Ipswich, MA Timeline 1601-1622

Flute ou Pinque 1683,
courtesy of
The Library at The Mariners’ Museum,
G114.M25 rare.

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(The following tie-in will hopefully help you in your genealogy research)
 

Ipswich, Massachusetts- A Time line:

     Before 1601 several ships and Captains of those ships were involved with the chartering of the coastal waters of the Bay of Massachusetts’s. Those being Captain John Smith an Englishman, Captain Sir Walter Raleigh, an Englishman, Captain William Morgan a Dutchman, Sir Ferdinando Georges of the court of Commons of England. Between 1600 though 1635, English seamen fishermen were 400 ships strong fishing the coastal waters from Maine to New York as we know it today. Our focus is Ipswich and those persons not accounted for by surnames into America. Of Sir Jonathan Winthrop’s 27 voyages total, I have found 38 people were never recorded. So what was going on at that time? To determine this, we need to go back in time and explore the reasons why?

     Let us start with the naming of the town of Ipswich, from its roots or beginnings, by Agawam, a known Indian name of its time. Later it was called Chebacco, which held for the following names that followed it, as Essex, Newbury, Topsfield, Georgetown, as Parishes and then as Ipswich as Established in 1635 by John Winthrop. My research is not to re-write history for Ipswich, but to show others that Ipswich has a glowing amount of history not always appreciated.

      “In July there came to Plymouth the ship called the “Plantation,” bringing Frances West, whom the Council for New England had appointed their admiral for the purpose of driving from the coast all fishermen who had not taken the costly Fishing Oath for license from the Council. The fishermen, mostly from the West of England, proved to be too strong and stubborn, and Mr. West quickly left them alone. His interference at court, so disturbed these matters with the imperiled fishing fleet, that it shrank them from four (4) hundred vessels to a mere hundred and fifty, all now under command of Sir Ferdinando Gorges.

      The ship-owners appealed to the English-Parliament, where Sir Ferdinando Gorges defended his monopoly, and was vigorously answered by Sir Edward Coke, who was then nobly atoning for his former services of tyranny, towards the King James I. Coke said; “Shall none visit the Sea-Coast for the fishing?” This is to make a monopoly upon the seas, which were in want to be free. If you alone are to pack and dry fish, you attempt a monopoly of the wind and sun! An act was passed making the fisheries free; but King James I, with his usual hostility to public privileges, refused his assent.”

      Sir Ferdinando Gorges was a master of the ship called, “The Gorges,” and was awarded ownership of the first Colonial Colonies of Massachusetts Bay under the charter of King James I of England. They set up the fishing sheds built by the Lull family at Ipswich, as so named. Sir William Jeffrey set foot on both banks of the Inlet River, thus claiming Jeffrey Little Neck under this act of ownership. Sir Ferdinando Gorges gained this opportunity through his loyalty to King James when he exposed a tyrannous act against King James I. Sir Ferdinando Gorges son, “Robert Gorges” was the master of the ship, “The Georges.” This is where Sir William Jeffrey made his claim by stepping off the ship onto the river North and South banks at Ipswich. Although Sir William Jeffrey was paid handsomely for his claim at Jeffrey’s neck, did in fact did not settle in Ipswich until later on. He instead proves to be the first white person at Ipswich. This act thus provides us the information to have the fishermen at Ipswich making their living at fishing the shallows, and building, “The Lull,” fishing structures which helped speed up their ability to process the shad fish called (Alewives). The fishermen returned to England with their ships full of process salted fish for the long journey home, plus using the smaller fish as bait for Cod fishing off the banks. Some of the smaller shad like fish were sold in the West Indies market. They were better suited and used as bait fish for the New England coastal waters for the larger cod fish. The time frame for this adventure proves to be between 1601 thru 1621. The first people in Ipswich were of course Indians, then the fishermen by surnames and those also being called planters. Of the Lull family, an oil painting remains as evidence of the Lull fishing structures which were located with Sir William Feffrey’s claim on Little Neck in Ipswich. The reason was to erect the fishing structures in 1622, provides the fishermen’s intent to return the following year in 1623 to fish and make a settlement of Ipswich. The painting now resides at the Heard House, thanks to the deceased “Mr. William Varrell’s” interest in Ipswich History. The painting shows other ships in Ipswich Bay that returned to fish in the bay in the background of the painting. Notable is the Eastern sunrise in the same background across the bay from the Neck. Thus, this valuable Lull fishing structures painting now acts as verification and a Historical Marker, and should never be destroyed or lost. It turns out that the first owners of this Ipswich New England land were of Spanish, English, Dutch and Portugal decent. Later this settlement moved towards more English settlers by way of John Endicott and John.

