Elizabeth Scudder, A Christian Influence

The Scudder family has continued to show a strong Christian faith throughout the centuries even to the Twenty-first century. While there isn’t a whole lot of paperwork on Elizabeth Scudder, she comes from a family that continues to influence and expand the Christian community in the United States and the world even up into the Twenty-First Century.

Elizabeth Scudder was born 1623 in Strood, Kent, England the daughter of John Scudder and his wife Elizabeth  Stoughton and younger sister of John Scudder who came to the colonies at about the same time as Elizabeth

Married Samuel Lathrop, son of the Rev. John Lathrop, 28 November 1644, Barnstable, MA

Died about 1690 in New London, New London, CT

Children by his first wife:

1.   John Lathrop born 1645 in Barnstable, Barnstable, MA, died 25 August 1688 Wallingford, New Haven, CT and married Ruth Royce

2.   Elizabeth Lathrop born March 1647/48 in New London, New London, CT, died 1689 Wallingford, New Haven, CT married Isaac  Royce

3.   Samuel Lathrop born May 1650 New London, New London, CT, died 09 December 1732 Norwich, New London, CT married Hannah  Adgate

4.   Sarah Lathrop born October 1655 New London, New London, CT, died 09 December 1732 Norwich, New London, CT married Nathaniel  Royce

5.   Martha Lathrop born January 1656/7 Wallingford, New London, CT and died there on 21 September 1719. She married John Moss 12 December 1676 in Wallingford. They are my ancestors

6.   Isreal Lathrop born October 1659 in New London, New London, CT, died 28 March 1733 Norwich, New London, CT married Rebecca  Bliss

7.   Joseph Lathrop born October 1661 New London, New London, CT died 05 July 1740 married Mary Scudder. I am unsure if she was related to Elizabeth Scudder.

8.   Abigail Lathrop born 11 May 1665 New London, New London, CT, died 09 December 1696 Norwich, New London, CT. She married John Huntington

9.   Anne Lathrop born 07 August 1667 New London, New London, CT, died 19 November 1745 married William Hough 10 October 1700 in New London.

The Scudder family has had a nicely organized family society for many years which focuses not just on family but on the ministries so many of them have been a part of. The lean toward ministry began early in the Scudder history.

Elizabeth was the daughter of John Scudder, the youngest of a large family. He married Elizabeth Stoughton who was the mother of his five known children, three who died young and two, Elizabeth Jr. and her brother John, who immigrated to the colony of Massachusetts. Elizabeth Stoughton was the daughter of Thomas Stoughton who was vicar of a church in Coggesthall, Essex where he was removed in 1606 because of his “puritan” views. He also pastored churches in Naughton in Suffolk, as well as Cambridge and Ash, tutored at Emmanuel College in Cambridge and worked as a chaplain at the St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in Sandwich, Kent. It is said by some that he and his two sons, Thomas Jr. and Israel came to New England on the Mary and John in 1630.

Elizabeth and John’s Uncle the Reverent Henry Scudder probably knew John Lathrop, the father of Elizabeth’s future husband when they attended Cambridge University. Henry received an MA in theology from Christ’s College and pastored St. Andrew’s Parish of Collingbourne Ducis, Wiltshire Co., England. There is some indication that the Reverend Scudder and the Reverend Lathrop corresponded with one another when Rev. Lathrop went to Massachusetts. Henry, also, may have watched over the two young Scudder siblings, who were left fatherless when John was about eight and Elizabeth less then two. Elizabeth Stoughton, mother of Elizabeth and John, remarried in 1627. A marriage record found at Strood, England reads “Robt Chamberlyne, Pastor of Strood, to Elizabeth Scudder, widow, dau. of Mr. Thomas Stoughton, 30 Apr 1627.” It is not known when Robert Chamberlain died. Young John Scudder may have traveled without family on the James to the New World in 1635. Among the passengers on the James were Thomas Ewer and his young wife, Sarah Larned who would later married Thomas Lathrop and thus become a sister-in-law to Elizabeth the younger. Elizabeth Scudder Chamberlain came to New England with her children, Elizabeth Scudder Jr. and Samuel and Joanna Chamberlain. It is also possible that they along with Elizabeth’s brothers Thomas and Isreal Stoughton, as well as her father, all came together on the James, as the whole bunch were defiantly in New England by 1635. The widow Chamberlain died in 1647 when her estate, by order of the courts, was divided between her two Chamberlain children, leaving out the Scudder children. The younger Elizabeth’s half-brother, Samuel Chamberlain, died there or in New York 1648. Her half-sister married Richard Betts and became the mother to three daughters.

 

Elizabeth Scudder’s full-brother, John Scudder was admitted a freeman of Charlestown but by 1640 he was in Barnstable where he was admitted as freeman in 1654. John married a woman named Hannah of which all is known of her is that she survived John and was the mother of his five children. Elizabeth was in Barnstable before 1644, where she married Samuel Lathrop, son of her Uncle’s old friend, John Lathrop, on 28 November of that year. The Rev. Lathrop recorded that: “My sonn Samuel & Elizabeth Scudder Marryed at my house by Mr Freeman Nov 28, 1644.”

My guess is that Elizabeth and Samuel Lathrop’s marriage was a successful one. They had nine children and both of Elizabeth and Samuel lived long lives, Elizabeth dieing in her seventies and Samuel dieing just short of his 88^th birthday. The moved to New London, Connecticut by 1647 where Samuel became a prominent citizen, owning many acres of land. The Rev. E. B. Huntington in his history of the Lathrop/Lothrop family wrote: "His house lot in the new plantation was the third in order from that of John Winthrop Jr. Esq. and his name was one of the first eighteen to whom were assigned lands on the east side of the 'great river' of Pequot, and for these the lots were drawn on the 17th and 31st of January, 1648/9" Samuel was a constable in New London and a judge in the General Court of the State of Connecticut.

After Elizabeth died, Samuel in his seventies married Abigail Doane, age 67, as his second wife. While Samuel died in 28 February 1699/00, Abigail went on to live the ripe old age of 104.

Elizabeth’s Uncle Thomas Scudder and her brother, John Scudder both married and had many children. The Scudder name fills Massachusetts and Connecticut history books. Many of their descendants went on to become Missionaries in foreign countries including Ida Scudder who was a pioneer in bringing medical care to women in India. A hospital and medical school for women is still run and continues to serve the women of India. She was only one of the many Scudders who have served either in the pulpit at home or abroad, brining the good news to the world. There is a very good possibility that Elizabeth Scudder took good care in passing on her faith to her children and grandchildren.

