December 1999 Collier Genealogy Letter 12-20-99 I have recently purchased copies of William Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation, and Eugene Aubrey Stratton's Plymouth Colony, Its History and People 1620-1691. I have also been doing some research in other sources on our Pilgrim families, and can offer the following updates: William Bassett -- The name of the wife of William Bassett (2), son of the immigrant William Bassett, and ancestor of Sarah O. Stephenson, was Mary Rainsford, not Burt. This is given in Ancestral Lines Revised, Carl Boyer 3d, Newhall, CA, 1981, page 62-63, and the Internet site Plymouth and Cape Cod Genealogy. The "Mary Burt" in my original source probably came from a confusion with the wife of another William Bassett, of Lynn, Mass. From that point on, down to Sarah Stephenson, the information I had on the direct line seems to be correct as I gave it. The numerous marriages of a William Bassett, in Leyden, Holland, given in my notes of September 20, may be explained as those of the father of "our" William. (I neglected to make a note of the source for this speculation.) Bassett, Sr., was a volunteer in the Pequot War of 1637, moved to Duxbury, one of the first towns settled outside the original village of Plymouth, in 1638 or1639 (Ancestral Lines Revised, page 62, and History of Duxbury, Justin Winsor, 1849, page 66), and is listed as a freeman there in 1646. (William Collier and Constant Southworth also lived in Duxbury, along with Myles Standish, John Alden, Love Brewster and Job Cole (both sons-in-law of William Collier. Governor Thomas Prence, the 4th son-in-law of William, had been one of the earlier residents of Duxbury, as well, but may have moved back to Plymouth when he was first elected governor, in 1634.). In 1645 the town of Duxbury was granted a plantation to the west of the original town, now known as Bridgewater, for population expansion. William Bassett was one of 54 original proprietors, and probably moved there shortly after 1645. He died there in 1667. "He owned a great deal of land for the times and had the largest library of any of the Pilgrims [probably excepting William Bradford's - Wade's note], including 'Wilson's Dixonary', two concordances and commentaries on books of the Bible." (Ancestral Lines Revised, page 63.) Mary Chilton Winslow -- (See additional notes on John Winslow, below.) I have found that Mary Chilton has an honored place in most Boston guidebooks, particularly the more detailed ones. As far as is known, she was the only Mayflower passenger who eventually moved to Boston, and the folklore of her stepping first on Plymouth Rock is frequently cited. I summarize a few points from several sources: John Winslow and Mary Chilton moved to Boston (probably from Plymouth village) in the period 1655-1657. "...[Their] place of residence was in the north part of ancient Plymouth, called "Plain Dealing." This estate was sold to [their] son-in-law, Edward Gray, about the time of [their] removal to Boston, and was, by the latter, disposed of to the Plymouth colony in 1662, who purchased it as a residence for Governor Prence." [Nathaniel Southworth, grandfather of Bridget Southworth Collier, purchased the home "...in 1677, but in after years removed to Middleborough, and there died, leaving three sons and several daughters. " ] (Various sources.) After of their move to Boston (1655-1657), I do not know where John and Mary resided. In 1771 they purchased a "mansion" from the estate of Antipas Boies, a business partner of John Winslow, who had died in 1669. This was located on what is now Spring Lane, near the intersection of Washington Street and School Street, in the downtown/historic district of Boston. The Old South Meeting House is nearby, and Mary become a member of that church on July 16, 1671. Within a block was the former home of Gov. John Winthrop (died in 1649), and a few blocks to the west - at the intersection of Tremont and School Streets - was what is now called the King's Chapel Burying Ground, the oldest in Boston (established 1630, the year the Winthrop company arrived from England), where both Mary and John are buried. Benjamin Franklin was later born (1706) about a block away, at what is now 17 Milk Street. I attach, from many possibilities, some published information on John and Mary Winslow in Boston: Historic Walks in Old Boston, 2d Edition, John Harris, The Globe Pequot Press, Chester, CT, 1989, Pages 110 - 111 "Old Newspaper Row" "...The names of streets just ahead are telltale of their beginnings. Water Street originally stopped a couple of blocks down at a creek off Town Cove. Spring Lane once had an early spring a few paces downhill. School Street is part of our nation's history for it memorializes the first building specifically built for a schoolhouse. Spring Lane was the site of the Great