Major-General Humphrey Atherton, (c. 1607 – September 16, 1661), an early settler of
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester (colloquially referred to as Dot) is a Boston neighborhood comprising more than in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Originally, Dorchester was a separate town, founded by Puritans who emigrated in 1630 from Dorchester ...
, held the highest military rank in colonial New England.
[Adams, William Frederick, ]William Richard Cutter
William Richard Cutter (August 17, 1847 – June 6, 1918) was an American historian, genealogist, and writer.
Life
Born in Woburn, Massachusetts on August 17, 1847, he was the son of Dr. Benjamin Cutter and Mary Whittemore Cutter. He attended ...
. ''Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of the state of Massachusetts'', Volume 4. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. 1910. pp. 2646–2647[Pope, Charles Henry. ''The History of the Dorchester Pope Family'', 1634–1888. Published by the author, 1888. p. 322] He first appeared in the records of Dorchester on March 18, 1637 and made
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 ...
May 2, 1638.
He became a representative in the
General Court in 1638 and 1639–41. In 1653, he was
Speaker of the House
The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England.
Usage
The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...
, representing
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 ...
. He was chosen assistant governor,
a member of the
lower house
A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...
of the General Court who also served as
magistrate
The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...
in the
judiciary
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
of colonial government,
[Drake, Samuel Adams. The History of Middlesex County Massachusetts. Estes and Lauriat. 1880. p. 555] in 1654, and remained as such until his death."
[Hall, Charles Samuel. ''Hall Ancestry''. G.P. Putnam and Sons. 1896. p. 74] He was a member of the
Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts The Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts is the oldest chartered military organization in North America and the third oldest chartered military organization in the world. Its charter was granted in March 1638 by the Great and Gen ...
and held the ranks of
lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
and
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
for several years before rising to the rank of
major-general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
. He also organized the first
militia
A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
in
.
It is unclear where and when Atherton was born. It is presumed he came from Lancashire, England
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashir ...
.[Woodward, Harlow Elliot. ''Epitaphs from the Old Burying Ground in Dorchester''. Boston Highlands. 1869. p .6] He was active in the governance of the colony, taking part in the acquisition of Native American lands, the persecution of Quakers
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...
,[Hazard, Caroline. ''The Narragansett Friends' meeting in the XVIII century: with a chapter on Quaker beginnings in Rhode Island.''Houghton, Mifflin. 1899. Pg. 51] and the apprehension and convictions of heretics
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
.[Martin, George Castor. ''Founder of the Atherton Family of New England''. National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Volume 1, Issue 4. January, 1913] His accidental death was seen by the Quakers as a punishment from God for his persecution of them,[Bishop, George. ''New-England judged, by the spirit of the Lord''. T. Sowle. 1703 pp. 306] an idea repeated in a play by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...
. He was one of the most successful land speculators
In finance, speculation is the purchase of an asset (a commodity, goods, or real estate) with the hope that it will become more valuable shortly. (It can also refer to short sales in which the speculator hopes for a decline in value.)
Many s ...
in the New England colonies.[Martin, John Frederick. ''Profits in the Wilderness: entrepreneurship and the founding of New England towns in the seventeenth century.'' UNC Press Books. 1991 p. 306] He and his wife, Mary, had a number of children and several 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 to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
families have traced their ancestry to them. He is interred at Dorchester North Burying Ground
The Dorchester North Burying Ground (or "First Burying Ground in Dorchester") is a historic graveyard at Stoughton Street and Columbia Road in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.
The burial ground was established in 1634, as ...
, one of the oldest cemeteries in New England.[Walker, G.H. Guide to metropolitan Boston. 1899. p. 66]
Origin and emigration
Humphrey Atherton's date and place of birth are uncertain. It has been presumed by some that he was born in Lancashire, England, because the name Atherton is prominent there. However, genealogist Robert Charles Anderson, in ''The Great Migration'', states that this "does not come close to constituting proof of origin." The date of 1608 is sometimes given as his date of birth because Edmund Atherton of Wigan Lancashire, England died in 1612 leaving, as his heir, a four-year-old son named Humphrey. However, Duane Hamilton Hurd, in ''History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts'' stated that Atherton was 36 years old when he died in 1661.[Hurd, Duane Hamilton. ''History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts'' J.W. Lewis and Company. 1884. p. 416] On the other hand, Charles Samuel Hall in ''Hall Ancestry'', pointed out that when Atherton was made freeman and was granted property in 1638, "he must at that time reached his majority."
