USA > Massachusetts > Chronicles of the first planters of the colony of Massachusetts Bay, 1623-1636 > Part 3
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2 John Balch is said to have come from Bridgewater, in Somersetshire. He was made a freeman May 18, 1631. In 1636, he received, at the same time with Conant, a grant of two hundred acres of land at the head of Bass river, near the present residence of Mr. John Bell, in Bev- erly, where he died in 1648. He was an intelligent, exemplary, and useful citizen. He had two wives, Margaret and Agnes, and three sons, the second of whom, John, married Mary, the daughter of Roger Co- nant, and was drowned in crossing the ferry to Beverly, Jan. 16, 1662. See Farmer's Gen. Register, and Stone's Hist. of Beverly, p. 23.
3 Peter Palfrey was admitted a freeman May 18, 1631. In May, 1632, when each town in the Colony chose two men to advise with the Governor and Assistants at the next Court about raising a public stock- the " embryo of a parliament," as Savage calls it- Palfrey was joined with Conant in this trust. In 1635,
27
CONANT RESOLVES TO REMAIN.
Adventurers,) would stay at Naumkeag, and give CHAP. timely notice thereof, he would provide a patent for
II. them, and likewise send them whatever they should 1626. write for, either men, or provision, or goods where- with to trade with the Indians. Answer was return- ed, that they would all stay on those terms, entreat- ing that they might be encouraged accordingly. Yet it seems, before they received any return according to their desires, the three last mentioned began to recoil, and repenting of their engagement to stay at Naumkeag, for fear of the Indians and other incon- veniences, resolved rather to go all to Virginia ; especially because Mr. Lyford, their minister, upon a loving invitation, was thither bound.1 But Mr. Conant, as one inspired by some superior instinct, though never so earnestly pressed to go along with them, peremptorily declared his mind to wait the providence of God in that place where now they were, yea, though all the rest should forsake him,2
he was a deputy from Salem in the in his own hand-writing, " of Roger second General Court. In 1636, with the other first planters, he re- ceived a grant of two hundred acres of land on Bass river. In 1653 he removed to Reading, where he died Sept. 15, 1663. His estate was apprized at £84 10s. His wife's name was Edith, and he had a son Jonathan, and three daughters, Je- hodan, Remember, and Mary. De- scendants of this worthy planter remain in Salem, and the present Secretary of the Commonwealth, John Gorham Palfrey, claims him as his ancestor. See Farmer's Re- gister, Savage's Winthrop, ii. 362, and Prince's Annals, p. 394.
1 " And there shortly dies." - Bradford, in Prince, p. 245.
2 In the Archives of the Common- wealth there is preserved a petition,
Conant of Bass River, alias Bev- erly," dated May 28, 1671. In that petition he says, that he " hath been a planter in New-England forty years and upwards, being one of the first, if not the very first, that re- solved and made good any settle- ment, under God, in matter of plán- tation, with my family, in this Col- ony of the Massachusetts Bay, and have been instrumental both for the founding and carrying on of the same; and when, in the infancy thereof, it was in great hazard of being deserted, I was a means, through grace assisting me, to stop the flight of those few that then were here with me, and that by my utter denial to go away with them, who would have gone either for England, or mostly for Virginia, but
28
JOHN WOODBURY SENT TO ENGLAND.
CHAP, not doubting, as he said, but if they departed, he II. should soon have more. company. The other three, observing his confident resolution, at last concurred 1627. with him, and soon after sent back John Woodberry1 for England to procure necessaries for a Plantation.
But that God, who is ready to answer his people before they call, as he had filled the heart of that good man, Mr. Conant, in New-England, with courage and resolution to abide fixed in his purpose, notwithstand- ing all opposition and persuasion he met with to the contrary, had also inclined the hearts of several others in England to be at work about the same design. For about this time the Council established at Plymouth for the planting, ruling, ordering and governing of New- England,2 had, by a deed indented under the common 1628. seal, bearing date March 19, 1627, bargained and sold
thereupon stayed to the hazard of and toils contribute to prepare a re- our lives." In the same petition he says that he " was the first that had a house in Salem," that " those that were then with him were all from the western part of England," and that he himself was "born at Bud- leigh, a market-town in Devonshire, near unto the sea." See Mass. Ar- chives, Towns, i. 217. The peti- tion is printed entire in Mass. Hist. Coll. xxvii. 252.