Spring that for more than two centuries supplied water to residents of Boston. About midway down the lane on the left is a bronze plaque marking the spot. A few steps farther down, on our right, another bronze plaque tells of Mary Chilton, who came on the Mayflower to New England in 1620. Then a teenager, Mary, according to family tradition, blithely leapt ashore from the Pilgrim longboat and was the first woman Pilgrim to land in Plymouth. She married John Winslow, brother of Gov. Edward Winslow, and they and their many children came to dwell here where Winslow became one of Boston's thriving merchants. A daughter married Myles Standish, Jr. ... [The Mary Chilton Plaque -- MARY CHILTON THE ONLY MAYFLOWER PASSENGER WHO REMOVED FROM PLYMOUTH TO BOSTON DIED HERE IN 1679 JOHN WINSLOW AND MARY CHILTON WERE MARRIED AT PLYMOUTH ABOUT 1624 CAME TO BOSTON ABOUT 1657 AND BOUGHT A HOUSE ON THIS SITE IN 1671 JOHN WINSLOW DIED HERE IN 1674 AS A PASSENGER ON THE MAYFLOWER IN 1620 MARY CHILTON CAME TO AMERICA BEFORE ANY OTHER WHITE WOMAN WHO SETTLED IN BOSTON THIS MEMORIAL ERECTED BY THE MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY OF MAYFLOWER DESCENDANTS ] " pp.122 - 123 "Tremont Street to King's Chapel" "... King's Chapel Burying Ground is Boston's oldest cemetery. When about to die, [Sir] Isaac Johnson requested that he be buried in back of his intended dwelling, and his prominence attracted others of the first settlers to be buried near him. As in the case of his wife, Lady Arbella [Johnson], no trace other than tradition exists of his grave. Actually, grave locations in all of Boston's earliest cemeteries are far from certain because tidy gravekeepers shifted stones to mark the edges of paths. [Another reference indicates that the gravestones in King's Chapel Burying Ground were all rearranged, for neatness, by the WPA during the Great Depression. - Wade C. Note 12-18-99] Stone markers can be fascinating for their carvings, even when flaked, broken or time-worn. Some are so sunken that just old coats of arms show - especially along the Tremont Street side for the tomb marked "No. 1" in the northwest corner, the tomb of Oliver Wendell Holmes's great-grandfather Jacob, a wealthy merchant whose mansion was on the nearby site of the Parker House. If we turn left as we enter, we come to the tomb of Governor John Winthrop and many Winthrop descendants. Behind it is the tomb of the Reverend John Cotton and other early clergy who lived on the slope of nearby Pemberton Hill. [The graves of John Winslow and Mary Chilton are near the center of "Old Kings' Chapel Cemetery," Boston. The graves are marked with a large tomb with the Winslow coat of arms. - Wade C. Note] Near the north side, still farther down, is the grave of Captain Robert Keayne, donor of the first Town House [and one of the founders of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, of Boston -- Wade C. 12-18-99]. The white obelisk near the center of the cemetery marks the grave of William Dawes, courier for the Sons of Liberty. [Paul Revere is buried in the Old Granary Burying Ground, just down Tremont Street, but some Revere relatives are in King's Chapel. -- Wade C. 12-18-99] Just like present day tourists, Nathaniel Hawthorne used to roam this cemetery. If, on entering, we follow the path to the right, then just after it turns left by the chapel we come to the grave of Elizabeth Pain, died 1704, the tale of whose life gives us our tragic adulteress Hester Prynne of The Scarlet Letter. As some gravestones indicate (the Winthrop tomb, for instance), there have been burials in recent times for descendants of these early families. ..." p. 311 "Copley Square and Westside Back Bay" "...On the southeast corner of Commonwealth, at 287 Dartmouth Street, is the elegant Chilton Club organized in 1908 as a graceful retreat by its socially prominent charter members, including the then Bay State governor's wife and poet Amy Lowell. We have seen, off old Newspaper Row, where Mayflower passenger Mary Chilton lived. Believing her to have been the first woman to come ashore, the club's founders adopted her name - even further, they adopted as the club's seal the one that was used by the Earl of Chilton, Mary Chilton's grandfather. Besides 287 Dartmouth the club acquired the adjoining brick mansion, 152 Commonwealth, and had the son of the famous architect Henry H. Richardson, whose wife was a charter member, remodel the two buildings as a beautiful clubhouse...." William Collier -- I have still not located a single comprehensive source for a biography of William Collier. The information I sent with my September 20 notes remains essentially correct. There is a suggestion that he was married twice, both times to a Jane. There is no dispute that the mother of his children was Jane Clarke, as given in several sources, but she may not have