Elder John CHIPMAN (1621 -1708) was Alex’s 10th Great Grandfather; one of 2,048 in this generation of the Shaw line.

John Chipman was born 3 Jun 1621 in Briantspuddle, Dorset, England. Briantspuddle is  situated within the Piddle Valley near to the villages of Affpuddle,  Tolpuddle and  Puddletown and approximately eight miles east of the county town of Dorchester. The village takes its name from Brian de Turberville, who was lord of the manor during the reign of Edward III and is in the Purbeck conservation.

John’s parents were Thomas CHIPMAN and [__?__].  He was 17 when he came to New England in May, 1637, in the service of his cousin Mr. Richard Derby, who settled in Plymouth. Some records say in the month of July and aboard the ship ‘Friendship‘. However, no ships roster or other authoritative document has yet come to light confirming this report.   He married Hope HOWLAND 13 Sep 1646 in Plymouth, Plymouth, Mass.  After Hope died, he married Ruth Sargent. They lived in the Bourne house in the Jarvesville neighborhood of Sandwich, where Ruth was well loved.   John died 7 Apr 1708 Sandwich, Barnstable, Mass.

Hope Howland was born 30 Aug 1629 in Plymouth, Plymouth, Mass. Her parents were John HOWLAND and Elizabeth TILLEY. Hope died 8 Jan 1684 in Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass.

HERE LYETH
INTERRED Ye BODY OF
MRS HOPE CHIPMAN Ye
WIFE OF ELDER JOHN
CHIPMAN AGED 54
YEARS WHO CHANGED
THIS LIFE FOR A BETER
Ye 8 OF JANUARY
1683

This is one of the three oldest gravestones on Cape Cod all dated 1683. Here’s a collection of photos. It is unusual to find a very old gravestone with no image in the tympanum and no borders around the inscription area. Typical of early gravestones note the combined letters such as T and E in INTERRED and T and H in THIS. Note the spelling of BETER – it appears as BEER.

Ruth Sargent was born 25 Oct 1642 in Charlestown, Mass., twenty one years after John Chapman.  Her parents were William Sargeant and [__?__].  She first married in 1662 in Marshfield, Plymouth, Mass to Jonathan Winslow, son of Josiah Winslow (wiki) and Margaret Bourne.  Margaret was the daughter of our ancestor Thomas BOURNE.  She next married  2 July 1677  in Sandwich, Mass. to Rev. Richard Bourne of Sandwich who was also much older than she.   Ruth died  4 Oct  1713, Sandwich, Barnstable County, Mass., leaving no issue.

Ruth’s second husband Richard was one of the few missionaries to the Indians.  His grandson Melatiah Bourne married John’s youngest daughter Desire Chapman in 1693. Thomas BOURNE may be related, but I’m not sure how. Thomas Bourne was born in 1581 in Matlock, Derbyshire, England and Richard was born in 1610 in Barnstable, Devonshire, England; possibly the son of William Bourne and Ursula Day.   On 2 Jan 1637, seven acres of land were granted to Richard Bourne to belong to his dwelling house. At the same court seven acres of land were granted to John Bourne, in behalf of his father, Mr. Thomas Bourne. [Is Thomas or John a brother to Richard? John apparently moved to Marshfield. There was also a Henry Bourne who resided in Plymouth, Scituate, and Barnstable. Rev. Deane called him a brother of Richard Bourne, but of this I have seen no evidence.]

Missionaries were very rare among the New England Separtists.  You read more about Rev. Bourne here.  It was not until 1670 that Richard Bourne was formally ordained as pastor of the Indian Church in Mashpee.  In Richard Bourne’s return to Major Gookin dated 1 SEP 1674 at Sandwich, he says he is the only Englishman employed in this extensive region. The results of his labors are stated in this abstract of his return:

“Praying Indians that do frequently meet together on the Lord’s Day to worship God.” He names 22 places where meetings were held. The number of men and women that attended these meetings were 309, young men and maids 188. Whole number of praying Indians, 497. Of these 142 could read the Indian language, 72 could write, and 9 could read English.

In 1675, Sachem Massasoit (King Philip) had succeeded in uniting the Western Indians in a league, of which the avowed object was the extermination of the white inhabitants of New England. His emissaries attempted in vain to induce the Christianized Indians to join their league, but they remained faithful.  Richard Bourne, aided by Thomas Tupper of Sandwich, Mr. Thornton of Yarmouth, and Mr. Treat of Eastham had a controlling influence over the numerous bands of Indians then residing in Praying Towns in Barnstable County, in Wareham, Rochester, and Middleboro.  Otis says,

“Richard Bourne by his unremitted labors for seventeen years made friends of a sufficient number of Indians … to turn the scale in Plymouth Colony and give the preponderance to the whites. …Bourne did more by the moral power which he exerted to defend the Old Colony than Bradford did at the head of the army. Laurel wreaths shade the brows of military heroes–their names are enshrined in a bright halo of glory–while the man who has done as good service for his country by moral means, sinks into comparative insignificance, and is too often forgotten.” The Mashpee Indians continued to maintain this congregation for many years.

Because of Richard Bourne’s great missionary work with the Indians, he became a living legend among them. In those days the medicine man among the Algonquin Indians was called the Pow-wow, and the Indian’s Pow-wow became very jealous of Richard’s influence with his people. An Indian folk-tale still being told today tells how Richard Bourne got into an argument with the old Pow-wow.

“Losing his temper, the Powwow chanted a bog rhyme, and mired Bourne’s feet in the mud, taunting him to prove the power of his faith by freeing himself if he could. Bourne made no effort to free himself, and for fifteen days was held fast in the mud, trapped by the Pow-wow’s spell. But Bourne was kept alive by a white dove, which placed strange red berries in his mouth from time to time. At last the Pow-wow yielded and Bourne was free. One of the red berries brought to Bourne by the white dove had meanwhile fallen into the bog and had grown and multiplied. “

Children of John and Hope:

