USA > Massachusetts > Nantucket County > The history of Nantucket County, island, and town : including genealogies of first settlers > Part 75
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The proprietors formed themselves into an organization which still exists, under the name of "The Proprietors of the Common and Undivided Lands of Nantucket;" hold meetings and keep rec- ords of their own distinct from the records of deeds.
For more than a hundred and fifty years, down into the begin- ning of the present century, * all the land of the Island-aside from the house-lot land-was thus owned in common, and the proprietors steadily refused to set off any one person's interest to him in severalty. But these fetters were soon broken by Obed Mitchell and a few others, who being large proprietors, desired to obtain a title in severalty to the district known as Plainfield, ly- ing north of the village of Siasconset and containing some two thousand acres. Failing in their efforts at the Proprietors' meet- ings, they carried the case to the courts, and after several years of litigation they gained their point, and obtained possession of Plain- field. After this, others followed their example, petitioning to liave
*The suit seems to have been begun late in 1810 or early in 1811.
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their interests set off at certain specified localities; and all the "set-offs" by the organization at regular meetings called in legal form have been and are still considered as giving good and suffi- cient title.
In 1821, several tracts were laid out and apportioned under the names of Smooth Hummocks, Trott's Hills. Head of the Plains, and others, and these are often spoken of as the "new di- visions."
By the great set-off to Obed Mitchell and others, the number of sheep commons has been reduced from 19,440 to 17,172; and although there are still twenty-seven shares in each division as before, the constant denominator was changed from 720 to 636. The owner of one-twentieth part of an original share of land-pro- vided no part of his interest had been sold-would own (or rather his heirs would own) today* thirty-six sheep commons in the common and undivided lands, with thirty-six sheep commons (meaning thirty-six undivided 720th parts) of a certain share in each of the old divisions as Squam, Southeast Quarter, etc. as al- so thirty-six sheep commons (meaning thirty-six undivided 636th. parts) in some certain share of each of the new divisions, as Smooth Hummocks, Trott's Hills, etc. It was possible to buy and sell these interests in the "dividend lands" separate from the interest in the common land, and thus a proprietor who bought out all his co-tenants would own an entire share, defined by certain specific boundary lines.
A sheep common, then, signified 1/19.440 of all the com- mon land on the Island. The original idea was an acre and a half of land, but as the term is now used, it indicates nothing definite either in area or value, but means simply a certain undivided frac- tional part of a very uncertain something else, until the whole circumstances of each particular case are investigated.
As soon as a division was laid out and drawn in shares, the Proprietors, as an organization, ceased to have any control over it. If the owner of any portion of a share desired to hold his part in severalty, he must make formal application to the judicial courts, which would appoint commissioners to set off his portion; and many good titles have thus been secured. But in many cases, where an undivided interest has remained in the same family for three or four generations, it has become so subdivided and split up by inheritance, that it is practically impossible for a would-be purchaser to find all the present owners, and secure a perfect title by deed. The organization before mentioned still controls all matters relating to the common and undivided lands outside of the divisions. Whenever any stockholder or member has asked for a piece of land, specify- ing how much he wanted and in what locality, it has been custom- ary, if his petition was granted, for the Proprietor's agents, or
*1882.
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HISTORY OF NANTUCKET
"lot layers," to set off the land to him, for which he was charged a certain number of sheep commons,- the valuation being esti- mated by the agents, subject to the approval of the meeting, "quali- ty and quantity considered," as the old records have it. The num- ber of sheep commons thus charged to the petitioner was subtract- ed from his former interest-account being kept with each pro- prietor; and of course the whole number of the commons or capi- tal stock, so to speak, was reduced to the same extent. By this grad- ual process of cancellation or absorption, the whole number of sheep commons is now (1882) brought down to a few hundred, while the quantity of common land remaining is somewhere be- tween one thousand and two thousand acres. The greater part of the remaining commons are now in a few hands, while a small number of them have been quite lost sight of by the process of infinitessimal subdivision caused by death and inheritance."*
Obed Macy records the following names of ponds, etc. on Nantucket:
Beginning at Coatue Pond, near the west end of Coatue Point.
The Gauls a little to the northward of the bottom of the Chord of the Bay, on Great Point.
The Glades, adjoining the north side of Croskata; Croskata Pond a little to the northward of the Head of the Harbor, so- called.
Squam Pond in Squam and near the east end of the Island.
Sesachacha Pond, adjoining the south side of Squam and called Quidnet.
Wequatenay, a neck of land at the east end of the Island, be- tween Sesachacha Pond and the shore.
Sesachacha, a large tract of land at the east end of the Island on the south side of the Pond.
