Samuel Eddy
BORN: baptized May. 15, 1608 at Cranbrook, Co. Kent, England
DIED: d. Nov. 12, 1687, at Swansea, Mass.
MARRIED: Elizabeth (?) (probably Savery)
CHILDREN:
other children skipped
Zachariah Eddy
10 Samuel Eddy (William) bapt. May. 15, 1608, at Cranbrook, Co. Kent, England (Church Register); d. Nov. 12, 1687, at Swansea, Mass. (Plymouth Ch. Rec., Vol. I, p. 262); m. Elizabeth . . . (probably Savery) who d. May 24, 1689, "in her 82nd year at the end of it;" in Swansea, Mass. (Plymouth Ch. Rec., Vol. I, p. 265).
PORTIONS OF LARGE PRING IN BIO:
It is not known whether Samuel and Elizabeth were married before they came to New England. It is supposed that Elizabeth's name was Savery from the following facts: A deed dated Feb. 20, 1662 (Plymouth Co. Deeds, 2.2.III) states that Thomas Savery makes over to Samuell Eedey, his brother-in-law, land in Puncateesett, lying over against Road Island. If Thomas Savery was a brother-in-law of Samuel Eddy, either he married Samuel's sister or Smuel married his sister. Thomas Savery's wife was named Ann. Samuel Eddy had a sister Anna, but there seems to be no doubt that Anna Eddy was the wife of Barnabas Wines. If Samuel's sister Anna was the wife of Barnabas Wines, then she was not the wife of Thomas Savery, and therefore Samuel Eddy's wife was Elizabeth Savery, sister of Thomas. It is possible that both Ann, wife of Thomas Savery and Elizabeth, wife of Samuel Eddy, were sisters, but if that were the case, it does not seem likely that Ann Savery (Savory) would have used the expression "our brother-in-law" in the following deed, dated Mar. 22, 1677/78. Ann Savery, widow, conveyed to her two sons "land at four mile brook which fell to my late husband Thomas Savery, by exchange with our brother-in-law, Samuel Eddy" (Plymouth Col. Rec., Vol. IV, p. 311).
Of the life of Samuel Eddy in England little is known. In accordance with his father's will, his brother Phineas Eddy was to care for his education and apprentice him to some trade. He learned the trade of a tailor. Upon reaching hte age of twenty-two years he was to receive by inheritance £100. So in May of 1630 he must have received this sum and probably used a goodly portion of it to pay his passage to New England. It is known that his brother John, whom he accompanied to New England, lived either in Boxted, County of Essex, or in Nayland, County of Suffolk, in England. These two parishes are on opposite sides of the River Stour, which separates the two counties. It is possible that the records of Boxted Church, which unfortunately are lost for the years between 1617 and 1662, might have contained the record of the marriage of Samuel and Elizabeth.
Samuel Eddy came to New England with his brother John Eddyh on the "Handmaid," leaving the port of London on August 10, 1630 and arriving at Plymouth Harbor on the 29th of October, 1630 (Old Style), after a very stormy twelve weeks at sea (See quotations under John Eddy, No. 5). Both Samuel and Jhon intended to join their distant connections, the Winthrops and the Doggetts, who had come to New England earlier in this same year, and who had settled at Boston, but they were not permitted to do so because htey had neglected to obtain letters from the Plymouth Colony, dismissing them from that colony to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The following quotation from Goodwin's "pilgrim Republic refers to this fact. "As two of the passengers (of the Handmaid) rated as gentlemen, desired to settle at Boston, Standish took them there, but the Bay people refused to receive them because they had no testimoy." Both the Eddys returned with Standish to Plymouth and Samuel Eddy remained there. It has been conjectured by some that he found his bride in Plymouth and that she not want to leave her relatives in Plymouth, so Samuel was persuaded to remain there. He did not accompany his brother, John Eddy, when John and his family left in the winter of 1631/31, having procured the necessary letters from Plymouth to Massachusetts Bay, in accordance with the agreement between the two colonies.
