Samuel Hunt Extract

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]

Contents 1 WikiTree Pages of Interest 2 Bibliographic Notes 3 Comment 4 Extraction 5 Sources

WikiTree Pages of Interest

• Samuel Hunt (1633-bef.1707)

Bibliographic Notes

(This needs to be developed)

Comment

The text that follows represents a lengthy extraction posted to the profile of Samuel Hunt (1633-bef.1707). The extraction was moved here, consistent with WikiTree and its Puritan Great Migration Project editing guidance.

Extraction

The following excerpts are from a biography by Louella Jones Downard, edited by Elaine C. Nichols - Samuel Hunt crossed the ocean with his Puritan parents at the age of four along with his younger brother Nehemiah. Samuel Hunt was made a Freeman, 3 May 1654, in Concord, at the age of about twenty-three, which allowed him the right of suffrage and to hold office. To become such he was required to produce evidence that he was a respectable member of some Congregational Church and thus a man of honor. Upon receiving an inheritance from his uncle Robert Best, he moved to Ipswich, where he knew of a great cove on the river where wharves could be built and a fishing industry established. He established a fishery and made arrangements to build a wharf. For 200 years what we know as Great Cove was called Hunt’s Cove.

Hunt married the only child of Joseph and Agnes Redding, Elizabeth, an attractive, high spirited young lady, with a mind and will of her own. They established a farm and raised corn as the main crop. Soon there was a well, orchard, barns, a smokehouse, a spring house, as well as boat houses and many other facilities to keep all of his enterprises going.

In 1664 the Ipswich militia was ordered “to march into the wolf pen playne and there commanded to clear the said playne to fit it for the exercise of the regiment the next day. There were some who spoke mutinously and to the abuse of authority here established. Samuel Hunt agreed with them saying “the major had done more than he could answer for and that he would maintain it before all the world and furthermore that if the major or any other officer commanded him to dig up stumps he would not. When Sgt. French commanded him to assist in carrying some officers out of the field he refused. All the offenders brought to trial on the complaint by Walter Roper, for their “mutinous and seditious works. Some were more outspoken than Samuel and all were found guilty at the trial which began March 29, 1664. Samuel was sentenced to be disenfranchised (no longer a free man), he was dismissed from the company in disgrace, he must pay 2 shillings a day to the company instead of training, he was ordered to prison until he paid a fine of L10, and bound to good behavior. His father in law, Joseph Redding put up his property along with Samuel’s as surety. Samuel appealed the sentence, but the higher court of Boston did not see fit to reverse the sentence admonishing him “to humble himself for his miscarriage against authority, and to be sensible of his greats in therein committed against the Lord. A year later “on 28 March 1665 Samuel was released of his bond for good behavior and restored to freedom. He was not a “freeman again until 14 years later when he and his son, Sam, were made Freeman together. Samuel was in court several times with his neighbor John Lee (Leigh) over the handling of cattle and sheep and came to blows.

In 1668 they were taken to court for disturbing the peace where each, feeling entirely justified, would not admit to any wrong. It was testified that Joseph Lee, son of John, hit Samuel hunt with a club as they “were wording it over the sheep”. Samuel took Joseph by the collar and tripped him up. At this point John Lee Sr. appeared with a pitchfork and struck Samuel twice. If young John Lee hadn’t interfered Samuel would have been killed. Another testified that he heard Hunt had said he had pulled the hair from Joseph Lees head. Samuel owned that he had and added, “had it not been for the old man, I would have pulled them all out. The three fighters were fined and bound to good behavior. Four months later they were released from the bonds apparently having behaved themselves. In 1669 Elizabeth accused Sara Roper of stealing a bodkin, which is a long, pin-shaped instrument to fasten up hair. Elizabeth had allowed young Joseph to play with it in church. He dropped it between two women sitting in front of them. Elizabeth heard it fall, and seeing Sara put her hand down where it fell, expected to have it returned. However, it was not, and when church was over she and Mr. Wilson searched for it, but could not find it. Consequently, Elizabeth complained to the court. By the time the trial came Sara Roper had returned the bodkin. She explained that she had found it in her cuff when she had undressed that night. She was found not guilty since she had returned it.

Samuel Hunt had bought a beautiful, dark bay or blackish-brown colt with one white foot. Near Hunt’s Cove, at labor in Vain field, lived Lt. Samuel Appleton. He had raised a colt of the same general description as Hunt, free to roam at will. When it became lost Lt. Appleton took the Hunt colt and claimed it as his. Then began a number of instances of one taking the colt from the other one and in 1674 Lt. Appleton charged Samuel Hunt with stealing his colt. Hunt was fined 50s and ordered to pay cost to Lt. Appleton. Samuel now charged Lt. Appleton with “detaining a dark bay horse from him. At the end of this trial Lt. Appleton was found guilty and ordered to pay L5 damages to Samuel or return the horse.

Meanwhile, Samuel’s teenage children began to behave badly. Two witnesses deposed that they had noticed in time of service and on the Sabbath day that Samuel hunt Jr. was very disorderly, laughing, talking, spitting, striking boys with sticks and throwing things into the gallery. Thirteen year old Elizabeth was brought into court on the complaint of Thomas Burnham, Sr. for many misdemeanors against his daughter Abigail in church. Testimony from many showed that Abigail and Elizabeth pushed each other around, shoved each others chairs, and placed themselves so others had a hard time passing. It was further complained that Elizabeth looked at her father and laughed and that on another occasion she held her head down and smiled – apparently in triumph or pleasure at what she had done. It was also complained that her mother encouraged her in these activities. Samuel Hunt, Jr. was admonished for disorder in the meetinghouse. Court then found Abigail and Elizabeth “culpable of disturbance and disorder in the meetinghouse, but being under family government, ordered their parents to correct them for offenses past and to keep them in better order for the time to come. Goodwife Hunt was also admonished.

In 1675 the Indian chief King Phillip began his last stand against the encroaching Englishmen. Samuel Hunt, now 44 years old, was in Lt. Jeremiah Swains company. Samuel and his son Samuel marched away with Maj. Appleton on the 8th of December 1675 toward Dedham Plain and participated in the Great Swamp Fight. Samuel Hunt, Sr. was still serving in Capt. William Turner’s company at the Great Falls fight in 1676, in which he and his son both received the rank of Ensign, which in British Army was the lowest commissioned officer, ranking next below Lt.

In 1682 the Hunt’s wharf, fishing weirs, and a great deal of other property were swept away or damaged by a flood caused by a warm rain that melted a large buildup of snow. Samuel and Elizabeth lost their daughter, Elizabeth, on 9 July 1689, just eighteen days after the birth of her fourth child. She was only twenty eight years old. Young Elizabeth and her husband had lost two infants of the four that had been born to them in the seven short years they had been married. Court documents recorded that in 1693: Samuel Hunt of Ipswich, and wife Elizabeth, convey to Joseph Hunt, of Ipswich, all of their estate, in consideration of a maintenance. Elizabeth was buried in the Ipswich Cemetery with a granite tombstone inscribed Eliza. Hunt, aged 72 yrs., decesd. Feb. 15, 1706 A tender mother a prudent wife, At God’s command resined her life. Old Burying Ground, Ipswich https://historicipswich.org/2021/01/11/samuel-hunt/

Sources