USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Plymouth > Lives of the governors of New Plymouth, and Massachusetts bay; from the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth in 1620, to the union of the two colonies in 1692 > Part 17
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It appears by subsequent letters, from Governor Hinckley to Messrs. Wiswall and Mather, that the who! sum was not raised, and what was collected was returned to the subscribers.
In a letter to Mr. Mather, dated 16 October, 1691. Governor Hinckley says-" Your service in keeping us from New York, and all other intimations for the good of this colony, is thankfully received, and it would have been well pleasing to myself and sundry others of the most thinking men, who are desirous of supporting the minis- try and schools of learning, to have been annexed to Boston, yet the greater part of the people, and of our deputies, are most desirous of obtaining a charter for themselves, if possible to be procured, though so far as ] can discern, they had much rather be annexed to the Massachusetts than New York, yet are not willing to have it mentioned, lest it should divert any endeavours for obtaining a distinct charter for themselves. It was voted that two hundred pounds should be raised by a voluntary contribution. On trial made, though some particular men and towns did contribute liberally, yet others, by reason of the great charge of the war, and partly being discouraged by some leading men telling them that they would but throw away their money, that they never would be like to obtain a charter, nor you neither for the Mas- sachusetts, thereby the sum proposed fell considerably short, and by the court's order, the whole sum not being raised, none was to be sent. Not being in a capacity to make rates for any equal defraying the charge, I see little or no likelihood of obtaining a charter for us, unless their
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majesties, out of their royal bounty and clemency, gra- ciously please to grant it, sub forma pauperis, to their poor and loyal subjects of this colony." The letter to Mr. Wiswall is in the same strain, with the additional commu- nication of some turbulent proceedings, in contempt of the authority of the Colony, particularly in the county of Bristol, in regard to taxes for operations against the French, in which he says, the people about Dartmouth and Little-Compton, were supported by Governor Sloughter, who arrived in New York in March, 1691.
Before these letters were written, however, the bus- iness was completed in England. The charter granted to Massachusetts, in which Plymouth was included, bears date October 7th, 1691. Mr. Wiswall could not be reconciled to this arrangement, and strongly expressed his feelings on the occasion, in a letter to Mr. Hinckley, dated the 5th of November following : "I do believe Ply- mouth's silence, Hampshire's neglect, 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 disappointment. Plymouth, the Massa- chusetts, as far west as the Narragansett country, and northward three miles beyond Merrimack river, the province of Maine, and the lands from Sagadehoc east- ward as far as the easternmost extent of Acadia or Nova Scotia, are elapt into one province, under such restrictions as I believe will not be very acceptable to those inhabi- tants who must lose their ancient names. There are in the new charter 2S counsellors (of which 4 for Pli- mouth ) a governor and a deputy, all nominated by one who acts as if he were a sole plenipotentiary. The gov- ernor, deputy and secretary are to be nominated and con-
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tinued only durante bene placito. Sir W. P. hath 0!» that labours hard for his advancement.# I only reflect n' New England's condition under this juncture of Provi- dence, much like that of the Jews under Cyrus ascendi !! the throne of their oppressor. At his first appearance they were in hope to rebuild their city and sanctuary but were deprived of their expected privileges all his days by ill minded counsellors. All the frame of heavt !! moves on one axis, and the whole of New England's in .- terest seems designed to be loaden on one bottom, and her particular motions to be concentric to the Massachu- setts tropic. You know who are wont to trot after the bay-horse ; your distance is your advantage, by which you may observe their motions. Yet let me remind you of that great statesman, Ecclesiastes, viii. 14. Few wise men rejoice at their chains. Doubtless it would be ac- counted hypocrisy before God, and ground of despair among men, to see any person receive and entertain the present and undeniable evidences of his disappointment. with the usual testimonies and compliments attending the desire accomplished."
Mr. Wiswall in this, and in other letters, indulges ini severe remarks on Mr. Mather, as if it were by his man- agement, that the union of Plymouth with Massachusetts was effected ; but there is reason to believe that his jeal- ousies, on this subject, were unfounded. Mr. Mather
* The Rev. Mr. Wiswall here refers to Sir William Phips, upon whose ap pointment as governor in 1602, Cotton Mather exultingly exclaims-" The time has come ! the set time has come ! I am now to receive an answer to so many prayers. All of the Counselors of the Province are of my own father's nul .. nation, and my father-in-law, with several related to me, and several brethren of my own church, are among them. The Governor of the Province is not ns enemy, but one I baptized : namely, Sir William Phips, one of my own flota. and one of my dearest friends."-Diary of Cotton Mather.
