Monadnock Moments No. 77: Thaddeus Parmenter and the Wolves
Thaddeus Parmenter was an early settler of Marlborough, New Hampshire, arriving there from Sudbury, Massachusetts in 1789. He soon married and began to build a homestead and raise a
family.
family.
One day a short time after he settled in town, Thaddeus carried a load of grain to the grist mill of Daniel Gould. Several other customers had arrived at the mill before young Thaddeus and he had to wait some time to have his grinding done.
It was nearly nighttime when Thaddeus headed for home and darkness soon descended upon him. He was startled by the barking of wolves as he neared his home. Pausing on the trail, Thaddeus saw some twenty wolves coming toward him, following the scent that he had left on his way to the mill. With only a moment to act, Thaddeus threw his bag of meal into the woods and followed it by jumping as far as he could into the underbrush. He picked up a branch for protection, crouched down on the ground and waited. Within a few moments the lead wolf reached the spot from which Thaddeus had leaped. The wolves paused for a moment as Thaddeus held his breath a few feet away. The wolves found the scent fresher where Thaddeus had just come from the mill and they quickly continued in that direction, not noticing him in the bushes.
He picked up his bag and started quickly toward home as soon as the wolves were out of sight, fearing that they might return. Thaddeus arrived at home safely where he found his wife in despair. She had heard the wolves and feared that he would not return. Following this experience, Thaddeus Parmenter always went to the mill in the morning and returned home before dark.