Charles H. Atherton, said that Humphrey Atherton, his wife and three young children arrived at the colony in the ship ''James'', August 7, 1635,[Clapp, Ebenezer. ''The History of the Town of Dorchester''. Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society. 1859. p. 102] but there is no record of this. He further said that Atherton and his wife were each about 15 years old when they were married.
There is a record of Nathaniel Wales having voyaged on the ''James''. Wales referred to Humphrey Atherton as his "brother-in-law" in his will, so it has been assumed that Atherton's wife, Mary, was Wales' sister. However, the term may have been used because Atherton's daughter, Isabel, was married to Nathaniel Wales, Jr.[Putnam, Eban. ''Putnam's Historical Magazine'', Volume 7. pp. 98–104] The identity of his wife is disputed. Some sources say Mary Kennion.
Political and military life
Atherton had a very active public life having power and taking part in the law making, enforcing and interpreting affairs of the colony. Subsequent to his acceptance as a freeman, in 1638, he was frequently selectman or treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance.
Government
The treasury o ...
, and for several years a member of the Court of Assistants which gave him a say in the appointment of governors as well as judicial power in criminal and civil matters. In 1638 and 1639–41 he was a governor's assistant in the General Court, and in 1653, he
succeeded Daniel Denison as Speaker of the House, leader of the Court of Deputies, which was the lower house
A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...
of the General Court, representing Springfield, Massachusetts. He was also "long a justice of the peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
, and solemnized many marriages". One of the marriages over which he officiated was that of Myles Standish, Jr. and Sarah Winslow.[''A Report of the Record Commissioners Containing Boston Births Baptims Marriages and Deaths 1630-1699'', p. 76]
Atherton was a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company The Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts is the oldest chartered military organization in North America and the third oldest chartered military organization in the world. Its charter was granted in March 1638 by the Great and Gen ...
and he organized the first trained band
Trained Bands were companies of part-time militia in England and Wales. Organised by county, they were supposed to drill on a regular basis, although this was rarely the case in practice. The regular army was formed from the Trained Bands in the ev ...
(militia
A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
) in Dorchester. As Major-General in the Suffolk Regiment, he was the senior military officer in New England. which included the responsibilities of subduing and controlling Native Americans and apprehending criminals, such as those accused of heresy.
In 1644 he thertonwas sent, with Captains Johnson and Cook, to Narragansett to arrest and try Samuel Gorton
Samuel Gorton (1593–1677) was an early settler and civic leader of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and President of the towns of Providence and Warwick. He had strong religious beliefs which differed from Puritan theolog ...
for heresy. It is hoped that Gorton's complaint of his treatment was exaggerated, for he said, in passing through Dorchester. 'A large concourse of persons assembled with several ministers to witness the passage of the troops, and the prisoners were stationed apart and volleys of musketry fired over their heads in token of victory.'
Other persecutions
Harlow Elliot Woodword, in ''Epitaphs from the Old Burying Ground in Dorchester,'' said that Atherton had believed in witches and "felt it to be a duty which he owed to God and to his Country to mete out to the poor creatures, against whom accusations were brought, the punishment, which, in his opinion, they so richly merited." Woodward said that, in his capacity as assistant, Atherton had been instrumental in bringing about the execution of Mrs. Ann Hibbins
Ann Hibbins (also spelled Hibbons or Hibbens) was a woman executed for witchcraft in Boston, Massachusetts, on June 19, 1656. Her death by hanging was the third for witchcraft in Boston and predated the Salem witch trials of 1692.Poole, William F. ...
, a wealthy widow, who was executed for witchcraft
Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...
on June 19, 1656.[''Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society''. 1987. p. 186] Hibbins was later fictionalized in Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion.
He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...
's ''The Scarlet Letter
''The Scarlet Letter: A Romance'' is a work of historical fiction
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym ...
