The French and Indian War and the Arrival of the Greenlaws in Maine The earliest documentary evidence of the Greenlaws in New England are the muster rolls from the French and Indian War. All six of the Greenlaw brothers had served during that conflict in the 1750s and 1760. Charles had enlisted on or before 9 May 1754, and considering the 16 year old minimun age of soldiers, he was born before 1738, several years before his traditional birth year. Charles was the servant to Captain Jabez Bradbury at Fort St Georges, the recently improved fort on the river of the same name in the District of Maine. Bradbury had been charged with keeping the peace with the Penobscots, and continuing trade in that area. It was a mutually beneficial relationship between the English and Penobscots, and it needed to be maintained to keep both parties in that region happy. While the French had been able to persuade several of the tribes who traversed the Maine country to side with them against the British, and thus prevent further British settlement, the Penobscots remained non-belligerent with the British. More than a century of European diseases and English trade had shaped the Penobscot into a people dependent on the British for survival. Bradbury knew the Penobscots well, and they trusted him, often coming to the fort to trade or otherwise interact. Charles's brothers James, William, Ebenezer, Jonathan and Alexander all joined the army during the 1750s. Charles never strayed any further than Fort St Georges, where James, William and Alexander also spent time. James, William and Jonathan were in companies that marched to locales as far away as New York. Ebenezer and Alexander were stationed at Fort Halifax, in present Winslow where the Kennebec and Sebasticook rivers converge. Military service brought welcome pay to the newly arrived brothers. More importantly to the men at Fort St Georges, they also received rations for their families. The presence of the brothers on the St Georges River during the 1750s lends credence to historian Cyrus Eaton's account of the settlement of Warren. His "Annals of the Town of Warren," published in 1851, tells the story of the village of Stirling, later renamed Warren. It began with the passage of several Scottish families on the ship Dolphin in the summer of 1753, the Greenlaws among them. Their purported arrival about a year before Charles's known army service is consistent, but we have no source to verify the tale. Though Eaton occasionally referenced his sources, we don't know where he got this information. Since the settlement of that are was part of Samuel Waldo's scheme, perhaps Waldo's personal papers held the information. Eaton was blind by the time of the 1850 census, so must have spent many of the preceding years collecting information about Warren. First- or second-person accounts certainly played an important role. Some of the youngest settlers of Warren were likely still living when Eaton moved to the area after his marriage in 1806, and may have provided information that hadn't been recorded elsewhere. Although we have no particular reason to doubt Eaton's account, corroborating evidence would be an advantage in reconstructing an accurate account. The story of the Greenlaws' arrival has been repeated many times, and I'll repeat it here, but with that grain of salt that makes a narrative out of history. Land speculator Samuel Waldo had acquired the Muscongus Patent in the 1730s, with the intent of immediately settling immigrants from Germany. The tract stretched from the Muscongus (now Medomak) River to the Penobscot River, with the patent giving exclusive rights to trade with the Indians who inhabited those lands. Waldo saw the opportunity to make profit from rents and the sale of titles, and the increasing value of the land as settlement became permanent. Early settlements were a failure though, and Waldo lack of promised support has been blame. For example, it has been said that these early settlers expected to arrive at cleared land and a village, neither of which existed. During that early attempt at settlement, many died of exposure and Indian attacks, or fled to populated areas. In the 1750s, when the Greenlaws and other arrived on the St Georges River, they were met with similar disappointment, as well as war. King George's War in the 1740s had once again pitted the British against the French. And once again, the indigenous tribes in New England were compelled to choose sides, with the Wabenaki Confederation of the northeast supporting France. British settlements in Maine were often targets of aggression, as the French desired to halt any increase in settlement, and claim to territory, by the British. When the war ended in the European Theater, the fighting ended in North America without resolving the territory disputes there. The ceasing of hostilities re-ignited the desire to build up the region. By 1752 Fort St Georges and other outposts were re-outfitted as truck houses to trade with the Indians, but only in official capacity, as private trade with the Indians was not permitted. This lack of free trade may have contributed to the general animosity settlers had for the Indians. Captain Bradbury