Ole Joensen (b. 1758-1760) (52 Ancestors Week 26) Theme: "Halfway"

The theme suggested for this week is "Halfway: This week marks the halfway point in the year - and the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge! What ancestor do you feel like you've only researched halfway?"

Halfway is such a difficult thing to judge in genealogy. Family historians are never really satisfied that they have finished researching any particular family member. It often seems that none of mine are even half researched. However, the one branch of the family story that seems not to have moved forward much at all in the past few years is my paternal line in Nordland, Norway, the ancestors of my Bardahl family. I know there is much more waiting to be discovered about them.

Google Earth image showing location of Bardal in Nordland, Norway

This week I will focus on my 3X great grandfather Ole Joensen. Ole is the maternal grandfather of my immigrant ancestor Hans Bardahl who was featured in another story in this series.

For my starting point on this the 7th day of June, I will list the facts I know about Ole and list the questions that remain unanswered. Perhaps more research will move things ahead by the time this story is completed during the last week of June. Or perhaps it won't. Will it still feel just halfway done?

What I know about Ole: Halfway at Most!

• He lived in the Nesna area of Nordland, Norway.
• He married Marith Arnstdatter on Sunday 5 October 1794 in Nesna.
• The 1801 Norwegian census for Wasdahl farm gives his age as 41, making his birth date about 1760.
• The same census indicates that he is in his second marriage while wife Marith Arnsdtr is in her first.
• Ole and Marith have 4 children living with them in 1801, one son Anders Johan age 10 from his first marriage and three children of theirs: Arnt age 6, Kirstina Dorothea age 4 and Maren age 2.
• Ole's son from his first marriage was baptised on 22 April 1791.
• Son Arnt was baptised 20 September 1795 in Nesna.
• Daughter Kirstina Dorothea was baptised 04 May 1797 in Nesna.
• Ole and Marith had a daughter Olina Maria Olsdatter born in 1806, baptised at Nesna on 8 June 1806 (Olina Maria is my 2X great grandmother, the mother of Hans Bardahl)

Google Earth Map showing locations of Nesna and Hemnes in relation to Bardal

Questions that remain unanswered:

• When and where was Ole born? When was he baptized? 
• Who were Ole's parents? (We know his father's first name would be Joen since Ole's last name is Joensen.)
• Did Ole have any siblings?
• Was Ole confirmed and, if so, when?
• Who was his first wife? When did they marry? When did she die?
• The census record has Ole's occupation given as "Boxelbonde", presumably a type of farmer. What does this term specifically mean?
• When/where/how did Ole die? What about Marith?
• What else can be learned about their lives in their community?

Moving Beyond Halfway?

The Familysearch.org wiki for Nesna describes Nesna as being just 24 miles south of the Arctic Circle. It indicates that the Nesna church records (kirkebøker) began in 1704 and  include those for "Bardal chapel". This raises yet another question: does that mean all the baptisms and the wedding of Ole and Marith occurred at Bardal Chapel? If so, that's another interesting connection to our family surname.

There is one possible birth record found on Familysearch.org for an Ole Joensen baptised in Nesna on 03 November 1760; his father's name was Joen Nielsen. Frustratingly, baptism records at the time seemed to list the baby's father and the witnesses, but no mention is made of the mother! When I located this birth record in the Nesna  kirkebøker (church records), the farm name for Joen Nielsen appears to be "Horn" and a farm of that name does still exist in Nordland. The witnesses names are somewhat difficult to decipher and appear to be something like these: Aug Buformann, Anders Guillesen, Jacob Llo?, Karen Pedersdtr Hurn and Vendel Danuls.  None of these names sound familiar or give me any comfort that I am finding the right family.

Is this the baptism record for "our" Ole on 3 November 1760?

An Ole Joensen from Levang was confirmed at Nesna in 1776. If this is the same Ole, he would have been 16, the usual age for that time for being confirmed in the Lutheran Church. But the Levang farm name has not cropped up before and this is probably not the right Ole.

The marriage of Ole Joensen Jedgruben to Dordie Nielsdtr Fugermoe occurred at Hemnes on 16 August 1789. This might be the right Ole in his first marriage, but again the farm name is unfamiliar. Attempts to find a death record for Dordie prior to Ole's marriage to Marith have not succeeded.

The baptism of Ole's son Anders Johan was recorded for 1791 in the Hemnes, Nordland church book. This is most certainly the correct Ole. It appears that I should be focusing on nearby Hemnes rather than Nesna for Ole's early life. Lots more work to do!

Hemnes baptism record for Anders Johan Olsen 22 April 1791

As to Ole being listed in the census as "boxelbonde", I have confirmed that "bonde" is farmer, but have been unable to determine the relevance of "boxel".

The Wikipedia article for Bardalssjøen indicates that the village of Bardal is located along the south coast of the Ranfjorden and is about 10 kilometres west of Hemnesberget. It surrounds the Bardalselva river which flows into the fjord (as can be seen on the map below). It goes on to say that the Bardal area has historically been part of both Nesna and Hemnes.  Both parishes must therefore form part of any further research.

Unsatisfying as it is, halfway done is how Ole's story remains at the halfway point of 2015.

Google Earth image for Bardal area of Nordland, Norway

Sources:

• Norwegian census record (folketellinger) for 1801 and church book records (kirkebøker) for Nesna and Hemnes, Nordland, Norway available online at Digitalarkiveret
• Family History Center microfilms 125211 and 125212

Jonathan Fairbanks (c1595-1668) (52 Ancestors Week 25) Theme: "The Old Homestead"

There are many "old homesteads" in my family history, but none in North America older than the Fairbanks Homestead of my 9X great grandparents Jonathan Fairbanks and his wife Grace Smith. Fairbanks House in Dedham, MA (just outside Boston) is an American National Historic Landmark and listed on the National List of Historic Places.  Built in about 1637-1641, it is thought to be the oldest standing timber structure in North America. Some say it is also one of the most haunted houses in America!

Fairbanks House, Dedham, MA - East Front
Photo taken 11 May 1999

Yorkshire Family Origins

Jonathan and Grace came from near Halifax, West Riding, Yorkshire. Jonathan was born about 1595 to George Fairbanks and his wife Mary Farrar. 

Jonathan and Grace were married at Halifax on 20 May 1617 and had a family of six children all born in England, including my 8X great grandfather Jonas Fairbanks born there 6 March 1624. Jonathan was a wool merchant and appears to have been an educated middle-class man.

The family name has been spelled a variety of ways: Fayerbanke, ffairbanke, Fairbanck, Fairbanke, Fairbank and Fairbanks (and probably numerous other variations). Most often in the early days in New England it was spelled Fayerbank or Fairbank.