Winthrop, as seen in Ipswich in the Massachusetts Bay Colony of Mr. Waters book first pages 1-10. Can all this be proven? Oh Yes, all of Sir Ferdinando Gorges letters can be viewed now on the net.

      I discredit no-one for the town of Ipswich established township date, or its genealogy beginnings, but in fact have proven the reason for, “The Lull painting,” of the fishing structures now residing in the Historical Heard House, but instead show the first people into Jeffrey’s neck in 1622 to 1634, as a local History answer for the Lull fishing structures for those fishermen / planters by surnames to honor Mr. William Varrell interest in Ipswich History. Through his submission a photo copy of the painting to me. This painting originally came from off the chimney mantel of the William Caldwell / Lydia Lull home in Ipswich, which was torn down, because of it being a fire hazard. A photo of this Caldwell home is displayed in Mr. Varrell’s, “Ipswich Book.”

      Every township has an Established date of its birth as a town. Please consider this as an earlier genealogy event of Ipswich history, which had taken place before its established township date. The Pioneers and first settlers as founding fathers have beginnings also to these townships. These people have surnames that needed to be located, so a person can trace his/her family history genealogy when not listed in Winthrop’s fleet listings.

      My research has taken me beyond the years we all know as early Ipswich. The early Sea Captains were connected to Ipswich early history. An Admiral of the Sea called Sir Samuel de Champlain (1567-1625), a French explorer, had made a settlement in 1611 on the St., Laurence River in Canada.

      The English captured it and Sir Samuel de Champlain in 1629, Sir Ferdinando Gorges, Sir William Morgan a Dutch Captain, Sir Captain Smith, an English Captain, Sir Jeffrey’s, son Captain Robert Gorges, along with those I am about to give notice too, were all involved in the Northern Sea coastal waters off the coast of New England.

      Here is some information I thought you all would like to have. It confirms early Ipswich History and what the first settlers went though. Sir William Jeffrey stepped off the ship called, “The Gorges,” making his claim’s to both banks of the river at Jeffrey’s neck, only to come back later to settle in Ipswich much later on. It is this fishing group from the ships, “Adventure,” “Charity” and others from Gloucester, sailing from Chebacco back to Gloucester, taking what they could in fish, returning with plans to carry on at Jeffrey’s neck the next year in 1623.

      These pioneers left the fishing structures standing with the name of Lull Fishing Sheds on the buildings as proof of this fishing business adventure. This group had planned it as such to return to this location knowing the hardships if stay during the winter if they left a small group to survive until relieved later. This same error was also made in Virginia, but Ipswich survived otherwise.

      It was not until John Winthrop came in 1635, some 13 years later that this town really gave fruit to its beginnings. Before this, there were many claims made on the village of Agawam or Chebacco as it was called earlier by the natives. Unfortunately, the claims of Virginia ended in a dreadful loss of its settler’s, at Roanoke Island.

      These same Ships were used to enforce these Maine and Ipswich settlements by acting as supply ships. These early settlements of the villages, Gorge in Maine, Salem in Virginia and Ipswich in Massachusetts, along with Roanoke in Virginia.

      It places our Ipswich fishing people at risk at Ipswich location and later with buildings in 1623, as an extension of their claims at that time. It was faster to cure the fish with salt to last, while making attempts to live in the area as well.

-Ipswich History 1601-1622/30 in 1601 King James I, The King issues the first New England Colonial charter, “The Dorchester Act,” which includes the 41st parallel to upper Maine. This was with a combination of Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir John Endicott, and Sir Ferdinando Gorges. Sir Walter Raleigh fell out of favor with the royalty and his half brother Gilbert by surname stepped in.