-
Kanookpacha, a large swamp a mile to the eastward of Sesacha- cha.
Sankota Head, on the east end of the Island near which it is called Pee Dee.
Siasconset, next south of Sankota.
Tom Never's Head and Pond in the south east part of the Is- land.
Wigwam Pond, Toochcha Pond, Forked Ponds, Maddeque- cham Pond, Nobbadeer Pond, Weeweeder Pond, Miacomet Pond, Mioxes Pond, Sheep Pond, Hummock Pond, all on the south and following in that order from Tom Never's Pond.
Long Pond on the west end of the Island.
*According to Worth (Nantucket Land and Land owners p. 193) in 1689 the rating made 2 horse commons, 40 cow commons and 100 sheep commons of equal value; in 1706 the ratio was 2 cow commons to 16 sheep commons.
¿Unpublished M. S.
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HISTORY OF NANTUCKET
Capaum Pond and Sheep Pond on the north side of the Is- land.
Maxcey's Pond, Washing Pond, No Bottom Pond in upper Town.
Reed Pond, north side of Island.
Monomoy, or the Salt Meadows, by Newtown Creeks.
Great Frog, or Paddock Pond near where the Pest House stood on the south side of the harbor.
Shimmo, Shawkemo, Quaise or Masquetuck, Pinny's Point, Jo Shinny's Point, Quaise Point are all on the south side of the harbor.
Then comes Podpis and Podpis Harbor, Pookoomo Head, a high bluff on the north side of Podpis Harbor.
Mill Pond at Podpis and Poat (or Whale) Ponds, three small ponds to the southward of Shawkemo.
Gibbs' Pond and Swamp, to the southward of Podpis, which is the largest swamp on the Island, containing nearly 300 acres. It is said that in this swamp John Gibbs, an Indian concealed him- self from King Philip when that warrior sought him in 1665.
Toupoughcher Swamp, famous for peat, two miles east of the town.
Popquashit,* a tract of land to the southward of the rope walks, where Daniel Folger lived (grandfather to Obed Macy).
Maddeket Harbor where Thomas Macy first landed.
Lily Pond, toward the N. W. part of the Town, to the south-' ward of which is Egypt.
Wesco is the middle of the lower part of the Town.
Bochocheko at and near where Jethro - lived. The name took its rise from a Dutch vessel cast away at the east end of the Island.
"Uncle Orphy's Pond, in the upper town.
Okorwaw a tract of land to the eastward of Gibbs' Swamp.
· Fulling Mill Pond at Shawkemmo.
Corn Pond at the southern part of Newtown.
About a quarter of a mile to the northeast of the eastern part of Gibbs' Swamp is a deposit of iron ore some of which has been dug and smelted and found to be good.
Sesachacha-a small fishing village at the east end of the Island, between Siasconset and the Head of the Harbor.
Pee Dee is on the shore a little to the southward of Sechacha. Thannook pacha smalp is on the road near Sechacha. No Bot- tom Pond in upper town. Myokesis Pond and Swamp, south side of Island.
*Mr. Macy's spelling has been followed throughout.
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HISTORY OF NANTUCKET
652
BREVITIES
IT IS STATED
That the first woman voter at any public election in the Unit- ed States was Mrs. Louisa A. Swain, a native of Nantuck- et, but then a resident of Wyoming.
That the curing of raisins was introduced into California by Miss Jemima Austin, daughter of Isaac Austin, of Nantucket and a graduate of the Nantucket High School.
That the only place on the North American Continent where the Scotch heather grows wild is on the Island of Nantucket. Every precaution has to be taken to keep it from being ruthlessly destroy- ed by the thoughtless visitors.
That the first steel-headed whaling lances were made by He- zekiah Cartwright of Nantucket.
That the American flag was first displayed in a South Ameri- can Pacific port from the mast head of a Nantucket whaleship.
That over 300 islands in the Pacific Ocean were discovered by Nantucket whalemen.
That Walter Folger Jr. of Nantucket, discovered the process of annealing wire.
That the first man to kill a sperm whale in the Pacific Ocean was Archelus Hammond, of Nantucket, then mate of the English whale-ship Amelia of London. Capt. Hammond sailed from France on the Cyrus, which was captured by an English frigate and he was obliged to enter the English service.
That the first man to bring a cargo of sperm oil from the Paci- fic Ocean was Capt. David Starbuck who was commander of the Harmony, one of the William Rotch fleet then sailing from Dunkirk, France.