	Name	Born	Married	Departed
1.	Elizabeth CHIPMAN	24 Jun 1647 or 1648 Plymouth, Plymouth, Mass	Hosea JOYCE c. 1670 Yarmouth, Mass	Aft Feb 1711/12
2.	[Infant] Chipman	Sep 1650 Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass		9 Sep 1650 Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass
3.	Hope Chipman	31 Aug 1652 Plymouth, Mass	John Huckins (Son of Thomas HUCKINS) 10 Aug 1670 Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass . . Jonathan Cobb 1 Mar 1682/83 Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass Barnstable, Mass.	26 Jul 1728 Middleboro, Plymouth, Mas
4.	Lydia Chipman	25 Dec 1654 Barnstable, Mass	John Sargent 19 Mar 1662 Plymouth, Plymouth, Mass	2 Mar 1730 Malden, Middlesex, Mass
5.	John Chipman	2 Mar 1656 Barnstable, Mass		29 May 1657 Barnstable, Mass
6.	Hannah Chipman	14 Jan 1658 Barnstable	Thomas Huckins (Son of Thomas HUCKINS) 1 May 1680 Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass	4 Nov 1696 Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass
7.	Deacon Samuel Chipman	15 Apr 1661 Barnstable, Mass	Sarah Cobb 27 Dec 1686 Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass	16 Jun 1723 Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass
8.	Ruth Chipman	31 Dec 1663 Barnstable, Mass	Eleazer Crocker 7 Apr 1682 Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass	8 Apr 1698 Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass
9.	Bethia Chipman	1 Jul 1666 Barnstable, Mass	Shubael Dimmock 1686 Mass	12 Nov 1702
10.	Mercy Chipman	6 Feb 1668 Barnstable, Mass	Nathan Skiffe 13 Dec 1699 Sandwich, Mass	12 Jun 1724 Chilmark, Dukes, Mass
11.	John Chipman	3 Mar 1670 Barnstable, Mass	Mary Skiff 1691 Sandwich, Barnstable, Mass . Elizabeth Handley 1716  Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass.	4 Jan 1756 Newport, Rhode Island
12.	Desire Chipman	26 Feb 1673 Barnstable, Mass	Melatiah Bourne 23 Feb 1693 Sandwich, Barnstable, Mass	28 Mar 1705 Sandwich, Barnstable, Mass

Elder John Chipman was the only son of Mr. Thomas Chipman of Briantspuddle, Dorchester, Dorsetshire, England, who had had an estate there.  He had two sisters Hannah and Tamson, who remained in England. His father died before he left England and his mother before 1642.  John served several terms as deputy to the colony court and as one of the selectmen and in other important public capacities.

Thomas Chipman, his father, has inherited a valuable mill property as a yong man which had been administered and then taken over by his distant cousin Christopher Derby. Thomas had later married, but had never received any capital from Derby.  John lived a few years during his youth with his uncle Christopher Derby who was prosperous at the time. He probably made provision for John to attend some sort of school where he learned to read and write. After Thomas’ death, his only son, John, at age seventeen emigrated to Plymouth in 1637 under indenture to Richard Derby, son of Christopher. When he was twenty-one, John Chipman made an effort to establish a claim against Christopher Derby, supported by testimony from Ann Hynd, a domestic from the Derby house, who had also come to Plymouth.

Again in 1657/58 Chipman made a long deposition of his claim against the Derby estate in England, referring to his sisters Hannah and Tamson and other parties in the case. With the long chain of communication, and the absence of supporters in Dorset, plus the disturbed condition at the end of the Cromwell period, nothing seems to have been done and there is no record that Chipman got any part of his father’s property. However, he was a good carpenter to which his many Barnstable buildings attest. , and by public service and hard work earned a highly respected position in the community.

In 1775 Thomas Chipman of Salisbury Conn caused inquiries to be made by Silas Dean or Benjamin Franklin colonial agents in England in regard to the estate and ascertained that it lay as above described and that the rental was £500. He was prevented from prosecuting his claim by the breaking out of the Revolution and its consequences.

The following statement, drawn up by himself, is printed from an ancient copy of the original in the possession of the family of the late Mr. Samuel Chipman of Sandwich.

A Brief Declaration in Behalf of Jno. Chipman of Barnstable.

A Brief Declaration with humble Request (to whom these Presents shall come) for further Inquiry & Advice in ye behalf of John Chipman, now of Barnstable in the Government of New Plimouth in New England In America, being ye only Son & Heir of Mr. Thomas Chipman Late Deceased at Brinspittell 1 about five miles from Dorchester in Dorsetshire in England concerning some certain Tenement or Tenements with a Mill & other Edifice thereunto belonging Lying & ‘being in Whitchurch of Marhwood vale near Burfort alias Breadport, in Dorsetshire aforsd hertofore worth 40 or 50 Pounds pr Annum which were ye Lands of ye sd Thomas Chipman being entailed to him & his Heirs for Ever but hath for Sundry years Detained from ye sd John Chipman the right & only Proper Heir thereunto.

By reason of Some kinde of Sale made of Inconsiderable value by the sd Thomas (In the time of his Single Estate not then minding marriage) unto his kinsman Mr. Christopher Derbe Living Sometime in Sturtle near Burfort aforsd being as the Said John hath been Informed, but for 40 lb And to be maintained Like a man with Diet Apparel &c by the sd Christopher as Long as the sd Thomas Should Live whereat ye Lawyer wc. made the Evidences being troubled at his Weakness in taking Such an Inconsiderable Price tendered him to Lend him money or to give to him ye sd Thomas Seven Hundred Pounds for ye sd Lands.

But yet the matter Issuing as Aforsd The Vote of the Country who. had It nowledge of it was that the sd Thomas had much wrong in it Especially After it pleased God to change his condition, and to give him Children, being turned off by the sd Christopher only with a poor Cottage and Garden Spott instead of his forsd Maintainance to the great wrong of his Children Especially of his Son John Aforsd to whom ye Sd Lands by right of Entailment did belong Insomuch that mr William Derbe who had the sd Lands in his Possession then from his father Christopher Derbe told the sd John Chipman (being then a youth) that his father Christopher had done him wrong, but if ye sd Lands prospered with him that he would then consider the sd John to do for him in way of recompence for the Same when he should be of capacity in years to make use thereof.

The sd John fm-ther declareth that one mr Derbe A Lawyer of Dorchester (he supposes ye father of that mr Derbe now Living in Dorchester) being a friend to the mother of the sd John told her being Acquainted with ye Business and sorry for’ the Injury to her Heir, that if it pleased God he Liv’d to be of Age he would himself upon his own charge make a tryal for the recovery of it, and in case he recovere it Shee Should give him 10 lb Else he would have nothing for his trouble and charge.

Furthermore John Derbe late deceased of Yarmouth in New Plimouth -Government Aforsd hath acknowledged here to the sd John Chipman that his father Christopher had done him much wrong in the forsd Lands but ye sd John Chipman being but in a poor and mean outward condition, hath hitherto been Afraid to stir in it as thinking he should never get it from ye rich and mighty, but being now Stirred up by some friends as Judging it his Duty to make more Effectual Inquiry after it for his own comfort his wife and childrens which God hath been pleased to bestow on him if any thing may be done therein, & in what way it may be attained, whether without his coming over which is mostly Desired if it may bee.

