Letter from John Pynchon

To view or search transcription, use the button to open the sidebar. To search, use the button in the sidebar.

From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information


About this item

John Pynchon (1626-1703), the dominant merchant and trader in the Connecticut River Valley, was 68 years old when he wrote this letter to Secretary Isaac Addington of the Massachusetts Bay Council in Boston. Pynchon controlled the economy of western Massachusetts for almost the entire second half of the 17th century. He lived in Springfield, a town founded by his father, and oversaw the establishment of the towns of Northampton, Hadley, Hatfield, Sunderland, and Deerfield. In this letter he stated that the winter gave “hope of some respit & allowance of some ease” [from attack by the French and Native Americans] and said that the garrison soldiers posted at Deerfield could be dismissed or relieved for a month or 6 weeks. He also correctly predicted that the enemy would be on the move again by early February and “may come to Deerfield.” The town was attacked on September 15, 1694.

Related Items

Details

Item typePersonal Documents
Letter
AuthorPynchon, John
Date1694-12-03
PlaceSpringfield, Massachusetts; Deerfield, Massachusetts
TopicMilitary, Wars, Battles
EraColonial settlement, 1620–1762
MaterialPaper
Process/FormatHandwriting
Dimension detailsProcess Material: manuscript, paper, ink Height: 12.00 in Width: 8.50 in
Catalog #L01.052
View this item in our curatorial database →
Pynchon, John. Letter from John Pynchon. December 3, 1694. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l01-052/. Accessed on October 10, 2024.

Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.