Life in America

Jonathan and Grace packed up their children and headed to America some time between 1633 and 1636. There are differing views on the year of their arrival and ship's name. It is said that they arrived in the Boston area of New England with a ship's timber (for the main beam in his house), English oak, furniture, china and linens, tiles and windows. It was clear that Jonathan had plans and the wherewithal to build his family a comfortable home in the new world. Why they chose to make this trip after setting up their family in Yorkshire is more difficult to comprehend. Although the move may have been motivated by the desire for freedom of religious expression, it might have been a sense of adventure and a desire to start afresh in a challenging new land.

Fairbanks House in 1999

The town of Dedham was established in the summer of 1636 with the Dedham Covenant, essentially an agreement among the 22 subscribers as to future management of the town. (This was a new land and the immigrants were cognizant of the importance of establishing a basic framework for how their society would be run.) It appears that Jonathan arrived a bit later and was accepted and subscribed his name to the Dedham Covenant at the time of the First Assembly held there on 23 March 1637. (His sons would sign later when they came of age.)  Jonathan had been granted at least 12 acres of land including some swamp land upon his arrival and records over the years show additions to his land holdings.

As there were no roads when the Fairbanks family arrived, they undoubtedly came up the Charles River with all the supplies for their new home. The original house had four rooms: a kitchen, parlour and two bed chambers on the second story. There was a massive chimney with over 40,000 bricks (said to have come from England as ballast) held together with clay from the Charles River. Low ceilings helped keep the house warm; although we think of these ceilings as too low for comfort, the average height of men in those days was about 5 ft 1 inch - 5 ft 5 inches tall and women about five inches shorter. The roof was originally thatched in the English tradition. Many additions were made over the years and the number of rooms increased to 12.

One interesting record indicates that Jonathan (at least for awhile!) had a mind of his own when it came to religion. Plymouth Colony was an extremely religious settlement and settlers were expected to follow the accepted Puritan religion. The books of the Dedham First Church contain this record (quoted from page 12 of "The Fairbanks Family in America"):

"Jonathan Fairebanke notwithstanding he had long stood off from' ye church upon some scruples about publike p'fession of faith & ye covenant yet after divers loving conferences with him; he made such a declaration of his faith & conv'sion to god & p'fession of subjection to ye ordinances of Xt in this X yt he was readily & gladly received by ye whole church: 14d 6m 1646."

One can only assume that life in the community was more harmonious for Jonathan after this public conversion.

Fairbanks House in 1999

He executed his will on 4 June 1668 and died later that year, leaving his entire movable estate (personal property) to his wife Grace. Based on some of the items listed in his will, it is likely that Jonathan was a wood turner. Small bequests were made to several children and grandchildren with the house and lands being bequeathed to his eldest son John in accordance with the usual English practice of primogeniture.

Subsequent History of the Fairbanks Homestead

The house was continuously owned and occupied by members of the Fairbanks family for most of its existence. The last of the family tenants was Rebecca Fairbanks who was living in the house when it was struck by lightning and considerably damaged. (There are two different dates given for this occurrence - 1892 or 1902.) Rebecca escaped with a severe shock but her dog had been lying under her bed and was killed. Rebecca moved into Boston as a result and for the first time the house was occupied by someone else but a few months later Rebecca once more moved back in to the old family homestead. A fund for the preservation of the house was established in 1897 and at that time, an article in the local "Transcript" newspaper said that Rebecca had been forced to sell the house out of the family two years earlier. Once the funds were provided, she was permitted to live in the house again. Today the house is owned and operated by The Fairbanks Family in America, a non-profit member-based group to which I belonged for a period of time. The charming old house is probably in very safe hands with this huge and dedicated group of descendants of Jonathan and Grace who claim this as their ancestral homestead.

Sources:

• Dedham Historical Register, Volume 2 published by the Dedham Historical Society 1891, accessed at Google Books 4 June 2015
• Fairbanks, Lorenzo Sayles, A.M. "Genealogy of the Fairbanks Family in America", Third Edition printed by Fairbanks Family in America, Incorporated 1991 based on edition printed for the author by the American Printing and Engraving Company, 1897 
• "The Fairbanks House", Fairbanks Family in America, Inc., Dedham, Massachusetts, 1976 
• Wikipedia article on Dedham, Massachusetts History

Margaret Vought (c. 1785-1860) (52 Ancestors Week 24) Theme: "Heirloom"

The suggested theme this week is "Heirloom: What heirloom do you treasure? Who gave it to you? What heirloom do you wish you had?"

Not having been blessed with a trunk full of actual family heirlooms, I do have a whole attic full of imaginary ones. A piece of colonial furniture made by one or other of my Plymouth Colony ancestors Kenelm Winslow or John Alden, the American Civil War discharge certificate for my 2X great grandfather George Garner Wescott or my great grandmother Mary-Jane Wescott's hand-made pale green silk wedding dress come to mind. But given the timing of this week's theme, the heirloom I really wish I had right now is one of the quilts made by my 4X great grandmother Margaret (sometimes called "Abba") Vought. To understand why this would be my wish, it might help to know that:

• I  have been sewing since I was a preschooler and quilting/creating fibre art about as long as I've been doing genealogy - and am passionate about both.
• Until my mother's DNA results were posted last month, I didn't know of Margaret's existence. Margaret is the daughter of Henry Christian Vought, the subject of another recent story on this blog. If you have read that story, you may recall my excitement at being able to open up this branch of the family tree via DNA.
• It is only within the past couple of weeks that Liane Fenimore (my 4th cousin 1X removed) provided me with copies of Margaret's will and estate inventory making me aware of Margaret's quilts.

Margaret's Quilts

Margaret's estate inventory was taken after her death in 1860. It consists of 3 pages and most of the items seem to be clothing, linens and bedding. Included in the list are the following items that caught my attention:

• Brown full moon pattern quilt
• Brown goose tracks quilt
• Kites and diamonds quilt
• Irish chain quilt
• Blue quilt
• Album quilt
• Churn dash quilt
• Sawteeth quilt

I do believe that Margaret was a quilter like her 4X great-granddaughter. Oh, what I wouldn't give to see one of those quilts! Or even a picture of one of those quilts. Sigh.

Portion of Inventory of Margaret's Estate

Being a fabric-loving person, it struck me that the next-best thing I could do was to attempt to recreate, if not all 8 entire quilts, at least several of the blocks, a sort of do-it-yourself heirloom project. Trips to the local public library and online searches have enabled me to find patterns for most of these blocks and given me a crash course in quilt and fabric history.

Sample Goose Tracks Block

Sample Churn Dash Block

Although Margaret had two brown quilts listed, don't think for a moment that her quilts would have been dull. Fabric colours from the era were apparently quite intense and quilts would have used a lot of Prussian blues and pale blues, Turkey and brownish reds, brilliant yellows, deep yellow greens and forest greens. Prints would have included squiggles, teardrops and bubble shapes, plaids, ombres, leafy and floral designs.