Because of exposing his wife & children to Some Straits in his Absence from them, he hath therefore, Desired these as aforsd Desiring also Some Search may be made for farther Light in ye case into the Records the conveyance of the Said Lands being made as he Judgeth about threescore years Since as Also that Enquiry be made of his Sisters which he supposeth lived about those parts & of whom else it may be thought meet, and Advice sent over as Aforsd, not Else at present But hoping that there be Some Left yet in England alike Spirited with him in 29 Job whom the Ear that heareth of may bless God for Delivering ye poor that crieth and him that hath no helper Bein Eyes to the blind feet to the Lame A father to the Poor Searching out ye causfe which he knoweth not, &c. Barnstable as Aforsd this 8th of Feb. (57.)

John Chipman Desires his Love be presented to his Sisters Hannor and Tamson and to hear particularly from them if Living and doth further request that Enquiry be made of mr Oliver Lawrence of Arpittle who was an intimate friend of his fathers. He desires also Enquiry be made of his Sisters what those parchment writeings concerned in the custody of his mother when he was there.

The sd John Chipman Supposeth his age to be About thirty seven years ; it being next may Twenty & one year Since he come out of England.

The Declaration is dated Feb. 8, 1657, O. S., which is Feb. 18, 1658, N. S. ‘Deduct 21 years, and it gives May, 1637, as the date of his leaving England. The date of his birth by the same rule is 1621.

On the 2d of March, 1641/42, Ann Hinde, the wife of William Hoskins, deposed before Gov. Edward Winslow, relative to a matter in controversy between John Derbey and John Chipman. She stated that she was then about 25 years of age, that she lived with Mr. Christopher Derbey at the time when John Chipman came to New England to serve Mr. Richard Derbey a son of Christopher, and a brother of John, that she afterwards came over to serve the said Richard, and that when she left, old Mr. Derbey requested her “to commend him to his cozen (nephew) Chipman, and tell him if he were a good boy, he would send him over the money that was due to him, when he saw good.” She also testified that she had heard John Derbey affirm that the money had been paid to John Chipman’s mother, who died about three months before her old master sent this message by her to his nephew Chipman. The object of this deposition was to establish the fact that John Derbey did not pay the money to Chipmans’s mother, because she died three months before Mr. Christopher Derbey made the promise to send it.

Timeline

May 1637 – John came to New England in the service of his cousin Mr. Richard Derby, who settled in Plymouth.

2 Mar 1641/42 –   Ann Hinde, the wife of William Hoskins, aged about 25 years, being examined before Mr. Edward Winslow in a case between John Darby and John Chipman, made oath that she lived in the house of Mr. Darby’s father with John Chipman at the time when ‘the said John Chipman came from Thence to New England to serve Mr. Richard Darbey, his brother.’ That she afterwards came over also to serve the said Richard Darby, ‘when old Mr. Darbey requested this deponant to comend him to his cozen Chipman, and tell him if hee were a good boy hee would send him over the money that was due to him when hee saw good; and further, wheras this deponant heard the said John darrbey affeirme that his money was paid to John Chipmans mother, shee further deposeth that his said mother was dead a quarter of a yeare or therabouts befoe her old master sent this message to his cozen Chipman.’

Aug 1643 – John  was not on the list of those between 16 and 60 able to bear arms.  Research undertaken within the past few years in Dorset by Joan Brocklebank, indicates that perhaps John returned to Dorset to comply with the law by signing the Protestation Returns of 1641-42. Each male was compelled to reassert his fidelity and loyalty to the King as the only lord of the realm and head of the Church of England. Failure to be proven is, ‘Did John return to seek redress about his inheritance?’ which was due him, his father having died twenty years earlier? In any case, he returned to Plymouth and married Hope Howland in 1646

1649 – He was a freeman in Barnstable. They moved to Barnstable, Mass., having ‘that year, bought the homestead owned by Edward Fitzrandolphe’ Edward FITZ RANDOLPH the deed of which is in the records at Barnstable. The land included eight acres, bounded on the north by the County Road, presently Route 6A, east by the Hyannis Road, extending across the present line of the Railroad (now extinct), south by the commons and on the west by the homestead of George Lewis Sr. The deed also conveyed a garden spot and orchard on the north side of the County road.

He bought of his brother-in-law, Lieut. John Howland, one half of his farm which is now owned by his descendants. The deed is dated Dec. 10, 1672, and for the consideration of £16 Mr. Howland conveys to him one-half of his lands in Barnstable, containing forty-five acres of upland. The deed is in the hand writing of Gov. Thomas Hinckley, is on parchment, and is now in the possession of the family of Mr. Samuel Chipman of Sandwich. The lands sold were bounded, easterly, partly by the land of John Otis and partly by the land of William Crocker, northerly by the marsh, westerly by the other half of the lands not sold. The boundaries are particularly described, and the range between Howland and Chipman ran over a well or spring, giving each a privilege thereto. Mr. Howland names his northern orchard, showing that at that early date he had set out two. Elder Chipman owned lands at West Barnstable before 1672, for in the same deed he makes an exchange of meadow with his brother-in-law.

That he was not careful in regard to his title documents there is evidence. His deed from Fitzrandolphe was not executed till 1669. twenty years after the purchase, and the consideration in his deed from Howland indicates that the purchase was made many years before the date of the deed. Farms no better in the same vicinity were sold about that time for four times £16.

7 Aug 1650 – His 1st wife Hope had joined the Barnstable church

30 Jan 1652/53 – John joined the Barnstable church  This was the church founded in 1639 by the Rev. John LOTHROP.

1656 to 1663 – John was ‘Deputy to the General Court’.

8 Feb 1657/58 –  John [Chipman] accused his uncle, Christopher Derby, of defrauding his father.  John made a declaration that he supposed himself to be about 37 years old and that the following May it would be 21 years since he came from England. He was the only son and heir of Mr. Thomas Chipman, late deceased at Brinspudel, about 5 miles from Dorchester, Dorsetshire, and he had two sisters, Hannah and Tamson. His father had entailed to him and his heirs a tenement or tenements with a mill and other edifices belonging thereto in Whitchurch Canonicorum, Dorset (4 mi. NE of Lyme Regis) of  the Marshwood Vale near Bridport in Dorsetshire, worth £40 or £50 per annum. His father, while single, had sold them, he thinks about 60 years before, to his kinsman Mr. Christopher Derby of sturhill near Bridport for only £40 and the agreement to maintain him during life with diet, apparel, &c. Derby gave him only a poor cottage and garden spot. John Derby, late deceased, of Yarmouth, had acknowledge to him (John Chipman) that his father Christopher had done him (John) much wrong.