''. In that book she was depicted as the sister of Governor Bellingham.[Schwab, Gabriele. ''The mirror and the killer-queen: otherness in literary language.'' Indiana University Press. 1996. Pg. 120.][Hunter, Dianne, ''Seduction and theory: readings of gender, representation, and rhetoric.'' University of Illinois Press. 1989. Pgs. 186-187]
Atherton was involved in the persecution of Quakers and there are two incidents in particular that the Quakers wrote about in relationship to Atherton. First, the case of Mary Dyer
Mary Dyer (born Marie Barrett; c. 1611 – 1 June 1660) was an English and colonial American Puritan turned Quaker who was hanged in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony, for repeatedly defying a Puritan law banning Quakers from the colony. ...
, a Quaker who was executed in 1660 after returning to Boston despite banishment. Atherton was assistant governor at the time, and at her hanging he was said to have remarked, "She hangs there like a flag."[Baltzell, Edward Digby.''Puritan Boston and Quaker Philadelphia. Transaction Publishers. 1996. p. 142] The Quakers understood this comment to be an insulting boast.[Bishop, p. 306]
There was the case of Wenlock Christison
Wenlock Christison (before 1660 – c. 1679) was the last person to be sentenced to death in the Massachusetts Bay Colony for being a Quaker. Four people had previously been executed in Massachusetts for this reason. However, Christiso ...
, a Quaker who had repeatedly returned to Massachusetts despite banishment, whose trial in May, 1661 put an end to the execution of Quakers. He was sentenced to death, but the law was changed soon after, and he was not executed. He was the last Quaker to be sentenced to death in Massachusetts. The Quakers believed that during an altercation between the accused and Atherton at the trial, Christison prophesied the outcome of his trial as well as the circumstances of Atherton's untimely death. Quaker writer George Bishop wrote, "Yea, Wenlock Christison, though they did not put him to death, yet they sentenced him to die, so that their cruel purposes were nevertheless. I cannot forbear to mention what he spoke, being so prophetical, not only as to the judgment of God coming on Major-general Adderton, but as to their putting any more Quakers to death after they had passed sentence on him." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow recreated the Christison trial in his pla
''John Endicott''
which included the damnation of Atherton by the accused.[Longfellow, Henry W. ''Poetical Works''. G. Routledge and Sons. 1891. p. 498] Henry Wadsworth Longfellow recreated the Christison trial in his pl
''John Endicott'' which included the damnation of Atherton by the accused.[
]
Relationship with Native Americans
Ebenezer Clapp, in ''The History of Dorchester'' said of Atherton, "He had great experience and skill in the treatment of the Indians, with whom his public duties brought him in frequent contact. He manifested much humanity and sympathy for their ignorant and degraded condition, but exercised great energy and decision of character when necessary." In 1637 the colonists had sided with the Mohegans
The Mohegan are an Algonquian Native American tribe historically based in present-day Connecticut. Today the majority of the people are associated with the Mohegan Indian Tribe, a federally recognized tribe living on a reservation in the easte ...
in the Pequot War
The Pequot War was an armed conflict that took place between 1636 and 1638 in New England between the Pequot tribe and an alliance of the colonists from the Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, and Saybrook colonies and their allies from the Narragans ...
, which wiped out most of the Pequot people. By the early 1640s tensions were building between the Mohegans and the Narragansetts
The Narragansett people are an Algonquian American Indian tribe from Rhode Island. Today, Narragansett people are enrolled in the federally recognized Narragansett Indian Tribe. They gained federal recognition in 1983.
The tribe was nearly lan ...
.
Ebenezer Clapp, in ''The History of Dorchester'' also said "In 1645, the New England Colonies met by representatives to consult upon the Indian problem, and appointed a Council of War; Capt. Miles Standish, of Plymouth, was chairman. Mason of Connecticut, Leverett and Atherton of Massachusetts, were the other councilors".
The New England colonies, with the exception of Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
, formed a confederation called "The Four United Colonies of New England". Rhode Island, according to ''The Proceedings of the Rhode Island Historical Society
The Rhode Island Historical Society is a privately endowed membership organization, founded in 1822, dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing the history of Rhode Island. Its offices are located in Providence, Rhode Island.
History
Found ...
'', 1881–1882, was excluded, not for reasons of religious differences, but because its founder, Roger Williams
Roger Williams (21 September 1603between 27 January and 15 March 1683) was an English-born New England Puritan minister, theologian, and author who founded Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation ...
