Maybe Died in the Winthrop Fleet — Phillip Sole

B. before 28 Feb 1602 in Sudbury, England¹
M. 11 Aug 1625 in Little Waldingfield, England¹
Husband: John Sayles
D. before 1 Apr 1633¹

When John Winthrop led an effort to transport a large number of followers to the new colony of Massachusetts Bay, a few were said to have died along the way. One of them may have been the wife of John Sayles, Phillip Sole.

The Sole family was based in the cloth industry town of Sudbury, England, which is in Sussex. It was there that a girl was born to James Sole and Ellen Bell, who was baptized on February 28, 1602.¹ They gave their child the unusual name of Phillip (not Phillipa, as some researchers suggest); Phillip was said to be “not an uncommon name for girls” in Suffolk County.¹

Tragically, all three of Phillip’s siblings died very young, and it appears that two of them were victims of a 1604-1605 epidemic that also took the life of their father.¹ Phillip and her mother carried on, possibly by living in the households of relatives. After she came of age, Phillip was living in Little Waldingfield where she married John Sayles on August 11, 1625.¹ She soon gave birth to two daughters, one in 1626,¹ and one in 1628.¹

Essex County was at the center of the Puritan movement in England, and John and Phillip became followers. The church that John Winthrop attended was just a few miles from where they lived.^2,3 Winthrop was a wealthy lawyer who sought to set up a religious haven in America, an endeavor which took shape in the spring of 1630. He wrote down the families he considered good candidates for the new colony, and one of the names on his list was Sayles.¹

The Winthrop Fleet consisted of 11 ships and over 700 passengers, with John Winthrop himself aboard the flagship, Arabella.⁴ Sailing across the Atlantic in the 17th century was no easy thing; ships might be ridden with disease, and if the wind wasn’t working for them, a voyage could take months. It was later reported that 14 people died on one of the ships, The Talbot.¹ Because there were no records of Phillip or her younger daughter in Massachusetts, the assumption has been made that they were among the deaths. 

The Arabella.

John settled in Charlestown and he was among the first members of the church, but Phillip wasn’t mentioned.¹ He became somewhat of a misfit, and was accused of stealing from his fellow settlers; a 1633 record detailed a punishment of whipping and indenture.¹ Perhaps the idea of leaving England had been more Phillip’s than his — she being the more devoted Puritan — but this is speculation. By November 1638, John and older daughter Phoebe took the drastic measure of relocating in New Amsterdam.¹ He remarried to a Dutch woman in 1644,¹ and he died the following year.¹

It’s important to note that no real proof exists that Phillip died while sailing on the historic Winthrop Fleet. Another scenario was that she made it to Charlestown and simply passed away early on. By virtue of having descendants in the New Netherland colony, she is the distant ancestor of James Spader.⁵

Children:
1. Phoebe Sayles — B. before 1 May 1626, Little Waldingfield, England;¹ D. 13 Dec 1666, Flatbush, New York; M. (1) Teunis Nyssen (~1615-~1663), 11 Feb 1640, New Amsterdam, New Netherland;¹ (2) Jan Cornelissen Buys (1629-1690), 24 Aug 1663, Midwout, New Netherland¹

2. Sarah Sayles — B. before 27 Jul 1628, Little Waldingfield, England;¹ D. (probably) young¹

Sources:
1    “The Family of Phillip (Sole) Sayles of the Winthrop Fleet,” New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. 168, January 2014, pp. 43-57
2    Little Waldingfield (Wikipedia article)  
3    Groton, Suffolk (Wikipedia article)  
4    John Winthrop (Wikipedia article)
5    FamousKin.com listing of Teunis Nyssen 

Daughter of a New England Preacher — Lydia Miller

B. 2 Feb 1640 in Rowley, Massachusetts¹
M. about 1656 in Sandwich, Massachusetts²
Husband: Nathaniel Fish
D. after 14 Mar 1694 in (probably) Sandwich, Massachusetts³

Lydia Miller was very young when she got married in the mid-17th century, but she had a pre-nuptial agreement, and this may have been because her father was the town minister.

Lydia was born on February 2, 1640 to John Miller and his wife Lydia,¹ the third of eight children. Her father was a preacher who was sought after by many towns in early Massachusetts, and he had settled for a time in Rowley, where Lydia was born. Within a couple of years, Reverend Miller was recruited by the new settlement of Sandwich, located on Cape Cod in the Plymouth Colony, and the family relocated there.⁴

A house in Sandwich that dates back to 1675.