My Scudder Line:

Henry Skudder of Horton, 1560 – 1504 m. Agnes (surname unknown)

John Skudder died about 1541

John Skudder of Little Brook, died 1566 m. Joan

Thomas Skudder of Darenth

Henry Scudder of Horton m. Elizabeth

John Scudder m. Elizabeth Stoughton daughter of Thomas Stoughton and Katherine Motnpesson

Elizabeth Scudder m. Samuel Lathrop

***SOURCES***

1.  Olive Connary, 1987

2.  B. J. Clement, 1987

3.      Scudder Searches, Vo. I, No. 2, Summer 1989

4.    Scudder Searches, Vo. III, No. 4, Fall 1991

5.  Scudder Searches, Vo. IV, No. 1

6.  Genealogical Notes of Barnstable Families from the papers of Amos Otis

7.  Scudder Searches, Vo. IV, No. 2

8.  Scudder Searches, Vo. V, No. 1

9.  Scudder Searches, Vo. V, No. 2

10.  "Lo-Lathrop Family Memorial" by Rev. E. B. Huntington, pub. 1884

11.  "New England Marriages Prior to 1700" by Clarence Almon Torrey, Genealogy Publishing Co., 1987; 929.3 T694

12.  "History of the Colony of New Haven to its Absorption into Connecticut"  by Edward E. Atwater

13.  "Catalogue of the Names of the First Puritan Settlers of the Colony of   Connecticut" by R.R. Hinman, 1968

Line 4, John Lathrop, Jailbird with a heart for God

Unlike my forefather, John Billington, my great-times 10- grandfather, John Lathrop was a shining example of a Christian man, despite having spent several years in jail. John Lathrop was a man dedicated to his walk with the Lord, who gave up his freedom rather then worship God in an unworthy way and later, gave up his homeland to start afresh in a wild barely known land halfway around the world.

John Lathrop was baptized 20 December 1584 at Etton, Yorkshire, England, son of Thomas and Maud Lathrop

Married first Hannah Howse, London, England on 10 October 1610

      Second Anne Hammond, Situate, Plymouth, Massachusetts on 27 September 1634

Died 8 November 1653 Barnstable, Barnstable, MA

Buried 10 November 1653 at Lathrop Hill Cemetery, Barnstable, Barnstable, MA

Children: by his first wife:

1.      Thomas Lathrop baptized 12 February 1611/12 in Eastwell, Ashford, England. He married Sarah Larned

2.      Jane Lathrop baptized 29 September 1614 in Edgerton, Kent, England died 1658 in Barnstable, Barnstable, MA. She married Samuel Fuller who came over on the first Mayflower voyage of 1620.

3.      Anne Lathrop baptized 12 May 1616 in Edgerton, Kent, England and died there 30 April 1617

4.      John Lathrop baptized 22 February 1616/17 in Edgerton, Kent, England in Edgerton, Kent, England. He married Mary Heily and probably returned to England where he died.

5.      Barbara Lathrop baptized 31 October 1619 in Edgerton, Kent, England and married John Emerson

6.      Samuel Lathrop baptized 28 February 1699/00 in London, Middlesex, England. He died and was buried 28 February 1699/00 in Norwich, New London, CT. He married Elizabeth Scudder

7.      Joseph Lathrop baptized in London, Middlesex, England

8.      Benjamin Lathrop baptized in London, Middlesex, England

By his second wife

9.      Barnabas Lathrop

10.   Daughter who died in infancy

11.   Abigail Lathrop

12.   Bathshua Lathrop

13.  John Lathrop

14.   Son who died in infancy

John Lathrop was born at Etton, East Riding, Yorkshire, England, Dec 20, 1854, the son of Thomas Lathrop. His mother’s name has long been debated but lately new evidence points toward her being the Maud Lathrop buried at Etton on 6 June 1588. In "The American Genealogist” Vol 70, No. 4, pp 250-252 Clifford L. Stott wrote that the bad-boy of genealogy, Anjou (who has caused me no end to frustrations with his made-up genealogies) named Mary Salte as Thomas’s second wife. It is true that Mary Salte DID marry Thomas Lathrop, however he was a different Thomas then the one who fathered the Rev. John Lathrop in 1584. A Maud Lathrop, buried 6 June 1588 in the Etton Church yard, is a perfect fit to be John’s mother.

John had numerous siblings as his father married three times and produced eight children from his first married, five from his second and nine from his third and last marriage. Thomas died in 1629. John began his college education at the age of sixteen, entering Christ Church, Oxford on 15 October 1602. He then went to Queen College, Cambridge where he graduated with a B.A. in 1605 and an M.A. in 1609. He was admitted a pleb of Christ Church, Oxford on 15 October 1602

John’s first post as a pastor was at Little Chart Kent in 1610. In 1611 he went to Egerton in Eastwell, Kent, England as curate at the parish church there. Sometime before 1623 when he left this post, John’s theology changed and he left the Church of England to became a dissenter. Why or who changed John’s theology isn’t known but I can’t help but imagine that he was a man who was a deep thinker who pondered the Word of God with a great desire to know God better.

The Church of England was the “child” of Henry VIII; who when he was unable to obtain a Catholic annulment from his first marriage to the Spanish Princess, Catherine of Aragon so he could marry Anne Boleyn, declared himself the head of the Church of England. This caused great distress to the supporters of Queen Catherine and to those, like Catherine, who were devote Catholics. However, there was already a faction in England who had begun to follow the theology that Martin Luther, in Germany, was teaching. The break from Rome was welcomed, not just from the political “correct” of the era but those who had been religiously incorrect. Henry VIII got his marriage to Anne Boleyn (which only lasted until he beheaded her three years later) and the power of being not only King of England but of being the “pope” of the English church. By 1684 when John Lathrop was born, England was being ruled by Henry and Anne’s daughter, Queen Elizabeth the First, a strong ruler who ruled with a firmness arrived from her shaky claim to the crown. And while, I doubt that anyone would accuse her of being a strong Christian, she held firm to her rule as protector of the Church of England. Her successor was James the Sixth of Scotland (James the First of England) who had been bought up by his Calvinistic Uncle James Stewart. While James was no churchman, he was a man who liked power and the role of protector of the church was not one he would let go of to the Catholic pope or for a group of independent thinkers. John Lathrop’s decision to leave the Church of England and join the dissenters was a brave move on his part.

The dissenters must have soon realized that the Rev. Lathrop was a remarkable preacher and pastor. In 1624, a year before the death of James the First, John was called as pastor for the First Independent Church of London, replacing Henry Jacob as pastor. Henry Jacob was a man who stood firm on his faith but had a compassionate tolerance for those whose theology didn’t totally match his. John Lathrop demonstrated this same trait. He didn’t back down on what he believed but he understood that God is bigger and more complicated then one man can grasp in a lifetime. There are historians who have remarked that Barnstable, Massachusetts where the Lathrops settled in the New World didn’t demonstrate the panic and distrust of Quakers and Baptists that Boston and other heavily Puritan settlements in the New World did.

William Loud, the Bishop of London, wasn’t tolerant of conflict of theology and he soon became the enemy of anyone who did not agree to his theology. The little sixty-member First Independent Church of 1624 had no settle home as they had to meet in secret in order to avoid the iron-rule of Bishop Loud. They managed this until April 22, 1632 when the Rev. Lathrop and forty-one of his fellow parishioners were arrested while privately worshipping at the house of Humphrey Barnet, a brewer's clerk. Eighteen others managed to escape but the rest were thrown in The Clink prison. (Hum – do you think that’s where we get the expression “thrown into the clink!”) They were jailed for failing to take the oath of loyalty to the established English church. There they stayed for two years. In the spring of 1634, the parishioners were released, all except Lathrop whose theological influence was considered a danger to the Church of England and it’s king.

