Samuel Maverick (colonist)
Encyclopedia
Samuel Maverick was a 17th century English
colonist in what is now 'Massachusetts
,' the United States
. Arriving ahead of the famed Winthrop fleet, Maverick became one of the earliest settlers, one of the largest landowners and one of the first slave-owners in Massachusetts. He signed his name Mavericke.
Samuel Maverick was born around 1602 to Anglican vicar
John and Mary (Gye) Maverick. Rev. John Maverick was born in Awliscombe, Devon, baptized there on Dec. 28, 1578, and enrolled in Oxford University on Oct. 24, 1595, at age 18. He was the son of Rev. Peter Maverick (spelled Mavericke in old English records), the vicar of Awliscombe. Rev. John Maverick married Mary Gye
in Ilsington, Dorset on Oct. 28, 1600.
Rev. John Maverick became a Puritan
and a member of Reverend John Warham's church, which was organized on March 19, 1630 as the West Country Company at Plymouth, England, the day before leaving England. He joined Roger Ludlow
, John Mason and William Phelps, among others. On March 20, 1630, the ship sailed from Plymouth, England with 140 passengers aboard. He arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
at Dorchester, Massachusetts
on 30 May 1630, where he served as the first minister of the First Parish Church of Dorchester
. He died there February 3, 1635/35, at "nearly sixty years of age," according to Gov. John Winthrop
. John Maverick was later be eulogized by Cotton Mather and Governor John Winthrop. John Maverick's son Samuel turned up in 1622 in America, where he may have accompanied English explorer Capt. Christopher Levett
, prior to Maverick's minister father's arrival in Dorchester several years later. Samuel Maverick first settled at Winnissimet, the area of previously failed colony of Wessagussut.
Samuel Maverick settled in the area of modern-day Boston, after his arrival in Massachusetts, which he later claimed was in 1624. (Some historians have suggested that Maverick arrived in the area with English explorer Capt. Christopher Levett
, who made an exploration of the New England coast about that time.) Maverick built a fortified house to ward against Indian attacks and armed it with four guns. It is said to be the first permanent house in Massachusetts.
In 1628 Maverick married Amias, widow of fellow colonist David Thompson, who had been sent by Sir Ferdinando Gorges
as an early explorer and settler to New Hampshire, and later settled on present-day Thompson Island
in Boston Harbor. After Thompson's death, his wife inherited his properties, including Noddle's Island
, the site of present-day Logan Airport. Maverick and Amias had three children, and Amias had a son from her previous marriage.
In 1631 the first ferry
ran from the Maverick farm to Charlestown
and Boston. In April 1633 general court granted Maverick property rights to most of the area of modern-day Chelsea
excluding Prattville. In March 1635 Maverick sold his holdings outside his farm in Winnisimmet to Richard Bellingham
, the deputy governor of Massachusetts, and moved to Noddle's Island. The same year he visited Virginia
to buy seed corn and remained there for a year. When he returned he had two pinnaces and had also bought lots of livestock.
In 1638 Maverick bought black slaves
, becoming one of the earliest slave-owners in Massachusetts. In 1640 Boston granted him 600 acres (242.8 ha) of land from Boston and 400 acres (161.9 ha) from Braintree
. In 1664 he visited England and was granted an audience with the King Charles II
on April 23. When he stated that he had been persecuted because he was an Anglican and a royalist, the king appointed him as one of the four commissioners to arbitrate disputes in New England. He was also to reduce Dutch influence in the colonies.
The commission was granted both military and civil powers in Massachusetts but was eventually unsuccessful. Maverick eventually gave up his possession in Noddle's Island and moved to New York.
The exact date of Maverick's death is unknown; the last sign of him is a letter signed October 15, 1669. He presumably died the following year.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
colonist in what is now 'Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
,' the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Arriving ahead of the famed Winthrop fleet, Maverick became one of the earliest settlers, one of the largest landowners and one of the first slave-owners in Massachusetts. He signed his name Mavericke.
Samuel Maverick was born around 1602 to Anglican vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
John and Mary (Gye) Maverick. Rev. John Maverick was born in Awliscombe, Devon, baptized there on Dec. 28, 1578, and enrolled in Oxford University on Oct. 24, 1595, at age 18. He was the son of Rev. Peter Maverick (spelled Mavericke in old English records), the vicar of Awliscombe. Rev. John Maverick married Mary Gye
Royal Descent
A royal descent is a lineal descent from a monarch. Royal descent is sometimes claimed as a mark of distinction and is seen as a desirable goal of genealogy research. Pretenders and those hoping to improve their social status have often claimed royal descent and, as a result, fabricated lineages...
in Ilsington, Dorset on Oct. 28, 1600.
Rev. John Maverick became a Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
and a member of Reverend John Warham's church, which was organized on March 19, 1630 as the West Country Company at Plymouth, England, the day before leaving England. He joined Roger Ludlow
Roger Ludlow
Roger Ludlow was one of the founders of the Colony of Connecticut. He was born in March 1590 in Dinton, Wiltshire, England. Roger was the second son of Sir Thomas Ludlow of Maiden Bradley, Wiltshire and Jane Pyle, sister of Sir Gabriel Pyle...
