by more than ten to one, relied heavily on Indian warriors. The Indians themselves had scores to settle with enemies, both Indian and white, and the French joined forces with them in raiding English towns. Deerfield was one of their targets.

On the night of February 29,1704, a raiding party of over 200 natives from several tribes and 50 Frenchmen descended on Deerfield. Snow piled against the palisade made it easy to climb over it and open the gates. The fighting was haphazard but the raiders managed to kill 44 residents and take more than 100 hostages, mostly women and children. Two of those taken were eight year old Elizabeth Corse and her mother. Among those killed were Elizabeth’s grandfather and two uncles.

The raiders then returned north to Canada with their ill-prepared captives. Some 20 captives died on the 300 mile trek to Canada, either killed because the couldn’t keep up or dying from exposure. Only a handful managed to escape. Elizabeth’s mother was killed by the Indians seven days into the journey. When the group finally reached Canada, French authorities and sympathetic colonists began to acquire hostages from their Indian captors. The majority of those were traded for ransom or used for prisoner exchanges. Those who did not return to New England, 36 in total, remained in Canada as willing members of a tribe or members of French society. Elizabeth Corse was one of those who stayed.

Elizabeth was taken into the family of Pierre Roy and renamed Elizabeth Casse.4 Within a year she was baptized as a Catholic. At age sixteen she had a baby girl, but the child died shortly after birth. Later that year she married Jean Baptist Dumontet of La Praire, who was 37 years older. Together they had seven children. In 1730 one of Elizabeth’s brothers went to Canada to bring her back. It is not known if he found her, but if he did she chose not to return. After Dumontet died, she remarried to a man 8 years younger than her, Pierre Monet, and had another six children. Interestingly, Elizabeth’s daughter, Elizabeth Dumontet, would later marry Pierre Monet’s brother.

Elizabeth Casse’s great-granddaughter, Rosalie Monet, would marry into the Remillard family of La Prairie. Rosalie was Louisa Remillard’s grandmother.

Elizabeth’s story was not unique. Not long after her abduction, another Remillard ancestor, Mathias Farnsworth5 at age 14 was taken captive on an Indian raid of Groton, Massachusetts when he was working in a field. After over a year of slavery, Mathias was purchased by seminary priests and was baptized. Unable to read or write, his name Farnsworth was eventually transformed into Phaneuf.6 In addition, Mathias took on the first name of his godfather, Claude. When he came of age, the priests rewarded his work for them with a house and land of his own.

1See Chart R12.

2Also spelled Corss or Cors. James Corse may have been a Scottish immigrant.

3The European war is called the War of the Spanish Succession. For the British colonialists the North American theater was Queen Anne’s War. It was also known as the Third Indian War or the Second Inter-colonial War. The fourth of the French and Indian wars is the one Americans call “The French and Indian War” (singular).

4Probably the name “Corse” spoken by an 8 year old with a New England accent sounded much like “Casse” to her French Canadian family. Sometimes Casse is recorded as Lacasse.

5See Chart R11.

6As in the case Elizabeth Corse, the French were unfamiliar with the English name and spelled it many different ways somewhat close to its pronunciation at the time.