William Phelps (colonist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Phelps
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| Born | c.1593 Crewkerne, Somerset, England
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| Died | July 14, 1672, age 78 Windsor, Connecticut, British America
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| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | landowner, magistrate |
| Known for | Founder of Dorchester, Massachusetts and Windsor, Connecticut; first foreman of a Grand Jury in the New World; one of eight selected to lead first democratic town government in 1637 |
| Spouse(s) |
Mary
(m. 1617; died 1626)Ann Dover
(m. 1626) |
| Children | William, Mary, Mary, Samuel, Nathanial, Joseph, Mary, Sarah, Timothy |
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William Phelps (born around 1593, died July 14, 1672) was an English Puritan who moved from Crewkerne, England, in 1630. He helped start two important towns: Dorchester, Boston in Massachusetts and Windsor, Connecticut. He was also one of eight leaders chosen to create the first democratic town government in the American colonies in 1637.
William Phelps was the leader of the first grand jury in New England. He spent most of his life working in the early colonial government. A famous historian, Henry Reed Stiles, said that Phelps "was one of the most prominent and highly respected men in the colony."
Contents
Where Was William Phelps From?
William Phelps was an English Puritan who arrived in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1630. He sailed on the ship Mary and John with his wife, Ann, and four children.
For a long time, people thought William Phelps was from Tewkesbury, England. However, newer research shows this was incorrect. It was believed he was the brother of George Phelps, but this has also been proven wrong.
From Crewkerne, England
More recent and careful research has shown that William Phelps, the immigrant, was actually from Crewkerne, Somersetshire, England. This is important because it helps us understand his family and where they came from.
William Phelps' Family
William Phelps was married twice. His first wife, Mary, passed away in England in 1626. He then married Ann Dover. Ann and his children from both marriages traveled with him to Dorchester, Massachusetts. The names and birth dates of his children match records found later in the American colonies.
- Marriage to Mary: William and Mary had four children: William, Samuel, an unnamed baby who died young, and Nathaniel. All were baptized in Crewkerne before 1625. Mary was buried in Crewkerne in August 1626.
- Marriage to Ann Dover: Three months after Mary's death, William married Ann Dover in Crewkerne in November 1626. They had five children in England: Cornelius, Joseph, and two children named Mary (twins). It is thought that Cornelius and the twin girls named Mary died young. After arriving in the colonies, Ann and William had three more children: Sarah, Timothy, and another daughter named Mary.
Moving to New England
King Charles I of England became king in 1625. He, like his father, strongly disagreed with the Puritan movement. Puritans believed the Anglican Church was too much like the Roman Catholic Church. When Puritans gained power in Parliament, they challenged the King. In 1629, King Charles closed Parliament. This made life very hard for Puritans, and many decided to leave England.
William Phelps was one of these Puritans. He was part of Reverend John Warham's church. Reverend Warham had been removed from his duties because of his strong Puritan beliefs. The group William Phelps joined was organized by Reverend John White from Dorchester, England. Reverend White is seen as the person who helped start the earliest settlements in Massachusetts after Plymouth.
About 150 people from the English West Country (like Dorset, Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall) gathered to leave. Unlike many who left England for other places, these Puritans were often well-educated and brought their whole families. They left good lives to build a new society based on their religious values. They were not leaving for money or just for religious freedom. They believed their faith was the only true one.
Reverend White organized the group on March 19, 1630, in New Hospital, Plymouth, England. Even though most of them didn't know each other, they agreed to travel together to Massachusetts. Reverend White is called "the father of the Massachusetts Colony" because he helped establish this settlement, even though he stayed in England. Before this group, only about 300 Puritans had survived in New England since the Mayflower arrived in 1620.
The group prayed and prepared for their dangerous journey. Reverend White gave sermons, and then, with his blessing, they left on March 20 aboard the Mary and John.
Arriving in the New World
The Mary and John had a good trip and arrived at Nantasket (now Hull) on May 30, 1630, with no one lost. They quickly found a place for their cattle at Mattapan. They settled inland, about 6 miles (10 km) west, and named their new home Dorchester. This name honored Reverend John White from Dorchester, England. This village became the first lasting settlement in what is now Suffolk County.
