New England Colonists, 1600-1700 Brookes to Brown

Brookes or Brooks

Ebenezer was at Woburn, Mass. pre-1688.
Gilbert was born in 1621 and came to N.E. at age 14 years, with William Vassall. He lived at Marshfield, Mass before being found in Scituate, Mass. in 1645.
Henry was at Boston in 1630, then to Concord by 1639 before finally settling at Woburn, Mass. by 1649.
Henry was of Cheshire, England and came to Wallingford, Conn. by 1660 before settling at New Haven in 1670.
John, brother of preceding, was at New Haven in 1649, then to Wallingford, Conn. in 1685 with his brother.
John was at Windsor, Conn. in 1652, when he was married. He then removed to Simsbury, Conn. after.
Richard, born in 1621 was a resident of Lynn, Mass. by 1635 before removing to Easthampton, L.I. after.
Richard was a gunsmith at Boston in 1674.
Robert was a mercer at Maidstone, Kent, England before coming to New London, Conn. in 1635.
Robert married the daughter of Gov. Edward Winslow at Plymouth.
Capt. Thomas was born in 1613 in Suffolk, England and was given land at Watertown, Mass. in 1631. He then removed to Concord, Mass. by 1636.
Thomas, brother of Richard of Lynn, was born in England in 1617 and came to New England in 1635. He was one of the first settlers of Haddam, Conn..
Thomas was living in Kittery, Maine in 1640.
Thomas was a freeman at Portsmouth, R.I. in 1655.
Timothy was at Billerica, Mass. by 1679.
William was born in England in 1615, "with a brother named Gilbert". He came to Boston in 1635, then to Scituate, Mass. and finally to Marshfield, Mass. in 1643.
William, Sr. was an early settler of Milford, Conn. where he died in 1684.
William, Jr. was born in England and came to Boston in 1635, then to Springfield, by 1649 and finally to Deerfield in 1686.

Weights and values of 17th century coinage

Brooman

Joseph was married at Rehoboth, Mass. in 1681.

Brough or Bruff

Edward was at Marshfield, Mass. by 1643.
William lived in Boston by 1654.

Broughton

John was an early settler of Northampton, Mass. between 1651-1660.
Thomas was born in Gravesend, England in 1616. He first settled in Virginia in 1635, but then came to Watertown, Mass. in 1643.

Brounsmayd or Brounsmaid

John was living in Stratford, Conn. in 1650.

Brounson or Bronson

John was born in England in 1580 before coming to Hartford, Conn. in 1636. He then removed to Farmington, Conn. in 1641 and finally to Waterbury, Conn. after.
Richard, brother of the preceding, was a resident of Farmington, Conn. in 1641.

Although this list are of the first settlers of Salisbury, Mass.. it fails to account for the very first settler of Colchester(Salisbury) as being John Bayley, Sr.. He crossed the Merrimack River in 1637 to become the original settler here.

Brown

Abraham was a surveyor and the son of Thomas. He was born in 1590 at Swan Hall, Hawkendon parish, Suffolk, England and among the first planters of Watertown, Mass. He was still there in 1632.
Abraham was a merchant at Boston in 1650.
Alexander was living in "Kennebeck", Maine by 1674.
Andrew was at Scarborough, Maine in 1658.
Arthur was a resident of Saco, Maine in 1636.
Rev. Chad was born in 1600 in England and came to New England in 1638. He is found in Boston by 1638 and then to Providence, R.I. by 1642.
Charles was born in England and settled in Rowley, Mass. in 1647.
Christian was an early settler of Salisbury, Mass. in 1640.
Daniel was at Providence, R.I. in 1646.
Rev. Edmund came to New England in 1637 and was the first minister at Salisbury, Mass. in 1640. Left no male issue.
Edward came over as a hired hand of William Colborn pre-1634 in Boston before removing to Newport, R.I. in 1639.
Edward at at Salem, Mass. in 1638.
Edward was a freeman at Ipswich, Mass. in 1641.
Francis was a tailor and was born in Stamford, England. He came to Boston in 1637, then to New Haven, Conn. by 1639 and lastly to Stamford, Conn.
Francis was a servant to Henry Walcott when he came to Boston. He is then found at Farmington, Conn. by 1649, then Stamford, Conn. in 1660.
George was a carpenter and an early settler of Newbury, Mass. in 1635.
George was at Stonington, Conn. in 1680.
Henry was born in 1615 and was granted land as a shoemaker at Salisbury, Mass. by 1639.
Henry was at Providence, R.I. in 1652.
James is at Boston in 1630.
James is found at Charlestown, Mass. in 1633.
James was born at Southampton, England before coming to Chalestown in 1635, then to Newbury in 1637.

An original one dollar paper money of Rhode Island. Notice the name, as referenced below

James was at Hatfield, Mass. in 1678, then to Deerfield, Mass. in 1682 before finally locating at Colchester, Mass..
James is at Brandon, Conn. pre-1687, when he is found at Norwalk, Conn..
John, son of John of Hawkedon, Suffolk, England was baptized in 1601 and is found at Watertown, Mass. in 1636. He then went to Duxbury, then to Taunton by 1643. He died in 1662 at Swanzey, Mass..
John was a shipbuilder and born in 1595 at England. He is found at Salem by 1629 and Duxbury by 1636. He is then found at Taunton, Mass. by 1643 and moved, the next year, to Rehoboth.
John was born in 1588 and came to New England in 1635, where he is found at Salem by 1637, then to Hampton, N.H..
John was a mason and son of Richard, of Barton Regis, Gloucestershire, England. He is found in Maine by 1641.
John was a tailor from Badstow, Essex, England and is found to have come to New England in 1635, when he moved to Ipswich by 1641.
John was at Milford, Conn. in 1648.
John was a Scotchman at Cambridge, Mass in the middle of the 17th century and is found at Marlboro, Mass. by 1662. He is then found at Falmouth, Maine in 1678, then at Watertown, Mass..
John was married at Reading, Mass. in 1659.
John was at Duxbury, Mass. pre-1673.
Lt. John was born in 1584 and was a nephew of Peter Brown, a Mayflower passenger. He came to Plymouth pre-1633 and lived "near Phillip Brown". He was a proprietor at Taunton in 1637 before removing to Swanzey in 1643.
John was at York, Maine in 1680.