Bridport is a market town in Dorset, England. Located near the coast at the western end of Chesil Beach at the confluence of the River Brit and its Asker and Simene tributaries.

Jun 1659 – Elder John Chipman, Isaac Robinson (son of the Leyden pastor), Rev. John Smith of Barnstable, and John Cook of Plymouth, were appointed by the Plymouth Colony Court to attend the meetings of the Quakers “to endeavour to reduce them from the errors of their wayes.” — The result was that Robinson, whose name appears most prominent in these proceedings, recommended the repeal of the severe laws that had been enacted against that sect. Smith and Chipman did not incur the censure of the Court, though there is no reason to doubt that they sympathized with Robinson in his views respecting the impolicy of those laws.

During the introduction and spread of the Quaker faith, he and three assistants were designated to ‘frequent the meetings of the gathering, and to endeavor to seduce the members from the errors of their ways.  They concluded that the sect should not be persecuted, a courageous stand considering the emotion of the time.  They lost their licenses because of befriending the Quakers.

In 1663, ’64, ’65, ’68 and ’69 he was representative from Barnstable to the Colony Court;

5 Jun  1663 – John was one of those taking the Colonial Treasurer’s account.

in 1665, ’66, ’67, and ’68 he was one of the selectmen of Barnstable, who at that time exercised, in addition to other duties, the functions since pertaining to justices of the peace;

In 1667 he was one of the council of war.

1669 – ‘For his public services the court in 1669 granted him one hundred acres of land, between Taunton and Titicut, which was afterwards confirmed to him.’

14 Apr 1670 – John was chosen one of the Ruling Elders of that church and was solemnly invested with with office. He was the last Ruling Elder.

To the dismay of his church in Barnstable, Elder Chipman resigned his prestigious position and removed to Sandwich shortly after Smith settled here. He was immediately accepted as a townsman.  Upon his removal to Sandwich strong, but ineffectual, efforts were made to retain him in Barnstable.  The Church offered to pay him five or six pounds annually if he would resume the office of elder, and the town of Barnstable offered him a 100-acre grant of meadow lands if he would return. Those offers were in vain.

7 Mar  1675/76, the court, considering the estate of Capt. John GORHAM, ordered Mr. Hinckley, Mr. Chipman and Mr. Huckins ‘to take Care that such prte of the said estate which belongeth unto his youngest Children be prserved and Disposed of to them as they Come to be of age.

John later resided in West Barnstable (also called Great Marshes), and about 1680 removed to Sandwich.

The will of John Chipman, dated Nov. 12, 1702, mentions his wife Ruth, his children listed and his ‘grand children, Mary Gale and Jabez Dimock; also his friend the Rev. Mr. Jonathan Russell of Barnstable ‘who was his pastor, the third resident minister of the West Barnstable (John Lothrop’s) church. The amount of hard money and value of chattels listed totaled £92 in his will proved May 17, 1708.  At that time there were also 190 acres of land registered in his name.

The Last Will and Testament of Elder John Chipman of Sandwich in ye County of Barnstable In ye Province of the Massachusetts Bay In New England.

I John Chipman being Sensible of the uncertainty of This present Life and being Desirous to Set Things in Order so as to prevent (as far as in me Lies) all occasions of Contest among my Relations after my Decease; and being at this present Thro the mercy of God In Competent Health and of Disposing mind & memory Do Therefore according to my Duty make This my Last Will & Testament and Do hereby Revoke and Annul all former will and Wills Testament or Testaments which I have heretofore made by word or writing: and this shall be accounted accepted and Stand for my Last Will and Testament as followeth is:

That above all I Will and bequeath my soul to God in Jesus Christ my Lord who Gave it and my body to Decent burial; And as to that Temporal Estate which God has been pleased to bestow upon me my will is as followeth.

Imply That all my Just Debts and Dues to any man in Right or Conscience belonging; and my funeral Expenses shall be first paid out of my Estate & fully Discharged: That is to Say: out of my movable Estate.

Item I Will and bequeath to Ruth my Dear and Loving Wife all whatsoever is Left of Her Estate which I had with her when I married her I also give her on half part of my whole personal Estate which shall be found In Sandwich at my Decease Besides and moreover all the Carts plows and husbandry Implements as also all the Corn and meat flax & wool yarn and Cloth That is in the House at my Decease; and I Do also Give Her Twenty Pounds in money which is Due to her by ye Compact made between us at our Intermarriage: she according to Said Compact upon payment of this Twenty Pounds to Quit Claim to all Right & Title to & Interest In my Housing and Lands at Barnstable: and This Twenty Pounds shall be paid her out of That money of mine in ye Hands of my friend Mr. Jonathan Russell of Barnstable.

It I Will and Bequeath to my Two Sons Samuell and John my Whole Real Estate in Barnstable to them and their Heirs for Ever: that is to Say: That my Son Samuell shall have Two parts Thereof & my son John one part or third thereof. Unless my son Samuell sees Cause to pay his Brother John seventy pounds in Lew of Said Third part. And Samuell So Doing shall Enjoy the said whole he and his heirs for Ever: only my will is that my Said Two sons shall pay proportionally out of ye above said Bequest To my Two Grandchildren Mary Gale & Jabez Dimock five Pound a piece within one year after my Decease.

Item I Will and bequeath to my Son Samuell my Great Table & Chest and Great Iron pot with all my Carpenters Tools & Husbandry Implements, which are now In His possession and occupation in Barnstable.

It I Will and bequeath to my Daughters: Elizabeth, Hope, Lydia, Hannah, Ruth, Mercy, Bethiah, and Desire; the whole of my movable Estate In Sandwich and Barnstable (only Still Excepting the full half thereof before bequeathed to my Wife: and those particulars before Expressed that are Given to my son Samuell to be Equally Divided between my Said Eight Daughters: and In case any of my Said Daughters be Dead before their Receiving of this my bequest my will is that Their part be Given and Distributed Equally to their surviving children.

Item I Do Constitute and Appoint my Loving sons Samuell & John Chipman to be Joint Executors of this my Last will and Testament: and Do Desire my very Good friends Mr. Jonathan Russell and Mr. Rowland Cotton to be my overseers to see that this my Last will and Testament be executed and performed according to the True Intent & meaning here of. In Witness whereof I have here unto set my hand and seal this Twelfth Day of November Anno Domini one Thousand seven hundred and Two.

The Last Will and Testament of Ruth Chipman (born Sargent 1st hus. Winslow ; 2nd hus. Richard Bourne; 3 hus. Chipman) (Relict of Elder John Chipman Late of Sandwich Deceased) In ye County of Barnstable in ye Province of ye Massachusetts Bay In New England.

