My 10th Great Grandfather William Chase
was born in England in approximately 1595
and at about age thirty-five joined the colonists who came to the new world
under Governor Winthrop as a member of the Massachusetts Bay Colony of Puritans
who arrived in America in 1630.
 |
| Governor Winthrop |
Puritans are often
confused, or at least grouped together with the earlier Pilgrim settlers. Despite their
similarities, and the fact that they arrived in America within a decade of each
other, there are several important differences between the Pilgrims and Puritans.
The Pilgrims were Separatists, believing that the Church of
England was too corrupt to ever be purified. They had been imprisoned for their
beliefs and had previously moved to the Netherlands to escape religious
persecution. The Puritans, on the other hand believed the Church of England was
the one true church, but wanted it to become pure by getting rid of Catholic
practices and rituals and return it to the pattern of the New Testament. The
Puritans did not want to separate entirely from the Church of England.
The Pilgrims for
the most part were poor, while the Puritans were primarily upper middle class.
Although William may have come with some economic advantage, it quickly
disappeared and records indicate he acquired significant debt during his
lifetime up until the time of his death.
The Pilgrims were not
very educated, while the Puritans were and founded colleges within six years of
landing. The level of Williams’s education is unknown, other than the fact that
he signed his last will and testament with a mark rather than his name.
It is important to
distinguish that William Chase was of the Puritan belief, which was a very
strict society with specific rules for inclusion.
He brought with him his
wife Mary and his son William, who was described in church records as, “a child
of ill qualities and a sore affliction to his parents”. He established his home
in Roxborough (later Roxbury). Historians describe Roxbury
settlers as, "People of substance, many of them farmers, none being 'of
the poorer sort.' They struck root in the soil immediately and were
enterprising, industrious and frugal."
On the 19th of October,
1630, William applied for admission as a Freeman, which oath he took on the
14th of May, four years later. This indicates that his religious beliefs,
views and degree of self-control had been thoroughly examined and approved. Being
a freeman gave
him the right to vote, participate in governing matters and own land. The
amount of land he was able to own would have been determined by the number of
members in his family.
Within
a few months of the formation of the settlement, a congregation gathered to
form the First Church in Roxborough and built a small simple building with a
thatched roof. Although the building has been replaced multiple times, the
congregation has been a continuous body since 1632.
What
makes a church congregation endure for nearly 400 years? It is undoubtedly the
result of the importance the community placed on religion.
- The meeting House was the center around which the homes and structures were built. For mutual protection all houses were, by law, to be within half a mile of the meeting house. This tight circle of homes was for the purpose of fortifying the town from warring natives.
- Concurrently, the religious beliefs were the center of their lives. I love the symbolism of a tight circle of homes (families) for mutual protection, both physical and spiritual.
William’s
occupation is listed as a housewright, a historical designation for a
carpenter, not to be confused with a barnwright.
About 1637 or 1638 William Chase left Roxborough and joined the
settlement in Yarmouth, Massachusetts. His life in Yarmouth was not a peaceful
once. He is mentioned in court proceedings multiple times, including being censured
his for his “miscarriages” against Mr. Marmaduke Mathewes and for his disturbances of
the proceedings of the church.
His troubles must have been resolved because he was
appointed constable and resided in Yarmouth until his death in May, 1659.
His last will and testament was dated May 4, 1659, and was proved
nine days later. It read in part:
- “I, William Chase, of Yarmouth, being aged and sick in body, but of perfect memory, thanks be to the Lord, do make my last will and testament as followeth. First I give and bequeath unto my son Benjamin, after my decease, one heifer calf and two steer calves of a year old and upwards, also I give to my son William, who hath had of me already a good portion, the sum of five shillings, to be paid in any good pay, if he demand it. All the rest of my goods, cattle and chattel I bequeath unto my wife Mary including this my dwelling house and land and all the appurtenances thereunto belonging.”
He was buried in the Baptist Church Cemetery in West
Harwich, Barnstable County, Massachusetts.