It must be remembered that Samuel Eddy was only twenty-two years of age had just finished an apprenticeship in the tailoring trade, when he set sail for New England. What remained of his inheritance after paying for his passage must have been nearly all expended when he purchased the property on Spring Hill from Experience Michell (Mitchell). This was then on South Street and is now No. 34 and 36 Market St. The deed was dated May 9, 1631.
Experience Michell, sould unto Samuell Eeddy his dwelling house, garden plott fence, wth all things nailefast in ye same; for ye summe of twelfe pounds starling, as apears more at large by a writing under their hands to which ffrancis Eaton was witness. Only this was excepted by ye above said Experience Michell, so much of ye said garden plote as lyeth between ye ende of ye youse ye streete; throw which notwithstanding he was to allow ye said Samuell a convienient way of Pasage, and to fence ye said ground (thus excepted) at his owne charge to maintaine ye same. (plym. Col. Deeds; Vol. 1, p. 18.)
Samuel thus acquired a house, perhaps a home for his bride. With the purchase of this property he also acquired whatever rights went with it as a landholder in Plymouth. Thus, it is that six years later on Nov. 7, 1637, Samuel received three acres of land at New Field, which was set off to him by the town.
The persons mentioned had divers porcons allowed them 3 acres in breadth and 2 in length next to the land of John Dunham, the elder, . . . to Samuell Eedey, 3 acres . . . all wch psons have or are to build in the towne of Plymouth and these lands to belong to their dwelling houses there and not to be sold from their houses. (plym. Court Orders, Vol. 1, p. 46.)
The "New Field" was the first section of cleared ground found by the people of Plymouth at a distance from the town. They used it as a planting ground for the most part and so these acres were to be considered as a garden plot belonging to each estate, and could not be sold apart from such homestead.
On Jan. 1, 1632/33 Samuel Eddy was admitted to the "freedom of the colony" and received the oath (Court Orders of Plym., Vol. 1, p. 1 and p. 5). A list of the names of the "Freemen of the Incorporation of Plymouth in New England," dated 1633, contains the name, Samuell Eedey. This list at first numbered only 68 men, but later 91 men (Plym. Court Orders, Vol. 1, p. 4). At this time there were about 300 persons in Plymouth.
On Jan. 2, 1633 the "persons were rated for the public use," that is, the tax was assessed. Samuell Eedey's tax was 9 shillings. This was the lowest tax assessed to any man. Of the 89 persons on the tax-list, 44 were taxed 9 sh. This was just half that of Miles Standish, who was assessed 18 shillings, while Governor Winslow's tax was £2-5 sh. and Bradford's was £1-16 sh., Prince's, £1-7 sh. and John Alden's £1-4 sh.
On March 24, 1633, the lists were again made up. Samuel's tax remained the same. At various times lists of the freemen were made and sometimes the records contain the names of the freemen who were present or absent from a given town meeting. A list taken Mar. 7, 1636 contains the name of Samuel (Plym. Court Orders, Vol. 1, p. 53). In Oct. 1646 Samuel was absent from the town meeting, but was present in December of the same year (Plym. Rec.).
On Sept. 1, 1640 the order went forth that "every inhabitant of every Towne within the Government fitt and able to beare armes must be trayned (at least) six tymes in the year." In 1643 Samuel was enrolled as a person capable of bearing arms and was made a member of a troop enrolled for the defence of the Colony against the Indians (Hist. of Middleboro, p. 588). On Nov. 29, 1652, Samuel Eddy was a witness to a deed for the purchase of lands from the Indians, "Wosamequen and Wamsutta my sonne", by Bradford, Standish, Winslow and others (May. Des. 6.245). This land is now the town of New Bedford (Hist. of New Bedford, Bristol Col., Mass. 1858, by Daniel Ricketson). In June 1668 it is recorded that Samuel voted in a town meeting in Plymouth (plym. Rec., p. 101).