was adamant to keep the peace with the Eastern Tribes, but newly arrived settlers who had no experience with Indians made his job more difficult, and tended to undermine his efforts. According to Eaton, the Dolphin left Greenowck, Scotland, and crossed the Atlantic in the Summer of 1753 with dozens of would-be settlers from Stirling and Glasgow, among other nearby places in Scotland. The ship first reached the Piscataqua River, remaining about a week, and from there to Waldo's Patent on the St George's River in Maine. What the Greenlaws and the others found there was little different than what the Germans found two decades before. Waldo had made many promises to entice settlers to his land. Advertisements expounded on the fertility of the soil, the mild climate, the freedom of religion, the quality of the forests, the abundance of game and fish. He would pay the passage for skilled craftmen, while laborers could work off their passage upon their arrival. Waldo would provide stock and materials at wholesale pricing. He even promised a house to shelter all the families to be completed, so they didn't need to construct any buildings to pass their first winter. Finaly, he offered a money-back guarantee, of sorts, saying he would transport you back to Scotland at his expense if the New World wasn't what you expected. Needless to say, these enticements did not turn out to be as advertised. Eaton gave the names of 19 families who took the offer, and arrived at the St Georges River in September 1753. But the promised house was not completed, and settlers were forced to find winter shelter among the few previous settlers on the St Georges River. This first bump in the road may have even forced some down the coast to the more settled areas. If the settlers arrived no later than September, there should have been ample time to construct their own shelters. But the men recruited from the cities had more cosmopolitan skills: weaving, bookbinding, potting, brewing. There was likely not a farmer among them, let alone a carpenter or lumberer. Even 2 decades later when the Greenlaw brothers were among the builders of Fort George on the Penobscot, they only worked as laborers, not carpenters. The long winter on the Maine coast was followed by a spring where at least two of the brothers eagerly joined the army. Sure food, shelter and money, as well as rations for their family, was more than welcome after a Maine winter. That spring, the other settlers commenced at erecting log cabins for their own use. They were given 1/2 acre lots in present Warren, between what is now called the North and South ponds, and called the settlement Stirling. Although the learning curve must have been steep, these newfound frontiersmen eventually found their footing. Some appear to have deserted the area during the course of the war, returning carve out their farms in the early 1760s. We have nothing apart from Eaton's word to say that the Greenlaws were ever in Warren, let alone remained there during that first bleak winter and the continuing war. But considering the numerous instances of the several Greenlaw brothers in the military records of the fort on the St Georges River, we can guess that the family stayed. The first evidence of the Greenlaws on the continent was a record indicating that Charles Greenlaw enlisted in May of 1754 in the company of Captain Jabez Bradbury. Charles was stationed at Fort St Georges until December 1758, where he acted as the Captain's servant. Capt Jabez Bradbury had been charged with keeping the peace with the Indians on the frontier. To the settlers though, new to the continent and unaccustomed to the people who lived there and the state of relations, found anyone who was not European to be a threat. Bradbury thus appeared sympathetic to the Indians, and the settlers resented this. Even if he only was following the terms of the peace treaty, Bradbury often ended up at odds with the inhabitants of the area, as well as the men in his company. Though it was true that the French and several other tribes were working in concert to unseat the British, not every Indian was the enemy. As the conflict progressed through the 1750s, Fort St Georges had several run-ins with aggressive tribes, and several settlers and Indians were killed. The settlers had a knack for making it worse for themselves though. They were aggressive to every Indian they met, even the Penobscots, and eventually killed an Indian family who were well-known to Bradbury and the old residents. Bradbury's protection of the Penobscot allies, and his apparent lack of aggression and defense, made the settlers distrust his leadership and motives. He was eventually replaced as Captain. As a descendant, both literally and culturally, of the Greenlaws at Fort St Georges, we can only hope that they weren't among the settlers aggressive against our then-allies the Penobscot. And we hope that Charles Greenlaw, being so close to Bradbury as his servant, would have learned Bradbury's affection for the Penobscots and their position and taken that respect to heart, and transferred those feelings to his family. But such a hope is ill-founded, especially considering that the