OF JOH N WILLIAMS 5 as with prow turned westward she furrowed the smooth
m sea ; su mer , while they discuss the situation and the out look . There must have been sadness and regret at the enforced breaking of old associations and old ties , not withstanding the goodly number in company ; but a note of exultation ran through all at the new sense of freedom and expansion of their minds as they looked out at the boundless untrammelled space about them . Here was room to breathe at will , and to safely express their satis faction that Bishop Wren and hi s Oppressions were each hour farther and farther behi nd . As to what lay before them , they had no fears ; the hand that was leading them out of bondage would provide . l The clusters of mothers , with an eye upon their todd ing hi U c ldren , are in earnest conference pon what they have left behi nd and what was before them . What of their household goods ? Had they brought on board or left behi nd those whi ch would be o f the most advantage to them in their new homes ? What would their new homes ? be like In any event , their most precious possessions — hi were secure , their c ldren and the right to think for themselves . With what awe would Samuel Williams ,
Thomas Metcalf , and the older boys watch with bated in breath the agile sailors the dizzy rigging , as they swung upon the halyards or balanced upon the yard arms , or, standing by the low bulwarks , they watched the waves and the denizens of the sea , calling their mothers to see w the sights , and plying ith questions those as ignorant as themselves of the wonders of the deep ! How the heart of Elizabeth Williams would have swelled with pride and thankfulness , could she have foreseen that she was to be the fountain- head of an endless flow of gospel ministers , who were to occupy a prominent 6 HEREDITY A ND EARLY ENV IRONMENT place in the hi story of a New England to whi ch they n were speedi g , one of whom was to be for forty years the leading figure of the old hi storic town of D eerfield ! ” Curiously enough, there were others on board the Rose who became connected with the same town . Tommy i Metcalf, the playfellow of Sammy Will ams , was in due
o f i time to be one her earl est land holders ; Ephraim Ropes ,
i hi s hi s n son of John , the em grant , gave life for cou try ’ in the defence of D eerfield during Philip s War ; and
o f n Edward , the son Joh Towne , was a soldier under the
- 1 675 ill fated Captain Thomas Lothrop in , and was laid
D rfi ld i to hi s last rest in ee e soil w th the flower of Essex .
o f Sad indeed would have been the heart Alice Roper, w had she the foreknowledge that both her t in sons , Ben
i o n jam n and Ephraim , would fall in Indian combat the
o f o ld Po c um t uc k . a r andso n banks Thomas , g of John
Baker the grocer , who settled in Roxbury , was a play
o f . mate John Williams , and but four weeks younger
o f He must have been of heroic blood , for at the age eleven 1 9 years he was in the Great Swamp Fight , December , 1 675 ll w , and was ki ed ith Captain Wadsworth in the fatal n ambush at Sudbury the next year . Thomas Lincol ,
o ut i who came from Norw ch as a servant , settled in Hing
o f ham , and became the ancestor two New England governors . Could we have overheard the talk o f the leading exiles grouped at the stern of the “ Rose ” on one of those calm
June days , as they were discussing their grievous con di in tion at home , or , later years , the same subject re call ed among those gathered in the shoe sh0 p of Robert l hn i Wi liams at Roxbury , where young Jo Will ams was an ul a earnest listener , we sho d have learned the re sons which caused them to leave the prosperous city for the deso OF JOH N WILLIAMS 7 — late wilderness , learned that it was to breathe an air
no t untainted by oppression , to benefit their financial condition . li While Wil am Laud was Archbishop of Canterbury , 1 63 5 i in , he had found , as he said , something in Norw ch “ ” much out of order ; and he appointed Matthew Wren
r di as Bishop in the district cove ing that town , and rected “ ” di d i hi m to take care of it . Wren th s so effectually “ 2 that , says Laud , in % years he roused the Puritans to ” “ o a dangerous pitch of religious fury . He had s pas sio nat el y and furiously proceeded against them , says “ Clarendon , that many left the kingdom , to the lessening ” of the wealthy manufacture . Of these were the No r
no w o f wich exiled passengers , comparing notes the past “ ” and planning for the future on the deck o f the Rose . At the confabs to be held in later years in the shoe sh0 p o f hi s hi grandfather , young Williams could hear that w ch “ ” — no t o n we could learn from the talk the Rose , that , when the fates willed , the wheel turned ; and Archbishop
hi s Laud lost head upon the block , while the impetuous
Wren languished fo r some tw o score years in the Tower .
John Williams , it will be seen , did not fail to take in useful lessons from the reminiscences o f Grandfather
Robert and his cronies . He saw that it was the int o le r ance of the Church of England whi ch forced these men and women to pay the price o f expatr iation fo r the Oppo r tunity of worshi pping the Deity according to the prompt ing of the conscience . Their forefathers had blindly bowed to authority , but for them there was at least a rift in the cloud of superstition , and for them a new day was beginning to dawn . He saw that , despite the efforts of the mother church , old things were passing away . It is true that the change was gradual , but the rift in the cloud never entirely closed ag ain . 8 HEREDITY A N D EARLY EN VI RONMENT
t a li m im Lit le can be le rned about Robert Wil a s , the
. t in 1 63 7 s migrant He set led in Roxbury , and seem to
Of his i have pursued the even tenor way , work ng at his trade Of shoemaking . He and his wife are both enr oll ed
r o f . as members Of the chu ch Eliot , the apostle There is o ne incident in this connection wort h noting . It is a
v matter Of record that for some ser ice to the town Mr . “ Williams w as granted t w o acres o f land . He sub se
t a as s quently peti ioned the town to t ke it back , it occa ioned “ ” him too much worldl y care . The presum ption is
w as i o f hi that he rel eved t s care , and left to peg away
hi s e hin ir . at bench , and meditat upon t gs sp itual He
1 1 693 . H is f i a died September , wi e , El zabeth St lham , 6 4 di 2 8 1 7 . 3 1 675 ed July , He married , November , , a V I wi f T ido w B ar ar et rin o f n . second e , g Fea g , Hi gham She
di 2 2 1 690 . r Wi ed December , He married , thi d , dow 7 -I A art h a i in 1 708 . H i s Parke , who d ed children were 6 in m . 1 44 . Elizabeth , b . England ; , , Richard Robinson
. in m . 1 648 n . Deborah , b England ; , , Joh Turner
. 6 66 . n in di 3 . . O 1 8 Joh , b England , ed p ctober ,
. 1 63 2 . Samuel , b in England ,
. in 1 1 63 8 . Isaac , b Roxbury , September ,
in 8 1 64 In . . 0 Stephen , b Roxbury , November , ; Sarah l “ . Wise , sister Of Rev . John ise i in 1 63 2 Samuel , the fourth ch ld , born England , , came
as I a hi s in 1 63 7 . over , h ve said , with father He set
t led in i hi s . Roxbury ; and . l ke father , was a shoemaker
w as m i He became a large land holder , and pro nent in the
o f affairs Of the town . He joined the church at the age
ft in 1 677 w as l fi een , was elected deacon , and made Ru ing
. e 2 8 1 69 8 . Elder He died S ptember , He married ,
2 1 653 - 4 Th eo da o f li March , , , daughter Deacon Wil am and Mart ha Parke . Their children were OF JOHN WILLIAMS 9 — — . 6 4 . 1 6 4 1 1 5 5 0 1 5 5 . Elizabeth , b February , ; d March ,
2 7 1 656 . Samuel , b . April , , bapt the same day ; m .
o f Sarah May, Roxbury , and , second , Sarah Adams , of M e dfie ld. — . 2 8 1 657 . 6 1 660 1 . Martha , b April , d March , — . 1 1 1659 60 111 . Elizabeth , b February , ; Stephen Paine , of Rehoboth .
6 f - 6 — The o da 2 7 1 6 2 . o 8 1 78 9 , July , ; d small pox March , “
Jo hn . 10 1 664 . , b December , , The Redeemed Captive
. 6 1 666 . Ebenezer, b December , ; m Mary Wheeler , n of Stonington , Con , second , Sarah Hammond , Of New ton .
. 2 0 1 668 111 . Deborah , b November , ; Joseph Warren ,
t so Of Of Bos on , and became ancestor General Joseph
Of . Warren , Bunker Hill fame
. 19 1 67 1 . Martha , b May , ; m Jonathan Hunt , Of North ampton and D eer field .
6 4 m . 2 6 1 6 8 E x . 12 1 7 9 e Abigail , b July , ; , May , , p
r ienc e Of . an Porter, Hadley , and Mansfield , Conn ; was c est o r o f the celebrated Storrs family . She di ed April
2 9 , 1765 .