　

The original 1636 deed of Rhode Island

Do you know the original and STILL the correct name of Rhodle Island? How about, believe it or not, The State of Rhode Island and the Providence Plantations...as witnessed in this original, 1636 deed.

　

John was married at Billerica, Mass. in 1682.
Capt. John was at Marblehead, Mass. in 1686.
Joseph was at Lynn in 1680.
Nathaniel was at Hartford, Conn. in 1647, then to Middletown, Conn. by 1654 before finally residing at Springfield, Mass. He was killed in King Phillips War in 1675.
Nathaniel was a freeman at Ipswich, Mass. in 1685.

Massachusetts paper money of 1690

Nicholas was a mariner and son of Edward of Inkborrow, Worcestershire, England. He was at Lynn in 1638 and removed to Reading by 1663.
Nicholas was at Portsmouth, R.I. in 1655.
Peter, a Mayflower passenger, came to Plymouth in 1620 and afterwards to Duxvury, Mass..
Phillip was at Plymouth ca. 1635.
Robert was born in 1611 and came to Cambridge in 1635, leaving no issue.
Stephen was at Newbury, Mass. pre-1656.
Thomas was a weaver from Malford, Wiltshire in1635. He was still there by 1639.
Thomas was born in 1609 and went to Concord, Mass. in 1632. He was an early settler of Salisbury, Mass. in 1638.
Thomas was married at Cambridge, Mass. in 1656.
William was under the employment of Gov. Winthrop in 1633 at Boston.
William, son of Francis of Brandon, Suffolk, England, and was born in 1609. He lived at Salem in 1635.
William was an original settler of Sudbury in 1639.
William was at Gloucester, Mass. in 1644.
William was married in Plymouth in 1649.
William, brother of George the carpenter, was at Salisbury, Mass. in 1640.
William was a soapboiler at Salem and Boston pre-1650.
William was at Boston pre-1655.

New England Colonists, 1600-1700 Bridges-Brooking

Bridgeham

Henry was born in 1613 at Teltain, Suffolk, England and came to Dorchester, Mass. in 1641, then to Boston in 1644.
James was a carpenter from Winchester, Hants, Engalnd and went to Hartford, Conn. in 1641, then to Springfield, Mass. between 1643-1655 before removing to Northampton, Mass. by 1656.

An old woodcut of a Colonial leather tanner

Bridgeman

James was at Hartford, Conn. pre-1641 and by 1645, he was living in Springfield, Mass..

Brigden

Thomas came from Faversham, Kent, England to Charlestown, Mass. by 1635.

Briggs

Clement was a felmonger(called a felsmonger in colonial times) who came from Southwarke, England to Plymouth, Mass. by 1621, then to Dorchester, Mass. by 1631 and lastly to Weymouth in 1633.
Edmund was living at Topsfield, Mass. in 1667.
James was a settler in Mass. by 1683.
John was born in 1609 and was living in Newport, R.I. in 1638, then to Portsmouth, R.I. by 1650 and lastly at Kingstown, R.I. in 1678.
Joseph was living in Mass. in 1679.
Matthew, or Matthias, is found being married at Hingham, Mass. in 1648.
Thomas was born in England in 1603 before settling at Cambridge, Mass. in 1637.
Walter was at Scituate, Mass pre-1643.
William was at Boston by 1642.

Brigham

Sebastian was at Cambridge, Mass. in 1636 before removing to Rowley, Mass. by 1644.
Thomas was born in 1603 and is found as a freeman at Cambridge, Mass. by 1636.

Bright

Henry was the son of Henry, of Bury St. Edmunds, England. He came from Ipswich, Suffolk, England to Watertown, Mass. by 1634. He was born in 1602.

A Colonial engraving of 'coopering' in New England

Brightman

Henry was at Portsmouth, R.I. in 1670. Thomas was at Watertown, Mass. by 1640.

Brighton

Samuel was at Boston in 1692.

Brimblecome

John was a woolcomber at Boston in 1654 before removing to Marblehead, Mass. pre-1674.
Philip was brother of John and was at Marblehead in 1668.

Brimsden or Brimsdell

Robert was a merchant and married at Lynn, Mass. in 1667.

Brimsmead or Brinsmade

John was at Charletstown, Mass. in 1637 and then went to Stratford, Conn. in 1650.
William went to Dorchester, Mass. between 1628-1630.

Brinley

Francis was the son of Thomas of Datchett, Buckinghamshire, England and was born in 1632. He was at Newport, R.I. in 1652.

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Brintnall

Thomas was living in Boston pre-1655.

Briscoe

Benjamin was a shoemaker at Boston and was married there in 1656.
Nathaniel wa a tanner and known as "Rich Tanner". He was a descendant of Edward Bisco of Missenden, Buckinghamshire, England, who died in 1653. Nathaniel was the 4th generation from Edward, who was bapt. at Little Missenden, England in 1595. Nathaniel came to New England in 1639, then to Watertown, Mass. Nathaniel then returned to England by 1654, leaving two sons named Nathaniel and John, as well as two daughters in New England.
William was a tailor at Boston in 1640.