1 John Woodbury is said to have come from Somersetshire, in Eng- land. He was made a freeman May 18, 1631, and in 1635 was chosen, with Palfrey, a deputy to the Gene- ral Court, and again in 1638. In 1636, in connection with Conant, Balch, and Palfrey, he received from the town a grant of two hun- dred acres of land on Bass river. " He was an energetic, faithful and worthy man, and took an active part in the settlement and transactions of the Colony. He died in 1641, hav- ing lived to see his perils, sufferings
fuge for his countrymen." His wife's name was Agnes, and his son, Humphrey, born in 1609, came to Salem with his father in 1628, and was living in 1681. The home- stead has remained in the family since the first settlement. All bear- ing the name of Woodbury in New- England probably descend from John or his brother William. See Farm- er's Register and Stone's History of Beverly, pp. 21-23.
2 On the 3d of Nov. 1620, King James signed a patent by which the adventurers to the northern colony of Virginia between forty and forty- eight degrees north, were incorpora- ted as " The Council established at Plymouth, in the county of Devon, for the planting, ruling, ordering and governing of New-England in America." This is the great civil basis of the future patents and plant- ations that divide the country. See the patent in Hazard's Collection of State Papers, i. 103.
29
A PATENT OBTAINED.
unto some knights and gentlemen about Dorchester, CHAP. namely, Sir Henry Roswell, Sir John Young, knights, ~
II. Thomas Southcoat, John Humphry, John Endicot, 1628. and Simon Whetcomb,1 gentlemen, that part of New- England that lies between Merrimack and Charles river, in the bottom of the Massachusetts Bay. And not long after, by the means of Mr. White, the fore- said gentlemen were brought into acquaintance with several other religious persons of like quality in and about London, such as Mr. Winthrop, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Dudley, Mr. Cradock, and Mr. Goffe, and Sir Richard Saltonstall ; who being first associated to them, at last bought of them all their right and in- terest in New-England aforesaid ; and consulting together about settling some Plantation in New-Eng- land upon the account of religion, where such as were called Nonconformists might, with the favor and leave of the King, have a place of reception if they should transport themselves into America, there to enjoy the liberty of their own persuasion in matters of worship and church discipline, without disturbance of the peace of the kingdom, and without offence to others not like-minded with themselves, did at the last resolve, with one joint consent, to petition the King's Majesty to confirm unto the fore- named and their associates, by a new grant or patent, the tract of land in America forementioned ; which was accordingly obtained.2
1 " It is very likely the three per- sons first named in this grant had nothing more in view by the pur- chase than a settlement for trade with the natives, or for fishery, or for other advantageous purposes. As soon as a colony for religion was
projected, we hear no more of them. The other three remained." Hutch- inson's Hist. Mass. i. 9.
2 " Some of the principal of the liberal speakers in parliament being committed to the Tower, others to other prisons, this took away all
S S e 3, 3. y r- V- In
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on, ing in ivil nt- See & of
30
ENDICOTT AT SALEM.
CHAP. TI. Soon after, the Company, having chosen Mr. Cra- dock, Governor, and Mr. Goffe, Deputy Governor, 1628. with several others for Assistants, sent over Mr. En- dicot, in the year 1628, to carry on the Plantation of the Dorchester agents at Naumkeag, or Salem, and make way for the settling of another Colony in the Massachusetts. He was fully instructed with power from the Company to order all affairs in the name of the Patentees, as their agent, until them- selves should come over ; which was at that time intended, but could not be accomplished till the year 1630. With Mr. Endicot, in the year 1628, came Mr. Gotte,1 Mr. Brakenberry,2 Mr. Daven-
hope of reformation of Church gov- ernment from many not affecting Episcopal jurisdiction, nor the usual practice of the common prayers of the Church, whereof there were several sorts, though not agreeing among themselves, yet all of like dislike of those particulars. Some of the discreeter sort, to avoid what they found themselves subject unto, made use of their friends to procure from the Council for the Affairs of New-England to settle a colony within their limits; to which it pleased the thrice-honored Lord of Warwick to write to me, then at Plymouth, to condescend that a pa- tent might be granted to such as then sued for it. Whereupon I gave my approbation so far forth as it might not be prejudicial to my son Robert Gorges's interests, whereof he had a patent under the seal of the Council. Hereupon there was a grant passed as was thought rea- sonable. But the same was after enlarged by his Majesty, and con- firmed under the great seal of Eng- land ; by the authority whereof the undertakers proceeded so effectually, that in a very short time numbers of people of all sorts flocked thither in heaps." Sir Ferdinando Gorge, in Mass. Hist. Coll. xxvi. 80.