-1600’s Sir Ferdinando Gorges laid claim to Ipswich and all of Maine. Captain Morgan made the same claim, of Ipswich.

-In 1601 Robert Gorges, son of Sir Fernando Gorges Company, supported his father’s claims by sailing into the Bay at Ipswich and by dropping off Sir William Jeffrey’s to claim parts of the Harbor and the river banks of Ipswich’s Neck, which was later added to little neck. “A Spanish claim,” at the time under King James I.

-1627 Sir Henry Roswell obtained a territorial claim, which also included Ipswich.

-1629 First confirmed claim under Massachusetts Bay Company lays claim under John

-Endicott with the ship, “The Gorge,” and a colonist company of settlers, followed by John Winthrop, help make this settlement. Ship after ship then found Ipswich.

-The Ship Angel Gabriel 1635 …smashes up on rocks in Maine. Out of 40 passengers, 29 members are listed here as passengers, all were headed for Ipswich, where they show up.

.Capt, Robert Andrews, ship Master, Ipswich, Mass.

.John Bailey Sr., a weaver from Chippenham, Eng. Newbury

.John Bailey Jr., b.1613 .Johanna Bailey, (poss. came on a later ship or soon after).

.Henry Beck, .Deacon John Burnham,

.Thomas Burnham,

.Robert Burnham,

.Ralph Blaidsdell, of Lancashire York, Maine .Mrs. Elizabeth Blaidsdell,

.Henry Blaidsdell,

.William Furber,

.John Cogswell age 43, Westbury Leigh, Wiltshire Ipswich, Mass.

.Mrs. Elizabeth (Thompson) Cogswell about 41 Westbury Leigh, Wiltshire

.Mary Cogswell about 18, Westbury Leigh, Wiltshire,

.William Cogswell about 16, Westbury Leigh, Wiltshire

.John Cogswell about 13, Westbury Leigh, Wiltshire

.Hannah Cogswell about 11, Westbury Leigh, Wiltshire

.Abigail Cogswell about 9, Westbury Leigh, Wiltshire, .Edward Cogswell about 6, Westbury Leigh, Wiltshire

.Sarah Cogswell about 3, Westbury Leigh, Wiltshire, .Elizabeth Cogswell infant Westbury Leigh, Wiltshire

.Samuel Haines about 24, Apprentice to J. Cog swell, prob. Ipswich Later Dover Point,

.William Hook,

.Henry Simpson,

.John Tuttle, Dover of Ipswich later Dover, NH.

Note: For those who have surnames in Ipswich, I have highlighted the surnames as shown to indicate, their presence in Ipswich, as the Waters Books Volumes I and II, show. As listed under John Winthrop on page 10, of the Waters Book. Twelve were assigned to lead the expedition to Ipswich out of the twelve only nine (9) were accounted for by surnames.

Increasing the research with my last research in Jan 2008, others have been accounted for, by surnames of these fishing men and the structures were used to salt cure fish by a group of men and women while onshore from their ships to save time and increase their holdings. This action was used to speed up their fishing abilities while off the ships and on land as indicated by John Endicott of the first, “Sheffield Patent” and “Dorchester Company,” tied together as far back as 1622 before the “Plymouth Compact.”

We now can add more surnames of known Lull family members misspelled, Tully being Lully spelled wrong. Other family branch members are known as, Mr. Clark, Robert Coles, Thomas Howlett, John Biggs, John Gage, Thomas Hardly, William Perkins, Thomas Thorndike, Will Sergeant, Knowlton, Tenney, Heard, Brown, Emerson, White, Waite, Perkins, Waters, Rev., Wise, Rev., Weed, and Lord. They all come under the fisherman / planters from the ship called, “The Adventure,” Captained by Christopher Levett.

      Another ship called, “The Charity,” by Captain Baker. It is this group from Cape Ann who had listed the man Tully or Llully as he is known by family along with John Tuttle Gardner and as Thomas TLully, aboard this ship called the, “The Adventure,” which sails back to a Spanish port to return to Ipswich a year later, in 1623. Reason supporting this claim was because they had tried to stay at Ipswich during the winter months only to suffer hardships. Knowing this they made preparations to return a year later, by adding the Lull Fishing Sheds as their right to the land claim, to fish under King James I, charter.

