History of Plymouth county, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 29

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, J.W. Lewis & co.
Number of Pages: 1706

USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > History of Plymouth county, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 29

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CHAPTER V ..

KING PHILIP'S WAR-UNION OF THE COLONIES- COLE'S HILL-BURIAL HILL-EXPEDITION TO LOUISBOURG-STAMP ACT.

THE period of King Philip's war was an eventful one both in the life of the colony and the town. As long as Massasoit lived the most friendly relations with the Indians continued. In 1639 that chief, then called Ousamequin, with his oldest son, Wan- sutta, came to the court at Plymouth and renewed his pledge of fidelity and friendship. In or about 1661 Massasoit died, and was succeeded by his son Wamsutta, now called Alexander. In 1662, reason having been given for a suspicion of Alexander's peace- ful intentions, he was summoned to Plymouth, and on refusing to comply with the summons, was visited by Josiah Winslow, attended by a party of armed men, and compelled to accompany him. Vexed and excited by the humiliating eireumstances surrounding him, he fell sick and died before reaching home, whither he was sent by the government on the appearance of the first symptoms of his disease. Alexander was suc- ceeded by his brother Metacomet, now ealled Philip, who occupied with his tribe, the Wampanoags, a place ealled Montaup, or Mount Hope, near Bristol, in Rhode Island. He at once went to Plymouth and renewed the ancient treaty which had been made in 1621 between the colony and his father. But the treatment of his brother Alexander never ceased to rankle in his breast. In 1671, suspected of hostile intentions against Plymouth, he was visited by Wil- liam Davis, William Hudson, and Thomas Brattle, commissioners from Massachusetts, and Governor Prence, Josiah Winslow, and Constant Southworth, from Plymouth, and charged with having made prep- arations for war, which, after some evasion, he con- fessed. After some discussion he yielded to the intimidation of the commissioners and consented to give up his arms and sign the following terms of capitulation :

" TAUNTON, 12th of April, 1671.

" Whereas, my father, my brother, and myself have formerly submitted ourselves and our people unto the king's majesty of England, and to this colony of New Plymouth, hy solemn cove- nant under our hand, but I having of late, though my indiscre- tion and the naughtiness of my heart, violated and hroken this my covenant with my friends hy taking up arms with evil intent against them, and that groundlessly, I heing now deeply sensible of my unfaithfulness and folly, do desire at this time solemnly to renew my covenant with my ancient friends, and my father's friends above mentioned, and do desire that this may testify to the world against me if ever I shall again fail in my faithfulness towards them (whom I have now and at all

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HISTORY OF PLYMOUTH COUNTY.

times found kind to me) or any othor of the English colonios, and as a real pledge of my truo intentions for the future to he faithful and friendly I do frcely engage to resign up to the government of New Plymouth all my English arms, to be kept by them for their security so long as they shall see reason. For the true performance of the premises I have hereunto sct my hand together with the rest of my council.

"In presence of " PHILIP, Chief Sachem of Pokanoket.

" William Davis.

" TAVOSEN.

" William Hudson.

" CAPTAIN WISPOKE.

" Thomas Brattle.

"WOONKAPONCPUNT.

" NIMROD."

Notwithstanding this agreement, Philip finally re- fused to surrender his arms, and was summoned to appear at Plymouth on or before the 20th of Sep- tember, or suffer the consequences. Massachusetts, still anxious to avert hostilities, offered to send mediators, and at the meeting in Plymouth an ac- commodation was effected and the following articles were signed :

"1. We, Philip, and my council, and my subjects do acknowl- edge ourselves subject to his majesty the King of England and the government of New Plymouth and to their laws.

"2. I am willing and do promise to pay unto the govern- ment of Plymouth one hundred pounds in such things as I have, but I would entreat the favor that I might have three years to pay it in forasmuch as I cannot do it at present.

"3. I do promise to send unto the Governor, or whom he shall appoint, five wolves' heads if I can get them, or as many as I can procure until they come to five wolves yearly.

" 4. If any differences fall between the English and myself and people then I do promise to repair to the Governor of Plym- outh to rectify the difference amongst us.