Bristol or Bristow

Henry was a cooper who was born in England in 1625 and is found at New Haven, Conn. by 1647.
Richard was a brother of Henry and is also a cooper. He was living at Guilford, Conn. by 1640.

Britton

James was born in England in 1610 and is found at Woburn, Mass. in 1637.
William came from Bristol, England to Newport, R.I.. His family name was Summerill, but on leaving England, he assumed his mother's maiden name of Britton.



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Broadbridge

Richard is found at Casco, Maine by 1680.

Brock

Henry is found at Dedham, Mass. in 1642 and left no male issue.
Richard was at Watertown, Mass. in 1635.
William is found at Salem in 1639.

Brockett

John was at New Haven, Conn. in 1639.

Brocklebank

John is at Rowley, Mass. pre-1655.

Brockway

Woolstone was born in England in 1638 and is found to have purchased land in Saybrook, Conn. in 1659.

Brodbent or Broadbent

Joshua married at Woburn, Mass. in 1685.

Bromfield

Edward was a merchant and the son of Henry, grandson of Arthur. He was born at the Haywood House in New Forest, Hants, England in 1649 and came to Boston in 1675.

Bromley

Luke was at Stonington, Conn. pre-1692.

Bronsden

Robert was born at England in 1638 and is found in New England colonial records in 1667. He was at Boston in 1690.

Bronson or Brunson(see Brounson)



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Brooker

John was at Guilford, Conn. in 1695.

Brookhaven

John was living in London, England before coming to R.I. in 1681.

Brooking or Brooken

John was at Boston in 1658.
William was sent over by Mason in 1631 to Portsmouth, N.H. before removing to Charlestown, Mass.

New England Colonists, 1600-1700 Bragg-Bridges



ca. 1780

Bragg

Edumnd or Edward, settled in Ipswich, Mass, in 1646, leaving no male issue.
Brainerd or Brainard
Daniel was born in Braintree, England in 1641 before coming with the Wadsworth family to Hartford, Conn. in 1649. Removed to Haddam, Conn. pre-1665.

Braley

Roger was of Welsh descent and settled at Portsmouth, R.I. in 1696.

Braman
Thomas was born ca. 1620-1630 and was living at Taunton, Mass. in 1653.

Brame, Bram or Bream

Benjamin was a cooper when he was living in Boston in 1668.

Bramhall

George was in Dover, N.H. in 1670, then to Casco, Maine as early as 1678. He was killed there by Indians in 1689.

Branch

Arthur was at Saybrook, Conn. in 1670.

Peter was a carpenter who came from Holden, Kent, England in 1638. He died en route, leaving a son, John, who was under the apprenticeship of Thomas Wilburne at Duxbury, Mass.
William was at Springfield, Mass. in 1648, leaving no male issue.

Brand

George was a baker at Roxbury, Mass. and left no issue.
Thomas was a cooper who went to Salem, Mass. in 1629.

Brandegee

Colonial woodcut of a family picking apples

John was in Wethersfield, Conn. in 1635.

Brattle

Thomas was at Charlestown, Mass. in 1656 before removing to Boston a year later.
William, a brother of preceding, was at Boston in 1677.

Brawne

Michael was at Dover, N.H. in 1655.

Bray

John was a shipwright at Kittery, Maine pre-1674, when he is found at Gloucester, Mass.
Robert was in Salem, Mass. in 1668.
Thomas was also a shipwright at Gloucester in 1646.
William was at York, Maine in 1689.

Braydon

Arthur was born in England in 1598 and settled at York, Maine in 1640.

Brayton

Francis was born in England in 1611 and was living at Portsmouth, R.I. pre-1642.

Brazier

Edward was at Charlestown, Mass. in 1658.

Breck

Edward was born at Lancastershire, England ca. 1595 and is found to have gone to Dorchester, Mass. in 1635, then to Lancaster, Mass. by 1641.
John was at Medfield, Mass. where he died in 1660.
Thomas was born at Lancaster, England in 1600 and began living in Dorchester, Mass. by 1650.

Bredane

Byron was at Malden, Mass. in 1671.

Breed

Allen was born in England in 1630 and went to Lynn, Mass. in 1639, then removed to Southampton, L.I. in 1640.

A woodcut of harvest time in colonial New England.

Brenton

William, was born at Hammersmith, England and went to Boston in 1633. Afterwards he is found in Portsmouth and Newport, R.I. and lived at Taunton, Mass between 1670-1672.

Brett

William was born at Kent, England and is found at Duxbury, Mass. in 1640 and is also one of the first proprietors of Bridgewater, Mass. in 1645.

Bretton

Philip was a rigger and a Huguenot; was at Falmouth, Maine pre-1700 before removing to Boston.

Brewer

Christopher was at Lynn, Mass. in 1684
Daniel was born in England about 1600, and settled at Roxbury, Mass. in 1634.
Rev. Daniel was ordained at Springfield, Mass. in 1694.
John, was born about 1620 and went to Cambridge, Mass. in 1642 before removing to Sudbury, Mass. pre-1647.
Thomas was a proprietor of Ipswich, Mass. in 1639 and removed to Lynn, Mass. in 1658.
Thomas was living at Lynn, Mass. in 1682.

Brewster

Francis came from London to New Haven, Conn. in 1640 and was lost at sea in 1646.
John was living in Portsmouth, N.H. pre-1664.
William of the Mayflower was the son of William and born at Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England in 1560 before coming to Plymouth in 1620.

Brice
Thomas was a ships carpenter and is at Gloucester, Mass. in 1642.

Brickett
Nathaniel was at Newbury, Mass. pre-1673.

Bricknall
Edward was at Boston, Mass. in 1681.

