M. (1) 1637 in Boston, Massachusetts
Husband: Edward Bates
M. (2) 7 Oct 1645 in Concord, Massachusetts
Husband: William Fletcher
D. 12 Oct 1704 in Chelmsford, Massachusetts
As a woman in Puritan New England, Lydia Fletcher was held responsible by church authorities for the behavior of her children. And she was once called out when her sons wouldn’t follow the rules.
Lydia was born in England of an uncertain background, but some researchers feel that she was the daughter of Richard Fairbanks and Elizabeth Daulton. They were married in about 1618, and it's speculated that they had as many as six children born in Boston, England. The family was believed to have migrated to America in 1633 on the ship Griffin, which also carried several noted religious leaders including Anne Hutchinson.
Anne Hutchinson.
The supposed parents of Lydia settled in Boston, Massachusetts where Richard Fairbanks became an inn keeper, and they had two children born in about 1636 and 1639. Richard was a follower of Hutchinson, and in 1637, was one of many who was ordered to “give up his arms” when she was banished from the colony. Richard regained his standing in the community, though, and within two years he had the distinction of being named postmaster of Boston, the first man in that position in all of America. His job was to intercept letters coming off of ships and get them delivered to the proper recipients.
The earliest record of Lydia was as the mother of a child born to Edward Bates in Boston on January 9, 1642. Edward had been a passenger on the Griffin, and also supported Anne Hutchinson. Like Richard Fairbanks, Edward was disarmed in 1637 for being a Hutchinson follower, and on November 20, 1642, he was excommunicated from the church for it. That action also came with a charge that he had committed “unclean dalliances with another man's wife.” The ruling branded Edward as a heretic, and it allowed him no rights in the colony. He recanted, though, and was allowed back into the church. So the similarity between Lydia's known husband and supposed father shows that they probably had dealings with each other. But it's important to note there is no hard evidence that Lydia was Richard's daughter.
Within a couple of years, Edward died, and Lydia married William Fletcher of Concord on October 7, 1645. They had at least seven children together, although the exact birth dates of some are unknown. In 1653, the family was among the earliest settlers of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, and lived in what was said to be the first frame house in town. Lydia was admitted to the church in Chelmsford on November 24, 1656. The church was headed by Reverend John Fiske, who enforced a strict doctrine on his parishioners. He left behind a journal that detailed the activities of Chelmsford’s church members. The Fletcher family was cited several times in his notes, with Lydia being mentioned regarding her sons’ disregard for church authority.
One of the sons was 18-year-old Joshua, who had stopped attending Sunday services. Lydia and William were held accountable for the young man, and all were called in to be lectured by church officials. But Joshua refused to show up, and worse than that, he wandered off to Rhode Island, and was seen “among the Quakers.” Lydia’s oldest son Jonathan had also shown some form of indifference to church authority that wasn’t specified in Reverend Fiske’s notes. The behavior of the young men was unacceptable in Puritan society, and called for action against the family. This took place on July 2, 1667 in a meeting of Reverend Fiske with other officers of the church.
At some point Lydia spoke her mind about her two sons. She blurted out that they were “rogue, rascal, hell-bound [and] the devil may take them.” It isn’t clear from the notes as to whether she said this in a hearing, or in a social situation among friends, but the church officials ordered that she abstain from such language, and she was publicly admonished. William was also cited for not having better control of his wife and children. As for Lydia’s sons, Jonathan was excommunicated from Chelmsford’s church. (He later recovered his standing and served as a lieutenant in King Philip's War.) Joshua was only admonished, but a year later got into more trouble for having sexual relations with an unmarried girl, whom he later married. As an interesting side note, Lydia’s oldest daughter was the wife of Reverend Fiske’s son, married the year before the trouble involving Jonathan and Joshua.
William died on November 6, 1677, and she passed away on October 12, 1704. She was buried in Forefathers' Burial Ground in Chelmsford. Her descendants include Franklin Pierce, George W. Bush, Barbara Bush, Dick Cheney and actor Orson Bean.
Lydia's grave. (Source: Find-a-Grave)
Children by Edward Bates:
1. Jonathan Bates — B. 1641, (probably) Boston, Massachusetts; D. 17 Apr 1722, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; M. Mary Farwell (1640-1713), 22 Dec 1665, Chelmsford, Massachusetts
Children by William Fletcher:
1. Lydia Fletcher — B. 30 Jan 1647, Concord, Massachusetts; D. 13 Jan 1730, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; M. John Fiske (~1740-~1700), 27 Mar 1666, Chelmsford, Massachusetts
2. Joshua Fletcher — B. 20 Mar 1648, Concord, Massachusetts; D. 21 Nov 1713, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; M. (1) Grissel Jewell (1652-1682), 4 May 1668; (2) Sarah Willey (1658-1761), 18 Jul 1682, Chelmsford, Massachusetts
3. Paul Fletcher — B. about 1654, (probably) Chelmsford, Massachusetts; D. 9 Aug 1676, Chelmsford, Massachusetts
4. Sarah Fletcher — B. about 1656, (probably) Chelmsford, Massachusetts
5. William Fletcher — B. 21 Feb 1657, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; D. 23 May 1712, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; M. Sarah Richardson (1660-1748), 6 Sep 1677, Massachusetts
6. Mary Fletcher — B. 4 Oct 1658, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; D. 14 Jan 1714, Malden, Massachusetts; M. Thomas Parker (1656-1698), 21 Oct 1678, Chelmsford, Massachusetts
7. Esther Fletcher — B. 12 Apr 1664, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; D. 6 Dec 1693, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; M. (1) Isaac Parker (1660-1689), 11 Apr 1681, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; (2) James Proctor (1658-1709), 3 Dec 1691, Chelmsford, Massachusetts
Sources:
Genealogy of the Fairbanks Family in America, 1633-1897, Lorenzo Sayles Fairbanks, 1897
"Edward of Boston and His Descendants: Free-Thinkers, Heretics, Patriots," Mary Jean Evans, The Bates Bulletin, Series VII, Volume II, Spring/Summer 1995
History of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, Wilson Waters and Henry Spaulding Perham, 1917
Historic homes and places and genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, William Richard Cutter, 1908
Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Ellery Bicknell Crane, 1907
Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-33, Robert Charles Anderson, 1995
The Notebooks of Reverend John Fiske, 1644-1675
WikiTree
GeneaStar: Famous Family Tree and Genealogy (website)
WikiTree
GeneaStar: Famous Family Tree and Genealogy (website)