" 5. I do promise not to make war with any hut with the Governor's approbation of Plymouth.

"6. I do promise not to dispose of any of the lands that I have at present but by the approbation of the Governor of Plym- outh.

"For the true performance of the premises, I, the said Philip, Sachem of Pankamaukut, do herehy hind myself and such of my council as are present ourselves, our successors faithfully. In witness whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our hands the day and year ahove written.

"In presence of the court and divers of gentlemen of the Massachusetts and Connoc- ticut.

" PHILIP, the Sachem of Pau- kamaukut.

" UNCOMPAEN.

" WOCOKOM. "SAMKANA."

Not long after the above agreement was signed, Philip sent the following letter to Governor Prenee, the original of which may be seen in Pilgrim Hall. It was probably written by an Indian, Sassaman, who had received some education at the hands of the whites and whom he called his seeretary :

" To the much honored governir, mr. thomas prince, dwelling at plimouth.

" honored sir.

"King Philip desires to let you understand that he could not come to the court, for tom, his interpreter, has a pain in his hack, that he could not travel so far and philip's sistor is vory sick, philip would entreat that favor of you, and any of the

magistrates, if any english or engians speak about any land he pray you to give them no answer at all, the last summer ho made that promise with you that he would not soll no land in seven years time, for that he would have no english trouble him before that time, he has not forgot that you promise him he will come as sune as possible he can to speak with you, and so I rest your very loving friend, philip, dwelling at mount hope nck."

During three years subsequent to this time peace and quiet prevailed ; but, as the event showed, Philip was gradually extending his influenee and power over neighboring tribes, and preparing them seeretly and insidiously to join him in the extermination of the English. Sassaman, his secretary, had deserted him and gone to live with the Natick Indians; and after- wards, meeting with some Wampanoags at Nemasket during a visit at that place, he learned Philip's in- tentions, and communicated them to Josiah Winslow, the Governor of Plymouth Colony. This was in 1674, and Governor Prenee had died in the pre- eeding year. The treachery of Sassaman was dis- covered, and he was soon after murdered. His mur- derers, belonging to the Wampanoags, were diseov- ered and carried to Plymouth, and tried and executed. This exasperated Philip the morc, and in the spring of 1675 the war broke out. The various and changing fortunes of the war in detail will not be reached by this narrative. It was carried on by the United Colonies at the instigation of Plymouth, in aeeord- anee with the terms of the confederation, and Gov- ernor Winslow, of Plymouth, was placed in command of the united forees. The town of Plymouth fur- nished its share of officers and men, and suffered its share of the loss. On the 12th of August, 1676, Philip was killed, and the war soon eame to an end. As a result of the war, for the first time in the his- tory of the colony it came into possession of Indian lands by other means than gift or treaty or purchase. The war was chiefly carried on within the territory deseribed in its patent, and the colony succeeded to the conquered lands of the Wampanoags by right of conquest. To a portion of these lands,-that about Mount Hope,-though distant from the line of Mas- sachusetts, and contiguous to the territory of Plymouthı Colony, Massachusetts set up a elaim, and endeavored to secure a grant from the king; but the lands were finally adjudged to belong to Plymouth, and were seeured to it by royal sanetion. The language of the grant, under the sign-manual of the king, is as fol- lows : " We have taken into our royal consideration how that by your loyalty and good conduet in that war you have been the happy instruments to enlarge our dominions, and to bring the new territory of Mount Hope into a more immediate dependence upon

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HISTORY OF PLYMOUTH.

us; we are therefore graciously pleased to give and grant, and do hereby give and grant, unto you the full and entire property of the said territory or scope of land commonly called Mount Hope, containing by common estimation seven thousand acres, be the same more or less, for the sole and proper use and behoof of yourselves and the rest of our said colony of New Plymouth, to be holden of us, our heirs and successors, as of our castle of Windsor, in the county of Berks, yielding and paying seven beaver-skins each and every year."

