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| Notes for William Collier | ||||||||
| He was one of the adventurers to New England on 15 Nov 1627 at London. He operated a brew house at London in 1631. He was admitted as a Freeman in 1633 at Plymouth, MA. He visited Boston with Gov. Bradford to consult with authorities about the Hocking affair. He immigrated to Duxbury, MA, in 1633. He was appointed Assistant for 28 years between 1634 and 1665. He was one of two plenipotentiaries at the first meeting of the Congress of United Colonies in 1643. 698 "there were the 'Merchant Adventurers,' who dwelt mainly in London, who raised the stock to supply the new colony's needs. Some were gentlemen, some merchants, 'handicraftmen,' etc., about 70 in number; some adventuring large sums, some small, according as their estates and affections served. 'They were not a corporation, but knit together by a voluntary combination in a society without restraint of penalty, aiming to do good and to plant religion,' and many of these became permanent setlers before 1640. Among these we find William Collier, whose name was on the list of those who subscribed an agreement made with Plymouth Colony, November 25, 1626. William Collier, one of the 'Merchant Adventurere' of England and a man of wealth and distinction, came quite early to Plymouth and soon removed to Duxbury. He had land west of North Hill, granted in 1635, and a tract called Billingsgate. He was a man of much enterprise and engaged in a great deal of business. During most of his life he was employed in the government of the colony in various positions. In 1644 William Collier, and 'whom he pleaseth with him,' of Duxbury, with the governor and Mr. Prence, of Plymouth, and Mr. Winslow and Mr. Thomas, of Marshfield, were chosen to revise the laws. He was one of the coundil of war, and when, in 1642, the Indians under Miantonomo, of the Narragansett tribe, mediated the extirpation of the English, their plot was discovered and the court considered it proper to make further preparations of defense; a committee was appointed consisting of Mr. Collier, Mr. Winslow, Mr. Hatherly and Captain Standish. They were sent to Massachusetts Bay to conclude a treaty with them in the present state of affairs. Of this number, Winslow and Collier were afterwards authorized to subscribe the articles of confederation. The union was concluded and the articles signed at Boston May 19, 1643. That men of the highest respectability were selected to retial the 'strong water' was certainly the case, for we find that, in 1660, Mr. Collier, who was eminently distinguished in the public offices of the colony, was licensed to sell the beverage to his neighbors in Duxbury, and it can be justly considered that one who is well known to have been one of the wealthiest among them whould not have selected this as a means of gain, but rather at the instance of the magistrates, who well knew him to be a sober and discreet man and one who would not be likely to suffer any transgressions of their laws. Constant Southworth, who is also known to have been a man of the highest respectability, and one of the deputies, was permitted in 1648 to sell wine in Duxbury. That Collier stood high in the public esteem is shown by the fact that, in 1658, after he became feeble, 'The court ordered a servant to him because he cannot easily come to public business, being aged, and having much private business.' He died in 1671, at an advanced age. It is supposed he was buried on the southeast part of Harden Hill, where an old burial ground has been discovered, which much have been used about sixty years. There are no stones to be found there, two reasons being assigned for this: first, the difficulty of getting the stones, as they had to be brought from England, and, second, the need of secrecy to keep the Indians from getting the bodies. "Here probably rest the remains of Standish, Alden, Collier, Partridge and othere whose memory we delight to cherish, but whose graves must forever remain unknown.' 766 "The following tables comprise the two earliest tax lists of the Colony of New Plymouth that can be found. the first, taken 2 Jan., 1632-3, has never appeared in print; the second, being for the year 1633-4, was printed in the first volume of Hazard's valuable collection of State Papers. . . 2) Mr Will Collier 02: 05: 00 " 323 "William Collier - One of the few Adventurers to come to live in New England, he was praised by Nathaniel Morton (New England Memorials, p. 91): "This year (1633) like-wise Mr. William Collier arrived with his family in New England, who as he had been a good Benefactor to the Colony of New Plimouth before he came over, having been an Adventurer unto it at its first beginning; so also he approved himself a very useful Instrumen in that Jurisdiction after he arrived, being frequently Chosen, and for divers years serving God and the County in the place of Magistracy, and lived a godly and holy life until old Age." 217 "He was often elected an Assistant between 1634/35 and 1665. He appeared to side with the more conservative leaders, such as in the 1645 fight with Vassall. James Cudworth wrote that "Mr. Collier last June would not sit on the Bench, if I sate there" (Bishop, p. 176). He was on the Council for War, and he served at times as a commissioner of the United Colonies. He resided in Duxbury, and in 1649/50 he deeded ten acres of land in Duxbury to "my kinsman William Clark". 