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undoubtedly exerted himself to prevent the annexation of Plymouth to New York; and from an attentive ex- amination of all accessible documents, on the subject, there appears no reason to doubt his fidelity and sincerity, in regard to Plymouth, as well as Massachusetts .* All his influence and that of his friends, and of the country's friends in England, which was very considerable, could not, probably, however exerted, have prevented the an- nexation of Plymouth, either to New York or to Massa- chusetts. .
There appears no evidence of discontent on the part of Plymouth to this measure, after it was adopted. Gov- ernor Hinckley, in the letter already quoted, says to Dr. Mather, "that it would be well pleasing to himself and sundry other of the most thinking men, who are desirous of supporting the ministry and schools of learning," to be annexed to Massachusetts. Plymouth Colony had done worthily, during its separate existence. This was then acknowledged, and will be acknowledged in all future time; but there has, probably, been no period since the union, in which that transaction has been regretted by the people inhabiting the territory. The similarity of charac- ter, and identity of interests of every description, ren-
* Dr. Mather opposed the proceedings of Andros, in Massachusetts, with such boldness and energy, that he was obliged to leave the province to escape his tyranny. He was in England at the time of the revolution of 16:8, and acquired great influence with the new governinent. Being considered the bead and representative of the clergy of Massachusetts, the ministers of the Crown were desirous to conciliate him; well knowing that in fact the ecclesiastical was the predominating estate of the Colonial realm. To this end they gave him the nomination of the governor, counsellors, and all the officers appointed under the new charter. Quincy's Harv. Univ., i. 50. A knowledge of these facts probably led the honest minded Mr. Wiswall to believe that Dr. Mather possessed sufficient infinence to have preserved the independence of New Ply- mouth, had he chosen to exert it.
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dered such a union rational and desirable, and it is ob- servable that the people of New Hampshire, as Dr. Bel- knap informs us, would gladly have been annexed to the same government, and indeed, petitioned for such a union by a convention of deputies assembled for that purpose. The measure was defeated only by the influence of the heirs or assignees of some great proprietors .* It is to the honor of Massachusetts, that none have had reason to regret a comprehension with her jurisdiction, and that her history, in every stage of her progress, exhibits mul- tiplied instances of magnanimity, public spirit, and regard to the best interests of man.
By the new charter of 1691, four, at least, of the twenty-eight counsellors, were to be from the territory, " formerly called New-Plymouth." The four gentlemen named for this purpose in the charter, were Thomas Hinckley, William Bradford, John Walley, and Barna- bas Lothrop.t
Governor Sloughter having arrived at New York, previous to the arrival of Sir William Phips with the new charter of Massachusetts, attempted to exercise his authority in the jurisdiction of New Plymouth, and issued his orders as though it was a part of the province of New York ; but the arrival of Phips at Boston, with the char- ter, 14th May, 1692, occasioned their immediate suspen- sion. A court having been summoned by the new gov- ernor, on the 8th of June following, the province of Massachusetts Bay proceeded to exercise her newly ac- quired authority without interruption. She had emerged from her colonial state, to be a province of the empire ;
* See Belknap's Hist. of New-Hampshire, (Farmers edit.) 123.
Davis' note, Morton's Memorial, 473-477.
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she had become sufficiently powerful to attract the notice of the monarch; and her democratic tendencies were henceforth to be more carefully watched by the ministers of the crown. New Plymouth quietly submitted to her younger sister, and the amalgamation of the two colonies was soon perfected.
The last general court of the colony was summoned, and met at Plymouth on the first Tuesday of July-and the last exercise of power by that body was the appoint- ment of a day of solemn fasting and humiliation. The days of the colony of New Plymouth were numbered !
