Groton Indian raid of 1964 and Lydia longley, The

Historical Journal of Massachusetts, Summer 2002 by Wolkovich-Valkavicius, William L

Fragments of information about Lydia's further life have survived. We catch sight of her several decades later. She was then residing at the Holy Family Convent on the Island of Orleans outside Quebec. On April 17, 1733, she became godmother to a child of a Judge Premont. This honor suggests that Sister Lydia was convent superior of wide repute.

Another Indian hostage, Mary Sayward of Dover, New Hampshire, also became a Sister of the Congregation of Notre Dame. This counterpart of Lydia pronounced her vows about 1699, the same year as did Lydia. According to testimony from a Sister of the community in 1896, Mary, as Sister of the Angels, was assigned to Quebec as a mark of "great esteem," among religious women "distinguished by the virtues of courage and prudence." The testimonial adds: "I am proud to tell you that this honor was shared by Lydia Longley."

Lydia enjoyed good health that spanned more than eight full decades. She died in Montreal at the age of eighty-four on July 21, 1758. The circumstances of her demise bespeak her reputation. Not one but two priests prayed at her deathbed: Pere M. Vallieres and Pere Poncin. Lydia's burial place also attests to the high regard in which she was held. In contrast to recourse to the local parish cemetery, she was interred in the chapel of the parish church of the Infant Jesus. This was an honor ordinarily reserved to lofty dignitaries, such as bishops.25

Some reflections and speculations are appropriate in a quest to assess Lydia's survival strength and perseverance. To begin, could she have been influenced by the Rowlandson captivity narrative, first circulated in 1682? It is highly probable that Lydia read the account, penned by her Lancaster neighbor. Three indications suggest this likelihood. First, Lancaster was only twelve miles from Groton, barely a few hours journey by wagon. News of that 1682 raid would surely have reached Groton swiftly, stirring frequent conversation for months and years to come. Second, the printed Rowlandson story spread rapidly, warranting a second edition within a year. Writing in 1903, editors of a reprint asserted that "No book of its period in America can boast equal evidence of enduring public favor..." By 1903 the narrative had enjoyed some thirty reprints, and even by then had become a collector's item.26 It is hard to believe that nearby Groton lacked a copy. Third, as an older and literate teenager, Lydia could hardly have escaped reading and pondering the Rowlandson testimony. In that case, what lessons could Lydia have derived from Mary?

In her brief captivity, Mary happily received a bible from a friendly Indian. Daily recourse to the scriptures and prayer helped immensely to sustain her. Her narrative shows sixty references to God, in most cases accompanied by an allusion to Sacred Scripture or an exact quotation. For Mary, God was a deity of wrath and vengeance. The misfortune of captivity was divine, retributive judgment. Thus, Mary stoically bore her misery in hope that God would relent. Supporting her concept of a gloomy God, she harvested citations chiefly from the Psalms, Deuteronomy, Job, Amos, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. Her pessimism underlay her choice of selections solely from the Old Testament, with just four exceptions. Throughout her experience, she was totally conscious of divine Providence, ruling every detail of her life's unfolding.