1 1 1677 . Of Parke , b . January , ; m Priscilla Payson ,
Dorchester . — TW O 168 1 1 683 . children born and died , It was in thi s circle that John Willi ams was nurtured until fate cast his lot in the far Off valley Of the Po c um tuck . 10 H EREDITY A N D EARLY ENVIRONMENT
CHAPTER II . — — . E TR S ORM TIO . PERSO TH E N W E G D P U AN F A— N NAL N—LAN E TH E . TH E RITAN . L ADING TOWARDS LIGHT PURI ’ — ~— TA N IN TH E V A N . PERSECUTION . DUDLEY S E PI — — — TAPE . RELIGIOUS WARS . WITCHCRAFT . TH E RE
ACTION .
D ee r field WHOSOEVER studies the early history Of , or
o ne gives it even a casual glance , will find figure which
o ut a always stands clearly in the foreground , always p in pealing to the heart and to the imagination , always citing to further research . This figure is the Reverend
John Williams , well known in all New England history “ ” - to day as The Redeemed Captive . Old D ee r fie ld and John Williams seem to be o ne and inseparable . It is difficult to think Of him in any light w hich disconnects him his from the scene Of labors , trials , and disasters ; hard to realize that he ever lived anywhere else , ever had a childhood or boyhood in a far- away villag e ; hard to
his realize that . when , in mature years , he travelled to
w as v hi s en the Bay , he isiting the place Of birth , the vir o nm e nt hi s Of youth and early manhood ; that , when U pon occasion he preached in Roxbury , or in Boston before
w as the governor and council , he confronting in the congregat ion the faces o f hi s early companions and the gray hair Of those to whom he had looked up with rever ence since , as a trembling lad , he first stood in their — w e fil august presence , men , may note , who have led a
S o ur h k large pace in colonial istory , and who were well nown
a . beyond the se s Even now , after all the study given to
o f my theme , it is only by a wrench the imagination that
I can bring before me John Williams , the boy , living in OF JOH N WILLIAMS 1 1
Roxbury , and growing up to know personally so many Of the leading characters in the story Of early New Eng land ; the very men who moulded the minds and guided
Of inst rum n the actions the times , and who were largely e
- tal in making New England what it is , men who , in
o f - fact , shaped the policy Church and State , Dudley ,
Eliot , Willard , Danforth , Sewall , Wise , Shepard , Lev
r t t o f . e e , Weld , Mather , and a host their compeers Such a boy seems to me hardly more than a myth . But , as
o n - we go , he will become more and more a flesh and blood reality . It is not alone because John Williams was born and nurtured in Roxbury that my personal interest in that
o settlement is strong and abiding . Four f my o w n anc es tors were familiar with her primeval forests , her pebbled rocks , her sparkling springs , her ebbing and flowing waters ; and there another first saw the light . A daughter “ ” of the latter was the pride o f the Old Indian House after her advent there as a br ide in 1703 . She was no doubt warmly welcomed by John Williams , the young minister , who lived almost next door . Many incidents
Of D eerfield or events turning up in a study history , lead
o ld directly o r indirectly back to Roxbury . Robert and his son Samuel were both shoemakers by trade , and both
D eer field . lived until John , the grandson and son , went to
Of Martha Williams , a sister John , married Jonathan
Of D eer field Hunt , ; Abigail , another sister , married
o f . Experience Porter , Hadley As William Williams , his cousin and classmate , settled in the ministry at Hat n in field , Joh his western home did not lack for kindred
hi s and friends from native Roxbury . ’ - In Johnson s Wonder working Providences , published “ 1 654 Of Ro c ksbur in , we may read a description y, 12 HEREDITY A N D EARLY ENV IRONMENT
hi i s fil w ch , he says , led with a very laborious people , whose labors the Lord hath so blest that in roome of di smal] Swamps and tearing Bushes they have goodly
Fruit trees , fruitful Fields and gardens , their Heard Of O Cowes , xen and other young Cattle of that kind about
3 50 l - neer e st reete s , and dwel ing houses Their are large , and some fayer Houses , yet they built their House
unbeautified for Church Assembly destitute and , with other buildings . The Church Of Christ here is increased 12 0 to about persons , their first Teaching Elder called
O . i hi s hi to ffice is Mr El ot a young man , at coming t ther o f i n Of a Cheerful Spirit , walk g unblamable , a Godly
hi s o w n conversation , apt to teach both with flock , and n the poor I dians doth appear , whose language he learned purposely to help them to the knowledge Of God in Christ , i i frequently Preach ng in their Wigwams , and catech zing ” their children . The hamlet Of Ro c ksbury was located at the outlet
Of the Boston Neck , and for a new settlement it was com f pac tly built . In giving the acts o the ministers and the
o f church , the acts and the character the people of the town are given . Church and State , abjured at home in
l . England , are practica ly one here The first meetinghouse Of Roxbury was in character like those Of the other settlements Of contemporary times , a low , barn shaped structure , without spire or other orna ment, the walls rough boarded , the roof covered with
w as n o r thatch . There no ceili g plastering , no seats but rude benches ; Oiled paper and wooden shutters instead Of glass and sash win dows ; no fireplace o r other means
. hi u Of warming T s house , b ilt at an early date , was l repaired from time to time , as needs befe l ; but in out ward appearance it was essentially the same when o n o ne OF JOH N WILLIAMS 13
1664 day in cold December , , an infant was carried into it , and baptized by the name Of John Williams . This style Of building was in accordance with the Puritanic idea : both were to expand very slowly . It is a trite but a true and well - accepted saying that the chi ld is the father o f the man . It is no less true that
ff en the child is the O spring of environment , and that vi r o nm ent Of , in its broadest sense , is the mind the people ,
ri o n m o r whether w tten parch ent as laws , permeating the atmosphere at a given time and place as custom . Hered
o f ity must , indeed , in the lapse time , count as a large factor ; but it must always take a subordinate place . The boy Of the fifteenth century must Of necessity have had a widely divergent environment from one who first Opened his eyes on the seventeenth century . Consequently , di each must have a fferent development , and should be
ff o ur judged by a di erent standard , and neither from
- own twentieth century point of Observation . Only so
o ur can justice be done , and conclusions have weight and value . As the Puritanic spirit was a potent factor in the
Of hi l environment John Williams , t s wil be considered at some length . The Puritan of New England has been set up by many a writer as a standard example Of superstition and big
o r otry , and as such subjected to reproach ridicule , accord
Of no t Of ing to the animus the critics , all whom have lived on Ameri can soil . But whence came the men so stig m atiz ed ! It is well to bear in m i nd that the leaders di among them , the men who framed the laws and or
i Of nances , those who built the Obnox ous platforms the hi Church , who persecuted Ann Hutc nson and Roger
l — ar Wi liams , and banished the Q uakers , the Puritans p ex c ellenc e — , were all born and grew up to manhood in 14 HEREDITY A ND EARLY E NV IRONMENT
Old England . These men received their education and training in England . They were made what they were
n - - Of by their environment , bei g the blood and bone sons
Old England . Many of them were graduated from the hi ghest educational institutions in England . They were in no sense the product of New England soil , and any shaft aimed at them as such must m i ss its mark by three
i . thousand m les It was Governor Thomas Dudley ,
1 576 hi s JO born in England , in , and not son , Governor se h 1 640 hi s p , born in New England , in , who wrote own hi epitaph , from w ch I quote
D m deafe ear es c m c im e eyes, , old sto a h shew
My dissolution is in view. E m n ea d I leven ti es seve y rs live have , G o d c l I ll And . now a ls , wi ing dye F l e c i en n are wel , d ar wife, h ldr and frie ds . H er es Mak e . H at y e blessed ends . P L n Bear overty . ive with good m e .
SO shall we meet with ! o y agen . Let men of G o d in courts and c hurc hes watc h ’ O er c toler ation c su h as do a hat h, e L y ill e c c k c est g g bring forth a o atri e, To a all w and c p y you ith heresy vi e , If m en be left and otherwise c om bine ’ ” M s I d no liber ti ne ine epitaph die .