, had been banished from Massachusetts "for denying the right of the magistrates to take the lands of the Indians with out compensating the owners".[''Proceedings of the Rhode Island Historical Society''1882. Pgs. 11–32] The United Colonies obtained Narragansett lands within the boundaries of Rhode Island by putting in motion a series of events that began with their promise of aid to the Mohegan Sachem
Sachems and sagamores are paramount chiefs among the Algonquians or other Native American tribes of northeastern North America, including the Iroquois. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms (c. 1622) from different Eastern Al ...
, Uncas
Uncas () was a ''sachem'' of the Mohegans who made the Mohegans the leading regional Indian tribe in lower Connecticut, through his alliance with the New England colonists against other Indian tribes.
Early life and family
Uncas was born n ...
, whom they had supported during the Pequot War, if he declared war against the Narragansett Sachem, Miantinomo. During the ensuing war, Miantinomo was captured and brought to the commissioners of the Four United Colonies at Hartford
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
. "After obtaining him as a captive, they could find no excuse for putting him to death; and, to avoid the responsibility, they referred his case for decision to a convention of ministers in Boston; icWinthrop states, 'Miantinomo was killed near Hartford by a blow on the back of his head with a hatchet.' "
The Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
settlers demanded land from Uncas in return for their assistance to him. "Trumbull states, 'Mr. Leffingwell obtained nearly the whole township of Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
for his services.'" Miantinomo's successor, Pessicus Pessicus (also known as Canonicus II and Mosomp and Maussup and Quissucquansh and Sucquans and Wemosit) (c. 1623–1676) was a Narragansett Indian leader who was killed during King Philip's War.
Pessicus was born around 1623 to Mascus and had an ol ...
, declared war against Uncas and the colonies fined him 2000 fathoms of wampum
Wampum is a traditional shell bead of the Eastern Woodlands tribes of Native Americans. It includes white shell beads hand-fashioned from the North Atlantic channeled whelk shell and white and purple beads made from the quahog or Western Nort ...
for causing the hostilities, which he was unable to pay."
Humphrey Atherton was sent by the commissioners of the Four Colonies, with twenty armed men, to enforce the payment. As stated in Arnold's history of Rhode Island (vol. i., p. 199), 'Atherton forced his way, pistol in hand, into the wigwam
A wigwam, wickiup, wetu (Wampanoag), or wiigiwaam (Ojibwe, in syllabics: ) is a semi-permanent domed dwelling formerly used by certain Native American tribes and First Nations people and still used for ceremonial events. The term ''wickiup'' ...
, and, seizing the Sachem by the hair, dragged him out, threatening instant death if any resistance was offered.' The debt was settled by Pessicus giving a mortgage of all his lands to the commissioners of the Four Colonies.
In 1658, Atherton came into contact with Native Americans again when he was appointed by the General Court to the post of Superintendent of Indian Affairs, overseeing the praying Indians
Praying Indian is a 17th-century term referring to Native Americans of New England, New York, Ontario, and Quebec who converted to Christianity either voluntarily or involuntarily. Many groups are referred to by the term, but it is more commonly ...
; Nipmuck
The Nipmuc or Nipmuck people are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who historically spoke an Eastern Algonquian language. Their historic territory Nippenet, "the freshwater pond place," is in central Massachusetts and nearby part ...
Indians who had been converted to Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
by John Eliot.[Connole, Dennis A. ''Indians of the Nipmuck Country in Southern New England 1630–1750: An Historical Geography.''Mac Farland. 2007. Pg. 102] He held that position until his death. "Though a terror to warlike Indians, yet he was the trusted friend of all who were well disposed, helping on their education and Christianizing, and guarding their rights, so that he had immense personal influence with them, and was a successful treaty-maker".
Appointment as Major General
In 1656, he was appointed Major-General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
, becoming the Chief Military Officer in New England, replacing Robert Sedgwick
Major General Robert Sedgwick (c. 1611 – 1656) was an English colonist, born 1611 in Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, and baptised on 6 May 1613.
Biography
He was the son of William Sedgwick of London, and brother of English priest William Sed ...
. He was the fifth holder of this rank. His predecessors were Thomas Dudley
Thomas Dudley (12 October 157631 July 1653) was a New England colonial magistrate who served several terms as governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Dudley was the chief founder of Newtowne, later Cambridge, Massachusetts, and built the tow ...
