USA > Massachusetts > Dukes County > Marthas Vineyard > The history of Martha's Vineyard, Dukes County, Massachusetts, Volume II > Part 57
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One full quarter part of the greater Island of Elizabeth Island, beginning at the Western end Called by the Indians Katamiwick, being about eight miles long, lying Northward from Martynes Vineyard & Southward from Monument Bay, being brought & purchased by us of Quajaccset Sachem of Monument & also of Quaquaquijott a great Sachime upon the Maine near Pacannakicke.3
CHRISTENED AS SILEBY
In 1671 Governor Lovelace recognized the equity of Matthew Mayhew in the fee of the island as first purchased by Thomas Mayhew, Jr., and "recommended to him (i. e., Governor Mayhew) to give some compensation to the Grand Childe for his consent to his Fathers Right."4 On Jan. 12, 1681, the Governor, shortly before his death, sold the remain- ing three-quarters of the island, "being part of the manor of Tisbury," to John Haynes, merchant, late of Boston, and provided in the deed that the place was "to be hereafter called
1The original deed is in the collection of the Pilgrim Society at their hall in Plymouth, and one of the witnesses was young Thomas Paine. It is not recorded in our county records.
2This deed is also in Pilgrim Hall, but is recorded in our registry, Vol. I, folio 328. The consideration was a debt liquidated by Governor Mayhew to Thomas Daggett. 3York Co. Deeds, III, 114. This was also signed by Jane Mayhew, wife of the Governor.
4New York Council Minutes, III, 68.
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MAJOR-GENERAL WAIT WINTHROP FIRST MASTER OF NAUSHON
Annals of Gosnold
Sileby."1 The significance of this is not apparent from such investigations as the author has been able to make. Sileby is a parish in Leicestershire, England, but it has no known connection with our Mayhew family, a connection which readily suggests itself because of the predilection of the Governor in bestowing here the names of places with which he was earlier associated in England. The Vicar of Sileby informs the author that the name of Mayhew has not been found in his parish registers, and it can only be surmised that it may be the home of some one connected with the Governor by marriage, possibly his first or second wife's. The new name, however, did not have any "hereafter" and does not appear in sub- sequent records after the Governor's death.
Haynes did not retain his interest long as the next year he reconveyed it to Matthew Mayhew.2 The latter sold this for £460 in 1682 to Wait Winthrop of Boston.3
THE WINTHROP ESTATE
When this beautiful island passed into the possession of Major General Wait Still Winthrop it became the suburban estate of a man of wealth and culture who made it his play- ground and proceeded to develop it as such. "It may be worth something in time," wrote Winthrop to his brother, Governor Fitz John, when he announced the acquisition of the property. He began the improvement of it at once, procured tenants to develop and cultivate the land, while he gathered here and there game and edible birds and wild animals to stock the place. As early as 1698 his correspondence shows the installation of a buck and doe moose and wild turkeys. Here the younger Wait Winthrop spent his vacations and amused himself with studies of the aboriginal lore of the islands. Being on the great highway of coastwise commerce it was a frequent port of call for ships to replenish their water barrels at Tarpaulin cove. "Here arrived an English ship from Nevis," wrote young Wait, in 1702, "the master whereof sent my Father a dozen and half of oranges." It is probable that this cove or the "French Wate ... g Place" was the location of the first house on the island. Captain Kidd, the pirate, made harbor here on his last voyage before his arrest. Winthrop writes, under date of July 12, 1699: "Captain Kidd and his crew
1Dukes Deeds, I, 45. 2Ibid., I, 333. 3Ibid., I, 274.
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History of Martha's Vineyard
are kidnapt here they left som smale matter at Tarpolin with the man there." In 1702 the house "on the east End of Elizabeths Island was raised," as we read in the pages of young Wait's diary, and from these brief glimpses of happenings there we may obtain some knowledge of the life at Naushon under its first gentleman owner.
The western quarter of Naushon, sold to Peter Oliver, became the subject of considerable litigation, though the absence of records obscures the exact conditions. Nathaniel Oliver, son of Peter, in 1695, began suit against Anthony Blaney, "of Elizabeth Iland for entering into and withholding the possession of one full quarter part" of this island, "begin- ning at the westermost end."1 Oliver was non-suited on a technicality, as related elsewhere, and nothing further is heard of the case. In October, 1702, in association with James and Daniel Oliver and Sarah Noyes, he again entered suit for the possession of this quarter section, this time against Caleb Ray and Joseph Fuller, "in that they refuse to deliver to him" this tract of land. As there are no records to show what claims Ray or Fuller had to this particular property it can only be surmised that it came into their possession by some purchase or purchases which gave them good title.2 Through the laxity of jurisdiction over these islands before 1700 the documents covering these transactions may have been recorded at Barn- stable, Newport or Plymouth.