Libertine meant Famili st . Heresy meant what it
—a always means to him using the word , doctrine not agree
ing with hi s o wn . N0 one will deny that the founders Of New England
r u o r i were pe sec tors , that in th s practice they were actu ated by an earnest desire to glorify G o d and to secure
their own eternal salvation . It seems strange at first
thought that these men , who were driven from the mother OF JOH N WILLIAMS 1 5
land by persecution , should set up the same trade here ; but a deeper consideration shows us that they were ,
Of after all , but the heirs all the ages ; and that they only pursued the policy indoctrinated by both heredity and
Of w environment . They had , indeed , a glimpse the da n
Of . ing light free thought , but the sunrise was not for them
O Of ne lesson taught by the study history is , that in — every age the progressive men those first t o discover and proclaim any new light in religion o r in science are the men to be persecuted . By thi s standard the Puri O tans were the advanced element in ld England , to say nothi ng Of other evidence . We also read from the records Of the past that those people who suffered martyrdom
o f o wn for the glory God and their salvation , when raised to power , became themselves persecutors to the same end , — o f G o d . the glory , and their own salvation Those who unfiinc hingly gave up their lives in the fires Of Sm i thfield in testimony Of their faith, and those who applied the torch were both equally seeking the honor and glory o f the
Deity , and striving to secure His favor personally . Both were petitioners fo r a happy hereafter . Was there any real difference in the pious zeal t o promote pure religion between those who instigated the red massacre Of Saint
Bartholomew , and those who returned retaliatory strokes o f i i o f vengeance , wh le following the wh te plume Henry Of Navarre ! Was no t that human brute called the Duke
o f o wn Of Alva seeking the glory God and his salvation , as well as the ill - fated Willi am the Silent ! Were not the
o f Of fortitude the heretic on the rack , and the hardness the wretch who turned the screw , both born Of the same
! no t desire and the same hope Was the Crusader , whose
- stout battle axe cleft the turban of the Saracen , and the
sc m et ar Paynim , whose keen y found its way through the 1 6 HEREDITY A N D EARLY ENVIRONMENT
!oints in the armor of the invader, both actuated by the
- same motive , to glorify their God and to secure each his own salvation ! The so - called religious wars have been exceeded by no
. w others in real barbarity In these, hundreds of to ns and cities have been given over to fire and sword ; m i llions
Of i men , women , and children have been indiscrim nately — all . slaughtered , in the name Of God and for His honor
And , when the greed for plunder , rapine , and murder , had been satiated , then from cathedral or conventicle , as the case might be , went up with varying pomp and ceremony thanksgiving and praise to that God in whose name the victory had been w o n and whose foes had been destroyed .
This is a black picture . But see it we must . It is the background against whi ch we must watch the march Of
. V o the centuries ery sl wly , but in time , the background grows lighter . But the question is , and our lesson is , how , di f except in degree , does this aspect of the past fer from the present ?
With such a background , such an heredity , and such
o ne o r um an environment , can any consider it a strange expected thing that o ur Puritan forbears kept up the r Ole o f thinking that whosoever di ffered from them in i the forms of religious bel ef , be it ever so little , must be counted and treated as heretics ; that their suppression “ i G o d hi Of would be glor fying , w ch was the chief end ” ! O no t i man n the contrary , would its om ssion be the hi — strange and marvellous t ng the advance in a day , whi ch ten succeeding generations have not yet fully achi eved . In stead o f condemnation for intolerance is it not a cause fo r congratulation and a ground of respect for the Puritan that the more violent forms of persecution d so soon gave way to more tolerant con itions , and that OF JOH N WILLIAMS 17
their seed has eventually led the world towards the eman c ipatio n Of the human mind from the bonds Of super st i
tion . Was not this progress inaugurated by their being cut Off from the Old English environment and finding ’ themselves nearer to nature and nature s G o d ! Instead Of hi m censuring the imported Puritan , let us give credit fo r blazing the path whi ch led t o brighter fields than had
been his inheritance .
Yes , it is true that the New England Puritan in the sec o nd generation banished Q uakers and hanged witches ; and it becomes us to follow the example of brave Old Samuel
. i Sewall When that h deous epidemic craze had passed , the misguided judge stood up with bowed head before
O o the whole congregation in the ld South Meetingh use ,
and confessed with shame , sorrow , and repentance , the sins Of his actions during the fleeting witchcraft mad
. SO us ness let , before the whole world , acknowledge
s ad o n these stains the escutcheon Of the Puritan . At
o ut the same time we have the right to point the fact , that O i in the ld World , from wh ch their fathers came , hun dreds o f so - called witches were hanged or burned o r
o ne f drowned , to who su fered in New England ; and the practice continued for a hundred years after the last case
o n . record here Furthermore , there is another point to be considered in making up the case o n the matter Of
witchcraft . It does no t appear that in England there was ever any public acknowledgment of error o r any pub
lic restitution , unless modified laws be so considered ; while in the Old Bay Colony there was public recan t atio n Of the Judicial and Legislative action during that
horrible dream , and , so far as possible , restitution was made to the survivors in the families o f the victims by the removal Of attainders , and by the bestowal Of largess . 1 8 HEREDITY A N D EARLY ENV IRONMENT
Trivial as thi s action may appear in comparison with
Of the Offence , yet in the compass two decades , it was an advance in lifting the burden Of superstition unpar al leled probably in the hi story Of any country or any com munity ; and the lifted curtain never again darkened
o f the land . Have the defamers the Puritans ever given them due credit for this advanced position in the history
Of ? so di the world If so , I have far failed to scover the evidence . It was during this period o f reaction that the first o r dained minister Of the D eer field church attained his man hood ; and , although born under lowering skies , we shall
hi s see the effect of this movement on character . OF JOH N WILLIAMS 1 9
CHAPTER III . — — A N D . THEO OG . POST E E IOT . SIG S WO DERS L Y A —L L — N — N B . T ARMY WORM . SYNOD . ANA APTISTS IDINGS FROM — — A D . . CONNECTICUT . CAUS—E N EFFECT ELECTION F H E . A POPULAR HYMN . IDEA O T DEITY
JOHN WILLIAMS was born in Roxbury , and was bap t iz d n 1 8 e by Saint Joh , the Apostle Eliot , December ,
1664. At that time the Opinions and the spirit brought from England by the emigrants still held the people fast .
r o f The dominant element in the hea t their religion , in
o f G o d . theory and practice , was literally the fear Its active demonstration was in the seeking and following ways to placate His wrath , and turn away His manifest resentment . They believed with all their souls that the sins or shortcom i ngs o f indi viduals were punished by the infliction Of calamities o n the whole peOple : it might be
o f a flood or a drought , a season cold or remarkable heat ,
m i c o nfla r atio n a wasting epide c , a g , or an earthquake ; a blight on growing grain or a Visitation o f worms o r i m i grasshoppers . Wh chever it ght be , the remedial measure was the same . It was in ordering a day Of public
m . hu iliation , fasting , and prayer The service was in
in an d abstain g from food from sunrise to sunset , suppli cation for forgiveness o f their earthliness and trans
r essio ns fo r m g , and a change in the ind of the Deity ;
o f es in fact , a readjustment Of the laws nature for their
o r pec ial benefit . Thi s seemed to Eliot and u fathers to be the only known way to appease the anger Of G o d and A bring H im into a more merciful frame Of mind . p
ar entl . p y, this change was sometimes broug ht about 2 0 HEREDITY A N D EARLY ENVIRONMENT
Then all the people rejoiced , and were exceeding glad ; and the Elders made a note o f it o n the records Of the
Church . Extracts from the Church Records Of Roxbury will show the conditions I have indicated better than any s ummary I can make . As an instance o f cause and effect I
quote : 1 645 . this year e we had sundry strange pro
Ir di io us st o r m e w g signes , a Of haile at Boston the stones
o were as big r bigger than muskett bullets and fell terribly .
The week after the like was at Dedham , wr some were
r s hi o th in fas on like cross barr cannon shott , like musket
w as r hir r ic ane Br ant r ee bullets , there also a fie ce at soone ” “ after . This was a warning Of trouble . The Narra
S anset s ear e g resolved a warr y y , but through mercy a ” peace was made . t 1 646 . This ye ar e about the end Of the 5 month t V o n v o n we had a very strang hand of God p vs , y p a sud
o f C att er iller s daine , innumerable armys p filled the C h w Country all over all the English plantations , devoured some whole meadows Of grasse , greatly devoured barly , being the most greene , tender corne , eating Off all the blades beards , but left the Corne , only many ears they quite eat o f by byt ing the greene straw asunder below t so s o le d the ear y barly was generally halfe p y , likewise
Off w heat e they much hurt wheat by eating the blads , but had the lesse hurt because it was a little forwarder than
so barly harder , dryer , they the lesse medled ‘"h yt w . so neer e it As for rie , it was hard and ripe they
no t S ll touched it , but above all graines they devoured y y A nd di oats . in some places they fell upon In an Corne quite devoured it , in other places they touched it not ; they would goe crosse hi ghways by 1000 . Much prayer there m G o d w was made to about it , fasting in divers places ; m o n suddaine a aine the Lord heard , a tooke y all away g
2 2 H E RE D rrY A N D EARLY EN VI RONME N T
This s hower Of June 1 1 w as considered a di r ect an
a Of swer to the ction the Synod the day before , a prompt
recognition o f it s status and approval o f it s work . At
e n the session held in S ptember , after the abundant spri k
Of y n di y ling the summer , the S od found no fficult in de
and i a i w as cidi ng proclaim ng , th t sprinkl ng the form Of bapti sm most. ple asing to the Bl o st Hi gh . Those who y h . e opposed t is method b word or deed , wer enemies Of
i i a e a God , in m cal to the St te , and disturbers Of the p ce
an u w in . in the Church . d m st be dealt ith accord gly It
n y a k shows the i fluence Of the clerg , th t laws bac ing this revelation were soon placed upo n the statute book . 6 i B . D an h a ai . u . 1 65 r Somet ing went wrong g n In J ne , e forth makes record : This moneth y lord smot our wheat t ”
w m w l l ild w . u 2 2 w as both inter sum er e J ne . there ”
A n . f a Public Fast . s we fi d no note made O the effect " s m ay no t a Bl ildew Of this Ob ervance , we conclude th t the
did not abate in consequence Of it . But neither do we fin d any appe arance Of a l ack Of faith in the propo sed remedy .