The population of the colony at this period was about thirteen thousand. There was little trade, and a heavy debt impended over them. The whole personal prop- erty of individuals was but little more than sufficient to discharge the general debt, which had grown out of the great Indian war. Yet there were here the elements and seeds of that wealth, which in the next century was developed, by the patience, honesty, industry, and ener- gy of the people.
During the whole period of the independent exist- ence of this colony, the government, almost self-constitut- ed, had been respected and obeyed. It was found fully equal to the exigences of peace and war ; and to the ac- complishment of the great end of all governments, the security of the rights of persons, and of property ; and by a firm and steady course of action, it was able to produce a universal consciousness of that security.
The question may very naturally be asked, how it happened that a population of adventurers, without mili- tary force, and with little wealth, which is unquestiona- bly a formidable element of power, and by which men
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often make their rule acceptable ; and with an equality as general as was possible in any country which had a government ; could, without the sanction of a royal char- ter, and without the interference of the metropolis, which in infant colonies is generally imperative and absolute, sus- tain themselves so long, and without tumults and com- motions, do every thing essential to the well being of the community ? This question finds its solution in the re- ligious character of the people. Worldly objects were with them secondary, and that curse of all small and independent communities, political ambition, found no place amongst them. The highest offices were not sought, but the services of such as were fit to sustain them were demanded as the right of the people, and they were ac- cepted, not for the sake of distinction, emolument or pleas- ure, but from a sense of duty. Fearful of the loss of rep- utation, men underwent the severe and painful duties which such offices required.
Where there was no strife for power, no temptation in the shape of emolument, and no passion for official dis- tinctions, small was the danger of feuds and factions.
The junction of Plymouth with Massachusetts des- troyed all the political consequence of the former. The people of Plymouth shared but few of the favors which the new government had to bestow, and it was sel- dom indeed, that any resident in what was termed 'the old colony' obtained any office or distinction in the provincial government, or acquired any influence in its councils.
Plymouth, however, may well be proud of the high distinction which has been acquired by many of her native sons, when placed in a more genial clime.
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She has furnished her full proportion of talent, genius, learning and enterprise, in almost every depart- ment of life; and in other lands the merits of the pos- terity of the pilgrims have been acknowledged. They may be found wherever the sway of the American repub- lic is acknowledged, and even in the armies and navies, and in the councils of our " father land," they have won their way to eminence, not by the aid of birth or family connections, but by the force of superior merit and trans- cendent ability. Among the proudest names in the British navy, may be found the descendant of the origi- nal purchaser of Mattapoisett in Swanscy,* and attached to the title of one of the most distinguished of the Eng- lish peerage, is the name of one of the early settlers of Scituate.f
In one respect, the people of the Old Colony pre- sent a remarkable exception to the rest of America. They are perhaps the purest English race in the world; there is scarcely an intermixture even with the Scotch or Irish, and none with the aboriginals. Almost all the present population are descended from the origi- nal English settlers. Many of them still own the lands which their early ancestors rescued from the wilder- ness, and although they have spread themselves in every
* Mattapoisett Neck, in Swansey, was purchased by William Brenton, governor of Rhode Island, of Philip, the sachem of Mount Hope, by deed dated 23 June, 1664. Jahleel Brenton, grandson of Governor Brenton, had twenty-two children. Ilis fourth son, Jalileel, born 22 Oct. 1729, entered the British navy when a youth, distinguished himself in service, and rose to the rank of admiral. Hle died in 1802. His son, Jahleel, was bred to the sea, rose to be an admiral, and was knighted in 1810.
t Thomas Richard, the third Lord Holland, married an heiress of the name of Vassall, and his son, Henry Richard Fox Vassall, is the present Lord Hol- land, Baron Holland in Lincolnshire, and Foxley in Wilts.' Playfair's British Family Antiquities, ii. 192.