THE BOWDOIN FAMILY
From this time on the tenure and occupation of the island is clear. After the death of Wait Winthrop, Nov. 7, 1717, his son John and daughter Ann Lechmere, on Jan. II, 1717, sold it to James Bowdoin of Boston for £1,500, although it had been inventoried at £2,000, including the stock.3 By will, dated September, 1713, not executed, he bequeathed to his only daughter Ann, wife of Thomas Lechmere of London, "all my island called by the Indians Katamick otherwise called and known by the name of Elizabeth Island alias Tarpolin Cove Island . . in the present tenure and occupation of John Weekes and [Joseph] Fuller." This bequest was
1Dukes Court Records. Anthony Blaney was a tenant of Wait Winthrop as early as 1684, and Winthrop's correspondence indicates that he had much difficulty in collecting the rental (5 Mass. Hist. Coll., VIII, passim).
2It is probable that they were tenants rather than land owners.
3Dukes Deeds, III, 354.
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Annals of Gosnold
contingent upon the failure of his son John to pay £2,000 to his sister Ann Lechmere within twenty years, and if done it was to become his. There were legal complications between the heirs and Bowdoin extending over many years, and it was not until 1744 that the new family acquired an undisputed title to their property.1 Since its acquisition by the Bowdoins, to the present day practically, it has been a country gentleman's demesne, and there is attached to it all the accompaniments of the life of the squire and his tenants from generation to generation. The Bowdoin family were the "Masters of Naushon" for one hundred and twenty-five years, continuing and maintaining the traditional standard of generous living first set by Major General Winthrop. The sons of the first Bowdoin, James and William, stocked it with deer that they might have a park after the manner of the nobility of England, and in 1766 they procured the passage of a law protecting these animals from destruction by the poachers. Descendants of these deer still roam the island, and its subsequent owners have stocked it with English and Scotch game birds and varieties of our native prairie fowl.
Lieutenant Governor James Bowdoin, by his will dated March 23, 1789, proven Nov. 16, 1790, bequeathed this property "to my dear son James Bowdoin, the whole of my share, viz: one half of the Islands Catamock or Naushon, Nanemasset and Ankatarmy (Uncatena)," and this third James Bowdoin, by marriage with his cousin Sarah, an only daughter of his uncle, William Bowdoin, acquired the other half. The new owner enjoyed his inheritance for about twenty years, and by will dated June 4, 1811, bequeathed it to his nephew James, the son of Sir John and Lady Tem pe (née Bowdoin), upon condition of his assuming the name of- Bowdoin, his mother's family.2 In default of heirs the property was devised to James Bowdoin Winthrop, and under like default to Bowdoin College as residuary legatee. James Temple Bowdoin died Oct. 31, 1842, and the Trustees of Bowdoin College entered suit for the property, claiming pos- session to the exclusion of young James Temple Bowdoin, in whom the property was entailed.
The ground of the claim of Bowdoin College involved the question of citizenship of this Temple heir, the intentions
1Dukes Deeds, V, 389; VI, 394; VII, 185, 189.
2 James Bowdoin died Oct. 11, ISII, "at his seat on Naushon Island, aged 59 years."
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History of Martha's Vineyard
of the uncle, and sundry nice points of law. Eminent counsel was employed on both sides, including Daniel Webster and Rufus Choate, but before a trial was had a compromise was agreed upon by the parties, who agreed to the sale of Naushon with all the stock and other personal property thereon to William W. Swain of New Bedford and John M. Forbes of Milton for the sum of $20,000, of which Temple received seven and the college three-tenths.1
THE FORBES FAMILY
The joint ownership of Swain and Forbes lasted thirteen years, during which time the islands were used for sheep raising and general agricultural purposes in addition to its develop- ment as a country estate. Swain sold his interest to Forbes Nov. 7, 1856, and ever since that date it has been in the pos- session of the family, being inherited by J. Malcolm Forbes, son of John M., and in turn by his heirs, a period of sixty-seven years.2 In the history of the island it has been the property of but three families; Winthrop, 48 years; Bowdoin, 115 years; and Forbes, 67 years, covering a total of 228 years as a gentle- man's suburban estate.