1 " Mr." Charles Gott was admitted a freeman May 18, 1631, and was a representative from Salem in the General Court in 1635. He was a deacon of the Church there ; and the selectmen of the town, on June 25, 1638, voted to him and John Horne five acres of land, which was long known as the Deacons' Marsh. It was situated in South Fields, near Castle Hill. He removed to Wen- ham, which he represented in 1654, and died in 1667 or 1688. · A letter written by him to Gov. Bradford, July 30, 1629, giving an account of the choice of Skelton and Higginson as pastor and teacher of the church at Salem, is contained in Mass. Hist. Coll. iii. 67. It appears by this let- ter that he and his wife had both' been at Plymouth; and from this fact I am almost tempted to believe that he arrived there, and did not come with Endicott in the Abigail. See Farmer's Register and Felt's Annals of Salem, i. 183.
2 Richard Brackenbury took the oath of freeman May 14, 1634, and in 1636 received a grant of seventy- five acres of land. He was one of the early settlers of Beverly, and died there in 1685, aged 85. See Farmer's Gen. Register, and Stone's Beverly, p. 24.
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Of
31
THE EMIGRANTS WITH ENDICOTT.
port,1 and others ;? who, being added to Capt. Trask3 CHAP. and John Woodberry, (that was before this time re- . II. turned with a comfortable answer to them that sent 1628. him over,) went on comfortably together to make pre- paration for the new Colony that were coming over ; the late controversy that had been agitated with too much animosity betwixt the forementioned Dorches- ter planters and their new agent, Mr. Endicot, and his company then sent over, being by the prudent moderation of Mr. Conant, agent before for the Dor- chester merchants, quietly composed ;4 that so meum and tuum, that divide the world, should not disturb the peace of good Christians, that came so far to
1 Richard Davenport was admit- be made freeman on the 19th of Octo- ted a freeman Sept. 3, 1634, and was a representative in 1637 from Salem, where he resided till 1642. He was ensign-bearer at the time that Endicott cut the cross out of the King's colors, was a lieuten- ant in the Pequot war, in which he was dangerously wounded, and af- terwards was captain of the castle in Boston harbour, where he was killed by lightning, July 15, 1665, aged 59. See Farmer's Register, Savage's Winthrop, i. 146, 192, 233, and Mass. Hist. Coll. xviii. 146, 236.
2 The omission here of the name of the Spragues, (Ralph, Richard, and William,) invalidates the asser- tion of Felt that they "were among the emigrants who came in the Abi- gail," with Endicott, and confirms the construction put by Gov. Everett on the statement in the Charlestown records, that "they arrived at Salem at their own charge," that is, as " independent adventurers, not mem- bers of Gov. Endicott's Company." See Felt's Salem, p. 44, and Ed- ward Everett's Address at Charles- town on the anniversary of the arri- val of Gov. Winthrop, p. 19.
3 " Mr." William Trask desired to
. ber, 1630. He represented Salem five years, from 1635 to 1639. In January, 1636, he received from that town, at the same time with Conant, Palfrey, Woodbury, and Balch, a grant of two hundred acres of land on Bass river. He was a captain under Stoughton in the Pequot war, and died in 1666. It would appear from the text that he was one of Cc- nant's company, and not, as Felt says, "among the emigrants who came in the Abigail," with En- dicott. See Farmer's Register, Stone's Beverly, p. 20, Felt's Sa- lem, p. 44, and Mass. Hist. Coll. xviii. 146, 147, 236.
4 White alludes to this controver- sy between the old planters under Conant and the new comers with Endicott, when in speaking of the change of name from Nahumkeik to Salem, he says that it was done "upon a fair ground, in remem- brance of a peace settled upon a con- ference at a general meeting be- tween them and their neighbours, after expectance of some dangerous jar." See page 12, and Planters' Plea, p. 14. See also what Hub- bard says, Mass. Hist. Coll. xv. 113.
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32
SICKNESS AMONG THE COLONISTS.
CHAP. II. provide a place where to live together in Christian amity and concord.
1628.
In the same year were sent over several servants upon the joint stock of the Company, who, arriving there in an uncultivated desert, for want of whole- some diet and convenient lodgings, were many of them seized with the scurvy and other distempers,1 which shortened many of their days, and prevented many of the rest from performing any great matter of labor that year for advancing the work of the Plant- ation. Yet was the good hand of God upon them so far, as that something was done which tended to ad- vantage ; nor was, upon that account, an evil report brought upon the place by any of them, so as to dis- courage others from coming after them.