I Ruth Chipman being sensable of ye uncertainty of this Trasitory Life and being at this Time Thro ye Goodness of God of Disposing mind and Memory Do make and Constitute this as my Last will and Testiment Hereby Revoking all former wills by me made Either by word or writing ; and Do declare that this shall Stand & be accepted for my Last will. First. I Do Renew the Bequest of my soul and body unto ye Hands of God Relying upon his free Grace and on ye merits and Righteousness of my Blessed Saviour Jesus Christ for pardon and acceptance : And my Body to Decent Burial In hopes of a Blessed Resurection & Imortality.

Item it is my will that all my Just Debts and funerall Charges shall first be paid out of my Estate.

Item it is my Will that my Brother John Sarjant of Maiden shall Have forty pounds of my Estate att money value as it Now passeth in Common Dealing between man and man to be Eaquilly Divided among his Children (Excepting his son William) part of which Legacy is in his hands already, i.e. Pounds 11 10s.

Item I Give my kinswoman Hanna sergeant one suit of my clothes

Item I Give my kinsman Joseph Bread Ten Pounds and to his Daughters Sarah and Elizabeth five Pounds Each and to the other Children of my sister Bread Twenty Pounds These Leagsys to be paid also att money value as it now passeth.

Item It is my Will that ye Daughter of my sister Felch att Reading shall have Six pounds of my Estate as it Now passeth.

Item I Give to my Kinsman Seath Toby five Pounds In Like value (p. 259)

Item I Give to Debory Ivory Five Pounds In Like value

Item I Give to Bathshebe ye Daughter of Mr. Melatiah Bourne five Pounds at money value as it Now passeth.

Item I give to Mary Bassett of Chillmark ye money Her husband is Indebted to me. and the Sheepe he has of mine in partnership.

Item I give to Jabez Dimok Twenty shillings out of my Estate.

Item I give to Mary Bassett of Sandwich Five Pounds of my Estate as it now passeth in Common Dealing.

Item I Give to my Two kinsmen Bills three pound apeice as it now passeth now in Common Dealing.

Item I Give to my Sister Lydia Sergeant that Brass kittle yt was her Fathers

Item I Give as a Token of my Love to ye Children of Mr. Rowland Cotton Six Pounds.

Item I Give to Deborah Weight my kinswoman Three pounds.

Item ye Remaining part of my Estate if any be I Leave to my Executor Lastly I Do make and Constitute my friend Mr. Rowland Cotton to be Sole Executor to this mv Last Will and Testiment.

Signed with my Seal this Sixth Day of December Anno Domini one Thousand Seven Hundred and Ten.

Ruth Chipman (Seal)
Signed Sealed & Declared To be her Last Will in presence of
John Chipman
Remember Smith
Meletiah Bourne

Barnstable:

On ye Eighth Day of October 1713 Then Lent, Melatiah Bourne, John Chipman, & Remember Jennings Late Remember Smith whose Hands are Hereto Sett as Witnesses Before Barnabas Lothrop Esq’*. Judge of ye probate of Wills and Granting Letters of Administration on ye Estates of Persons Dying Intestate Having Goods Chattels Rights or Credits within ye County of Barnstable aforesd made oath that they Did see Mrs. Ruth Chipman Late of Sandwich in Sd County now Deceased sign and Seal this Instrument & heard her Declare it to be her Last Will and Testiment and yt she was of Disposing mind and memory when she so Did and that they then Sett ye hand as witnesses.

Attest Wm. Bassett Regtr.

Children

1. Elizabeth CHIPMAN (See Hosea JOYCE‘s page)

3. Hope Chipman

Hope’s first husband John Huckins was born 2 Aug 1649 in Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass. His parents were our ancestors Thomas HUCKINS and Rose HILLIER. John died 10 Nov 1678 in Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass. , aged 28.

Hope’s second husband Jonathan Cobb was born 10 Apr 1660 in Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass. His parents were Henry Cobb and Sarah Hinckley. He was twenty-two and Hope thirty at the time of their marriage. Jonathan died 5 Aug 1728 in Middleboro, Plymouth, Mass.

Jonathan Cobb and his wife Hope resided in Barnstable, in which town all their children were born, until about the year 1703, when they removed with their family to Middleborough. The Barnstable Church records show that Hope, the wife of Jonathan Cobb was dismissed from the Barnstable Church to the church in Middleborough June 3, 1703. He was a Deacon in the Middleborough Church as was then by occupation a farmer. The records of the First Congregational Church in Middleborough show that Deacon Jonathan Cobb died Aug 15, 1728 age 68 years and that his wife Hope died July 26, 1728 aged about 76

Children of Hope and John

i. Elizabeth Huckins b. 1 Oct. 1671

ii. Mary Huckins b. 3 Apr 1673

iii. Experience Huckins b. 4 Jun 1675

iv. Hope Huckins b. 10 May 1677.

Hope and Jonathan had five children born in Barnstable.

3 Jun 1703 – Hope was dismissed from the Church in Barnstable, to the Church in Middleboro. From that town the family removed to Portland, Maine.

4. Lydia Chipman

Lydia’s husband John Sargent was born 8 Dec 1639 in Charlestown, Middlesex, Mass. His parents were William Sargent and Sarah Minshall.  He first married Deborah Hillier/Hyllier intentions  19 Mar 1662/63, Deborah was the daughter of Hugh Hillier and Rose Hillier HUCKINS;.   second Mary Bense who died 1670 no issue and finally Lydia Chipman.  John died 9 Sep 1716 in Malden, Middlesex, Mass.

Lydia was the third wife of John Sargent, removed to Maiden, where she died March 2, 1730, aged 76, leaving no issue.

“John Sargent (born in Charlestown) went to Barnstable with his father, and was admitted to inhabit there between 1662 and 1666.  He returned to Malden about 1669, where he was a selectman six years. His military service was in 1676 as a soldier in Major Gilliam’s Company, in garrison at Brookfield, Mass. (See my post Siege of Brookfield)

In May, 1695, the town of Malden made a division of 2,300 acres of common lands.  The distribution was by lot to all freeholders in the town, in proportion to their ratable estates, – an average of about thirty acres to each man.  Among the names are John Sargent, Sr., and John Sargent, Jr.  It was votes by the town – showing confidence in his integrity and fairness – “that John Sargent, sen’r, is the man to draw the lots.”
All his fifteen children are named in his will of May 20, 1708.