The Forbes family, as the last "Masters of Naushon," has emulated successfully its predecessors in the high ideals of the establishment created by the Winthrops and the Bow- doins, and it bids fair to pass on under their tenure with this unique reputation untainted by commercial exploitation.
WEEPECKET
This small island, lying on the north side of Naushon, contains about four acres. It was acquired by the Elder Mayhew of the Sachem of Monument, and sold in 1682 to Matthew Mayhew.3 The latter left it to his son Matthew and of him it was purchased, in 1714, by Benjamin Weeks of Falmouth.4
PASKITCHANNESSET
The modern name of this island is Pasque, but it is an abbreviation of an Algonquian word which is variously written;
1Dukes Deeds, XXIX, 140. The Deed is dated Oct. 30, 1843, and conveys Naushon, Nonamesset and Uncatena.
2Ibid., XXXVIII, 295. The consideration was $15,000.
3Ibid., I, 239.
"Ibid., III, 75-
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Annals of Gosnold
Pesketennees (1670), Passhikhanneset (1696) Pashketaneset (1713), Pesketineasset (1775), and Pesk (1790). It is on the west end of Naushon separated by Robinson's Hole, being in dimension about two miles long by one wide, and containing about eight hundred acres. This island has a tidal inlet about half a mile long and its name in Algonquian denotes this: Pash-kehtan-es-et, "where the sea breaks through or divides."
The first owner was Thomas Mayhew, who sold it in 1670 to Daniel Wilcox of Dartmouth.1 The latter sold it, in 1696, in two equal parts, to Abraham and John Tucker,2 and it was generally called Tucker's island while in their possession.
The following description of present day conditions on the island shows that it is devoted now to pleasure seeking:
Here we found a club house with appointments calculated to render not only the members of the club and their families comfortable, but all the guests invited by them. The island includes more than a thousand acres which the club has divided into two farms, erected commodious buildings, including club house, ice house, stabling &c. The club has also vegetable and flower gardens, sail boats and row boats, and the river which sets a mile into the island is stocked with a hundred thousand menhaden as bait for the use of the club.3
POOCUTOHHUNKUNNOH - CUTTYHUNK
The Algonquian name for the historic isle, as given above, is a compound of Pohqu-etahun-kunnoh, which means an open, cleared (broken up) field, which had been cultivated, a planting field. It may have been bestowed in consequence of the brief cultivation undertaken by Gosnold as related by his journalist, or to similar work done by the natives. It is now abbreviated by the elision of the first syllable and the slurring of the last two, leaving Cutohhunk or Cuttyhunk as now written. Earlier forms of spelling are Catehank (1690) and Cuddahunka (1791).
This island is irregular in shape, enclosing a large fresh water pond with an islet therein, a peculiar conformation not found in any other like situation hereabouts. The land comprises about five hundred acres, some of it very fertile.
A few local place names of Algonquian origin have sur- vived. Quawck is said to have been the aboriginal name for
'Dukes Deeds, I, 253; Comp. N. Y. Council Minutes, III, 68.
2Ibid., I, 127, 129. They were sons of Henry Tucker of Dartmouth
3From "Fishing in American Waters."
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History of Martha's Vineyard
Gosnold's island. The lofty promontory running out from the north end was called Cappiquat. The passage between Cuttyhunk and Nashawena bears the name of Canapitset.
Hither, in 1602, came Bartholomew Gosnold, as already described in detail, seeking a suitable place to begin the foundation of a colony under the patronage of the Virgin Queen.
This little island they chose for their abode, and on this spot Gosnold began the foundation of the first settlement of Englishmen in this region. The description of the place is unmistakable in its accuracy:
On the Northwest side of this island, neere to the sea side, is a standing Lake of fresh water, almost three English miles in Compasse, in the middest whereof stands a plot of woodie ground, an acre in quantitie or not above: this lake is full of small Tortoises and exceedingly frequented with all sorts of fowles we determined to fortifie our selves in the little plot of ground in the midst of the Lake above mentioned where we built an house and covered it with sedge, which grew about this lake in great abundance; in building whereof we spent three weeks and more.1
GOSNOLD'S ISLAND, CUTTYHUNK.
This pond still exists with the "rocky islet" in its centre and is now called Gosnold's Island.2
According to the journalist of the voyage Cuttyhunk was then "full of high timbered oaks . cedars straight and tall, beech, elm, holly, walnut trees in abundance, hazle- nut trees, cherry trees, sassafras trees, great plenty all over the island, a tree of high price and profit; also divers other fruit
1 Brereton, "Briefe Relation," pp. 7, S.
2On it was erected, in 1903, through the efforts of a number of patriotic men living in this section, a stone tower as a memorial of the first discovery and settlement of Englishmen on our soil.