In July the di sasters multipli ed . Records are made Of a fat al powder exp losion fatal str oke s Of li ghtning in “ a s w o several pl ce , a whirl ind and water sp ut ; a storm Of Haile some as big as an egge some long 8: flat t ’ ”
r e as as a a fist . u y some Corne ed , some ne r big m n s J l C h e o y 8: August . A great Dr ught w burnt. up pa stures
r n I . t h e at e d I o . B r c i the ndian C rn Danforth ont nued , as apparent cause and effect “ m a v ro h The Anab ptists gathe red s into a church . p p e m y sied one by o ne . 8: so m e o ne amongst adm ini st re d ye o s e w as e l y c a L rds upp r , after he r gu arl excommuni ted y ye . at b ch Charles town . They also set up a lec ture at ”
s u o . Fo r a Drinker ho se , nce a fortnight these r nk OF JOHN WILLIAMS 2 3
6 heretical proceedings they were admonished by y ” o Court o f Assistants . But even thi s di d n t have the desired effect upon the Lord , and an earthquake was “
o f . sent , and another great Storm Winde The Churches now took up the matter . They made it hot for the here “ e 6 at y tics home , and in December Churches in y Bay ”
. 5 1 666 set upon a Course Of Fasting and prayer April , , All the churches in this Jurisdi ction kept a solemn day
Of fasting Prayer . But the Baptists were not yet squelched , and “ ye It pleased G o d thi s Summer to arm Caterpillers C h t w di d o ur O aga vs much damage in rchards , and to ye ” exercise Bay with a severe drought . The general
w as i April fast an evident failure , and an ind vidual campaign was inaugurated . “ ye 6 (1 The Churches in Bay sought y L by Fasting e y 1 9th Of Prayer , our Church of Roxbury began the m a ye 4 1 9 L . [June , The gave rain next day The ye ye rest Of Churches in like manne r besought Lord 2 1st o f And it pleased G o d send rain more plent i 6 fully o n y 2 3 d day following . Possibly thi s matter “ fo r was overdone in their estimation , It pleased God that o ur wheat w as Mildewed blasted this year also .
. df The wrath Of God was still unappeased Drea ul fires , di o f m i hr stempers , death e nent men , t eatened invasion by the French and the Dutch , hurricanes , an earthquake , and
o f - i finally a visitation the small pox are recorded , wh ch greatly Encreased in the Winter proved very atflic tive mortal vnt o many . “ m
. 666 1 1 . 1 2 66 1 1 1 di [Feb , Ti ngs came to vs 9 m C o nnec tic o t h o w o n 15 l o 66 from , that y th Of Sergeant e y Of Heart son Deacon Heart and his wife six children , were all burnt in their House at Farmington , no man know 2 4 HEREDITY A N D EARLY ENVIRONMENT
e o f y ing how the fire was kindled , neither did any Neigh ye bors see fire till it was past remedy . The Church there ” had kept a Fast at this mans house 2 dayes before . TW O other fires with loss of life are noted in the next items . It is not easy to understand the spirit in which the accounts Of the two events at Farmington , the terrible
so o n disaster following closely the pious fast , should
o t h be Spread n the records Of e Roxbury church . Cer t ainly there w as nothing to encourage the practice Of fasting . It may be that these disastrous events were
U as held p by the pastor proofs Of Divine displeasure , and to incite hi s people to a more earnest Observance Of religious duties and more fervency in giving Him praise and glory ; and possibly more active measures against the
. his heretics If the latter , Captain Turner and fellow
a h B aptists h d t e full benefit Of the exhortation .
2 6 1 6 68 w as March , , there a publick Fast through e 6 o ut y Jurisdiction appointed by y Council . A week
w as later this followed by an earthquake , and something
m . SO more ust be done , “ 14 y e April , A publick Disputation by order Of Coun ‘3 ” cil for y Convi ction o f certain Q uakers to show the “ public , which had much sympathy for them , that their 0 t is o f G o d prac ice not justifiable by y word , nor to be 6 ” allowed by y government o f this Ju risdiction . This “ ” Disputation turned out to be an ex par te broadside from the pulpit upon the heads Of the schismatics ; and June 2 9 they were banished by an edict Of the General
. as w as Court Strange it may seem , the Lord not yet
a . 1 6 ppeased May , There were many prodigies seen 6 6 ye in y heaven in y night before Lords day by 500 people in this form This spring w as a time Of much infir m
fe ave r s ity sickness , many were visited with some OF JOHN WILLIAMS 2 5
dyed . Thi s record was supposedly made as showing cause and effect .
f it lease d The righteousness O any calamity . p God
o n o r o f to inflict the individual the community , in spite all the fasting and prayer , was accepted as altogether just and well deserved . There was no murmuring or
. hi complaint T s trust in the Most High never faltered , and it was t o the Puritans their staff and stay . In 1668 an event occurred in Roxbury which must have
. Jr . Of moved the people deeply John Eliot , , the son
Of their sainted pastor , a young man Of rare talent and high promise , born and bred among them , now the first
o f minister Newton , had fallen by the wayside , leaving a young widow with two babes . What will be the record o f this deplorable and untimely loss ? This and nothi ng more , in the handwriting Of Samuel Danforth , the col m
o f : 13 th 8 68 . . league John Eliot , the father Mr John 6 Eliot jun . Pastor to y Church at Cambridge village rested from his labors .
In sickness the minister was called before the doctor .
Prayer was more relied upon than medical skill . Did ’ the patient die , it was God s will . Did the sick one re cover , God was given new glory and honor before the con g r eg atio n fo r His great mercy .
- With the deeper thought Of to day , it is hard to under stand that such a belief could give our fathers strength
o f . and comfort in the hour trial Baldly , but truly stated , their God was an all powerful , all seeing , capricious despot . They read that man was made in His own image . m i They conceived Of God as a ghty , invisible being , with the attributes of man , and moved by the same emotions , delighting in nothing so much as public ascriptions Of t honor and glory and power . They had been taugh 2 6 HEREDITY A N D EARLY ENVIRONMENT
Of G o d that the chief end man was to glorify , that the more they magnified His name and Offices the better He was pleased , and the more favors He would grant . They believed that nothi ng woul d more surely arouse His wrath than the neglect o f public worship . Hence His n anger , manifested by sick ess , blight , or earthquake , might be provoked by the ways Of the ungodly only ; whi le the punishment would fall alike On all . And hence the zeal Of the more pious to seek o ut and punish all who
no t would walk in the ways laid out by the Synod , after that body had di scovered and proclaimed what thoughts and what actions were pleasing to the Deity . With these
m i Of ideas , the united voice Of the nisters was the voice the
o Almighty . The logical conclusion f it all was reflected
- in the laws . Self preservation required the punishment
Of all Offenders against the creed , and the Sunday worship .
He that would not sit in the pew , must sit in the stocks .
o f He who would doubt the doctrine the creed , should
have leisure to solve hi s doubts behind the prison bars .
li ve The wonder of it all is , how could a community ever under such a condition of things as that confronting o ur
ancestors , mentally and morally ; letting alone the physi cal hardships and privations incident to a home in the wilder ness from out Of whi ch they must wrench the very means Of exi stence ! They were still under the stress Of many a superstition originating in the haunts Of savagery
before the dawn Of civi lization . They honestly believed
in the infamous doctrine Of Election . The creed pro
o ut Of hi s claimed that God , mere Good Pleasure , from all eternity called some to everlasting Life ” in celestial bliss ; and all that the most pious and devout could even
' w as t h at hope for under any circumstances , perchance it might turn out that their names were on the roll Of the OF JOHN WILLIAMS 2 7
Elect . In such way only could they in any wise escape “ ” the doom of those under the wrath and curse of God , and so be liable to all the inflic tio ns in thi s life and to the ” c ertainty Of the everlasting Pit and the Undying Worm . ’ “ Wiggle s r th s Day o f Doom was a popular book which appeared in many editions , and therefore it may be accepted as voicing the times and the religious ideas o f those who read its pages . A few representative lines will be given . They are from a colloquy between God and Man : W o u m a G c ill y de nd ra e at my hand , and c h aleng e what is Mine ? Will you teac h m e whom to set free and thus my G rac e c onfine ? Yo u e are and uc S a sinn rs , s h a h re as Sinners m ay expec t ; S c S a a I u h you h ll h ve, for do save ” u m E none b t y own lec t .
