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...

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2019 WEEK 19: LOT CONANT OF SALEM AND BEVERLY, MA. PT2

I found an image and transcription of Lot Conant's will in Frederick Odell Conant's  A History and Genealogy of the Conant Family in England and America, Thirteen Generations, 1520-1887:

"I Lot Conant aged about tiftie years being sicke and weak, yet of p'fit understanding due hereby declare my last will and testament wherein in the first place I doe beipieth my soule unto god that gave it, and my body to the grave in hope of a blessed resurrection: and for my outward estate and goods I doe bequeath and give unto my five sonns to each of them tiftie pounds and unto my sonn nathaniel the shop and tools over & above the rest, and unto my five daughters twenty pounds to each of them and this estate I leave to be whole and unbroken till they come to full age or to marriage estate and in the meane time the whole to rest in the hands of my wife, and for the bringing up of the children and further more my will is that my wife be executrix and that the land be not at all disposed off from the children and that my wife have the dwelling house and orchard for her life time, and also that my kinswoman mari Leach have a cow or heifer at her being married or going from my wife. And for help unto my wife in this matter 1 doe instruct and designe mr. John Hale, Captaine Lathropand my brother Exercise Conant to be assisting, hereunto 1 have subscribed my hand this 24 of the 7 month 1674.

Witness (signed) Lot Conant

Roger Conant
Ex Erc'lse Conant 

Roger Conant and Exercise Conant sworn in Court at Salem the 26: 9 mo: 1674 that they were present as witnesses when Lott Conant signed and proclaimed the above written as his last will and testament and there is no later will they know of, the said Lott being of good understanding.

The original will is preserved in the Court Files of Essex county. A fac-simile of it is here presented.

-pp129-131
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

Now here's the thing.

Lot Conant's Probate File Folder is empty. The file at AmericanAncestors.org only contains a small slip of paper with "No Paper Found" written on it. Since Frederick Odell Conant published his book in 1887, the probate papers must have disappeared sometime after that,

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2019 WEEK 19: LOT CONANT OF SALEM AND BEVERLY, MA. PT1

My 7x great grandfather Luke Perkins Jr.'s wife was  Martha Conant, grandaughter of Roger Conant. a founding father of Salem and Beverly, Ma,, and of William Walton, a leading citizen of Marblehead, Ma.

I have a double descent from Roger Conant.  On the Ellingwood side of the family I'm descended from Roger's daughter Sarah, who married John Leach. On the Dunham side I'm descended from Roger's son Lot Conant. This means my 2x great grandparents Asa Ellingwood and Florilla Dunham were 6th cousins.

I already discussed Roger Conant some time ago. Now it's time to look into 8x great grandfather Lot Conant. This  is from Frederick Odell Conant's  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:

 Lot"2 {Roger), b. about 1624 at Nantasket or Cape Ann. He seems to have lived at Marblehead as early as 1657; was selectman in 1662; had one cow's commonage in 1667, and on May 25, 1674, is recorded as one of the 114 householders.* On Nov. 20, 1600, his father gave him the homestead at Beverly with 32 acres adjoining and 72 acres in other parts of the town (Essex Deeds, Vol. 3, I>. 28. For deed in full see p. 120 of this Genealogy). On the same day Lot leased the homestead with three acres adjoining, composing the southern part of the home farm, to his father and mother for an annual rent of "one Indian corn." About this time he probably moved to Beverly and built a house near his father's, for "a dwelling house and orchard containing about 4 acres, with an old house of his father" is mentioned in the inventory of his estate. On July 4, 1667, he was one of those dismissed from the First Church of Salem to form a church at Bass River, or Beverly.

In 1669-70, Mch. 10, with consent of his wife, Elizabeth, he sold to Vinson Stilson, of Marblehead, ''all that his messuage, tenement or dwelling house with the land on which it stands & land belonging being 4; acre in Marblehead bounding untohe lands of John Trebye and Richard Thisle." (Essex Deeds, Vol. 3, p. 181.)

On the 20 Mch., 1671, "Lott Conant of Beverly, yeoman, sells John Treby of Marblehead a dwelling house with land adjoining and orchard and garden (Petition, 28 May, 1671.)bounded by the highway or street westerly and some land of Vinson Stilson westerly and Richard Hanaver north-westerly, the marsh of Nathaniel Walton north-easterly and land of said Lott Conant south-easterly." Signed by Lot and Elizabeth Conant, and witnessed by Hilliard Veren and Francis Johnson. (Essex Deeds, Vol. 3, p. 140.)

On the 20 Mch., 1672, "Lot Connet attacting Matthew ffairfield and not p'secuting the Court allows the said ffairfield costs 4s." (County Court Records.)-pp128-129

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


Next we'll look at his will and inventory.
To be continued