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HISTORY OF NANTUCKET
CHAPTER XIX GENEALOGY
A study of the First Purchasers (as the original twenty own- ers of Nantucket were called) shows them to have been men of marked ability in the communities in which they dwelt .*
THOMAS MACY,
whom traditions all seem to unite in according the credit of being the first permanent English settler, is said to have come from Chilmark, Co Witshire, England, to Newbury. He was made a free- man September 6, 1639.1. He was as appears from the records one of the original settlers of Salisbury .¿ He and Robert Pike were two of the seven selectmen "to order all the affairs of the town of Salisbury (excepting giving out of lands)" elected on the 4th of the 3d mo. 1643, for six months. He was again chosen one of the Select- or Prudential men on the 7th 12 mo. 1652. He was Deputy to the General Court in 1654. The General Court prior to 1658 had en- acted a law forbiding preaching by any save regularly licensed and ordained ministers. A division of the town of Salisbury in May, 1658, seemed to make it more convenient that those in the new town should worship by themselves and Joseph Peasely officiated for them. Evidently Mr. Macy was instrumental in this breach of discipline which took away material support for the old meeting and the Court issued a summons for them to appear October 26 to answer for "disorderly practices.'
*It is a little singular if the early settlers fled to Nantucket to en- joy religious freedom that the only churches known upon the Island until early in the 18th century were Indian churches. Thomas Macy had preached some, Edward Starbuck had been punished for Ana- baptism and yet so far as is known neither of them lived to see an English church in Nantucket. ¿Savage's General Dict.
¿Macy's Genealogy, p. 11.
** Mass. Archives, Vol. 10, p. 92.
Mr. Sylvanus Macy in his Macy Genealogy says (p.11) that his distinguished progenitor was a Baptist and "would frequently on the Sabbath exhort the people." When Macy and Peasely were fined it was because Peasely was not duly licensed and the Puritans were averse to dividing congregations and not because of unorthodox doc- trines. The evidence does not really show that Mr. Macy did any preaching, but rather that he actively encouraged Peasely.
Patronymica Britannica spells the name Macey and traces it to Macie near Avranches in Normandy; also an old Norman form of Matthew.
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HISTORY OF NANTUCKET
Not only did he seem to be a forceful man, frequently called on for public service in Salisbury, but he was also a well to-do citizen. Obed Macy says (p. 13) that he was the owner of 1000 acres of land, "a good house and considerable stock."* It is not recorded that he lost any of these. In a letter to the Governor at New York under date of May 9, 1676, he mentions Thomas Mayhew as "my honored cousin." In the original scheme for the settlement of Nantucket that relationship may have had some bearing.
Thomas Macy married Sarah Hopcott, who was born in Chil- mark, England, in 1612 .; While the record does not seem to show the date of the marriage it probably occurred in 1643. The children were all born in Salisbury and were. Sarah born July 9, 1644; died 1645. Sarah, born August 1, 1646; died at Nantucket, 1701. Mary, born December 4. 1648; died at Nantucket, 1729. Bethiah, born about 1650, died at Nantucket 1732. Thomas, born September 22, 1653; died at Nantucket, December 3, 1675. John, born July 14, 1655; died at Nantucket, October 14, 1691. Francis born about 1657; died at Salisbury 1658.
TRISTRAM COFFIN
As already stated Tristram Coffin appears to have been the Moses sent out to view the promised land and see what opportuni- ties it offered for new settlers. He was, as Mr. Barney says, the most prominent and influential of the First Purchasers. He was born in Brixton, County Devonshire, England, the son of Peter Coffin and Joanna Thember, in 1605. He married Dionis daughter of Robert Stevens, also of Brixton probably in 1630. They came to America with five children in 1642, accompanied by his mother and two sisters, Eunice and Mary. "The family," according to Sylvanus J. Macy, ** "is one of those which have always used arms in this country, though unable to prove a right to them, inherited from
ancestors ranking among the gentry of England. In Prince's 'Worthies of Devonshire' may be read an account of the family of the name of Coffin which claims to have been seated at Portledge, in the Parish of Alwington, in the northern part of that county, since the time of the Norman conquest. if The family sent off branches into different parts of Devonshire, and it is highly prob-
*Mr. Macy's own statement regarding his not appearing at Court is that he neither had a horse nor could procure one, so he wrote a letter. ¡Macy Genealogy, p. 67.
¿Unpublished M. S. of Nathaniel Barney.
** N. E. Historical and Genealogical Register 1870.
ttAllen Coffin Esq. in his Coffin Family, (p. 9) seems to trace the family back as early as about 1110. Mr. Coffin says, however, (p. 17) "While many have searched for the pedigree of our ancestor, Tristram Coffyn, among the records of Devonshire, no one has yet been able to trace his pedigree beyond that of his grandfather, Nicholas Coffyn."
