Mauflower Antecedants of Esther Matteson

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

MAYFLOWER ANTECEDANTS

Asa Matteson descended from two 1620 Mayflower passengers William White and Edward Doty through his mother Hannah Sears’ ancestry. She was the daughter of Jane White who was the 3rd great granddaughter of William White and 2nd great granddaughter of Edward Doty.

Governor William Bradford of Plymouth Colony in 1651 recalled the White Family as passengers on the Mayflower writing “Mr. William White, and Susana, his wife, and one sone, called Resolved, and one borne a ship-bord, called Peregriene; and *2* servants, named William Holbeck and Edward Thomson.”

William and Susanna White

William White did not survive the first winter and died on 21 February 1621. He was buried in Coles Hill Burial Ground in Plymouth, likely in an unmarked grave as with most from the Mayflower who died that first winter. With the death of her husband, Susanna White, with newborn Peregrine and five-year-old Resolved, became the only surviving widow out of the many families who perished that winter. By the Spring of 1621, 52 of the 102 persons who originally had arrived on the Mayflower at Cape Cod were dead. In May 1621, Susanna White became the first Plymouth colony bride, marrying Edward Winslow, a fellow Mayflower passenger whose wife had perished on March 24, 1621.At least five children were born to Edward Winslow and his wife Susanna.

Edward Winslow later became Governor of Plymouth Colony and was also the colony’s agent in England and made several voyages back and forth across the Atlantic. In England, his diplomatic skills soon came to the attention of Oliver Cromwell, whose New Model Army had defeated the armies of King Charles I and became the new Puritan leader of the country during the 1650’s.

Edward Winslow lived in England the last six years of his life, serving the government there. When his will was written in 1654 as resident of London, the document stated that he left his New England property to his son Josiah “hee (sic) allowing to my wife a full third parte thereof for her life also” so it is probable that his wife did not follow him to London. Edward Winslow died of fever May 7/8, 1655 while on a British military expedition in the Caribbean and was buried at sea there.

Susanna’s date of death is uncertain – sometime between 1654 and 1675. When Susanna who was twice widowed died, she was buried in the Winslow Cemetery, Marshfield, as were her sons Resolved and Peregrine White.

Resolved and Judith Vassell White

Resolved White was born in England, about 1615. He died sometime after September 19, 1687. He and his first wife Judith were buried in Winslow Cemetery, Marshfield. He was first married to Judith Vassall, the daughter of William Vassall, a founder of Massachusetts Bay Colony, on 5 November 5 1640 in the village of Scituate located midway between Boston in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Plymouth in the Plymouth Colony. Judith Vassell White was born in England circa 1619, and was buried in the Winslow Cemetery in Marshfield on April 3, 1670. They had eight children born in Scituate between 1642 and 1656. Resolved White remarried Abigail the widow of William Lord on October 5, 1674 in Salem, Massachusetts Colony. She died in Salem between June 15 and 27, 1682.

About 1638 the Edward Winslow with young Peregrine and Resolved White, moved to Green Harbor, now called Marshfield. On August 3, 1640, Resolved White was granted 100 acres in Scituate next to his father in law William Vassall’s land. On March 7, 1643 he was granted more land in Scituate.

In February 1643, a new church was founded in Scituate by William Vassall and other dissenters from the existing English Puritan church. Members, known as the “Vassall Group”, called their new church the "Second Church" of Scituate. Judith White, daughter of William Vassall and wife of Resolved White, was one of the founding members of this new church. But the religious situation in the colony finally forced religious dissenter William Vassall to leave for Barbados a few years later never to return to the colony.

In the 1643 the “Able to Bear Arms” list for Scituate showed "Resolued" (sic) White with his father-in-law "Mr. Willam Vassell", and his brother-in-law "John Vassell". John Vassall later became a person of historic note and a wealthy Caribbean plantation owner. The will of William Vassall Esq. of Barbados, dated July 31, 1655, named his daughter Judith White, wife of Resolved White.

On 11 May 1657, Resolved White was in Barbados, West Indies, to witness the sale by his sister-in-law Mary Vassall of her share of her father William Vassall's plantation at St. Michaels. The sale was to her brother-in-law, Nicholas Ware, a merchant of St. Michaels Barbados, who was the husband of her sister Anna Vassell.

The following year on 1 June 1658 he was made a “Freeman” of Plymouth Colony which allowed him to vote and hold office.