217 "Collier had lived in St. Mary Magdalen Parish, Bermondsey, Surrey and St. Olave Parish, Southwark. In the St. Olave register he was called a grocer. Bradford referred to a "brew-house of Mr. Collirs in London". 217 "On December 2, 166 William Collier of Duxbury, gentelman, with the consent of Mrs. Jane Collier, sold all his house and land that he was living on in Duxbury to Benjamin Bartlett, who was not to enter into possession until the death of both William and Jane Collier". 217 "William was a brewer in London (some say he was a brewer and grocer). He was one of the Merchant Adventurers who financed the Puritans and Pilgrims' pilgrimage on their experiment to permanently colonize New England and create trade between the colony and England. He came to the Plymouth Colony in 1626 to determine why the Pilgrims had not lived up to their agreement to ship furs, grain, and any other available commodities to London in payment of the money the Merchant Adventurers gave them for boat passage, food, and supplies. He purchased some land at the time of his visit. When he returned to London he sold his businesses and in 1633 he returned to Plymouth to live. He came on the Mary and James vessel, with his four daughters, ranging in age from 17 to 23 years old, servants and three of his London employees, John, Job, and David Cole. There is no mention of his wife, so she either died or stayed in London with her sons, and came over at a later date. . . His sons would have ranged in age from 3 to 14 when he settled in the Plymouth Colony in 1633. He had two wives, some say three. "760 "He immediately took a prominant position in the Plymouth Colony and was Magistrate and assistant Governor of Plymouth Colony for 28 years. He was a businessman and assisted in the settlement of accounts with the Merchant Adventures and handled the business of the colony. He was commissioner at the first meeting of United Colonies in 1643 and served on the Council of War. He was among the first purchasers of land in Duxbury, Mass. and was the first settler in Duxbury. He was the wealthiest man in the colony, as he paid the highest taxes. He died in 1671 at age of 81 years. His grave is not marked, as at that time they did not want the Indians to know that a member of the colony had died." 760 "Collier, Mr. William, Dux., vide first settlers. He d. a. 1671; m. Jane ____(?)." 333 His birth date was estimated as about 1585 based on date of marriage. His death was after 29 May 1670 (in list of Duxbury freemen) and before 5 July 1671. 757 More details to be entered.757 "In his Saints and Strangers (pp. 292, 452 f.) George F. Willison styles William Collier as about 1631 a brewer of London, but, as will be shown, Collier was principally a grocer of Southward in Surrey."767 "In his "Moore and Allied Families" (1938), L. Effingham DeForest showed (pp. 196f.) that on 6 March 1649-50 Collier called William Clarke his kinsman when he granted him ten acres in Duxbury, New England. From Boyd's Index of Marriage Records in the library of the Society of Genealogists in London, it was recently learned that William Colliar married Jane Clarke on 16 May 1611 at St. Olave's, Southwarke, in Surrey. If this man was the same as his namesake at Plymouth, the use of the term 'kinsman' would be sufficiently explained, but as yet there was really no proof that the two men named Collier or Colliar were identical. That they are, indeed, the same begins to be proved by the will of Zaccheus Cole of St. Olave, Southwark, citizen and grocer of London, dated 16 Nov. 1630, which appoints as overseer William Colliar, grocer, and was witnessed by Jean Collier. In this will the testator name his brother Frances, his brothers Nathaniel, John and Daniel Cole, and appointed his brother Job Cole executor (PCC 106 Scrope, no. 1246). In New England the will of John Cole, dated about 1637, refers to his brothers Job Cole and Daniel Cole, to sister Rebecca and to Eliza Collyer; and left legacies to 'each of Master Collier's man, Edward, Josiah, Arthur, Ralph and John.' Job Cole lived ca. 1643 at Yarmouth, as did Daniel Cole (N.E. Hist. and Gen. Soc 4:35, 258). There can be thus no doubt that Job Cole, the apprentice in New England of William Collier, was either kinsman to or identical with Job Cole of Southwark, named in the 1630 will of his brother, Zaccheus Cole. We are now on firm ground in believing that William Collier, the well-known merchant adventurer, was, indeed, the same as the aforesaid grocer of Southwark also named in the will of the same Zaccheus Cole in 1630. But there remains a slight puzzle: Why was Collier styled 'brewer of London' if he was actually a grocer of Southwark?"767 "What of the Clarke ancestry? A clue may lie in the will of John Arnold, dyer, of St. Olave's, Southwark, dated 16 March 1617/18 (PCC) Soame no. 1228). In it the testator referred to Richard, Hugh and William Clarke, sons of testator's late sister Joyce Clark, decd, and the children of his brother Thomas Arnold. Of this will a witness was William Collyer, doubtless the man who in 1633 came to New England, for note that the latter was in 1612 obligated to John Arnold, dyer, for setting as his surety, and 1612 is the year after Collier married Jane Clark, perhaps kinswoman to JohnArnold's sister Joyce. It is worth also stating that a John Clarke married Elizabeth Hobson on 17 Aug. 1589 at St. Olave's, Southwark, the parish in which the Colliers are found. While this is very inconclusive as to the Clarke line, it is hoped that