Bridge
Edward was at Roxbury, Mass. in 1639.
John, a brother of preceding, was at Cambridge, Mass. in 1635.
John was a resident of Wickford, R.I. in 1674.
Samuel was a carpenter at Boston in 1671.
William was at Watertown, Mass. in 1636 before removing to Boston in 1643.
William was at Charlestown, Mass. in 1644.

Bridges
Edmund was born in 1612 at England and settled at Lynn, Mass. by 1636 before removing to Rowley, Mass. in 1641. He then went to Ipswich and Topsfield, Mass.
Robert was at Lynn, Mass. in 1641.








 

New England at a glance...1800

Aldro Hibbard

The former governor of Massachusetts, Thomas Hutchinson, once wrote "When I die, you will find engraved upon my heart New England.", as he languishing in England during the Revolutionary War. There is a certain nostalgia and "pull" with this term that has lasted for many centuries until the present day.

It doesn't matter if you are lifelong Yankee, simply visited one summer or winter or even read about it while perusing a magazine. The thought of our heritage crosses everyone's mind during Thanksgiving when we are inundated with stories of the first gathering in all media, and lasts through the winter with scenes of fireside flames dancing shadows off the snowdrifts outside the living room window.

New England thoughts carry through to the spring and summer as the sea gulls screech and swarm around the fishing boats, as the stern man is pulling up lobster traps.

The comforting appeal is akin to the hospitable charm the Southern colonies in America bring. But it is the memories that separate these thoughts. Memories of an economy that was almost purely agricultural at the beginning of the 19th century. Over 90% of our people were engaged in some type of farming, with the "ruling party" being the inhabitants of the rural village. A countryside with beauty that resulted from glacial activity many eons ago, ending with a soil that is rocky, but rich, hearty and fertile.

The Yankee were just as rocky and hearty as the landscape. Most of us are of English, Scotch-Irish descent with a smattering of French and Acadian, with Germans rounding off our inclusive bloodline.

The amalgamation of these races that formed the farmer were unique, not firmly conservative nor as radical as their bigger city brethren. Quite naive to the ways of blue-bloods but a head above the urban craftsmen. Independent and poor, but self-sufficient in every way, is what defined our heritage.

The typical farmer had about 100 acres and only tilled but a dozen or so of that for rye, oats, wheat, barley and corn. Gardens edged these fields with potatoes, squash, pumpkins, root vegetables, peas and beans that busted out of every garden.

The Yankee farmer still adhered to the old "Indian" way of farming with the three-field system. This rotation of crops is having one field of grain, one of grass and one fallow each season. Very little in the way of fertilization was needed and no improvement was needed at all, as long as these three patches of land was constantly rotated every year.

An apple orchard with plum, quince, peach and pears scattered throughout was common, with blueberries sprawling over the rocky hillsides where no other crop would grow. Pasture, wood lots and fields for mowing made up the remainder of the land.

His house lot was just enough to live on, often crowded with a large family, a barn of livestock, corn cribs, workshops and a variety of sheds for a multitude of purposes. Six to eight cows could be seen in most families, roaming the pastures along with a dozen sheep, bee hives, chickens and pigs. A horse was not as general as oxen because one had to have money in order to buy a sleigh or buggy. Utilitarian can be comfortably ascribed to the New England farmer because his yoke of oxen was better suited for the heavy hauling that was necessary for his farm.

The work of a farmer was non-ending and the entire household was expected to work as hard as the father and mother. Clearing, plowing, planting, hoeing, harvesting, fence making and repairing, fixing the house and barns, tending livestock, making shingles and furniture, cutting and splitting wood, cooking, soap making, washing, cleaning, clothes making, churning butter, rendering lard, cheese making, food preserving, brining, smoking, making cider.....and this was just the surface of their chores. For example, in order to dry apples and pumpkins, they needed to be gathered, cored and sliced before being strung over the fireplace to dry.

The town village was just as self sufficient as the lonely farmers family. An autonomous principality, one journal entry reads, "A well-instructed, hardy, and laborious yeomanry will pursue the best measures for preserving their republican character and moral institutions."

Hog reeves, constables, sealers of weights and measures, the overseers of the poor, tax collectors and inspectors of provisions are just some of the old time jobs our ancestors had. We controlled our own churches, schools and militias and it wasn't even a forethought NOT to attend "meetin' day".

Although most of the New England farmers mended his own plow, built his own rock walls, made his own axe handles, threshed his own corn and sharpened his own scythes.

The local village had blacksmiths to help with forging tools, cart rims and hardware needed by these same farmers in order to shoe their oxen and make the kitchen, fireplace and woodstove utensils. Millers were very important since the very beginning of New England to grind grains for cooking or sawing lumber for cabinet making. Mills were always found on a stream of rushing water, right next door to a fulling mill and bark mill, although the latter two often polluted the water.

Ye Olde Yankee stores doted the countryside and were of utter importance. It was here that a little repose could be found, gossip could be spread and the news was shared. This store was also the place to do business. Trading, or as we call it "bahterin'" one item for another was essential. Surplus grain could fetch you eggs, cheese or cloth, while a loaf of brown sugar, molasses, tea or coffee could get you that jug of rum you wanted or that spice she needed.

Indigo dyes and cochineal could be attained if you could round up some extra firewood or shingles. Salt, gunpowder, teapots, pottery and stoves could be traded almost any time.

George Henry Durrie

In this same store, the owner was a postmaster as well, thereby deeming him the purveyor of local and national news. Cutting off a slab of Cheddar and grabbing a pickle from the barrel, the French War, the Barbary pirates or the state of national affairs were often argued and spouted over. Those scandalous Southern Baptists were the usual topic of conversation.

Maybe on the way home from the store, the farmer would head to the tavern and enjoy even more chatter, news.....and a dram. John Adams once said "I was silently listening to these tavern talks among the farmers as he made the circuits that he first came to realize that American independence was both inevitable and close at hand."