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HISTORY OF NANTUCKET
able that the Coffins of this country are descended from some such branch, but the connection has not yet been proved.
"Smith's M. S. Promptuarium Armorum contains a drawing of the arms borne by "'Sir William Coffin of Portledge in Devon of ye Privy Cha. to K. H. 8"-Vert, five cross-crosslets argent; be- tween four plates,-Heraldic Journal, vol III-These are the arms used by the family in this country."
Tristram Coffin and his family made a brief stay at Salis- bury, removing the same year to Pentucket .* According to Mr. Coffin ("The Coffin Family" p 23) he was the first person to plough land in Pentucket, using a plough of his own construction. In 1648-9 he removed to Newbury, thence, in 1654-5, to Salisbury. In 1644 he was allowed to keep an ordinary, sell wine and keep a ferry on Newbury side, and George Carr on Salisbury side of Carr's Island. December 26, 1647 he received a renewal of his permit "to keep an ordinary and retayle wine" and maintain the ferry .¿ In September, 1653, his wife, Dionis, was complained of for sell- ing beer at the ordinary for three pence per quart. The complaint was brought under the law of 1645, which provided that "Every person licensed to keep an ordinary, shall always be provided with good wholesome beer of four bushels of malt to the hogshead, which he shall not sell above two pence the ale quart, on penalty of forty shillings the first offence and for the second offence shall lose his license." ** Dionis, however, as a defence, proved that she. put six bushels of malt into the hogshead and the Court considered the defence a valid one and discharged the defendant.tt It may fairly be presumed that Tristram Coffin was not necessarily actu- ated by a sentiment of persecution or of religious restriction in changing his abode, and yet he seems to have been the pioneer in the movement for the purchase of Nantucket.
He and Dionis had as children}}-Peter, born in England in 1631, who married Abigail, daughter of Edward and Katharine Starbuck; Tristram Jr., born in England in 1632, married in New- bury March 2, 1652 Judith Somerby, widow of Henry and daughter of Edmund and Sarah Greenleaf; Elizabeth, born in England in 1634-5 probably, married in Newbury November 13, 1651. Capt. Stephen Greenleaf son of Edmund; James, born in England, Au- gust 12, 1640, who married Mary, daughter of John and Abigail Severance; John and Deborah, who died in infancy; Mary, born in Haverhill February 20. 1645, married in 1662 Nathaniel Starbuck, son of Edward and Katherine Starbuck; Lieut John Coffin born in
* Haverhill. ¿Coffin's History of Newbury, p. 43. It would seem by the record that Mr. Coffin's sojourn in Pentucket must have been quite brief. ĮGeneral Statutes.
** Hist. of Newbury, p. 49.
++Hist. of Newbury, p. 57.
¿ ¿ His mother, Joan Coffin, does not appear to have resided OM Nantucket. It is said that she died in Boston in May 1661 (The Coffin Family p. 31).
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HISTORY OF NANTUCKET
Haverhill October 30, 1647, married Deboralr daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Starbuck) Austin; Stephen, born in Newbury May 10, 1652, married Mary, daughter of George and Jane (Godfrey) Bunk- er. An examination of the record of marriages, particularly of the children of Tristram Coffin, will perhaps account for many of the group of First Purchasers .*
EDWARD STARBUCK
Probably the next in importance among the so-called First Purchasers will by general agreement be admitted to be Edward Starbuck. Although not of the original ten he accompanied Tristram Coffin on his first voyage to the Island and was also a companion of Thomas Macy when he left Salisbury to make a new home at Nantucket. When the original ten selected ten others as partners, Thomas Macy selected him.
He was born in 1604, a native of Derbyshire, England .; He married Katharine# Reynolds of Wales, and migrated to America about 1635, settling at Dover, now in New Hampshire but then a part of the Province of Massachusetts Bay. The first mention made of him on the record is in 1643 when he is recorded to have re- ceived "a grant of forty acres of land on each side of the Fresh
River at Cutchechoe * * * and also one platt of Marsh above Cut- chechoe great Marsh, that the brook that runs out of the river runs through, first discovered by Richard Walderne, Edward Col- cord, Edward Starbuck and William Furber." ** Various other grants were made to him and he is recorded several times as called on to be one of the "lot-layers." He was Representative in the Gener- al Court in 1643 and 1646, was an Elder in the church and in other ways enjoyed the respect and esteem of his fellow-citizens. tt
In 1644 an act was passed by the General Court of Massachu -. setts Bay banishing from the Colony all who should either openly
privately oppose the baptism of infants.}} While the punishment or
*The name Coffin seems to be from the Hebrew, signifying a small basket or it may be synonyonous with Coffer. Patronymica Britannica traces it to Colvin or Colvinus who held lands under Edward the Confessor.
