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Re: Way Book on CD Disk: Correct Date of the Way Arrival in SC
I have a source which may help the discussion of the dates of "swarms" from Mass to Dorchester SC.
The source is "The town of Dorchester, South Carolina - A Sketch of Its History," by Henry A.M. Smith. Several articles were written, but the article which pertains to this discussion first appeared in the South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Vol VI - No 2, April 1905, pp. 62 - 95.
This is a later writing than Stacy, but it quotes both the Stacy volume, the Pratt diary, and "Records of the First Church at Dorchester, New England," published in 1891.
The article is long, but let me reconstruct a timeline here.
October 20, 1695. Joseph Lord, Increase Sumner and William Pratt were "dismissed" or transferred for "Ye gathering of A church for ye South Carolina." (Records of the First Church, 1891, p. 13).
October 22, 1695, the following: "...the names of ye men are thes
Joshua Brooks of Concord
William Norman Coralina (sic)
William Adams Sudbury
Increase Sumner \
William Pratte /Dorchester
George Foxe Reading
Simon Daken Concord
these with Joseph lord did enter into a most solem Covenant to sett up the ordinances of Jesus Christ ther if the lord caryed them safely thither accordin to gospell truth withe a very large profeson of ther faithe." (Ibid, p. 109)
(Note: William Norman had obtained 320 acres of land from the Lords Proprietors of Carolina three miles above the eventual location of the original Dorchester layout. It is assumed that Norman wished to have neighbors of like faith, and so appears in Massachusetts, joining the scouting party. If anyone has other information on this William Norman, I would welcome it, as he may be my ancestor, but my Norman records don't go back that far.)
(Note: The theory of just eight on the voyage of Pratt's diary is further supported by a diary entry that indicates that on December 20th they were welcomed at "Charles Town" harbour "with a salute of 9 guns 'which was more than us all.'")
Feb 8th, 1696 Elder Pratt leaves Charles Town to return to New England.
July 7th, 1696 A grant is made to John Stevens of 1,800 acres which was to be divided among the eventual settlers.
November 1, 1696, Deacon Sumner's wife and family, his brother Samuel Sumner and family, and Peter O'Kelly's wife and six children are "dismissed" (transferred) to the church in Dorchester.
January 8th, 1696/7, Elder Pratt sails from Boston, then sails from Nantasket on the 15th. The author here conjectures that the Sumners and O'Kellys could have sailed with Elder Pratt on this voyage. In any case, this sounds more like your "swarm" than the eight men who travelled on Pratt's first voyage.
March 23, 1697, "the church and others that were concerned did draw loots (lots)..." (Elder Pratt's diary)
March 24, 1697, "...the 24th day that all meet together to stake out and mark their loots..." (ibid.)
I believe there was some sort of swarm between Pratt's original journey
and the drawing and dividing of the lots. Perhaps there was a second wave of many other travellers with the Sumners and/or Pratt's second voyage. In any event, whenever they came, Henry Smith goes on to reconstruct the ocupiers of the original lots. Here they are:
1. John Stevens, in Carolina before the others got there.
2. Rev. Joseph Lord, Lot #10.
3. Increase Sumner.
4. William Pratt.
5. William Adams.
6. William Norman. As previously stated, he already had a grant for 320 acres, and was not included in the drawing of lots.
7. Samuel Sumner, Lot #24.
8. Michael Bacon. Received a lot and purchased two more.
9. John Simmons received lot 12.
10. Abraham Gorton received lot 13.
11. Jonathan Clarke, lot 14.
12. Thomas Osgood.
13. Aaron Way, Sr.
14. Aaron Way, Jr.
15. William Way.
16. Moses Way.
17. Samuel Way.
The author does not go very far in substantiating his claim that each of these people received lots in that first drawing and dividing of lots, but all were extremely early settlers, and I include the list here simply to show that the group had grown considerably from the first eight.
Of interest to the historians--the article says the church building was placed on Lot 9.
My contention is that the original journey described in Pratt's diary was a bit more than a scouting party. True, they were just eight men, four of whom disappear from Dorchester's history (Brooks, Billings, Fox and Daken don't appear among the land-owners at Dorchester). Still, they certainly intended to stay, as they were dismissed from the New England church. More like an advance group--as you've stated, they went to choose and purchase land, which they did. Families, as well as other settlers, came later.
--- message from DaneBowen@aol.com attached:
After sending off my last e-mail, it occurred to me that I misspoke about the graves of the Ways at Old Copp's Hill in Boston's north end. I recounted how I found the grave of Lt. Richard Way's wife, Katheron Way, who died in 1689, and how since the two Mather ministers of Aaron Way, Sr., are buried there, and since Aaron, Sr., just across the river at his farm, he and his wife must be buried there also. As indicated in my Way book and by others, the widow of Aaron Way, Sr, Mary née Sumner Way, accompanied her children and their families as well as two of her Sumner brothers, including Deacon Increase Sumner, and their families to SC----on the voyage in the early in 1697 to SC. I have the impression that much later some Sumners returned to Mass. where the Sumners were to be about the most prominent family of the area. I know of no Ways who returned to Mass.
Everything you quoted above was about the first scouting trip, to look over the situation and to decide where to settle, even acquire land. They couched it in terms of "the church" and even preached up on the Ashley River, saying it was the first time the Gospel had been taken to SC even though there was already by then in Charleston an Anglican church, a Huguenot church, and even a Congregational church!
One hundred and fifty-eight Congregationalist left Boston in Jan. 1697 arriving in SC on Feb. 22, 1697. On Mar. 23, 1697 they drew lots at Dorchester, SC, to divide up the land.
In my Way book you will see footnotes of the records of the First Church of Dorchester, Mass, and of Paul M. McIvaine. I read in various other sources which I may not have cited.
Dane Bowen in Alexandria, Va., researching Bowen, Bacon, Carlton (Carleton), Luker, Sanders (Saunders), Chaudoin (Chaudoins), Maverick, Richey (Ritchie, Richie, Ritchey), Spence, Sumner, Way, and Wells families.