      The year they returned was then in 1623, this than was the year they finish the Lull Fishing Structure’s across Jeffrey’s neck and the building of homes as a settlement to be supported as promised by John Endicott.

      Ipswich can now claim its peoples were a mix of English, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese descents.

      Under John Endicott’s group of colonist peoples were finally grouped together as a group of about 38 men and woman as the first people in Ipswich 1623 under John Endicott’s ruling hand as the first governor of Massachusetts. This event included other settlements in Massachusetts as well.

The readers must keep their focus on Ipswich. Our main objective here is to place a watchful eye on the group as listed below. Now we are able to add more surnames;

Andrews Burnham, John Dea. Burnham, Thomas Burnham, Robert Cogswell, Mr. Clark, Robert Coles, Thomas Howlett, John Biggs, John Gage, Thomas Hardly, William Perkins, Thomas Thorndike, William Sergeant, Thomas Lull, “The Lull Fishing Structures” and surnames; Browne, Heard, Wipple, and later William Jeffrey’s. The total was about 38 people if you include the women and children which follows was very close to my original research number.

      John Endicott, in 1634 re-enforces the Ipswich group under Master Robert Gorges Company and later this group was re-enforced again as promised, but because of the lack of ships available, it was not until the next group under John Winthrop who came with his group in 1634/35 that the promise was honored. This group was much needed as the people were suffering badly and were in need of supplies and new men. Of the original 38 member group total, it shows 19 men were available and the rest were women. These then, was the fishermen and planters in the first group.

      It is for certain that without John Winthrop playing his part, Ipswich would have not survived. We can also see that the writer Thomas Franklin Waters did an excellent job in his research as noted on pages 1 through 10. Not only did he do a good job, but his history enforces my research of early Ipswich as well, when he wrote his two books on the History of Ipswich.

      It is well that we can account for those early settlers, as we are held to a higher order to have a continuous accounting of their genealogy surnames for those of us who do genealogy. Why do I illustrate this? Because these surnames do not show up on any ship emergent records anywhere, except as fishermen and planters that stayed as pioneers as founding fathers of Chebacco, which were suitable settlers in early Ipswich pre-history.

      As for me the research has been a need to trace the name; Lull, Llull, Lully, Tully, Hull, and Lullus, bringing me back to the Llull Spanish King descendants as, “Counts.” Further back we move to Lully in Italy with this Spanish connection as an Italian. I have moved from being an American, to an Englishman, to a Dutchman, to Spanish, following my blood line to Italy. In archiving the 27 cemeteries as a compiler of stones, I help give direction to others who are connected to the family, in helping them to locate their surnames now traceable to Ipswich.

      Our family genealogy lines contain several members, as the same, as did mine. We both were not able to find any help in the pre-history surnames at Ipswich. Our research led us to this information as a start with, “Sir Ferdinando Gorges.” This in turn led us to more un-known pre-history of Ipswich, such as the fishermen and planters, in Chebacco Parish, which was known as Ipswich, later on. We mean no harm in bringing this information to light, but in fact present it as the historical events that did indeed take place, as recorded, as found. It is also a fact that the Indian village Agawam was a village that the fishermen found and used to their advantage in fishing the coastal waters of Ipswich Bay. It was indeed recorded that the Indian village changed its name to Chebacco; all before John Winthrop arrived recording his arrival in 1635 in the book, called Ipswich in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, written by Mr. Waters and others like Felt and Hamilton. Not only did Mr. Waters say there were others in Ipswich before John Winthrop, but gave their names in the first passages of his book, listing them specifically by name.

      “Farther south, at Cape Ann and along the winding curves of Massachusetts Bay, fishing posts (ANA Sheds, structures, buildings) stood, like lighthouses, where a busy trade was carried on.” “The fishermen had built them as early as 1622; as many as thirty-five ships came to New England to fish these waters. The Plymouth merchants, who claimed all the country from Cape Ann to Maine, appealed to King James I, to forbid fishing without the permission of their company. “The fishing stations,” were built crudely and clusters of rude houses were thatched with bark, being scattered along the coastal region from Cape Ann to Maine. Farther south, at Cape Ann and along the coastal waters of the Massachusetts Bay these “fishing posts” stood, like lighthouses, where a busy trade of fishing was being carried on of both the smoked fish and salt barreled cured fish for the long journeys home to Europe.”

