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From: "charles s brack jr" <>
Subject: Re: [GM-L] Our ancestors had itchy feet !
Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2003 07:31:33 -0800


My ancestor Arthur HOWLAND was a well known Quaker or Quaker sympathizer in
Plymouth Colony (see Stratton's book on Plymouth Colony). Arthur may have
been harassed but I don't believe he was put to death or had his tongue
pierced. I belive his death was of natural causes at Marshfield.

I also had well-known Baptists in MA in the 1600s and none were put to
death.

There was a French Church in existence in the mid 1600s in Boston and it was
allowed to exist.

I'm a WASP and have no axe to grind. I have heard some very bad stories
about intolerance in present day MA (1900s) and it's probably no difference
anywhere else in the world. That's why we have present day laws pertaining
to prejudice and intolerance. It's not much different now. I think we need
to compare present-day MA or anywhere else with what was happening in the
1600s.

Charles
-----Original Message-----
From: <>
To: <>
Date: Monday, October 27, 2003 6:43 PM
Subject: Re: [GM-L] Our ancestors had itchy feet !


>In the early settlement of Massachusetts Bay Colony, there was no
separation
>of church and state. You were expected to support the minister of the
>established church (Congregational) and, as each town was laid out, a plot
for the
>minister was set aside. Anyone who deviated from this support and/or
attendance
>at meeting, was brought into court. See the Records and Files of the
>Quarterly Court of Essex County for specific cases.
>
>The appearance of the "Quakers" (as members of the Society of Friends were
>known) in the mid 1650s was particularly disturbing as it challenged the
>established church and, in essence, the government. The attempt to rid the
Colony
>of "this cursed sect of heretics" resulted in harsh laws, barbaric
punishments,
>banishment and even death. One of the penalties for failing to recant
after
>the third time was having a hot iron used to bore a hole through the
tongue.
>Specifics can be found in Records of the Governor and Company of the
>Massachusetts Bay in New England by Nathaniel B. Shurtleff.
>
>For those residing in Plymouth Colony, the best source for understanding
life
>and laws is Plymouth Colony by Eugene Stratton.
>
>As to reasons to migrate - some were simply occupational. A brickmaker,
for
>instance, was in great demand in the infant communities and offered
>inducements to reside there. As the equipment for mills became available,
locations
>near a waterfall were highly desirable (even necessary) and land was often
bought
>or sold to accomplish this.
>
>The conditions were primitive for those who had the courage to migrate into
>virgin territory. There were no roads, no buildings - but the inducement
of
>cheap land in exchange for settling was particularly attractive to families
in
>which the divided land could no longer support the number of children. This
>meant one had to erect a building to certain specifications and clear a
specified
>amount of land within a set time limit to take advantage of the offer. If
>the proprietor died before the agreement was finalized his heirs were under
no
>obligation to honor the agreement. I believe it is the History of
Industry,
>Maine which points out this very poignant situation of land and buildings
being
>lost for this reason.
>
>Greed had little to do with the acquisition of land- unless you were the
>absentee proprietor. Those who settled the land were attempting to survive
and
>provide for a family.
>
>In the early 19th century, parts of Maine were subject both to drought and
a
>devastating summer of cold weather. Families were forced to move to find a
>way in which to survive.
>
>Bottom line - before we make any judgments as to motives, read the
histories
>of the various towns - the work, the failure of crops, the lack of
integrity
>on the part of the proprietors. One of my own ancestors, in an attempt to
>better support his family of 10 children, went from southern Massachusetts
to
>Maine...no horse, no wagon. One assumes they used rivers and the sea as
their
>route but it sure could not have been an easy trip which undoubtedly lasted
>weeks....and still had to erect shelter AFTER they arrived.
>
>
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>


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