While I feel that John Lathrop was a remarkable man, with high standards and a warm heart, definitely a “man after God’s own heart”, I think it is time to give some acclaim to his poor suffering wife. Little is written of Hannah Howse or House, except that she died while her husband was in jail. However, one can deduct from the record of her brother, Samuel, who, along with their sister Penninah, was imprisoned with Lathrop, that she came from a family with the strength to stand up for their convictions. Records pertaining to Samuel House’s arrest show his convictions. "Samuel Howes!" saith the Kings Advocate, "you are required by your oath to answer to the articles." HOWE: "I have served the King both by sea and by land, and I had been at sea if this restraint had not been made upon me. My conversacon I thank God none can tax." REGISTER.  "Will you take your oath?" HOWSE. "I am a young man and doe not know what the oath is." KINGS ADVOCATE. "The King desires your service in obeying his laws.” At his interrogation by a Court of High Commission on 8 May 1632 he 'I have served the King both by sea & by land, and I have been at sea if this restraint had not been made upon me. My conversation I thank God none can tax.'" Brave man or maybe just a little bit ADHD. In New England, Samuel appeared in court at least half a dozen times in civil suits, mostly pertaining to his carpentry work. He was a courageous Christian but not such a good carpenter.

Hannah and her siblings were children of John and Alice House. John House was  “of” Eastwell, Kent, England and pastor of the church there. John’s church being at nearby Edgerton, probably meet Hannah as the two pastors socialized or studied theology together. Certainly, the two John’s were of one mind as far as theology went or it may have been House’s influences that lead John on the road to theology rebellion against the Church of England.

 I imagine Hannah as a fair-haired young woman with a sweet nature whose lovely face attracted the young pastor as much as her devote love of God. I have no doubt that she was a woman who loved God with all of her heart. She came from a family with strong religious convictions and so why would she not share this trait, especially as her husband was of like mind. 

John House died in Eastwell 30 August 1630 and was buried in the churchyard on 8 Sept 1630. Whether his children remained in Eastwell until that time or came to London with John and Hannah Lathrop, I don’t know. I do know that at least Samuel and Penninah (also called Jeminah) eventually came to London to worship with their brother-in-law’s congregation.

Hannah must have been worried over her husband’s fate. She was probably well supported by his parishioners but they weren’t wealthy and she and her children probably suffered through many hungry and cold nights and days. She was caring for seven children, although the oldest, Thomas was a young man of about twenty. However, a son of a man in jail would have a hard time finding employment and Hannah, as a woman and mother, would find none at all.  Hannah’s health gave out and she died. Friends of the Lathrops tried to help as they could but the family was forced to beg for their bread in the streets of London. Some friends of the family were able to secure an audience with the bishop and present the poor hungry children to him. The bishop proved to be a man of some pity as he allowed Lathrop to be release from jail, on the condition that he leave England for the colonies thus solving two problems at once. John Lathrop was no longer a bother to the bishop and he could preserve his benevolent reputation.

A few ships of the Winthrop Fleet had preceeded John Lathrop and his family to New England. John Winthrop was one of the main instigaters of the fleet that brought thousands of Puritians to New England. Govenor Winthrop kept an extesive journal Under date of Sept 18, 1634, he wrote 'The Griffin and another ship now arriving with about 200 passengers. Mr. Lathrop and Mr. Sims, two godly ministers coming in the same ship...'"  Among the passengers who arrived with the Lathrop family were five other ancestors of mine: William and Anne Hutchinson and their son Edward and William and Mary Bartholomew.

John became the pastor of the First Church in Scituate shortly after arriving in New England. He left for Barnstable after a dispute split the church in 1639. Lathrop, considered one of the three most influencal pastors of early Massachusetts, pastored his flock so well that the original church at Scituate membership dwendled as perisionairs left to join the new church. Lathrop’s Congregational Church now claims one of the longest uninterrupted history of any in the former Brishish colonies. Church building, though enlarged and remodeled, is the original one that John Lathrop pastored.

The Reverent Lathrop was a man with a true heart for God. His church flurished because he understood that Christianity’s theology was big enough to encompus intellectuals and the uneducated as well. His faith, while wholely Christian, was open enough to realize that he didn’t have all the answers and that faith encompused a whole lot more then rules.  Historians have noted that he welcomed anyone who professed a faith in the Christian God and tried to follow the Ten Commandments. While he was a very intelligent man who studied theology to the end of his life, he was wise enough to preach sermons that would be relavent to the needs of his flock.

In the New World, John married his second wife, Anne  Hammond, the daughter of William Hammond and sister to Elizabeth Hammond who married John Lathrop’s brother-in-law, Samuel House. Anne was much younger then her husband and bore him six more children, four of whom lived to adulthood. After John’s death, she married Timothy Hawkins as her second husband.

John Lathrop died in 1653 near 69 years old. He was buried in an unmarked grave in the churchyard of the little church he founded. Years later a plaque was erected to this remarkable man. It gives his history and at the bottom of the plaque it remarks “He was a gentle kindly man and beloved of all who knew him.” 

I was at a genealogy fair once upon a time and found a pedigree chart with the Rev. John Lathrop’s name on it. Very excited at discovering one of my ancestors, I told the the person manning the table that I too was a descendant of John’s. He gave me a look that would have frozen a volcano and said “Every one with New England ancestory is descendanted from John Lathrop.” Well, I now know that isn’t true but it has been estimated that John’s American descendants number more then 80,000 persons. And among this descent are some pretty famous and infamous persons. They include Presidests of the United States; Millard Fillmore, James Garfield (another man of great faith), Ulysses S. Grant, Franklin D. Roosevelt, George H.W. Bush and his son George W. Bush (another man of faith). Several state governors of the 1900s and the early 2000s can also claim Lathrop as an ancestor: Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin, Thomas E. Dewey and of course, Jeb Bush (son of guess who). Other Lathrop descendants who were statesmen were Senator Adlai Stevenson, US Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holms, Secretary of State John Allen Dulles (for whom the airport was named) and his brother Allen Dulles who was the head of the CIA. Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, artist Lewis Comfort Tiffany, author Laura Ingalls Wilder, and actors Clint Eastwood, Shirley Temple, Brook Shields, and Dina Merrill are all descendants of the Rev. Lathrop. And to throw in a little bad blood, there is the traitor Benidict Arnold and gunslinger Wild Bill Hickock.  And you can put great-grandson X 4 or 5 times, Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon church, wherever you like.

Oh, and before I finish this piece, I also have a not so famous person to add to the list of John Lathrop descendance – my friend from high school, Cindy Walker, who is my 15 or something times first cousin through her 15X great-grandmother, Jane Lathrop Fuller, daughter of John Lathrop.

My Lathrop line:

John Lathrop m. Margaret Wade

Robert Lathrop d. 1558 m. Ellen Aston daughter of John Aston

Thomas Lathrop 1536-1606 m. Maud ? who died 6 June 1688

John Lathrop m. Hannah House daughter of the Rev. John House

Samuel Lathrop m. Elizabeth Scudder

Martha Lathrop m. John Moss

Esther Moss m. Daniel Maltby

Joseph Maltby m. Elizabeth Pratt

Jonathan Maltby m. Lydia Bartholomew

Josiah Maltby m. Mary McArthur

John Maltby m. Mahaly ?