these data will permit researchers into that family to gain further insight into its possible origin."767 More details to be entered.767 He was "one of the merchant backers of the Mayflower venture. Collier had brought his family over in 1633, and he served as Assistant Governor several times."768 "In 1966 (TAG, supra, 42:119-21), Mr. John Hunt offered strong evidence that the merchant adventurer, William Collier, was a grocer at St. Olive, Southwark, in Surrey. At the time of Mr. Hunt's search, the parish registers of St. Olave were not available for examination, but they have now been xeroxed and the following entries, in my opinion, prove conclusively that Mr. Hunt's theory is correct. The St. Olave parish registers show: Marriages 16 May 1611 Willm Colliar & Jane Clark758 "In 1973 (TAG, supra, 49:215 f.) I identified twelve children of the merchant adventurer, William Collier, from the parish registers of St. Olave, Southwark, Surrey. For four of the children there were burial records but no record of their baptism. I have now located the baptisms of two of those children in the nearby parish of St. Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey, Surrey: 16 March 1622[/23] James, son of William Collier 28 March 1624 Martha, daughter of William Collier From the above it would appear that William Collier moved to Bermondsey for a year or two before returning to St. Olave, Southwark." 769 "1638/9, Jan'ry 7. P 183 Do: 'Mr. Edward Winslow, Mr. John Alden, Jonathan Brewster & Willm Bassett are appointed by the Court to viewe the North Hill land granted to Mr. Willm Collyer and to set fourh the bounds thereof.' "770 "In 1672, John Wing of Sauquatuckett . . . purchased . . .a great lot, being the fourth lot from the Indian bounds, lying between Mr. William Bradford and Mr. William Collier, as is recorded in the town's book" 392 "The next group of men admitted as freemen are recorded at the court [of Plymouth Colony] of 1 January 1633/4: Mr. William Collier, Thomas Willet, John Cooke and Thomas Cushman. These are the last four names in the list prior to 'The rest admitted afterward.' " 771 "William Collier was one of the early merchant Adventurers who had identified themselves with the Plymouth Colony, 1 June 1621, at which time the first patent was granted them by the 'President and Council of New England. . . Evidence as to the time that William Collier arrived in the Plymouth Colony is furnished by three letters from England in 1633 . . William Collier was made freeman, taking the oath of fidelity, January 1633/4 and that same month was rated for public use at £2 5s in corn. The list numbered eighty persons. Of these he and Edward Winslow had the same rate, the highest. . " Details to be entered. 695 "William Collier was not only an early settler in Plymouth but he was one of the Mercahnt Adventurers who financed the Mayflower company on their momentous experiement which began the permanent colonization of New England, and his name often appears in the correspondence berween the Pilgrims and their backers in England. . . .Certainly Collier was a man of high character, and also of means and social position in Plymouth. He was called Mr. from his first arrival, as well as being described as 'gentleman' . . .Collier emigrated in 1633. . . With Collier there had come to this country his four grown daughters and his wife, Jane, of whom it is not known whether she was his first wife and the mother of his children. In 1634 two of the daughters married, another in 1633, and the fourth in 1637. . . .The records of Collier's last years are few. Only July 2, 1667, thirty or forty acres were granted him for his grandchild, 'viz, that grand child whoe is now seruicable vnto him' He died before July 5, 1671, when four men were apppointed to administer his estate, and on October 29, 1671, letters of administration were granted them. The Court particularly ordered that Daniel Cole was to have 'such pticulars' of the estate as had been specified by William Collyer. " More details to be entered. 565 "One of the last public services rendered by Mr. William Collier was a testimony given by him, 16 April 1668. . . It will be seen to be of great value from the fact that it is the only document so far as known in New England which gives any idea as to the time of his birth. It reads as follows: - 'Mr William Collier aged 85 or thereabouts Testifieth . . .' " 695 A copy of the certificate of election of William bradford and John Browne as Commissioners from Plymouth Colony on 1 June 1647 is on file. It was signed by William Collier, along with Myles Standish and William Thomas. 772 "William Collier, the immigrant ancestor, was born in England around 1583. Neither the identity of his parents nor his place of birth are presently known. In his youth, he was apprenticed to William Russell for eight years and was entered and sworn in the Gorcers' Company of London on 16 August 1609. On 16 May 1611, he married JANE-1 CLARK in St. Olave, Southwark, Surrey, England. It is similarly unclear who her parents were; she was born around 1593. What few sources there are for this family have mostly just given her name simply as 'Jane ____.' However, I feel that the Clark attribution is correct for the reasons. First, it is generally accepted that William had the following children: i Sarah b.c. 1615 m (1) Love Brewster m. (2) Richard Park ii Rebecca b. m. Job Cole iii Mary b. m. Thomas Prence iv Elizabeth b.c. 1617 m. Constant Southworth A recent researcher uncovered baptismal records for a William Collier in St. Olave, Southwark, Surrey, which included these four names plus several others. Second, in addition, it is known that William had more children besides these. Third, of the children of William and Jane listed in the parish records discussed by Wakefield, only those named Sarah, Rebecca, Mary , and Elizabeth survived -- the same names as our William's known children. Fourth, the approximate dates of birth of Sarah and Elizabeth -- 1615 and 1617 respectively - - are not out of line with the St. Olave Sarah and Elizabeth -- 1616 and 1618/9. Finally, the marriage record listing Jane Clark is consistant with the only other known name for William's wife, Jane ____." 