These taverns were the place where the conversation on international affairs really heated up, along with new ideas on how our government should be run, religion and by the end of their stopover, every ill in society had an answer by one of the number.

These same issues were discussed again on Sunday morning and afternoon, when the farmers family would attend church in rural New England. The minister would proclaim that he had the answer to save their souls and in the process, taught him about the philosophical, political and religious tenets. Sin, salvation, damnation and faith were a weekly topic as well, to be practiced and feared on every day.

George Henri Durrie

The now sacredly cared for meeting house built in the early 1800s was the center of tax debates, arguments about better roads or those pesky cows that belonged to their neighbors often breaking fences to trod in their fields or gardens.

Choosing the unrewarding job of highway surveyor, voting against a certain selectman because of a quarrel or appointing a new schoolmaster were on the agenda regularly.

But be that as it may, life was not always toil and self-effacing turmoil. Husking bees, house and barn raisings, singing meetings, frolics, a ball here and there(when the local minister was away) and quilting parties all were fun affairs, but utilitarian in nature.

It was only by innate conservatism and poverty that our 19th century forefathers prevented themselves from breaking completely from our Puritan way of life. As in the Puritan days, the leader of the village, as well as its moral guardian, was the minister. The minister was often-times the schoolmaster, who helped prepare a few boys for further education at Harvard. Next to him in the social position was the village squire, or the "richest man about town". Although he may have been worlds apart from the poorer farmer class, his forefathers had been leaders before him and was almost always seated in the state legislature. He was also the local Justice of the Peace, where he sentenced drunkards and those who allowed their oxen to impede on another's property. The farmer held onto him, also, because he was the one that could branch out beyond their small village in order to represent their town in state-wide affairs......and monetary help if needed.

George Henry Durrie

But even the small town farmer in New England found himself separated from the rest of Yankee land, but happily! The long hours of hard work, poverty and isolation(because of the often times poor roads that got even worse with poor weather) made us even more self sufficient, some may even say salty and cantankerous.

We are often seen as intolerant, quarrelsome, with a touch of provincialism mixed in. Our religion was restrictive, our economy was limited, our educational system sporadic and inadequate most of the time, but our lives peaceful.

A minister of Massachusetts writes in 1808: "New Englanders are very industrious and economical and mingle little with other parts of the world. Their industry and frugality are proverbial....there is a great similarity in their habits, manners, and customs of the people, which have been handed down from father to son, with all the regularity of patrimonial descent. To omit fishing in the spring would be an alarming innovation and to intermarry beyond the limits of the town would be a most unpardonable dereliction of duty."

As the 1800s rolled on, the frequent Yankee names that so universally graced muster rolls, tax lists, church member registries and headstones were moving toward the mid-West, being replaced by newer immigrants from Ireland and Western Europe as industrialization began in earnest.

The "Flowering of New England" was blooming, and would continue to do so for a half century, up until the Civil War.

Starting at the close of the War of 1812, the children of the farmer who toiled so long and hard in 1800 were beginning to understand that richness could not be obtained through the soil. These offspring looked doubtfully on the unending toil that showed little reward and so they traveled westward to make their fortunes, or moved to cities to become merchants, artisans or as apprentices.

The farms themselves began to decline, along with the agricultural villages that formed the towns that once held personal places in one's heart. By the Civil War, this Yankee ideal was all but gone. Mainly because it was observed that the War could only be won by manpower, not produce.

But the beliefs, attitudes and ideas of the farmer lived on in these same children, inside and outside New England. The strong religious convictions, the sturdy conscience, self reliance, morality and the appreciation of what could be attained outside of their familiar farm is what lives on today. The farmers conscience also remains and the ambience of family is what gave New England its own little part of the world.

Even though our actions don't directly affect the security of the family as it did in 1800, those ideas and ingrained philosophy still flow through our body and soul, to be seen by outsiders in picture and word. We are Yankee and will always be.

New England Colonists, 1600-1700 Bowers-Bradstreet

A great example of how 17th century town centers were laid out.

Bowers
George was in Plymouth, Mass. in 1639, then to Cambridge, Mass..

Bowker

Edmund(or Edward) was at Dorchester, Mass. in 1635, then moved to Sudbury by 1666.
James was originally from Sweden and came to Scituate, Mass. ca. 1674.


Bowles

John was at Roxbury, Mass. in 1640.
Joseph was in Saco, Maine by 1640 before moving to Wells.
Richard was at Dover, N.H. by 1666.

Bowman

John was in Plymouth, Mass. in 1633.
Nathaniel settled in Watertown, Mass. by 1630, then to Lexington.

Bowne

Thomas was born in Matlock, Derbyshire, England in 1595 before coming to Boston in 1648. He was also an early settler at Flushing, L.I..

Boyden

Thomas, born in Suffolk, England and then went to Ipswich, England by 1634. He then came to Scituate, Mass pre-1650. By 1651, he is found Boston, then Medfield, Watertown and lastly Groton, Mass..

Boyes or Boyce

Antipas, was at Boston in 1659 with only one issue, his son(who went back to England).
Joseph, was at Salem by 1639.
Matthew was at Roxbury, Mass. by 1638, removing to Rowley pre-1641. He went back to England by 1657.
Richard was at N.H. pre-1677.
Samuel was at Saybrook, Conn.(where he married)by 1668.

Boylston

Thomas, s/o Thomas of London and grandson of Henry, of Litchfield, England. He was at Watertown, Mass. by 1635.

Boynton

John was born at Knapton, Wingham, Yorkshire, England in 1614 and came to Mass. by 1635, settling in Rowley.
William, was brother of preceding, and son of William(who was the 23d generation from Bartholomew de Boynton). He was at Rowley, Mass by 1638, having came to New England in 1635.
William was at Salisbury, Mass. pre-1670.