On 17 March 1662 Resolved White of Scituate, planter, sold land in Scituate to William Wills. On September 25, 1663 Judith, wife of Resolved White, acknowledged the sale. On June 3, 1668 Resolved White was elected surveyor of highways for Marshfield. On May 29, 1670 White was in the list of Freemen of Marshfield.

On 4 July 1674 White deposed he was aged 59 years. The 2 July 1675 will of Governor Josiah Winslow named Resolved White as his brother although he was a half brother.

At the age of 61, Resolved was a soldier in King Philip's War of 1676, and in 1680, he became a freeman in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts before moving back to Marshfield a couple of years later.

On 9 May 1678 Resolved White, aged about 63 years, was deposed in Essex County, Massachusetts in a court matter and again in June 1679 where he gave his age as 63 years. On 1 February 1680 Abigail White his second wife stated she was about 74 years which would have made her quite a bit older.

The will of Abigail White, wife of Resolved White of Salem, was dated April 26, 1682, proved June 1682. In it she mentions her former husband William Lord; his kinsman William Lord and the latter’s children; and Resolved White her present husband.

The exact date of death of Resolved White is uncertain. He died sometime after 19 September 1687. He may have been alive as late as 1690, as that in that year, Bradford’s History of Plymouth Plantation stated that “Two persons living that came over in the first ship in 1620, this present year 1690: Resolved White and Mary Cushman.” He apparently died within a few years of that writing. Resolved White was buried in Winslow Cemetery in Marshfield.

Samuel White and Rebecca Lapham

According to the Scituate vital records Samuel White he was born 13 March 1646, the son of Resolved White, who, with his parents, came in the Mayflower. Judging from the date of the birth of his first child, 24 August 1669, he was married about 1668, when he and his wife were twenty-two. According to a record found in Rochester Samuel White and his wife were both born the same day, the same month and the same year and that it was "taken from his own records." However there is no marriage record listed and he does not tell the name of his wife. There is also no record of his wife's death. However, it is believed that she was the Rebecah White who died at Rochester the 25 June 1711 in her 65th year, hence born about 1646. This at least agrees with the year of birth of Samuel's wife.

Searching Scituate Church records there appeared on the first page the following:"Baptisms, March 15, 1646: Samuel White, ye son of Resolved, Searching Scituate Church records there appeared (on the first page) the following:

"Baptisms, March 15, 1646: Samuel White, ye son of Resolved Rebecca Lappham, ye daughter of Thomas."

Samuel White was in Sandwich Massachusetts, the oldest town on the Cape Cod peninsula, as early as 20 May 1667. His uncle Major Josiah Winslow, half brother of Samuel's father, of Marshfield deeded land to him there. He was still in Sandwich on 8 June 1671 when he and his wife Rebecca deeded land. In 1671 he sold some land in Middleboro to Benjamin Church and is called "of Sandwich." This indicates that he removed to that town about the time he was married or soon after and that their first five children probably were born there, although their births were not recorded on the town books.

There is evidence that he was in Sippican, Plymouth Colony as one of the proprietors 10 March 1679 and that the rest of the children were born in this new plantation, later called Rochester, which was established as a town in 1686, only about four years before he had all his children recorded. On 17 July 1697” Samuel White, Sr. of Rochester” deeded land in Rochester to his son, Melatiah White of Rochester.

Samuel White was before the court in September 1720, March 1723/24, December 1729, and March 1729/30 for not attending public worship. He died between March 1730 and April 1731

John White and Martha Doty

John White was born 24 August 1669 in Sandwich in Plymouth Colony and died 29 June 1748 in Rochester, Plymouth County, Massachusetts Colony. He was a farmer there and married Martha Doty the granddaughter of Edward Doty a Mayflower Pilgrim. She was born out of wedlock May 1672 in Plymouth to Thomas Doty and Mary Churchill. She died 29 June 1748 in Rochester.

Martha’s grandfather, Edward Doty, came on the Mayflower in 1620 as a servant to Stephen Hopkins, and was apparently still a servant in 1623 when the Division of Land was held. This would indicate he was still under the age of 25 at that time. Upon arrival of the Mayflower at Cape Cod, Doty was one of 41 male passengers who signed the Mayflower Compact where his name appears as "Edward Doten in November 1620. So he was likely over 18 or 21 at the time. This narrows his likely birth date to around 1597-1602.

Doty was one of the Mayflower passengers that have left an extensive record of his personality. He had a quick temper that often was out of control and had many business dealings that in some cases bordered on the fraudulent. Other troublemakers were often removed from Plymouth like Isaac Allerton who was forced out but Doty lived there throughout the rest of his life. Edward Doty appears to have been somewhat of a troublemaker throughout his life at Plymouth.