Josiah Maltby m. Eliza Jane Miller

Caroline Bell Maltby m Otis T. Chubb

Line 3.4 Mary Fisher Clapp; Living the Dream

Mary Fisher was born in America, grew up in America and although we don’t know when or where (but probably Dedham, Massachusetts), she died in America. Her heritage may have been English but her life was American. Living on a firm Christian foundation, Mary’s faith may have been as strong as her parents or it may have weakened or strengthened in a different direction. The generations following the first was less strict in their faith but they were still believers; living their lives in the shadow of the church and giving what would become the United States of America, it’s Christian favor for generations to come.

Mary Fisher was born 02 April 1621 in Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts

Married 10 November 1662 in Dedham, MA to Thomas Clapp who was born 15 March 1638/39 in Weymouth, MA and died 07 August 1689 in Dedham, MA

Mary’s death date is unknown

The children of Thomas Clap and Mary Fisher were:

1.      Thomas Clapp born 26 September 1663 married Mary ?

2.      John Clapp born 28 February 1664/65

3.      Joshua Clapp born 1667 married Silence  Bird

4.      Mary Clapp born 13 December 1669

5.      Eliezer  Clapp born 04 November 1671

6.      Abigail Clapp born 12 December 1674

7.      Hannah Clapp born 28 March 1679 married William  Robbins

8.      Samuel Clapp born 21 August 1682; married Elizabeth Fisher

I only know a few details of Mary fisher’s life. She was born 23 March 1643/4 in Dedham, Massachusetts where her parents, Joshua and Mary (Aldis) Fishers had meet and married. Her baptismal record in that same town reads, "Mary ye daughter of our Brother and sister Joshuah Fisher and his wife Mary was baptized 31d 1 m 1644." We know Mary survived her husband, Thomas Clapp, as he left her household goods, one end of the dwelling-house and 8 pounds a year while she remained his widow. She was a young widow and had children to rise. There is no indication that she remarried. Thomas had been the son of Thomas Clapp Sr. and probably his first of three wives, Abigail whose maiden name is unknown. Thomas Sr. came from Sidbury, Co. Devon, England. While not extremely wealthy men, both Thomases left estates that suggested a middle class comfort created from a strong work ethic.

Mary and her husband Thomas Clapp were of the first generation born in the New World. They probably never knew England except in their parent’s reminiscences. Their world was made up of the forested New England, full of new world ideas and dreams. They never saw the castles or cathedrals of England. The England they knew was through their parents’ stories. They were separated from the Old World by a three months sea voyage and a wilderness stretching west into the unknown. Their parents were bent on creating a City on the Hill, a shining beacon of the true way to worship and live. But it was a rigid “city” that had little room for individuality or a spirit of seeking a bigger more complicated God. Mary Fisher and Thomas Clapp’s generation lead a quiet rebellion, not losing their Puritan spirit but become less ridged in their beliefs. Mary and Thomas were also bent on creating a comfortable living, in a land between wilderness and the open sea that lead to far away England. They were still bound them in the English thought patterns and traditions. However they were the first generation to truly create an American ideal. Their “puritan work ethic” would persist through many generations, coloring the American people. The importance of education, faith and a representative government was established in the hopes and faith of these people so saturated in a need to purify their religion that they would uproot their families and seek out a place where they could be independent and express their beliefs in all aspects of life. Mary and Thomas’ generation was less fanatical about their “religion” their parents. While their parents were intent on witnessing to the native population, Mary and Thomas’ generation and that of their children, was more intent on owning a piece of the dream through land ownership and moving up in the world. The zeal of the puritans was not quit so obvious in proceeding generations. But it was still there, coloring not just New England but all of what would become the United States of America. In our age we, in our sophistication, we tend to laugh and sneer at the simple faith of the early New England settlers, jeering at their witchcraft trials, their exiles of dissenters and hanging of Quakers and their ridged belief system. We don’t need to whitewash Puritan New England, but we need to be fair in judgment. These were men and women of uncommon faith and courage who, indeed, built a foundation that has stood strong for many generations. Mary and Thomas Clapp’s generation and the ones that preceded them ebbed and flowed with the need to worship God; each new generation created men and woman of exceptional faith just as it created villains.

***SOURCES****

1. The Record of Baptisms, Marriages, and Deaths in the Town of Dedham, Mass.  Edited by Don Gleason Hill

3.  "Ancestry of Nathan Aldus of Dedham" New England Historical and Genealogical Register Vol 150, page 489

Line 3.4 Joshua Fisher Jr. -- Living the Dream

Joshua Fisher Jr. was born in England but left as a young boy/man to live out the dream of John Winthrop and the Puritans in the City on the Hill. Faith, bravery and a sense of adventure must have filled this young man’s heart as he left the familiar landscape of Syleham, England for the unfamiliar forest of Massachusetts.

Joshua Fisher was born 02 April 1621 in Syleham, Suffolk, England

Married 1. Mary Aldis was the daughter of Nathan and Mary Aldis and the mother of his eight children.

      2. Lydia, the widow of Samuel Oliver

Died 10 August 1672 in Dedham, Hampshire, Massachusetts

The children of Joshua Fisher and Mary Aldis were:

1.      Mary Fisher born 23 March 1643/44 in Dedham, Massachusetts; married Thomas Clapp

2.      Joshua Fisher born 30 October 1645 in Dedham, Massachusetts where he died as an infant on 14 January 1645/46

3.      Hannah Fisher born 14 February 1646/47 in Dedham and died young

4.      Abigail Fisher born 28 February 1648/49 and married John Houlton

5.      Joshua Fisher born 09 January 1650/51, married Esther Wiswell and had at least seven children.

6.      John Fisher born 18 February 1651/52 in Dedham and died 1727 in Medfield, MA. He married Hannah Adams in Dedham

7.      Hannah Fisher born 19 January 1652/53, died young

8.      Vigilance Fisher born 21 November 1654 in Dedham, Massachusetts. He married Rebecca Partridge

Joshua Fisher was born sometime shortly before his baptism on 02 April 1621 in Fressington His baptismal record reads: “Joshua Fysher, the sonne of Joshua Fysher, was baptized on the ii daye of Aprille“.