6. Hannah Chipman

Hannah’s husband Thomas Huckins was born 25 Apr 1651 in Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass. His parents were Thomas HUCKINS and Rose HILLIER. Thomas died 15 Oct 1714 in Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass.

7. Deacon Samuel Chipman

Samuel’s wife Sarah Cobb was born 10 Mar 1663 in Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass.  Her parents were Ruling Elder Henry Cobb and Sarah Hinckley. Sarah died 8 Jan 1743 in Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass.

Samuel resided in Barnstable, was often employed in its local affairs and was esteemed by its citizens. He built, on the paternal homestead near the Custom House the “Chipman Tavern” which continued in the line of his posterity until 1830. He became a member of the church Aug. 16, 1691 and, as the records state, was ordained a deacon Sept. 1, 1706. Said to have been a carpenter, he was by record a “yoeman and an innholder.”

Samuel inherited the homestead of his father. He was a carpenter ; but farming was his principal business. He kept a public house, and was a retailer of spirituous liquors, a business not then held to be incompatible with the office of Deacon of the church. He was a man of good business habits, often employed as a town officer, and there were few in town who stood higher than he in public estimation. He was ordained a deacon of the church in Barnstable, Sept. 1, 1706.

Children of Samuel and Sarah:

i. Thomas Chipman b. 17 Nov 1687. He removed to Groton, Conn., where he remained several years, and from that town removed to Salisbury, Conn., where he held high rank in the town and county. He was appointed a judge in 1751 ; but died before he held a court. His son, Samuel, who removed to Tinmouth, Vt., was the father of Chief Justice and Senator Nathaniel Chipman,(1752-1843) (wiki).,  Congressman Daniel Chipman (1765-1850) (wiki) of Vermont and of  Lemuel Chipman  who served in the New York State Assembly and State Senate..

ii. Samuel Chipman b. 6 Aug 1689. He was a deacon of the Barnstable Church, and kept the “Chipman tavern,” noted in former times. He married Dec. 8, 1715, Abiah, (bap’d Abigail) daughter of John Hinckley, Jr., (son of Gov. Thomas Hinckley (wiki) She died July 15, 1736, and he married second,
Mrs. Mary Green of Boston, 1739.

iii. John Chipman b. 16 Feb 1691, graduated at Harvard College, 17xx, and ordained over the second church at Beverly, Dec 28, 1715. He married 12 Feb 1718 to Rebecca, daughter of Dr. Robert Hale.; d. 23 Mar 1775.

His son John, born Oct. 23, 1722, graduated at Harvard College 1738. He was a lawyer and resided at Marblehead. His son Ward Chipman (1754 – 1824) (wiki), a graduate of Harvard College, 1770, was a Judge of the Supreme Court of New Brunswick, and died president of that province. The Ward Chipman Library at the University of New Brunswick was named in his honour.  He left an only child, the late Chief Justice Ward Chipman, L. L. D.

iv. Abigail Chipman b. 15 Sep 1692, she was baptised Oct. 30, 1692, by the name of Mercy. Probably her name was changed to Abigail after her baptism. She married 14 Mar 1713 to Nathaniel Jackson.

v. Joseph Chipman b. 10 Jan 1694, according to the town record. He was baptized March 4, 1692/93, so that both records cannot be accurate.

vi. Jacob Chipman b. 30 Aug 1695; m1. 25 Oct 1721 to Abigail Fuller ( – 5 Oct 1724); m2. 1725 to  Bethia Thomas.

vii. Seth Chipman , b. 24 Feb 1697. In 1723 he was of Plymouth , and called a cooper. He was afterwards of Kingston, and is the ancestor of most of the name in Maine.

viii. Hannah Chipman , b. 24 Sep 1699; d. 11 Jun 1763; m. 25 Dec  1713 to Barnabas Lothrop (22 Oct 1686 Barnstable – d. 4 May 1756 Barnstable) His parents were John Lathrop (1644 – 1727) and Mary Cole (1653 – 1706).  He first had married 20 Feb 1706 in Barnstable to Bethia Fuller (1687 – 1714)

ix. Sarah Chipman , b. 1 Nov 1701. She died July 1, 1715, aged 14 years and 8 months, and is buried near her grandmother in the ancient burying ground.

x. Barnabas Chipman , b. 24 Mar 1702 Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass; d. 1759 Barnstable; m.  20 Feb 1727/28 to Elizabeth Hamblen (Oct 1705 in Barnstable – d. 6 Mar 1753 in Barnstable)

He was a deacon of the West Church, and was an influential citizen. He has descendants in Vermont, Michigan and Iowa.

8. Ruth Chipman

Ruth’s husband Eleazer Crocker was born 21 Jul 1650 in Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass. His parents were Deacon William Crocker and Alice Hoyt.  Their children were Benoni, Bethia, Nathan, Daniel, Sarah, Theophilus, Eleazer, Ruth, Abel, and Rebecca. Ruth died 8 Apr 1698, at age 33.  Eleazer married his second wife, Mercy Phinney, 25 Jan 1716/17.  They had a daughter named Mercy. Eleazer died 6 Sep 1723 in Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass.

Eleazer “was admitted a townsman in 1681.  In 1692 he was one of the committee appointed to draw up a list of the proprietors of the common lands, and determine what was each man’s just right therein.   After the death of Nathaniel Bacon in 1693, he was ‘chosen and empowered by the town to be a land measurer to lay out land.’ ……The lands bequeathed by Deacon William to his son Eleazer, are not clearly defined in the will.  Eleazer owned the lands south of the Dexter farm, on Dexter’s, now called Fish’s Lane, bounded west by the land of Joseph Bodfish, Sen’r, including the land on which the Stone Fort stood.  We can infer from this, that the house named in the will of Dea. William, as then in the occupancy of Eleazer, was the old Stone Fort, consequently it was not the house given to his son John.”

9. Bethia Chipman

Bethiah’s husband Shubael Dimmock was born Feb 1673 in Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass. His parents were Shubael Dimmock and Joanna Bursley. After Bethiah died early, he married 4 May 1699 to Tabitha Lothropf. Shubael died 16 Dec 1728 in Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass.

The Jabez Dimmock and Mary Gale named in the will of Elder Chipman were probably children of Bethia.