After peace had been restored many of the fortifi- cations and garrison-houses which it had been found necessary to erect were abandoned, and no more during the life of the colony were its inhabitants put in trepidation by threatened danger from the Indians. Precautions, of course, were taken, and, among the precautionary laws, that originally enacted in 1658 was revived, requiring arms to be carried to church on the Sabbath, to guard against surprise. It is a tradition in the Old Colony that the arms were stacked outside under military guard, and that the universal custom in New England for the men to depart from the church before the women leave their pews had its origin in the necessity in ancient times for the men to resume their arms before the audience com- mitted itself to a possible exposure to Indian attack.

In December, 1680, Josiah Winslow, Governor of the colony, died, and was succeeded by Thomas Hinckley, who had filled the office of Deputy Gov- ernor, and James Cndworth succeeded Mr. Hinckley. As has already been stated, the law of 1650 author- ized the Governor to depute one of his assistants to act in his absence as Deputy Governor; but in 1679 it was enacted "that the deputy governor be under oath as such, and therefore annually chosen." Under this law Thomas Hinckley was chosen in 1680, James Cudworth in 1681, and William Bradford, son of the Governor, in 1682, the last of whom held the office until the union, with the interruption of two years, occasioned by the usurpation of Andros. Mr. Hinckley, with the same interruption, held the office of Governor until the union, and was the last Governor of the colony. In 1686, John Alden, an- other of the "Mayflower" company, died in Duxbury, leaving Giles Hopkins, of Yarmouth, the only male "Mayflower" passenger living, and Mary Cushman and Elizabeth Howland the only female passengers. The first died in 1690, the second in 1699, and the last in 1687.

Up to this time the government of Plymouth Col- ony, though exercising sovereign authority and treated by royal hands as a government of right, though it

had never received a charter, now repeated its demands to have its patent sanctioned by the king. Massa- chusetts had lived under a charter from its birth ; charters had been granted to Connecticut and Rhode Island ; but Plymouth, though looked on with special favor at times by the crown, had failed to secure what from the first had been its earnest wish. In 1682, James Cudworth went to England as the agent of the colony, and there died with his mission a failure. Rev. Ichabod Wiswall, with others, went as agent of Massachusetts to secure the confirmation of its ancient charter, and on his arrival in England he was re- quested to act also for Plymouth. Increase Mather and Elisha Cook, of Massachusetts, went also, the for- mer in behalf of Plymouth. Suspicions have at times been entertained that Mather was false to Plym- outh, and that the rights and claims of Plymouth were sacrificed to the aggrandisement of Massachusetts in securing a new charter for her with Plymouth added to her territory and jurisdiction. The more charitable and reasonable conclusion is that, owing to the efforts of Governor Slauter, of New York, who was anxious to secure the annexation of Plymouth to New York, the only question in the royal mind was, not whether Plymouth should have a charter of its own, but whether it should be annexed to New York or Massachusetts. Mr. Mather claimed the credit, and perhaps justly, of accomplishing the result which was finally reached, and of defeating New York in her demands. The people of Plymouth were not satisfied. Pending the negotiations, the in- habitants of the various towns in the colony were warned to meet for the purpose of raising money to meet the expense of efficiently urging their claim. The debt of the colony at that time-a legacy of Philip's war-amounted to twenty seven thousand pounds, and the people refused to increase it. Gover- nor Hinckley wrote to Mr. Mather : " Not being in a capacity to make notes for any equal defraying the charge, I see little or no likelihood of obtaining a char- ter for us, unless their Majesties (William and Mary), out of their royal bounty and clemency, graciously please to grant it, sub forma pauperis, to their poor and loyal subjects of the colony."

The charter of Massachusetts was signed Oct. 7, 1691, and Wiswall, an earnest, sincere, and faithful man, did not hesitate to charge Mather with duplicity and insincerity, and at the close of the contest said, in a letter to Governor Hinckley, " All the frame of heaven moves on one axis, and the whole of New England's interest seems designed to be loaden on one bottom, and her particular motions to concentrate to the Massachusetts tropic. You know who are wont

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HISTORY OF PLYMOUTH COUNTY.