, John Mason and William Phelps, among others. On March 20, 1630, the ship sailed from Plymouth, England with 140 passengers aboard. He arrived in 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...
at Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is named after the town of Dorchester in the English county of Dorset, from which Puritans emigrated and is today endearingly nicknamed "Dot" by its residents. Dorchester, including a large...
on 30 May 1630, where he served as the first minister of the First Parish Church of Dorchester
First Parish Church of Dorchester
The First Parish Church in Dorchester, was built in 1631 by the emigrants from Dorchester, Dorset and the south west of England who founded the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts on March 30, 1630....
. He died there February 3, 1635/35, at "nearly sixty years of age," according to Gov. John Winthrop
John Winthrop
John Winthrop was a wealthy English Puritan lawyer, and one of the leading figures in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the first major settlement in New England after Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led the first large wave of migrants from England in 1630, and served as governor for 12 of...
. John Maverick was later be eulogized by Cotton Mather and Governor John Winthrop. John Maverick's son Samuel turned up in 1622 in America, where he may have accompanied English explorer Capt. Christopher Levett
Christopher Levett
Capt. Christopher Levett was an English writer, explorer and naval captain, born at York, England. He explored the coast of New England and secured a grant from the King to settle present-day Portland, Maine, the first European to do so. Levett left behind a group of settlers at his Maine...
, prior to Maverick's minister father's arrival in Dorchester several years later. Samuel Maverick first settled at Winnissimet, the area of previously failed colony of Wessagussut.
Samuel Maverick settled in the area of modern-day Boston, after his arrival in Massachusetts, which he later claimed was in 1624. (Some historians have suggested that Maverick arrived in the area with English explorer Capt. Christopher Levett
Christopher Levett
Capt. Christopher Levett was an English writer, explorer and naval captain, born at York, England. He explored the coast of New England and secured a grant from the King to settle present-day Portland, Maine, the first European to do so. Levett left behind a group of settlers at his Maine...
, who made an exploration of the New England coast about that time.) Maverick built a fortified house to ward against Indian attacks and armed it with four guns. It is said to be the first permanent house in Massachusetts.
In 1628 Maverick married Amias, widow of fellow colonist David Thompson, who had been sent by Sir Ferdinando Gorges
Ferdinando Gorges
Sir Ferdinando Gorges , the "Father of English Colonization in North America", was an early English colonial entrepreneur and founder of the Province of Maine in 1622, although Gorges himself never set foot in the New World.-Biography:...
as an early explorer and settler to New Hampshire, and later settled on present-day Thompson Island
Thompson Island (Massachusetts)
Thompson Island is an island in the Boston Harbor, some 4 miles offshore from downtown Boston, Massachusetts. The island is managed by the Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center, a non-profit education organization. The island is open to visitors on summer Sundays; otherwise access is by...
in Boston Harbor. After Thompson's death, his wife inherited his properties, including Noddle's Island
Noddle's Island
Noddle's Island is one of Boston Harbor Islands off East Boston, Massachusetts. In the 1940s the strait separating Noddle's Island from East Boston was filled, thereby connecting the island to Logan International Airport on the mainland.-History:...
, the site of present-day Logan Airport. Maverick and Amias had three children, and Amias had a son from her previous marriage.
In 1631 the first ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
ran from the Maverick farm to Charlestown
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...
and Boston. In April 1633 general court granted Maverick property rights to most of the area of modern-day Chelsea
Chelsea, Massachusetts
Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States directly across the Mystic River from the city of Boston. It is the smallest city in Massachusetts in land area, and the 26th most densely populated incorporated place in the country.-History:...
excluding Prattville. In March 1635 Maverick sold his holdings outside his farm in Winnisimmet to Richard Bellingham
Richard Bellingham
Richard Bellingham was a colonial magistrate, lawyer, and several-time governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and the last surviving signatory of the colonial charter at his death...
, the deputy governor of Massachusetts, and moved to Noddle's Island. The same year he visited Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
to buy seed corn and remained there for a year. When he returned he had two pinnaces and had also bought lots of livestock.
In 1638 Maverick bought black slaves
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
, becoming one of the earliest slave-owners in Massachusetts. In 1640 Boston granted him 600 acres (242.8 ha) of land from Boston and 400 acres (161.9 ha) from Braintree
Braintree, Massachusetts
The Town of Braintree is a suburban city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a town, Braintree adopted a municipal charter, effective 2008, with a mayor-council form of government and is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The population was 35,744...
. In 1664 he visited England and was granted an audience with the King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
on April 23. When he stated that he had been persecuted because he was an Anglican and a royalist, the king appointed him as one of the four commissioners to arbitrate disputes in New England. He was also to reduce Dutch influence in the colonies.
The commission was granted both military and civil powers in Massachusetts but was eventually unsuccessful. Maverick eventually gave up his possession in Noddle's Island and moved to New York.
The exact date of Maverick's death is unknown; the last sign of him is a letter signed October 15, 1669. He presumably died the following year.