In the following stanza a crumb of comfort is Offered to the bereaved parents whose babies died young . Address
: ing infants , He continues
’ Yet to c om pare your sin with their s who lived a longer tim e I do c onfess yours is m u c h less n’ though every Si s a c rim e . A c m e in ri e it is , th refore bliss you m ay no t hope to dwell ; But unto you I Shall allow m in H the easiest roo ell .
The theology Of the day certainly did not offer a cheer ful outlook for the present or the future . Doomed from b ’ ” O irth to God s wrath and curse , through the riginal Sin of Adam and Eve , however that might be interpreted ; 2 8 HEREDITY A N D EARLY ENV IRONMENT in constant fear o f present afi ic tio ns through the mis deeds o f others ; bowed down by the chains Of supe r sti
o f o f tion , their only weapon defence seasons fastings and supplication and stilted praise , their only hope that Of so softening the heart Of an offended Deity that His hand might be stayed ; and the end Of it all a faint chance for a lucky ticket in the lottery o f Election . Their minds were narrowed and shrunken by lack of mental stimulus ; the reading o f the generality restricted to the Bible and catechism , they easily ran to trivial personalities , petty gossip , and petty quarrels .
H OW . faint the light , and how dark the clouds about — ’ their pathway ! The ever haunting fear o f God s impend ing wrath must have saturated their minds by day and crowded their dreams by night . In such a life it is hard
o f Of to conceive any elements peace , harmony , content ment , or happiness ; but we all have been accustomed to think and to say that o ur forefathers and fo r e m o th er sr ” ! were sustained alone by faith . Faith in what Must
G o d w as r it not have been the belief that just , whateve befell ; that , however sorely burdened in mind or body , somehow these afflictions had been earned ; if not by their o w n o r actions , then by their first parents their fellow men . They believed that punishments were due , and
a th t the infliction Of penalties , somehow all redounded ’
Of G o d . to the glory , which was man s chief concern Is it possible in the light Of the science and the phi los Ophy Of to - day to analyze correctly the abstract idea o f
as o ur ? the Deity held by ancestors Broadly speaking , they held , in common with all peoples in all times , that the soul was immortal ; that it s future state was one Of bliss . o r i i misery , accord ng to the will Of a power h gher than
w as b e man ; that this power adverse to men , but could
3 0 HEREDITY A ND EARLY ENV IRONMENT
ter than they knew . Ripe fruit from the former has long hi blessed t s land , and its seed in turn has been scattered broadcast in every civilized country . The ploughshare Of free thought is turning peaceful furrows on the ruins
Of the battlements and the towers Of despotism .
Of . Religious tolerance , however , is a plant slower growth Many o f the grosser bonds o f the Old superstitions have been broken . Altars no longer run with blood in honor
Of Of God . The baleful Inquisition , the horrors Saint
Sm it hfield o f Bartholomew , the fires Of , the nightmare f witchcra t , the dungeon for unbelievers , no longer bind and sicken humanity .
! o f not . But , alas the spirit persecution is yet extinct
no t If we do burn heretics at the stake , we roast them
o f in the Ecclesiastical Council . In place banishment may be seen the cold shoulder Of the self - righteous in social circles ; and the malignant gossip Of the church i parlor charged w th venom , however much it may be
- sugar coated with fine phr asing . OF JOHN WILLIAMS 3 1
CHAPTER IV . — D . BIRTH A N B APTISM CHILDHOOD . ENV IRONMENT . — — SAMUEL DANFORTH INCREASE MATHER . ELIOT . — — TH ME F . THOMAS DUDLEY . O E R N O NOTE WILLIAM WILLIAMS —SPORTS
IT was into the atmosphere and environment Of gross superstition and the unquestioning faith which I have e hn described as characteristic of Roxbury p ople , that Jo
o n 10 1 664 Williams was born Saturday , December , , Let us be thankful that thi s mite o f humanity was no t taken to the fire le ss meetinghouse the next day to be bap t iz e d , as was the custom , and let us also hope that when
o f so taken upon the eighth day its age , it was not obliged to remain through the weary length o f the service ; but
Of this we can have no assurance . NO record is found concerning directly the chi ldhood
Of John Williams . We have good reasons to believe
o ne hi s o ne that in respect environment was a fortunate ,
w as and that he spared , as he grew up , the usual super stitio us fear in case o f unusual astronomi cal phenomena . The comet and the meteor were no Divine Messengers of vengeance . A few rods from the house Of Deacon Samuel
Williams lived Rev . Samuel Danforth , colleague with
Pastor Eliot . He was a firm believer in the direct inter
o f n r Of position the Deity in a swer to the p ayers men , but he was also a man of scientific attainments in the line
Of astronomy , as must needs be a maker of almanacs .
- He had also a touch Of poesy in hi s make up . In ac
c o r danc e . with the custom Of the times , Mr Danforth made
o n notes the Church Records of the appearance of comets , 3 2 HEREDITY A N D EARLY ENVIRONMENT
but in no spirit o f superstition . It was merely a scientific
o f account for permanent preservation , its appearance and its location in certain constellations .
Mr . Danforth and Mr . Williams each had large fam
654 1 674 —fiv ili es . From 1 to twenty e boys and girls came
ri t w o ! to b ghten the households , and , alas to bring sorrow
In 1 659 . also . Mr Danforth makes this record “ 9m 10 m . The Lord sent a general visitation of 0 11 i o f w 3 Ch ldren by coughs colds , my children Sarah di m ye Mary Elizabeth Danforth ed , all Of y within
s . hi pace Of a fortnight In fact , it was wit n the space of
5 1 5 . ten days , December to December Not long after died a little daughter Of Deacon Williams , and within five weeks his daughter Elizabeth was born . Six others o f these households died young . These two families were bound together by their mutual joys and sorrows , as well as by neighborhood and ecclesiastical ties . Samuel
In 1 666 n Danforth , born , and Joh Williams grew up to gether as close friends . Side by side their physical and mental fibres were toughened in the di lapidated school house and by the ragged Latin grammar . They were g raduated at Harvard in the same class , and entered the ministry about the same time . It so happened that comets were conveniently common
f o f during the youth ul days these boys , and doubtless their appearance was fully explained to the wondering children Of both fam i lies by the astronomer Danforth .
At this period , and much later , comets were generally considered omens Of ill and Objects Of terror , as tokens o f Divine wrath . We find in the Mathers and their compeers constant references to the supernatural nature
l Of Of unusual astronomical appearances , but in the ife John Williams we find no taint of superstition in con OF JOHN WILLIAMS 3 3
ne c tio n with such phenomena in nature . The torch of science in the hand Of Mr . Danforth had lighted up the heavens for young John Williams , and emancipated him , once and for all , from a burden Of fear and superstition .