Doty's first problem with the law came just after the Pilgrims had begun constructing their settlement. The early eighteenth century notes of Thomas Prince describe an incident of 18 June 18, 1621 when the first duel with a sword and dagger was fought in New England between two servants of Stephen Hopkins, Edward Doty and Edward Leister. The duel ended with one being wounded in the hand and one in the thigh. Their punishment was to be tied head and feet together for twenty-four hours without meat or drink. But soon their master Stephen Hopkins, apparently taking pity on their "great pains", made a "humble request, upon promise of a better carriage" and they were released by the governor.

In late 1620, Doty accompanied Stephan Hopkins and others on some of the early Pilgrim explorations of the Cape Cod area while trying to locate a suitable location for their settlement.

In the 1623 Division of Land, he received one acre and was later granted an additional twenty acres. Records of the 1630s and 1640s show numerous land transactions by him apparently making him quite prosperous. Per the record of December 4, 1637, one such land transaction involved land being granted to him and Tristram Clarke, "his father in law." It is known that he did own land in central Plymouth where the Mayflower Society House now stands.

In 1626 Edward Doty was one of twenty-seven Purchasers involved with the colony joint-stock company which afterwards was turned over to the control of senior colony members. That group were called the “Undertakers”, and was made up initially of John Bradford, Myles Standish and Isaac Allerton, who were later joined by Edward Winslow, William Brewster, John Howland, John Alden, Thomas Prence, and four former Merchant Adventurers back in London. On the agreement, dated October 26, 1626, his surname appears as "Dotey".

In the 1627 Division of the Cattle, in which Doty shared, he probably had completed his term of service to Stephen Hopkins, as he is not listed with that family. His name as "Edward Dolton", is listed with the family of John Howland and wife Elizabeth.

Edward Doty later became a wealthy land owner, but his argumentative nature and display of temper caused him to be in the Plymouth court many times over the years. The post-1632 records of the Plymouth Court, which has no existing records prior to that year, has twenty-three cases over the 20 years between January 1632 and October 1651 that involve Edward Doty. The records include suits/countersuits, and charges such as fraud, slander, fighting, assault, debt, trespass, theft, etc. But although Doty appeared before the court numerous times, he was never punished for criminal activities beyond small fines. So even though he was charged with fighting and was sued by many persons for fraudulent trading and goods sales, almost all were civil cases and were not of a criminal nature. And other than his duel in 1621, he never received any physical punishment that was commonly given for crimes such as theft, serious assault and adultery. He was quite fortunate in this regard as typical punishments at that time included whipping, branding, banishment and the stocks.

Even with his periodic court cases, in which he accepted the outcome of all such actions, Edward Doty lived a normal life as a freeman, paying his taxes and all his debts. He periodically received land grants from court as with other residents, and received other property rights and benefits from being classed as a "first comer."

Records do not show that Edward Doty ever served on any juries or held any political office nor was ever appointed to any governmental committees, which was unusual for a Purchaser and early freeman. The only recorded instance of his involvement in anything of a community nature was from a town meeting of February 10, 1643 when he was assigned with George Clark, John Shaw, Francis Billington and others to build a wolf trap in the town of Plain Dealing."

On the August 1643 the Able to Bear Arms List of "Males that are able to bear Armes", his name appears as "Edward Dotey" on the record of Plymouth men.

He married Faith Clarke on January 9, 1635. Faith was the daughter of Thurston (Tristram) and Faith Clarke, arriving on the ship "Francis" in 1634. Since several of Doty's court cases involved Thurston and George Clarke, it would appear that some of his legal situations, including fights, were the result of in-law domestic problems.

Edward Doty married twice, according to Governor William Bradford. Bradford wrote that Doty "by a second wife hath seven children, and both he and they are living." However, nothing is known of his first wife.

Edward Doty made out his will on May 20, 1655, calling himself “sicke and yet by the mercye of God in perfect memory.” His will was witnessed by John Howland, John Cooke, James Hurst, and William Hoskins. Doty signed his will with a mark. This was how he signed all his property deeds as he never learned to write.

Doty died on August 23, 1655 in Plymouth, Plymouth Colony and was buried at Burial Hill Cemetery where there is an existent memorial stone for him. His estate inventory was dated November 21, 1655 mentioning his wife, his son Edward and other unnamed sons. His will was presented to the court on March 5, 1655/6.