My hand-pieced Saw Teeth Block

Most of the blocks in her quilts are geometric blocks, using squares, rectangles and triangles. Margaret would have measured and cut her pieces using a simple ruler and scissors - none of the fancy rotary cutters and special measuring grids available to today's quilters.

Although not included in the list of Margaret's quilts, the log cabin quilt was popular at the time. The basic block usually starts with a red square at the centre symbolizing the fire in the hearth of the home.

Log Cabin quilt by Mary-Jane Wescott 1919

The darker rectangular strips on one side of the block stand for the shady north side of the cabin and the lighter strips on the other side the sunny southern side. An example of the log cabin pattern is this quilt made by Margaret's great granddaughter Mary-Jane Wescott for her daughter's wedding in 1919. (No, sadly, I don't have this quilt either.)

I have been hand-piecing my sample blocks since that is undoubtedly what Margaret would have done; sewing machines were only beginning to come into common household use very late in her life and there is no sewing machine listed in her estate inventory. Although there was a foot spinning wheel listed in her inventory, there was no quilt frame listed. Probably when it was time to layer and back the pieced top and stitch the layers together Margaret's friends would have helped her at a quilting bee. When it comes time for me to join my replica blocks into some sort of finished quilt or art quilt piece, I will most certainly hand quilt the final project. Perhaps I will elicit the help of some of my quilting friends to quilt a few stitches, just to add to the authenticity of my do-it-yourself heirloom.

Margaret's Album quilt was one of her most valuable ones. During the period 1830-1860 when Margaret would likely have been making these quilts, the album or Baltimore album quilt was one of the most famous. Using many appliqued floral wreaths, monuments, ships and animals, each block would be an individual work of art. Sometimes album quilts were made by several women, especially if one of them was moving away during this time of westward expansion in the United States. Each woman would sign her block or personalize it in some way so that when all were combined the album quilt became a collection of memories of old friends.

Not Margaret's Album Quilt - Image provided courtesy Denver Art Museum:
Elizabeth Sanford Jennings Hopkins (1824–1904), Album Quilt, Port Jefferson, New York, 1840s–50s. Hand pieced and appliquéd cotton and silk; silk , cotton, and linen embroidery; pen and ink; hand quilted with raised work (trapunto). Denver Art Museum Neusteter Textile Collection: Funds from Mrs. Irene Littledale Downs, Mrs. August Kern, and Mrs. Alexander Girard by exchange, 2007.38

As an aside, it is interesting to see the valuation given to Margaret's quilts, ranging from 10 cents to $1. Although it is almost impossible to determine with any accuracy what that would be worth in today's currency, one estimate is that $1 would be about equivalent to $23 today; a labourer's wage in those days would be about 90 cents per day, land cost between $3-$5 per acre. Quilters today like to complain that the price charged for a hand made quilt at best covers the cost of materials and doesn't allow much, if anything, for the quilter's labour (which could take days if not weeks or months of work). It doesn't sound as if quilts were accorded much monetary value in 1860 either. No doubt they were, however, an important part of a household's possessions for both usefulness and beauty. (And I would value one of Margaret's quilts far beyond any gold or silver!)

Sample Irish Chain Block

So where did Margaret's quilts go? From her will, we know that her land in Huron, Wayne County, NY was left to son Jerry Barton. Each of her five daughters was to receive the sum of $10 and 1/5 of her household furniture, beds and bedding. It is probable that the quilts were divided among the daughters, with each receiving at least one. It is possible for quilts from this period to survive to the present day, but there is no way of knowing if any of Margaret's have survived in any of the daughters' families.

Margaret's Life

Margaret was the only daughter of Henry Christian Vought and his wife Rebecca Nelson. She was born about 1785 in Peekskill, Westchester County, NY and grew up in a family with four brothers.

She was married under the name of Abba C. Voack on 23 April 1804 in Yorktown, Westchester County, NY to Isaac Barton. The couple had 6 children: 5 daughters (including my 3X great grandmother Catherine Barton) and one son.

She died of palsy at the age of 76 on 10 April 1860 in Huron, Wayne County, New York, three years after her husband Isaac. They are buried in the Huron Cemetery.

Tombstone for Margaret (Vought) Barton
Photo courtesy Liane Fenimore 

Huron Evergreen Cemetery
Photo courtesy Liane Fenimore

Sources:

• Fenimore, Liane, email correspondence and scanned documents received May and June 2015 resulting from DNA match through FamilytreeDNA, including copies of the will and inventory of Margaret (Vought) Barton
• Trestain, Eileen Jahnke, "Dating Fabrics: A Color Guide 1800-1960", American Quilter's Society: 1998
• Conroy, Mary, "300 Years of Canada's Quilts", Griffin House Toronto: 1976

Final Thoughts

Growing up with tales of barn-raising bees and quilting bees, it never once crossed my mind that 21st century DNA technology would one day enable me to discover a 4X great grandmother and learn about her quilts. Even without having them as heirlooms, I feel as if really do possess them on some level.

And finally: my hand-pieced "Full Moon" block. No longer a commonly used block, I've drafted the pattern from a photograph of a block by that name. So far I've been unable to find an example of the "Kites and Diamonds" block but the search continues. Any leads would be appreciated.

Kari Nottolsdatter (b. 1761) June Bride (52 Ancestors #23) Theme: "Wedding"

With most of my stories having focused on my mother's maternal line, I was hoping to balance with a story of a June wedding on my father's Norwegian side. There was not a single one to be found! A Norwegian wedding story on my mother's paternal side will have to suffice. Kari Nottolsdatter married Ole Kittilson on Monday 9 June 1783 in Drangedal, Telemark, Norway. Kari and Ole are my 4X great grandparents.

In the kirkebøker (church records) for marriages in 1783 for  Drangedal, Telemark, the yellow-highlighted area in the above marriage record shows that their engagement had been announced on 4 May and the wedding solemnized on 9 June. The record indicates that Ole Kittilson Wraalstad ( sometimes spelled Vraalstad) was a soldier and bachelor and that Kari Notolsdatter Woxland (sometimes spelled Voxland or Vogsland) was a single maiden. The two bondsmen or witnesses were Ener Wraalstad and Tordbiorn Ericksen Woxland. (Vrålstad and Vågsland are the two current "farm names" indicating the area where these two families lived.)

Google Earth image of southern Norway with Drangedal, Telemark marked with yellow pin

Not surprisingly, no photographs or other details of their wedding are available, but Norwegian marriage traditions can give us some clues as to what the wedding might have entailed. Before they would have announced their engagement at church in May, their families would have had to agree to their marriage. Gifts would have been exchanged during the engagement.

