- lit H>if>,"w/v 1- ^1 Kr»,»»J-*f» > K LIBRARY OF CONGRESS D0Q201H5Qia i^^ ^A V"^'" A^5 'C, ^j. -^ .5 -^^ •0^%, A- ^^ "^. .A'' S^c \.^ .-^'^ ,A> '^r. -^ % ^V> H -7^ ^^. 't/- .<> ^. ,V J' ^^ >0 o. • ^ ^r.. .v'>- %^^ MAJOR GENERAL DANIEL GOOKIN Edition two hundred and two numbered copies, of which this is Number DANIEL GOOKIN 1612-1687 ASSISTANT AND MAJOR GENERAL OF THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY HIS LIFE AND LETTERS AND SOME ACCOUNT OF HIS ANCESTRY ^VlRJUSQUEj 3 \. COPYRIGHT, I912 FREDERICK WILLIAM GOOKIN cy CCLA3 4.JOGS ^ i ^ TO THE MEMORY OF JOHN WINGATE THORNTON DESCENDANT AND ARDENT ADMIRER OF DANIEL GOOKIN PREFACE HAT no extended biography of Daniel Gookin has heretofore been published is without doubt attributable to the paucity of the available mate- rial. About 1840 Mr. John Wingate Thornton began to gather information about his distin- guished ancestor, and in 1847 the facts he had been able to get together were embodied in an article upon "The Gookin Family," printed that year in the first volume of "The New England Historical and Genealogi- cal Register." For more than thirty years Mr. Thornton was an eager gleaner of every item he could discover concerning the " grand old American patriarch and sage." Though, to his deep regret, he was unable to carry out his design of writing a life of Daniel Gookin, by his early researches he laid a foun- dation for which I am greatly indebted. It is now thirty-six years since Mr. Thornton resigned his cherished task to my hands and I began the collection of data for the present work. In the scant leisure of a busy life this has been necessarily a slow process ; and it is only within recent years that a considerable part of the information I sought has come to light. The more important facts of Gen- eral Gookin's career are well known, but it has proved a difficult matter to supplement them with the mass of lesser items without which a well-rounded portrait could not be presented. Such a portrait I have endeavoured to prepare, but I am deeply sensible of many deficiencies. I have used the utmost care to secure accuracy of detail, and I can only hope that mistakes are few. Such as it is, the book is offered as a tribute to the memory of Daniel Gookin on the three-hun- dredth anniversary of his birth. It forms a part of an extended history of the Gookin family, other portions of which I hope to print at some future time. The armorial bearings that appear in the head bands I have drawn for the several chapters are those of a number of ix X PREFACE General Gookin's ancestors, and also the coats borne by his brother, John Gookin, and his uncle, Sir Vincent Gookin. I desire here to make grateful acknowledgement to the many people who have contributed information or in one way or another have helped in the work of gathering material. It is impracticable to mention all by name, but I wish in particu- lar to record my indebtedness to my wife for her very efficient assistance, to Miss Elizabeth Thornton for the family papers collected by her father and for her constant interest in my progress, to Mr. Lincoln N. Kinnicutt for his generous encour- agement of the publication, to Mr. Charles T. Tatman for the photograph of General Gookin's sword now in his possession, to Mr. Hichard B. Townshend and Dr. Lyon G. Tyler for transcripts of documents, and to Mr. W. P. W. Phillimore and Mr. J. Henry Lea for aid in my researches in England. Frederick William Gookin. 13 West Walton Place, Chicago, November 23, 191 2. — CONTENTS PART I. THE ANCESTORS OF DANIEL GOOKIN CHAPTER I Fourth in descent from Arnold Gookin — The ancient Kentish families of Cokyn and Colkin — Early variations in the spelling of Gookin — Thomas Gookin of Bekesbourne — The Durrant family — Children of Thomas Gookin and Amy Durrant — The families of Denne, Tupton, and Hever — John Gookin of Rip- ple — Marriage and removal to Appleton — Removal to Little Betteshanger Subscribes to Armada defense fund — Acquisition of Manor of Ripple Court — Children of John Gookin and Catherine Denne — Grant of Armorial bearings 3 CHAPTER II The sons of John Gookin — Friendship between his sons Thomas and John — The widow of Thomas alienates her husband's family — The education of gentle- men's sons — Daniel Gookin's marriage to Mary Byrd — Rev. Richard Byrd — His education and early benefices — Tutor to Lord Burghley's grandson — In Paris with his charge — Young Cecil turns Papist — Letter to Burghley com- plaining of cruel treatment by English Ambassador — Archdeacon of Cleveland — Canon of Canterbury Cathedral — Byrd's father-in-law Bishop Meye — Mar- riage to Amy Vowell — Education — Master of St. Catherine's Hall, Cambridge — Archdeacon East Riding of Yorkshire — Friendship of Earl of Shrewsbury — Appointed Bishop of