Robert Pond Sr. (1592 - bef. 1648)

Born 10 Sep 1592 in Edwardstone, Groton, Suffolk, England

Husband of Mary (UNKNOWN) Shepard — married 18 Nov 1612 in Groton, Suffolk, England

Descendants

Died before 10 May 1648 before age 55 in Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts

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Biography

Immigration to Boston

Charles Banks concluded that "Robert Pond" had emigrated from Groton in Suffolk with his wife Mary as part of Winthrop's fleet of 11 ships in 1630, settling in Dorchester, Massachusetts.^[1][2]

Also in this group (same citations) was John Pond, also of Groton in Suffolk, who settled in Boston.

Robert may have been the brother of John Pond.^[3] In a letter from Governor John Winthrop in Massachusetts to his oldest son back in Groton, England, soon after their arrival in America, he directs his son to tell "old Pond" that both his sons are well and remember their duty. Another letter written soon after instructs his son to 'Commend me to all my good neighbors, Mr Jarrold, William Pond, and the rest.' ^[4] A 1631 letter to William Pond which was probably written by John Pond but not signed described his hardships in the new colony (see previous citation for a transcription of the letter). John is thought to have returned to England soon after.[citation to be provided]

Conjecture concerning the parentage and birth of Robert

Based upon the assumption that Robert was the brother of John Pond, both are thought to possibly be sons born in Groton, Suffolk, England to William Pond and Judith Gordon.[citation to be provided to explain the connection to Judith Gordon]

Lived in Dorcester, Massachusetts

Robert lived in Dorcester, Massachusetts.^[5]

Children

Robert and Mary Pond may have left two children (Robert and William) in England. Evidence that William subsequently joined them comes from Dorchester church records showing that "William Pond" and his wife "Goody Pond" were admitted to the church on 28 February 1641/2 [DChR 6].^[6] Anderson concluded that "Whether William was son of the Robert who died in 1637 [sic; see below] is unknown, but some kinship relation is likely."^[7]

The couple had several children born in Massachusetts:

1. Mary, b 1620, m. John Blackman, d. April 28, 1675, Dorchester, Suffolk, MA
2. Robert Jr, b 1626, applied to be a Freemen 18 May 1642^[8]; Groton, Suffolk, Eng; m Mary (Ball?); d 1663 Milton, Mass^[9]
3. William, b 1628, Eng; m Mary Dyer, d. April 04, 1690, Dorchester, Norfolk, MA,
4. Daniel, b abt 1630, Dedham, Mass; d 1698 Mass; m Ann Edwards (his step-father's daughter)

Other Ponds sometimes attributed to the couple^[10] but for whom sources have yet to be located include Samuel of Windsor, CT; Jonathan, b 1623; Sarah, b 1630, d. April 25, 1712, Little Compton, RI.; Ephraim Pond, b. 1630-35, Dedham, Norfolk, MA,

Uncertain year of death

There is record for an inventory taken of the estate of Robert Pond of Dorchester, Suffolk County. Transcriptions of the record state that the inventory was dated 1637.^[11] HOWEVER, Robert Charles Anderson noted that "Closer examination of this record raises additional questions, however. On 10 May 1648, the widow and one of the sons petitioned the court for an order to administer the estate, and the court ordered them to bring in an inventory. And the widow remarried in 1649 and 1650. Another look at the inventory reveals a description of land held by the decedent as '4 acres of meadow... he bought of Mrs. Burre.' The only available 'Mrs. Burre' in Dorchester was Frances Burr, the widow of Rev. Jonathan Burr, who had not arrived in New England until 1639 and who died in 1641. Robert Pond, therefore, must have been alive after 1641 to purchase land from Jonathan Burr's widow. The most parsimonious explanation is that the date on the inventory is wrong, and should be 27 December 1648."^[12]

In 1649 or 1650, Robert's widow Mary married second Edward Shephard of Cambirdge^[13] who conveyed, 24 Feb. 1650/51 to John Blackman, son-in-law to the late Robert Pond, one half the house and lands which W. P. had owned.