After Doty's death, his widow Faith married John Philips on March 14, 1666/7 as his 2nd wife. She moved to Marshfield where she made out a will in which she called herself the wife of John Philips of Marshfield. Faith Clark Doty Phillips will was dated December 12, 1675 and she died on December 21, 1675. The will was sworn June 6 – probably 1676, and named her daughters Mary, Elizabeth, and Desire, and her son John. On November 4, 1676, letters of administration were granted to her son-in-law John Rouse, Jr. of Marshfield, husband of her daughter Elizabeth. She was buried in Winslow Cemetery, Marshfield, Mass. where there is an existent memorial stone for her.

Edward and Faith Clark Doty’s son Thomas was born in 1642 and died 5 December 1678 at the age of 36. Seventeen year old Mary Churchill was unmarried and 5 month pregnant. She was brought before the Plymouth Court and confessed that she had gotten pregnant by Thomas, son of Edward Doty, with whom she had "carnall coppulation" three times – first time on July 15, second time on August 8 and the third was about "senight" [period of seven days, a week] after. A sergeant went to Mary Churchill's house, found 29 year old Thomas Doty there and took him into custody. On On 17 January 1672 Mary Churchill and Thomas Doty were presented to the Plymouth Court for ' carnall coppulation and a child'. Doty was warned to "take heed lest evil come of such carriages and fearing a more severe punishment, he fled the colony. Mary was found guilty and was bound over to the next court. Her bondsmen were her brother Joseph and her brother-in-law John Drew.

Mary Churchill gave birth to Martha Doty in May 1672. On 5 Jun 1672 Mary was sentenced to pay £6. She later sued Thomas Doty for support and the jury found in her favor. On 30 October 1672 Mary Churchill sued Thomas Doty for having “begotten her with child.” She was awarded all his property. Thomas Doty returned to Plymouth Colony 29 October 1673. It is doubtful that he ever married Mary but the couple had two more children, Hannah Doty born in 1675 and was pregnant by him in October 1678. Thomas Doty died 4 December 1678 at the age of 36 when Mary was two months pregnant. A son was born after his death, 22 July 1679 named Thomas Doty Jr.

Mary Churchill was born on 1 Aug 1654 in Plymouth daughter of John and Hannah Pontus Churchill. On 18 Jun 1690 her mother deeded land to her "natural" daughter Mary Churchill. This would indicate that she had never married.

Martha Doty the daughter of Thomas and Mary would have grown up with the social stigma of being a bastard daughter in Puritan New England. However she married into another Mayflower Family raised a family and died 29 June 1748 at Rochester, Plymouth County, Massachusetts.

Justus White was born 28 February 1707 at Rochester, Plymouth, Massachusetts, and died there in 1758. He married Jane Sherman daughter of John Sherman and Sarah Baker. John Sherman was a farmer and weaver. After 1712, John and wife Sarah settled in Rochester, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts where his father had been granted land in 1697. On 24 May 1715, John and his brother, Samuel received the 29th lot of the East Branch of Sippecan River, on the northwest side of said branch, containing 80 acres. On 26 July 1765 deed signed by John and Sarah Sherman deeding homestead to sons: John, Jr., William, and Samuel of Rochester.

Jane Sherman was born 2 October 1716 at Rochester,Plymouth,Massachusetts, and died 17 October 1758 there.

On 6 June 1753 “Justis” and Silvanus White of Rochester sold a mansion house and farm that was our father John White's,' late of Rochester deceased. Jean,' [Jane] wife of Justus, and Anna, wife of Silvanus, surrendered dower rights 7 June 1753; on 13 Sept. of that year Anna acknowledged her signature."

Their daughter Jane White was born 17 October 1758 at Rochester, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, and died 11 November 1833 in Windham County, Vermont. She married Ebenezer Ebenezer Sears born 15 December 1754 in Rochester, Plymouth, Massachusetts, and died 24 January 1849 in Dover, Windham, Vermont, USA

Their daughter Hannah Sears born 14 February 1775 in Bennington, Vermont and died 16 June 1856 at Shaftsbury, Bennington, Vermont, was the mother of Asa Matteson. His daughter Esther Ann Matteson married Isaiah Bowman.

Their son James Isaiah Bowman married Eliza Thompson and had a daughter Jennie Bowman who married Jesse Bishop. Their daughter Daisy Bishop married Donald Augustus Jones and had a son Kenneth Delbert Jones.

Kenneth Delbert Jones married Erma Jean Newhouse and had a son Kenneth Louis Jones who married Donna Fay Williams. They had sons Kenneth Thomas Paine Jones and Kevin Oakes Jones.