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On this date in our extended family history . . . the 21st day of September . . . in the year 1689 . . . two great-grand-uncles of the Keeper of this geneablog were killed in Maine during the Indian Wars . . . Andrew Alger, Jr., a younger brother of my 9th great-grandpa John Alger, was killed in a battle at Falmouth while fighting under Benjamin Church . . . and Captain Anthony Brackett, a younger brother of my 9th great-grandpa, Thomas Brackett, was killed on his farm at Back Cove, on the site of the well known mansion of the James Deering* family, a short distance from Deering's Bridge in Portland . . .
*Deering Oaks large public area in Portland, Maine, which has a baseball diamond, tennis courts, a playground, and a pond. The area was the site of a September 1689 battle between the British, French, and Native Americans. The City of Portland largely acquired the land from the Deering, Preble, and Fessenden families in 1879 as part of the rebuilding following the devastating 1866 fire. The pond in Deering Oaks at one time, filled and drained with the ocean tides. It was naturally connected to Back Cove until altered to suit roadways in the late 19th century. Deering Oaks also hosts the city's monument to the Spanish-American War. During the winter, one can ice skate on the frozen pond, and until the late 1990's, paddle boats could be rented during the summer season to explore the confines of the pond and enjoy the scenery.
