B. about 1626 in England
M. about 1647 in (probably) Massachusetts
Husband: Thomas Dutton
D. 27 Aug 1684 in Billerica, Massachusetts
The story of Susannah Dutton sounds almost contemporary: her husband acted violently against her, the neighbors reported it as a crime, and under oath, she claimed it never happened. Remarkably, this took place in a town in New England — in the year 1661.
Susannah has unfortunately sketchy origins. Some have said her maiden name was Palmer, and she was born sometime during the 1620s, but there is no documentation for this. Almost certainly she was born in England, not America, because migration to the Massachusetts colony more or less began in 1630. In about 1647, she married Thomas Dutton, and the couple settled in the village of Reading. The first record of her was the birth of her first child, Thomas, on September 14, 1648.
By September 1659, the family had moved to the town of Woburn, and Susannah had five more children, with the youngest having been born that year. She was holding the baby when the incident occurred that was overheard by the family next door — in some sort of argument, Thomas repeatedly hit her with a stick. What brought on his anger isn’t known, but Susannah was afraid he would hurt the child, and perhaps kill him. Two of the witnesses reported that she was “crying out between blows.” Susannah’s oldest daughter, 10-year-old Mary, ran away in fear, and hid at a neighbors’ house.
The family who reported the beating was named Carter. It was two teenaged daughters who both heard and saw what happened, perhaps by peeking through the window of the Duttons’ house. The next day, their father, John Carter, went over to confront Thomas, and he could see that Susannah was still crying from the attack of her husband. And a day or so later, she confided to the Carters that she could “still feel the blows.”
But when the case came to trial, Susannah told the court that her husband never hit her. He of course denied the charges, and presented character witnesses in the form of his neighbors from Reading: twenty-one people signed a statement saying his treatment of Susannah was always “tender and loving.” It’s easy to understand why Thomas claimed innocence, but why would Susannah go along with it? Perhaps she was embarrassed by her private situation being made public, but more likely was that her only future was with her husband, so the matter needed to be brushed aside. The court nonetheless decided that Thomas was guilty, and he was fined £5 for beating his wife.
There was no further reported violence between Susannah and her husband. She had three more children with him, the youngest being born in 1669. The family moved to Billerica, where Susannah died on August 27, 1684. Thomas remarried soon after, but passed away in 1687.
Children:
1. Thomas Dutton – B. 14 Sep 1648, Reading, Massachusetts; D. 1 Jan 1728, Middlesex County, Massachusetts; M. (1) Rebecca Brabrook (1648-1721), 1 Jan 1679, Billerica, Massachusetts; (2) Sarah Converse (~1648-1738), Nov 1721
2. Mary Dutton – B. 14 Sep 1651, Reading, Massachusetts; D. 9 Jul 1678, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. Jacob Hamlet (~1641-1703), 21 Dec 1669, Billerica, Massachusetts
3. Susannah Dutton – B. 27 Feb 1654, Reading, Massachusetts; D. Dec 1723, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. (1) John Durrant (1650-1692), 16 Nov 1670, Billerica, Massachusetts; (2) Justinian Holden (1644-1699), 6 Dec 1693, Woburn, Massachusetts
4. John Dutton – B. 2 Mar 1656, Reading, Massachusetts; D. 7 Apr 1735, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. (1) Sarah Shedd (1658-1721), 20 Sep 1681, Billerica, Massachusetts; (2) Ruth Frost (?-1738), May 1721, Billerica, Massachusetts
5. Elizabeth Dutton – B. 28 Jan 1659, Woburn, Massachusetts; D. 7 Apr 1698, Concord, Massachusetts; M. William Baker (1650-1702), 5 May 1681, Woburn, Massachusetts
6. Joseph Dutton – B. 25 Jan 1661, Woburn, Massachusetts; D. 24 Jan 1734, Haddam, Connecticut; M. (1) Rebecca Merriam (1662-1693), 19 Aug 1685, Reading, Massachusetts; (2) Mary Cutler (1663-1744), 7 Dec 1693, Charlestown, Massachusetts
7. Sarah Dutton – B. 5 Mar 1662, Woburn, Massachusetts; D. about 1750, (probably) Reading, Massachusetts; M. Samuel Lewis (1641-1698), 2 Apr 1683, Charlestown, Massachusetts
8. James Dutton – B. 22 Aug 1665, Woburn, Massachusetts; D. 12 Jul 1755, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; M. Mary Robbins, 9 Dec 1690, Groton, Massachusetts
9. Benjamin Dutton – B. 19 Feb 1669, Woburn, Massachusetts
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