Brabrook or Braybrook

John was at Watertown, Mass. by 1640.
Joseph was at Concord, Mass. by 1672.
Richard was an early settler at Ipswich, Mass.
William was at Lynn, Mass. in 1637 before removing to Sandwich, Mass.

Brace or Bracy or Bracie

John was at New Haven, Conn. by 1644, then to Wethersfield, Conn. in 1647.
Stephen was a 'hatter' at Swanzey, Mass. in 1669, then to Hartford, Conn. in 1692 where he died the same year.
Thomas was a resident of Ipswich, Mass. in 1635 before removing to Branford, Conn.
Thomas, brother of John, was at Wethersfield, Conn before removing to Hatfield, Mass. when he died in 1704.

Brackenbury

John was at Charlestown, Mass, then to Boston, where he married in 1655.
William, son of William of the Mayflower
Richard was with Governor Endicott when he came to N.E., residing in Salem by 1628.
Samuel was at Boston in 1677.
William, came in Winthrop's Fleet in 1630 and then went to Malden, Mass.

Brackett

Anthony was in Maine on the "Piscataqua River" as early as 1623 before going to Portsmouth, N.H. pre-1640.
Peter was at Braintree, Mass. by 1643, then to Scarborough, Maine in 1673.
Capt. Richard, brother of the preceding, was at Boston in 1632, then removed to Quincy by 1639.
William, was under the employment of Mason and was at Portsmouth, N.H. by 1624.

Bradbury

Capt. Thomas, s/o Wymond, great grandson of Matthew, was at York, Maine in 1634. Two years later, he was at Ipswich and then one of the original proprietors of Salisbury, Mass.

Brade

Joseph was at Marblehead, Mass. in 1638.

Bradfield

Lesby was at Wethersfield, Conn pre-1643.

Bradford

Alexander was at Dorchester, Mass. in 1638 but left no issue.
Robert was a freeman at Boston in 1642.


Bradhurst

Ralph was at Roxbury, Mass. (where he was married the same year) in 1677, but left no issue.

Brading

James was at Newbury, Mass. in 1659.

Brandish

Robert was at Cambridge as early as 1635.

Bradley

Daniel was at New Haven, Conn. in 1657.
Daniel was at Haverhill, Mass. in 1635 and at Rowley, Mass by 1662.
Francis went to Branford, Conn. by 1660 before removing to Fairfield, Conn. in 1657.
Isaac was first at Branford, Conn. in 1667, the went to New Haven, Conn. by 1683.
John was at Dedham, Mass. in 1642
John was at Dover, N.H. by 1667.
Joseph was at Haverhill, Mass. in 1649.
Joshua was in Rowley, Mass. by 1663.
Nathan resided in Guilford, Conn. pre-1669.
Nathaniel was at Dorchester, Mass. pre-1701, when he died at age 70 years.
Peter, was at New London, Conn. in 1654.
Richard was in Boston in 1651.
Stephen took the oath of fidelity in 1660 in Guilford and New Haven, Conn..
William took the oath of fidelity at New Haven, Conn. in 1644.

Bradshaw

Humphrey was at Cambridge, Mass. in 1642

Bradstreet

Humphrey came to Ipswich, Mass. from Ipswich, England with the Winthrop Fleet in 1630 before removing to Cambridge, Ipswich, Andover and Boston.

Bunch of Grapes Tavern in Boston, Mass..

William Hudson, one of the earliest inhabitants of Boston lived at the site where the Bunches of Grapes would build. The first recorded owner of this tavern, that is located at the corner of King Street and Mackrell Lane, was William Davis, who then sold it to William Ingram in 1658. William then sold it to John Holbrook in 1680.

Not familiar with the corner of King and Mackrell? It is now the corner of State and Kilby.

As all taverns and inns of the time used painted signs to announce their establishments, this tavern hung gilded grapes over the doorway.

Francis Holmes owned it for about 2 years when it burned down in 1711 during the great Boston fire. The following year, it was replaced as a brick structure, mush as the same as the other wooden properties that were destroyed during the fire.

Called by the patrons at the time as "The best punch house in Boston", it was also renowned for its great food, such as veal, beef, mutton, hams and puddings of all kinds. All these food preceded by a pint of Madeira. It is thought that table carving was first used here in New England, which was the norm in Old English taverns.

For 5s, each overnight guest was offered great fare and Madeira to whatever amount they desired.

The succession of owners were:

William Coffin, 1731

Edward Lutwych, 1733

Joshua Barker, 1749

William Weatherhead, 1750

Rebecca Coffin, 1760

Joseph Ingersoll, 1764

Captain John Marston, 1775

William Foster, 1782

Col. Dudley Coleman, 1783

James Bila and Thomas Lobdel, 1789

James Bowdoin, in 1790.


Upon the latters death, it was bequeathed to his wife as the "...house caled The Bunch of Grapes."

In 1733, it served as the first Provincial Grand Lodge of Masons, known as Saint John's Grand Lodge by a Boston tailor named Henry Price.

During the American Revolution, most taverns served as gathering points for the fledgling 'continental army', and The Bunch of Grapes was no different. Even the Whigs made it their political headquarters at this time, as well as the 'home' of Captain John Marston's military band of patriots between 1775-1778.

Captain John Marston

　
During the famous episode known as the 'evacuation of Boston',

the Bunch of Grapes became the hub of many demonstrations. Even then, General George Washington was entertained at this tavern.

It was in front of this tavern that all the Old English relics, pertaining to the mother country, were piled up and burned after the Declaration of Independence was read aloud just a few blocks away at the Town House on State Street.

On his return to New England from France in 1780, Lafayette was received at the Bunch of Grapes as he pronounced that France was joining the War.

