Andrew Pitcher (bef. 1613 - 1661)

Born before 1613 in England

Husband of Margaret (Russell) Pitcher — married 1641 in Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts

Descendants

Died 19 Feb 1661 after age 48 in Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Andrew Pitcher migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Great Migration (Series 2), by R. C. Anderson, vol. 5, p. 468) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Disputed Origins

A previous version of this profile, without source, claimed parents Andrew Pitcher and Agnes Blatch. They have been detached. Please use G2G to discuss evidence for his origins. Thank you.

Biography

Andrew Pitcher was one of the original settlers of Dorchester, Massachusetts. He is assumed to have emigrated in 1634 based on a land grant in Dorchester on September 1, 1634. He was one of 10 original settlers receiving grants of 3 acres "up on Naponset." ^[1] In the list of land grants, he is grouped with other young, unmarried men; ^[2] this indicates that the land grant recipient was this man, not this man's hypothetical father of the same name, as some family histories have assumed.

He has not been found on any ship's records and nothing is known of his birth or residence in England, although it is assumed that he was at least 21 when he received his grant of land, making his birth year 1613 or earlier.

Andrew married Margaret Russell before 1641;^[3] their first child, Samuel, was born in April, 1641. ^[4]

On June 2, 1641 he was named a freeman,^[5] and he also signed (with an 'X') a document establishing a free school in Dorchester.

In 1652 Andrew and two other men purchased over 500 acres of land "on the westerly side of the Charles River about 3 miles from Natick." ^[6] He was a fence viewer in 1653 and 54. He was a farmer and lived the latter part of his life in what is now Milton. ^[7]

He died February 19, 1660/1.^[8] His will was dated December 4.1660. An inventory of his estate was made on March 19, 1660/1 and it was valued at 286 pounds, 9 shillings and consisted mostly of real estate. ^[9]

• Grantee at Dorchester in 1634, 1637, and 1647. ^[7]
• 1641: Member of the Church. ^{[7] [10]}
• 1641: Freeman. ^[7]

Children

Children of Andrew Pitcher and Margaret Russell:

1. Samuel baptized 18: 2: 1641^[10] April 18, 1642 ^[7]; married first Alice Caig at Milton on November 30, 1671. She died on November 20, 1680 and he married second Mary Blake on August 3, 1681. ^{[11] [2]}
2. Experience baptized September 25, 1642; married Joseph son of Edward Bugbee of Roxbury. ^{[7] [2]}
3. Mary baptized 30: 9 mo: 1644: ?wife of Isaac Rush ^[10]; ? or November 25, 1644; ?married ___ Mills. ^[7] [Note: died young as they had a second daughter named Mary. ^[2]
4. Ruth baptized July 25, 1647. ^{[10] [7]}; possibly Ruth ___, the wife of Ephraim Newton. ^[2]
5. John, ^[7] baptized 11: 6 mo: 1650 at Dorchester. ^[10]; married first Hannah ___ by 1684; married second Mary ___ c 1695. ^[2]
6. Nathaniel, ^[7] baptized 18: 2mo.: 1652 ^[10]; died at Milton on January 12, 1736; married Mary Clap on July 8, 1685 at Milton. She died June 14, 1709. ^[11]
7. Mary baptized at Dorchester on April 29, 1655; died by December 4, 1660 when she was not mention in her father's will. ^[2]
8. Jonathan, mentioned in his will. ^{[9] [8]}

Research Notes

Claimed origins: A family heirloom scroll owned by George Watson III, believed to have been created between 1890-1910, states that Andrew Pitcher was "believed to have come from Somerset." Anderson states that Andrew Pitcher's origins are unknown. As this scroll was created 250+ years after the events and the sources on which it was based are unclear, further corroboration is sought, but it may be a clue for future research. See image.

