Peter Tufts was a prominent early citizen of Medford, Massachusetts

Medford, Massachusetts

Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...

, and ancestor of Charles Tufts

Charles Tufts

Charles Tufts was an American businessman. Born in Medford, Massachusetts to Daniel and Abigail Tufts, he was a descendant of Peter Tufts, an early colonist who came to America from England in 1638. He made his fortune through his brickmaking factory...

 who donated land for the Tufts University

Tufts University

Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...

 campus. Tufts' house

Peter Tufts House

The Peter Tufts House is a Colonial American house located at 350 Riverside Avenue, formerly known as Ship Street in Medford, Massachusetts. It is currently thought to have been built between 1677-1678...

 is still standing; it is believed by some historians to be the oldest all-brick house in the United States.

Peter Tufts (also spelled "Tuffts" and Tuffes") immigrated from Wilby, Norfolk, England to Charlestown, Massachusetts

Charlestown, Massachusetts

Charlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...

 where he is recorded in 1637 "on the Malden side (of Charlestown)." By 1638 he owned 43 acres (17.4 ha) there. In early 1647 Peter, along with William Bridge, became ferryman on the Mystic River

Mystic River

The Mystic River is a river in Massachusetts, in the United States. Its name derives from the Wampanoag word "muhs-uhtuq", which translates to "big river." In an Algonquian language, "Missi-Tuk" means "a great river whose waters are driven by waves", alluding to the natural tidal nature of the...

, succeeding Philip Drinker in that role. This ferry, later known as the Penny Ferry, served the inhabitants of Malden and the upper towns until 1787 when it was superseded by the Malden Bridge. By 1647 Peter had located to Malden, Massachusetts

Malden, Massachusetts

Malden is a suburban city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 59,450 at the 2010 census. In 2009 Malden was ranked as the "Best Place to Raise Your Kids" in Massachusetts by Bloomberg Businessweek Magazine.-History:...

 where he was one of the earliest and largest land owners; he also owned land on Mystic Side.

Tufts' involvement in the Salem witch trials

Salem witch trials

The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693...

 was thus described in the 1889 History of Malden:

Peter Tufts of Mystic Side, who many times during a long life appears in court records and files, and not always as a desirable neighbor, also complained of them [Elizabeth Fosdick of Malden & Elizabeth Paine of Mystic Side]...Complaint v. Eliz Fosdick & Eliz Paine, Salem, Mary the 30th 1692: "Lt. Nathaniell putnam and Joseph Whipple both of Salem Village made Complaint in behalfe of theire majesty against Elizabeth fosdick of Maulden (sic) the wife of John fosdick afores Carpenter & Elizabeth paine off Charlestown the wife of Stephen paine of said place husbandman for sundry acts of Witchcraft by them Committed Lately on the bodies of Marcy Lewis and Mary Warren of Salen Village or farmes to theire great hurt therefore crauses Justice. Signed Nathaniel Putnam & Joseph Whipple. The abovesayd Complaint was Exhibited before us Salem May the 30th 1692. Signed John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin. peter Tuft of Charlestown also appeared before us Salem June 2, 1692 and also Complained against both ye aboves for acts of Witchcraft by them Committed on his negro Woman. The mark of Peter Tufts +".

Tufts was recorded as a Freeman of Malden and the Massachusetts Bay Colony

Massachusetts Bay Colony

The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...

 May 3, 1665 and October 15, 1679 (NEHGS "Register"), and was the first representative from Medford to the Massachusetts General Court

Massachusetts General Court

The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...

. His will is recorded in Middlesex County, Massachusetts

Middlesex County, Massachusetts

-National protected areas:* Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge* Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Longfellow National Historic Site* Lowell National Historical Park* Minute Man National Historical Park* Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge...

as #22994, dated March 1, 1693 with codicils of July 8, 1695 and June 13, 1698, and executed June 10, 1701. He is buried at Malden Church Yard, also known as Bell Rock Cemetery.