759 "The couple had twelve children, several of whom died during the plague outbreak of 1624-25 (the first eight and last two baptized in St. Olave, the ninth and tenth at St. May Magdalen, Bermondsey). 759 "William was a grocer in Southwark, where he was the partner of a Mr. Monger. He was sworn as a free brother of the Grocers' Company there on 3 March 1627/8. He was wealthy enough to have been one of the Merchant Adventurers who financed the voyage of the Mayflower and the establishment of the Plymouth Colony. He was very supportive of the Pilgrims, in part because he received a healthy financial return on his investment in their enterprise, and subscribed to a special aid fund for them on 15 November 1626. Besides mercantile pursuits, he also owned a brewery in which another Adventurer, James Shirley, invested money in 1631. Not content 'with making a profit by the enterprise of the Pilgrims unless he shared their hardships,' he came to the Colonies in 1633. He sailed aboard the ship Mary & John on 30 March, with his daughters and several apprentices. They disembarked at Nantasket, Plymouth colony, with 180 other on 30 May." 759 "He settled first in Plymouth,where a listing of the allocation of mowing ground on 1 July 1633 makes reference to ground 'that Mr. Collier hath;' he was made a freeman in January 1633/4. His home was next to that of the Pilgrim leader Capt. Miles Standish, in the southeastern part of town near Captain's Hill." 759 "Collier, Wm., of Plymouth colony, came to N. England in 1633; assistant in that colony from 1634 to 1665, except 1638, '52 and '53, being twenty-eight years; commissioner of the United Colonies in 1643, (Far.;) one of the important and influential settlers in the colony. (Hon.) Wm. Collier, one of the first settlers of Plymouth . . . "756 "That men of the highest respectability were selected to retail the 'strong water' was certainly the case; for we find that in 1660, Mr. Collier, who was eminently distinguished in the public affairs of the colony, was licensed to sell the beverage to his neighbors in Duxbury; and it can be justly considered that one, who is well known to have been one of the wealthiest among them, would not have selected this as a means of gain, but rather at the instance of the magistrates, who well knew him to be a sober and discreet man, and one who would not be likely to sufffer any transgression of their laws." 333 "William Collier. He was one of the merchant adventurers in England, and a wealthy merchant, and quite early came to Plymouth, and soon removed to Duxbury and settled in the southeastern part, near Standish and brewster. He also had land west of North hill (granted 1635), and a tract called Billingsgate. He was an enterprising man, and engaged much in business, and during most of hislief employed in the government of the colony, as Assistant and otherwise. In 1658, 'The court ordered a servant to him, because he can not easily come to public business, being aged andhaving much private business.' He died in 1671 at an advanced age." 333 "The following list, containing, in part, the names of those in the colony who were taxed by order of the Court, March, 1633, will show the comparative wealth of some of them. Mr. Wm. Collier, £2 5s. [listed first]" 333 "1644. Mr. Collier and 'whom he pleaseth wth him,' of Duxbury, with the Governor and Mr. Prence of Plymouth, and Mr. Winslow and Mr. Thomas of Marshfield, were chosen to revise the laws." 333 1646. This is a list of the freemen of Duxbury for this year; . . . "The elections and other business of the Colony were confined to the freemen, who were, on special application, admitted to those rights, church-membership, however, being a necessary qualification. This was a requisite until about 1664, when it began to be discontinued; but was not, however, entirely given up until 1686. A certificate from the pastor of a good moral character, was nevertheless required. Mr. Wm. Collier . . ." 