Some Three Hundred Years Ago

In Short

This collection of historical sketches breathes life into the seventeenth-century settlement of New Hampshire, from the first European arrivals in 1603 to the frontier conflicts of the 1690s. By focusing on the daily lives of children—their chores, their play, and their sudden brushes with wild animals and hostile raiding parties—the narrative transforms dry historical dates into a series of intimate, suspenseful stories. It has endured as a classic primer because it successfully captures the resilience of early colonial families, grounding high-stakes history in the relatable experiences of youth.

The Story

The narrative begins on the banks of the Piscataqua River long before the region bears its modern name. In 1603, the Indian youth Nonowit encounters a French exploration party led by Champlain. This initial, surprisingly peaceful meeting between cultures sets the stage for a shifting world. As the years pass, the arrival of English colonists changes the landscape permanently. The story follows several generations of families, such as the Chadborns, the Gibbonses, and the Lows, as they struggle to establish homes, cultivate the stubborn soil, and extract a living from the vast, dark forests.

Life in these early outposts is a constant negotiation with nature. The settlers grapple with freezing winters, the hunt for sassafras, the preservation of salt fish for English markets, and the persistent, terrifying threat of wolves and bears. The narrative arc mirrors the maturation of the colony itself; what begins as a fragile cluster of log cabins around a single manor house slowly evolves into a more structured society. Towns like Portsmouth and Dover emerge, bringing with them the social pressures of church laws, school-building, and political shifts—such as the transition of New Hampshire from Massachusetts' rule to the direct authority of the King.

This growth, however, occurs under a darkening cloud. As the seventeenth century wanes, the peaceful coexistence with the local tribes dissolves into the brutal violence of the Indian Wars. The narrative tension shifts from the domestic challenges of gardening or spinning wool to the desperate reality of survival. Families are forced to retreat into fortified garrison houses, listening for the sound of gunfire in the distance and bracing for night raids.

The collection concludes in the late 1690s, with the community tested by relentless conflict. Despite the constant fear of capture and the destruction of their homes, the colonists demonstrate a fierce, stubborn attachment to the land. From young Thomas Toogood, who narrowly outwits a captor with a stolen musket, to little Patience, who escapes her abductors with nothing more than a sewing needle, the final stories emphasize individual courage. The overarching journey ends not in total peace, but in a hard-won stability, as the descendants of the original pioneers stake their claim on the "Granite State," forever changed by the wilderness they tamed and the dangers they survived.

How It Unfolds

The encounter A French exploration party lands on the Piscataqua and encounters a local Indian boy named Nonowit. They exchange small gifts, and a young French sailor finds his fears of the "red-skins" replaced by curiosity.

Establishing the base English settlers arrive at Little Harbor to build a manor and storehouse. Early days are defined by the monotony of building and the anxiety of being isolated in a strange land.

The struggle for resources As more families arrive, the focus shifts to the practicalities of survival, such as salt-making, the fur trade, and the desperate search for medicinal sassafras. The children play in the woods, unaware that their secret gardens and games are temporary diversions from the harsh reality of pioneer life.

The rising shadow Tensions with the surrounding tribes escalate, and the comfort of the home is replaced by the necessity of the garrison house. The narrative moves from the small, domestic drama of a lost lamb to the larger, collective terror of war.

Final tests of character In the final chapters, the colonists face the climax of the frontier conflicts. Through quick thinking and raw bravery, characters like Thomas Toogood and Patience prove that the children of the settlement are as hardened and capable as their parents.

The People

Nonowit stands as the bridge between the old world and the new. A member of the Piscataqua tribe, he begins as a curious boy and grows into a man who watches the white-winged sails of the invaders with a mix of memory and observation, representing the vanishing autonomy of his people.

Roger is one of the first English children to inhabit the settlement. His fear of the "monotony" of colonial life is quickly replaced by a terror of the forest, particularly after his encounter with a lynx in the storehouse. He matures into the father of the next generation, passing down the stories of the early days.

Rebecca Gibbons serves as the archetype of the industrious pioneer. Her secret garden of Indian corn provides a moment of childhood agency, and her ability to adapt to the wilderness—from trading furs to spinning wool—highlights the vital, often overlooked work of colonial girls.

Patience represents the final, most desperate generation. Her story, which culminates in a daring escape from a raiding party, encapsulates the resilience of the community. Her small, brave act with a sewing needle serves as a metaphor for the entire colony: small, seemingly insignificant, yet capable of wounding the forces that threaten to overwhelm it.

In Its Own Voice

"Nonowit, like his people, was glad to see the snows melt away during that spring of 1603."

The author establishes the setting through the eyes of the indigenous population, long before the English colonial period formally begins.

"I have tried to picture here what they might have done in the midst of the true and thrilling happenings you will some day read of in our history."

The author addresses her young readers directly, explaining her intention to flesh out the dry, historical record with human experience.

"The whirr of that arrow lived in Roger's mind the rest of his days."

A brief moment of violence during the establishment of the settlement leaves a permanent mark on the psyche of one of the first children to call the area home.

What It's Really About

The central theme is the cultivation of a home within a hostile, unpredictable environment. The book asks what it means to be a "settler"—a word that implies not just building, but domesticating. It explores the tension between the imported traditions of England and the demands of the New Hampshire wilderness. The narrative also poses a quiet, haunting question about the cost of progress, as the encroaching white settlers inevitably displace the people who knew the river first. Ultimately, it is a study in inherited identity, showing how a generation of children, raised in the shadow of garrison houses and wolf bounties, eventually stops looking toward England as home and begins to define themselves as New Hampshire residents.

Why Read It Today

This book is a fascinating artifact of early twentieth-century historical writing for children. A modern reader will appreciate the warmth of the tone, which eschews modern cynicism in favor of a genuine, if idealized, respect for the pioneer spirit. It is written with a rhythmic, straightforward clarity that makes it a gentle, immersive read. However, contemporary readers should be prepared for the period-specific attitudes; the descriptions of the indigenous tribes reflect the Eurocentric worldview of the 1920s, and the text’s occasional romanticization of "civilizing" the wilderness will be transparent to a modern eye.

Despite these limitations, the book remains a powerful look at how a society constructs its own origin myth. The descriptions of the New Hampshire landscape—the "shining peaks" in the distance, the "salt marshes," and the deep, dark forests—remain evocative and grounded. If you are interested in the transition from colonial outpost to established town, or if you simply enjoy stories that find the extraordinary in the daily lives of children, you will find this a worthwhile, if modest, journey into the past. It stays with you not because of grand battles, but because of the small, human moments: a needle in a pocket, a bowl of broth, or the quiet fear of a child listening to the wolves in the dark.