Old Although he was but ten years when his mentor died , may we not surely trace his scientific writings upon the planets in hi s later years directly to this early inter
M . . course with r Danforth . Most adults have seen comets Most Of us have seen the bright meteor flashing athwart the sky , seen and gone in a twinkling , and so the end of it . Not so with the commonalty of the time under consider
o . . ation . Not s with the generality Of the ministers Rev
Of hi s Increase Mather , probably the leading minister 1676 day , writes in his private note book in ’
. P May 1 5 . At Lieut Howland s Garrison in lym was seen in the air an Indian bow pointing from East ’ to West . “ July 3 0 . This Evening being the Sabbath between ’ ” 8 9 O clock there appeared a stream Of fire . “ A comet appeared in November in the morning g ” in Decr in the even wearing a formidable aspect . “ 1 68 1 . The year began awfully . The latter end of last year was attended with a fearful blazing star whereby the whole earth hath been alarmed . Now we have rumors as if some prodigies Observed in Connecticut Colony . Tis reported that at Wallingford an Indian appeared in the star . Guns drums heard at Middletown Guil
. N . E in ford Rumors great fears , lest should be volved in another War with the Indians . “ ’
1682 . [August , ] Mr Bond s coming to Boston was ” attended with a blazing star . A S Increase Mather was a representative minister , and as John Williams in his formative years Often came 3 4 HEREDITY A N D EARLY ENVIRONMENT
hi m s o in contact with and his ons , a little more n te will be taken concerning hi s religious thought . He has been “ ” - called a cold self conceited Bigot . Let each be the judge . His prayers were Often in the form of an argu
m . 9 1 675 ent with the Lord April , , when two of his children were sick , he says I have not bin thankful] humble as I should have bin therefore God is righteous in afflicting me . I l . hi m have noth to say but to y down abased bef . , let hi m do e with me mine as seemeth him Good . He “ ” “ says he is in prayer no t altogether without Hope . As ’ c h A r t s i w for Sam Several g came into my M nd , caused ” m me to Hope y God w ld spare his life ; I pleaded y 6 a t L o ne y hi s bef y ) was , I had called Name Samuel ovt ye Of obedi ence to will Of G o d who requireth me to en ye deavo ur to keep up Name Memory o f my deceased ye 1d brother . I thought Lord w in him Show respect in 6 yt hi s vnc le . y Name of blessed Also , in I had given ye t ye hi m to God first day y Hee came into world . Also t h S w I had prayed ( Tears e [and] some Faith)bef y day , for t t 8 ° i w h him , y God would give Of y spirit to y ch ld did ” sometimes rest vpo n hi s blessed vnc le . This brother Samuel was a distinguished minister who preached in England , Scotland , and Ireland , and who
o f died three years before the birth the sick boy , his name A sake . nother curious but ingenious argument to move “ the Deity followed : His Mother e his Brother C o t ton were with me in my study w n I thus prayed ye fo r Of . NOW child , all vs weeping for him I thought ” 1d it m i ght be some di sc o ur e dg to Cotton in case Hee s see c' ° y his poor Sinfull Fathers pr ayr s were no t heard ; y I yt ” humbly pleaded with God . His so n Cotton was
fo r about to enter Harvard College , and was destined OF JOHN WILLIAMS 3 5
. fo r the ministry As another sick child , who had been di baptized in infancy , the stressed father brings another argument to bear upon hi s case : ‘ 0 v a n As for Nathaniel I gave him p to y Lord g , i pleading , Lord Hee is y child . Hee is not onely my i i w o nderfull hi child but through y grace , Hee is y c ld , B i wilt not thou shew mercy , to him , y is become y e t 1d chi ld ? I put him into y Lords hands y Hee W blesse him both now forever . SO I hoped fo r mercy was ” inwardly satisfied in my o w ne spirit .
The agonized father had done his best . If such an appeal
l ff . would not avai , what hope for any lesser e ort Though ’ the details Of the long weeks o f the boy s sickness are
hi . given , we find no nt of medical attendance The sole dependence seems to have been prayer Offered by the — hi s father and ministerial friends , and the children all recovered .
2 9 1 676 . : June , , Dr Mather writes Nathaniel Sam 6 uel were both sick in y spring , but God hath recovered m y . Samuel was near to death again about a. fortnight
hi s ago . I Fasted and prayed for life and God hath
r a . heard me . Let hi s Name alone have p yse and glory 2 1 1 63 9 Increase Mather was born June , was graduated
1656 . at Harvard in , at the age Of seventeen His brother
o f Eleazar was first , and he second , on the roll the class , whi ch shows the standing of the Mather family in Boston .
Eleazar settled in the ministry at Northampton , and his daughter Eunice became the ill - fated wife of John Will iams . Warham Mather , her brother , and Nathaniel ,
- n son Of Increase , were fellow students with Joh Williams at Harvard .
so n o f Increase was the Richard Mather , a distinguished clergyman o f England and o f Dorchester . He was a 3 6 HEREDITY A N D EARLY ENVIRONMENT
S n l eading minister at Boston for sixty years , and for ixtee years practically at the head o f Harvard College . Dur ’ ing Phi li p s War he preached a sermon o n the necessity Of
reforms in the community . The General Cour t was
then in session , and three days later a Committee was sent by the Court to meet him and “ consider about Reforma i 0 h ” tions Of those ev ls w provoke the Lord agst N E . It is evident that Mather posed as one having the ear o f
the Lord , and the General Court was disposed to make
him available so far as possible . These things throw
light upon the times we are considering , and to that end ’ Mather s Diary will be further drawn upon . ’ Mr . Mather is sure all along that Phi lip s War was ’ sent in consequence Of God s anger against New England ; i and he was constantly urging , in publ c and private , i reformation , fasting , and prayer , that th s anger might
be softened . Many days Of fasting and prayer were
held , although there was no let up in military activity . Their faith in Divine help di d not go so far as to omi t
. 1 1 675 w as earthly means September , , a Fast appointed ’
. s in Mr Mather church ; but the Magistrates , instead Of di atten ng the service , continued the usual Court busi
i . G o d s o ness , whereat , accord ng to Mr Mather , was offended that he promptly visited his wrath upon far
Off D eer field . Why D ee r field Should suffer for the short
Of comings the Magistrates in Boston does not appear , ’ but we read in Mr . Mather s Diary “ f m i o ur . 1 O Sept , A day hu liation in Con 0 r e atio n o n i . g g , because Of trouble acc Of Ind ans The
h Ld SO magistrates kept Court t is day , (when the did visibly call them all the Country to fasting mourn ing) w h erby many kept from attendi ng that service
much Of the solemnity Of the day lost . I was troubled
3 8 HEREDITY A ND EARLY ENVIRONMENT
hi s Indians killed Lieut another , were mightily
animated . Alas that Reformation should stick at the ” — ! 10 1 675 6 - head January , , the small pox broke out “ at o n hi : the Swan tavern , and t s Mather comments It hi is observable that t s disease begins at an alehouse , ’ t o testify God s displeasure agt the sin Of drunkenness yt ” o f multiplying alehouses . 2 1 1 676 February , , Mather complains that the weather
so favors the Indians , that the Lord [after all] seems to ” be against us still to take part with o ur adversaries . — no t 1 675 6 i Had the Winter Of been uncommonly m ld , di many In ans , driven from their homes and storehouses ,
would no doubt have been starved in the wilderness .
i o f In spite Of th s attitude the Lord , favoring the Ind
hi s ians as against the English , Mather felt that personal relations with the Most High had not changed ; and he
would on occasion Offer advice as to the conduct o f affairs . O n hearing bad news from Europe , he tells how he urged “ hi s o ut View , saying , Lord , pour a vial upon the house ”
o f . Austria Again , when a fire was raging in Boston ,
hi hi s in w ch own meetinghouse was burned , instead Of i lend ng a hand to the bucket brigade , Mather says , ” I w as alone crying to the Lord to stay his hand . Doubt
hi s less the good man thought that , but for appeal , the
whole Of Boston might have been laid in ashes . \ l I r . Mather was a leader among the churches Of BOS
e x c e ton ; but , lest it should seem to appear that he was p
o f t io nal hi s i . n in deal ngs with Deity , Rev Joh Eliot ,
i l . Roxbury , the Apostle to the Ind ans , wil be introduced Entries in the Roxbury Church Records will Show hi s bent
Of m i nd in relation to the affairs Of God and man . We must bear in m ind that John Williams was growing up
hi Di . under s watchful eye . r Eliot was not an ignorant OF JOHN WILLIAMS 3 9
man ; he was educated at Cambridge College , Eng ” . at 2 land He arrived Boston in the Lion , November , — 163 1 Of . , being twenty seven years age He married O 163 2 ctober , , Ann Mumford , who had followed him from
England . The next month he was ordained Teacher o f the Church at Ro x bur v . The Church Records are
it s t h e m at er ial still extant , and from pages much Of . for this paper has been drawn . Passages are taken here and there as bearing upon the topic in hand . These
o f entries are usually the briefest , but much can be read between the lines . It is usual to look upon ignorance
ff . and superstition as twins , or as cause and e ect But hi Mr . Eliot , from the ghest educational centre in Eng
wi a Of land , was burdened th load superstition hard to be conceived Of at thi s day . In one respect Mr . Eliot was
. . hi s fortunate Mr Samuel Danforth , colleague , although born in England , was educated in New England when free thought was striving to escape the stifling influence
o f o ld . the home Although this work was hard , the Odds
S great , the progress low , there was at least a promise Of dawn . Mr . Danforth was a graduate from Harvard in
1 643 . As we have seen , he became interested in natural
o f . science , and was a close student astronomy He had thereby been relieved from the large burden o f super st i tion connected with astronomical exhi bitions . The effect Of hi s fam i liar intercourse with his colleague is seen in ’
In 1 645 . l . the later years Of Mr . Eliot s ife Mr Eliot “ hi ear e r o di eo us says , T s y we had sundry strange p g
st o r m e signes , a Of haile fell terribly , at Dedham wr some " hi o th were in fas on like cross barr cannon shott , like yt musket bullets . The Narragansets resolved a warr ”
eare . O an y , but through mercy a peace was made n o ther page Eliot gives a dreadful example o f Gods 40 HEREDITY A ND EARLY ENVIRONMENT
v displeasure against obstinate ser ent s . It is the story of two men who went o ut to an oyster bank against the orders Of their master , and carelessly let their boat drift away on the rising tide , and were drowned . The moral was , Servants , Obey your masters . In reference to a devastating epidemi c raging in the “ i e ide m i colony , Eliot says , Gods rods are teach ng Or p
sic knesse cal Of colds , doth rightly by a divine hand tell r ’ the churches what O epidemical spr l desease is that “ to have such colds in the height o f the heat Of sum
mer has a special meaning . This Visitation o f God w as exceeding strange ; it was suddaine generall : as if the Lord had immediately sent forth an angel , not t h t h w w a sword to kill , but a rod to chastise ; he smot
. hi all , good bad , Old young And t s is remarkable , yt though few dyed , yet some did ; and generally those yt dyed were o f Or c h o yc e st flowers . His record Of a visit Of the army worm and other events extracted from the church hi story as subjects o f religious
concern at this period have already been given , and need no t be repeated .
