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MEADER, Elizabeth

MEADER, Elizabeth

Female 1682 - 1737  (54 years)

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  • Name MEADER, Elizabeth 
    Birth 17 Sep 1682  Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Female 
    Differentiator Attacked and taken captive by indians; 2 children killed in front of her 
    Wars 27 Aug 1725  Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Indian attack - killed 2 children took her and her children captive 
    Religion Quaker 
    Death 10 May 1737  Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I16494  My Genealogy
    Last Modified 31 Dec 2023 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - 17 Sep 1682 - Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsWars - Indian attack - killed 2 children took her and her children captive - 27 Aug 1725 - Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 10 May 1737 - Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 
    Pin Legend  : Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  • Photos At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.

    Documents
    Elizabeth (Meader) Hanson Captivity    		Elizabeth (Meader) Hanson Captivity
    There is a small possibility that we are related to the Hanson family from Dover, so I spent some time researching them. During my research I came across this extraordinary story. It is a first-hand account Elizabeth Hanson (maiden name Meader) from Dover, NH. Although I have yet to find a familial connection, I am including it here because it is a remarkable account by a woman living in the same place and time as our ancestors. 

    Wikipedia article

    Elizabeth experienced a harrowing ordeal of Native American Abenaki capture and captivity in 1725, along with four of her children. Five months after their capture, Elizabeth and two of her children were ransomed by a French family in Canada. Her husband, John Hanson, managed to secure their release and find another daughter, but their eldest daughter, Sarah, remained behind.

    Elizabeth and John Hanson had nine children together. During Dummer's War, when the Abenaki first attacked their area, Elizabeth, a Quaker, refused to take refuge in a garrison. On August 27, 1724, she and four of her children, Sarah, Elizabeth Jr, Daniel, and her two-week-old daughter, were taken captive. Two of her other children, Caleb and Ebenezer, were killed during the capture.

    The journey to Canada was particularly challenging for Elizabeth, who had recently given birth. The lack of nourishment and clothing made it difficult for her to feed her newborn. However, Native American women showed her how to make a nut and corn infant formula, which saved her baby's life.

    Elizabeth's captivity narrative, "God's Mercy Surmounting Man's Cruelty," published in 1728, provides a detailed account of her experiences. It reflects heavily on her Quaker faith and views on her captors and the French who eventually helped secure her freedom. Her narrative became popular for its insights into Native American captivity and the role of women in colonial New England. Elizabeth Hanson passed away in Dover, New Hampshire, in 1737.




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