Massachusetts History

According to a 1905 history book of Chelmsford, Massachusetts.

“In King Philip’s war, Chelmsford suffered less than most of the frontier towns. The people were, nevertheless, constantly harassed by fear lest the cruel fate of Groton and other exposed towns might overtake them.
When the family retired for the night, they knew not at what hour they might be awakened from their slumbers by the war whoop of the savages to find their home in flames and their children slaughtered.
Wamesit was one of the Apostle Eliot’s praying towns, and these Indians did not join in hostillies against the English. But the atrocities perpetrated by the savages in other places,and the fact that some of Eliot’s
Christian Indians had been discovered among the hostile bands, engendered feelings of bitter hatred toward the Indians. Many people were seized with the wild desire to exterminate all Indians indiscriminately.
Some of the Chelmsford men who knew the Wamesits best, remained their stanch friends.

A barn belonging to James Richardson was burned and also some haystacks, and the Wamesits were “vehemently suspected” of being guilty of these acts. Passions aroused by this led to the wanton shooting of several of the Indians. In reference to this outrage, Increase Mather of Boston, wrote in his diary: “It is to be feared yt yir [that there] is guilt upon ye Land in resp. of ye Indians yea Guilt of blood in resp. of yc Indian
so treacherously murdered at Chelmsford. I am afraid God will visit for yt gf [that grief].” Several houses on the north side of the river,
belonging to the Cobums, were burned, probably in retaliation by the Wamesits, and two sons of Samuel Varnum were shot and killed while crossing the river with their father in a boat to tend their cattle on the
other side.

The ruler of the Wamesits, Numphow, now retired with his people into the wilderness to the north. Their troubles, however, were not ended. Capt. Mosely and his band, while scouting towards Pennacook, came upon their wigwams which had been left upon his approach, and these, with the provisions contained in thein, were burned. Their further sad fortunes we cannot now follow. They never returned in any considerable numbers to their ancient home at Wamesit.”