In May, 1703, a final separation was effected, and the west-or as then called-north part of Windham was formally erected into the township of Mansfield, comprising twenty-four thousand-acre allotments and forty-one square miles. A part of its original territory is now included in the town of Chaplin. A patent was granted by the General Court to Shubael Dimmock, Joseph Hall, Samuel Storrs, William Hall, Kinelm Winslow, Robert Fenton, Nathaniel BASSETT, John Arnold, John Davis, Benjamin Armstrong, Samuel Storrs, Jun., Joseph Homes, Mary Dunham, Susanna Wade, Peter Crane, Samuel Fuller, Allyn Nichols, Joshua Allen, John Royce, Samuel Linkon, Samuel Bliss, John Gorum, Isaac Chapman and sundry other persons, the proprietors thereof. The inhabitants of Mansfield were still allowed to attend divine service in Windham and pay for the maintenance of the minister “for such time only as they shall be without an orthodox minister of the gospel to preach the word of God unto them.” A patent was also granted to the inhabitants of the “standing-part of the town,” confirming to them “the south or southeast part of the late town of Windham” and the land purchased from Clark and Buckingham. “Joshua’s Tract” was thus equally divided into two townships, though in the division of inhabitants Windham had much the larger share.

10. Mercy Chipman

Mercy’s husband Nathan Skiffe was born 16 May 1658 in Sandwich, Barnstable, Mass. His parents were James Skiffe and Mary Reeves. Nathan first married 10 Jul 1678 in Sandwich, Barnstable, Mass to Hepsibah Codman.  Hepsibah was born 1657 in Edgartown, Dukes, Mass. and died 19 Jul 1696 in Chilmark, Dukes, Mass. Nathan died 12 Feb 1726 in Chilmark, Dukes, Mass.

Mercy removed to Chilmark where she died.

11. John Chipman

John’s first wife Mary Skiff was born 13 Nov 1671 in Sandwich, Barnstable, Mass. Her parents were Stephen Skiff and Lydia Snow. Mary died 12 Mar 1711 in Sandwich, Barnstable, Mass.

John’s second wife (her third marriage) Elizabeth Handley was born 1680 in Boston, Mass. Her parents were Thomas Handley and [__?__] Young. She first married [__?__] Pope and second married [__?__] Russell. Elizabeth died 29 Jan 1726.

John married about 1725, to (Hannah ?) Hookey of Rhode Island

John was a cordwainer, or shoemaker. He removed early to Sandwich, and from thence to Chilmark, Martha’s Vineyard, and afterwards to Newport, R. I. During his residence at Martha’s Vineyard he was one of the Justices of the Court, and after his removal to Newport, he was an assistant to the governor. Respecting him I have little information ; but it is just to infer that if a poor mechanic rises to places of honor and trust, he must be a man of some talent and of sound judgement.
Third

His thirteen children were probably all born in Sandwich.

12. Desire Chipman

Desire’s husband Melatiah Bourne was born 12 Jan 1673 in Sandwich, Barnstable, Mass. His parents were Shearjashub Bourne and Bathsheba Skiffe. After Desire died, he married Abigail [__?__], widow of Thomas Smith. Melatiah died 24 Nov 1742 in Sandwich, Barnstable, Mass.

Hon. Melatiah Bourne, oldest son of Shearjashub Bourne, Esq., inherited his father’s lands in Falmouth, but he settled in Sandwich. He was a distinguished man, held many responsible offices, and during the last years of his life was Judge of Probate for the County of Barnstable. In his will, dated 24th Sept. 1742, proved Feb. 15th following, he gives to the Sandwich Church £10, old tenor, or 50 shillings lawful money. He names his wife Abigail, her sons Samuel and John Smith, her daughter Rebecca, Mary and Isaac, children of her son Shubael, deceased, and her grandson. Doctor Thomas Smith, to all of whom he gave legacies. He gave his cane to his eldest grandson, Melatiah,
and his clock to his son Silas. Names his son Sy1vanus ; gave to his son John and grandson Joseph, his lands in Falmouth. He gave legacies to his daughter Bathsheba Ruggles and to each of the children she had by her late husband, William Newcomb. He orders his negro man Nero to be manumitted.

Melatiah’s house is yet remaining in Sandwich in 1888 ; it was most substantially built. The clapboards on the walls were shaved from cedar about an inch inthickness, and nailed with wrought nails. At that time they were tight and as good as new.

In September, 2013, The Melatiah Bourne House was on the market for $929,000.  MSL# 21305774

138 Main St, Sandwich,  02563 — In the heart of Sandwich Village the Melatiah Bourne House overlooks Town Hall Square. This beautiful historic Saltbox and Post & Beam Barn has Business Limited Zoning. Sure to delight the purist this home retains original details including indian shutters, wide board floors, 5 fireplaces, beautiful paneling, window seats, cluster chimney and bee hive oven. A great home for entertaining with excellent flow, 4 bedrooms, keeping room, dining room, living room, den and much more. Post & Beam Barn built in 1993 ideal for shop and/or home office.

Children of Desire and Melatiah:

i. Sylvanus Bourne b. 10 Sep 1694 Sandwich, Barnstable, Mass.

ii. Richard Bourne b. 13 Aug 1695 Sandwich, Barnstable, Mass.

iii. Samuel Bourne b. 7 Feb 1697 Sandwich, Barnstable, Mass.

iv. Sarah Bourne b. 7 Feb 1697 Sandwich, Barnstable, Mass.

v. John Bourne b. 10 Mar 1698 Sandwich, Barnstable, Mass.

vi. Shearjashub Bourne b. 12 Dec 1699 Sandwich, Barnstable, Mass.

vii. Silas Bourne b. 10 Dec 1701 Sandwich, Barnstable, Mass.

viii. Bathsheba Bourne b. 11 Nov 1703 Sandwich, Barnstable, Mass.; d.  Mar 1787 Hardwick, Worcester, Mass;  m1. William Newcomb (b. 29 Aug 1702 Sandwich, Barnstable Mass – d. 8 Apr 1736 Sandwich);  His parents were Peter Newcomb and Mercy Smith.  His grandparents were our ancestors Lt. Andrew NEWCOMB Jr. and Sarah YOUNG.  William and  Bathsheba had eight children born between 1723 and 1735.

William graduated at Harvard University in 1722, the first Newcomb in America graduating from college.  He inherited from his father a large estate and kept the same inn which his father had occupied before him.

After William died, Bathsheba married 18 Sep 1735 to Gen. Timothy Ruggles (wiki) (b. 20 Oct 1718 – d. 4 Aug 1795 Wilmot, Nova Scotia)  His parents were Reverend Timothy Ruggles (1685 – 1768) (Harvard College 1707) and Mary White (1688 – 1749).   He was grandson of Capt. Samuel Ruggles of Roxbury and Martha Woodbridge, who was a granddaughter of Governor Thomas Dudley.   Bathsheba and Timothy had eight more children born between 1737 and 1748.