Carlisle — Censured by the Puritans — Impoverished by relieving distress of poor people — Dies of plague — The families of Vowell, Hymerford, Copleston, and Fauntleroy 15 PART II. DANIEL GOOKIN OF CARRIGALINE CHAPTER III Early life — His brother Vincent settles in Ireland — Munster at beginning of sev- enteenth century — Daniel removes to Coolmain, county Cork — Death of his mother — Ripple Court turned over to his brother Thomas — John Gookin joins his son Daniel in Ireland — Daniel buys Manor of Carrigaline from Thomas Petley — Rival claim of Earl of Cork — Daniel sells Carrigaline to Cork and takes lease for twenty-two years — Shareholder in Virginia Company — The Longford plantation — Daniel sells to Francis Edgeworth . 29 CHAPTER IV Projects plantation in Virginia — Contract with 'Virginia Company for transport of cattle — Sails for Virginia in "The Flyinge Harte"— Arrival at Newport News — Rejoicing by Company in London at good news — The Indian Massacre of March, 1622 — Daniel alone refuses order of concentration — Governor Wyatt his guest — Sails for England in the "Sea Flower"— Arrives in London bring- ing news of massacre — Obtains patent to Newport News plantation — Names it Marie's Mount — Takes share in New England Company — Dispatches the Providence to Virginia —An unprofitable venture — Muster of his Servants at Marie's Mount 38 xi xii CONTENTS CHAPTER V Attends meetings of Virginia Company — Death of his father — Fails to secure pat- ent — Death of brother Thomas Gookin — Witness in suit of Thomas Milton vs. Jane Gookin — Wife Mary obtains loan from Lord Cork — Lease of Carriga- line sold to Lord Cork — Vincent Gookin knighted at Dublin — Daniel secures patent to Saint Brandan's Isle — Dies in City of Cork — Inventory of his effects — His children — Death of his mother at Bitton, Gloucestershire — His son John in Virginia — Marries Sarah Offley, widow of Captain Thorowgood — Dies at Lynn Haven — Widow marries Colonel Francis Yardley .... 49 PART III. DANIEL GOOKIN OF CAMBRIDGE CHAPTER VI Boyhood at Carrigaline — Early visit to Virginia — Granted 2500 acres land on James River — Sale of Marie's Mount plantation — Marriage to Mary Dolling — Military Service — Return to Virginia — Captain of Upper Norfolk trained band — Granted 1400 acres on Rappahannock River — Signs Nansemond peti- tion inviting Puritan ministers from New England — Tompson, Knowles, and James sail for Virginia — Cool reception by Governor Berkeley — Statute of conformity passed — Cotton Mather upon Tompson's mission — Daniel decides to leave Virginia — Acquires land in Maryland — Sails for Boston . 61 CHAPTER VII Arrival at Boston — Admitted to First Church — Residence in Roxbury — Friend- ship with Rev. John Eliot formed — Daniel's other neighbors and associates — Trade with Maryland and Virginia 72 CHAPTER VIII Buys house in Cambridge — Granted farm at Shawshine — Captain of Cambridge trained band.— Distinguished residents of Cambridge — Chosen Deputy to the General Court — Visit to England in 1650 — Relatives then living — Again elected Deputy — Chosen Speaker — Elected an Assistant, or one of the Council of Magistrates — Assists Eliot in the work of Christianizing the Indians . 78 CHAPTER IX Sails for England in autumn of 1654 — Changed conditions since last visit — Crom- well intent upon project for colonization of Jamaica — Daniel sent for and com- missioned to urge New England colonists to remove thither — Instructions given him by the Council of State 85 CHAPTER X Enters upon task reluctantly — Fate of Major Sedgwick's regiment — Daniel arrives at Boston on the Fraternity — Letters to Secretary Thurloe — Journey to Con- necticut and New Haven colonies — Discouraging news from Jamaica makes his effort futile — Writes Secretary Thurloe his work at an end — Requests per- mission to return to England — Report of heavy mortality among the Nevis planters stops further efforts 92 CONTENTS xiii CHAPTER XI Again sails for England, November, 1657 —A narrow escape from losing his life — The state of England — Cromwell's death — Appointed Collector of Customs at Dunkirk — Appointed Deputy Treasurer at War — The Restoration — Daniel sails for home — Whalley and Goffe his fellow passengers — Arrival at Boston — The regicides at Cambridge — The controversy with the King's Commis- sioners — Daniel refuses to answer before them 104 CHAPTER XII Granted 500 acres in the Pequot country — Rival claimants from Rhode Island — Daniel petitions the Commissioners — Sells the land to Simon Lynde — Granted another farm near Concord — The extent of his public service and other employ- ments — Refuses appointment as licenser of the press — Takes part in public debate with the Anabaptists iii CHAPTER XIII Opens negotiations for purchase of colony of Maine — Letter to