During this whole lustre of years, from 1625, there was little matter of moment acted in the Massachu- setts, till the year 1629, after the obtaining the pa- tent ; the former years being spent in fishing and trading by the agents of the Dorchester merchants and some others of the west country.
1625.
In one of the fishing voyages about the year 1625, under the charge and command of one Mr. Hewes, employed by some of the west country merchants, there arose a sharp contest between the said Hewes and the people of New Plymouth, about a fishing-stage, built the year before about Cape Anne by Plymouth men, but was now, in the absence of the builders
1 " Upon which," says Governor Bradford, "Mr. Endicott, hearing we at Plymouth have a very skilful doctor, namely, Mr. Fuller, sends to our governor for him, who forth- with sends him to their assistance." Endicott writing to Bradford from
Salem, May 11, 1629, says, " I ac- knowledge myself much bound to you for your kind love and care in sending Mr. Fuller amongst us." See Prince's Annals, p. 253, Mor- ton's Memorial, p. 144, and Chron- icles of Plymouth, p. 223.
33
DISPUTE AT CAPE ANN.
made use of by Mr. Hewes his company ; which the CHAP. II. other, under the conduct of Capt. Standish, very~ eagerly and peremptorily demanded. For the Com- 1625. pany of New Plymouth, having themselves obtained a useless patent for Cape Anne about the year 1623,1 1623. sent some of the ships, which their Adventurers em- ployed to transport passengers over to them, to make fish there ; for which end they had built a stage there in the year 1624.2 The dispute grew to be 1624. very hot, and high words passed between them ; which might have ended in blows, if not in blood and slaughter, had not the prudence and moderation of Mr. Roger Conant, at that time there present, and Mr. Peirce's3 interposition, that lay just by with his ship, timely prevented. For Mr. Hewes had barri- cadoed his company with hogsheads on the stage- head, while the demandants stood upon the land, and might easily have been cut off. But the ship's crew, by advice, promising to help them build another, the difference was thereby ended.4 Capt. Standish had
1 Robert Cushman, writing to Gov. Bradford from London, Jan. 24, 1624, says, " We have taken a patent for Cape Ann." Prince's Annals, p. 226. .
2 Christopher Levett, who was on the coast of New-England in 1624, says, that " the people of New Ply- mouth have begun a new plantation at Cape Ann ; but how long it will continue, I know not ;" and Capt. John Smith, writing in 1624, says, " At Cape Ann there is a planta- tion begun by the Dorchester men, which they hold of those of New Plymouth ; who also by them have set up a fishing-work." See Mass. Hist. Coll. xxviii. 181, and Prince's Annals, pp. 227, 228, 230.
3 Capt. William Peirce, whose name will frequently occur in these
Chronicles, and who " deserves hon- orable mention among the early na- vigators between Old England and New." See Savage's valuable note on Winthrop, i. 25, to which no- thing can be added.
4 Gov. Bradford gives a different version of this affair. He says that " some of Lyford and Oldham's friends in the company of the mer- chant adventurers in London, set out a ship a fishing, and getting the start of ours, they take our stage and other provisions made for fishing at Cape Ann the year before, to our great charge, and refuse to re- store it without fighting ; upon which we let them keep it, and our Governor sends some planters to help the fishermen build another." And in a letter to the Council for
3
34
MILES STANDISH.
CHAP. been bred a soldier in the Low Countries, and never II. entered the school of our Saviour Christ, or of John 1625. Baptist, his harbinger ; or, if he was ever there, had forgot his first lessons, to offer violence to no man, and to part with the cloak rather than needlessly contend for the coat, though taken away without order. A little chimney is soon fired ; so was the Plymouth captain, a man of very little stature, yet of a very hot and angry temper. The fire of his pas- sion soon kindled, and blown up into a flame by hot words, might easily have consumed all, had it not been seasonably quenched.1
In transactions of this nature were the first three years spent in making way for the planting of the Massachusetts.2 /
New-England, dated June 28, 1625, No one has ever charged him either he writes, " We are now left and with failure in point of obedience or of wantonly exceeding the limits of his commission. If the arm of flesh was necessary to establish the rights and defend the lives and property of colonists, in a new country, sur- rounded with enemies and false friends, certainly such a man as Standish, with all his imperfections, will hold a high rank among the worthies of New-England." See Morton's Memorial, p. 126, Bel- knap's American Biography, ii. 330, and Chronicles of Plymouth, p. 125. forsaken of our adventurers, who have not only cast us off, but enter- ed into particular course of trading, and have by violence and force taken at their pleasure our possession at Cape Ann." See Prince's Annals, p. 233, and Mass. Hist. Coll. iii. 38. 1 This account of Standish is gra- phic, but flippant and unjust. Judge Davis remarks, " It does not appear that his conduct was reprehensible. He acted under authority, and was sent to enforce a manifest right." Belknap says, "The best apology 2 WILLIAM HUBBARD, from whose History of New-England this Chap- ter is taken, was born in England in 1621, and came to this country with his father in 1635. He was one of the first class that graduated at Harvard College, in 1642, and about the year 1657 was settled in the ministry at Ipswich, where he died Sept. 14, 1704, at the age of 83. His History of New-England was completed in 1680, to which time it is brought down, but contains few for Captain Standish is, that as a soldier he had been accustomed to discipline and obedience ; that he considered himself as the military servant of the Colony, and received his orders from the Governor and people. Sedentary persons are not always the best judges of a soldier's merit or feelings. Men of his own profession will admire the courage of Standish, his promptitude and de- cision in the execution of his orders.
