One of my genea-plans for 2017 is to do some blogposts about my 10x great grandfather John Endecott. I discovered Gov. Endecott was my ancestor this past fall, and I have to admit I had mixed feelings about that. I already knew some of the more unpleasant aspects of his history. Still, he is a fascinating character. Consider these facts:
He was already in Salem, Ma. before the arrival of the Winthrop fleet and was the first Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Historians believe he was responsible for starting the Pequot War, the first clash between
the New England colonists and the Native Americans.
He was Governor five times during which he often clashed with the English government. He also knew my relatives Roger Conant, Samuel Maverick and Samuel Skeleton
He was a Puritan and persecuted members of other denominations, especially the Quakers, four of whom he executed by hanging.
He is the subject of poems by Whittier and Longfellow, as well as of a short story by Hawthorne. He doesn't come off well in any of them.
There's a lot to write about there, more than just one blogpost. So I'll be doing a series posts about Governor Endecott over the course of the coming year.
I like to joke about how my Pilgrim and Puritan ancestors might be horrified by their Catholic descendant.
I think John Endecott would have a downright conniption.
No comments:
Post a Comment