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Annals of Gosnold
trees." This seems almost a fairy tale in the light of present day condition. The "stately trees" either existed mostly in his imagination for colonizing purposes, or else they have melted before the devastating axes of former generations. Fifty years ago not a tree was growing on the island and not even a decayed or decaying stump could be seen above the surface. Even now but a few small shade trees are to be seen, the survivors of many planted, struggling for existence through the cold blasts of winter, and the constant wear and tear of the winds from the ocean.
The voyagers worked on their fort and storehouse, as if they intended to remain, and presumably finished both. While here they visited the mainland in the direction of Dart- mouth, and went possibly as far as New Bedford. In all this time their intercourse with the natives was satisfactory, agree- able and profitable, and nothing is recorded to explain their brief stay. In less than a month the company had decided to abandon the settlement and return to England. The journalist thus states the alleged reasons for this sudden change:
But after our barke had taken in much Sassafras, Cedar, Furres, Skins and other commodities as were thought convenient, some of our company that had promised Captain Gosnold to stay, having nothing but a saving [i. e., money making] voyage in their minds, made our company of in- habitants (which was small enough before) much smaller, so as Captain Gosnold, seeing his whole strength to consist of but twelve men, and they but meanly provided, determined to return for England, leaving this island (which he called Elizabeth's Island) with as many true sorrowful eies as were before desirous to see it.
They sailed for England on June 18th, and after a voyage of five weeks landed at Exmouth.
PURCHASE AND SETTLEMENT
Cuttyhunk remained an uninhabited island after its abandonment by Gosnold for an indefinite period. It came into the possession of Thomas Mayhew, probably by purchase from the Indian Sachem of this region, and in 1668 he sold it to Philip Smith, Peleg Sanford and Thomas Ward, all of Newport, R. I.1 Sanford acquired the rights of the others and in 1688 disposed of one-half of it to Ralph Earle of Dart- mouth.2 Earle sold this the same year to his son Ralph
1Dukes Deeds, I, 249.
2Ibid., II, 13.
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History of Martha's Vineyard
Earle, Jr., who became as far as can be determined the first permanent settler.1 In 1693 Ralph, Junior, sold a quarter of the island to his brother, William,2 and by successive purchases of the holdings of these two brothers and Peleg Sanford's remaining half, all in 1693, Peleg Slocum of Dartmouth became the sole owner.3 The Slocum family continued to reside here for the next century.
VISITATIONS BY HISTORIANS, 1797, 1817 AND 1903
The fame of this island because of its first discovery and occupancy by Gosnold has been the occasion for a number of pilgrimages hither by persons interested in the history and antiquities of New England. The first of record is that made by the Rev. Jeremy Belknap, one of our earliest historians, who in 1797 came to Cuttyhunk for the particular purpose of identifying the locality where Gosnold built his fort and storehouse. He published his findings of which the following is an abstract:
To this spot I went on the 20th day of June, 1797 in company with several gentlemen (foot-note, Capt. Tallman of New York, John Spooner, Mr. Allen, pilot, of New Bedford) whose curiosity and obliging kindness in- duced them to accompany me. The protecting hand of Nature has re- served this favorite spot to herself. Its fertility and its productions are exactly the same as in Gosnold's time, except the wood of which there is none. Every species of what he calls 'rubbish' with strawberries, peas, tansy, and other fruits and herbs appear in rich abundance unmolested by any animal but aquatic birds. We had the supreme satisfaction to find the cellar of Gosnold's store-house: the stones of which were evidently taken from the neighboring beach: the rocks of the islet being less move- able and lying in ledges. The whole island of Cuttyhunk has been for years stripped of its wood, but I was informed by Mr. Greenhill, an old resident farmer, that the trees which formerly grew on it were such as are described in Gosnold's Journal. The soil is very fine garden mould from the bottom of the vallies to the top of the hills and affords rich pasture.4
In 1817 another party composed of members of the Massachusetts Historical Society made a pilgrimage to ex- amine the site of the Gosnold settlement. Their report states: In the western end of the pond is a high islet surrounded by a rocky margin and covered with a very rich soil. . . The stump of a red cedar stood near the shore, and we brought home a piece of it as a remem- brance of our expedition. On the Northern bank of the islet, about ten
1Dukes Deeds, II, 8. Ralph Earle of "Catehank" was indicted in our court in 1690 for stealing an Indian boy and was convicted.
2Ibid., II, 9.