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7
direction through this wide continent, from the penin- sula of Nova Scotia to the gulf of Mexico, some one of the family has generally remained to cultivate the soil which was owned by his ancestors. The fishermen and navigators of Maine, the children of Plymouth, still con- tinue the industrious and bold pursuits of their forefath- · ers. In that fine country, beginning at Utica in the State of New York, and stretching to Lake Erie, this race ma: be found on every hill and in every valley, on the rivers and on the lakes. The emigrant from the sand banks of Cape Cod, revels in the profusion of the agricultural op- ulence of Ohio. In all the southern and southwestern states, the natives of the 'old colony,' like the Armenians of Asia, may be found in every place where commerce and traffic offer any lure to enterprise; and in the heart of the gigantic peninsula of Michigan, like their ances- tors, they have commenced the cultivation of the wilder- ness, like them, originally surrounded with savage beasts and savage men, and like them, patient in suffering, des- pising danger, and animated with hope .*
Baylies, in conclusion of his Hist. of New Plymouth. The following re. marks of President Dwight, when contemplating the history of New Plymouth, may be appropriately added : "The institutions, civil, literary and religious, by which New England is distinguished on this side the Atlantic, began here. Here the manner of holding lands in free soccage, now universal in this coun- try, commenced. Here the right of suifrage was imparted to every citizen, to every inhabitant not disqualified by poverty or vice. Here was formed the first establishment of towns, of the local legislature, which is called a town meeting. and of the peculiar town executive, styled the selectmen. Here the first paro- chial school was set up, and the system originated for communicating to every child in the community the knowledge of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Here, also, the first building was erected for the worship of God ; the first re- ligious assembly gathered ; and the first minister called and settled, by the voice of the church and congregation. On these simple foundations has since been erected a structure of good order, peace, liberty, knowledge, morals and reli- gion, with which nothing on this side the Atlantic can bear a remote compari- son."
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Governor Hinckley died at Barnstable, in 1706, and the following inscription is placed upon his tombstone : " Beneath this stone, erected A. D. 1829, are deposited the mortal remains of Thomas Hinckley. He died A. D. 1706, aged 85 years. History bears witness to his piety, usefulness, and agency in the public transactions of his time. The important offices he was called to fill, evidence the esteem in which he was held by the people. He was successively elected an assistant in the govern- ment of Plymouth colony, from 1658 to 1681, and gov- ernor, except during the interruption of Sir Edmund Andros, from 1681 to the junction of Plymouth colony with Massachusetts."
Governor Hinckley's first wife was Mary Richards, whom he married in 1641, and his sons by this marriage were Samuel, born in 1652, and Thomas, in 1654. She died soon after, and in 1659, he married Mary, the widow of Nathaniel Glover, son of the Hon. John Glover of Dorchester. She was the daughter of Lau- rence Smith, called Quarter-Master Smith, who came from England in 1635, with his family, and settled at Dorchester, Massachusetts. Governor Hinckley's chil- dren, by his second marriage, were one son, Ebenezer, and five daughters, one of whom married the Rev. Ex- perience Mayhew, father of the celebrated Dr. Jonathan Mayhew. Another daughter, Mercy, in 1686, married Samuel Prince of Sandwich, the father of the Rev. Thomas Prince, the chronologist. Mr. Prince speaks in the following terms of the second Mrs. Hinckley : "She, to the day of her death, appeared and shone, in the eyes of all, as the loveliest and brightest woman for
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beauty, knowledge, wisdom, majesty, accomplishments and graces, throughout the colony."
Descendants of Governor Hinckley, of great re- spectability, are found in Massachusetts, New York, and in the southern states. Hon. Samuel Hinckley, of North- ampton, Massachusetts, who died 15 June, 1840, was a descendant of Governor Hinckley. Judge Hinckley was a soldier in the revolutionary war, and was wounded in an engagement near the Hudson. He was a classmate in college with Governor Griswold, Judge Baldwin, and Chancellor Kent. He was greatly esteemed for the purity of his character, his extensive liberality, and de- voted patriotism.
Among the manuscripts in the library of the Massa- chusetts Historical Society, are 3 vols. folio, of papers collected by Governor Hinckley. They contain a mass of valuable information relating to the early history of the Old Colony.
1
PART II.
GOVERNORS OF MASSACHUSETTS BAY.
1630-1689.
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INTRODUCTORY NOTE.
THE Council of Plymouth for New England, established by James I. in November, 1620, instead of engaging in the work of planting colonies, contented itself with the revenues it could com- mand from the sale of patents. The Pilgrimns had crossed the ocean to New Plymouth, and before the returning ships had brought in- telligence of their success, Sir Ferdinando Gorges and Capt. John Mason, who were active members of the Council, had each made application for grants of territory in New England.
