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A man once settled in the northern part of Fitchburg, which later became Ashby, with his wife and five children. One summer he was was chopping down a tree that inadvertently landed on the wigwam of an Indian named Surdody. The settler was John Fitch, the year 1748. Fitch didn't think it necessary to pay for or fix the damage done to Surdody's wigwam, so he left. Surdody, when he saw what had happened, naturally was quite angry about the damage Fitch caused to his home and decided to travel up to Canada to gather a group to help him take revenge. Fearful that Surdody might do something to him and his family, Fitch promptly requested assistance from the government, which sent three soldiers to act as protectors in case of an attack.

Surdody waited until Fitch's home defenses were at their weakest. One soldier finally left on a furlough, leaving two remaining guards. One of them left and went into the woods, where the Indians ambushed and killed him. Surdody and his group then went on to kill the remaining soldier, captured Fitch and his family, and burned their house down.

Upon returning from his furlough the third soldier alerted the other citizens of the town. They sent out a search party but were too late. The group of Indians, with the Fitch Family as their captives, were already on their way to Canada. It wasn't until later that year that the Fitch family was released by the Indians when their ransom was paid by their hometown of Bradford.


The family returned home unscathed, except for John's wife, Elizabeth, who died on their trip back.

Towns emblazon the names of their founders on their streets and buildings. They often have surprising stories that one might not know, including abductions.