ROGER CONANT IN THE FUR TRADE PT1: "...A GREAT FARDEL OF BEAVER...'

Recently a pair of beavers has been spotted building a lodge in the state park here in town. This was exciting because there have been no beavers here in about a century. Now I knew that at one time the survival of the settlers of Massachusetts depended to some extent on the trade in beaver pelts, and I wondered how many of my colonial ancestors may have taken an interest in that trade. Because of my recent research of my Conant ancestors I knew of at least one who did, Roger Conant.

I found an account of a court case involving him and some partners in a court case involving beaver pelts, and a debt. It's from Frederick Odell Conant's  A History and Genealogy of the Conant Family in England and America, Thirteen Generations, 1520-1887... .

 At about this time he formed a partnership with Peter Palfrey, Anthony Dike and Frances Johnson, for trade with the Indians along the coast. They had a station or truck-house, as it was called, at Blue Point, near Saco, which was afterwards sold to Richard Foxwell, together with certain debts due from the Indians. Dike was lost in a storm off Cape Cod while on a trading trip. There was a disagreement among the partners in settling their affairs, as in 1655 Conant, Palfrey, and Nathaniel Pickman as successor to Dike, brought suit in the court at Salem against Francis Johnson to recover the value of a quantity of beaver and otter skins, sent by Foxwell to Johnson, and not accounted for by him. The following testimony is found on the Court files of Essex county. Johnson wrote Foxwell Feb. 12, 1635, acknowledging the receipt of the beaver, otter, etc "Geo. Taylor sworn June 18 1654 saith that about eighteen years since I dwelling with Mr. Cleeves in Casco bay. Mr. Richard Tucker and I was going to Boston ward, and at Sako, we met with Mr. Richard Foxwell, he desired me and Mr. Tucker to carry a great packet of beaver and otter for him to Mr. Francis Johnson, which we did deliver him in the bay."

Richard Tucker of Falmouth (now Portland) deposed July 1, 1654, that "about eighteen or twenty years since Mr. Richard Foxwell delivered me in my boat then bound for Massachusetts, a great fardel of beaver and another of otter, value to the best of my remembrance seventy or eighty pounds sterling."

DEPOSITION OF LOT CONANT.
"This deponent testifieth that about Seven veers since that going eastward I was desired to carry a letter by Nathaniel Pickman to Mr. Richard ffoxwell of blue point. This deponent testifleth that afors'd ffoxwell had read ye letter that was sent to him by Nathaniel Pickman and answered that he owed nothing to Nathaniel Pickman but what he owed to Mr. Johnson and to Anthony Dike and it was for goods he had of them at ye trading house.
By me Lot Conant.
Testified upon oath ye 14: 5 mo. 1654.
Before me John Endecott, Deputy Governor."
 
On 24: 1 mo: 1655-6 Lot Conant testified
"That he heard his father Mr. Roger Conant and Mr. Francis Johnson speaking about the business between Mr. Foxwell and them about putting it to arbitration, but they both declared not by any means to put bills of Debt to arbitration."-p110-111

A History and Genealogy of the Conant Family in England and America, Thirteen Generations, 1520-1887: Containing Also Some Genealogical Notes on the Connet, Connett and Connit Families, private printing, Portland, Maine 1887

Two notes on the testimony:
John Endecott was my 10x gread grandfather.
A "fardel" is an old English word for a bundle of something.

There is more testimony which will be in the next post.

To be continued...