Andrew Belcher (1647 - 1717)

Born 1 Jan 1647 in Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Sarah (Gilbert) Belcher — married 1 Jul 1670 in Hartford,Connecticut

Husband of Hannah (Frary) Belcher — married 13 Feb 1689 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died 31 Oct 1717 at age 70 in Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut Province

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Biography

He was born in Cambridge, Mass., January 1, 1648, and was son of Andrew Belcher, inn-keeper, who emigrated from Danbury, Essex Co., England. We know of Andrew, Jr., first as a mariner plying between Boston and Hartford and his name occurs frequently in the Colonial Records and he evidently amassed a considerable fortune in his ventures, for he finally achieved the reputation of being the most opulent merchant in New England. He was shrewd and energetic and evidently was capable of driving a hard bargain. While he was one of the counsellors of Massachusetts the selectmen of Boston, having objected to his sending corn to Curacoa in the Dutch West Indies on account of a scarcity of that article in New England he tartly replied, "The hardest fend off; if you stop my vessels I will hinder the coming in of three times as much." He was in trouble in 1682 for breaking the navigation laws and his vessel was seized at Boston, and in 1688 he was accused of trading with a "pyrate" for hides and elephants' teeth. After the terrible swamp fort fight at South Kingston in R. I. Dec. 19, 1675, in King Philips war, the hardy soldiers were in great distress for lack of provisions, but that very night "it mercifully came to pass that Captain Andrew Belcher arrived at Mr. Smith's with a vessel laden with provisions for the army which must otherwise have perished for want." Whether the merciful appearance of Captain Belcher's vessel was caused by his love of gain or by patriotism, let whom will decide. His success in life was pronounced and evidently atoned for some shortcomings for after his death he is described as "a man of integrity and honor, a friend to religion and learning." He certainly was an illustrious example of a "free trader" for he seems to have traded where he listed without fear of laws or consequences. On Oct. 22, 1707, he deeded to "My son Jonathan my mannor or farme of Meriden near to a place called Cold Spring now in tennance and occupation of Joseph Hopkins, Sam'l Peck and Samuel Hubbard, their under tenants or assigns" and henceforth his connection with Meriden Farm ceases; he died Oct. 31, 1717. Andrew owned several ships and traded along the coast; agent of Connecticut in purchasing arms and ammunition; agent of Massachusetts in procuring provisions from Connecticut. Andrew amassed great wealth on provisioning contracts during King Philip's War and by supplying and outfitting warships for expeditions to Canada during Queene Anne's Wars. He rode in London-built coaches, erected a mansion on State Street, and purchased slaves. Putting great profits above the needs of his own community, Andrew shipped grain to the Caribbean. A group of townsmen sawed through the rudder of his ship and tried to run it aground in order to seize the grain. The grand jury refused to indict the rioters. The Gilbert estate was divided among Sarah and her siblings gs. Andrew Belcher eventually purchased each share. Oct 1703, the General Assembly sitting at New Haven confirmed the whole of the four hundred and seventy acres to Capt. Belcher, in consideration of the fact that Belcher had expended money upon the land in buildings & dwelling houses and settling tenants therein, and in other improvements, which "are like to be a public as well as a private benefit, the said tenements being conveniently situate for the relief of travellers in their journeying from place to place." Mr. Belcher's farm, with other purchases he had made adjoining, contained about twelve hundred acres and he called it "My Meriden Manor." [source: "A Century of Meriden" by C. Bancroft Gillespie; issued as the official souvenir at the centennial celebration 10-16 Jun 1906 page 20]

He employed more than a dozen hardy men to build a stone fence around Meriden. Two of these men, named Hart, were exceptionally big-boned.

1689 council of safety; 1702 - death: council of the province - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Andrew, son of Andrew Belcher and Elizabeth Danforth; b. 1 (11) 1646. [ref 37:43] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Andrew, son of Andrew Belcher was a Royal Councillor and the greatest merchant of his day in New England. [ref 72:4] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Captain Andrew Belcher married Mr. Gilbert's daughter Sarah July 1, 1670.

Sarah died 26 January 1688.

Captain Belcher then married Hannah Frary the widow of Isaac Walker, in Boston on Feb. 13, 1689-90. Hannah had no children but helped raise the younger children of Andrew and Sarah.^[1]

His son Jonathan Belcher was governor of MA and NH, and later NJ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sources

1. ↑ Frary, Margaret Murphy and Anne Frary Lepak, The Frary Family in America, 1637-1980, (Frary Family Association, 1981) p. 13

• Danforth Genealogy by John Joseph May published 1902.
• Brandegee, Emily. The Early History of Berlin, Connecticut (Berlin, Conn., 1913) Page 4

See also:

• Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915 [1]

Andrew Belcher

Birth Event Date: 1 Jan 1647

Event Place: Sudbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States

Father's Name: Andrew Belcher

Mother's Name: Elizabeth

• Ancestry.com. Connecticut, Town Marriage Records, pre-1870 Image

Andrew Belcher [Andrew Beltsher]

Marriage Date: 1 Jul 1670

Marriage Place: Hartford, Connecticut, USA

Spouse: Mrs. Sarah Gilbert

• Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 Image

Andrew Belcher

Marriage Date: 13 Feb 1689

Marriage Place: Boston, Massachusetts

Spouse Name: Hannah Walker

• Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 Image

Hon Andrew Belcher Esquire

Birth Date: abt 1646

Death Date: 31 Oct 1717

Death Place: Boston, Massachusetts

Death Age: 71