, John Endicott
John Endecott (also spelled Endicott; before 1600 – 15 March 1664/1665), regarded as one of the Fathers of New England, was the longest-serving governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which became the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He ser ...
, Edward Gibbons and Robert Sedgwick
Major General Robert Sedgwick (c. 1611 – 1656) was an English colonist, born 1611 in Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, and baptised on 6 May 1613.
Biography
He was the son of William Sedgwick of London, and brother of English priest William Sed ...
.
Land speculation
Humphrey Atherton was a successful land speculator. The land he owned in Dorchester included a large portion of South Boston. He also owned a share in what became Milton, Massachusetts
Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States and an affluent suburb of Boston. The population was 28,630 at the 2020 census. Milton is the birthplace of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and architect Buckminster Fuller. ...
. The General Court awarded to him for his public service, but because some of it impeded the town on Hadley, Massachusetts
Hadley (, ) is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,325 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The area around the Hampshire and Mountain Farms Ma ...
, he was given a new grant that had an additional . Since he had represented Springfield in the General Court, he probably owned land in Springfield as well. When he died, his estate was worth 900 pounds, not including much of his land.[J. F. Martin, pp. 62–65]
Atherton "played a key role in fighting and removing Indians from land he later owned."[J. F. Martin, p. 58,] In 1659, he and some friends, including Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
Governor, John Winthrop, Jr.
John Winthrop the Younger (February 12, 1606 – April 6, 1676) was an early governor of the Connecticut Colony, and he played a large role in the merger of several separate settlements into the unified colony.
Early life
Winthrop was born ...
, made some purchases of land from Native Americans on the western side of Narragansett Bay for which Rhode Island had claimed. The group, referred to as the Atherton Trading Company, circumvented Rhode Island's law by acquiring the land when the Natives defaulted on a loan.
In 1660, commissioners of the Four Colonies, of whom John Winthrop, Jr. was one, transferred ownership of the mortgage of Pessicus's land to the Atherton Trading Company for 735 fathoms of wampum. The Company then foreclosed on the mortgage. The land included the Narragansett property within the bounds of Rhode Island. Rhode Island found this transference of land to be illegal and prevented the sale of the land for several years. The company, which changed its name to "Proprietors of the Narragansett Country," eventually did sell of the land to Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
immigrants who began a colony there called Frenchtown. The Huguenots lost the land when, in 1688, a Royal Commission determined the Atherton claim to be illegal.
Death
Humphrey Atherton died, September 16, 1661, from head injuries sustained in a fall from his horse.
He was traveling through Boston Common
The Boston Common (also known as the Common) is a public park in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest city park in the United States. Boston Common consists of of land bounded by Tremont Street (139 Tremont St.), Park Street, Beacon ...
, on his way home after drilling his troops when his mount collided with a cow.
Woodward, aforementioned author of ''Epitaphs from the Old Burying Ground in Dorchester,'' said that because of Atherton's persecution of the Quakers, "they believed his horrible death to be God's visitation of wrath."[ Woodword credits ]Joseph Besse
Joseph Besse (c. 1683–1757) was an English Quaker controversialist. He quantified the sufferings and persecution undergone by the Quakers.
Biography
Besse was born about 1683 and lived in Colchester, where he was a writing master. There he mar ...
