Over 100 years ago, the foresight of a few men, well versed in the history of the Piscataqua River Basin, decided to pool their libraries and talents to mutually strive to instill a sense of the preservation of history of the area. They formed; Piscataqua Pioneers.
Piscataqua Pioneers:
Selected Biographies of Early Settlers in Northern New England
It was fish, furs, and forests that beckoned men to seek their fortune. Perhaps the Vikings were the first Europeans who ventured into the Piscataqua Region. We know from his detailed maps of the geographical features that the Italian explorer Verrazano did an extensive search of the area in 1524. Europeans were harvesting fish in the North Atlantic waters all during the 16th century, but it wasn't until late in the century that keen interest in exploration began to flourish in England. The search for sassafras and gold prompted organized ventures to the northern New England region.
When, in 1580, Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe and arrived back in England to the honors bestowed upon him by Queen Elizabeth, it was every young boy's dream to experience adventures on the high seas. One of them, a boy from Devon, was named Martin Pring. At age 23 he was selected by the Mayor of Bristol and local merchants to command a voyage to North America in order to claim the treasures of gold and stores of fish. It is written that he discovered the Piscataqua River in 1603.
The name APiscataqua@ is an Indian word that means Awhere three rivers become one.@ With its deep harbor, access to inland forests, and haven-like conditions created by the Isles of Shoals, the surrounding area contained the potential to become a prosperous settlement in the New World. However, even though English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese vessels passed the Piscataqua=s harbor, there is no mention of their mariners= interest in settling the area. It was Captain John Smith, in 1614, who mapped the coast and named the islands ASmith=s Isles.@
Finally, in 1623, another venture, financed in England by merchants, sent a ship captained by David Thomson to establish a settlement in New England. He landed at Odiorne's Point, in Rye, New Hampshire, and a strategic point was established on the mainland. For a while, Great Island, now New Castle, with its deep channels close to shore, became the center of activity. But, because of the island=s limited land area, that center changed and Hilton=s Point, in Dover, and Strawberry Bank, now Portsmouth, became the major settlement sites.
The primary reason for the settlements was commercial ventures, not freedom of religion. Besides the groups of men who were in search of gold, silver, and furs, there were the settlers who fished and harvested timber. Local fish were caught, dried, and combined with goods that were obtained through trade with the West Indies. These products became exports to England, all of which required containers for shipping. Hence, local lumber was used in cooperage, and the use of these barrels helped to increase the distribution system of the resources.
Captain John Mason and Sir Ferdinando Gorges were the owners of the Piscataqua Settlement; the tenants were the individuals who agreed to conditions established by the settlement. Captain John Mason died in 1635, six years before the outbreak of the English Civil War, in 1641. With his leadership gone, the small colonies began to manage their own affairs with more freedom. On Great Island in 1652, for instance, the settlers in charge burned the Aofficial records@ and began over again, for freedom was in the air.
It was into this environment that the men and women whose names found on the following pages came into their own. It was a time of great change. There was plenty of hard physical work to be done. Those in control reaped the rewards of land and wealth by acquiring grants of inland property that provided additional opportunity for growth. It was in these small communities that the settlers not only established their own identities, but also began to grow and flourish while contributing to the newfound society. It is for their determination, fortitude, and labors that we, their descendants, are grateful today.
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