Sometime during the mid-1650s, Lydia got married to a man named Nathaniel Fish;² this happened no doubt when she was in her mid-teens. He was about 20 years older than she was, and he had a need for Lydia after the death of his first wife left him to raise three young boys. These children now became her charge; she added to the family with about six children of her own, the youngest born in August 1668.

Part of the marriage arrangement was that if Nathaniel died, Lydia would receive a minimum of £66 from the estate.³ It’s easy to imagine that the difference in age between bride and groom caused a need for this protection, but perhaps the status of Lydia’s father being the town minister played into this as well. Their marriage seemed to have some challenges — in 1677, their daughter Lydia was raped by one of Nathaniel’s sons from his first marriage.⁵ The son was found guilty and was publicly whipped, but he was set free after that. Young Lydia went to live in another town where she eventually got married.⁶

Nathaniel passed away, and on March 14, 1694, the pre-nuptial agreement was implemented.² Unfortunately, Lydia only got £31 because that was all the money in his estate. Her brother John joined her in administering the probate. Lydia’s situation was described as, “He had left only a two-room house, five acres of upland, three acres of meadow, an ox, a cow, an old sword, a few books, and a few household items.” Because the cash fell short of the money that was promised, Lydia got everything in the inventory.

Nothing more is known of Lydia as to when and where she died. Some have said she was alive until about 1729, but there is no original source cited for this.³

Children:
1. Lydia Fish — B. about 1657, (probably) Sandwich, Plymouth Colony;⁷ D. 8 Sep 1712, Billerica, Massachusetts;⁷ M. John Jefts (1651-1712), 6 Apr 1688, Billerica, Massachusetts⁶

2. (probably) Mercy Fish — B. (probably) during 1660s, Sandwich, Plymouth Colony;⁸ D. 29 Mar 1734, Sandwich, Massachusetts;⁹ M. Joshua Blackwell (1653-1737), about 1681, Sandwich, Massachusetts⁸

3. Nathan Fish — B. (probably) during the 1660s in Sandwich, Plymouth Colony;¹⁰ M. Deborah Barrows (~1668-?), 20 Dec 1687, Plymouth, Plymouth Colony¹¹

4. Jonathan Fish — B. about 1662, Sandwich, Plymouth Colony¹²

5. Thomas Fish — B. about 1665, Sandwich, Plymouth Colony;¹³ D. 1736, Duxbury, Massachusetts;¹⁴ M. Margaret Woodworth (1673-1723), 10 Jan 1697, Marshfield, Massachusetts¹⁵

6. Samuel Fish — B. 10 Aug 1668, Sandwich, Plymouth Colony¹⁶

Sources:
1    Birth record of Lydia Miller, Vital Records of Rowley, Massachusetts to the year 1849, 1928
2    Marriage year is based on the idea she wasn’t married before age 16, but daughter Lydia wasn’t named as a minor in 1677 court case, so probably was born no later than 1657.
3    WikiTree listing for Lydia (Miller) Fish (1640 - abt. 1729)  
4    WikiTree listing for John Miller (1604-1663)  
5    Plymouth Colony: Its History and People, 1620-1691, Eugene Aubrey Stratton, 1986, pp. 198-199
6    Marriage record of John Jefts and Lydia Fish, Massachusetts Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
7    WikiTree listing for Lydia Fish
8    WikiTree listing for Mercy Fish
9    Death record of Mercy Blackwell, Vital Records of Sandwich, MA to 1885, 1996
10  WikiTree listing for Nathan Fish
11  “Nathan and Deborah (Barrows) Fish of Falmouth, Massachusetts,” Robert E. Bowman, The American Genealogist, V. 80, 2005
12  WikiTree listing for Jonathan Fish
13  WikiTree listing for Thomas Fish
14  Index of Obituaries in Boston Newspapers 1704-1795, Ogden Codman, 1968
15  Marriage record of Thomas Fish and Margaret Woodworth, “Marriages from the Early Records of Marshfield, MA,” The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, V. 6
16  The Fish Family in England and America, Lester Warren Fish, 1948

The Legacy of a Slaveholder — Fendall Sutherland

B. about 1718 in King William County, Virginia¹
M. (1) about 1740 in (probably) King William County, Virginia²
Wife: UNKNOWN
M. (2) about 1757 in (probably) King William County, Virginia²
Wife: Mary Coleman
D. before 1790 in (probably) King William County, Virginia³

In looking at the life of Fendall Sutherland, it’s hard to overlook the fact that he owed his wealth to the labor of many enslaved people. Rather than glossing over this history, it’s better to tell it head on.