to trot after the bay horse ; your distance is your ad- vantage by which you may observe their motions. Yet let me mind you of that great statesman, Ecelesi- astes vili. 14. Few wise men rejoice at their chains. I do believe Plymouth's silence, Hampshire's negleet, and the rashness and impudence of one at least who went from New England in disguise by night, hath not a little contributed to our general dis- appointment." The last court of election was held at Plymouth in June, 1691, and as this narrative con- tains the names of the first officers of the colony, it may be interesting to readers to see a list of its last. Thomas Hinckley was chosen Governor, William Bradford Deputy Governor, and John Freeman, Dan- iel Smith, Barnabas Lathrop, John Thatcher, John Walley, and John Cushing assistants. The deputies to the General Court were for

Plymouth. John Bradford. Isaac Cushman,

Duxbury. John Wadsworth, Edward Southworth.

Seituate. Benjamin Stetson. Samuel Clapp.

Taunton. John Hall. John Hathaway.

Sandwich. Thomas Tupper.

Elisha Bourne.

Barnstable. John Goram,

Yarmouth. John Miller. Silas Sears.

Marshfield, Isaac Little. Nathaniel Thomas.

Eastham. Jonathan Sparrow.

Thomas Paine, Jr.

Rehoboth. Christopher Saunders. John Woodcock.

Bridgewater. Joseph Edson. Middlehoro'. Isaac Howland. Bristol. John Saffin. William Throop.

Little Compton. Simon Rousc. Falmouth. Isaae Robinson.

Rochester. Aaron Barlow. Monamoyet. Gershom Hall. Dartmouth. Unrepresented. Swansea. "

Freetown,

At the time of the union of the colonies the popu- lation of that of New Plymouth was about seventy- five hundred. The new eharter, called the charter of the province of Massachusetts Bay, in New Eng- land, is a matter of interest to the general reader, as well as historian, but is too long to be incorporated in this narrative. It may be found in a book cn- titled " The Charters and General Laws of the Col- ony and Province of Massachusetts Bay," published by order of the General Court in 1844. On the 14th of May, 1692, Sir William Phipps arrived in

Boston bearing the new eharter, and also a commis- sion appointing him Governor of the province. On the first Tuesday in July the General Court of New Plymouth held its last meeting, and the final exercise of its power was in the appointment of the last Wednesday of August as a day of fasting, humilia- tion, and prayer.

Thus ended the colony of New Plymouth as a dis- tinct organization. Its life had been short, but suffi- eiently long to accomplish its destiny. Its mission had been to open the way for a successful colonization of the New World, and its mission had been faithfully performed. Though overrun in its later years by the tide of emigration from the colony of Massachusetts, it had never failed, by the sweet and gentle Pilgrim spirit which had always lingered about it, to exert an influence in mellowing and softening the asperities of its more rigid neighbors. The two colonies had existed like two sheets of water of different sizes and levels and degrees of purity, which had gradually be- come one as a connection was opened between them. As- their waters mingled the Plymouth Colony lost some of its original sweetness and purity, but when a common level was reached the colony of Massachu- setts was made sweeter and purer than before. Like the leaven which loses itself in leavening the lump, the Plymouth Colony, by its gradual extinction, had permeated Massachusetts with something of its ten- derness, and finally completed by its death what it had sought to accomplish in its life. The union was, perhaps, however, rather a marriage than a death, a marriage which extinguishes the name of the bride and carries her from her home to the home of the groom, where, among the cares and responsibilities and annoyances and sorrows of her new life, while losing some of the graces of youth, she purifies and elevates and ennobles his household.

Up to this time, it will be remembered, only a par- tial division of lands in the town of Plymouth had been made. The first allotment in 1623 gave each man, woman, and ehild one acre. The division in 1627 gave to each freeholder twenty acres, and after that time various individual grants were made in dif- ferent parts of the town. In 1640, Jones' River meadow, lying in what are now Plympton and Kings- ton, was granted to eight men; the South Mead- ows, in what is now Carver, to cighteen men; and Doten's meadow, also in Carver, to five men. In February, 1701/2, it was voted that every proprietor or freeman should be granted a lot of thirty aeres, and in the following March it was voted that all the lands remaining ungranted lying within a tract a milo and a half square, including the central village, should

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HISTORY OF PLYMOUTH.

be held by the town in its municipal capacity, to be sold from time to time for its benefit as a town, while all the unallotted lands within the limits of the town, outside of this tract. should be granted to the free- men of the town. then numbering two hundred and one. These freemen, calling themselves proprietors, organized as a distinct body, with their own clerk and records, and continued in existence until all their lands were divided among themselves. Plympton being then a part of Plymouth, and some of the proprie- tors living in that town, the proprietors were called, after that town was set off and incorporated. " Plym- auth and Plympton Proprietors."

