Eunice Kanenstenhawi Williams facts for kids

Eunice Williams, also known as Marguerite Kanenstenhawi Arosen, was born on September 17, 1696, and lived until November 26, 1785. She was an English colonist who was taken captive by French and Mohawk warriors from Deerfield, Massachusetts in 1704. She was only seven years old when she was taken to Canada with over 100 other captives.

Eunice was adopted by a Mohawk family in Kahnawake who had recently become Catholic. She became a full member of the Mohawk community. She was baptized as "Marguerite" and given the Mohawk name A'ongonte, which means "she has been planted as a person." Later, she married a Mohawk man named François-Xavier Arosen. They had several children, and Eunice stayed with the Mohawk people for the rest of her life. Even though she chose not to return to her birth family permanently, she often traveled to Deerfield with her children to visit her Puritan siblings. Her father, Rev. John Williams, and her brother Samuel tried many times to get her back, but they were not successful. They also could not convince her to return to Massachusetts and live with her birth family again.

Eunice's Early Life and Capture

Eunice's great-grandfather Rev. Richard Mather in 1675.

A portrait believed to be of John Williams, around 1707.

Eunice Williams was born on September 17, 1696. Her father, John Williams, was a Puritan minister, and her mother was Eunice Mather Williams. On February 29, 1704, their home was attacked during a raid on Deerfield. This raid was led by French fighters and their Native American allies, including the Abenaki and Mohawk people.

This event is now known as the Deerfield Massacre. It was part of a series of attacks and fights between the French and English, along with their Native American allies, during a war called Queen Anne's War in the early 1700s. During the raid, many settlers were killed in their homes. Eunice's younger brother, John Williams, Jr., and her six-week-old sister, Jerusha, sadly died. Over 100 settlers were taken captive, including 7-year-old Eunice, her parents, and four of her other siblings.

The captives were forced to march a long and difficult journey north. The next day, Eunice's mother died after falling while crossing the icy Green River. Other children and older captives also died if they could not keep up with the large group.

Life with the Mohawk People

Eunice and the rest of her family who survived reached Fort Chambly in Quebec about six weeks later. From there, the Mohawks took Eunice to Kahnawake. This was a Catholic Mohawk village located south of Montreal, across the St. Lawrence River.

A Mohawk woman who had recently lost her own daughter to a smallpox epidemic adopted Eunice. Eunice was given the symbolic name Waongote, which means "one who is planted like an Ashe." She learned the Mohawk language and their customs. She also learned about the Roman Catholic religion. When she converted to Catholicism, she was baptized with the name Marguerite.

When the survivors from Deerfield learned that their captured family and friends were in Quebec, they started trying to get them back. They used different people to help with the negotiations. During these years, Eunice's father, Rev. Williams, was allowed to meet with her twice. Both times, when she asked him for advice, he told her to say the Puritan Catechism.

Eunice's Adult Life and Choices

When John Williams was freed about three years later, he wanted Eunice to come back with him. However, the French told the person helping them that it was impossible. They said the Mohawks who adopted her "would as soon part with their hearts as the child." The French government usually did not get involved when the Mohawk people adopted captives, even if they were European. Rev. Williams was able to get his other children back, and they returned to live in Massachusetts.

Eunice became a full member of the Mohawk tribe. When she was 16, she married a 25-year-old Mohawk man named François-Xavier Arosen. They had three children together. Even so, Rev. Williams, and later his son Stephen, kept trying for many years to get Eunice back or convince her to rejoin her New England family.

As an adult Mohawk, Eunice was called Kanenstenhawi. She finally returned to New England in 1741, after her father had passed away. Her brother Stephen had stayed in touch with her. When Eunice and her husband visited Massachusetts, they came with a guide and interpreter because they only spoke Mohawk and French. She made two more visits to her Williams family, bringing her children with her. One year, she stayed for a longer time, through the winter.

Timeline of Eunice Williams' Life