On the day of the wedding, Ole might have worn the traditional bunad (woolen suit) with white shirt, short pants, calf-length stockings, vest and coat when he arrived with his family at Kari's family's home. (Perhaps, being a soldier, he would have worn his uniform instead.) Usually the groom is greeted by the bride's father and given a cup of beer. (Sounds like a good start to the day!) But tradition demands that after he takes just a sip of the beer, the groom must again ask the bride's family if they are still in agreement with the wedding. Obviously the family did agree, and Kari would have then been permitted to make her appearance. The bride's traditional wedding dress is the bridal bunad (a handmade dress of dark blue or black wool embroidered in the traditional Norwegian manner).

Kari would have probably worn the bridal crown of gold or silver dripping with hanging bangles that would have produced a melodic sound as she moved. This is done to ward off evil spirits. The door of her parents' home might have been slammed 3 times as additional protection from evil spirits.

No, not Kari but an unknown Norwegian bride wearing the traditional brudekrone (bridal crown)
Image from Wikimedia Commons

Then a fiddler would have lead the procession to the wedding ceremony, followed by the bride and groom and their families either on foot or on horseback.

Visit the Drangedal church website to see some interior photos of the church and get a better sense of the location of Kari and Ole's wedding. The church was built in 1775 and would have been quite new at the time of their wedding.

After the ceremony, the wedding party would have returned to the family home of Nottol Larsson Vogsland and Kari Torbjørnsdatter Vraalstad (Kari's parents) to eat, drink and dance until the wee hours (or until the bride's crown fell off!). Many toasts would have been made and then the cake would have been cut. One of the more usual types of wedding cake is the kransekake, made from rings of cake stacked atop each other in descending sizes to form a fluted pyramid which is then decorated with icing  and perhaps candy and flowers. Traditionally the bride lifts the top ring off the cake and the number of rings that pull off with it are said to predict the number of children the couple will have. We don't know if Kari indeed pulled off 6 of the top layers!

Kransekake wedding cake prepared by Kari and Ole's 3X great granddaughter Elinor Bardahl for Elinor's granddaughter Angie's wedding in 2013 - the bride and groom topper probably not traditional in Norway

We don't know whether Kari and Ole went on to "live happily ever after." Although we don't know too much about their lives together, they probably fit into the well-ordered lives of Norwegians at the time. They went on to have a number of children all born in Drangedal, Telemark, Norway:

• Kittil Olsen born 1784
• Nottol Olsen born 1786
• Knud Olsen (my 3X great grandfather) born 02 July 1788
• Maria Olsdatter born 1791
• Kari Olsdatter born 1794
• Lars Olsen born 1797

The family were recorded in the 1801 census where the household consisted of Ole Kittilsen, age 38, farmer in his first marriage, Kari Nottolsdatter, age 40, his wife also in her first marriage, Kittil Olsen 17, Nottol Olsen 15, Lars Olsen 4, Knud Olsen 13, Maria Olsdatter 10, Kari Olsdatter 7. (The children all have the patronymic last name where their father's first name has the suffix "sen" (son) or "datter" (daughter) added.)

Despite much searching for death and burial dates for Kari and Ole, none have been located as yet. They are undoubtedly buried in the cemetery of the Drangedal church where their children had all been baptised and where they had been married so many years before.

Drangedal Kirke
Courtesy Photographer Hallvard Straume
Wikimedia Commons

Sources:

• www.arkivverket (Norwegian Digital Archives church records Ministerialbok nr. 3 (1768-1814) for Drangedal, Telemark and 1801 census record for Telemark
• eragem.com/news/norwegian-wedding-engagement-traditions/ website for Norwegian wedding traditions
• ingebretsens.com/culture/weddings/norw-wed-tradition for Norwegian wedding traditions

Henry Christian Vought (1760-1842) - Ancestor Found by DNA (52 Ancestors Week 22) Theme: "Commencement"

This month a brick wall in my family history research has been shattered as a result of my mother having had her autosomal DNA tested. Although previous matches to my own autosomal DNA had confirmed some of my ancestry, it hadn't yet added any new ancestors. This match with my mother did provide new information and feels like a "commencement", allowing me to head down a whole new branch of my tree.

The recent email that I received from Liane Fenimore, one of my mother's DNA matches, indicated that she and my mother are 4th cousins. (My DNA did not show up as a match to Liane, showing how autosomal DNA can disappear in a generation and why it is important to have the oldest family members tested.) Nevertheless, she and I would be 4th cousins 1X removed. Liane's 2X great grandmother Sarah Ann Barton was a sister to my 3X great grandmother Katharine Barton. Katharine had been a brick wall in my research until I heard from Liane. She has researched the family for years and was able to send me significant amounts of family history, including a will and an estate inventory.

Sarah and Katharine's parents were Isaac Barton and his wife Margaret Vought (my 4X great grandparents). The Vought line could be taken back a couple more generations: Margaret's parents were Henry Christian Vought and Rebecca Nelson (my 5X great grandparents). Henry Christian's parents were Joseph Christian Vought and Christina Rheinhardt (my 6X great grandparents).

Naturally my reaction was to commence some online research of my own to see what else I could find.

Census records could be found for Henry Christian Vought in New York State for 1790, 1820, 1830 and 1840. His location during this time is Orange County and Westchester County, New York. Westchester Country is located just to the north of Long Island, New York City. Peekskill and Courtlandt where Henry spent his life are located where Westchester meets Orange County, so these different county references most likely do not mean that Henry was moving around at all.

 Cortlandt, NY on the East Back of the Hudson River Looking North-Northwest from Peekskill, NY
Wikimedia Commons Image Attributed to Beyond My Ken

Henry is listed in US Pensioners 1818-1872. There is reference to the family in an online copy of the "Genealogical and Memorial History of the State of New Jersey", Volume 2 which indicates that Henry was the eldest son of Joseph and Christina who immigrated from Holland in about 1750. (Really, Holland? I didn't know I had any Dutch ancestry! Or were these folks actually German as their names sound? What about the New Jersey source? Does that mean that Henry's parents lived in New Jersey before moving to New York? So many questions to investigate!) The same record said that Henry had married Rebecca Nelson and by her had 12 children.