Joshua emigrated from Syleham, co. Suffolk to Dedham, MA about 1637 or 1638 with his uncle Anthony Fisher and his family. As a teenager of about 16 or 17 years, he began life in the New World with the big responsibility of creating a working post for his father. "The First of ye 11th Month (1638) Jan 1, 1638/9 Joshua Jr. entered upon the lot granted the smith and is to hold it and make improvements for the behalfe of his Father who is expected this next somer”Dedham Massachusetts record of 1 January 1637/8: "vpon a motion made by ant Fisher it is condescended that Josua Fisher [nephew of Anthony and son of Joshua] may enter vpon the Smithes Lott & ther fitt himselfe ye building & otherwise for to doe some worke of ye trade for ye Towne in the behalfe of his Father wth is expected this next somer. Provided yt yf he cometh nto insuch a tyme as may be conceived fitting by our sayd society Then the syd Josua shall leave ye sayd Lott & ye Towne to be at liberty to put in another Smith; aloweing vnto the sayd Joshua his whollCharges vpon the same to be alowed by 2: Judicious men." Joshua had to relinquish his “job” as his father did not arrive before the set date. His father and new wife arrived soon after though and the Fisher family continued to have influence in Dedham. The third Joshua of the Fisher line was among the 18 men who signed the Dedham Covenant. In 1639 he joined the Dedham Church where he probably married Mary Aldis, daughter of Deacon Nathan (or Nathaniel) Aldis and his wife Mary . Joshua Jr. became a freeman of the town in 1649. Joshua was a talented man who was a draughtsman, mapmaker and eventually a state surveyor. He was a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Co., a town selectman, clerk of the court of writs and for twenty-one years representative. This busy man became a lieutenant of the Military Company of Dedham in 1643, one of the commissioners who laid out the boundary between Plymouth colony and Massachusetts (for which he was granted three hundred acres of land) and on the commission to lay out the boundary between Sudbury and Watertown.

In between all this activity, Joshua ran the “Fisher Tavern” or “publicke house” in Dedham, on the corners of High and Court Streets. The town “publicke house” was an important building in a small New England town. It was here that many business and town meetings were held as well as well as being a social center. It is not hard to imagine Joshua as a sociable, energetic man. He seems to never to have stopped running, living the Puritan ideal of being a successful businessman but also having strong religious ties. Joshua was the picture of the ideal Puritan; educated, churched, and a successful businessman. He portrays the puritan work that permeates so much of the American culture.

Joshua and Mary had eight children, five of whom lived to marry and have children of their own. Mary died in 1653. The following year Joshua married Lydia, the widow of Samuel Oliver of Boston. Joshua died in 16 72. Lydia survived him by a number of years, dieing on 02 February 1682/83.

Joshua did not leave a will. Public reads records the following: "10, 6 mth in 1672; Lieut. Joshua Fisher, Late of Dedham, dyeing without a will wee whose Names are under written, being the only Children of the said Joshua our deare Father, doe agree as deviding the Estate as follows... Noting the estate was in 'a considerable Same in Debt," the children agreed together to sell property to pay the debts. Their mother [Lydia] should have her thirds of the house and lands or ten pounds annually, whichever she choses, and the remainder of he estate to be divided into seven equal parts, 'each child to take one part and the eldest Sonne to have two parts.” The distribution agreement was signed by Joshua Fisher, William Avery for John Fisher; Thomas Fuller for Vigilance Fisher; Thomas Clapp, John Holton and Daniel Fisher for Hannah Fisher.

***SOURCES****

1. "The Dedham Historical Register," 1890 by Dedham Historical Society

2. The Records of Baptism, Marriages and Deaths in the town of Dedham Edited by Don Gleason Hill

3. Dedham Historical Register, Vol I, "The Fisher Family" page 24-26 and page 58

4. Brother, John Fisher's Will of July 4, 1668

5. Vital Records of Dedham, Mass., Vol 3: Marriages 1638-1844, Edited by Robert Brand Hanson

6. "English Records of Joshua Fisher of Dedham, Mass." by Robert Charles  Anderson from the American Genealogist, Vol 66, No. 3 July 1991

7. English Ancestry of Joshua and Anthony Fisher by Myrtle Stevens Hyde and John Plummer, New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol 151, April 1997

8. Towns of New England and old England, Ireland and Scotland ..., Part 1 By Allan Forbes, State Street Trust Company (Boston, Mass.)

9. Transcript of Parish Records, Sylehame, Suffolk, England

10. Dedham Massachusetts record of 1 January 1637/8

Line 3.3 Joshua Fisher Sr.; Following the Winthrop Fleet

The mighty Winthrop Fleet consisted of a fleet of eleven ships, arriving in Massachusetts in 1630. Anthony Fisher’s sons were among the puritans that followed in the later 1630s, up until Cromwell and the Commonwealth took over the government of England. The Fishers belonged to a movement of faith, looking to build that “city on a hill” that would proclaim the glory of God.

Joshua Fisher was baptized 24 March 1587/8 at Fressingfield, Suffolk, England the son of Anthony Fisher and his wife Mary Fiske.

Married 1. Elizabeth (maiden name unknown)

      2. Anne Orfor on 7 February 1638/9

Died 18 October 1674 in Dedham, Massachusetts

The children of Joshua and Elizabeth Fisher were:

1.      Elizabeth Fisher baptized 4 Jun 1618 in Syleham, Suffolk, England and probably died young.

2.      Joshua Fisher baptized 2 April 1621 in Syleham, Suffolk, England. He married Mary Aldis and died 10 August 1672 in Dedham Massachusetts

3.      Mary Fisher baptized 1623, in Redenhall with Harleston, Norfolk, England married Thomas Battle and died 06 August 1691 in Dedham, Massachusetts

4.      Hester Fisher baptized 1625 in Redenhall with Harleston, Norfolk, England where she died days later

5.      Sarah Fisher born and died 1627 in Redenhall with Harleston, Norfolk, England

6.      Amos Fisher buried 05 September 1630 Redenhall with Harleston, Norfolk, England

7.      John Fisher baptized 26 January 1633/34 Redenhall with Harleston, Norfolk, England; married Elizabeth Boylston. He died 03 July 1668 in Medfield, Suffolk, MA

8.      Samuel Fisher baptized 11 October 1635 at Redenhall with Harleston, Norfolk, England and died there in 1638.

Joshua Fisher was baptized as “Joseph Fysher” in the church at Fressingfield on 24 March 1587/8.  A baptismal record reading "Anno Domini 1585, Joshua Fysher et Maria Fysher, Gemini, baptized fuer 24th die Februarii" confused genealogist was a long time. This turned out to be another Joshua when it was realized that “Joseph” had been written instead of Joshua in the 1587/8 record. This was one of the few times, Joshua would be confused about just who he was. In later years he would have the strength of will and faith to travel to the New World in order to live out his faith as he felt was proper.

 Joshua Fisher married twice. His first wife is only known by her first name, Elizabeth. His second wife, who also cause some debate among later generations of genealogists, was finally determined to be Anne Orfor whom Joshua married the 7th of February 1638/9 in Syleham.

By 1621 Joshua and his family, which consisted of wife, Elizabeth and possibly two children, if daughter Elizabeth was still alive, move across the river to Harleston, Norfolk, England. Four young Fisher children (and possibly Elizabeth Jr. as well) would be buried in the Harleston churchyard. Elizabeth Sr. would be buried there in 1638. Joshua, a widower with three living children, one of whom had left for New England, married Anne Orfor only five months later.