Sources

1. ↑ The Winthrop Fleet. Charles Edward Banks. 1930. Page 86 (https://archive.org/details/winthropfleetof100bank/page/86/mode/2up?ref=ol&view=theater) Based on unspecified documents of the Massachusetts Historical Society
2. ↑ C. E. Banks, "The Planters of the Commonwealth; Passengers and Ships," p. 80. (https://archive.org/details/plantersofcommon00bank/page/80/mode/2up?ref=ol&view=theater)
3. ↑ Remarks by Mr. R.C. Winthrop Jr. Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society. January 1894. Page 469. Society(https://archive.org/details/proceedingsofmass2v8mass/page/468/mode/2up) "Mr. Savage, in his Genealogical Dictionary, says that the other was not improbably a Robert Pond, afterward of Dorchester ..."
4. ↑ Remarks by Mr. R.C. Winthrop Jr. Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society. January 1894. Page 469. Society(https://archive.org/details/proceedingsofmass2v8mass/page/468/mode/2up) "In the postscript to a long letter from Governor Winthrop to his eldest son, written a few weeks after he landed in New England, and dated Charlestown, July 23, 1630, occurs the following passage : 'Commend me to old Pond, and tell him both his sons are well and remember their duty to him. He must needs send his son John some more provisions, for much of that he brought was spoiled by the way. You must demand money of him. ... In a similar letter, written about seven weeks later and dated September 9, 1630, occurs the sentence : 'Commend me to all my good neighbors, Mr Jarrold, William Pond, and the rest.' This 'William Pond' is evidently the 'old Pond' of the preceding letter, who is stated to have been a well-to-do farmer and wool-stapler residing near Groton Manor, to whom Governor Winthrop had advanced money to enable him to send two of his sons to New England to seek their fortunes. One of these sons is shown by the foregoing extract to have been named John ; and our former President, Mr. Savage, in his Genealogical Dictionary, says that the other was not improbably a Robert Pond, afterward of Dorchester, who is known to have died in 1637, leaving a daughter Mary, and whose widow became the second wife of Edward Shepard of Cambridge.
5. ↑ The Pioneers of Massachusetts (1620-1650), http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=flhg-pioneersma&h=245086&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt
6. ↑ Pioneers of Massachusetts by Charles Henry Pope. 1900. Page 366. (http://hylbom.com/family/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Pioneers-of-Massachusetts-by-Pope-1900.pdf)
7. ↑ Anderson, Robert Charles. "Focus on Immigration," Great Migration Newsletter, volume 19 (April-June 2008), p 12 American Ancestors (subscription)
8. ↑ List of freemen, Massachusetts Bay colony from 1630 to 1691, with freeman's oath. Compiled by H.F. Andrews. 1906. Original source: C. R., Vol. II. p. 18. (https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/244045/?offset=1#page=24&viewer=picture&o=search&n=0&q=Pond)
9. ↑ Suffolk County (Massachusetts) Probate Records, 1636-1899; Vol 1-2, 1636-1766. Will and probate record (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/385304:9069?tid=&pid=&queryId=974a64d055d3bdf98606242fa0c53fb9&_phsrc=nFx12147&_phstart=successSource)
10. ↑ The Pond Family
11. ↑ Abstracts of the Earliest Wills Upon Record. Suffolk County Wills. 1984. Image 88 of 435. (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/48226/images/SuffolkCoWills-003756-85?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=248711&rcstate=SuffolkCoWills-003756-85%3A454%2C140%2C577%2C167%3B575%2C140%2C679%2C168%3B423%2C1100%2C542%2C1129%3B1044%2C1504%2C1170%2C1539) The estate was valued at 165 pounds and 5 shillings.
12. ↑ Robert Charles Anderson, "Documenting New England's Founders in The Great Migration Directory," in American Ancestors Magazine, 16.2:29, citing Suffolk County Probate Records, Case #6; Shurtleff, ed., Records of the Governor and Company of Massachusetts Bay in New England, 1628-1686 [note 4], 2:247; and Pope, Pioneers
13. ↑ The Pioneers of Massachusetts (1620-1650), http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=flhg-pioneersma&h=245086&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt

See also:

• Robert Croll Stevens, "The Genealogy of Robert Pond," in Ancestry of the Children of Robert Croll Stevens and Jane Eleanor Stevens, Vol. IV, Pittsford, NY, 1990, pp. 208.1-208.8.
• Pond, Daniel Streator, A genealogical record of Samuel Pond and his descendants, New London, Ohio: Printed for the compiler by G.W. Runyan at the Record Office, 1875.
• Torrey, Clarence A. New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004.
• Filby, P. William, ed. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2010
• "Genealogies of Connecticut Families From the New England Historical and Genealogical Register" (Genealogical Pub. Co., Baltimore, 1983; .Broderbund Software, 1997, CD 179). "Descendants of Edward Shepard, Mariner, Cambridge, Mass., 1639," by James Shepard, Naman Sheppard, and A.E.B. Shepherd. Vol.3, p. 387.
• Pope, Charles Henry. Pioneers of Massachusetts. reprint Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1969. p 411
• New England Historical & Genealogical (Society) Register New England Historical & Genealogical Soc., Boston, MA.
• Holmes, Frank R. Directory of Ancestral Heads of New England Families. Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1980.