The Ohio Company, a group of veteran officers, was rounded up by Dr. Manasseh Cutler and General Rufus Putnam in order to mete out the million and a half acres of land along the banks of the Ohio River to those who wanted to purchase lots for 67 cents an acre.

Although the building was demolished in 1798, on the 150th birthday of this tavern, the original bunches of gilded grapes, which hung over the door of this Boston landmark, was presented to the St. John's Lodge, A.F. & A.M. by Enoch Paige on Oct. 1, 1883.

　

Early Tavern Days

I wanted to break up the "black and white" aspect of these posts and give you some everyday adventures of our forefathers(and mothers) here in New England. This will be the first post of many more to come regarding the old taverns/inns that doted our landscape and provided us with such a rich culture that stays with us today.

A 1773 rendering of The Green Dragon Tavern, Boston, Mass..

We couldn't begin to talk about the old taverns of New England without, first, relating as to why they were needed to begin with.

When New England, and elsewhere, was first settled, the only way to getting from one place to another was by horseback, waterways or, more commonly, by foot because of the never ending wilderness that choked our surroundings.

In winter, snowshoes were worn by every traveler on foot, along with a type of ski pole as we know them today, even right down to the wooden, circular disk to prevent it from sinking into the snow.

Most of the time, the trails that were already in use by the Natives were used and expanded as the years, and number of people traversing, increased.

As we have mile markers today, these were in use in the 17th century as well. See photos of the earliest mile markers still in extant today.

These so called roads in the very early days were just paths and were seldom, if at all, maintained. Stone "mile markers" were erected, though, allowing for those traveling to gauge distance.

Some of these earliest paths are still in existence. The Old Connecticut Path, that runs westward from Massachusetts to the Connecticut River Valley, is now(in part) Route 9 and 126.

The Old Bay Path, through Kingston, Mass., which is referred to now, in part, as the Boston Post Road is one of the earliest, if not the earliest.
 It wasn't long before the domestic horse and oxen were used for something other than hauling felled trees from the forest. The "trodden paths" of old would still be used by those on foot for the most part, but these animals became the conveyance for those who needed to travel further distances. In short time, crude, horse-drawn coaches were built.

The earliest forms of these coaches were simple, covered wagons with 3 rudimentary benches(without backs) affixed in a wooden "box" with a leather cover. Passengers had only one way on and off-board, through a narrow opening in the side of this "box" and climbing over one another. The rear seats were generally given to the women and children so that they could at least have the support of the wall of the wagon.

It wasn't until the early 1800s, that more elaborate, egg-shaped, sturdy coaches were being built for the comfort of the passengers.

Courtesy of connecticuthistory.org

Of course rainstorms and floods created perilous journeys, but forest fires were the most dreaded natural fear on the "road". There have been countless journal entries of passengers sitting with their backs to the front so that they wouldn't become aware of these dangers.
 "We travelled all night. The rain and snow descending through the roof, our hats were frozen to our capes, and our cloaks to one another. In the morning we looked like some mountain of ice moving down the gulf stream..."

The route of the old Boston Post Road

 One amusing story that has been related by historians for generations perfectly sums up the lack of empathy between passengers and coach drivers.

"A stage sometimes got stuck in the mud and on one occasion, the driver asked his passengers to alight and help extricate the vehicle, which they refused to do. The driver, thereupon, got out and sat by the roadside, calmly smoking. Words followed in quick succession, whereupon the driver remarked: "Since them horses can't pull the 'kerrige out o' that mud-hole, an' ye won't help, I'm a-goin' to wait till th' mud-hole dried up."
 As early as 1693, the mail service began delivering post by horseback and coach. Yankee frugality was obvious at this early stage as well, with the post driver acting as a town crier of sorts. He would carry the news, orally, from town to town, collected bills for individuals and local governments, acted as a guide for the foreign observer and collected taxes, just to name a few.
 Sundays were the one day that travel was NOT permitted, except for emergencies and charity. This law was not repealed in New England until 1887, believe it or not.

An 18th century stagecoach

Another well known, and often repeated, story of these early days is attributed to Andover, Massachusetts.

"Once of the Deacons of the church, there, was appointed to see that the officers in charge of making sure this law was enforced was doing their job. The officer was stationed just outside of town at a toll gate and the Deacon spent the day with him. A gentleman traveling in a carriage was stopped by the officer and told that he could go no further. He very courteously congratulated the guardians on their desire to enforce the law which was familiar to him but asked that he be permitted to pass as his mother was lying dead in Boston. The Deacon and the officer conferred on this and decided that the traveler was within his rights and allowed him to continue on his journey. When he had reached a safe distance, he called back, 'Don't forget to tell the good people of Andover that you permitted me to pass because my mother is lying dead in Boston. You may add, also, if you please , that she has been lying dead there for some twenty years.' "
 Within just a few years of the settlement of New England, and the paths laid out for commerce from one town or plantation to another, it was noticed that "stay-overs" were needed for the weary traveler. That is where the tavern comes in.

An old stereoscopic view of the famous Old Bay Path

 Taverns were built to accommodate these travelers and ease this uncomfortable journey. May of these wayside stops remained as historic landmarks long after travel had ceased along these particular routes. During the early years, it was a rule that taverns were located near a church, the complete opposite of today's statutes. There were even regulations that landlords were to provide liquor to their respective patrons. On one hand, a landlord was subject to a fine if he sold any person an "immoderate quantity" of liquor, and, on the other hand, he could be fined if he refused to sell the quantity allowed by law to be drunk on his premises.

An Easton, Massachusetts Tavern picture taken in the 1800s

In 1634, our Puritan fathers regulated prices for just about everything, including food prices to be charged at taverns and inns. Truly a move to prevent gouging and unfairness, it was a godsend for patrons and a boon to landlords.

