Robert Haseltine of Rowley and Bradford, Massachusetts 1609-1674



St. Peter's Church in Rowley

The story of Robert and John Hazeltine should probably start with the Reverend Ezekiel Rogers, who was to play a large role in their future as well as many others who came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Ezekiel was a radical puritan minister in England.  The Church seems to have been a family calling. His father Richard, brother Daniel and cousin Nathaniel Rogers were all ministers. After graduating from Christ College Cambridge University in 1608 Ezekiel became Chaplain to Sir Francis Barrington of Hatfield Broad Oak in Suffolk. Sir Francis was very wealthy and was able to procure for Ezekiel the living of St. Peter's in Rowley, Yorkshire in February 1620. 

In 1638, the village was very small, but parishioners would travel from nearby villages to the church for services. Ezekiel's career ended, as did many other puritan ministers, because he refused to read from "The Book of Sports". This book, first written by James I of England in 1617, was reissued by his son Charles I. The purpose of the book was to spell out what "sports" were allowable on the Sabbath. Puritans, of course, did not allow anything on the Sabbath, except going to church. Ezekiel convinced his congregation to leave England and sail with him to Massachusetts, where they would be free to worship in the manner of their choosing.

The village of Rowley does not exist today. Twenty local families left England and emptied the parish of its residents. Ezekiel and his group sailed from nearby Hull on the ship "The John of London".  They landed first in Boston, and then sailed to Salem, where they sought permission from the General Court to start a new plantation.  In 1639, the plantation of Rowley was underway. Ezekiel, with most of his original settlers, was joined by about 40 more families in their undertaking.  



english origins

So how do Robert and John Hazeltine fit into this scenario?  Did they sail on the John or did they join up with Ezekiel after they arrived in Massachusetts? For starters, there is no ship manifest of passengers for "The John of London", so there is no way to prove they were on board. Their lives were rather ordinary, so nothing much is recorded about them. If they ever discussed where they were from, it was not written down.  There was, however, a family named Haseltine which lived in a village rather close to Rowley, Yorkshire, called Knedlington.  A Robert Haseltine of Knedlington had at least four sons baptized in the nearby Village of Holden, they were: Edward (6 Feb. 1608), Robert (2 Jan 1610,[1] John (23 Aug. 1612) and George (23 March 1613). These baptisms can be found in the Howden parish register. 

Robert Sr. is said to be the son of Edward Hesseltine, b. 2-22-1582.  He married Joanna Swanne of Gilberdyke at the parish church of Eastrington in 1609. I have not seen the documentation for these names and dates, but am hoping to find some kind of confirmation. WARNING:  This is in no way proof of any kind, it is only a possibility!

rowley, massachusetts
Anyway, Robert and John Hazeltine, whether on the John or not, arrived in Massachusetts by 1639 and are among the first settlers of the new plantation of Rowley. Robert and John were farmers and everyone knows that a farmer needs a wife. The first recorded marriage in the new town of Rowley was that of Robert Hazeltine and Ann Unknown. Thery were married on 23 October 1639.

Robert and John began the arduous task of clearing land for planting. The brothers were the first settlers, along with William Wild, to clear land along the Merrimack River by 1650. This became known as Rowley Village on the Merrimac and finally as an independent village called Bradford. John would eventually cross the river and finally settle in Haverhill, MA.

In 1652 the town of Rowley gave Robert, John and William Wild 40 acres of upland each and each was to have commons for 20 head of cattle to fence in if they wanted and 20 acres of meadow land. They were allowed to fell trees for pipe staves, firewood, timber to build houses and fences. They were given the right to keep swine. They would also be freed from paying taxes to the town for the space of seven years.  In return Robert, John and William would be in charge of the towns cattle herd.

bradford
When enough families had settled in Rowley Village, the settlers petitioned the General Court, asking to be incorporated into their own town. In 1668 the Court agreed to their petition provided they hire an orthodox minister and be able to pay his rate. The Bradford men seem to have already anticipated this and had hired their minister.  John Hazeltine had donated an acre of his land to be used for a meeting house.  At a town meeting in 1670 Robert Hazeltine and his son-in-law Benjamin Kimball were appointed to a committee charged with setting up and furnishing said meeting house. In 1671 Robert was given the authority to call and require men to work on the meeting house. A list of the first church members includes the names of Robert Hazeltine's family.


 court orders
Robert is mentioned several times in the records of the Essex Quarterly Court.  If you have never read the records, they are actually pretty entertaining.  Those naughty puritans! Anyway, Robert served on several juries, and was ordered to keep a ferry for crossing the river.  One case of interest, in which Robert was called as a witness, involved a man named Robert Swan.  The case is very confusing and involves a cow which is claimed by various men as their own.  Anyway, Robert Swan is asked why he did not go to "his cousins" the Hazeltines. This wording might mean anything or nothing, but it reinforces the idea of a connection with Yorkshire, as Robert's mother was supposedly Joanna Swanne.  A good deal of ancestry trees have Richard Swan of Rowley as coming from Gilberdyke.  Again, I have not seen any of the actual records which support this claim.