. w as Of Although Mr Danforth free from the fear comets ,
o f eclipses , electrical storms , and earthquakes , as tokens ’ i God s anger , yet he was not above the bel ef in signs and “
i o r . . 1 668 omens , portend ng threatening evil Feb , “ 6 he says , strange noises were heard in y air like guns , gt ” Of Wa m o ut h &c . drums , vollies shot at y , Hingham “ U 1 6 1 668 : nder date Of May , , he says There were prod 0 6 ye egie s seen in y heavens in y night before Lords day 500 ’ i by p le , in this forme Th s spring was a time \I Of much infirmi ty sickness . l any were visited with 1 6 3 fin f av r s . 2 8 7 d e e some dyed February , , we , News e Y sad r o di ie y from New ork Of a p g , raining of blood , but OF JOHN WILLIAMS 41
ye some thought it might be muting o f Birds . Not SO thought Mr . Danforth , or the event would not have been recorded on the church book . NO doubt these and other like events were talked over by Eliot , Danforth , and Deacon Williams in the shop where the deacon , by the feeble light Of the bayberry
o n candle , was pegging and hammering away his bench ; were dwelt upon and wondered over as to what the import might be ; and doubtless the Williams boys and th e Danforth boys listened in the dim background with wide
Open eyes and mouth , and with susceptible minds , fertile fields in which the seeds Of superstition could be sown with the full assurance o f an abundant crop . We
S hall see some Ofthe fruitage at harvest time .
Boy life in Roxbury did not , I suppose , differ essentially
Of from that of other towns the period , although Roxbury was said to be the richest town in the Bay settlement , and notable men lived there . Besides the Apostle Eliot , there was Thomas Dudley , Assistant several years , Deputy
Governor sixteen years , Governor four years , dying in
ff 1653 . O hi s O ice in f daughters , Ann became wife Of n Governor Bradstreet , and was the oted poet ; Patience
- d married Major general Dennison , and Sarah marrie
K ea ne i . Major Benjamin y , both prom nent Boston men ’ H is so n 1647 Joseph , born , was chaplain in Philip s
Of War , member General Court , Assistant ten years ,
r President Of Harvard College , Judge , Deputy Governo o f o f Isle Wight eight years , Councilor under Andros , and Governor Of Massachusetts thirteen years . He w as seventeen when John Williams was born . They were
se e Of near neighbors ; and , as we shall , their lines life Often crossed , and they were fast friends to the last . Paul ,
so n r another Of Governor Thomas , married Mary, daughte 42 HEREDITY A N D EARLY ENV IRONMENT
. so n Of of Governor Leverett Paul , Governor Joseph ,
Of i o f a man distinction , was Ch ef Justice the Province , and was also a trusted friend Of John Williams . It was among men and women of large calibre that John Will iams was born and reared .
William Williams was a cousin germain to John , son
o f . his uncle Isaac , who had settled in Newton He was brought up from the age o f three by their common grand
l o f . parents , Wil iam and Martha Parke , Roxbury The
—Th e o da mothers Of John and William were sisters , and
o f . U Martha , daughters Deacon William Parke nder these circumstances it was natural that John and William un should g r o w up in intimate relations . It was then no common thing fo r children to be brought up by others than their parents . In thi s case the grammar school at Rox bury may have been a dominating factor . John Dan forth was the son of the minister . From an early age these — three boys were destined to walk the same road , that leadi ng to the pulpit . Together they endured the tedious and , to them generally, meaningless catechism ; together they conned the tattered Latin grammar in the cheer — less school house , and tested the mental pabulum fur nish e d An di ed by ne Moseley ; and together they gest , as “ ” di si line i best they could , the theological p wh ch the teacher by the terms Of hi s contract was bound to inflict personally . In these earli er years the three boys doubtless engaged
fo r in all the sports Of boyhood available , angling trout in Rocky Brook , catching eels in Muddy River , and cunners and rock cod in the East and West Bays . These bays on either side the Neck must have been convenient
hin hi . O places for boating , bat g , and fis ng f course , like all boys , they engaged in hunting . Small game was plenty OF JOHN WILLIAMS 43
Of . on the hills Roxbury and Dorchester The rabbit , the raccoon , the partridge , the squirrel , the Woodchuck , were more often taken by trap and snare than by gun - shot ;
fir elo c k no t for the hunting was common , and the match lock was wholly unfit for use in the woods . Of the games
- SO common to day they had none . Cards and dice led straight to the stocks . Shovelboard and tenpins were among the deadly sins . Stool ball and cricket were de ’ vices Of the Devil for wasting time . A walk with one s sweetheart Of an evening , might bring up in the watch house , and end by an interview with the Magistrate the next morning . With the growing years came the more ambitious sport of hunting wolves . Towards Dorchester there stood a and dense forest , which was a common resort breeding n place Of these pests . At o e time wolves were ranked w ith Indians as common enemies , as we may judge from the law imposing a fine Of fifty- five shi llings upon any one “ ” who should fire a gun except at an Indian or a wolf .
There was a bounty laid upon the head Of the wolf , and the Do rchester woods was a favorite place fo r their trap ping . The visits to these traps in the early dawn must have been exciting incidents in the life Of the boys ; and , when a victim was found entrapped , what putting to gether o f heads to determine how the bounty money should be spent or di vided ! Probably the lives o f our three boys differed in no wise
o f from that their fellows , save , as they spent more time in school , they had so much less time for hard manual
. i work Fortunately , their young m nds were not weighted with a foreknowledge Of the parts they were to play in hi the story Of the colony , or clouded by the ill days in store for them with their ripening years . HEREDITY A N D EARLY ENVIRONMENT
CHAPTER V . — — E . . B OY A D M ETINGHOUSE PINNACLES N TITHINGMAN . — — — S . U . E K . S D CHOO CH RCH RTHQ E RM . U—N AY L A UA ALA TH E DUTCH .