The arrival of 140 passengers greatly increased the population in New England. Along with William Phelps were other important settlers like Roger Ludlow, John Mason, and Henry Wolcott. These people would become very important in building a new nation.
The passengers are known as the Dorchester Company because of where they settled. They stayed together as a group, and records show who most of them were. The Mary and John arrived only 10 days before the first ships of the Winthrop Fleet. While exact passenger lists are hard to find, researchers believe William Phelps, his wife Ann Dover, and their sons William, Samuel, Nathanial, and Joseph were on board. This supports the idea that William Phelps was from Crewkerne, not Tewkesbury.
Early Colonial Life
The Mary and John immigrants started the town of Dorchester when they arrived. The Puritan settlers landed at Columbia Point, which Native Americans called "Mattaponnock."
In 1631, the immigrants founded the First Parish Church of Dorchester. This church still exists today as the Unitarian-Universalist church on Meeting House Hill. It is the oldest religious organization in Boston. The first church building was a simple log cabin with a thatched roof. The settlers held their first town meetings at the church, where they discussed and set their laws. They wanted to create a society that followed God's rules on Earth. This church is called a "Foundation Stone of the Nation."
In 1639, the new settlers also started the Mather School. This was the first elementary school in the New World supported by public money. It is the oldest elementary school in America. Dorchester became part of the City of Boston in 1970.
Leader of the First Grand Jury
William Phelps served in various government roles for many years. He was a member of the first General Court (a type of governing body) held in the colony in 1636. He was also a member of the Court of Magistrates from 1637 to 1643. In 1643, he was the leader (foreman) of the first Grand Jury.
Early Government Service
William Phelps' name was spelled in different ways in the Massachusetts Colonial Records. He was made a constable (a type of police officer). He was also chosen to be on committees that settled land and boundary disagreements. He had other important jobs in running the new town. He served on the General Court, where people were tried for different problems.
On October 19, 1630, William Phelps asked to become a "freeman" (a citizen with full rights). On November 9, 1630, he was one of twelve jury members for a trial. On September 27, 1631, he was chosen as constable of Dorchester. In May 1632, he was part of a committee chosen to raise money for public needs.
Phelps stayed in Dorchester until 1635. Then, he and many other families moved to a new place inland, which they named Windsor.
Starting Windsor
In 1633, the Plymouth Trading Company started the first Connecticut settlement. It was a trading post in what would become Windsor, Connecticut. This area was also claimed by the Dutch, who had their own fort nearby.
By 1635, many Puritans and Congregationalist members, including William Phelps, were unhappy with how slow the Anglican Church was changing. They also disagreed with Governor Winthrop's idea that only a few people should run the settlement. They believed they should have a say in choosing their leaders.
They asked the Massachusetts General Court for permission to start a new religious community in the Connecticut Valley. This new community would follow its own rules. In October 1635, about 60 people, representing 23 families, traveled about 100 miles (160 km) east. They took a route called the Old Connecticut Path, which went through swamps, rivers, and small mountains. Most of their belongings were sent by ship.
Winter arrived before they could get settled. The river froze in mid-November, and the ship with their supplies couldn't reach them. They quickly ran out of food. A few people managed to go back to Dorchester. The rest survived the winter with help from the original Plymouth settlers and the Native Americans. When spring came, the settlers moved to higher ground and finally received their supplies.
They first named their settlement Dorchester, just like their old town. Two years later, in 1637, the colony's General Court changed the name to Windsor. It is believed to be named after Windsor, England. This new town was the first English settlement in Connecticut. The Dutch left their trading post in 1654 because more and more English settlers were arriving.
First Town Government in the Colonies
Windsor was supposed to be under the control of the Massachusetts Company. But when Connecticut became its own colony, the Massachusetts General Court set the rules for its new government on March 3, 1636. It explained how problems would be solved, how fines and jail time would be given, and how trade, building, and military matters would be handled. It also said that the people in the new town would govern themselves.
