Asa Fairfield

     Asa Fairfield was born on 28 January 1797 in Arundel, York County, Maine.^1,2 He was the son of William Fairfield and Mary King.¹ He was baptized on 10 September 1797 in Church of Christ, Arundel.³ He married Olive Stone, daughter of Jonathan Stone and Margaret McCulloch, on 13 June 1819.² He died on 4 October 1868 in Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana, at age 71 years, 9 months.² He was buried in Lindenwood Cemetery, Fort Wayne.⁴
     
     Traditionally, Asa Fairfield first went to sea with his father at age 9. During the War of 1812, he and his brother Oliver were captured with the rest of the crew of a privateering vessel. Oliver was imprisoned in Nova Scotia; Asa was sent to the infamous Dartmoor Prison in England where he was held for six months. At age 18, he was first mate to a ship captain who was killed in a drunken brawl in a foreign port. Asa was made captain, and returned the ship safely to her owner.

     These stories were told in a letter from Sue Fairfield Zimmer to a sister, probably Sadie. At the time, the sisters, some or all, and perhaps other family members, were trying to file spoilation claims. Sue lamented that she hadn't the insight to write the stories down when her grandpa (Asa) told them to her years before.

     If Oliver and Asa were taken prisoner during the War of 1812, it was likely they were captured aboard the brig Macdonough along with their older half-brother, James, and many other Arundel men. The Macdonough was captured 1 November 1814 just after clearing the harbor at Arundel, and taken to Halifax. From there, the prisoners were transported to Dartmoor Prison where they were checked in the day before Christmas. On 6 April 1815, a bloody massacre of prisoners took place, but none of the Arundel men were killed. The British began releasing prisoners in late April, but James didn't reach home until 3 July, just over six months from the time he entered Dartmoor. There is no certainty that Oliver and Asa were among this group of Arundel men, but the facts seem to fit the story well. (Click here to read a fascinating story about Captain James Fairfield).

     Captain Asa continued to follow the sea until about 1831 or '32 when he began to explore the possibility of moving inland. He traveled to Fort Wayne, Indiana, bought land, and returned to Maine for his family in 1834. Also moving from the Kennebunks to Fort Wayne about the same time were Asa's brothers Oliver and Charles and their families, perhaps their younger sister Sarah who married in Allen County a few years later, and Olive's first cousin Hugh McCulloch who became the 27^th Secretary of the Treasury, and is credited with founding the Secret Service.

     In Fort Wayne, the family prospered, and much has been written about them:

     Fort Wayne Sentinel, 27 January 1912
     The Wabash and Erie Canal Through Huntington County, Indiana
     Letter from Anna Fairfield Pevoto to Ruth Fairfield Horn
     Colorful past wins house a reprieve

     The writer has many more articles and documents relating to Captain Asa Fairfield that will be uploaded as time permits.