Europeans' relationship with Indigenous folks is little improved after centuries. In the 1750s, we can't have expected an inclusive, trusting relationship between the settlers and the Penobscots. Although, it may also be true that the inhabitants did not all behave or think the same way, protective and exclusionary reactions and policies eroded any standing relationshop. The outcame was that ware was declared against the Penobscots as well. Although the greatest part of the hostilities of the French and Indian War occurred during the late 1750s, the peace treaty ending the war was not signed until 1763. In Maine, most of the conflict was with the Indians and not the French directly. One notable exception was a French and Indian attack on Fort St Georges in 1760, which was easily repelled. After this, the Penobscots in particular began to make proposals for peace in the region, propelling new settlement in the region again. During the war, the settlers who remained on the St Georges River often took refuge in the fort itself. And work or farming done outside of the fort was done under the protection of the company stationed in the fort. If the Greenlaw family continued at Stirling during the war, they were protected by their own sons. Charles served from 1754 through the end of 1758, James from the summer of 1755 through the end of 1757, and William for several months in 1755. All the brothers served in some capacity during the conflict. James, William and Jonathan served as far away as New York. Charles didn't stray any further than Fort St Georges. Ebenezer and Alexander were stationed at Fort Halifax, in present Winslow where the Kennebec and Sebasticook rivers converge. Military service brought welcome pay to the newly arrived brothers. More importantly to the men at Fort St Georges, they also received rations for their family. We know that the Greenlaws did not remain in Stirling, and are said to have been on Deer Isle by 1761 or 1762. There is a marriage intention in Falmouth for Jonathan in February of 1759, giving his residence as Boston. He re-enlisted in May and went to New York, presumably to help in the building of Fort Crown Point, and may have been present at the fall of Quebec. In 1760 was assessed at Falmouth with his brothers Charles, Ebenezer and Jonathan. Judging by the size of Jonathan's farm, he had probably been at that place a while. He had 84 acres under improvement, probably with the help of his brothers. How long the Greenlaws been at Falmouth we have no way of knowing. There are no deeds recorded for any of the Greenlaws in this period. Did Jonathan buy or rent a farm? The Falmouth assessment didn't mention John, James, William Sr or William Jr. William Sr may have remained in Stirling. Jonathan and William Jr were on a list of men who enlisted for a bounty in 1757, dated Falmouth, and they may have been living there at the time. By the end of 1758, though, William was living in Boston, according to marriage intentions filed in Falmouth and Boston. In 1759, James's marriage intention, also filed in Boston, gives his residence as Boston too. James was said to have been in Nova Scotia by 1760, so would have immediately gone there after his marriage. William too soon left Boston, settling on Deer Isle by 1762. In Boston there was another Greenlaw said to be connected with the Maine Greenlaws. John Greenlaw, living in Boston by 1762, was from Cadder near Glasgow, and born about 1727. Some say he was another son of William Sr, some say a brother. No evidence points to any relation, apart from Boston connection. John was banished from Boston as a Loyalist in 1778 and returned to Scotland, living out his days as a merchant in Glasgow. Were the Greenlaws a family of merchants? If they were, they were certainly fit the profile of the Stirling settlers that Eaton set forth. So where were the Greenlaws during the French and Indian War? The brothers were often in the army, stationed at many places. The parents may have lived in Stirling, but had probably fled to the less remote settlement at Falmouth. * * * A Few Words on the Ages of the Greenlaw Brothers The Greenlaws lived at a time when there were few opportunities to have personal information recorded. Even at the time of their deaths, it was rare for a record to exist, let alone an age given. Thus we are limited in our tools in determining when the brothers were born, or in which order they were born. We know they all were born in Scotland, well before their arrival in New England. Beyond that, we can deduce the latest year each one was born, by when they appeared in the record. Enlistment age during the army during the period of the French and Indian War was at least 16 years old. Poll taxes were assessed on those men 21 years old and upward. Marriage was not allowed unless you were of age, unless your parents permitted it, and that was usually mentioned as well. The following is what conclusions we can draw about the Greenlaws and the years of their birth. John was said to have been 60 years old at the time of his death in 1787, putting his birth about 1727. Seeing he was married by, say, 1752, and his wife's age at hear death puts her birth about 1726, a 1727 birth for