been alive at the time he came to Plymouth in 1633. There was a Jane Collier, wife of William, alive in Duxbury as late as 1661, mentioned in legal documents. I don't know that this question of whether there were one or two "Jane Colliers" is too important in our family history context, and if the question hasn't been resolved in 360 years it probably won't be now. William probably moved to Duxbury shortly after arrival in the colony in 1633. He was there not later than Dec 1634 (Note, Page 53, Stratton, Plymouth Colony) Although there is no listing for either a Jane or a William Collier in the published Duxbury Vital Records, William did live there until his death - probably in 1670. He was listed as a Duxbury Freeman on the list of May 29, 1670, but his name is crossed off. This probably indicates that he died shortly after that date. (Facsimile of Duxbury Freeman List of 1646 and 1670, Internet.) From Southworth's Genealogy, page 19 (Internet version) - No publication data given: "(*)William Collier was one of the merchants of London who aided the Pilgrims in coming to Plymouth, furnishing the money for their outfit. After the partnership between the Pilgrims and the Adventurers was terminated, he came over in 1633 in the "Mary and Jane" with one hundred and ninety-six passengers; with him came his four daughters: Sarah, who married Love Brewster; Rebecca, married Job Cole; Mary, married Thomas Prence; Elizabeth, married Constant Southworth. There is no mention of his wife, so she probably died before he came over. It has been said that he was not content to share the profit of the enterprise of the Pilgrims without also sharing their hardships. He at once took a prominent position in the young colony. He was made freeman in 1633; in 1634 he was one of the tax assessors, was himself rated at œ2.05.00. He was on many committees, for assigning and laying out land, for building a meeting house, on highways, to revise the laws, and with his son-in-law, Constant Southworth, he had the task of looking after Goodwife Thomas, the Welsh woman. He served on the council of war more than once. He was assistant twenty-eight years and was one of the most regular in his attendance, being rarely absent. He was one of the commissioners at the first meeting of the United Colonies in 1643. In 1659, "on account of his age and much business on him." the court ordered the treasurer to procure him a servant and allowed œ10 for that purpose. He died in 1670." Constant Southworth -- The Southworth's Genealogy, cited above, has a great deal of general information and speculation on the English ancestry and Leyden years of the Southworth family. The generations back to the 13th century are given in some detail. A different Internet source, which I looked at a few months ago, seemed to indicate that the lineage could be traced back even further. It was difficult to read the chart that was given, especially prior to Gilbert de Southworth, born about 1240, at which point the family name was changed to Southworth from something else, but I saw the names William the Conqueror, Charlemagne, and - I think - Beowolf and Piltdown Man. I will take all this with a grain of salt, and won't bother trying to copy and send it along. Stratton, on page 355-356 of Plymouth Colony..., says, of the family background prior to Edward, father of Constant and Thomas, "...The Southworth family was apparently of gentle birth, but claims that Edward Southworth was identical with the Edward Southworth, son of Thomas and Rosamond (Lister) Southworth, o[f] Samlesbury Hall, Lancashire, are not adequately supported." Constant Southworth probably moved from Plymouth, where he lived in the household of his step-father, Governor William Bradford, to Duxbury about the time of his marriage to Elizabeth Collier, in 1637. I do not find that specific information given in the sources I have checked, but he was "surveyor of highway" for Duxbury in 1640, on the freeman list for 1646 and as late as 1670. He died there March 10, 1679, and Elizabeth in 1682. His various public services and honors are essentially as I gave them Sept 20, 1999. John Winslow and the Winslow Family -- (See other notes on Mary Chilton, above.) John and Mary probably lived in Plymouth until their move to Boston, as given in the information for Mary. He was on the "Able to Bear Arms" list in Plymouth in 1643, while bother Edward was in Marshfield, the next town north of Duxbury on the "South Shore." (Edward returned to England in 1646, and never returned to Plymouth Colony. His Marshfield estate, called Kerswell, or Careswell, remained in the family until about 1822, and was then purchased by Daniel Webster. There are about 50 Winslows buried in the estate graveyard, and Webster is there, as well. A house dating to 1699 also remains.) In 1646 John was in charge of the Kennebec River