James Draper (abt. 1622–1694) was an early settler of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was born and married in
Heptonstall
Heptonstall is a small village and civil parish within the Calderdale borough of West Yorkshire, England, historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. The population of Heptonstall, including the hamlets of Colden and Slack Top, is 1,448 ...
,
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
, England, and came with his wife to
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...
shortly after 1647. He was a weaver by profession, and settled in the
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
town of
Roxbury, but also lived for a short while in the towns of
Dedham and
Charlestown. He and his wife had nine children and many notable descendants. They are buried in the
Westerly Burial Ground in
West Roxbury, now a neighborhood 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 share the oldest marker in the cemetery.
Life
Born in abt. 1622 and baptized 28 July 1622 in
Heptonstall
Heptonstall is a small village and civil parish within the Calderdale borough of West Yorkshire, England, historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. The population of Heptonstall, including the hamlets of Colden and Slack Top, is 1,448 ...
,
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
, England, James Draper was the fourth child of William Thomas Draper (1578-1635) and Grace Mitchell (1582-1635) of the same place. Draper became a
weaver, which was also the occupation of his father. He married, while in England, Miriam Stansfield on 21 April 1646, the daughter of Gideon Stansfield and Grace Eastwood, residents of
Wadsworth Wadsworth may refer to:
People
* Wadsworth (surname)
* Wadsworth (given name)
Places
* Wadsworth, Illinois, United States, a village
* Wadsworth, Kansas, United States
* Wadsworth, Nevada, United States, a census-designated place
* Wadswo ...
in Yorkshire. Some genealogical sources indicate the oldest child of James and Miriam Draper, also named Miriam, was born and died in England in 1647, shortly after which the couple immigrated to
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...
. However, there is strong evidence that the eldest daughter, Miriam, in fact married Daniel Holbrook. James Draper, Daniel Holbrook and Miriam Holbrook signed a deed 5 Nov. 1672.
The land was bounded on one side by land owned by James Draper.
In 1673 Daniel Holbrook died as a result of an accident. Daniel's widow Miriam signed a paper relinquishing administration on his estate, which was insolvent.
[''Suffolk County (Massachusetts) Probate Records, 1636-1899, Cases 00615-00804, CASE 660.'' Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1969. Print.] Her signature was witnessed by James Draper.
Draper was an original proprietor of the town of
Lancaster, but appears to have never lived there. He first resided in the Massachusetts town of
Roxbury, where his next three children were born between about 1650 and 1654. His next residence was in
Dedham where his following three children were born, but he returned to Roxbury where his last two children were born, and where he and his wife died and were buried. Draper also lived for a short time in
Charlestown where he sold part of an orchard to Jonathan Carey in 1672. In 1690 Draper became a
freeman
Freeman, free men, or variant, may refer to:
* a member of the Third Estate in medieval society (commoners), see estates of the realm
* Freeman, an apprentice who has been granted freedom of the company, was a rank within Livery companies
* Free ...
of Roxbury, and this is the last public record with his name until after his death.
![Draper](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Draper.James%26Marriam.gravestone.WesterlyCem.20110723.jpg)
According to his tombstone, Draper died 13 July 1697,
["Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001", FamilySearch, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-9979-QCN1?cc=2061550&wc=Q4D4-7MS%3A353350401%2C355675801%2C355679401), Suffolk > Roxbury > Births, marriages, deaths 1630-1844 > image 89 of 252; citing Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston.] and the following month, on 19 August, his widow appeared before the
Suffolk County probate judge, petitioning the court to allow her two sons, James and Jonathan, to be given administration of her husband's estate. The ensuing inventory showed a very modest estate valued at £72, of which £25 was the value given for the house, shop, barn and home lot. The inventory also included an acre of meadow in Dedham. His wife, Miriam, died the January after her husband's death
697/8 and both James and Miriam Draper share a tombstone in the
Westerly Burial Ground in
West Roxbury, now a neighborhood 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 ...
. The entry plaque to the cemetery reads in part: "The oldest gravestone, from 1691, commemorates James and Merriam Draper, members of a prominent West Roxbury family." The year 1691 is incorrect; James died 13 July 1697 and his widow Miriam died the following January, which correctly reads "January 1697" on the marker, but technically should read 1697/8, as January was near the end of the year in the old calendar. Also, there was no town of West Roxbury when these people flourished; they lived in what was then called Roxbury.
Family and descendants
James and Miriam Draper had nine children, of whom the first, Miriam, was born in England, and the remainder were all born in
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
. The oldest surviving child, Susanna, married John Bacon; the next child, Sarah, married James Hadlock; and the oldest son, James, married Abigail Whiting. The next son, John, married Abigail Mason; Daniel married Elizabeth Brackett; Patience married Ebenezer Cass; and Jonathan married Sarah Jackson.
Among Draper's noted descendants are federal judge, educator and author
Andrew Sloan Draper
Andrew Sloan Draper (June 21, 1848 – April 27, 1913) was an American educator, author, and jurist.
Biography
He was born in Westford, New York, on June 21, 1848, and is a descendant of early Massachusetts settler James Draper. He graduated ...
; Civil War officer and U.S. Representative
William F. Draper; New York politician
Simeon Draper; Massachusetts governor
Eben Sumner Draper and his brother, textile industrialist
George A. Draper. Other notable descendants include
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius co-founder
Francis Draper Lewis and his first cousin,
University of Pennsylvania Law School
The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Law or Penn Carey Law) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is among the most selective and oldes ...
dean
William Draper Lewis; historian
Lyman C. Draper; publisher
Warren Fales Draper; noted
segregationist
Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crime against humanity under the Statute of the Interna ...
Wickliffe Draper
Wickliffe Preston Draper (August 9, 1891 – 1972) was an American political activist. He was an ardent eugenicist and lifelong advocate of strict racial segregation. In 1937, he founded the Pioneer Fund for eugenics and heredity research; he l ...
, and Deputy Surgeon General, Dr.
Warren Fales Draper, who was a member of General
Dwight Eisenhower's staff in Europe during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
Image gallery
File:Westerly.Cem.W.Roxbury.MA.sign.20110723.JPG, Entry sign to Westerly Cemetery
File:WesterlyCem.Plaque.W.Roxbury.MA.20110723.jpg, Entry plaque to Westerly Cemetery, mentioning the earliest tombstone, belonging to James and Miriam Draper
See also
*
Massachusetts Bay Colony
References
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Draper, James
1618 births
1697 deaths
Kingdom of England emigrants to Massachusetts Bay Colony
People from Roxbury, Boston
People from Calderdale (district)
People from colonial Dedham, Massachusetts
Signers of the Dedham Covenant