333 "1670. Freemen of Duxbury - . . . * Mr. Wlliam Collyare, dec'd. . . * Those marked * are crossed out on the record. "333 "He was a Merchant Adventurer of London, and very active in support of the New England settlers. In fact, he was one of those to subscribe for special aid to th Plymouth colonists on Nov. 15, 1626. He finally decided, like so many other merchants, to remove hmself and family to America. It is not surprising to find him, his four daughters and aprentices (not servants), among whom were the brothers John, Job ad Daniel Cole, disembarking from the good ship 'Mary and James,' together with 190 other passengers when it arrived at Plymouth in 1633. His wife probably had died, leaving him with the children. He was an able man and soon took a high position in the Colony, especially in the matter of final settlement of accounts with the London Adventurers. He was a commissioner at the first meeting of the United Colonies in 1643 to 1665, a period of 31 years. The court ordered a special aide for him in 1659, on account of 'age and much business.' " 249 "On 3 December 1660, 'the Court have ordered, that Mr. Collyare, Mr. Aldin, and the Treasurer are to meet the first Tuesday in January next, to settle matters about the estate of Goodwife Hunt, betwixt her and her children.' [PCR 3:202] . . . We note first the record of a Goodwife Hunt, with children, just three years after the presentation of the inventory of Edmond Hunt [24 Oct 1657]. The three men designated to assist this family group were William Collier, John Alden and Constant Southworth (the colony treasurer), all of whom resided at Duxbury at the time." 413 "William Collier, a London merchant, came over in 1633, and settled in Duxbury. . . d. 1671. He was Assistant 28 years, and a man of great influence and position." 761 "Mr. Partridge was probably interred in the first burial place of the town, which was a knoll in the south eastern part at Harden Hill, as it is called. If any stones were ever placed here they have since been destroyed by the ravages of time or otherwise, as non at the present day exist. Probably, however, none were erected, in hopes of concealing from the Indians their loss by death, and consequent weakness; or in the earliest periods the difficulty of procuring stones from England was so great, that few, in any, could have been placed here. This was probably used as a place of sepulture for about sixty years, and here were, doubtless, buried most of the founders of the town and church. Here, probably, rest the remains of Standish, Alden, Collier, Partridge and others, whose memory we delight to cherish, but whose graves must forever remain unknown. We have the most positive evidence that there was a burying ground here. Some years ago, while a sloop was building in this vicinity, there were found by the workmen, the bones of a female and an infant buried together. About the close of the last century a small sloop grounded on the marsh near by in a severe gale, and a party of workmen proceeded to get her off. While here, they discovered in the bank lately washed by the sea, the appearance of a coffin, and on closer examination they perceived the nails, though all were in a very decayed state. On the shore beneath there were found three skulls and several bones, apparently of the thigh. The teeth in one were perfect, and in one there were two. On one there was some light sandy hair. The bank here has washed away some twenty feet within fifty years. Some, however, incline to the belief that this was an Indian yeard, bu tthe fact that it was near the first church, and other considerations influence me to believe that it was an English burial place. There were fifty or seventy years ago, traditional reports, that there was a burying ground a short distance to the West of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Esq. Sprague, when plowing, used always on that account to leave undistrubed this portion. Maj. Alden was accustomed to observe that he believed John Alden, the Pilgrim, was buried here, and that this was the first burying ground, and the one at Harden Hill cliff was an Indian one. However, there is no positive evidence on this point either way." 333 "William Collier, of Duxbury, Mass., died 1670. He was a merchant of London, and for many years one of the Plymouth 'Adventurere,' but not content with making profit by the enterprise of the Pilgrims, unless he shared their hardships, he came to Massachusetts in 1633. He was an Assistant twenty-eight years, between 1634 and 1665, and at the first meeting of the Congress of the United colonies, 1643, he was one of the two Plenipotentiaries from Plymouth. In the alarms of 1642 and 1643-44, he was a member of the Council of War." 763 "Descendants of William Collier may well be pleased witht he following tribute paid by Morton in his New England Memorials: - 'This year likewise Mr. William Collier arrived with his Family in New-England 1633, who as he had been a good Benefactor to the Coilony of New Pllimouth before he came over, having been an adventurer unto it at its first beginning; so also he approved himself a very useful Insturment in that Jurisdiction after he arrived; being frequently Chosen, and for d;ivers eyrs serving God and the Country in the place of magistracy; and lived a godly and holy life untill old Age which to him is a Crown of Glory, being found in the wayy of Righteousness.' " 695 "The most nearly perfect original impression so far discovered is that in the Northampton, England, Municipal Free Library, in the Beatty Collection of documents relating to Northamptonshire. It was discovered by Miss Lilian J. Redstone, of London, while searching for genealogical data for Mr. G. Andrews Moriarty, Jr., F.R.S.A., of Bristol, R.I. It is attached to a certificate wich sets forth that Samuel Ryder, Jr., is the son of Samuel Ryder, Sr., that the father had at one time lived in Allhallowes Parish, Northampton, England, and that father and son had lived together about thirty years in the towns of Yarmouth and Plymouth, in New England. The certificate is dated 3 December, 1662, and is signed by William Collier, Deputy, and Thomas Southwroth, Assistant, 'By us in the absence of the Governor.'773 "The following certificate, the original of which is preserved among uncalendared deeds in the public library at Northampton, England, shows that Samuel Ryder, S., and his son, Samuel Ryder, jr., had lived together in the town of Plymouth and Yarmouth, in the Plymouth Colony, for some thirty years prior to 3 Dec. 1662, and that Samuel Ryder, Sr., had previously lived at Northampton, England Cf. Savage, 'Genealogical Distionary,' vol. 3, p. 541, vol. 4, p. 697, and Pope, 'Pioneers of Massachusetts,' p. 385." Text to be entered. It was signed by 'Wm Collier Deputie Tho: Southworth Assistant By us in the Absence of the Gouernor.' 