THE JESUIT MISSIONS OF NEW ENGLAND
IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
Father Joseph Aubrey (1673-1756) drew a map of the Jesuit missions of New England around the time of the Treaty of Utrecht (1713). Earlier the Jesuits had founded Saint-Sauveur on Mt. Desert Island at what is now Fernald Point in Southwest Harbor, ME, in 1613 (from which time, it seems, there dates the missionary work among the Passamaquoddies) before the Capuchins founded PENTAGÖET (1635-55) at what is now Castine, ME. The missions, on the Aubrey map, however, formed a defensive perimeter between New France and New England and were centers of religious, military, and cultural activities: PANAWAMSKÉ (from around 1694), on the Penobscot River, near what is now Old Town, ME, a mission among the Penobscots; NARANTSOUAK (from around 1694), on the Kennebec River (originally the Assumption Mission founded by Gabriel Druillettes at Gilley’s Point in the area of Augusta, ME ["a league above the trading post"] ) before it was later moved up the Kennebec River where it joined with the Sandy River, a mission among the Norridgewocks (it had a church in the center of the mission with a chapel above the rapids dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and a chapel below the rapids dedicated to the Guardian Angel), not to far from Madison, ME; ANMESOKKANTI (from around 1694), on the Sandy River, a mission among the Anmesokkanti, in what is now Farmington Falls, opposite the Little Norridgewock River; NAURAKAMIG (from around 1698), on the Androscoggin River, a mission among the Rockamekas, at what is now Canton Point (near Jay and Livermore Falls, ME); PÉGOUAKI (from around 1696), a mission among the Pequawkets, near the border of Maine and New Hampshire at what is now Fryeburg; and KOËS (from around 1675), on the Connecticut River, a mission among the Loups at what is now Newbury, VT. Jesuit Father Sebastian Râle was familiar with most, if not all, of these missions (as was Jesuit Father Vincent Bigot).
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THE FIRST SCHOOL IN THE STATE OF MAINE
In the opinion of historians, it is generally recognized that the first school established in the State of Maine was the mission school for native Americans set up by Rev. Sebastian Râle, S. J., on the Kennebec River. This is evident from essays on the web by Comptons Encyclopedia and by the Discovery Channel School. In this connection, the evidence for that view is a document such as the following from The Boston News-Letter for Monday, March 5th to Monday, March 12th of 1704-05 [Old Style] in which this report from Colonel Winthrop Hilton is sent from Piscataqua during the winter of 1705:
"Our Forces under the Command of Lieut. Col. Hilton & Major Walton returned last night from Narigwalk the Head Quarters of the Eastern Indians, who advise of a large Fort, Meeting-house & School-house that were there erected, the Fort encompassed 3 quarters of an acre of ground built with Pallisades, wherein were 12 Wigwams but no Enemy; neither the discovery of any Tracks seen, but of 3 or 4 supposed to be there about 3 weeks since, no plunder excepting a few Houshold Utensils of little value; The Meeting-house was built of Timber 60 Foot long, 25 Foot wide, & 18 Foot studd ceiled with Clapboards, in it were only a few old Popish Relicks; the School-house lay at one end distinct, all which they burnt, near to it was a Field of Corn ungathered, which may be imputed to he Enemy’s desertion by the consternation that seized them at the Ransacking of the Eastern French & Indians Settlements the last Summer. . . "
In addition to that testimony, there is the evidence from history of the traditional way that the Jesuits went about establishing their missions, that is, by making education a key to the same. From the letters (see Jesuit Relations, vol. 67, pp. 96 ff., the letter of October 15, 1722) of Father Râle himself, this is clear, for example, in the controversy that the Jesuit had with Rev. Joseph Baxter. Based on such evidence, the historians for the History of the Archdiocese of Boston (1944), state (vol. 1, p. 97): "At various times there was school, too." And, Mary R. Calvert, in her study, Black Robe on the Kennebec (1991), specifically mentions how the Jesuit missionary educated Dorothee Jeryan and Esther Wheelwright who were taken as captives by the native Americans.
In conclusion, it enlightening to recall the words of the William D. Williamson, whose classic work, The History of the State of Maine (1832) did not hesitate to acknowledge the contribution of the Jesuit missionary. Thus, in writing about the Jesuit's work in the education of the native Americans, he speaks of Râle as "their tutelar father" while not failing to note that for ". . . many of them he had taught to read and write . . . " (vol. 2, p. 102).