But far and away the most fascinating find was the American Revolutionary War pension application of my 5X great grandfather Henry Christian Vought who is the centre of this story. Apparently Henry and two of his brothers (Peter and Godfrey) were all part of the Third Regiment of Westchester County Militia. (Henry is the second ancestor I've discovered who fought on the American side in the Revolutionary War, the other being John Bullen, who was the subject of another of these "52 Ancestors" stories. Sorry, British and Canadian family and friends who would probably have preferred to see Loyalist leanings, but my family seemed to be American Patriots.) Henry's lengthy pension application form contains the following account of his service in the War:

• Private for 2 years in Company of Captain Slows which was commanded by Colonel Van Duyck
• His pension application was made when he was nearly 72 years old, shortly after such pensions were made available
• In his affidavit made 24 August 1832 in Courtland, NY Henry says:

"I first entered the service of the United States by enlisting in the service for the period of one year under Capt Slow in Col Hughes Regiment in the regular line of the State troops of New York and served out the period of my enlistment at Kings Ferry in the County of West Chester and Rockland being constantly employed in ferrying across back and forth, the Army Cattle and Provisions for the army and such like services. This enlistment was in the year 1778. I again enlisted in the year 1780 in the same service for 12 months (twelve months) in the Company of Capt Bond in the same Regiment and served out the time at Kings Ferry aforesaid in the same services as before detailed. 

My next enlistment was in the same year Cornwallis was taken into a Company of Rangers commanded by Capt Sacket in the Regiment of Col Van Duyck in the State troops of New York for the period of nine months during this enlistment some part of my time I was stationed with the standing Army at Pines Bridge in the County of West Chester; at other times we ranged from the North to the East River in different parts of the County of West Chester.

During this enlistment I was in the skirmish at Mile Square near the town of Bedford in the County of West Chester where Col Holmes with a Party of Tories surrounded us and we cut out way thro' killing one man and wounding fourteen.

I served my time out and was regularly discharged with the rest of my company. Besides these services while regularly enlisted I was frequently called out in the Militia in Alarms and Scouting Parties.

I was born in the year 1760 according to the best information I have on the subject, in the village of Peeks Kill Town of Courtlandt County of West Chester and State of New York. My age is recorded in the Church Books of the Dutch Reformed Church in the town of Courtland to which Church my parents belonged. I lived when I first entered the service in the town of Courtlandt in the County of West Chester. I have lived ever since the Revolutionary War in said town of Courtlandt and now live in said town."

• He signed his affidavit with an "X" indicating he probably could not write. 
• His application was granted and he received a pension of $80 per year commencing 4 March 1831.

So, Henry enlisted in the American cause at the age of 18. Kings Ferry, where he was stationed for much of his time in service, was a strategic transport site between Stony Point and Verplanck, NY, just south of Peekskill. It was the route that George Washington's army took to cross the Hudson River on its march to Yorktown, Virginia in 1781.  (A more detailed description of the significance of this area in the War can be found at this Westchester County site.)

After war's end, he went on to marry Rebecca Nelson and have a large family with her, including my 4X great grandmother Martha Vought.

Role in War of 1812

It seems that Henry was also a Corporal in the New York Militia in the War of 1812. (Update 2017-07-07: most likely this is NOT the same Henry but perhaps his son b. 1790.)

He stayed in the Peekskill, Westchester County, NY area for the rest of his life and died there 7 October 1842. His obituary appeared later in October of 1842 in the "Highland Democrat" and says in part:

"DIED At Annsville, Cortlandt Town, on the morning of Friday the 7th inst., Mr. Henry Christian Vought, aged about 84 years. Mr. Vought belonged to a Revolutionary - Whig family! He was himself a soldier in the Revolution, throughout the war; and lived long and respectably for better than half a century in the full possession and enjoyment of the peace and prosperity won by his valour and that of his companions in arms, and died at last full of years and full of honour.

 Mr. Vought bore a most conspicuous part in one of the remarkable skirmishes, that tried American skill and bravery in the whole war."

Henry's obituary in the Peekskill Highland Democrat

The obituary goes on to describe the skirmish in some detail but as the paper is old and many segments are faded and illegible, a paraphrase might more clearly describe the affair.  It seems that at the beginning of the war, 5 regiments had been called into service, one of which was under the command of Colonel James Holmes with Lieutenant Colonel Philip Van Cortlandt under him. After about a year, Holmes deserted to the British and this regiment was thereafter led by Colonel Van Cortlandt. In this regiment, Henry Vought belonged to a corps of men who had been sent out on a scouting party under the command of Lieutenant Mosher. While Mosher and his men were having breakfast one day in the vicinity of White Plains, New York, they heard the alarm of a British Squadron of dragoons approaching. In haste, Mosher formed his little band of about 20 men into a hollow square, had them drop to one knee and elevate their pieces with fixed bayonets at an angle of 45 degrees. As fate would have it, the British Squadron was under the command of its former leader, the deserter Holmes. Holmes had his men on horseback surround the Americans. Unfortunately, this is where the newspaper becomes the most illegible and all that can be read with certainty is that the Americans prevailed, the British were "at last drawn back in disgrace" and the Lieutenant brought all of his 20 or so men out safely and in triumph. (From Henry's pension application, we learned that one British soldier was killed and 14 wounded - if true, surely an amazing feat for a small party of just 20 Americans who had found themselves surrounded by British dragoons on horseback!)

General Washington gave an account of this affair and issued a voice of thanks to the distinguished corps for their valourous achievement. The obituary then goes on to describe his funeral service:

"A military escort . . .  preceded the hearse and general procession by Captain _ and his Jefferson Guards of this Village, to the Old Episcopal Church of St. Peter's where divine service was performed and an interesting discourse was delivered by Rev. M. Griswold, of the Protestant Methodist Church. After this service, the remains of this venerated patriot were received at the grave by the military escort, who after an appropriate address by Dr. Westbrook, fired several volleys, and paid their last sad respects to the honored dead.

Among those who took an active and laudable part in the arrangements of the funeral were seen the venerable Gen. Van Cortlandt, bathed in tears, and his only son Col. Pierre Van Cortlandt, Junr., no less excited and interested than was his aged father." 

Photo Courtesy Gene Baumwoll CSW on www.findagrave.com
Plaque indicates that 44 known Soldiers of the American Revolution are buried here - Henry is in good company

Episcopal Church of St. Peter's
Photo provided courtesy Dan Silva on www.findagrave.com

Why the Episcopal and Methodist Church involvement? What happened to the Dutch Reformed Church connection that his parents had had?

Yes, so many questions have been raised by my commencement down this path. Thanks to DNA, there is so much more to learn. This is just the beginning.

