Londonderry News

The most important Native American in the story of Nutfield was Old Ezekiel, who lived in the southern part of town. Ezekiel was almost certainly an actual historic figure. He lived alone on the shore of a small body of water that is today bordered by Route 28 and Windham Depot Road. The pond has since 1722 been called Ezekiel’s Pond. The state reports that it is twelve acres in area and home to frogs, migratory birds, and pan fish such as largemouth bass, pickerel, and horned pout. The old bachelor Indian had reportedly constructed a three-hundred-foot long dugways to nearby Wilson’s Meadow so he could paddle his canoe around the area.

Tools like these spearheads were found near Ezekiel's Pond in Derry, NH, offering proof that Old Ezekiel was more than a myth.

In 1719, the first Scotch-Irish pioneers settled in the area called Nutfield. The men came first and built a row of cabins on Ryan’s Hill. With that task completed, they returned to the settled coast to get their wives and children and take them to their new frontier home. The nearest roads were likely in Dracut, Massachusetts and Kingston, New Hampshire. All we had here were narrow paths cut through the thick, dark forests. This was real isolation.

Soon the Nutfield pioneers had consumed what food they had brought by packhorses and on their backs. Their larders were bare. Their attempt at deer hunting had been less than a resounding success. It would be months before their kitchen gardens were ready to harvest. To get a supply of food from the coastal towns would require days of travel through paths marked only by blazed trees. This task would also call for an exchange of money for food, and these settlers were not blessed with deep pockets and were too proud to beg. Many of the English settlers were antagonistic to the Scots, and not likely to extend much charity their way.

Old Ezekiel pointed the settlers towards a tree, and told them to follow a straight line to find food. Thanks to his advice, the settlers were able to feed their families.

Everyone in the Nutfield colony was discouraged. There was talk of having to give up their dream of this village on a hill where they could find religious and cultural freedom. Without food, they could not survive.

Ezekiel, the old Indian, heard this talk of gloom and doom. He interrupted the conversation and according to the story said, “Oopmh – Why don’t you eat fish?” The Scots said there wasn’t enough fish in Beaver Lake to feed the sixteen families who made up the Nutfield settlement. The Indian pointed to a tall pine far in the distance and said, “White man, go straight to that tree, then keep on same line. You get plenty fish.”

There didn’t seem to be any alternative but to follow the Indian’s suggestion. The leaders selected a team of men to follow Ezekiel’s directions. Using a crude compass to keep their bearings, they set out to the west toward that lone tree far in the distance. As they trekked, they cut blazes in the trees to help them find their way home. After a three days journey, they came to what was called the Ammosceaq (Amoskeag) Falls on the swift-moving Merrimack River.

Amoskeag Falls, seen here, was where the 1719 Irish-Scotch settlers of Nutfield found fish that have now become known as Lamprey. Lamprey became a staple in the diet of the settlers. This picture is circa late 1800's.

At the site of the future city of Manchester, they found rushing water teeming with salmon, shad, and eels. After an hour or so they were able to hand-catch enough fish to fill up the packs on their horses. They went back to their settlement in Derry and soon returned to the falls with more men and more horses. With scoop nets on long poles, they caught enough fish to feed the sixteen families until their gardens were ready to harvest that autumn. Thanks to Ezekiel, calamity had been averted.

The boneless lamprey eel became the staple food of the children of Nutfield colony. These snakelike animals were sometime called Derryfield beef.

The Nutfield colony survived that first season on eels. This gave the pioneers of 1719 the time and energy to clear a plot of land they called the common field. Here the first crops could be planted and its bounty to be shared by all. They watered this first garden from a nearby stream. This river was considered odd because it didn’t flow easterly to the sea as did all the other rivers in the area. These pioneers name this contrary stream the West-Running Brook. it was later immortalized by Robert Frost in a 1928 volume of poetry. The common field is now the site of an apartment complex of 850 units. Nearby is the West Running Brook School.

This excerpt is from “Nutfield Rambles”, Richard Holmes’ fifth published piece on local history. Born in NH., Richard was raised and in Education from Keene State College and his Master’s Degree in History from Rivier College. In 2003 he founded the Derry Museum of History. In 2007 Richard Holmes received an Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History. This is the most prestigious recognition one can receive for the preservation and interpretation of state and local history. Richard is also a regular columnist for the Derry News and a frequent contributor to the Nutfield News, the Lawrence Eagle Tribune and the Manchester Union Leader.

To obtain a copy of Richard’s newest book you can visit the Derry Museum, open every Thursday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm. For directions or to contact Richard visit the Derry History Museum Website.