A Wise Puritan Settler — William Learned

B. before about 1581 in (probably) Bermondsey, Surrey, England¹
M. (1) 22 Apr 1606 in St. Olave, Southwark, England²
Wife: Goodith Gillman
M. (2) after 1632 in (probably) Massachusetts²
Wife: Jane _______
D. 1 Mar 1645 in Woburn, Massachusetts²

During the 1630s, shiploads of Puritans came over from England to populate Massachusetts. Among them were men above 50 years of age who played leadership roles in their towns, and William Learned seems to fit this description.

As with many immigrants in the 17th century, little is known of William’s life in England. He was likely born by 1581 in a place called Bermondsey.¹ Although described as being in Surrey, today it’s a part of London, and just south of the Thames; the Tower of London was a short distance away. It was in Bermondsey that William first turned up in records with his marriage to a woman named Goodith Gillman on April 22, 1606.² The unusual name Goodith was not a alternate spelling of Judith, nor was it the Puritan “Goodwife” — it was her real name. William and Goodith had at least six children by 1624, with the youngest being their only surviving son. 

William’s signature.

At some point, William became a follower of the Puritan movement, and because he was so near London, he seems to have been enlisted into the Winthrop Fleet. This is known because his name turned up in Charlestown by the end of 1630, and so he must have been on a ship that year.² He and his wife were on the list of founding members of the church in Charlestown. “1632, 10 mo. day 6, William Learned and Goodeth, his wife, were admitted.”² The fact their names were at the top of the list is an indicator he was seen by others as having some status, and in fact he was made selectman in 1636.²

William’s Charlestown property was described in 1638 as being seven parcels of land: “three acres of arable land and meadow … with a dwelling house,” “four acres of arable land … in the East Field,” three and three-quarters cow commons,” “two acres of meadow … in Mystic Marshes,” “five acres of woodland in Mystic Field,” “fifteen acres of woodland … in Mystic Field,” and “forty acres of land … in Rock Field.”² But soon he left this behind to make his home in the new community of Woburn.

The town of Woburn, Massachusetts was first settled in 1640 and incorporated two years later, and William was said to be one of its earliest men. “He was a subscriber to the town orders for Woburn, drawn up at Charlestown, Dec. 18, 1640; [he] was one of the seven original members of the church in Woburn which was gathered Aug. 14, 1642…”⁴

Ordaining the first minister of Woburn in 1642. (AI-generated image)

Sadly, William didn’t live much longer than Woburn’s founding. He served in Woburn as selectman in 1644,⁵ and as constable (who also collected the taxes) in 1644 and 1645,⁵ but he died just before he would have been elected for a third year.⁵ His son Isaac had to settle the accounts he had managed as constable.⁵ William was the ancestor of Abigail Powers Fillmore, Eli Whitney, Clara Barton, Sir Robert Laird Borden (Prime Minister of Canada), George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Jeb Bush, John Ritter, Billie Jean King, Treat Williams and Elon Musk.⁶

Children (all by Goodith Gillman):
1. Sarah Learned — B. before 18 Jan 1607, (probably) Bermondsey, Surrey, England;⁷ M. (1) Thomas Ewer (1593_1638), 13 Jan 1624, Bermondsey, Surrey, England;² (2) Thomas Lothrop, 11 Dec 1639²

2. Bethiah Learned — B. before 29 Oct 1612, Bermondsey, Surrey, England²

3. Mary Learned — B. before 15 Sep 1615, Bermondsey, Surrey, England;² D. about 26 Jul 1625, Bermondsey, Surrey, England²

4. Abigail Learned — B. before 30 Sep 1618, Bermondsey, Surrey, England²

5. Elizabeth Learned — B. before 25 Mar 1621, Bermondsey, Surrey, England;² M. John Hall, before 21 Sep 1645⁸

6. Isaac Learned — B. before 25 Feb 1624, Bermondsey, Surrey, England;² D. 27 Nov 1657, Chelmsford, Massachusetts;⁹ M. Mary Stearns, 9 Jul 1646, Woburn, Massachusetts²

Sources:
1    WikiTree listing of William Learned
2    Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633, Robert Charles Anderson, 1995 
3    William Learned: Winthrop’s Fleet Woburn, Mass. Settler (website)
4    The History of Woburn, Middlesex County, Mass. from the grant of its territory to Charlestown, in 1640, to the year 1680, Samuel Sewall, 1868
5    Genealogies of the Families and Descendants of the Early Settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts, Henry Bond, 1855, p. 333
6    FamousKin listing of William Learned
7    “Updated from English Records for some Great Migration immigrants who came by 1635,” NEHGR, V. 172, 2018
8    WikiTree listing of Elizabeth (Learned) Hall
9    Death record of Isaac Learned, Vital Records of Chelmsford Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849, 1914

Woman of the First House In Billerica — Elizabeth Poulter

B. 1 Sep 1633 in Rayleigh, Essex, England¹
M. 22 Nov 1654 in Boston, Massachusetts²
Husband: Jonathan Danforth
D. 7 Oct 1689 in Billerica, Massachusetts³

Like most women of her day, Elizabeth Poulter had the primary identity of being a wife and mother. But there were some other facts about her life as a Puritan settler that give her a bit of a story, including the importance of her home.

The path Elizabeth followed to New England was fairly typical. She was born September 1, 1633 in the town of Rayleigh, England,¹ which was in Essex. Her parents were John and Mary Poulter and she was one of at least three children. The East Anglia region of England was the source of the majority of Puritan settlers to England, and so being in a family that followed that set of beliefs was only natural.

Elizabeth's birth was later recorded in Billerica, Massachusetts records.