Sources:

• Lee, Francis Bazley, "Genealogical and Memorial History of the State of New Jersey", Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1910 accessed online 22 May 2015 at Google Books
• U.S. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900 for Henry C. Vought accessed at Ancestry.com 16 May 2015
• "Highland Democrat" Peekskill, New York for October 1842 accessed at Ancestry.com 16 May 2015
• War of 1812 image accessed at ancestry.com 28 May 2015 shared on "My Vought Family Tree" by "sharon624george"
• Fenimore, Liane, email correspondence May 2015 resulting from DNA match through FamilytreeDNA

James Cudworth, Plymouth Colony's Reluctant Soldier (c.1605-1681) (52 Ancestors Week 21) Theme: "Military"

For the past three weeks in the "52 Ancestors" project, my stories have touched on religious intolerance in England and New England in the 16th and 17th centuries. This week I am happy to be able to write about one man who was a voice for tolerance in these times: James Cudworth, my 8X great grandfather. Yes, he was also a military man, and, yes, he was involved in warring against the natives whose lands the English immigrants had settled, but one gets the sense that he was only trying to do his duty as a member of his community and that he was actually a reluctant (and not particularly effective!) soldier and commander.

Cudworth Family Background

James Cudworth was born in Aller, Somerset, England sometime between 1604 and 1612 to Reverend Ralph Cudworth, the rector of Aller, and his wife Mary Machell. Ralph was a very well-educated man, having received four degrees from Emmanuel College, Cambridge University: BA in 1592, MA in 1596, BD in 1603 and finally a DD in 1619. Ralph was a fellow of Emmanuel College and taught there as well as being a lecturer at St Andrews College, Cambridge. He became chaplain to King James I in 1603 when James succeeded Queen Elizabeth I; it was at court that he met his future wife Mary Machell who was a nurse to Prince Henry, the heir to the throne. When Ralph and Mary's first child was a boy, they named him James in honour of the King.

Church at Aller, Somerset where James's father Ralph was rector and where James was baptised in 1612

That James came from a very learned family is also evidenced by the career of his brother Ralph Cudworth (1617-1688). Like his father, son Ralph was also educated and taught at Cambridge where he became founder of the Cambridge Platonist school of philosophers. His many treatises include "Intellectual System of the Universe" and "A Treatise Concerning Eternal and Immutable Morality". Many are still available but make rather tough slogging for those of us not trained in philosophy. Carrying on into the next generation, Ralph educated his daughter Damaris Cudworth (niece to the James of this story) at home and she herself became a philosopher though, being female, she wrote her treatises anonymously. Damaris became the lifelong friend and correspondent of the philosopher John Locke who said in a letter to Phillipp von Limborch that she was so well versed in theological and philosophical studies and had such an original mind that she was superior to most men in that field. Damaris also carried on an extensive correspondence about philosophical subjects with Leibniz. It must have been terribly frustrating for Damaris to be denied a university education and the ability to participate fully in the intellectual world in which she so obviously belonged.

Ralph Cudworth of Cambridge College,
Brother of James Cudworth

This is the exceptional family from which James Cudworth came. There has been no explanation for why he chose not to attend university when education seemed such an integral part of this family's life. Destiny had other plans for James.

Move To America 1632

James came to New England from Barnstable, Devon, aboard the ship "Charles" in 1632, settling in Scituate in what is now Massachusetts. The population of Scituate at the time was fewer than 60 people but by 1643 it would grow to be the second largest town in Plymouth Colony (after Plymouth itself).

In December of 1634 James wrote a letter to his step-father Dr. John Stoughton in England describing the situation of three churches in the area: there were no pastors nor teachers at Duxbury nor at Hingham. But (as he is quoted in Stratton's book), "Oures, Cittewate [Scituate], to whome the Lord has bine verey gracious, & his p'vidence has bine Admorabley sene oure beyenge to bringe to us oure Pastor whome wee so longe expected -- Mr. Lathrope, who the Lord has brought to us in safety, whome wee find to bee a holy Reverat & hevenly minded man." (No, this writing is not indicative of lack of education but was the accepted spelling at the time.)  James had belonged to Reverend Lathrope's non-conforming parish in England at Southwark, just out of London, prior to emigrating. Lathrope had been tossed into jail for failing to conform to English Protestant beliefs and was only released on condition that he leave the country and go to New England.

James also encouraged his step-father to send any of his friends and acquaintances who would be fit to be received into church fellowship at Scituate.  James said that, as his house was the largest, it was being used as the meeting house in Scituate until a proper meeting house could be built. (A map from 1633 showing the location of Cudworth's property can be found on the Scituate Historical Society website.)

Marker for site of First Meeting House in Scituate MA

On 3 March 1639/40, he was successfully sued by Timothy Hatherly for payment of a 12 pound debt. At about this same time, a group from Scituate moved to form the new town of Barnstable under the leadership of Lothrop. James Cudworth was among the breakaway group. He had a saltworks on Rendezvous Creek, known then as Saltern Point. The family soon moved back to Scituate where he was presented to the grand jury for selling wine without a licence. The man issuing the complaint was his old friend (and sometimes enemy) Timothy Hatherly. Timothy had probably come to New England on the same ship as James and their paths continued to cross time and again.

Sign for Cudworth House, Scituate MA

Taking a Stand for Religious Tolerance

When James Cudworth arrived in Plymouth Colony, all of the settlers were Puritans (who believed that the Reformation in England had not gone far enough and that religion should be further purified or simplified) or even the more extreme Separatists (Puritans wanting to separate from the established English Protestant church). But within a decade, some Baptists were to be found among the colonists. Denounced and forced to leave Plymouth Colony, Roger Williams and his followers (including my ancestor Stukely Westcott) left Plymouth to start the first Baptist Church in America at Providence in the new colony of Rhode Island.

By the 1650's, Quakers were also beginning to appear in Plymouth Colony. They were at the extreme edge of the Protestant church reformation movement and went much further than the Plymouth colony Pilgrims in rejecting all formal church ritual. Quakers even allowed women to speak at church meetings! They were vehemently denounced by the Pilgrims and ruthlessly driven into the wilderness. At the same time, Plymouth Colony sent a letter to the more liberal Rhode Island authorities insisting that Quakers not be allowed to settle there either. The strongest voice against this treatment was that of James Cudworth; he refused to sign the letter. (The only other man in the community who was known to disapprove of the persecution of these new religious groups was his old friend and enemy Timothy Hatherly!)

James had been Assistant Governor in 1656-57 and Commissioner to the New England Confederacy (against the Indians) from 1655 but was deprived of all his position in 1657 for his stand against Quaker and Baptist persecutions. He was also relieved of his captainship of the local militia. The year after being denied the right to take his seat as the Scituate representative to the General Court, he himself was hauled before that court for having written letters to  England deploring the colony's persecution of Quakers. Stratton on page 92 of his book quotes from Cudworth's intercepted letter to England: "He that will not Whip and Lash, Persecute and Punish Men that Differ in Matters of Religion, must not sit on the Bench nor sustain any Office in the Commonwealth. Last Election, Mr. Hatherly, and my Self, left off the Bench, and my Self Discharged of my Captainship because I  had Entertained some of the Quakers at my House. . . . But the Quakers and myself cannot close in divers things; and so I signified to the Court, I was no Quaker. . . . But withal, I told them, That as I was no Quaker, so I would be no Prosecutor."