On the 9th of March, 1621, a patent was issued to Mason, granting all the lands from Salem river, round Cape Anne, to the tiver Merrimack, and up each of these rivers to their sources, and across from the head of one to the other. This district was called MARIANA.
On the 10th of August following, a grant was made to Gorges and Mason, of the whole country between the sea, the St. Law- rence, the Merrimack, and the Kennebeck. And to this they gave the name of LACONIA.
A third patent was issued, 10th September, 1621, to Sir Wil- liam Alexander, granting all the territory east of the river St. Croix, and south of the St. Lawrence, already known as the Acadie of the French, and since called Nova Scotia.
A fourth patent, granting a tract of ten miles on the Massachu- setts Bay, and extending thirty miles into the interior, was issued on the 13th December, 1622, to Robert Gorges, son of Sir Ferdi- nando Gorges.
The fame of the plantation at New Plymouth had spread throughout England ; but few settlements were made prior to the year 1629. Weymouth, the ancient Wessagusset, is the oldest set-
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tlement in what was the colony of Massachusetts Bay, being settle by a company under Thomas Weston in 1622.
In 1625, a plantation was commenced at Braintree. Abon the year 1626, William Blackstone settled on the peninsula Boston, and in the autumn of the same year, the settlement why had been commenced at Cape Anne in 1625, under the auspic of the Rev. Mr. White, of Dorchester, in England, was removed to Salem. A solitary pioneer had pitched his tent upon the height of Charlestown in 1627, and was joined by a few persons from Salem in the following year.
On the 19th of March, 162S, the Council for New England sold to Sir Henry Roswell and others, a belt of land, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, extending three miles south of the River Charles and the Massachusetts Bay, and three miles north of the Merrimack. Through the instrumentality of Mr. White other persons of wealth and character became associated with them, and afterwards purchased rights in the patent. Among these were John Winthrop, Isaac Johnson, Matthew Cradock, Thomas Goffe, and Sir Richard Saltonstall. The company soon after chose Mat- thew Cradock their governor, and sent over a few people under Capt. John Eudecott to prepare for the settlement of a colony.
On the fourth of March, 1629, Charles I. granted a patent to these colonists, under the name of " The Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England," and the grantees im. mediately settled a form of government for the new Colony. But on the 29th of August, 1629, the company, after much discussion. decided that the government and patent of the plantation should be transferred from London to the Massachusetts Bay, and that their corporate powers should be executed there. From this period dates the foundation and permanent settlement of the colony. Early in the spring of 1630, the fleet which conveyed Governor Winthrop and his company to America sailed from the shores of England. Further particulars of the history of some of these men, will appear in the following pages.
GOVERNORS OF MASSACHUSETTS BAY.
I. JOHN WINTHROP.
JOHN WINTHROP, the first governor of Massachusetts, was descended from a family remarkable for its attachment to the reformed religion, from the earliest period of the Reformation. His grandfather, Adam Winthrop, was an eminent lawyer and lover of the Gospel in the reign of Henry VIII., and brother to a memorable friend of the Reformation in the reign of Mary I., in whose hands the martyr Philpot left his papers, which make a considera- ble part of the history of the Martyrs. His father, Adam Winthrop, was a gentleman of the same profession and character .*
Governor Winthrop was born at the family-seat at Groton, in Suffolk, January 12, 15SS,f and was bred to the law, though he had a very strong inclination to theo- logical studies. At the age of eighteen, he was made a justice of the peace, and his virtues became conspicuous. He was exemplary in his profession, as an upright and impartial magistrate, and in his private character, as a christian. He had wisdom to discern, and fortitude to
* Adam Winthrop, the elder, was buried the 12 Nov., 1562 .- Parish Regis- ter of Groton. No doubt this was the grandfather of Gov. Winthrop ; and probably to him was made the grant of the manor of Groton from Henry VIII. after the suppression of the religions houses. Savage, in III Mass. Hist. Coll., viii. 297.
f Dr. Belknap, copying from Mather, places his birth in 1597, but from Sa- vage's notes to Winthrop's Journal, i. 63, and ii. 33s, it appears that he was born January 12th, 1538.
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do right in the execution of his office ; and as a gentle :-
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