We don’t know if Elizabeth Sr. was already ill in the summer of 1637, but she was about to “lose” another child. Her sixteen-year-old son, Joshua Jr. left England with his Uncle Anthony Fisher for the colonies. Maybe the family was already planning to join young Joshua and his uncle’s family in the New World but they delayed long enough for Elizabeth to die and for Joshua Sr. to remarry. Anne was most certainly a Puritan herself and a kind person. She had no children of her own but her stepchildren certainly respected and loved her. Stepson, John Fisher called her “my mother Anne Fisher” in his will. Anne and Joshua Sr. had deeded property in Medfield [Massachusetts] to “our Sonne John.” Anne herself, named “daughter Battlie” [Mary Fisher Battle] and grandsons and granddaughters as well as “my late Son Lieftenant Joshua Fisher whom I brought up from his Childhood” in her 8 April 1675 will. The stiff, cold stereotype of a Puritan woman just doesn’t fit the little we know about Anne. Joshua Fisher was fortunate indeed to have married so loving wife who loved his children as well. He most certainly had known Anne long before he married her. It is possible that he was planning to go to the colonies to join his son when his wife Elizabeth died. As winter drew near, he may have decided it would be better to bring a wife to the colonies with him, rather then to see who was available there. Anne, herself, may have been planning to leave for the colonies but having no husband and possibly losing family at the same time that Elizabeth died, may have realized that she could not now go. While the marriage may have been for convince, documents suggest (as noted above) that it was a happy marriage.

Puritans followed the Calvinistic doctrinal thought. They believed in God’s absolute sovereignty and man’s total depravity and hence man’s total dependency on God’s grace and the hope of salvation. Puritans believed in predestination; that some were chosen or “elected” to be saved by God. Those chosen reflected the teachings of Scripture in their actions and lifestyle. Joshua and his brother, Anthony, and their siblings, were born during the reign of Elizabeth I. James of Scotland succeeded Elizabeth in 1603 when Joshua and Anthony were still boys. There must have been some hope of better reform in the Church of England from a king who came from a strongly puritan country. The “Puritans” in England felt that Elizabeth’s Church of England was too full of rituals and pomp and wanted change. James came from a Scotland heavily under the influence of John Knox’s theology and the Puritans must have hoped for the continuance of this influence by James.

However, James I found it easier to stay with the church that Elizabeth had established. In January of 1604, shortly after James became King of England as well as of Scotland, the Hampton Court Conference was held to hear the two dominate sides of the protestant movement in England; the Church of England and the Puritans. The Puritan idea of replacing bishops with “presbyteries” didn’t set well with James. This type of church government was made up of pastors, elders and other theologians, rather then having the church headed by a bishop who didn’t know the congregation.  James saw this as exclusion of his role as the head of the Church of England and didn’t like it. While the Puritans were able to co-exist in a somewhat civil way with the Church of England, the divide grew with the years and by the end of James’ reign there was much persecution of the Puritans and the Exodus to the New World gained momentum. The Fisher brothers, Joshua, Anthony and Cornelius became a part of the 17^th Century Exodus.

With young Joshua already in New England, Joshua Sr., his wife Anne and daughter, Mary, and young son, John, probably set sail for Massachusetts in the spring or summer of 1639. The younger Joshua Fisher had been given the right to be Dedham’s blacksmith until his father arrived from England. Joshua senior, however, had not arrived by 28 August 1638 when Edward Kempe was given half of the “smith” lot. Joshua Sr. was first mentioned in Dedham, Massachusetts record on 23 March 1639/40. "Joshua Fisher" is signer number 78 on the "Covenant of Dedham, Massachusetts" first signed on August 15, 1636. Also listed were Anthony Fisher, John Eaton, Nathan and John Aldus, Cornelius Fisher, and Samuell Fisher.

The Joshua Fisher family settled in Medfield sometime after Joshua Fisher was mentioned in the Dedham records in 21 September 1650. Medfield was not far from Dedham but was far enough to be considered a new village. Joshua died there on 18 October 1674.

WILL of Joshua Fisher: "In the Year of our Lord one thousand six hundred seventy four the second daye of May, 1. Joshua ffisher of Medfield Senior...brought to old age and being thourby with the inffirmities...wife Ann...the bed with all belongings in the little chamber next to the stairs and all soe two good blankets more and two payres of sheets and two pillows and that trunke now standing in the bed Chamber below marked A.F. with what soe ever is now in it and all hir wearing apparrell as well linen as wooling and one payer of andirons...and payier of tongs one trammel...and two heaters one payere of pothookes two brass vesselles...bellows...two chairs two  fouer ffooted stolles two chushings such as she shall chuse and three puter dishes two of the..and one...and three bushels of Endian corne and forty pound wayt of butter and forty pound of chese and fifty pound wayght of porke and one cow such as she shall chuse and all my fire wood that is cut out when god shall take me away whether in the woods or in my yard and soe much more of my moveable goods as shall be vallued at ten pound in such as she shall chuse or also soemuch in good and merchantable wheat as com to ten pound, and fifteen pound in good and curant ne England mony and further my will and desire is that my above said wife may live in that end of the house that I live in according to the will of my son John ffisher deceased untill such time as the heirs shall cum of age (and then to injoy...with the benefit of any one now of the apple trees in the orchard) and then too live in the other end and there to injoy During the terme of her naturall life all such Liberties and prevelidges as are enjoyed in my deed of gift fformerly made to my son John ffisher...

     Unto my daughter Marcy Battle the wife of Thomas Battle and her heires ffor ever thirty pound...to grandson Joshua 60 pounds it being already in his hands payd to him out of that Estate which I had in his fathers hands...to Mary Clap my grand daughter and wife of Thomas Clap 5 pounds...John ffisher grand child, son of Joshua ffisher 5 pounds...to Hannah B...grand child 5 pounds...John ffisher son of my son John ffisher all land in Medfield, etc....further that John ffisher son of my son John ffisher within the space of two years after he shall com to one and twenty years of age shall pay 40 pounds to his brother Jonathan ffisher...Vigilance ffisher my grand child son of my son Joshua ffisher 40 shillings...and I constitute appoint and ordain my trusty and well beloved cosen Daniel ffisher of Dedham and Joshua Fisher my grand child

executors of this my last will...

Joshua ffisher

John Wilson

Ralph Wheelocke

***SOURCES***

1. Dedham Historical Register, 1890, Vol. 1, published by the Dedham Historical Society

2. John Fisher's (son) Will

3. Transcript of Parish Records, Syleham, Suffolk, England

4. "A Genealogical Register of the First Settlers of New England" by John Farmer

5.  "English Records of Joshua Fisher of Dedham, Mass." by Robert Charles  Anderson from the American Genealogist, Vol. 66, No. 3 July 1991

6.   New England Historical and Genealogy Register, Vol. 151, April 1997 "The English Ancestry of New England Settlers Joshua and Anthony Fisher" by Myrtle Stevens Hyde and John Plummer

7.   Genealogy Research in England "The Fiske Family" by G. Andrews Moriarty

8.   Joshua Fisher's will

9.      List of signers of the Covenant of Dedham, Massachusetts

10. Dedham Massachusetts record of 1 January 1637/8

Line 4, Mary Fiske, The Female Puritan Influence

Before going on with Anthony Fisher’s son, I need to say something about Anthony Sr.’s wife, Mary Fiske. There are always two sides to each story and Mary, while not much is known about her personally, came from a family rich in Puritan influence. There definitely had to have been something about Mary as well as her husband that influenced her sons to pick up the Puritan banner and sail to the New World.

Mary Fiske was probably born in the early 1560s in Frankingham, Suffolk, England

She was the daughter of Nicholas Fiske and his wife Johan Crispe who was the daughter of William Crispe and his wife Anne Godbold.