On May 29, 1670 an exact list of all the names of the "Freemen of the Jurisdiction of New Plymouth," contains the name of Samuel Eedey. This list was made because the towns of Middleberry and Swansea had been incorporated and all those freemen, who had taken up residence in either were listed as freemen of those towns and no longer as belonging to Plymouth. Samuel remained in Plymouth. His son Zachariah was listed as a resident of Swansea but neither Caleb nor Obadiah appear on the lists, as they had not at this time qualified as freemen.
On Aug. 5, 1672 "The Swamp at Wellingsley [a section to the south of the town] lying up the brooke is Graunted wholly unto the Neighbors living there, viz. John Jourdain, Gyles Rickard, Jun., Nathaniel Morton, Sen'r, Abraham Jackson and Samuell Eedey."
On June 27, 1677 Samuel's name appears as a proprietor of land in the Township of Middleborough, but this term proprietor does not mean that Samuel was a resident of Middleborough, but only that he was an owner of property in that town (Rec. of Town of Plym., Vol. 1, p. 191).
On June 25, 1678, it was voted that "The collectors to Gather the minnesters maintainence for this year are William Clarke and Abraham Jackson who are to doe it on the same conditions as it was performed the last yeer: . . . five shillings was allowed to Goodman Edey, viz. Samuell Edey for work don by him in time of warr in making Clothes for Souldiers." (Plym. Col. Rec., Vol. 1, p. 157.) At this time Samuel was seventy years old. Though he could not fight as a soldier, he could aid by using his hands in helping to make clothes for the fighters, thereby finding a use for the trade he had learned in boyhood.
From these records it is evident that Samuel and Elizabeth were residents of Plymouth all their lives until this date and nevre were residents of Middleboro. But at this time both were over seventy years of age. Their four sons had long since left Plymouth, and they were alone. Probably sometime between June 1678 and December 1681 Caleb or Zachariah of Swansea persuaded them that it was time that they gave up their own home at Plymouth, for in Dec. 1681 when giving a deed Samuel and Elizabeth gave their residence as Swansea. They both died there.
By a study of the records, it is possible to learn much about the life of Samuel and his family. Soon after arriving at Plymouth, Samuel must have taken an apprentice boy to teach him the tailor's trade, unless perhaps he had brought him from England, for the records state that on Jan. 10, 1632:
Thos Brian, the serv't of Samuell Eedy was brought before the Gov. and Mr. Will Bradford, Mr. John Done, Stephen Hopkins and William Gilson, Asst. because the said Thomas had runne away and absented himself five daies from his master's service & being lost in the wood & found by an Indian, was forced to returne & for this his offense was privately whipped before the Govr & Council aforementioned.
The following year it is recorded that ffrancis Eaton, carpenter, owed Sam Eedy £2. Perhaps Samuel had been making some clothes for the Eaton family.
So far as the records show, John Eddy, born on Dec. 25, 1637 was the oldest child of Samuel and Elizabeth. There may have been and probably were other children born before this time. In the first years of his sojourn in the new colony, there was probably very little opportunity for Samuel to ply his tailoring trade, which in England at that time was so profitable. Instead it was necessary for this young man to wrest a living for himself and his family from the soil, a calling for which he doubtless had no preparation. For these reasons and perhaps for others Samuel and Elizabeth found life in the new country very hard, so that by 1638, they were rated among the "poore of the town." In the spring of 1624 Edward Winslow returned from a trip to England and brought with him the first cattle introduced into the Colony, and a letter from James Shurley, one of the merchant-adventurers, presenting a heifer, with its increase, as a gift for the benefit of the poor of the town. Each year the "poores stock" as it was called, was assigned to those who needed it.
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Twice Elizabeth Eddy was summoned to appear before the Coutr of Plymouth. It is recorded that on "Oct. 7, 1651, Wee further present Elizabeth Eeddy, Sen'r of the towne of Plymouth for laboring, that is to say, for wringing and hanging out clothes on the Lord's day, in time of publicke Exercise." She was fined ten shillings, but this fine was remitted. (Court Orders, Vol. II, p. 73.)