, a Quaker author, with the following account of Atherton's death:
Humfray Adderton, who at the trial of Wenlock Christison, did, as it were, bid defiance to Heaven, by saying to Wenlock, 'You pronounce Woes and Judgements, and those that are gone before you pronounced Woes and Judgements; but the Judgements of the Lord God are not upon us yet,' was suddenly surprised: having been, on a certain day, exercising his men with much pomp and ostentation, he was returning home in the evening, near the place where they usually loosed the Quakers from the cart, after they had whipped them, his horse, suddenly affrighted, threw him with such violence, that he instantly died; his eyes being dashed out of his head, and his brains coming out of his nose, his tongue hanging out at his mouth, and the blood running out at his ears: Being taken up and brought into the Courthouse, the place where he had been active in sentencing the innocent to death, his blood ran through the floor, exhibiting to the spectators a shocking instance of the Divine vengeance against a daring and hardened persecutor; that made a fearful example of that divine judgment, which, when forewarned of, he had openly despised, and treated with disdain.[Besse, Joshep. William Sewel ''The history of the rise, increase, and progress of the Christian people called Quakers: intermixed with several remarkable occurrences'' J. Sowle. 1722. p. 343]
Longfellow repeated this sentiment in his account of Atherton's death in the final scene of ''John Endicott''. In the scene Governor Endicott, while speaking to Richard Bellingham, asks if it is true that Humphrey Atherton is dead. Bellingham confirms that he is and adds, "His horse took fright, and threw him to the ground, so that his brains were dashed about the street."[British Quarterly Review. July, 1882. p. 20] Endicott responds, "I am not superstitions, Bellingham, and yet I tremble lest it may have been a judgment on
him."[
Humphrey Atherton, whose wife, Mary died in 1672.] is interred at the Dorchester North Burying Place in Boston. Engraved upon his tombstone are the following words:
Here lies our Captain & Major of Suffolk was withall;
A godly magistrate was he, and Major General;
Two troop horse with him here comes, such worth his love did crave
Two companies of foot also mourning march to his grave,
Let all that read be sure to keep the faith as he has done
With Christ he lives now crowned, his name was Humphrey Atherton.
Legacy
Humphrey Atherton and his wife, Mary had eleven children.
They had five sons; Jonathan, their first born, was a mariner.
Increase, also a mariner, died at sea, aged 31, on the Friezland, whilst in the service of the Guiney Company. Hope Atherton
Rev. Hope Atherton (1646–1677) was a colonial clergyman. He was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Harvard Class of 1665. He was the minister of Hadley, Massachusetts. He served as a chaplain in the King Philips War and got separated from troops ...
, was minister of Hadley, Massachusetts
Hadley (, ) is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,325 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The area around the Hampshire and Mountain Farms Ma ...
and married Sarah Hollister. Consider, married Ann Anable. Watching, married Elizabeth Rigbee.
They had six daughters, Elizabeth Catherine “Isabel” married Timothy Mather, followed by Nathaniel Wales Jr. and then William Weekes. Margaret married James Trowbridge. Mary married William Billings and then Joseph Weeks. Rest married Obadiah Swift. Thankful married Thomas Bird of Dorchester. Patience, married Isaac Humphrey.
Among the family genealogies that the Humphrey Atherton family are included in are ''The Trowbridge genealogy: History of the Trowbridge family in America'' by Francis Bacon Trowbridge. ''The History of the Dorchester Pope Family: 1634–1888,'' by Charles Henry Pope and ''Hall Ancestry,'' by Charles Samuel Hall. George Caster Martin traced his ancestry to Atherton in his article ''Humphrey Atherton: Founder of the Atherton Family of New England'' in National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Volume 1, Issue 4. In the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Volume 60, some of Humphrey Atherton's descendants are included in the Belcher Genealogy.[Bartlett, Joseph Gardner. ''The Belcher Family Genealogy''. National Genealogical Society Quarterly Volume 60 . January 1906 pp. 358–364] In the same volume, Samuel Atherton's ancestry was traced to Humphrey Atherton.[National Genealogical Society Quarterly Volume 60 . January 1906 Pg. lvviv] William B. Task claimed descent from Atherton in the 1899 New England Historical Genealogical Register.[Task, William B. ''Captain William Taske of Salem''. New England Historical Genealogical Register, vol. 53, 1899 p. 45]
Atherton continued to be revered by his community after his death. Thirty years later and Thomas Maule was arrested on charges of slanderous publication about the manner of his untimely death, and was imprisoned for twelve months and his pamphlets were ordered to be burnt.
Joshua Atherton
Joshua Atherton (June 20, 1737 – April 3, 1809), was a lawyer and early anti-slavery campaigner in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. He served as Attorney General of New Hampshire. In later years he was also commissioner for the United States dir ...
journaled the Atherton family origins in the 18th century.[
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References
External links
Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts - chartered March 1638
Dorchester Historical Society
Dorchester North Burying Ground
History of Massachusetts
New England Historical Society
Rhode Island -Early History
Peep at the Pilgrims: A tale from 1636 - published in 1826
Rhode Island Historical Society
Humphrey Atherton at Find a Grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atherton, Humphrey
Members of the colonial Massachusetts Governor's Council
People of colonial Massachusetts
People from colonial Boston
1600s births
1661 deaths
Year of birth uncertain