Brig. Gen. Timothy Ruggles

His father wanted him to be a learned man and sent him to Harvard. However, he did not follow his father into the ministry because he did not have the reserved temperament of a clergyman. Instead, he was more inclined towards the adversarial disposition of a lawyer. Consequently he studied law and graduated in 1732. Upon graduation, he opened up a practice in his home town of Rochester where he was also elected as a Representative of the General Court, or Assembly, at the age of 25. From the beginning, he was ambitious and driven towards success. Being over six feet tall, he projected a commanding presence over his much shorter associates.

His practice took him to County Courts in Plymouth and Barnstable. When traveling to Cape Cod, he usually stayed at the Newcomb Tavern in Sandwich. It was the first inn to open in Sandwich and the building still stands as a private home on Grove Street. The tavern was being run by Bathsheba Bourne
Newcomb, a beautiful, dark skinned and wealthy widow with 7 children. There must have been an instant spark of passion between these two fiery personalities because they were married within five months of Bathsheba’s burying her first husband. Neither cared about the opinions of others. Timothy (age 25) and Bathsheba (age 32) were wed in 1736 by her father, Judge Melitiah Bourne, the wealthiest man in Sandwich. The fact that she was beautiful, independently wealthy and from a prominent family; must have played a role in his decision to become the instant head of a large family. He was no stranger to
a house full of children because he was the eldest of 12.

They resided at the inn in Sandwich and immediately began a family of their own. However, Timothy initially kept his official residence in Rochester because of his re-election to the General Court from that town. The unexpected death of lawyer Nathaniel Otis created a need for an attorney in Sandwich and Ruggles filled the void and officially became a Sandwich resident in 1739.

Ruggles hung his lawyer’s shingle outside the inn and maintained the dual role of attorney and inn keeper. In 1821, a family descendent wrote, “He was social, witty, profane, wise about human nature, and quick to drop ceremony and convention when they ceased to be of social value.” Hard manual work was not beneath him and he personally attended both the stable and the bar. Oddly enough, he was a virtual teetotaler who only drank an occasional small beer.

All the while, he continued to expand his law practice and was recognized as one of the leading lawyers in the province of Massachusetts. He served as a representative of the Crown for a fixed fee which often brought him into opposition with James Otis Sr., a Cape Cod neighbor from Barnstable who was representing individuals who had charges brought against them by the authorities. Later in his career, Ruggles would find himself vying against James Otis Jr., a strong advocate for the cause of independence, but that would happen many years later. In the meantime, Ruggles political career continued to move forward and among the many posts he held was that of Excise Collector for Barnstable County. He remained popular among his new townspeople and was elected to 6 terms as Sandwich’s Representative to the Assembly in Boston during the 17 years he lived there.

In 1753, at age 42, he was seeking a grander life style and he moved his wife and their 7 children to Hardwick, a new town outside of Worcester. The relocation had been in the planning stage for some time and Ruggles acted in concert with 6 other Ruggles families who moved to the area where they had acquired a very large tract of land. Timothy was by far the richest and most well known person in the new town. Bathsheba’s children from her first marriage were now older and some were married and they did not make the move to Hardwick. William Newcomb Ruggles now ran the Sandwich tavern.

He served as chief justice of the Court of Common Pleas in Worcester, Massachusetts, from 1762 to 1764, and founder and most eminent citizen of the town of Hardwick, Worcester, Mass.  He was Hardwick’s representative to the General Court in Boston from 1754 to 1770. As speaker of the House in 1762, with Hardwicke being very prosperous, Timothy Ruggles used his position to promote a formal act of the court, establishing the first Fair to be held in his home town of Hardwick, to be known as the  Hardwick Faire, now the oldest annual fair in the United States. . This was the equivalent of having the King grant his favor in England.   The 251st program  was held Friday and Saturday Aug 16 and 17 2013. See this pdf for its history.

General Ruggles was president of the Stamp Act Congress of 1765.   After serving as Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1763, Timothy Ruggles was selected as a delegate to the first colonial (or Stamp Act) congress of 1765 meeting in New York on October 7, Ruggles was elected its president. After he refused to sanction the addresses sent by that body to Great Britain he was publicly censured by the General Court of Massachusetts.

He became one of the leading Tories of New England. He commanded the Loyal American Association and was a Mandamus Councillor appointed by General Gage in Boston. The Loyal American Association vowed to: – Not submit to rebellious assembly. – Enforce obedience to the King. – Defend each other if imperiled by unlawful assembly. – Repel force with force. – Use retaliation if any member or their property were injured.

In 1775, he left Boston for Nova Scotia with the British troops and accompanied Lord Howe to Staten Island. His estates were confiscated, and in 1779 he received a grant of 10,000 acres  of land in Wilmot, Nova Scotia, where he settled.

The Revolution split the Ruggles family. When he fled to Boston, Bathsheba did not go with him and she never joined her husband in exile. Over the years their relationship had withered and any bond between them was now gone. Perhaps his nearly 7 year war time absence drained the relationship and added further to Bathsheba’s independent spirit. Their 400 acre farm was confiscated by the authorities and she went to live with her son Timothy III until her death. On the other hand the Brigadier had the loyalty of his 3 sons. John and Richard would join Ruggles in Boston and ultimately in Nova Scotia. Timothy III also moved to Nova Scotia after the death of his mother and later became a member of the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia. His 4 daughters were married and stayed in Massachusetts.

Ruggles left his daughter, Bathsheba Ruggles, behind enemy lines in Massachusetts. In 1778 she was hanged while pregnant for killing her husband Joshua Spooner,  the first woman to be executed in the United States by Americans rather than the British.

Under public censure for his refusal to sign the Stamp Act protest as Massachusetts representative to the 1765 Stamp Act Congress, Ruggles might have arranged the marriage on Jan 15, 1766, for his daughter to Joshua Spooner, but no documentation has yet turned up to explain why Bathsheba Ruggles married a man she very soon came to hate. See wikipedia for the sordid tale of how she was executed while five months pregnant.

Sources:

http://trees.ancestry.com/owt/person.aspx?pid=18081650

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~millsmartin/wc03_077.htm

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~barbpretz/PS03/PS03_007.HTM

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~barbpretz/PS03/PS03_424.HTM

http://trees.ancestry.com/owt/person.aspx?pid=15294657&st=1 – Christopher Darby One World Tree

John’s will and inventory are printed in full in 3 Mayflower Descendant, 181-185. His 2d wife’s will appears in the same volume, pp. 185, 186.

http://www.oakbaydesigns.com/Maine/2chipman.htm

Genealogical notes of Barnstable families  Being a reprint of the Amos Otis Papers originally published in the Barnstable Patriot in 1861; Revised by Charles  F. Swift Largely made from notes made by the author (1888)