Cudworth House, Scituate, MA

It would not be until 1673 under the Governorship of Josiah Winslow that Cudworth would have his rights restored and once again take part in civic life.

Even during his time of disfavour, it is obvious that Cudworth was much-admired as a thoughtful and fair man of intelligence and ability. For example, on 3 May 1659, John Coggan, minor son of deceased Henry Coggan, selected James Cudworth to be one of his guardians. (John, incidentally, is my 1st cousin 9X removed and his deceased father Henry my 8X great granduncle.) Also, the Scituate militia company re-elected him Captain in 1666, but the Court informed the militiamen that their choice was "unadvised"; this court order angered the militiamen and it was probably only a calming speech given by Cudworth that prevented the outbreak of violence over the matter.

Although James himself never adopted Quaker or Baptist beliefs, his daughter Mary was married by a preacher in Rhode Island to Robert Whitcomb, a member of a Quaker family. The marriage not being recognized as valid in Plymouth Colony, Robert was arrested and fined 10 pounds for living with a woman to whom he wasn't married. Robert and Mary (who are my 7X great grandparents)were then married again on 9 March 1660 by an accredited magistrate and had half the fine remitted.

Later Involvement in Civic Life and Military Affairs

Upon his return to civic life in 1673, James Cudworth was asked by his community to serve in an expedition against the Dutch. Quoted from Willison's Saints and Strangers, page 479, Cudworth's letter declining the position indicated that his refusal was not "out of any discontent in my spirit arising from any former difference, neither out of an effeminate or dastardly spirit; but am as freely willing to serve my king and country as any man whatsoever in what I am capable and fitted for; but do not understand that a man is so called to serve his country with the inevitable ruin and destruction of his own family."  He commented that the inexperience of a captain had been the ruin of armies and the destruction of commonwealths, apparently feeling that he himself lacked such experience and would not be a good choice. He went on to describe the ill health of his wife and the necessity to gather the hay and wood for winter. Interestingly, he adds that his only help is a small thirteen year-old Indian boy. Was he a paid servant, I wonder?

Notwithstanding his advancing age, two years later he became a leader in the early skirmishes in King Philip's War. Relations between the English settlers and the Wampanoag Indians, which had started out on friendly terms, had deteriorated and reached a boiling point by the mid-1670's. Increased immigration from England had resulted in greater and greater demand for lands to settle and infringement on the Indians' traditional hunting grounds. The Wampanoag leader Metacom had adopted the English name Philip and, under the name of "King Philip", assembled an alliance that included most of the Indians in New England. Attempts to resolve matters peacefully failed. War seemed inevitable.

When the Pilgrims sent a militia force of about 80 men to Swansea after some Indian hostilities in 1675, it was under the leadership of Captain James Cudworth. There is no evidence that he was a particularly able military man, nor that he had any particular training or expertise in military matters. Being well into his 60's and unaccustomed to life in the field, he was probably not the best choice for the position, but he tried to do what was required of him. It is clear that he was far more suited to be a voice of reason than to lead a military campaign.

Even though Plymouth Governor Winslow offered the command of the joint forces to any Massachusetts officer whom Governor Leverett and Council should select, they insisted that Cudworth retain command of all the troops. Cudworth continued to hold all the men in garrison until more forces arrived, but waited an extra day after their arrival (probably to allow them to rest). When they swept down the hill of Mount Hope Peninsula, they found they were too late: they encountered burned houses and eight English heads impaled on posts. The Indians were long gone. Rather than pursuing them, Cudworth built a fort on the Indian lands, something that has been considered as ineffective busy-work. Eventually, having achieved little, Cudworth led the men back to Plymouth, but an angry Governor Winslow allowed them just one night's rest before sending them in pursuit of the Indians. They didn't find them and were finally permitted to return home to harvest crops and prepare for winter. When King Philip saw the English settlers marching away, he took the opportunity to move his people to central Massachusetts. War then spread throughout New England resulting in hundreds of deaths, including that of other of my ancestors such as Ephraim Bullen. Although he held the titles of Captain, Major and perhaps General, it cannot be said that Cudworth had a stellar military career.

Final Days

In 1680, James Cudworth became Deputy Governor. Plymouth Colony wished to obtain a proper charter from England. James Cudworth was sent to England in the summer of 1681 to present Plymouth's case to the crown. During the following months, the colony waited for news from him but no news came. After many months of silence, news came that Cudworth had died of smallpox in England. He is probably buried in England, but there is a memorial for him at Scituate, Massachusetts.

General James Cudworth Memorial, Scituate, MA

His will was dated 15 September 1681 and the inventory taken 20 June 1682. His possessions included a pocket compass and 8 pounds worth of books. His will names sons James, Israel and Jonathan; daughter Mary Whitcomb's four children, Israel, Robert, James and Mary and his daughter Joanna Jones. He left half his estate to his eldest son James and one quarter to each of his other two sons.

Men of Kent Burying Ground at Scituate, MA. James Cudworth memorial on left.

Sources:

• Philbrick, Nathan, "Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community and War", 2006
• Willison, George F, "Saints and Strangers", Scranton, PA: The Haddon Craftsmen, 1945
• Cudworth, Frank Ezekiel, "Genealogy (Partial) of the Cudworth Family" presented to the Scituate Historical Society August 1963
• Whitcomb, Charlotte, "The Whitcomb Family in America - Biographical Genealogy" Vol 1, Minneapolis 1904, p 50
• Ancestry.com: US and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500's-1900s; Place: New England; Year: 1634: page number 120
• "Search for the Passengers of the Mary and John 1630", Volume 14, page 16
• Deane, "History of Scituate"
• Stratton, "Plymouth Colony: Its History and People 1620-1691"
• Coldham, Peter William, "The Complete Book of Emigrants 1607-1660", 1987
• Langdon, George Jr., "Pilgrim Colony: A History of New Plymouth 1620-1691"

John Alden: Mayflower "Self-conceited Fool" (c. 1599-1687) (52 Ancestors #20) Theme: "Black Sheep"

No, I don't think for an instant that my 10X great grandfather John Alden is really a "black sheep". (I don't think of any of my ancestors as black sheep!) Certainly some of them had attributes or behaviours that got them into all sorts of hot water with the authorities of their times. Some were certainly outspoken, opinionated, eccentric and no doubt the subject of gossip and rebuke. Those tend to be the ones whose stories are so interesting! Maybe, when it comes right down to it, most of us are really various shades of  "grey sheep" with admirable characteristics along with a few that might from time to time land us in some sort of trouble or disrepute. John Alden was such a man.