John Hazeltine married a few years after his brother, his wife was Joan Auter (Anter). In the book "Genealogical and Family History of the State of Maine", George Thomas Little, stated that Joan was from Biddeford, England.  She came as a servant to the Holman family.  Many family researchers have glommed onto the name Biddeford, which is in Devon. Many, many websites and ancestry tree say that the Hazelton's are from Biddeford, but if the evidence that they are from Howden is not enough to be called proof, then there is certainly nothing that I have seen that would lead me to believe that they were from Devon.

Parish Map showing Howden, Eastrington and Gilberdyke

This map shows the area where the Hazetines and the Swans are from.

Children of Robert and Ann Hazeltine

1. Anna b. 1 Feb 1640 Ipswich, m. 7 Nov 1660 Caleb Kimball, d. 9 April 1688

2. Mercy b. 16 Aug. 1642 Rowley, m. 16 Apr. 1660 Benjamin Kimball, d. 5 Jan 1707

3. David b. 1644 Rowley, m. 26 Sept. 1668 Mary Jewett, d. 31 Aug 1717 Bradford

4. Samuel b. 20 Dec 1645, m. Deborah cooper, d. 19 Aug 1717 Bradford

5. Mary b. 14 Dec 1646 d. 1647

6. Abraham b. 23 Mar 1648, m. 7 Oct 1669 Elizabeth Longhome, d. 28 Apr 1711 Bradford

7. Deliverance b. 25 Jan 1651, d. 14 May 1654

8. Elizabeth b. 15 Jan 1652, d. 18 May 1654

9. Deliverance b. 15 Jan 1653, m. 12 Dec 1672 Nathaniel Dane, d. 15 June 1735 Andover

10. Robert b. 7 Sep 1657, m. 21 Jul 1680 Elizabeth Jewett, d. 8 Mar 1728 Bradford

11. Gershom b. 31 Jan 1661 m. 23 Jun 1690 Abiah Dalton d. 16 Oct 1711

rip

Before they died, Robert and Ann buried three of their small children.  Robert died in Bradford on 27 Aug 1674 and Ann on 26 Aug 1684.  I have seen Ann's date of death attributed to Joanna Swanne Hazeltine.  I'm not sure why that is, but I do not believe that she left England.

Deliverance Hazeltine Dane
Isn't that a great name, Deliverance? Robert and Ann named two daughters this special name, the first one died as a young child on 14 May 1654 aged 3, her younger sister Elizabeth, aged 2 died four days later. As was their habit, Robert and Ann named the next daughter Deliverance. They had no more girls so there was no second Elizabeth.

Deliverance lived to adulthood and married Nathaniel Dane, son of Francis Dane. During the Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692, Deliverance was accused of Witchcraft. She was interrogated and confessed. She also implicated her father-in-law, Francis Dane, a Puritan Minister. He was not questioned and in fact was instrumental in the ending of the trials. Sadly, her testimony did not survive. Deliverence survived and died in 1735.

Deliverance Dane was featured in the novel, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe. I've read this book and found it very enjoyable. It is a work fiction, so reader beware.

My Family Tree with links:
Robert Hazeltine - Ann Unknown

Benjamin Kimball - Mercy Hazeltine

Abraham Kimball - Mary Green

Mary Kimball - Edmund Chadwick

James Chadwick - Mary Thurston

Hannah Chadwick - Jonathan Blanchard

James Blanchard - Phebe Carter

Chloe Blanchard - Samuel Thornton

John C. Thornton - Jennie Clover Rowell

sources:

[1] "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JW6T-CYK : 11 February 2018, Robart Haseltine, 02 Jan 1610); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 0844553-555.

[2]  Yorkshire Marriages," database with images, Findmypast (https://www.findmypast.co.uk/ : accessed 28 January 2019), marriage entry image for Robet Hessletine and Joanna Swanne, 6 July 1606, Eastringham; East Riding Archives & Local Studies Service.

J. L. Ewell, The First Minster of Rowley, The Bay State Monthly, p.2-   September 1899

England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JW6T-CYK : accessed 20 May 2012), Robert Haseltine, 1610.

Kingsbury, J. D., A Memorial History of Bradford, Haverhill, MA, 1883

Mary Perkins Bradbury



Mary Perkins Bradbury was the daughter of John and Judith Gater Perkins.  She was born in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England, and was baptized on 3 September 1615.  Mary was about 16 years old when she left England and sailed with her family to New England, landing in Boston in 1631. At age 21 she made a wise choice and married Thomas Bradbury. Thomas was an agent for and kinsman of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, a key player in the early history of New England. Mary is my 8th great grandmother. Interesting, maybe only to me, her older sister Elizabeth Perkins Sargent is my 9th great grandmother.

