2322. Elder William Brewster
William Brewster was the Reverend Elder of the Pilgrim's church at Plymouth, since their pastor John Robinson remained behind in Leyden, Holland with the majority of the congregation which planned to come to America at a later time. Brewster was a fugitive from the King of England, because he had published a number of religious pamphlets while in Leyden which were critical or opposed the tenets of the Church of England. He had been a member of the Separatist church movement from its very beginning, and was the oldest Mayflower passenger to have participated at the first Thanksgiving, in his early fifties.
2323. Mary
The maiden name of William Brewster's wife has not been proven. The claim it was Mary Wentworth rests solely on the fact that Mary Wentworth happened to live somewhat close to William Brewster in Scrooby, Nottingham. That is very shaky evidence to say the least. Further, it has been proposed that William Brewster may have married Mary Wyrall, but the evidence is just as flimsy for that marriage. There are no fewer than seven marriages from 1590-1610 that have been located in parish registers showing a William Brewster marrying a Mary. All, however, have been satisfactorily eliminated as probable candidates for the William and Mary (Brewster) who came on the Mayflower. So at present, there is no evidence to document who William Brewster's wife Mary actually was.
2334. Robert Clement
Will:
"Sept: 6th (58) I Robertt Clements of Haverhill being of perfitt memory blessed be God for itt doe ordaine & make this my last will, in manner & forme following ffirst I committ my soule into the hands of God my Creator & maker, beleeving thorough the mirritts Righteousness & obedience of Jesus christ my redemer to haue & enjoy life & Salvation Everlastingly by him. ffor my goods I giue first ynto my wife my house & house lott & all the acomadatos that belonged to itt which shee is to haue during her life & after her decease to returne to my childorns childorne that are in new england each his pportio to be delivered into ye hands of their parents for their childorns vse. I giue alsoe to my wife my best yoake of oxen I haue & three of my best cowes, & my mare which brought the mule & alsoe my swine & two of my best beds with theire furniture to them & six of my best peuter dishes six spoones, my best brasse pott, & three of my best kittles, and two spining t ... rnes & all hangles on the fire, with fire shoules & tongue & two of ye best coushens, one ... & a cupp, with all my wooden & Earthen vessells & all manner of clothing that belong to her, as also my byble candlestick & chamber pott. my will is that if there be any goods of mine come out of England this yere or the next my wife shall have fiue pounds of itt according to ye bill of lading. also I gieu my wife all Lining in my house º excepting two paire of sheetes yt are for my bed º & all the Corne in my house barne & growing on the land, & alsoe a debt of seaven pounds & sum odd mony in the hands of John Hutchins for the repaireing the house & fencing the house lott I giue to my wife alsoe what is due to me º or will be º from Mr Dumer by bills or Covinants, & alsoe the Cloth that is att the weavers with what woolen yearne & fflaxe is in the house, & alsoe three pounds which is in the hands of mr Cooke of boston I giue her two skillitts, two stockes off the best beese & two chests with Iocke & ease to them I giue to my wife the boards I bought at Salisbury to repaire the house. It is my will that one halfe of the goods which I giue my wife that if she spend not, at her decease it shall returne to my executors to be equally devided among them.
"I giue to my sonne Job Clement one fellee which will be two yer old next may, allsoe I giue him my best suit of apparell & my best cloake & best hatt, my best paire of shewes & stockens. I giue to my son Robert twenty pound due to mee out of my rentt in England, & which rentt is due to mee more I giue to my three sonnes John, Abraham & Dannell. All the rest of my estate in new england due to me upon bonds or bills or any account land or goods whatsoever I giue to my sonnes Moses Pengrow & Abraham Morrill & John Osgood whom I make my executors to see this my will performed & my debts paid & my body laid in ye graue. That which is struck out in the other Side at the lower end between the 4th & 5th line it was done before it was seald to, & her vnto I sett my hand & seale. I giue to mr ward or minester fiue pounds"
"Robert Clements" [Seal]
Witnesses:
"Bartoll: Heath his marke B H
william white"
2335. Lydia Drummer
Memorial plaque in Ansley Church:
"In Memory of
Lydia Clements
Buried in this churchyard March 12, 1642.
The wife of Robert Clements who emigrated to
New England 1642.