Where Elizabeth differs a bit was in the fact that her family didn’t join the mass migration of the 1630s. Her father died in 1639, and Rayleigh records show that his will was proved there on May 30th.¹ Even though Elizabeth was 6-years-old, her father bequeathed her £100 (a substantial amount of money) to be paid to her when she came of age.

It was Elizabeth’s mother who migrated to America, bringing along Elizabeth and her brother John. The date of this move is uncertain and may have been as late as 1653.⁴ At some point, the widow Mary Poulter married John Parker, and their family was part of the first settlers of the new community of Billerica. On November 22, 1654, Elizabeth (presumably with her inheritance awarded) was the bride in the first wedding held at Billerica.² Her husband was Jonathan Danforth, a surveyor from Suffolk, England, and he would become a prominent member of the town.

Elizabeth’s husband and step-father formed a tight relationship, and together took purchased a piece of property called the “Farm Grant.”¹ It was on this land that Jonathan and Elizabeth’s house was built, said to be the first one in Billerica. The style of architecture was called a saltbox, a distinctly-shaped structure of 17th-century New England. These homes had a long, low roof line extending to the back, so that there were two stories in the front and one in the back. This was where Elizabeth presumably gave birth to her eleven children, raising many of them to adulthood. 

17th-century saltbox house. (AI-generated image)

Sadly, Elizabeth didn’t live an especially long life; she passed away on October 7, 1689 at the age of 54.³ Jonathan remarried about a year later,⁵ and he died in 1712.⁶ Their saltbox house was said to have survived until the 1880s.⁷ Elizabeth was an ancestor of Bette Davis.

Children:
1. Mary Danforth — B. 29 Jan 1656, Billerica, Massachusetts;⁸ D. May 1732, Chelmsford, Massachusetts;⁹ M. John Parker (1647-1699)⁹

2. Elizabeth Danforth — B. 27 May 1657, (probably) Billerica, Massachusetts;¹⁰ D. 9 Dec 1739, Westborough, Massachusetts;¹¹ M. Simeon Hayward (1648-1733), 7 Mar 1687, Billerica, Massachusetts¹²

3. Jonathan Danforth — B. 18 Feb 1659, Billerica, Massachusetts;¹³ D. 11 Jan 1711, Billerica, Massachusetts;¹⁴ M. Rebecca Parker (1661-1754), 27 Jun 1682, Billerica, Massachusetts¹⁵

4. John Danforth — B. 23 Jan 1660, (probably) Billerica, Massachusetts;⁷ D. 7 Feb 1661, (probably) Billerica, Massachusetts⁷

5. John Danforth — B. 22 Feb 1661, (probably) Billerica, Massachusetts;⁷ D. 4 Jun 1662, (probably) Billerica, Massachusetts⁷

6. Lydia Danforth — B. 1 Jun 1664, (probably) Billerica, Massachusetts;¹⁶ M. Edward Wright⁷

7. Samuel Danforth — B. 5 Feb 1666, Billerica, Massachusetts;¹⁷ D. 19 Apr 1742, Billerica, Massachusetts;¹⁸ M. Hannah Crosby (1672-1752), 8 Jan 1695, Billerica, Massachusetts¹⁹

8. Anna Danforth — B. 8 Mar 1668, Billerica, Massachusetts;²⁰ D. 13 Aug 1737, Billerica, Massachusetts;²¹ M. Oliver Whiting (1665-1736), 22 Jan 1690, Billerica, Massachusetts²²

9. Thomas Danforth — B. 29 Apr 1670, Billerica, Massachusetts;²³ D. 31 Jul 1670, Billerica, Massachusetts²⁴

10. Nicholas Danforth — B. 1 Apr 1671 Billerica, Massachusetts;²⁵ D. 8 Mar 1694, Billerica, Massachusetts²⁶

11. Sarah Danforth — B. 23 Dec 1676, Billerica, Massachusetts;²⁷ D. 15 Oct 1751, Concord, Massachusetts;²⁸ M. (1) William French (1668-1723), 22 May 1695, Billerica, Massachusetts;²⁹ (2) Ebenezer Davis (1676-1753)²⁸

Sources:
1    “The Poulter Family of Rayleigh, Essex, England and Billerica, Massachusetts,” NEHGR, V. 141, 1987
2    Marriage record of Jonathan Danforth and Elizabeth Poulter, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001
3    Death record of Elizabeth Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
4    Date of arrival in America roughly based on Elizabeth Poulter’s marriage in 1654.
5    Marriage record of Jonathan Danforth and Esther Converse, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
6    Death record of Jonathan Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
7    Historic homes and places and genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, William Richard Cutter, 1908, p. 165
8    Birth record of Mary Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
9    Find-a-Grave listing of Mary (Danforth) Parker
10  Birth record of Elizabeth Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
11  Death record of Elizabeth Hayward, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
12  Marriage record of Simeon Hayward and Elizabeth Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
13  Birth record of Jonathan Danforth (younger), M., T. C., V. & T. R.
14  Death record of Jonathan Danforth (younger), M., T. C., V. & T. R.
15  Marriage record of Jonathan Danforth and Rebecca Parker, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
16  Birth record of Lydia Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
17  Birth record of Samuel Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
18  Death record of Samuel Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
19  Marriage record of Samuel Danforth and Hannah Crosby, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
20  Birth record of Anna Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
21  Death record of Anna Whiting, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
22  Marriage record of Oliver Whiting and Anna Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
23  Birth record of Thomas Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
24  Death record of Thomas Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
25  Birth record of Nicholas Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
26  Find-a-Grave listing of Nicholas Danforth
27  Birth record of Sarah Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
28  Find-a-Grave listing of Sarah (Danforth) Davis
29  Marriage record of William French and Sarah Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.