William Phelps was one of eight commissioners chosen by the Colony of Massachusetts Bay to govern the Colony of Connecticut. All meetings were to be open and fair. These eight men were given "full power and authority" to lead the new colony.
Roger Ludlow later wrote a book about Connecticut's democratic ways. This book helped shape the ideas for the Constitution of the United States.
Pequot War Service
The Mashantucket Pequot people had lived in Southeastern Connecticut for over 10,000 years. When the colonists settled in Windsor, they came into contact and later conflict with the Pequot. In 1637, the Pequot killed two British slave traders. The colonists demanded that the Native Americans who killed the traders be handed over for punishment, but the Pequot refused. Other fights happened, including an attack on settlers working in fields near Wethersfield. This was in response to the colonists taking land that belonged to the sachem (chief) Sowheag. The English wanted the land for themselves. They believed God had sent diseases like smallpox to the Pequot as a blessing for the settlers.
On May 1, 1637, at a General Court meeting in Hartford, Connecticut, with William Phelps in charge, it was decided to go to war against the Pequot Indians. William Phelps served in this war. On May 26, 1637, about 90 English soldiers joined forces with other Native American tribes who were enemies of the Pequot, like the Narragansetts and Mohegan. They attacked the Pequot fort at Mystic. Many Pequot men, led by their sachem Sassacus, were away from the village preparing another raid.
The soldiers, led by Captain John Mason, surrounded the village at dawn and set it on fire. They tried to kill anyone who escaped the flames. They estimated they killed 600 to 700 people, mostly women and children. This event is known as the Mystic massacre. In the weeks that followed, the Pequot, who were already weakened by smallpox, were almost completely wiped out as a tribe. The remaining Pequot people were enslaved by enemy tribes, sold into slavery in other colonies, or enslaved by the white settlers.
Later Public Service
William Phelps was a member of the General Court for 23 years, from 1636 to 1662. He was also a member of the Council in 1637. In 1641, he and future Governor Thomas Welles were on a committee about "lying," which was seen as a serious offense. That same year, he served as Governor of the Windsor Colony. He was also one of the earliest Governor's Assistants and a Representative from 1645 to 1657. Phelps helped create laws that were later called the "Blue Laws of Connecticut."
The laws of that time were very specific about crimes and punishments. Phelps was often responsible for making sure these laws were followed.
Land Purchases
William Phelps' home in Windsor was "a short distance north of the Mill River Valley." After the Connecticut River flooded in the spring of 1639, he moved his home further north.
Phelps bought land from the Native Americans more than once. In a document from March 31, 1665, Phelps recorded that he had bought land about 30 years earlier from Sehat, a Paquanick sachem. However, he couldn't prove his earlier payment, so he had to buy the land again. He paid Sehat's descendant, "Nassahegan, an Indian sachem," and his relatives with "four trucking coats" and wampum (beads used as money).
The Massachusetts Colonial Records from February 1666 stated that if other men had land within the area Phelps bought, they should pay 12 pence per acre to Mr. Phelps. After paying, they would have clear ownership of their land. Historian Henry Reed Stiles noted that the title "Mr." was only given to older, important people back then.
Stiles also said that William Phelps "was one of the most prominent and highly respected men in the colony. An excellent, pious, and upright man in his public and private life, and was truly a pillar in Church and State." The family historian Oliver Phelps called William Phelps "one of the fathers and founders of this now ocean-bound Republic."
Death and Burial
William Phelps died at age 78 on July 14, 1672, and was buried the next day. His wife, Ann, died three years later on November 27, 1675. William Phelps' last will was recorded in Windsor, Connecticut, on July 26, 1672.
Famous Descendants of William Phelps
- Samuel S. Phelps (1793–1855), a U.S. Senator from Vermont.
- His son Edward John Phelps (1822–1900), a lawyer and diplomat.
- John Jay Phelps (1810–1869), a financier.
- His son William Walter Phelps, a U.S. Representative from New Jersey and a diplomat.
- Abel Mix Phelps (1851–1902), a surgeon and President of the Medical Society of the State of New York.
Images for kids
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William Phelps' signature.