35
1204151 HUBBARD, THE HISTORIAN.
facts after 1650. In 1682, the Gen- erly, and who survived till 1679. CHAP. eral Court of Massachusetts granted II. him fifty pounds " as a manifestation of thankfulness" for his work. It remained in manuscript till 1815, when it was published by the Mas- sachusetts Historical Society in the 15th and 16th volumes of their Col- lections. The manuscript was of great use to Mather, Prince, and Hutchinson, and until it was printed was held in high estimation as an original authority for our early his- tory. But the collation of it with the complete edition of Gov. Win- throp's History of New-England, published by Mr. Savage in 1825, disclosed the source whence Hub- bard had derived his facts, and even his language through successive pages. He seems to have sustained the same literary relation to Win- throp, that Secretary Morton did to Gov. Bradford, that of a close but not very accurate copyist. A just estimate of the value of his History is given by Mr. Savage in his note on Winthrop, i. 297.
The most original and valuable part of Hubbard's History is un- questionably this very Chapter, in which he gives us a statement of facts in relation to the first settle- ments at Cape Ann and Salem, which can be found nowhere else. Now from whom did he obtain these facts ? Most probably from Roger Conant, the father of the Colony, of whom he was a contemporary and neighbour. Living at Ipswich, he must have been acquainted with this prominent old planter, who resided but a few miles from him, at Bev- i. 490. (2d ed.)
Some of the facts which he relates he could hardly have obtained from any other source ; as for instance, Mr. White's acquaintance with Co- nant's brother, his procuring Mr. Humphrey to write to Conant, and his subsequently writing to him himself "not to desert the business." The manner too in which Hubbard speaks of Conant, indicates one with whom he was personally acquainted, and for whose character and intel- lect he felt the highest respect. He speaks of him as " that good man," as " a religious, sober and prudent gentleman," and in a particular emergency, as " one inspired by a superior instinct." In another part of his History he mentions "a strange impression on the mind of Roger Conant to pitch upon Naum- keag." Now the fact of such "in- spiration " and " impression " could have been derived only from Co- nant's own mouth. We may there- fore consider that in this Chapter we have Roger Conant's own narra- tive, as taken down by Hubbard in the conversations which he held with him when collecting the materials for his History.
I have copied this Chapter from Hubbard's MS., preserved in the archives of the Massachusetts His- torical Society, and have thus been enabled to correct several errors in the printed volume of the History. See Hutchinson's Mass. ii. 147, and Farmer's Memorials of the Gradu- ates of Harvard College, pp. 12-17, and Holmes's Annals of America,
THE COMPANY'S RECORDS.
CHAPTER III.
RECORDS OF THE GOVERNOR AND COMPANY OF THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY IN NEW-ENGLAND.
[Prefixed to the Records of the Company are certain memoranda, in the handwriting of Washburne, their first Secretary, of articles to be procured and sent over for the use of the Plantation at Naumkeak, and of the new Colony to be planted in Massachusetts Bay. They are preserved here as antique curiosities, showing us how the planters were furnished with arms, clothing, and provisions.]
[To be] cast in to the ballast of the ships.1 CHAP. III.
2 loads of chalk,
10 thousand of bricks,2 and 1629.
5 chaldron of sea-coals,3
Nails, Iron, 1 ton,
Steel, 2 fagots,4 Lead, 1 fodder,5
1 The names of these ships were the Talbot, the George, the Lion's Whelp, the Four Sisters, and the Mayflower. They carried out Hig- ginson and his company, and sailed in April and May.
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