1586 — Passamaquoddy Natives “Devastated” by Typhus Epidemic, Maine –Hundreds?

–Hundreds?  Blanchard estimate based on New England Historical Society note of devastation.

–Decimated. Roberts, Chap. 19 “Maine” in Native America (D. S. Murphree, ed.), pp. 473-474.

–Devastated. New England Historical Society. “Exactly How New England’s Indian Pop…”

Narrative Information

Roberts: “Like both the Micmacs and the Maliseets [of Maine], the Passamaquoddy Indians moved with the seasons….When the Europeans came, the Passamaquoddies assisted them in surviving in the area. The Europeans passed on diseases, which very quickly reduced the Passamaquoddy population from around 20,000 to about 4,000. In 1586 a typhus epidemic broke out, further decimating the population. Due to its decreasing population, the Passamaquoddy tribe quickly aligned itself with the Maliseet and Micmac tribes and eventually aligned with Penobscot and Abenaki tribes to form the Wabanaki Confederacy.” (Roberts, Chapter 19 “Maine” in Native America (Daniel S. Murphree, editor), pp. 473-474.)

New England Historical Society: “Maine’s Passamaquoddy Indians, among the first to make contact with Europeans, were devastated by a typhus epidemic in 1586. Other diseases brought the Passamaquoddy population to 4,000 from 20,000.”

Source

New England Historical Society. “Exactly How New England’s Indian Population Was Nearly Wiped Out.” Accessed 4-2-2018 at: http://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/exactly-new-englands-indian-population-nearly-wiped/

Roberts, Ronda. Chapter 19, “Maine” in Native America: A State-by-State Historical Encyclopedia, Volume 2. Daniel S. Murphree (editor). Santa Barbara, Denver and Oxford, UK: Greenwood, 2012. Google preview accessed 4-2-2018 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=QWxg0Il8M74C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false