Promis’d Joy
Other settlers shared in Diah’s joy
that day upon the summit of Cobb’s Mountain.
They, too, had left their families behind—
for now; but, confident hostilities
with angry Pennymites had been resolved
with Captain Ogden’s ousting, they believed
their future in the valley would be bright,
and that, come spring, the town would boast a school,
a Meeting House, impenetrable forts,
a grist mill, and a saw mill, and a name.
The emigrants divided into crews.
Diah, ox-strong, joined the logging team;
likewise Frank Phillips from Rhode Island. Soon
the two became fast friends, and Frank, who claimed
as yet no settling right, helped Diah clear
his lot and daub his hewn-log house. At night,
the tired men bunked down in the Pittstown fort
they called Fort Brown, exchanging tales of home,
though talk of their ambitious dreams eclipsed
all wistfulness for wives and honey cake.
As autumn turned to winter, Diah left,
but Frank stayed on. He manned the Munson right
against intruders, thieves and bogus claims.
In mid-December, Frank obtained the right
to settle in the valley, purchased land,
and built his house along the Lackawanna,
a few miles north of Diah’s. Unbeknownst
to these devoted men, their elder sons
would lead—when happiness reversed to sorrow—
their families from a valley set ablaze.
NOTE:
The title for the chapter Promis’d Joy comes from the poem “To a Mouse” by Robert Burns
An'
lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!
Historical Note: Pittstown Fort (originally spelled Pittstown and later becoming Pittston, Pennsylvania) was a aignificant colonial and Revolutionary war stockade. In historical military rosters and regional records, it is also frequently cross-referenced or identified as Fort Brown (or Brown's Fort/Blockhouse), which was erected on a local farm owned by the Brown family.
Coming soon: PART TWO, CHAPTER FIVE
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