Henry Burt

     Henry was born in 1596 in Harberton, Devonshire, England. Henry married Eulalia March, daughter of Richard March and Joan Martyn, on 28 December 1619 in Deaneprior, Devonshire, England.² Henry Burt was one of many men who with their families left the upheaval in England to find a more emancipated way of life in the New World. There is no known record of the families immigration to New England; his name first appears in public record in Roxbury in 1638. The last record of Henry in Roxbury is the next year when the General Court allowed him 8 pounds to offset his losses due to a fire that had destroyed his house. The next year, December of1640, Henry’s name appears in the records of Springfield. Here, Henry struggled financially as a farmer with a large family. During this period of time and especially in remote areas such as where Henry had settled with his family, store owners held a monopoly on supplies necessary for the farmer to ply his trade and care for his family. As a result Henry as well as many other farmers living in the same circumstance found themselves in debt, living in what in practical terms was a vassalage existence. As a result, in spite of frugal living and hard laborious work, Henry died owing a debt with no assets other than his homestead to off set it. The inventory of his estate at the time of his death showed an indebtedness of 50 pounds 10 shillings, of which 45 pounds was to the store owner in Springfield.

Eulaliah worked to pay off their debt, finding it necessary to sell her homestead property to the store owner well under it value as shown in inventory about a year earlier. With the selling of the property, Eulaliah reduced the debt to just over 13 pounds which she was eventally able to pay off with income from wheat she raised on rented property. The real tragedy of these events is that this scenario was repeated over and over with other farmers in this locale and throughout New England.^3,4 Henry died intestate on Sunday, 30 April 1662 in Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts.⁵ On 1 May 1662, Henry was buried at Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts. The inventory of Henry's estate was taken on Monday, 11 September 1662, his widow Euliala swearing to its truth. It amounted to £181 14s. against which debts amounting to £50 10s.

Henry Burt of Springfield
Who departed this life April 30, 1662, not having any will made by his own hand for ye disposing of his estate, yet for that did by words express his mind thereon before Ensign Thomas Cooper and Jonathan Burt who by a writing made by their hands presented the same into this court, a copy whereof hereafter follows, the widow Burt consenting thereunto. The court allowed the same to stand as the last will and testament of Henry Burt.
We Thomas Cooper and Jonathan Burt do testify that after Henry Burt now deceased had disposed of part of his estate to his son Nathaniel, said Henry had such possessions as these, viz: That what estate he had then left should be at his wife’s diposal, as witness our hands this 29^th day of September, 1662.
Thomas Cooper & Jonathan Burt.⁶