Who were Captain Sandy & Francis Small?
In 1668, Francis Small traded goods with the Newichewannock tribe of this area. Their Chief Wesumbe, also known as Captain Sandy, was friendly with Small and warned him of a plot against his life. A group of renegade tribesmen planned on murdering Small instead of paying him with the furs that were owed to him. Small escaped after watching his house in what is now Cornish, Maine burn to the ground. The Chief made up the loss by selling Small all the lands bounded by the Great and Little Ossipee Rivers, the Saco River, and the New Hampshire border. Known now as the five Ossipee towns: Limington, Limerick, Cornish (formerly named Francisborough), Newfield, and Parsonsfield. These are the five towns that the Francis Small Heritage Trust concentrates its efforts in.
In honor of Chief Wesumbe, the Francis Small Heritage Trust has adopted his mark, the Sign of the Turtle, as our logo. Captain Sandy’s mark is from the collections of the Maine Historical Society and is used with their permission.
Francis Small Heritage Trust, Inc. 