The boundary line of the " mile and a half tract" above referred to began at the mouth of Eel Creek, so called. in the northi part of the town, and extended south westerly nearly in the line of Cold Spring Brook, across the farm of John Clark, to a heap of stones which may be easily found forty rods east of Triangle Pond. From this point it extended southeasterly across the foot of Sparrow's Hill, over Little Pond and the mouth of Billington Sea, to Lout Pond, and across the pond to an old white-oak tree marked on four sides, in what is known as Rider's orchard. From this corner it ran northeasterly to the harbor, crossing the highway near the house of the late Sam- uel Cole. Within this tract the town has from time to time sold lots, the only ones remaining at this date un- granted, so far as the writer knows, being ninety-four acres of woodland on both sides of the Kingston line, near New Guinea, a part of Court Square, Burial Hill, the lot on which the Unitarian Church stands, Training Green, a triangle of land in the rear of the Bramhall store on Water Street, a small strip extend- ing from the highway to the mill-pond at the junc- tion of Sandwich and Water Streets, Town Dock, or Town Landing-Place, and two small lots on South Street and the South Pond road. This list of course does not include such streets and open squares as were laid out over ungranted lands in the possession of the town.

The proprietors, as accurately as can be ascertained at the time of the grant in 1701/2, were the follow- ing, two hundred and one in number :

John Andros. James Barnaby. Jonathan Barnes.

Elisha Bradford.

Joseph Bradford.

Joseph Bartlett.

Samuel Bradford, Jr. George Barrow.

George Bonum. John Barnes.

Benjamin Bartlett.

Stephen Barnaby.

John Barrow. Ephraim Bradford. Samuel Bradford, Sr.

John Bryant.

Samuel Fuller, Jr.

John Bryant, Jr.

Josiah Finney.

John Bryant.

Robert Finney.

Elnathan Bartlett.

Joseph Faunce.

Israel Bradford.

John Fauuce.

John Bradford.

Thomas Faunce.

Samuel Bryant.

William Fallowell.

Joseph Bartlett.

John Foster.

Jacob Cooke.

John Faunce, Jr.

William Cooke.

Samuel Gardner.

Nathaniel Clark.

Francis Cooke.

Robert Cushman.

James Howland.

James Clark, Sr.

Thomas Howland.

James Clark, Jr.

Thomas Howland, Jr.

Thomas Clark.

Nathaniel Harlow.

John Clark.

Samuel Ilarlow.

Thomas Clark, Jr.

John Harlow.

Ebenczer Cobb.

John Holmes.

John Cole.

John Holmes, Jr.

Elkanah Cushman.

Thomas Holmes.

John Carver.

Nathaniel Howland.

Richard Cooper.

Nathaniel Holmes, Sr.

Isaac Cushman.

Nathaniel Holmes, Jr.

Isaac Cushman, Jr.

William Harlow.

Josiah Cotton.

Ebenezer Holmes.

Theophilus Cotton.

Elisha Holmes.

Eleaser Cushman.

Abraham Jackson.

Caleb Cooke.

John Jackson.

John Churchill.

Nathaniel Jackson.

William Clark.

Eleaser Jackson.

William Clark, Jr.

Abraham Jackson, Jr.

Thomas Cushman.

Barack Jourdaine.

John Curtis.

Joseph King.

John Churchill, Jr.

Benoni Lucas.

Benjamin Curtis.

Thomas Lettice.

John Cook.

Thomas Little.

Job Cushman.

Francis Le Baron.

Francis Curtis, Sr.

Isaac Lathrop.

Elkanah Cushman, Jr.

Samuel Lucas.

James Cole.

Ephraim Little.