Fendall was born in about 1718 in King William County, Virginia, the son of Joseph Sutherland.¹ Fendall’s mother’s first name is unknown, but she was a daughter of John Chiles.⁴ Why was he given the unusual name of Fendall? It was likely chosen to honor Josias Fendall, an early governor of Maryland who led a 1660 rebellion against Lord Baltimore. He was a folk hero to some people for many years to come, and perhaps to Fendall’s parents at the time of his birth. Fendall was known to have had one brother named John who seems to have died in 1771.⁵

As with most Virginia families of this period of time, the records are incomplete; many were destroyed in courthouse fires during the Civil War or later. Various sources have identified six children for Fendall, and it’s believed they were from two wives, with the second one named Mary Coleman.² It’s likely that Fendall married his first wife in about 1740,² and she died during the late 1750s, but we have no information about who she was. His second marriage was in about 1757;² only one daughter, Anne, has a known birth date of October 21, 1769.⁵

Fendall’s second wife Mary.

Living in Tidewater Virginia in the mid-18th century meant that your livelihood almost certainly involved tobacco — growing it, harvesting it, and selling it. We know that on June 14, 1739, Fendall was granted 200 acres in King William County which was part of some land from his grandfather’s original claim.⁵ By 1782, he lived on a plantation of 1,359 acres in another county in Virginia: Amelia.⁵ And along with his land, Fendall had a substantial amount of slaves.

How Fendall came to have so many slaves may have been as a result of his inheritance from an uncle. Walter Chiles was the brother of his mother, and when he died in 1760, he left no descendants. Chiles’ vast holdings were therefore divided between the children of his two sisters. Fendall was said to have bought the shares of his siblings, so he seems to have acquired half of the Chiles estate, including numerous slaves.⁶

A tax list from 1778 in King William County reveals that 52 slaves were in Fendall’s household.⁷ In 1782, a personal property list recorded in Amelia County showed a total of 34 slaves.⁸ This implied that he sold off 18 people between those years, possibly breaking up families; sadly, this was a common thing during that time. The 1782 document listed each of his slaves by name (all but one of these unfortunate people were probably never documented anywhere else): Peter, Jack, Tom, Cain, Gloster [?], Hannable, Jemimy, Jinney, Molly, Armeca, Flora, Hanna, Cate, Charles, Hall, Sam, Tom, Amy, Lucy, Patt, Delilah, Betty, Jinney, Martin, Phill, Daniel, Phillis, Moses, Molly, Surah, Lewis, Judy, Ivy and Sue. 

Fendall’s listing in the 1782 Amelia County, Virginia personal property book.

One of the people in the list was mentioned in a Virginia publication dated July 10, 1784: “Fendall Southerland, Sen., living in King William County, advertises for a runaway Negro lad named Martin. He ran away last year and passed by the name of Reuben Gun, and fell in at Petersburg with George Oast who kept him as a waiting man, and after being advertised in the Virginia Gazette, was apprehended in Petersburg by Alexander Gordon.”⁹

Fendall continued to appear in tax lists in William County until 1785,⁷ then there’s a gap in the records until 1790. That year listed his wife Mary as a widow, so Fendall died by that date.⁷ Mary, who was much younger than Fendall, lived for many years more, and passed away on January 16, 1818.⁵ As for Fendall’s legacy of slaveholding, this wasn’t passed along to at least some of the next generation. His sons William and Uriah moved near the Green River in Kentucky by 1801, and neither had any slaves.¹⁰

A record of the enslaved
The Amelia County, Virginia 1782 personal property book is a snapshot of who lived there at the time, and a sickening document to read. It’s 92 pages listing the heads of households followed by the names of the people they “owned” (one individual had a list of over 250 names after his own). The names of the enslaved bring the dry facts to life because you can almost picture them. And knowing that this was several generations before the Civil War, these people were likely doomed to being enslaved for the rest of their lives. History such as this should be remembered, and that’s why I do so here — even when it involves my own ancestor.