Dorchester First Church Records

Member: Andrew Pitcher 16: 2mo: 1641. (p. 5)

Dorchester Baptisms (no parents noted)

Samuel Pitcher, (decimo8to) 18: 2 mo: 1641. (p. 153)

Experience Pitcher, 7 mo: 25: 1642. (p. 155)

Mary Pitcher, 30: 9 mo: 1644 (wife to Isaac Rush). (p. 157)

Ruth Pitcher, 25: 5 mo: 1647. (p. 158)

John Pitcher, 11: 6 mo: 1650. (p. 160)

Nathaniel Pitcher, 18: 2mo.: 1652. (p. 162)^[10]

Milton Marriages

Pitcher, Samuel and Alice Caig married Nov. 30, 1671. (p. 100; p. 159)

Pitcher, Samuel and Mary Blake married Aug. 3, 1681. (p. 94; p. 159)

Pitcher, Nathaniel Pitcher and Mary Clap married July 8, 1685. (p. 159)

Milton Deaths

Pitcher, Alice, wife of Samuel, Nov. 20, 1680. (p. 238)

Pitcher, Mary wife of Nathaniel, June 14, 1709. (p. 238)

Pitcher, Nathaniel, Jan. 12, 1736, in his 85th yr. (p. 238) ^[11]

Sources

Footnotes and citations:

1. ↑ E. Clapp, Jr., History of the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts, Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society, Dorchester/Boston, MA,1859
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6} Anderson, Robert C. , Andrew Pitcher: in: Great Migration 1634-1635, M-P, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts, 2007, p. 458-471 (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2010.) https://www.americanancestors.org/DB401/i/12155/468/23909000
3. ↑ Torrey's New England marriages to 1700. (online database AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008)
4. ↑ George H. Ellis, Records of the First Church at Dorchester in New England, 1636-1734, Boston, MA 1891
5. ↑ Paige, Lucius R., Massachusetts Applications of Freemen, 1630-91, List of Freemen of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, USA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1849
6. ↑ Anderson citing SLR
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9} Clapp E, Jr., History of the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts, Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society, Dorchester/Boston, Massachusetts,1859
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Pope, Charles Henry, The Pioneers of Massachusetts: A Descriptive List, Drawn from Records of the Colonies, Towns, and Churches, and Other Contemporaneous Documents, Heritage Books, Jun 1, 2010
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} Suffolk County Wills: Abstracts of the Earliest Wills Upon Record in the County of Suffolk, Massachusetts, NEHGS, Genealogical Publishing Com, 1984
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6} Records of the First Church at Dorchester in New England, 1636-1734, George H. Ellis, Boston, MA 1891
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2} Milton Records: Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1662-1843, Alphabetically and Chronologically Arranged, A. Mudge & Son, printers, Boston, Massachusetts, 1900

Source list:

• Great Migration 1634-1635, M-P. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2010.) Originally published as: The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume V, M-P, by Robert Charles Anderson. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2007. featured name.subscription site

• The Pioneers of Massachusetts: A Descriptive List, Drawn from Records of the Colonies, Towns, and Churches, and Other Contemporaneous Documents, by Charles Henry Pope, Heritage Books, Jun 1, 2010

• Records of the First Church at Dorchester in New England, 1636-1734, George H. Ellis, Boston, MA 1891

• Milton Records: Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1662-1843, Alphabetically and Chronologically Arranged, A. Mudge & Son, printers, Boston, MA, 1900

• Suffolk County Wills: Abstracts of the Earliest Wills Upon Record in the County of Suffolk, Massachusetts, NEHGS, Genealogical Publishing Com, 1984

• See Also: Suffolk Deeds: Liber -I-XIV [1629-87], Suffolk Co. MA, 1880

• Cutter, William Richard. New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial (Lewis Historical Publishing, New York, New York, 1913, pp 1568) - See Andrew Pitcher descendants - Vol 3, Page 1330

• Andrew and Margaret Pitcher Home
• Plaque Plaque dedicated by Andrew and Margaret's decendants on site of Andrew and Margaret Pitcher's home.

• Massachusetts Applications of Freemen, 1630-91 Paige, Lucius R., List of Freemen of Massachusetts, Boston, MA, USA: New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 1849
• Jackson, Ron V., Accelerated Indexing Systems, comp. Title: Massachusetts Census, 1790-1890 Publication: Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 199
• Gale Research Title: Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s Filby, P. William, ed, Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2010
• Savage, James.A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England (Originally published Boston 1860-62, reprinted April 1873 and 1884. Reproduced by Genealogical Publishing Company, Balitmore 1981.)
• Matthews' American Armoury and Blue Book , New York, NY, USA: Crest Publishing Company, Inc., 1907
• Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume V, M-P, Boston, MA: NEHGS (2007); Page 468 (subscription needed)

• The Pitcher Family Book by Gerald J. Pitcher