Ephraim Cole.

Caleb Loring.

Eleaser Churchill.

Nathaniel Morton. Josiah Morton.

Joseph Church.

Jonathan Morey, Jr.

Elisha Cobb.

Ephraim Morton, Jr.

William Churchill.

Ephraim Morton.

John Cobb.

Eleaser Morton.

Joseph Churchill.

Manassah Morton.

Samuel Doty.

Thomas Morton.

Isaac Doty.

George Morton.

Joseph Dunham.

George Morton, Jr. Israel May.

Eleaser Dunham. John Doty.

Jonathan Morey.

Samuel Dunham, Sr.

John Morton, Jr. Samuel Nelson.

Samuel Dunham, Jr.

Nathaniel Dunham.

Joshua Pratt.

Thomas Doty.

John Pratt.

Micajah Dunham.

Joseph Pratt.

Daniel Dunham.

Daniel Pratt.

Ebenezer Eaton.

Eleaser Pratt.

Richard Everson.

Benajah Pratt.

Benjamin Eaton, Sr.

Daniel Ramsden.

Eleaser Ring.

Benjamin Eaton, Jr. John Everson. Samuel Fuller.

William Ring. Eleaser Rickard.

William Barnes. William Bradford. William Bradford, Jr.

Robert Barrow.

Robert Bartlett.

Alexander Conrad.

John Gray. Samuel Gray.

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HISTORY OF PLYMOUTH COUNTY.

John Rickard.

George Samson.

John Rickard, Jr.

William Scars.

Isaac Ring.

Richard Scars.

Josiah Rickard.

Isaac Sampson.

John Rider.

Jonathan Shaw.

Joseph Ring.

Nathaniel Southworth.

Samuel Ring.

Ephraim Tilson.

Henry Rickard.

Isaac Tinkham.

Samuel Ring, Jr.

Nathaniel Thomas.

Elcaser Rogers.

Nathaniel Thomas, Jr.

Samuel Rider.

Edmund Tilson.

Samuel Rickard.

Helkiah Tinkham.

Joshua Ransom.

James Warren.

Giles Rickard.

Nathaniel Wood.

Giles Rickard, Jr.

John Wood.

Robert Ransom.

Nathaniel Warren.

Thomas Shurtleff.

Samuel Waterman.

Nehemiah Sturtevant.

Benjamin Warren.

Benoni Shaw.

Joseph Warren.

Samuel Sturtevant.

John Watson.

John Sturtevant.

Adam Wright.

Josiah Shurtleff.

John Wright.

Jabez Shurtleff.

John Waterman.

Abiel Shurtleff.

James Warren, Jr.

Joseph Sturtevant.

The proprietors organized by the choice of Thomas Faunce, clerk, and their records are preserved in two volumes, of which the originals are kept in the town- house at Plymouth, and copies in the office of the registry of deeds for the county. In 1705 the pro- prietors granted to each of their number a twenty- acre lot, and shortly after a sixty-aere lot, and in the same year all the cedar swamps in the town were divided into thirty-nine lots and distributed by lot among the individual proprictors. Each lot was taken by a number of proprietors, who afterwards divided it among themselves. The records contain not only a description of each lot and its assignment, but also a statement of the subsequent division. Two hundred aeres of woodland, near Fresh Pond, at South Plymouth, were given by the proprietors to the town for the benefit of the Indians, of which one hundred aeres were sold in 1810, and in 1710 all the remainder of the lands ungranted, amounting to thirty thousand acres, was laid out in ten great lots and distributed. The first great lot extends from West Pond and the South Meadow road eight miles to Wareham ; the seven next lie between the first lot and Half- Way Pond River; the ninth is bounded by the Mast road, Half-Way Pond, Long Pond, the Her- ring Path, and the Sandwich road, and the tenth lies east and west of the Sandwich road, below the Her- ring Path. In this way the lands of the town have bcen gradually granted until nothing is left as a pos- session of the town except such lots as have been already mentioned.

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History of Plymouth county, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 29

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Philadelphia, J.W. Lewis & co. Number of Pages: 1706

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, J.W. Lewis & co.
Number of Pages: 1706