Walter Gendall

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Walter Gendall
Walter Gendall plaque.jpg
Gendall's memorial plaque in Yarmouth, Maine
Born
Cornwall, England
DiedSeptember 19, 1688
North Yarmouth, Massachusetts Bay Colony, U.S.
NationalityEnglish
OccupationMill owner
Known forCaptain in King Philip's War and King William's War

Walter Gendall (died September 19, 1688) was a 17th-century English sawmill owner in and prominent citizen of North Yarmouth, Massachusetts Bay Colony (now Yarmouth, Maine).[1] He was also a captain in King Philip's War of 1675–1678 and King William's War of 1688–1697, in which was killed.[2]

Early life[]

Gendall, a native of Cornwall, England,[3] arrived on American shores from England around 1640. There was a record held at the on Richmond Island, off Cape Elizabeth, Massachusetts (now in Maine), that he was resident in the area. From that point, however, nothing is known of Gendall for around two decades.[4]

Career[]

Gendall's mills formerly stood beside today's East Main Street bridge carrying the traffic of Maine State Route 88

During King Philip's War, while at Fort Lyall in Falmouth in August 1676, Captain Gendall decided that the "furious natives" were of sufficient anger that he sent word to Boston for reinforcements. He was granted a detachment of 130 soldiers.[5] A short while later, he was held captive, for ransom, by the natives with whom he had been on good terms for years. He had visited their settlements and traded with their chiefs for animal skins. "He was much esteemed by all the tribes," wrote Charles Banks.[6]

In September 1677, a court in Boston found Gendall guilty of treason for his relationship with the Native Americans. In the ensuing three days, Gendall escaped and returned, it is believed, to Scarborough, Massachusetts (now in Maine).[7] A bond was paid by Gendall's friend Nathaniel Fryer as part of an agreement with the court, and the incident came to a conclusion.[8]

Peace was reached with the Indians on August 12, 1678, when three English commissioners met chief Squando and two other sagamores to sign a treaty.[8]

Larrabee's Landing, near the mouth of the Royal River. Callen Point, where Gendall was killed, is on the right

On July 12, 1681, Gendall founded Casco Mill at the eastern side of the First Falls in Yarmouth, on land formerly occupied by Henry Sayward's mill. Gendall's dwelling was beside the mill. He built a boarding home "of rude construction" for his mill workers on the opposite shore.[9] Three years later, he claimed all of the 2,000 acres (810 ha) owned by fellow Englishman, early settler George Felt. He had purchased 100 acres (40 ha) from Felt a few years prior.[2]

Gendall was selected to a committee in charge of laying out the town of North Yarmouth, which was incorporated on September 22, 1680. Also on the committee were Bartholomew Gedney, Joshua Scotton and Silvanus Davis. The town was designed on a location then known as Maine's Point. The committee was superseded by the appointment of Gendall and three others as trustees of the town.[9]

Personal life[]

Gendall was married to Joane and had a family,[9] with whom he had lived during his time as a military officer in Scarborough (from around 1661)[10] and Falmouth, Massachusetts (now Portland, Maine).[11] His father-in-law was John Guy, a fisherman in Falmouth.[4]

His farm incorporated Duck Cove, beyond Town Landing Road in today's Cumberland Foreside.[2][12]

Death[]

Gendall, "one of the bravest and foremost men of the early days",[9] died on September 19, 1688,[3] shortly after the outbreak of Second Indian War, having been shot by Indians near Callen Point while taking supplies to his troops building a fort on the southern side of the Royal River. He had mistaken the cessation of their gunfire to mean that they were out of ammunition, and he set out to cross the river. He made the journey without incident, but was shot upon reaching the opposite shoreline. His last words were: "I have lost my life in your service."[9] The Indians burned three houses and two barns of Gendall's.[13]

Gendall's estate was not probated until 1700, twelve years after his death.[14]

A stone marker honoring Gendall stands to the north of 28 Lafayette Street in the area of Yarmouth that came to be known as Grantville.[15] It was installed by Yarmouth’s Village Improvement Society.

References[]

  1. ^ New England Bibliopolist (1881), p. 54
  2. ^ a b c Ancient North Yarmouth and Yarmouth, Maine 1636-1936: A History, William Hutchinson Rowe (1937)
  3. ^ a b Bibliotheca Cornubiensis: Comprising a supplementary catalogue of authors, lists of Acts of Parliament and Civil war tracts, &c., and an index to the contents of the 3 vols, George Clement Boase, William Prideaux Courtney (1874), p. 1192
  4. ^ a b Captain Walter Gendall: A Biographical Sketch - Doctor Charles E. Banks (1880), p. 2
  5. ^ Captain Walter Gendall: A Biographical Sketch - Doctor Charles E. Banks (1880), p. 7
  6. ^ Captain Walter Gendall: A Biographical Sketch - Doctor Charles E. Banks (1880), p. 8
  7. ^ Captain Walter Gendall: A Biographical Sketch - Doctor Charles E. Banks (1880), p. 12
  8. ^ a b Captain Walter Gendall: A Biographical Sketch - Doctor Charles E. Banks (1880), p. 14
  9. ^ a b c d e Captain Walter Gendall: A Biographical Sketch - Doctor Charles E. Banks (1880)
  10. ^ Collections of the Maine Historical Society, Volume 3 (1853), p. 83
  11. ^ Collections of the Maine Historical Society, Volume 3 (1853), p. 135
  12. ^ Collections of the Maine Historical Society, Volume 2 (1902), p. 175
  13. ^ Collections of the Maine Historical Society, Volume 2 (1902), p. 174
  14. ^ Captain Walter Gendall: A Biographical Sketch - Doctor Charles E. Banks (1880), p. 24
  15. ^ Architectural Survey Yarmouth, ME (Phase One, September, 2018 - Yarmouth's town website)
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