A sixpence was the legal charge for a meal, and a penny for a quart of ale or beer. The landlord was liable to be fined ten shillings if he charged more.

So proliferate had taverns become that by 1675, even Cotton Mather is said to have remarked that every other house in Boston was one of those "public houses."
 The year 1634 was also the year of the first tavern in Boston, owned by Samuel Cole. He opened it on the old Cornhill Street, now known as Washington Street, 239 Washington Street to be precise. This place is still visible with a plaque erected in 1924 by the City of Boston reading;

Site of

Samuel Cole's Inn

The first Tavern

in Boston 1634

Later known as

The Ship Tavern

The great Fire of 1711

started in the rear

of the tavern.

 Other tavern rules, albeit comical now, are fun to read. The use of tobacco was considered to be more sinful and harmful than intoxicating liquors and many landlords forbade it to be brought into their buildings. There were also restrictions as to its' use in private homes as well. Even in Boston streets, smoking as forbidden.

Along with smoking, coffee was prohibited, with one tavern keeper being punished for making and selling it because it "annoyed his neighbors by evil smells."

Even some games, at the very beginning, were denied to travelers. "They have a vile practice here, which is peculiar to this city; I mean that of playing back-gammon(a noise I detest)which is going forward in the public coffee-houses from morning till night. frequently ten or a dozen tables at a time."


 The popularity of serving "refreshments" created a type of "road-side poetry".

"The days are short, the weather's cold,

By tavern fires tales are told.

Some as for dram when first come in,

Others with flip and bounce begin."

"My liquor's good,

My measure's just;

Excuse me, sirs!

I cannot trust."

 Coaches usually traveled at the rate of four or five miles an hour, changing horses every ten miles or so. This gave passengers the opportunity to refresh themselves at the taverns along the way. It was customary for the stage to arrive at an inn at the hour of noon when a hearty dinner, the biggest meal of the day, was ready for the them.

When it came to overnight lodging, there was no such thing as a private room. All beds were big enough to accommodate at least two people and frequently there were as many as three people to a bed and three beds to a room. The tavern keeper did not consider this house filled until every bed was filled.

One would frequently go to bed by themselves, only to wake up with someone else in their bed, for the landlords of these taverns squeezed as many lodgers in as possible in order to make as much money as possible.
 If a guest wanted a bath or a fire in the room, there was an extra charge. The fire was kindled to order in the fireplace, or stove, and the bath was taken in a wooden tub which the porter filled with hot water carried up from the kitchen.

 "The early bird catches the worm" seemed to be the motto for all those who traveled by coach and had to spend the night at an inn or tavern, only to be woken up for an early start in the coach.

And there is no lack of disgust written in early diaries. Everyone from Alice Morse Earle, a New England historian and author who had a particular distaste of these "early rises" as late as the last quarter(as repeated in her A Wet Start at Daybreak) of the 19th century to Longfellow, who described it :

"The stage left Boston about three o'clock in the morning, reaching the Sudbury Tavern for breakfast, a considerable portion of the route being traveled in total darkness, and without your having the least idea who your companion might be."

 The owners/landlords of taverns, were generally characterized as "disagreeable". Edward Field, in his The Colonial Tavern, is quoted as saying, "....some landlords were so full of sunshine that it was June all the year round; others had minds so frost-bitten that there was no hope for you except in the January thaw. "

Field goes on the explain the duties of the landlords; "He led the singing in the meeting house on Sunday; ran the ferry if his tavern was situated beside a stream; acted as schoolmaster for the children of those who frequented his house; served his fellow men in the legislature, town council, selectman, and other minor offices; ruled with solemn dignity over the local courts; headed the Train Band on training or squadron days; kept order in the meeting house on Sunday..."

As for the food served at these taverns;

"The eating was the cream of the earth. I dined last week at Delmonico's and my dinner was nothing to the cutlets, the ham and eggs, and johnny-cakes of the old Tavern days."
                                                                      Frederick Currier of the Fitchburg Historical Society.

On the other hand, the well known lady of Boston, Sarah Knight, related her experience as she stopped at an inn in Rye, New York;

"Being shew'd the way up a pair of Stairs which had such a narrow passage that I had almost stopt by the Bulk of my Body; But arriving at my Apartment found it to be a little lento Chamber furnisht among other Rubbish with a High Bedd and a Low one, a Long Table, a Bench and a Bottomless Chair. Little Miss went to scratch up my Kennell which Ruselled as if shee'd bin in a Barn among the husks and supose such was the contents of the Tickin-nevertheless being exceedingly weary, down I laid my poor Carkes never more tired and found my Covering as scanty as my bed was hard. Anon I heard another Russelling noice in the room-called to know the matter-Little Miss said she was making a bed for the men; who when they were in Bed complain'd their Leggs lay out of it by reason of its shortness-my poor bones complained bitterly not being used to such Lodgings, and so did the man who was with us; and poor I made but one Grone which was from time I went to bed to the time I riss which was about three in the morning Setting up by the fire till light."

And one quick reference to the old tavern signs. I love the looks of these, and many can still be purchased online. They are a symbol of our past and truly sums up our lives during the colonial era in New England. Many road-side signs were merely symbols and simple paintings, denoting the name of the inn/tavern because many could not read. See if you can figure out the name of this tavern. The answer is at the end of this post.

 It would soon to be that these taverns of old were to fade into history, along with the stages. One old "sermon" relating to the life of a stage was circulated in the 19th century:

" We hear no more the clanging hoof

And the stage coach rattling by;

For the steam king rules the troubled world,

And the old pike's left to die."

 

 

 

Answer to the tavern sign above.

The Crows Foot Tavern