Mayflower II replica ship in Plymouth Harbor 1999

Far from being a black sheep, John Alden is generally respected as one of the earliest American immigrants, having arrived on the Mayflower in 1620. He was not one of those coming to America because or religious persecution but was part of the ship's crew who chose to remain in Plymouth, New England. I like the fact that he was the ship's cooper, charged with the crucial task of tending and repairing the wooden barrels holding beer, strong water (distilled spirits) and water for the trip. Beer was a safer drink than water in those days and apparently everyone, including children, drank it as a regular source of hydration.

Kate Caffrey on page 86 of her book "The Mayflower" says that "One new member of the company came aboard at the last minute, a young cooper named John Alden, tall and fair-haired and powerfully built."

William Bradford, another Mayflower passenger, wrote the definitive source book about the journey and passengers - "Of Plymouth Plantation". On page 441 he lists John as one of the signers of the Mayflower Compact and adds: "John Alden was hired for a cooper at Southampton where the ship was victualled, and being a hopeful young man was much desired but left to his own liking whether to stay when he came here; but he stayed and married here."

Mayflower Compact 1620
John Alden 7th name down in left-hand column
(Other of my ancestors who also signed: William Mullins, John Howland, John Tilley, Peter Brown)

In May of 1622 John married Priscilla Mullins at Plymouth Colony.  She was in her late teens and he in his early 20's. This is thought to be just the second marriage to occur in Plymouth Colony. Priscilla had been left alone when her parents William and Alice and brother Joseph Mullins had all died during that treacherous first winter in New England. Priscilla would have been left well off: her father had been a businessman and had brought along 40 pounds worth of shoes and boots to sell. She also would have been left a large amount of money, a number of shares in the Plymouth Colony's joint stock company and all of her family's household goods. John and Priscilla's courtship (and the supposed love triangle with Miles Standish) is recounted in a romantic but probably historically inaccurate poem by Alden descendant William Longworth Longfellow. (The families were, however, to be united in the next generation when John and Priscilla's daughter Sarah married Miles Standish's son Alexander.)

Children started to arrive in 1624 with daughter Elizabeth, then sons John in 1626 and my 9X great grandfather Joseph in 1627. Seven more children were to follow.

John quickly rose within the ranks of Plymouth society. This was probably a combination of his relative wealth and status from his marriage to Priscilla along with his physical stature, honesty and ability. Records show that he was a respected man who was very involved in community affairs and was:

• Among those who undertook to pay the debts of the colony to the London Adventurers who had funded the migration from England to Plymouth;
• One of the first prominent settlers of Duxbury, MA, by about 1632;
• Assistant Governor of the colony 1633-39, 1651-86 and probably also 1631-32;
• Master carpenter and, along with my other ancestor Kenelm Winslow, made the better pieces of furniture (serrated cabinets, chests and cupboards) for the more prosperous families;
• Treasurer of the colony (as successor to his old friend Miles Standish) 1656-1658;
• Member of many juries.

John Alden House 1653, Duxbury MA with the writer and her mother, 
two Alden descendants, 1999

He certainly sounds like a solid family and community man. Where does the "grey sheep" come in?

John Alden was a man of his time and, even though he found himself in some difficult situations, he can probably be forgiven for some matters like these:

• One of the juries on which he served was a witch trial. (But this jury could actually be commended for taking the unusual decision of finding the accused witch innocent and finding the accuser guilty of libel and ordering him to pay a fine and be whipped.)
• He found himself in jail for an affair in 1634  that could be called "The Murder on the Kennebec". (This affair was also touched on in connection with my story about John Howland, another ancestor who was very involved in the matter. A thorough description of the incident can be found on this Howland family society website in which it can be seen that John Alden had no direct part in the murders and was eventually freed.) 

Where John Alden's reputation is really tarnished (at least by most modern standards) is with respect to his religious intolerance. Living in a community whose very existence resulted from an escape from religious intolerance in England, it always disappoints me to learn how they treated other religious groups within Plymouth Colony. John Alden persecuted those of other religions mercilessly:

• When six Quaker Friends were banished from the colony on pain of death in 1659, John Alden as Assistant Governor was seen to nod in agreement when Governor Prence stated that all Quakers deserved to be destroyed along with their wives and children, without pity or mercy. 
• He was a leader in the persecutions of Baptists in 1657. 
• Another ancestor, James Cudworth (who will be the subject of next week's story on this blog), lost his powers as commissioner to the United Colonies as a result of some Quaker leanings within his family. John Alden was apparently responsible for this based on a letter written to him by Cudworth (found on pages 317- 318 in Volume 10 of "The Baptist Quarterly")  in which Cudworth said: "Our Civil Powers are so exercised in matters of religion and conscience that we have not time to effect anything that tends to the promotion of the civil weal; but must have a State religion, and a State ministry, and a State way of maintenance." Cudworth had apparently thought better of Alden for he said that Alden "had deceived the expectations of many, and indeed lost the affection of such as I judge were his cordial Christian friends."
• One Quaker summed up his opinion of John Alden in a letter to him (found on page 378 of Willison's "Saints and Strangers") in which he said: "John Alden, I have weighed thy ways, and thou art like one fallen from thy first love; a tenderness once I did see in thee, and moderation to act like a sober man, which through evil counsel and self-love thou art drawn aside from . . .  like a self-conceited fool puffed up with the pride of his heart because he has gotten the name of a magistrate." 

John Alden died at the age of 88 in 1687, outliving many of his children. He is buried beside Priscilla at Duxbury. John Alden's inventory included chairs, bedstead, chests and boxes (probably all made by him), as well as tongs, kettle, saw, augurs and chisel, carpenter joiners, dripping pan, pewter wear, two old guns, table linen, horse bridle and saddle, library, clothing and old lumber.

Old Burying Ground, Duxbury, MA
Burial location of John and Priscilla

It is said that until the last he was a bold and hardy man, stern, austere and unyielding. Such qualities can have a positive bearing on family and community but, unfortunately, can also lead to bad treatment of others who have different views. 

Sources:

*Willison, G.F., "Saints and Strangers", New York: Reynal and Hitchcock 1945

*Anderson, Robert Charles, "The Great Migration Begins - Immigrants to New England 1620-1633" NEHGS 1995, Vol. 1

*Johnson, Caleb H., "The Mayflower and Her Passengers", www.xlibris.com, 2006

*Caleb Johnson's Mayflower History Web Pages

*"Families of the Pilgrims: John Alden and William Mullins", Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1982

*Roser, Susan E., "Mayflower Increasings" 2nd Ed., Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1997

*Bradford, William, "Of Plimoth Plantation 1620-1647", a digital copy of which can be found with this link

*Caffrey, Kate, "The Mayflower", Stein and Day, 1974