774 "An Inventory taken the 10th of October 1633 of the goods and Chattels of Peter Browne of new Plymouth deceased . . . it to mr Collier for 1/2 bushell of pease." 775 "1633 Plymouth An Inventory of the goods of Godbert Godbertson & Zarah his wife who dyed without will . . . 24th of October . . . It To mr Collier for comforts in sicknes 01 00 00 " 776 Mr. Collier was probably buried in the old cemetery noted by Laurence Bradford in his history of Duxbury as on what is now Chestnut Street, between Bailey's and Hall's Corners. There were, in 1900, but one hundred twenty graves that were marked, in that cemetery. The oldest of these stones bears the year 1697. Without doubt therer were other stones there which have crumbled away. . . . Anothere old burial place near Harden Hill was supposed by Winsor, Duxbury historian, to have been the first burial place.. In view of the fact that Collier, Alden and Standish lived near the Chestnut Street burial place, at a place called Morton's Hole, northwest from it, and that Standish was buried there, stronger evidence would seem to be for Chestnut Street than for Harden Hill as the resting place of Mr. William Collier." 695 "Strange as it may seem, William Collier left no will. On the 5th of July 1671 the Court empowered Gove. Thomas Prence, Mr. Constant Southworth, Mr. Thomas Clarke, and Benjamin Bartlett, 'or any three of them, to adminsiter on the estate of Mr Willam Collyare deceased' and the four were appointed by the Court 29 Oct. 1671. Of the four administrators, Gov. Thomas Prence had married Mary, daughter of Mr. Collier; Constant Southworth had marriedf another daughter, Elizabeth Collier; Benjamin Bartlett had married Sarah Brewster, daughter of Love and Sarah (Collier) Brewster, and granddaughter of Mr. Collier; while Mr. Thomas Clarke was probably the father of the William Clark to whom William Collier gave deed of land, 6 March 1649/50, designating him as 'my kinsman.' " 695 In a letter by John Peirce of London, he states, " Wth all the said James Sherley & John Pocock & one Christopher Coulson Willm Collyar John Thronell & Robert Keine being some of the said aduenturers & assistants sent down a writt out of the Court of admiraltie to arrest your Orator his shipp and goods wthout any inst or reasonable Cause vpon an action of sic hundred pownds if your Orator should refuse to submitt to those theire new p'positions . . . the said James Sherley John Pocock Willm Colliar John Thornell & the rest of he said aduenturers to Couer && Collour their former vniust p'ceedings that the world should take no notice or knowledge therof prtended other vniust Causes of their said arest & made a great Clamor against your Orator . . . the said James Sherley John Pocock Christopher Coulson Willm Collyar John Thronell & Robert keine being the aduenturers aforsaid haue refused & still doe refuse to doe Contrarie to all equitie & good Conscience . . .May it please your Lordpp to grante vnto your Orator his Maties most gracious writtt of Spea [abbreviation for 'subpoena.'] to be directed to the said James Sherley John Pocock Christopher Coulson Willm Colliar John Thornell & Robert Keine . . . Jo: Glanuill: [the name of a clerk of the Court]." 777 In a letter from Gov. Edward Winslow to Gov. John Winthrop in 1644 he states, "I recd & haue imprted it to my prtner mr Collier. [William Collier was then associated with Mr. Winslow as commissioner of the United Colonies from Plymouth] And prceiue we are like to haue some trowble about the controversie between Hartfort & the Dutch. . . " 778 In "Notes on the Indians Wars in New England", in discussing the death of Indian Alexander, it was said "they brought him to Mr. [William] Collier's that day, and Gov. Prince living remote, at Eastham, those few magistrates, who were at hand, issed the matter peaceably, and immediately dismissed Alexander to return home.. . " 779 In a letter by John Peirce of London he states, "the said James Sherley & John Pocock & one Christopher Coulson Willm Collyar John Thornell & Robert Keine being some of the said aduenturers & assistants sent downe a writt out of the Court of admiraltie to arrest your Orator his shipp and goods wthout any just or reasonable Cause upon an action of sic hundred pownds if your Orator should refuse to submitt to those theire new p'positions thae said aduenturers well knoweing your Orator in that place to be a meere stanger and therfor not able to put in baile . . .shortly after when your Orator was Come to London the said James Sherley John Pocock Willm Colliar John Thornell & the rest of the said aduenturers to Couer & Collour their former vniust prceedings that the world should take no notice or knowlege therof prtended other vniust Causes of their said arest . . . 