      “In 1625 Thomas Morton, a young lawyer of fine family, and some boon companions, came here with intentions of getting rich from the fur trade. They like the fishermen built cabins at Mount Wallaston, at the mouth of the winding stream, which emptied into Boston Bay. Out in the Bay laid beautiful islands abounding in shell-fish and beyond the white beaches wide stretches of meadow sloped up to hill and forest, bringing game within easy flight of an arrow.” “Merry mount as it were became the meeting place for wild reckless fishermen to meet, which became a rabble along the whole New England coast. Morton sold and traded in all sorts of such manner that proved to be a debarment to his adventure, even rum and guns to the Indians.”

Quoting from the book; General History of New England from the Discovery to MDCLXXX by William Hubbard 1848 New England 768 pages. As read from page 110 to 111 Mr. Conant says, “acting as agent for the Dorchester Company,” a group of fishermen during this whole luster of years from 1625 there was a little matter of a moment acted in the Massachusetts till the year 1629, after the obtaining of the patent; the former years being spent in fishing and trading by the agents of the Dorchester Company merchant’s, and some of the others from West Country. In one of several Fishing Stages a so called fishing stage about the year of 1625 a Mr. Hewes of the same was in charge as being employed by the West Company of a sharp contest between the Dorchester Company and the West Company with the people of New England, about a fishing stage built the year before in 1623. This fishing stage was built by the New England people from Cape Anne, but was now in absences of those builders. Being made use of by Mr. Hewes’s Company, which the other, under Captain Standish, every eagerly and peremptorily demand: for the Company of New Plymouth, having themselves obtained a useless patent for Cape Anne about the same year of 1624. The dispute grew to be very hot, and words passed between them, which might have ended with blows, if not in blood and slaughter.” Well as you can see the matter was resolved by Mr. Roger Conant and others with quick thinking. My point here is fishing stages were built and the names of those company of fishermen soon learned to place their name on the stage of the one who built them. As this article and other writing show.

1. Sir Humphrey Gilbert, writings of 1620 and 1625.

2. Richard Whitbourne in his writings of 1620-1625 in his Discourse, published in 1620-1625.

3. Sir William Jeffrey, and Sir Ferdinado Gorges with the King James of England, fishing rights.

4. Induction by D. B. Quinn and R. A. Skelton (2 vols, Cambridge; Hakluyt Society, 1965).

5. III (1600) pp. 143-162, and reprinted in 12 vols., edition. (Glasgow; MacLeHose, 1903-5, Vol-1. Pp. 34-77.

6. Gillian T. Cell, Newfoundland discovered (London: Hakluyt Society, 1982) pp. 122.

7. Explorers and Colonies: America, 1500-1625 by David B. Quinn - 1990 - History - 500 pages

8. The North Sea and Culture (1550-1800): by Juliette Roding, Lex Heerma van Voss - 1996 –North Sea Region
- 524 pages, see page 155.

9. History of the United States: by Edward Everett Hale - 1887 - United States - 312 pages

10.  Profiles of Governors: John Mason, 1615-1621 By Government House.

11.  A History of the New England Fisheries: With Maps: by Raymond McFarland - 1911 –Fisheries - 467 pages. See page 51.

12.  A Religious History of the American People: by Sydney E. Ahlstrom 2004 History 1216 pp. See 139

13.  The Winthrop Society: Descendants of the Great Migration: The Planters' Plea of the Rev. John White
of Dorchester, Dorset Printed by William Jones, 1630 Small quarto, 88 pp., London, 1630.
http://www.winthropsociety.org/doc_plea.php  AN EXCERPT redacted and introduced by John Beardsley.

14.  The Historians' History of the World: Or History of the United States. A Comprehensive Narrative of by Henry Smith Williams 1904 - World history, see pg 634, and 142.