Susanna Cole | |
|---|---|
 Susanna as a child with her mother, Anne Hutchinson, in a bronze memorial at the Massachusetts State House | |
| Born | baptized 15 November 1633 Alford, Lincolnshire, England |
| Died | by 14 December 1713 |
| Other names | Susanna Hutchinson |
| Occupation | Indian captive during Kieft's War |
| Spouse | John Cole |
| Children | Susanna, Samuel, Mary, John, Anne, John, Hannah, William, Francis, Elizabeth, Elisha |
| Parent(s) | William Hutchinson and Anne (Marbury) Hutchinson |
Susanna Cole (née Hutchinson; 1636 – before 14 December 1713) was the lone survivor of a Native American attack in which many of her siblings were killed, as well as her famed mother Anne Hutchinson. She was taken captive following the attack and held for several years before her release.
Susanna Hutchinson was born in Alford, Lincolnshire, England and was less than a year old when her family sailed from England to New England in 1634. She was less than five when her family settled on Aquidneck Island (later Rhode Island) in the Narragansett Bay following her mother's banishment from Massachusetts during the Antinomian Controversy. Her father died when she was about eight years old, and she, her mother, and six of her siblings left Rhode Island to live in New Netherland. They settled in an area that became the far northeastern section of The Bronx in New York City, near the Westchester County line. The family found themselves caught in the middle of Kieft's War between the local Siwanoy Indians and the colony of New Netherland, and they were all massacred in August 1643, except for Susanna. She was taken captive by the Indians, and was traded back to the English three years later.
When Susanna was released from her Indian captivity, she was taken to Boston where her oldest brother and an older sister lived, was re-introduced into English society, and married Edward Cole at the age of 18, the son of Boston innkeeper Samuel Cole. They lived in Boston for a few years, but moved by 1663 to the Narragansett country of Rhode Island (later North Kingstown) to look after the lands of her oldest brother Edward Hutchinson. Here the couple remained and raised a large family. Susanna was still alive in 1707 when given administration of her husband's estate, but was deceased by December 1713 when her son William took receipts concerning his parents' estate.