Jeremy Belknap describes in his History of New Hampshire, the war with the French and Indians, commonly called King William’s War. He details the depredation by the Indians of the ‘four towns’ that made up the New Hampshire frontier. Of interest here is his description of the Indian raid at Oyster River on 18 July 1694 and the destruction that took place during the worst Indian massacre of the seventeenth century. Similarly Everett Stackpole’s History of New Hampshire touches on this raid and his history of Oyster River gives a detailed account of the fighting that took place along both sides of the river.

With the aid of a map of Durham (circa 1872), the help of the three histories mentioned above and a visit to Oyster River in 1998, I have attempted to establish the location of the house where our ancestor Nicholas Dunn and his wife Elizabeth (Roberts) lived at the time of the Indian raid of 1694.

Oyster River, which runs into the west branch of the Piscataqua River had settlements on both of its banks. Many of the houses were concentrated close to the waters edge. Twelve garrisoned houses, thought to be sufficient for the defense of the settlements inhabitants were scattered among the other unfortified houses. Belknap gives the number of qualified voters in each of the four towns during this period, with Dover having 61. Tax lists from the mid 1660's show Oyster River as having 55 "rate payers." From this we can assume that there were roughly three hundred settlers living at Oyster River in 1694. Records indicate that 94 persons were either killed or taken into captivity during the raid, clearly a significant percentage of the entire population.

Belknap tells us that the Adams, Drew, Edgerly, Meader and Beard garrison houses were destroyed while seven others, vis. Burnham’s, Bickford’s, Smith’s, Bunker’s, Davis’, Jones’ and Woodman’s were resolutely and successfully defended. Stackpole provides a map which identifies several more garrison houses; those of Rand, Mathes, Pendergast and Huckings.

The Indians had intended to position themselves in small groups around each of the houses before initiating the attack. The assault began prematurely when an inpatient Indian in a raiding party on the south bank of the river shot and killed John Dean as he left his house at the lower falls before dawn. The sound of gunfire alerted the settlers and many tried to make their way to the nearest garrison house. The Indians moved east along the river and next attacked and burned the house of Ensign John Davis, located about a half mile below the falls. John Davis was killed along with his wife and several children, while two of his daughters were captured and taken to Canada. The Indians then turned to the home of Ezekial Pitman who escaped with his family to the nearby Burnham Garrison. The Burnham garrison was never seriously threatened as several men were alerted to the raid and were prepared to defend it. The next house further down the river that of Stephen Jenkins (purchased earlier from William Williams) was attacked and he and several others were killed. His wife Ann was carried into captivity, but was able to return and give testimony at Boston, in the trial of the Indian Chief Bomazeen.

The destruction continued with the burning of the home of the Rev. John Buss, while the nearby church was spared. Next the Indians destroyed the home of Bartholomew Stephenson, killing his two brothers, Thomas and Joseph. The Drew garrison was attacked and many in this family were either slain or taken captive. Moving east along the river you come to ‘Giles old farm’, this is the land on which Nicholas and Elizabeth (Roberts) Dunn and their three children made their home. Neither Belknap nor Stackpole tell us the fate of this family, but in two accounts written by descendants of Nicholas and Elizabeth we learn of the family tradition passed down, were Nicholas is killed and Elizabeth and two children escape. No mention is made of the capture and removal to Canada of a daughter, who when baptized by the French, was given the name Marie Catherine.

The garrison of Charles Adams was burned and all the inhabitants, numbering fifteen, were slain. There is no record of any assault on Mathes garrison which was located at Oyster River point. Thomas Bickford defended his garrison at the point, but those of Thomas Willey, Thomas Edgerly and John Rand which were located to the south of Bickford’s along Little Bay were all destroyed with significant loss of life. William Graves was wounded and Peter Denbow was taken captive but most of the inhabitants of that part of Oyster River along the north shore of Great Bay, known as "Lubberland", had time to make their escape. It is very unlikely that any of the houses between the Burnham garrison and Mathes garrison escaped plunder and burning.

A separate band of Indians attacked the north bank of Oyster River where the Jones, Bunker, Smith and Davis garrisons held out. The Watson, Leather, Jackson, Emerson, Davis, Huckins and Derry families all suffered losses.

In all sixteen houses were burned forty-nine inhabitants slain and nearly fifty taken captive.