A s h as —k Of i been said , the barn li e house worsh p changed but slowly . At length , however , it became congested ; and possibly some sickness had been traced to the long Sabbath di day exposure , and reme al measures were found necessary . From the town records we read
1 2 1 658 . w as January , It agreed that the meeting howse be r epayr ed for the warmth and com fort of the peo
is ple ; namely , that the howse to be shingled and also two l galleries built , with three seats in a gal ery , one at the one end Of the howse and the other at the other end . Al so the howse to be plastered withi n Side with plaster and “
O . haire . S much for enlargement and comfort Also — fo r o ut inakle the setting Of the howse , that some p or other ornament be set upon each end Of the howse the charge to be borne by the several inhabitance by way
o r hi w o r k . Of a rate . F w ch e Lieut John Rem i ngton is t o have twenty - two pounds ; more if the w o r ke deserveth
w o r ke . more ; lesse , if the deserveth lesse Always pro e e vide d i y i Of y , before th s be done t mbers howse be well
as hi searched that , if there be such defects some t nk , our
labor be not in vaine . Thi s action seems proper and fitting in a growing and
prospering village , more comfort and more room being
natural steps in progress . The clause about the pin ” akle shows a natural and pardonable pride . Doe s it
no t also show a departure from the more severe idea , and
46 HEREDITY A N D EARLY ENVIRONMENT
action it would appear that the boy question had been satisfactorily solved by corralling that element in some nook or angle which was now entrenched against the invasion Of pews . It appears in various quarters that our Puritan fathers had a hard time in trying to keep their chi ldren in the
. hi strait jacket Probably the t ng was overdone , the lace strings too tightly strained . There was in the new land plenty Of Opportunity for the expansion Of the muscle ;
Of but the windows the mind were shuttered and barred , so far as the Elders could bring it about . I have else where spoken Of the broadeni ng and brightening influ ence whi ch residence in the New World had upon the
i . migrant from England . Of th s Rev Ezekiel Rogers encountered a practical illustration to vex hi s peace . He found even the sluggish blood Of Yorkshi re was af fec t ed by emigration . He says “ I find the greatest trouble and grief about the rising generation . Much ado have I with my own family ; hard to get a servant that is glad Of c at ic hising o r family Y . hi duties I had a rare blessing Of servants in orks re , and those that I brought over were a blessing ; but the
i Of young brood do much affect me , even the ch ldren the ” godly here and elsewhere make a woeful proof . It could hardly be that the movement noted below w as intended to let in a single ray Of natural life . If the shut i ters were to be Opened by the least crack, the light adm tted w as t o be strained through the dense medium Of creed and
w as catechi sm . Perhaps the whole movement part Of the “ ” scheme for curing the boy evil that was upon them . O 2 4 1 658 ctober , , it was voted that children whose ye parents were church members are members of church , e and y church ought to take care that they be duly in OF JOHN WILLIAMS 47
hi structed in the grounds Of religion . T s action was in
token Of a settlement o f a much mooted question . “
. 6 1674. Dec , This day we restored or primitive r O practice for the training up Or youth , first male youth
: in fitting season stay every sab after the evening exercise ,
in : , the pub Meeting house , Where the Elders will exam “ theire ine remembrance y day , any fit poynt of cate t 1‘ y 0 o chi se . Secondly female youth should meet in ne m theire place , where the Elders may examine y of remem
c atic hi se o r brance yesterday , about , what else may ” be convenient . Whether thi s test Of the remembrance o f a four hours ’ Sunday service by the boys and girls was satis
Or . factory otherwise , we are left with small information We know the Elders must have had a hard and trying i ff hi task in th s ungrateful O ice , and , taking t ngs by and
o ur o ut . large, sympathy goes to the Elders If there was “ ” anything like hustling in those days , it must have been in the direction Of religious training rather than in secu
lar business . The people Of Roxbury were anxious to act in accord
ance with the will Of God . The Bible was their guiding
star . But the Bible appeared to some uncertain , if not contradictory ; and h o w could they be certain that they
f o n were in the safe road . A ter much tribulation a c ’ elusion was reached . God s will was proclaimed in
five propositions . All who would no t believe and accept these dicta as the final word of the Deity were considered
O as heretical and to be treated as such . T doubt was to “
. U be damned pon many agitations among ourselves , upon much advice and counsel after more than ten
o f years time consideration about these points in hand , wee the Church o f Roxbury are at last come up to the 48 HEREDITY A N D EARLY ENV IRONMENT
t o ur resolution , that wee judge in consciences , y those a 5 propositions are agreeable to y truth Of God and rules ” whi ch we are to walk by . These vital matters being fi nally settled , the pious Puritan could persecute with a clear conscience . Deacon Samuel Williams had been a member o f the Church during these ten years Of doubt
o f SO 1 664 and question , and his wife seven them , that in t heir so n John was born into an heritage o f undoubted
faith . He grew up burdened by their accepted theology
and superstitions . A lasting impression was made on hi s young m i nd by the lesson that an earthquake was an
e x o f hibition the anger Of God , and these lessons were
uncommonly common in hi s boyhood . Five were noted w o n the church record ithin as many years . Each of these events must have occasioned long and troublous d iscourse among the Ministers and the Deacon , much O f it doubtless in the sh Op where the latter was hammer ’ ing o n his lapstone to harden the soles o f hi s customers i s hoes . Meanwh le Eliot and hi s colleagues were ex plaining how God was pounding the solid earth until
it trembled , as a warning to the hardened souls Of the
c e s ustomers themselves , that by repentance they may
cape impendi ng wrath . The young listeners in the back
k Oi ground had personal nowledge the earthquakes ,
and they had faith in the interpretation Of the Elders . That these early impressions clung to o ne o f them to the
is . last shown by Rev Thomas Prince , who says of John
i w as i Williams that , wh le he preach ng the Convention “ m i 1 72 8 Sermon to the nisters at Boston in May , , he e xpressed hi s joy in the great advantage we at that time
m i ener al aw ak had above the preceding nisters , in the g
eni n s g through the land , by the great earthquake in ”
O . ctober foregoing The effect being , I suppose , to OF JOHN WILLIAMS 49
Of arouse the superstitious fears the people , and make them more responsive to the appeals from the pulpit . 1 1 673 August , , the Roxbury people had news that the Dutch had taken a dozen English vessels at Virginia . Two days later tidings came that the Dutch had attacked
o f ‘ Y the town New ork , which they had surrendered to Y the English nine years before . If New ork fell , New
England would soon be in the hands Of the Dutchmen ,
ll Of it was felt , and a lively panic fo owed the reception
. o r the news As usual , when trouble befell threatened
no w the Puritans , they called upon the Lord for help , and backed their call by ordering a day Of fasting and
. no t prayer Experience , however , had taught them to feel “ k too sure of a favorable response , so , besides see ing the “ I n face of God they also put y selves in a posture Of ” ”
and . war , prepare fortifications Although nothing
hi o f more serious came of t s scare , wars and rumors l wars became an early experience of John Wil iams , preparing him for events to come . 50 HEREDITY A ND EARLY EN VIRONMENT
I CHAPTER V .
L — — H L GRAMMAR SCHOO JOHN PRUDDEN . S O OO H OUS E . — — THOMAS WELD . LATIN GRAMMAR NO EDUCATION — — — . U . T D OR GIR S COST MES O G H IR R I I G A Y . F— L L—N A A N N T . JR. HREE COUNTY TROOP SAMUEL DANFORTH , “ ’ ” — — - E . T A . B SQUIRR L S DELIGHT N YARD RICK K ILN .
A PROMINENT institution in Roxbury was the Grammar — School . It was founded in 1 6445 by a legacy from Sam
H u bur ne sub sc r i uel g , supplemented by a voluntary p tion binding the subscribers to pay forever a certain
hi . amount annually , w ch was secured on real estate A
- Of self perpetuating board trustees was elected , who were to erect a schoolhouse , and expend twenty pounds a year for the salary of a schoolmaster . Additions to thi s
c o n fund by donation and bequest came in slowly , but tinned until finally a very large fund had accumulated .
o ne It is now , I suppose , Of the most richly endowed l l institutions Of its ki nd . Robert Wil iams and Wi liam
Parke were both original subscribers , and both were later elected to the Board o f Trustees . The Object Of the Free School is declared thus : “ ’ W Ro x bur ie o ut o f heras the inhabitants Of , their
i o st er itie rel gious care Of p , have taken into consideration h o w necessari e the education Of their e chi ldren in lite rature will be to fitt them for publi c ke service bothe in
C o m m o nw ealth e Church and in succeeding ages , They , therefore unani mously have c o nc ent ed and agreed to ” erect a free schoole in the said Town Of Ro x burie .
The Roxbury Grammar School , with its endowment , and with wise and judicious trustees , became at an early
52 HEREDITY A N D EARLY ENVIRONMENT
posture that it is in , not fitting for to reside in , the glass broken and thereupon very raw and cold , the floor very much broken and torn up to kindle fires , the hearth spoiled , t h e o ut h o ne seats some burnt and others Of kilter , t at had a s well nigh as good keep school in a hog stie as in it . As John Williams graduated from thi s wreck a short t o f ime before , let us hope that , in the interest a long
did hi s n hi . eeded reform , he full share in t s vandalism
H di r e owever this may be , it was in this buil ng that he c eive d di the ru ments Of education , and here he was fitted for college . h no t Jo n Howe , whom I do identify , was the second teacher Of John Williams . He served but a short time .
o f The third was another graduate Harvard , Thomas
o f 1 67 1 . Weld , the class Of In the same class were Judge
Samuel Sewall , the Annalist , Rev . Edward Taylor , of
W est field . o f , and Rev William Adams , Dedham , who are
more o r less connected with the story we are writing . Thomas Weld remained the teacher until John Willi ams
. li m i went to college He was intimate in the Wil ams fa ly , and o f hn Samuel Williams , brother Jo , subsequently
married hi s sister . Of the books used in thi s school before 1 674we know
nothing . In that year a new book was introduced , bear w ing the follo ing title , a book long popular in the col
o nie s