Children (possibly) by first wife:
1. William Sutherland — B. about 1742, King William County, Virginia;¹¹ D. after 22 Jan 1803, Lincoln County, Virginia;¹¹ M. Mary Polly Owen (1746-1834), about 1766, Virginia¹¹

2. Fendall Sutherland — B. about 1745, King William County, Virginia;¹² D. about 1791;¹² M. Catherine _____, about 1766¹²

3. Uriah Sutherland — B. about 1755, King William County, Virginia;¹³ D. 22 Aug 1804, Lincoln County, Kentucky;¹⁴ M. Rebecca Bentley, 19 Feb 1787, Frederick County, Virginia¹⁵

Children (possibly) by Mary Coleman:
1. Elizabeth Sutherland — B. about 1758, King William County, Virginia;¹² D. about 1810;¹² M. Isaac Quarles, 5 May 1774¹²

2. Sarah Sutherland — B. about 1763, King William County, Virginia;¹² D. after 1789;¹² M. Roger Gregory¹²

3. Anne Sutherland — B. 21 Oct 1769, King William County, Virginia;¹² D. 28 Oct 1841, (probably) King William County, Virginia;¹⁶ M. William Gregory (1767-1849), 27 Oct 1785¹²

Sources:
1    Sutherlands and Their Tangled Branches, Robert J. Walsh, 1985, pp.19-20. (Fendall first appeared in a 1739 document which suggested he was of age, putting his estimated birth by 1718.)
2    Ibid. (Evidence suggests Fendall was married twice, which is explained on page 19.)
3    1790 personal property tax lists of King William County, Virginia, FamilySearch.org
4    There is a string of evidence that points to a Miss Chiles being the mother of Fendall. (1) In 1763, Fendall was executor to the probate of a man named Walter Chiles, implying a close relationship. (2) Walter Chiles had two sisters, one of whom married a Mr. Sutherland (Reports of Cases in the General Court of Virginia, 1829, p. 133). (3) The age of Walter Chiles and his sisters would put them on the generation of Fendall’s father, Joseph.
5    “Southerland Family of King William County, Virginia,” Winston of Virginia and Allied Families, Clayton Torrence, 1929, pp. 394-400
6    Reports of Cases in the General Court of Virginia, 1829, p. 133
7    1782-1790 personal property tax lists of King William County, Virginia, FamilySearch.org
8    1782 personal property tax list of Amelia County, Virginia, FamilySearch.org
9    The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 30, 1986, p. 312
10  1801 personal property tax list of Lincoln County, Kentucky, FamilySearch.org
11  Sutherlands and Their Tangled Branches, p. 23
12  Sutherlands and Their Tangled Branches, p. 29
13  Unsourced information on WikiTree listing for Uriah Sutherland 
14  Probate record of Uriah Sutherland, Lincoln County, Kentucky
15  Marriage record of Uriah Sutherland and Rebecca Bently, Virginia, Vital Records, 1715-1901, FamilySearch.org
16  Find-a-Grave listing of Anne (Southerland) Gregory

Supporting a Challenger to the Throne — Edward Strode

B. before 2 Apr 1629 in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England¹
M. after 29 Jun 1659 in Bristol, England²
Wife: Joan Gunning
D. 28 Oct 1703 in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England³

The 17th century in England were turbulent times for some noblemen — each had to decide whether they were loyal to the monarchy or to those who opposed it. Edward Strode made his choice, and almost had to pay with his life.

Edward was born into an upper-class family with a large holding of land in Somerset. His parents were Sir William Strode and Joan Barnard, and he was the fifth of their 13 children. On April 2, 1629, Edward was baptized at Shepton Mallet,¹ which is about 16 miles southwest of Bath, and is today the closest town to the Glastonbury Festival. Edward’s father had been colonel of the Parliamentary Army, and a member of the House of Commons.³ He was also involved in the woolen business,³ and it’s believed Edward took up this trade as well. 

The Strode coat of arms at Edward’s burial place.

Records show that Edward was given a pension (scholarship) to attend Emmanuel College at Cambridge University, and this was likely because of his father’s influence and status.³ Emmanuel College was founded in 1584 as a place to train Anglican ministers, but it’s believed that Edward studied the law, and he presumably earned a degree. As Edward came of age, King Charles I was fighting significant opposition to his reign, and sentiment against him was high among the Strode family.³ During the late 1640s, Edward’s father supplied some horses to forces going up against the king, and 20-year-old Edward was also involved in this.³

Soon after, Oliver Cromwell took charge of England and Charles I was beheaded, which meant the Strodes were safe from prosecution over aiding the rebels. But in 1660, the monarchy was restored, and perhaps for his own survival, Edward’s father “made his humble submission” to the new king, Charles II.³ William Strode passed away in 1666, and afterwards, Edward, now given the title “Esquire of Downside,”³ seemed to lie low regarding his loyalties.