777 In the "last Will and Testament of Mr William Thomas of Marshfeild' dated 'the seaventh of October anno 1651' he states 'allsoe I bequeath unto mr Willam Collyare an heifer which hee shall Chuse out of three which I now have; and to his wife a Diaper Tablecloth of nine foot in length . . . I Doe heerby appoint the abovenamed Mr Willam Collyare and Edwad Buckley the overseers of this my said Will and Testament in Witnesse Wherof I have heerunto sett my hand and Seale the Day and yeare above Written' " 780 "[p. 29 1659 Prence Govr: A writing appointed to bee Recorded Memorandum that I william Collyare have given to m son-inlaw Daniell Cole all my Right and title to my pte of Purchase land upon Codd of upland and meddow; being att Sawtuckett Namscekett and about Paomett; and the appurtenances appertaining therunto as of wood Comons and the graunt of blubber onely Reserving for my lfie time a Right therin to have my horses mares and Coults Pasture therupon Witnesse my hand " [full text of deed to be entered]. 781 "[p. 81] 1661 Prence Govr: A Deed appointed to bee Recorded The 2cond of December 1661 memorandum [The following note, in a contemporary hand, is on the inner margin of the page. 'this Copnveyance is since made null and void by mutuall agreement of all pties Concerned therin and another made and recorded bearing Date the 28 of June 1666' ] That mr Willam Collyare of the Towne of Duxberry in the Jurisdiction of Plymouth in New England in America gentle Doth acknowlidge that for and in Consideration of the sume of foure score and ten pounds sterling; thirty pounds wherof is alreddy payed by Benjamine Bartlett of the towne aforsaid in the Jurisdiction aforsaid Cooper; hee hath freely and absolutely with the free Consent of Mistris Jane Collyare his wife; Bargained allianted and sould enfeofed and Confeirmed; and by these prsents Doth bargaine sell enfeofe and Confeirme unto the said Benjamine Bartlett all that his house and land which the said Willam Collyare Now liveth on in the towne of Duxburrow . . . " [full text of deed to be entered]. 782 [Plymouth Colony Deeds, Vol. II, Pt. I, pp. 106, 107] [p. 106] 1660: Prence Govr: A writing appointed to bee recorded as followeth Att a generall meeting of the Purchasers att Plymouth the seaventh of march 1652 It was ordered and fully agreed unto and Concluded by the whole that all that Tract and tracts of lands lying fromt he Purchassers bounds on the west side of Acoughcusse to a river called accusshaneck and three miles to the Eastwards of the same; with all Ilands meddows woods waters rivers Creekes and all appurtenances therunto belonging Should bee giaven to those whose names are heerunder written Containing thirty four shares and was then given alloted Assigned and sett over to them by the whold to have and to hold to them and their heires and Assignes for ever; to Devide and Dispose of the same as they should see good; and they are to Satisfy the Indians for the Purchase therof and to beare all other Due Charges that shall any way arise about the same According to their severall proportions. . . . Mr Collyare andf Sarah Brewster . . . " 783 "With the exception of William Collier, John Revell, Thomas Andrews, Thomas Brewer, Henry Browning, John Knight, Samuel Sharp, Thomas Ward, John White and Timothy Hatherly, none of the Adventurers came to New England. . . . Although they had deferred to the 'resolution' of the partners, in 1635 the Governor (Mr. Prence), Mr. Collier, Mr. Alden, Mr. Brown and Mr Howland were directed 'by the Court to view that portion of the ground on the north side of the North River and if they find it more beneficial for farms to Scituate than to these parts, then to allot it to them; if not to reserve it.' They reserved it. On October second 1637 'It is enacted by the Court that the grant of land at Scituate made to Mr. Tymothy Hatherly, Mr. Andrews, Mr. Sherley and Mr. Beauchamp, shall extend three miles up into the woods from heigh water marke, provided that upon the view of Mr. Prince and Mr. Collyet, it do not too much pjudice the town of Scituate.' This time Messrs, Prince and Collier must have been persuaded that the claims of Hatherly and his associates wer just, or perchance the court overrulesd them, for under date of March 6, 1638 the order of the previous October was confirmed, as it was found that it would not too much prejudice the town of scituate: 'Forasmuch as by former order of this Court Mr Prince & Mr. Collyer were appoynted to set bounds of lands at Scituate graunted to Mr. Hatherly, Mr. Andrews, Mr. Shurley and Mr. Beauchamp, three miles from the heigh water mark up into the land . . ." 337 "It will be remembered that the question of the Hatherly title had been settled upon an award made by Gov. Prence and William Collier in favor of Hatherly's grantees, the Conihasset Partners. This suit, although it related to but five acres of upland near Merritt's Swamp, was an attempt to revive the old controversy and put the title of the entire acreage again in issue. After setting forth the claim of the town, in the quaint pleading of the time, the record goes on to say: 'Both parties by their Agents appeared in Court. The Defendants deny ye things charged in ye writ, claiming the sd land to be their own; and say they will defind their title to ye same. And further say, ye line formerly ran by Mr. Prence and Mr. Collyer is their bounds &c. And disown ye line made by Mr. Paybody in March 1682 - Which case after pleas made and evidences on both sides given in was committted to ye jury who brought in their verdict as followeth, vizt: We find ye line ran by Mr. Prence and