Mary Fiske married Anthony Fisher

Died April 1640 and Buried 11 April 1640 in Syleham, Suffolk, England

The children of Anthony and Mary Fisher were:

1.      Joshua Fisher

2.      Mary Fisher

3.      Anthony Fisher

4.      Amos Fisher

5.      John Fisher

6.      Cornelius Fisher

7.      Martha Fisher

8.      Hester Fisher

Mary was born into a family that had lived in or around Laxfield, Suffolk, England since the time of the Norman Conquest. She may have descended from fishermen, as her maiden name is believed to have been the Norman version of “Fish”. While not noblemen, the Fiske family seems to have prospered over the years, producing yeomen, sheriffs, artisans, wheelwrights, clergymen and university educated sons. They also produced religious rebels who caused enough upheaval in the English religious community to produce at least one martyr and many persecutions among their family.

The most well known of the Fiske martyrs was actually the brother-in-law of Mary’s mother, Johan Crispe. Johan’s sister, Anne married John Noyes whose story is written in Foxes’ book of Martyrs. Fox wrote: “About the same time as those persons whose fate we have just recorded, suffered John Noyes, and his apprehension and death were brought about in the following manner:

Some bigoted papists, who dwelt in the neighborhood, knowing him to be a professor of the true faith, and a despiser of the mass, and other Romish superstitions, determined to bring him to punishment; and accordingly, three of them, named Thomas Lovel, Wolfren Dowsing, and Nicholas Stannard, beset his house, and he attempting to go out, Nicholas Stannard called to him and said, " Whither goest thou *" to which he replied, "To see some of my neighbors." Stannard then said, " Your master hath deceived you; you must go with us now." To which Noyes answered, " No, but take you heed your master deceive not you." And so they took him and carried him before the justices the next day. After several matters had been alleged against him, he was conducted to a dungeon at Eye, where he was confined for some time, and was then carried from thence to Norwich, and before the bishop, where he was interrogated…” John Noyes denied “the pope's supremacy, the use of ceremonies, and Christ's real presence in the sacrament.

Upon this, sentence was read by the bishop against him, in the presence of Dr. Dunning, his chancellor, Sir W. Wood- house, Sir Thomas Woodhonse, and several other gentlemen.

No further particulars of his examination are known; but we have the following account of his subsequent conduct and execution, from which we learn, in some measure, what took place on his appearance before the bishop:

In the mean time his brother-in-law, Nicholas Fisk, of Dinninpton, going to comfort him at such time as he remained in the Guildhall of Norwich, after Christian exhorCation, asked him if he did fear death when the bishop gave judgment against him, considering the terror of the same; and the said Noyes answered, he thanked God he feared death no more at that time, than he or any other did, being at liberty. Then the said Nicholas required of him to show the cause of his condemnation.”

“ The following letter was written by Noyes to his wife, while he lay in prison.

Wife, you desired me that I would send you some tokens that you might remember me. As I did read in the New Testament, I thought it good to write unto you certain places of the Scripture for a remembrance. St . Peter saith, 1 Pet . iv., "Dearly beloved, be not troubled with this heat that is come among you to try you, as though some strange thing had happened unto you, but rejoice, insomuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that when his glory nppeareth ye may be merry and glad. If Cbe railed on for the name of Christ, ppy are ye, for the Spirit of glory, and the Spirit of God, resteth upon you.

" It is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing than for evil doing.

" See that none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or an evil doer, or as a busy body in other men's matters; but if any man suffer as a Christian man, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in his behalf; for the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God. If it first begin with us, what shall the end of them be, that believe not the gospel of God i Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God, commit their souls unto him in well doing."

The letter continues with Scripture, justifying Noyes’ faith and that of the Puritans. He ends with this reminder of his faith and his willingness to die for it:

“So fare ye well, wife, and children: and leave worldly care, and see you be diligent to pray.

" Take no thought, (saith Christ , Matt . vi.) saying, What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewith shall we be clothed ? (for after all these things seek the Gentiles) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things, but seek ye first the kingdom of heaven, and the righteousness thereof, and all these things shall be ministered unto you…."

John Noyes was sentenced to be burned at the stake. His last words as he was bound to the stake were: " Fear not then that can kill the body, but fear him that can kill both body and soul, and cast it into everlasting fire."

John Noyes died 22 September 1557, just a few years before Mary Fiske was born. It is not hard to imagine how influenced the Fiske and Fisher families were by this example of a faith that could not be quelched even my flames. It is certain that it inflamed the beliefs of the Fisher family as they became, at least in part, even stronger in their Puritan beliefs. It would be interesting to study some of the lines that remained in England to see if they stood strong in their beliefs and joined Cromwell in the English Civil War that began 1642, about five years after Mary’s sons Joshua and Anthony Fisher and their brother Cornelius arrived in the New World.

Mary’s father, Nicholas Fiske, died between 20 August 1569 and 28 September 1569 when his will was proved. He left his sons and daughters legacies, adding that “Wife Johane shall well and honestly educate and bring up my four children, namely Rachel, Ester, Mary, and Martha, my daughters, until they shall be of lawful age.” “Marye” and her sister Rachell, Ester and Martha were left 10 pounds each. Mary must have been a very young child as no husband was named for herself or her sisters, as was the custom in that century. There is some debate still going on about just who Mary’s mother was, but I feel the evidence strongly points to Johan Crispe who was Nicholas’ wife at the time of his dead.

In her sister, Esther Fiske’s 20 March 1578/9 will, Mary is named along with her sons, John and Cornelius.

It is not known when Mary, herself, died. Anthony and Mary Fisher's sons John named both parents in his 1636 will, as did Cornelius in 1638. Anthony Sr. was listed in the burial records of 11 April 1640 and Mary, his widow, was appointed administrator of his estate eight days later. No will has been found for Mary. It would be interesting to know if she survived to see the beginning of the English Civil War. Being born just after her Uncle’s martyrdom and living to see the Civil War could have given Mary a sense of fear and hope that her faith would be vindicated. As a mother, she probably felt relieved that her sons and grandchildren were out of war’s harm, but still have missed her children and wondered why the Puritans couldn’t have controlled England just a bit sooner.