During these years, Edward married Joan Gunning, the daughter of a Bristol alderman, with the publishing of banns taking place on June 29, 1659,² and between 1660 and 1675, they had 10 children. Joan passed away on April 1, 1679.³ Several letters have been preserved in archives which were written by Edward during a period of December 1679 to April 1680. In one of them he mentions that everyone in his household was sick with the measles. Other letters talk about social concerns among Somerset nobility, commenting on various men and women, but the context is lost to history.³

It was during the 1680s that Edward again showed support for factions that opposed the ruling king. At that time, an illegitimate son of Charles II, who was known as the Duke of Monmouth, started building up a following in England. And when his father died in 1685 and his brother James II was declared his successor, Monmouth made a claim on the throne.³ As he gathered supporters, Monmouth visited Edward in his home more than once; it’s believed that he was trying to get financial backing from the Strode family.³ 

Edward Strode.

Monmouth’s fight for the crown was short-lived. His peasant army was quickly overpowered by the King’s regulars, and Monmouth tried to flee for his life.³ After a bloody battle, Edward gave him lodging for one night,³ which was a huge risk. A few days later, Monmouth was captured and taken to the Tower of London, where on July 15, 1685, he was beheaded.³

Edward was also arrested and imprisoned in the Tower,³ but didn’t suffer the same fate. So how did Edward escape being executed for his association with the Duke of Monmouth? Those in control decided a more fruitful thing would be to extort large sums of money from him. He was made to pay up a lot of his wealth in exchange for a pardon granted on March 26, 1687.³ A witness reported that Edward returned home and declared to his oldest daughter, “I’ve got my pardon dear, but it has cost me your apron full of gold.”³ The unfortunate men supporting Monmouth who didn’t have money were said to have been sentenced without a trial and hanged.³

After this, Edward turned his support to the king. He was made a sheriff of Somerset,³ and served for a time in the House of Commons.³ Edward was also responsible for funding the construction of an almshouse for four men.³ This sort of charity was a part of English nobility throughout much of the country’s history. 

Strode’s almshouse.

Edward wrote a will dated September 24, 1697 leaving bequests to his surviving children, seeming to favor his daughter Elizabeth with the bulk of his estate.³ He died six years later on October 28, 1703, and he was buried in the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Shepton Mallet.³ Edward was a distant ancestor of baseball players Ray Boone, Bob Boone, Bret Boone and Aaron Boone.

Children:
1. William Strode — B. 8 Jul 1660, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England;³ D. 24 Mar 1662, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England³

2. Elizabeth Strode — B. before 21 Mar 1661, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England;³ D. 9 Aug 1715, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England³

3. Edward Strode — B. about 1663, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England;³ D. about 1 Sep 1664, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England³

4. Joanna Strode³

5. Jane Strode — B. about 1665, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England;³ D. after 20 Mar 1712;³ M. Joseph Browne³

6. Edward Strode — B. about 1667, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England;³ D. before 1669, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England³

7. Edward Strode — B. before 16 Jun 1670, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England;³ D. 1697, at sea (Atlantic Ocean);³ M. Susannah Hatchett (1673-1697), London, England³

8. Mercy Strode — B. about 1673, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England;³ D. Apr 1732, M. Francis Wyndham³

9. John Strode — B. before 13 Oct 1675, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England;³ D. 1737, Virginia;³ M. Hannah _____, before 1700³

10. Mary Strode — B. before 13 Oct 1675, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England;³ D. about 23 Apr 1676, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England³

Sources:
1    Christening record of Edward Strode, England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975, FamilySearch.org 
2    Marriage record of Edward Strode and Joan Gunning, England, Somerset, Church Records, 1501-1999, FamilySearch.org  
3    In Search of the Strode Orphans: The Ancestry of Edward Strode, Jeremiah Strode, Samuel Strode, and Martha (Strode) Bryan, David C. McMurtry, Michael L. Kallam and Kerry Ross O’Boran, 1998