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Samuel Eddy lived at the house which he purchased from Experience Mitchell until about 1645. During that time he was granted "6 acres of upland on the north west side of Fresh Lake, about the fishing place and 30 acres of Upland at Narrogansett Hill and 4 acres of meddow or else a half there meddow ground to yt" (Plymouth Court Orders, Vol. II, p. 26). Fresh Lake is better known by the name of Billington Sea. Narrogansett Hill was the high land to the west of the town, where a battle between two Indian tribes, the Narragansetts and the Pochanockets, had occurred.
On July 6, 1638, Samuel Eddy appears in two transactions as follows:
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In 1642 Samuel purchased a house, barn and other buildings at Willingsley and Wayberry Plain. This was a section beginning at Hobbs Hole and extending along a brook which had its source about a mile inland. Waybeerry Plain (Playne) appears often on the early maps as Oberry and Woeberry Plain, near the source of the brook aforementioned. Another method of describing this section would be to call it the settlement near Sandwich St. at Hobbs Hole and the South Pond Road.
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This home at Wellingsley was their home so long as Samuel and Elizabeth lived in Plymouth. Within a month of the time that they purchased this place they apprenticed little John Eddy to one of the neighbors, Francis Goulder, who lived farther down the borok near Hobbs Hole. He was hardly a mile away.
At some time previous to 1660 Samuel Eddy had come into possession of land at Manomett Ponds. This he sold in July 1660 to Samuel Ryder.
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Some time late there was a question in regard to the title of these lands, so that it was voted
During the year 1651 Samuel acquired interest in some lands at Puncateesett "over against Road Island." These lands were in what is now the northern art of Tiverton, R. I., to the south west of Fall River. On March 22, 1663 these lands were allotted. Samuel Eddy and Thomas Savery together received hte "3rd lott which is on the ewst side of the south point bounded on the south end with a walnut stake standing att the highway side betwixt the 2cond lott and att the north end buteth to the highway att the cove as farr as a white thorne bush : att the East side bounded with the highwayat the west side with the sea & ffogland beach. (Plym. Rec., Vol. I, p. 63.)
This is the land which Thomas Savery on Feb. 20, 1662 made over to htis brother-in-law and in exchange obtained from Samuel Eedey, land lying near Four Mile Brook and also a piece of upland lying and being near Fresh Lake. (Plym. Deeds 2-2-11.) Samuel and Elizabeth kept possession of these Puncateesett lands until Dec. 21, 1681 when
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When John, the oldest son of Samuel was about nineteen, Samuel began to look about for some lands for him to possess. Together with others he applied to the court for a grant of land for these "firstborn" children of the colony and it is recorded
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This tract which Capt. Southworth had purchased was divided among twenty-siz men and was known as "The 26 Men's Purchasse." It was between the Namasket River and the Tippacunnett Brook. As Samuel had asked for this grant for "his posterity," he soon deeded it to them. On March 24, Sameul
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By this grant Samuel became one of the first proprietors of Middleberry, as the town midway between Plymouth and the Pokanoket chief was called. In 1669 this town included what had been known as Assawampsett, Nemasket, the Titicut land of the Indians, the west portion of the town of Halifax and the whole of Lakeville.
At various times during the following years these lands were again confirmed by the Court and their boundaries were more accurately defined. On June 7, 1665 Samuel was assigned 30 acres on the west side of the Nemasket River and on July 14, 1667, he was given 6 acres on the South Meadow River which in April 1710 was definitely bounded.
PARTS SKIPPED
Children, b. in Plymouth Mass.:
+33 John Eddy, b. Dec. 25, 1637.
+34 Zachriah Eddy, b. 1639.
+35 Caleb Eddy, b. 1643.
+36 Obadiah Eddy., b. 1645.
37 Hannah Eddy, b. June 23 or June 27, 1647. Nothing more is known about her.