***SOURCES***

1. Dedham Historical Register, 1890, Vol 1, Published by Dedham Historical Society

2. "Gen. and Personal Memories" Edited by William Richard Cutter

3. "The Fiske Family" from Genealogical Research in England Communicated by the Committee on English and Foreign Research contributed by G. Andrews Moriarty of Bristol, R.I. (from the NEHGR's book on "English Ancestries of New England")

4.  Fisher Facts, Vol I, 1974, No. 1, page 1/74

5.      New England Historical and Genealogy Register, Vol ___, No. ___, April 1997 The English Ancestry of New England Settlers Joshua and Anthony Fisher"

6. William Crispe of Laxfield, Suffolk Great-Grandfather of Anthony and Joshua Fisher of Dedham, Massachusetts by Clifford L. Stott, July 1997 New England Historical

and Genealogical Register, page 291

7.  Internet Derick Sibley Hartshorn III www.co.catawba.nc.us

8.  "Richard Fisk(e)'s Descendants  http://www.fiske.clara.co.uk/ffirst_ffykes.htm

9.  "Fiske Family" http://members.aol.com/gfsbrenda/Fiske.html

10.  Fressingfield, Suffolk, England Parish Records

My Fiske line:

Hugh Fiske, b. about 1370 in Laxfield, Co. Suffolk, England

Simon Fiske b. about 1399 in Laxfield, Co. Suffolk, England m. Susannah Smythe

Jeffrey Fiske b. about 1425 in Laxfield, England d. 1504 m. Maraget ? d. 1504 in Laxfield, England

Jeffrey Fiske b. in Laxfield, Co. Suffolk, England died there after 1535

Richard Fiske b. 1493 in England

Nicholas Fiske b. 1517 in Laxfield, Co. Suffolk, England; d. 1569 in Dennington, So. Suffolk, England m. Johan Crispe daughter of William Crispe 1490?-1553 and Anne Godbold daughter of

Mary Fiske 1561-?, m Anthony Fisher 1558-1640

Joshua Fisher 1585-1674 and also his brother Anthony Fisher 1591-1671

Line 3.2 Anthony Fisher; Father of a Flock of Puritans

It is a good guess that Anthony Fisher, second son of William and Margerie (Bert) Fisher, was or became a stanch Puritan as three of his sons joined the the Fleet that followed John Winthrop's initial Fleet of ships carring Puritans to Massachusetts and the City on a Hill. Swayed by the continually changing religion in England, Anthony Fisher seems to have swung toward Calvinistic ideas, shaping the theology of the next generation.

Anthony Fisher was born shortly before 01 February 1557/58 when he was baptized in Stradbrooke, Syleham, Suffolk, England

Married Mary Fiske daughter of Nicholas Fiske and his wife Johan Crispe

Died April 1640 and Buried 11 April 1640 in Syleham, Suffolk, England

The children of Anthony and Mary Fisher were:

1.                  Joshua Fisher baptized Syleham, Suffolk, England, married 1. Elizabeth ? who died in 1638 in Redenhall, Norfolk, England. Joshua married 2. Anne  Orfor. He died in Dedham, MA 18 October 1674

2.                  Mary Fisher baptized 28 November 1589, in Syleham and married Roger Briggs

3.                  Anthony Fisher baptized 23 April 1591 in Syleham. He married 1. Alice ? and 2. Isabel  Rigben. He died in Dorchester, Suffolk, MA on 18 April 1671

4.                  Amos Fisher was baptized 26 April 1594 in Syleham. He married Anne  Morrice and died in 1660 in Syleham.

5.                  John Fisher was baptized 15 September 1597 in Syleham. He married an unknown wife and had two children who survived him. John was buried 04 September 1636 in Syleham.

6.                  Cornelius Fisher born 6 August 1599 in Syleham, Suffolk, England, baptized 19 1599 in Syleham, Suffolk, England, married Elizabeth ? and died in Dedham, MA

7.                  Martha Fisher baptized 25 January 1595/96, Fressingfield, Suffolk, England, married John  Buckingham and died 31 March 1659 in Syleham.

1.                  Hester Fisher baptized 25 January 1595/96, Fressingfield, Suffolk, England and buried there 06 February 1607/08

Anthony Fisher, son of William Fisher and his wife, Margerie Bert was born shortly before his baptism on 01 February 1557/58 in the Syleham church. The family was living at "Wignotte" Syleham, Co. Suffolk, England on the south bank of the Wavenay River, which separates the county from Norfolk. Anthony was the second son and third child of William and Margerie Fisher.

Anthony was born into a Roman Catholic England in the middle of a religious “war” with itself. Mary Tudor, the unhappy daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife, the Spanish princess, Katherine of Aragon, was in poor health. She was a godly woman with a strong faith but her rule had been a blood bath of terror. The protestant church was having a baptism in blood but it was growing stronger with the persecution.  Nine months after Anthony Fisher was born in little Syleham,  Elizabeth Tudor became the Queen of England and the Puritans sighed with relief. The relief was short lived. Elizabeth took the title of Supreme Governor of the Church of England. She chose the middle road and balanced her religious ideals (what there were of them) between the Catholic and the Protestant churches with great determination. Elizabeth took a middle road but she fought a religious war with the Catholic who believed she was not the legitimate Queen of England and the Puritians who though her “religion” was watery and deluted with Catholism. The Puritians were out to “purify” the Church of England. They were unhappy with the elaberate Roman Catholic type ceremonies and creeds that the Church of England had adopted. They wanted a church that resembled a more simple faith that was based on the Bible. They were not content to sit back and have a quiet faith. They wanted their faith to make an impact on England and the world.

Young Anthony grew up in an England that was eager to get it’s religious equalibriam back. There were still many who wanted the Roman Catholic church back but there were also many who wanted more reform to the protestant church that Elizabeth represented. We can only guess at what or who it was that gave County Suffolk and the Fisher family a leaning toward puritisiam. In the Twenty-First century, we tend to think of the Calvinist as theogoically simplistic and legalistic. They may have lended towards legalism but they were educated and determined people. The printing press had opened up the Bible and the world to them. The middle class was rising because they could now be educated. The Bible-hungry masses were now able to read the Bible in their own language rather then listening to services conducted in Latin. They could now find out for themselves just what the Bible taught. Calvinism brought forth the realization of education for the masses as well as the need for “elected” preachers who could lead their flocks in the way the Calvinists (which included the Puritian movement) felt was correct. County Suffolk was ripe and ready to move ahead.

Anthony Fisher married Mary Fiske, daughter of Nicholas Fiske and his wife Johan Crispe, on 16 Oct 1586 in Fressingfield. Their marriage is recorded in the church there. They had at least eight children, including Joshua, Anthony and Cornelius who would immigrate to the New World with the Winthrop Fleet.

      

 Anthony FISHER was mentioned in several wills, including his fathers, his brother, William's who also names Anthony's children. Anthony and Mary's son John in 1636 gave annuities to his parents, as did their son Cornelius in 1638. The Fishers were wealthy enough to leave wills and prosperous enough to have felt the blessing of God that marked the Puritan movement.

Anthony Fisher was buried the eleventh day of April 1640 and his widow Mary was appointed administrator of his estate on 19 April 1640. It is not known when Mary died, but both she and Anthony were alive when their three sons joined the migration sailed for the New World to live in the City on the Hill.

***SOURCES***

1. The Dedham Historical Register, 1890, Vol 1, published by the Dedham Historical Society

2. Cornelius Fisher's Will

3. Syleham Parish Records

4. Internet Derick Sibley Hartshorn III, www.co.catawba.nc.us

5. New England Historical and Genealogy Register Vol 151, April 1997 "The English Ancestry of New England Settlers Joshua and Anthony Fisher by Myrtle Stevens Hyde and John Plummer

6.  Syleham, Suffolk, England Parish Records

7. Excerpts from the Parish Records of Stradbroke, Suffolk, http://www.obliquity.com/family/parish, Anglicised version of the original entry which was written in Latin

8. Excerpts from the Parish Records of Fressingfield, Suffolk, http://www.obliquity.com/family/parish