trading post operated by Plymouth Colony. Edward had been involved there some years earlier. The exact location of the post is uncertain, or there may have been several locations over the nearly 40 years of operation. The 1646 site was in the Augusta/Hallowell area, then called Cushnoc (page 37, Land of the Kennebec, S. & M.C. Gilman, Branden Press, Boston, 1966 ). There is a published genealogy of the John Winslow line which may have some added information on John's business activities, both for Plymouth Colony and on his own. I have not seen it yet, so, for now, I do not know how many years he was involved in Maine. It was a seasonal fur trading activity. (By 1650, Bradford indicates that Mary and John had nine children, and they had one or two more after that date. Mary was probably happy to have John away once in a while.) John kept his interest in Maine even after the move to Boston, ca. 1656. In 1661, he and partners Antipas Boies, Thomas Brattle and Edward Tyng - all prosperous Boston merchants, and the latter two remembered in Massachusetts town and street names - purchased the lands on the Kennebec that had been owned by Plymouth Colony. The conditions with the Indians were becoming unsettled, and the debts to the London Merchants were paid off, so the lands were not thought to be profitable enough to keep. The Colony had sought 500 pounds, but settled for 400 pounds. The area purchased was 30 miles wide by over 50 miles north to south along the river. Little settlement was made for many decades, until the end of the French and Indian wars, after the 1750s. Edward Tyng, and perhaps his son of the same name, seem to have been the most involved in day to day activities in the district. (History of the District of Maine, James Sullivan, Maine State Museum, Augusta, reprint of 1795 edition.) At his death in 1674, John Winslow's estate was valued at 3,000 pounds, much of it in cash. This was a substantial sum. One of his merchant ships was valued at about 400 pounds. Governor Bradford's house in Plymouth was valued at 47 pounds in 1657. As I noted in my September notes, both Edward and John Winslow had many distinguished descendants, including physicians, soldiers, merchants, and lawyers and judges. I won't give the entire list here. At least 3 of Edward's line, and 2 of John and Mary's, were Loyalists in the Revolution, and suffered more or less recrimination. Others were patriots, including a Brig. Gen. Winslow who was of the John and Mary line. Perhaps the two most noted Winslows of the later Colonial period were Judge Isaac Winslow, of Marshfield (1670 - 1738, builder of the existing 1699 house at Careswell), son of Gov. Josiah ( 1629 - 1680 ) and grandson of Gov. Edward, and his son, Maj. Gen John Winslow (1702 - 1774), of the colonial militia, then the British Army, who was a major figure in the French and Indian War. He served in campaigns at Crown Point, NY, and on the Kennebec in Maine, where in 1754-55 he built Fort Halifax, a wooden blockhouse, which still exists. Later, the town of Winslow, at the site, was named in his honor. More infamously, he was the officer in charge of the removal of the Acadians from Nova Scotia. Gen. Winslow had the good fortune, in retrospect, to die in 1774, before having to chose between the Crown and the rebels. Two of his sons were Loyalists, one, Pelham Winslow (1737 - 1783 ) choosing exile in New York City, while it was in British hands, and the other, Dr. Isaac Winslow (1739 - 1819), of Careswell, remaining quietly in Marshfield, continuing to care for his patients throughout the war, and so was left alone. He was the last Winslow to live on the family estate. On the pre-Plymouth history of the Winslow family, some of the older references, which I have been able to check only in online form, give generations back to the 15th century, and I read, in Stratton's book, that some authors have attempted to go back much further than that. (One Internet site I checked lists as Winslow ancestors, without a shred of authority being cited, Henry II of England, Henry V of Germany, Henry I of England, Alfred the Great, etc. - back to Cerdic, King of the West Saxons, who died about 534 AD.) Stratton, always a spoil-sport, says, among other things, "...Because Edward Winslow seemed to be the most aristocratic of the Mayflower passengers, genealogists and historians have tried to find an aristocratic background for him, but to no avail. His father, Edward Winslow, was a prosperous salt merchant, but his grandfather, Kenelm Winslow, described himself in his will as a 'yeoman,' and no one has been able to discover Kenelm's ancestry with any certainty...." (Plymouth Colony..., page 373.) The Marshfield estate's name, Kerswell/Careswell, supposedly is taken from the ancestral home in England, however, so I need to do some more investigation on that point.