Thomas and Mary Bradbury lived for a short time in York, Maine but by 1640 they had settled in the new plantation of Salisbury. They were a successful couple, Thomas was a schoolmaster, town clerk, clerk of courts and a military commander. Mary had a successful butter business, making enough butter to sell to the sailing ships. They raised a family, losing some children along the way, as did most families of that period.  All in all a respectable life, one in which I assume, they believed would continue until their deaths. Then came the hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials.

In early May of 1692 Mary Bradbury was accused of witchcraft. Her first accusers were the "confessors", those, mostly women, who had confessed under duress to witchcraft, and then began naming other witches.These confessors claimed Mary was also a witch and was responsible for the torment of a man from Andover named Timothy Swan. A warrant for her arrest was issued on May 26, 1692. Mary was first examined on July 2, and was then brought before the grand jury, the Court of Oyer and Terminar, on July 9. Oyer and Terminar is an Anglo-French term which means "to hear and determine".  During the proceedings of the Grand Jury five of the "afflicted girls" described how Mary's "specter" tortured them during her July 2 examination. Two of her accusers were Mary Walcott and Ann Putnam, Jr.  She was indicted by the Grand Jury on July 26. Her trial was later that same day. Below are the charges against her:

"In the yeare aforesaid and divers other dayes and times as well before as after Certaine Detestable arts called Witchcraft & Sorceries Wickedly Matllitiously and felloniously hath used practiced and Exercised At and int eh Township of Andivor in the County of Essex aforesaid in upon & against one Timothy Swann of Andivor In the County aforesaid Husbandman -- by which said Wicked Acts fthe said Timothy Swann upon the 26th day of July Aforesaid and divers other days & times both before and after was and is Tortured Afflicted Consumed Pined Wasted and Tormented, and also for Sundry other Acts of Witchcraft by the said Mary Bradbury Comitted and done before and since that time against the peace of our Sov'r Lord & Lady the King and Queen theire Crowne and dignity And the forme Of the Statute In that case made and Provided."Witnesses: Mary Walcott and Ann Puttnam

Many witnesses testified against her, two described how she had turned herself into a blue boar and tried to trip the horse of their father.  Samuel Endicott, grandson of Massachusetts Bay Colony Governor John Endicott, testified at the trial that he had been in a great storm at sea some eleven years before, when his captain later saw a pair of legs appear in the waves, then a woman in a white cap and a neck scarf from the middle up.  He went on to say that since Mary Bradbury had sold the captain two firkins of moldy butter and only a witch would do such a thing, the apparition must have been her. James Carr accused her of making his sick for many months so that her son William could marry Rebecca Wheelwright Maverick.  She had seemed to prefer James, but due to his illness he could not court her and she married William instead.  

Robert Pike, a highly respected Magistrate, his son Minister John Pike and many of her neighbors came to her defense.  Her minister testified to her good character and her many works of charity. 

Mary also spoke in her defense:

The Answer of Mary Bradbury in the charge of Witchcraft or familliarity with the Divell :
I doe plead not guilty.""I am wholly inocent of any such wickedness through the goodness of god that have kept mee hitherto. I am the servant of Jesus Christ & Have given my self up to himas my only lord & saviour: and to the dilligent attendance upon him in all his holy ordinances, in utter contempt & defiance of the divell, and all his works as horid & detestible;; and accordingly have endevo'red to frame my life; & conversation according to the rules of his holy word, & in that faith & practise resolve by the help and assistance of god to contineu to my lifes end:" For the truth of what I say as to matter of practiss I humbly refer my self, to my brethren & neighbors that know mee and unto the searcher of all hearts for the truth & uprightness of my heart therein: (human frailties, & unavoydable infirmities excepted) of which I bitterly complayne every day:" Mary Bradbury



Picture of the actual plea



Mary Bradbury's trial came near the end of the witch trials which was spiraling out of control. Many people were protesting against the trials. When the accusers began to make witchcraft claims against the wive's of the most prominent men in the colony, the judges finally began to rethink the whole process. One hundred and eighteen of her neighbors testified on her behalf. Despite being found guilty and sentenced to hang she survived.  Four others found guilty at at the same time were not so lucky. It is very possible that friends "spirited" her away. She died in December 1700.

Jane Bradbury, her daughter married Henry True, son of Henry and Israel Pike True. Mary's sister Elizabeth Perkins married William Sargent.

If you believe than any of this information is not correct, please let me know. There are many great sources for information on Mary and the Witchcraft Trials, the best of which is this online source by the University of Virginia. Because so much is known about the trial and her marriage to Thomas I did not cite any sources. I did happen to see on both wikitree and ancestry.com some trees which have her married to a Richard Goldsmith in Wenham in 1647. I am not sure where that came from but it is obviously a mistake.

Want to read a great book about the Salem Witchcraft Trials? I recommend The Witches by Stacy Shiff.