Mr. Collyer to be the bounds between Conahasset and Scituate and therefore find for ye Defendants & ye cost of ye suit.' " 337 "When the Quakers began coming to the colony in 1656-7 Cudworth was an Assistant in the Plymouth Colony. The laws proposed for the punishment of the Quakers and their banishment did not meet with his entire approval. He was not at once convinced that their religious principles were without merit, or their personal presence int he colony undesirable. He was tolerant of them and woule not condemn and punish, upon what he considered the pretexts advanced by the anti-Quakers. His opinions were largely those of his friend Hatherly. Of the men who sat on the magistrate's bench with him Governor Bradford and John Alden were more radical. Thomas Prence, always an enemy of Cudworth, was insultingly aggressive. Josias Winslow was inclined toward in a friendly way and William Collier held himself in haughty reserve.." 337 "The next year [1639]: 'Edward Winslow and William Collyer, both of Marshfield, are requested to take a view of the highwayes toward Greenes Harbor and Scituate from Plymouth, and to cause them to be amended that are in decay, or to alter them to more conveniency, and either of them to call one or two with them to do yt'" 337 "1653 BRADFORD Govr A Deed appointed to bee Recorded This Deed made the twentyeth Day of the seaventh month in the yeare of our Lord God one Thousand six hundred and fiftie; between John Holland and Hopestill ffoster of Dorchester in New England merchants of the one pte and William Paybody of Duxburrow within the Jurisdiction of Plymouth in New England aforsaid eyoman of the other pte . . . And Wee the said John Holland and Hopestill ffoster Doe by these prsents Authorise and appointe and give full power unto ourmuch esteemed and Respected frinds Mr Willam Collyare and captaine Myles Standish of Duxburrow aforsaid to Deliver and give forthwith full peacable and quiett possession and seasure of the abovesaid house and prmises unto the abovesaid Willam Paybody for him and his heires for ever . . . "[full text of deed giving land to William Pabodie for 70 pounds to be entered] 784 Regarding Governor William Bradford's Credentials as Commissioner of the United Colonies, "This certificate, which is about twelve inches high and about eight inches wide, was signed by Myles Standish, William Collier and William Thomas, three of the Assistants elected by the General Court the same day" 772 "This year likewise, Mr. William Collier arrived with his family in New England, who, as he had been a good benefactor to the colony of New Plimouth, before he came over, having been an adventurer unto it at its first beginning, so, also, he approved himself a very useful instrument, in that jurisdiction, after he arrived, being frequently chosen, and for divers years serving God and the country in the place of magistracy, and lived a godly and holy life, until old age, which to him is a crown of glory, being found in the way of righteousness." 340 "1634. This year Mr. Thomas Prince was chosen governor of the jurisdiction of New Plimouth. His assistants in government were Mr. William Bradford, Mr. Edward Winslow, Capt. Miles Standish, Mr. William Collier, Mr. John Alden, Mr. John Howland, and Mr. Stephen Hopkins." 340 "1635. This year Mr. William Bradford was chosen governor of the jurisdiction of New Plimouth. Mr. Edward Winslow, Mr. Thomas Prince, Mr. William Collier, Capt. Miles Standish, Mr. John Alden, Mr. John Howland, and Mr. Stephen Hopkins, were chosen to be his assistants in government."340 "1639. This year Mr. William Bradford was chosen governor of Plimouth. Mr. Thomas Prence, Capt. Miles Standish, Mr. John Alden, Mr. John Brown, Mr. William Collier, Mr. Timothy Hatherly, and Mr. John Jenney, were chosen assistants." 340 "1640. Mr. William Bradford was elected governor of the jurisdiction of Plimouth. Mr. Thomas Prince, Mr. William Collier, Mr. John Brown, Capt. Miles Standish, Mr. Timothy Hatherly, and mr. Edmund Freeman, were elected assistants." 340 "1641. This year Mr. William Bradford was elected governor of the jurisdicton of New Plimouth. Mr. Edward Winslow, Mr. Thomas Prince, Mr. William Collier, Capt. Miles Standish, Mr. Timothy Hatherly, Mr. John Brown, and Mr. Edward Freeman, were chosen assistants to him in government." 340 "1642. This year Mr. William Bradford was elected governor of the jurissdiction of New Plimouth. Mr. Edward Winslow, Mr. Thomas Prince, Mr. William Collier, Mr. Timothy Hatherly, Mr. John Brown, Mr. William Thomas, and Mr. Edmund Freeman, were elected assistants to him in government." 340 "To correct the inactivity among the Conihasset partners, the court ordered that the agents (Hoar, of course, among them) should record the lots and that the partners should bring in their bounds to be recorded. Pratt says that, 'Nothwithstanding this order the Partners, as independent as before, refused compliance with it. They neither brought in 'their bounds to be recorded' nor permitted the court to judge of the equality or equity of their own divisions.' Pratt's claim is at variance with the recording in C-2 at about this time of most of the first-division lots. Pratt also ignores the appointment by the court of a commisssion, consisting of Miles Standish, John Alden, William Collier, and Thomas Dexter, Sr. (or any three of them), to visit Scituate on 25 May 1653 to settle the matter." 733 | ||||||||
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