¿The name Starbuck is Scandinavian and signifies a person of imposing appearance, great or grand bearing bokki meaning "vis grandis corpore et animo. Ferguson gives it Starbocki, from Star. great "vir imperiosus." It is not improbable that the family was of Danish origin and settled in England in the days of what is his- torically known as the Danish Invasion. Patronymica Brittannica says in "O. Norse bokk; means "vir grandis, corpose et' animo." Hence Starbocki from Stor, great." vir imperivsus."
¿Some authorities state the given name to be Eunice, but the more commonly accepted version is Katharine.
** N. E., Hist. & Geneal. Register, vol. viii, p. 68, Alonzo H. Quint. ttOn the 20th, 2 mo. 1644 it was ordered that Mr. Edward Starbuck, Richard Walderne & Wm. Furber be wearesmen for Cotcheco fall & river during their lives or so long as inhabitants. N. E. Hist. & Gen- eal. Register, vol. iv, p. 31.
##Beginnings of New England, John Fiske, p. 195.
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HISTORY OF NANTUCKET
meted out to some of the offenders was severe, banishment was not always inflicted.
Edward Starbuck was one of those who subscribed to the proscribed doctrine and the record of the General Court, under date of October 18, 1648, says: "This Court, being informed of great mis- demener committed by Edward Starbucke, of Douer, with p'fession of Anabaptisme, for which he is to be p'ceeded agaynst at the next Court of Assistants, if evidence can be p'pared by that time, & it beinge very farre for wittnesses to travill to Boston at that season of the yeare, it is therefore ordered by this Court that the secritary shall give commission to Capt. Thomas Wiggan & Mr. Edw. Smith to send for such p'rsons as they shall haue notice of which are able to testifie in the s'd cause & to take theire testimonie uppon oath & certifie the same to the secritary so soone as may be, that furth- er p'ceedings may be therein if the cause shall so require."*
There seems to be no indication from the record that the complaint was prosecuted, notwithstanding the severe penalty con- templated by the law. The action of the Court did not seem to af- fect his standing in his community for he continued to be called upon to lay out land.
In Edward Starbuck's case, while what it would seem he con- sidered his theological rights were interfered with, there does not appear that his removal to Nantucket was in any sense a result of such interference. It would not be unreasonable to think, however, that in making the change he was entirely satisfied to remove from the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Bay Colony but he resided at Hampton eleven years nearly after he had committed an offence against the Orthodox opinions of the Court. As has been stated, he accompanied Tristram Coffin on his voyage of discovery and Thomas Macy on his voyage of settlement. It is stated that he returned to Salisbury and vicinity in 1660 and then went back permanently to Nantucket accompanied by eight or ten families.t
*On Oct. 18, 1649 the General Court drew up and sent to the au- thorities of the Plymouth Colony a letter expressing the hope they once entertained that the Anabaptists in that Colony would be turned "againe into the right way." The Court expresses also that the leni- ency of the Plymouth authorities results in increase of the erring. "Lett it not, wee pray you, seeme presumption in vs to minde you heerof, nor that wee earnestly intreate you to take care as well of the suppressing of errors, as of maintenance of truth, God equally requir- ing the p'formance of both at the hands of Christian magistrat, but rather that you will consider our interest is concerned therein. The infeccon of such disease, being so neue vs, are likely to spread into our jurisdiccon. * * * by faith, by neighborhood, by fellowship in our sufferings as exiles, and by other Christian bonds, and wee hope neither Sathan nor any of his instruments shall, by this or any other errors, disvnite vs, and that wee shall neuer have cawse to repent vs of our so neere conjunction with yow, but that wee shall both so a equally and zealously vphold all the truths of God revealed, that wee may render a comfortable accompt to Him that to Him that bath sett vs in our places, and betrusted vs with the keeping of both tables."
¡Macy's Hist. p. 17. Mr. Macy gives no authority for this state- ment which seems to rest largely on tradition. The Town Records do not seem to confirm the statement, neither do they disprove it. It is likely that some of the First Purchasers returned with him or came soon after.
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HISTORY OF NANTUCKET
"His influence over the Indians was so great," says Nathaniel Barney, "that if at any time a suspicion or alarm arose among the early settlers, he was always in requisition to explain the apparent cause thereof, and to suggest a palliation for their rude and inex- plicable action, which served to allay the fears of the more timid."*
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