Elizur Holyoke (1618 1676) of

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

colonist, surveyor,

scribe A scribe is a person who serves as a professional copyist, especially one who made copies of manuscripts before the invention of automatic printing. The profession of the scribe, previously widespread across cultures, lost most of its promi ...

, soldier, the namesake of the mountain,

Mount Holyoke Mount Holyoke, a traprock mountain, elevation , is the westernmost peak of the Holyoke Range and part of the 100-mile (160 km) Metacomet Ridge. The mountain is located in the Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts, and is the ...

, and indirectly, of the city of

Holyoke, Massachusetts Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located north of Springfield ...

Background

Elizur Holyoke arrived in the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...

from the village of Tanworth in

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in 1637 or 1638 at the age of 20. He and his family settled in

Chelsea, Massachusetts Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, directly across the Mystic River from the city of Boston. As of the 2020 census, Chelsea had a population of 40,787. With a total area of just 2.46 s ...

, where his father, Edward Holyoke Jr., had a farm. His mother was Prudence Stockton. On September 20, 1640, Elizur Holyoke traveled to

and married Mary Pynchon, daughter of

William Pynchon William Pynchon (October 11, 1590 – October 29, 1662) was an English colonist and fur trader in North America best known as the founder of Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. He was also a colonial treasurer, original patentee of the Massachu ...

, the founder of Springfield. The Holyoke and Pynchon families appeared to be close friends, dating back to their days in England. Elizur and Mary Pynchon's marriage was the first for the then small community. (2) In 1642, Elizur received 10 " rods" (Properly interpreted as a

rood A rood or rood cross, sometimes known as a triumphal cross, is a cross or crucifix, especially the large crucifix set above the entrance to the chancel of a medieval church. Alternatively, it is a large sculpture or painting of the crucifixion ...

; commonly, and confusingly, spelled as "rod." A rod is a unit of length, while a rood is the corresponding unit of area. The area given to Elizur was roughly equivalent to 2½ acres hectare, near the present-day location of Chestnut Street in Springfield. In 1643, other desirable lots were given to Elizur by his father-in-law, one being between what is now Worthington and Bridge Streets. Indian Deed of Springfield, in the hand of Elizur Holyoke (1636)

Indian Deed of Springfield, in the hand of Elizur Holyoke (1636)

Land issues

In 1647, Elizur was the second largest land owner in Springfield, at . William Pynchon had . After William Pynchon's problems with the General Court of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

and his eventual retreat to England, William's son John Pynchon and Elizur Holyoke took control of Springfield, and in 1652 Elizur was appointed commissioner to govern the town of Springfield. (2) In 1660, after the founding of Hadley and

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

, a question arose regarding the exact borders of Springfield. The general court of Springfield sent out two surveying parties to explore the surrounding regions. Elizur Holyoke served as head of one of these parties, while Rowland Thomas headed the other party. While Holyoke traversed the east side of the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...

, Thomas explored the west side of the river. Lore holds that the two held a conversation over a narrow part of the river near Hockanum.

Mount Holyoke

It is commonly stated that Holyoke and Thomas gave their names to the mountains that stood at the end of their paths.

was named by Elizur Holyoke, while

Rowland Thomas Rowland Thomas (–1698) of Springfield, Massachusetts was an English colonist, selectman, stonemason, surveyor, and proprietor, and the namesake of Mount Tom, originally known as Mount Thomas, which he was said to have surveyed in tandem wi ...

named Mount Tom, originally called Mount Thomas, later shortened to Mt. Tom.

Career

In 1661, Elizur was chosen as Springfield's deputy to the General Court; 1662, he was appointed associate county judge - recorder of all courts; 1663, made the rank of captain, and was a selectman and deputy to the general court; in 1675, the Holyoke home was destroyed during a raid by Indians led by Wequogan. During the

King Philip's War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1676 between indigenous inhabitants of New England and New England coloni ...

, Capt. Elizur Holyoke was in command of the successful defense of Springfield, until his death in 1676, one account says not due directly to any injury. However, there are other accounts that say he was killed by the

Wampanoag The Wampanoag , also rendered Wôpanâak, are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands based in southeastern Massachusetts and historically parts of eastern Rhode Island,Salwen, "Indians of Southern New England and Long Island," p. 17 ...

Indians on 5 Feb 1676.

Trivia

Captain Elizur Holyoke, centennial pontoon

*Contrary to some records, both the city of Holyoke and ''Mount Holyoke Female Seminary'' (now

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a private liberal arts women's college in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It is the oldest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite historically women's colleges in the Northeastern United States. ...

) were named after the nearby mountain,

, and not directly after Elizur Holyoke. The city's name was decided by the board of directors of the first Hadley Falls Company in a meeting in Boston on February 19, 1850. *Elizur Holyoke's grandson Rev.

Edward Holyoke Edward Holyoke (June 26, 1689 – June 1, 1769) was an American Congregational clergyman, slaveowner, and the 9th President of Harvard College. Biography Edward Holyoke was the son of a wealthy and influential businessman, Elizur Holyoke Jr, ...

was president of

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

from 1737 to 1769. *Elizur is the uncle of

Thomas Putnam Thomas Putnam ( – , 1699) was a member of the Putnam family and a resident of Salem Village (present-day Danvers, Massachusetts) and a significant accuser in the notorious 1692 Salem witch trials. His father, Lt. Thomas Putnam Sr. (1615–16 ...

and the great uncle of Ann Putnam, Jr. of the

Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom w ...

References

*Harper, Wyatt. The Story of Holyoke.'' Holyoke, MA: Holyoke Centennial Committee, 1973. *Ella Merkel DiCarlo. "Holyoke - Chicopee; A Perspective." Transcript-Telegram (Holyoke, MA / 1982) *Josiah Gilbert Holland. "The Mountain Christening." notes circa 1660. *John Gibbs Holyoke. "Holyoke, A North American Family 1637 - 1992." Gateway Press, Inc. (Baltimore, 1993) {{DEFAULTSORT:Holyoke, Elizur 1618 births Holyoke, Edward Holyoke, Massachusetts People from Springfield, Massachusetts People of colonial Massachusetts Kingdom of England emigrants to Massachusetts Bay Colony