John seems reasonable. James is traditionally said to have been born in 1732. His burial record in 1777 gives his age as 48, putting his birth about 1729. His marriage in 1759 and enlistment in 1754 put his birth in 1738 or earlier. William, said to be born in 1734, was born before 1739, given that his enlistment in 1755. There are no other records to indicate his age, although he must have been at least 21 years old when he was married in 1759. Ebenezer was said to have died in 1810 at the age of 70, making him born about 1740. This claim was published in 1864 in Sabine's collection about the Loyalists. But we find Ebenezer enlisted in the army in 1754, putting his birth in 1738 or earlier. He was assessed at Falmouth in 1760, putting his birth 1739 or before. Sabine claimed that Jonathan died in 1818 at the age of 80, making his birth about 1738. We do not find him on the military rolls until 1756, not allowing us to narrow down his birth year. He was married at Falmouth in 1759, and assessed assessed there in 1760. William and Jonathan were the first married Greenlaws, so we might guess there were older than their unmarried brothers. With Jonathan owning and being assessed for the farm at Falmouth, we might conclude he was perhaps older than William, or even James. Charles's death has been given as 1810 at the age of 70 or 1811 at the age of 65. This would make his birth in the years 1740 or 1746, both of which don't stand up to the fact that he was the first to enlist in 1754. We can suppose that he enlisted at the age of 15 with the permission of his father, thus making him born about 1739, but no mention of that is found in the muster rolls. He was also assessed at Falmouth in 1760, so must have been born before 1739 as well. Was he the youngest Greenlaw of military age? If so, his birth occurring precisely in 1738 can be concluded. Or should we allow his birth to be pushed later, despite the lack of notation in the muster rolls? Alexander was clearly the youngest Greenlaw brother. Although his age was given as 82 in a notice of his death printed in the City Gazette of Saint John in 1822, he was born later than the 1740 suggested. A muster roll in 1757 notes that he was underage, so born no earlier than 1741, and probably born a year later. So we can confindently conclude his birth was in the year 1742. For three Greenlaw brothers we can be relatively confident that we know their birth years: John born 1727, James born 1729, and Alexander born 1742. William, Ebenezer, Jonathan and Charles could have been born no later than 1738. Other claims of Charles's age may push his birth as late as 1740, so we might at least imagine that he was the child born previous to Alexander. So Ebenezer, Jonathan and William were born in the period between 1729 and 1840. The exact spacing, and precise order may never be know. Was Jonathan, with the farm at Falmouth in 1760, the eldest? Was Ebenezer, the last married of the three, the youngest? It's unlikely that we will discover records settling these questions, but we may * * * List of the Settlers on St George's River, Medumcook and Broadbay Volume Name 46 Page 119 The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1847-. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2018.) https://www.americanancestors.org/DB202/rd/11629/119/241625781 From the Knox Manuscripts in the possession of the New England Historic Genealogical Society Volume 50 Folio 166 ... St Georges Lower Town [St Georges Upper Town is now Warren.] ... William Lamb ... Edward Lamb Senr William Lamb Edward Lamb Junr ... Benjamin Pumery ... Suppos [sic] this List was made previously to the Year 1760/ Supposed to have been written by Capt John North, who died in the Year 1763 These names were given by Eaton (19). Most not listed in 1760, but Eaton says they returned to the area after the War. Archibald Anderson [Eaton: r Bannockburn] Anderson [Bolton: to Falmouth] Auchmuty [Eaton p 121: to Boston return to Scotland a Loyalist slaie maker] Beverage Andrew Bird [Eaton p 122: to Cushing] John Brison [Eaton p 120: to Cushing] John Brown [1760 Lower Town. Eaton p 122: sons killed by Indians, he drowned in the River] John Carswell [Eaton p 122: on several muster rolls at St Georges] John Crawford [Eaton p 120: Warren] John Dicke [Eaton p 120: r Stirling r Warren] Grenlaw [Eaton p 121: to Boston to Penobscot] John Hodgins [Eaton p 121: to Boston bookbinder] Thomas Johnston [Eaton p 121: to Bristol to Bremen] John Kirkpatrick [1760 Upper Town] Robert Kye [Eaton p 122: Killed by Indian Mill River] Andrew Malcolm [Eaton p 120: Cushing to Warren] John Miller [Eaton p 121: Warren] John Mucklewee Wilke * * * https://archive.org/details/annalsoftownofwa00lceato/page/96 First Edition 1851 https://books.google.com/books?id=Crg-AAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Second Edition 1877 Annals of the Town of Warren, in Knox County, Maine, With the Early History of St George's, Broad Bay, and the Neighboring Settlements on the Waldo Patent Cyrus Eaton 2nd Edition Editor: Emily Eaton Publisher: Masters & Livermore 1877 first 1851 * * * Immigrants to New England, 1700-1775 By Ethel Stanwood Bolton For info on above settlers.