And became one of the founders of
Haverhill, Massachusetts."Plaque place by the Hon. Percival Wood Clement, Governor of Vermont 1919-1921
2370. Richard Swan
1666. 1677 Rowley, Massachusetts; Deputy to the General Court
1675 Served in King Philip's War, also in an Expedition to Canada,RICHARD SWAN [#986], bap. Gilberdyke, Eastrington, East Yorshire, Eng. 23 Dec 1607,[8] bur. Rowley 14 May 1678,[7] m(1) ANN ____ (possibly SPOFFORD), bur. Rowley, MA 4 Apr 1658,[7] m(2) Rowley 1 Mar 1658-9[7] Ann Trumble, widow of John Trumble. She was bur. Rowley 23 Jul 1678.[7]
Richard Swan, "husbandman", was admitted to the First Church of Boston January 11, 1638-9 and dismissed to "ye gathering of a church at Rowley Nov. 24, 1639". He was admitted freeman May 13, 1640.[1] In the inventory of Rowley lands of 1643 or 1644 Richard had, on Wethersfield Street "one Lott Containinge two Acres bounded on the south side by Robert Haseltines house Lott, and the East end by the streete". To the north was the lot of Thomas Lilforth.[6/5] At this same time he had 33.5 more acres in 13 other lots about the town.[6/1048] Richard Swan often served as a juryman at the Essex County Court.[4] In 1648 he was chosen overseer of highways, gates, and fences.[5/119] On October 10, 1650 at Ipswich Court Richard Swan was brought up for breach of the peace in striking Ezekiell Northen in the face with a staff or goad and was fined three shillings. Deacon Mighill and Goodman Acey (no doubt William) were witnesses.[4/1:219]
Richard was selectman for Rowley in 1652,[6/80] 1656,[6/95] 1662,[6/117] and 1664.[6/146] He was the constable in 1665[6/155] and deputy to the General Court in 1666[6/166] and 1667.[6/185] He was also often selected to lay out highways, determine bounds between Rowley and neighboring towns, and to sell or grant town lands.[6] Richard's first wife's name was Ann, parentage unknown. She was the mother of all his children and was buried April 4, 1658.[1/371] See below for Richard's English ancestry and the possible surname of Ann.
In his will, dated April 25, 1678, he mentions wife Ann, son Robert, son-in-law Joseph Boynton and his wife Sarah, daughter Stickney, grandchild Richard Sutton, grandchild Richard Swan (son of Robert), and four daughters (Jane Wilson, Frances Quilter, Dorothy Chapman, and Mercy Warner). The will was probated May 23, 1678.[3]
Richard Swan came from Gilberdike of the Eastrington parish, East Yorkshire, Eng. as evidenced by the baptisms of his children. From Richard's age in depositions in Rowley and the rarity of the Swan surname in the Eastrington records, there should be little doubt that Richard was baptized 23 Dec 1607, the son of Robert. Robert was baptized 19 Nov 1564, the son of Christopher of Owstroppe. Other Swan records of Gilberdike indicate Christopher's daughter Juliana was buried 5 Jul 1566; Robert had children Isabella, bap. 14 Jul 1593, Judith bap. Nov 1594, Elizabeth bur. 20 Feb 1596-7, and Beatrice married 4 June 1609 to Jacob Regi. Two other Swan marriages appear in Gilberdike. Judith, probably the daughter of Robert, married 22 Aug 1613 to Robert Ellerton. Joanna married on 6 July 1606 to Robert Hessletine of Knedlington. This couple were the parents of Robert and John Haseltine who were early settlers of Rowley and neighbors of Richard Sawn. Joanna was most probably a sister or aunt of Richard. Final Swan records in Gilberdike suggest that Richard's father Robert was buried 22 June 1613 and that the Juliana Swan, widow of Gilberdike, who was buried 22 Feb 1623-24 may have been his mother. There is also the possibilty that Richard married Ann Spofford 24 Feb 1622 in South Cave, the parish next to Eastrington in 1622. The geographic proximity, the fact that Richard's first wife's name was known to be Ann, and the fact that the marriage took place a few years before the birth of Richard's first child looks like a natural fit for Richard's marriage, not to mention the dearth of the Swan name in the records. However it does seem questionable that a boy of 16 or so would be marrying, especially without some note in the records of parental consent.
REF: [1] Early Settlers of Rowley, Massachusetts - Amos Everett
Jewett, 1933 (pg.371)
[2] Richard Swan and Some of His Descendants - Frank H. Swan,
1927 (pgs.2-5)
[3] Essex County Probate Records (3:225-230)
[4] Records and Files of the Quarterly Court of Essex County,
1911
[5] Rowley, Massachusetts Mr. Ezechi Rogers Plantation - Amos
Everett Jewett, 1946
[6] The Early Records of the Town of Rowley, Massachusetts -
Benjamin Mighill and George Blodgette, 1894
[7] Rowley Vital Records (Swan births pg.212; marriages pg.409;
deaths pg.526)
[8] Extraction of records in the Record Office in Beverley,
Humberside, England by Mrs. J.P. Morris, 11 Eppleworth Road,
Cottingham, East Yorkshire, HU16 5YE, England commissioned by Mary
Cole
[9] The Pillsbury AncestryNotes from Michael Roman: mj_roman@ix.netcom.com
© 1995-2001, Saul M. Montes-Bradley