3Ibid., II, 6, 16, 22.
'Dr. Belknap's Biography, II, pp.113-5.
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Annals of Gosnold
yards from the water, we found a small excavation overgrown with bushes and grass, on one side of which were three large stones in a row at the distance of three feet from each other, having under them other stones of the same size lying in the same direction. Between these were smaller stones, which appeared by their form and smoothness to have been taken from the beach. In another excavation twenty yards south of the former, near the centre and highest part of the islet were similar stones, but very few in number and not disposed in any apparent order. On digging in other parts of the islet we found more of the same kind. We conjectured that the first excavation was all that remained of Gosnold's cellar and the latter a part of the trench dug for the purpose of forming the fort.1
In the early part of this century these remains, as described, were to be seen, but unfortunately since then the ground of the little island has been ploughed up and cultivated, so that scarcely a vestige remains of Gosnold's work of three centuries ago. Careful excavation might restore it.
The tercentenary of Gosnold's settlement and occupation of this island, occurring in 1902, a number of gentlemen interested in historical research, formed an association to erect a memorial of the event. This took definite form in the shape of a design for a stone tower to be placed on Gosnold's island in the pond, and it was completed and dedicated with appro- priate ceremonies in August, 1903. It is a round tower built of rough stone, with circular steps inside to the look-out deck at the top, and it makes a commanding landmark for mariners approaching the Vineyard sound from the west.
NASHAWENA
This island is three miles long and a mile wide. It was originally bought, in 1674, by Peleg Sanford, Philip Smith and Thomas Ward, the latter two owning the eastern half.2 By various purchases of the heirs of these first proprietors, about 1743, it came into the possession of Holder Slocum and remained in the tenure and occupation of his descendants for the next hundred years.3
The origin of the name is undoubtedly from the same root as Naushon. It means "third shell place."
PENEKESE
The carliest form of this name is Puanakesset (1670), and it is also written Penemakeeset (1696), varied with Pene- kesset, Penuasset (1731), and a modern form is Pune (1870).
1North American Review, Vol. V.
2Dukes Deeds, I, 249; II, 115. The Mayhews were the grantors.
3Ibid., VI., 524-5-7.
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History of Martha's Vineyard
The island contains about forty acres, and was bought of the Mayhews, in 1670 by Daniel Wilcox, who sold it to Peleg Slocum and Abraham Tucker.1 It gradually became the possession of Holder Slocum and his heirs. In 1873 the late Prof. Louis Agassiz appealed to the public and the General Court for the funds to establish a summer school of comparative zoology, and the then owner of this island, Mr. John Anderson of New York, a wealthy tobacco merchant, offered him the use of Penekese and a fund of $50,000, as an endowment for the school. The offer was accepted, work on the buildings was begun, and when complete it was called the Anderson School of Natural History. It was in operation for two summers when a fire destroyed it, and the school was never rebuilt.2 In 1907 the state acquired the island, and has erected thereon an establishment for the isolation and treatment of patients afflicted with leprosy.
EGG OR GULL ISLAND
This very small island, just east of Penekese, was first in the possession of Ralph Earle, Sr., of Dartmouth, and in 1693 he transferred it to William Ingraham, a shipwright of Swansea who sold it in 1734 to Holder Slocum, and it became an inheritance in this family during the following century.3
U. S. GOVERNMENT SERVICES
Lighthouse Establishment: - One of the earliest light- houses on this coast was erected on Naushon at Tarpaulin cove. It was built in 1759 by Zaccheus Lambert, a tavern keeper resident there, "at his own Cost & Charges save that the People of Nantucket have found him Oyle out of their meer Courtesy." It was established to the satisfaction of the General Court in 1762 that it had "been a means of Saving many Vessels from being lost & found to be of great advantage to Navigation," and this enterprising citizen was granted a sum out of the Province treasury for his expenses.' Ever since that time a light has been maintained there, but it was not till 1816 that the general government assumed control and erected the present building.
1Dukes Deeds, I, 253; II, 17-25; V, 410.
2" Origin and Progress of the Anderson School of Natural History at Penekese Island," 1874, with illustrations. The trustees were Louis Agassiz, Thomas G. Carey, Alexander Agassiz, Martin Brimmer and Theodore Lyman.
$Dukes Deeds, III, 376; V, 409.
4Mass. Archives, III, 526.
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Annals of Gosnold
Six years later the lighthouse on Cuttyhunk was built by the government (1822), and with its mate at Gay Head forms the beacons to the mariners entering Vineyard Sound from the west.
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