Mary
F, d. 31 May 1658
Mary was born in England. Mary married Jeffrey Ferris circa 1634. She and Jeffrey were blessed with 5 children. From Greenwich Old & New: Chapter - Story of One Pioneer.
In spite of the important part that Daniel Patrick played in the founding of Greenwich, it was men like Jeffrey Ferris and Angell Husted who actually made this settlement. They were the men who remained permanently, and raised large families, which continued to live here for generations, forming the background of the town. So, to use Jeffrey Ferris as an example we must go back a few years to the settlement of Watertown just outside of Boston.
Along with a great number of restless, energetic Englishmen who left their homes for various reasons, Jeffrey Ferris came to America in 1634. Born in Leichestershire, England, in 1610, he was twenty-four when he came to Watertown. Over six feet tall, with blue eyes and red hair, he was a typical middle class Englishman, God-fearing, respectable, industrious and as later events proved, a good businessman. He was enough of a Puritan to be eligible as a citizen of Watertown, for his name was registered as a freeman of Boston in 1635. At that time church membership was the essential requirement for citizenship. This entitled him to be called Goodman Ferris.
From a number of small clues, it may be assumed that Jeffrey Ferris was not a rigid Puritan. He may have come to America for freedom of worship, but undoubtedly there were other more practical reasons as well. Goodman Ferris wanted land of his own, but he also wanted the rights of a free landowner. There was plenty of land around Boston, but little freedom. Not to repeat the well known story of how the citizens of Newtown, Watertown, and Dorchester separated from Boston and migrated to Connecticut, enough of this history must be told to explain how and why Jeffrey Ferris finally came to Greenwich.
At this time Boston was controlled by a few rigid Puritans who had organized a theocratic and completely undemocratic form of government. The citizens of the three settlements around Boston were not allowed to govern themselves independently, nor were they even fairly represented in Boston although they were subject to taxation. The rules and regulations regarding personal conduct were unbelievably strict. It was not only irregular characters like John Underhill and Daniel Patrick who were punished for minor crimes. Many very respectable law abiding citizens were fined or put in the stocks for trivial offenses.
Men like Jeffrey Ferris who had broken home ties and sailed across the ocean to a wilderness for the sake of freedom were not likely to submit to such a situation. At the same time glowing statements were coming to Boston concerning the fertile meadows and rich valley land along the Connecticut River. A separation from Boston and migration to Connecticut was inevitable, and in the company of a number of families from Watertown, Jeffrey Ferris acquired four acres of land and built a house. Evidently he planned to stay and settle down but within four years he was moving again.
So far Jeffrey Ferris had made two moves toward freedom, but from the point of view of freedom Wethersfield proved a disappointment. Worse than that, there was no peace because of several strong minded ministers who were all trying to rule the small settlement at once. There were infinite quarrels and disputes over religion, politics, and the distribution of land. Because of these unsatisfactory conditions at Wethersfield, Jeffrey came to Greenwich. Land, always land, was what he wanted more than anything, so this time, quite on his own, he negotiated a purchase with the Indians here.
July 18, 1640, is the commonly accepted date for the founding of Greenwich because the Indian deed was signed on that day. Although historians are literally quite accurate when they assert that the settlement was established after the purchase, there are, nevertheless, a number of reasons for assuming that a few pioneers came here before July, 1640.
As an addition to the purchase of Daniel Patrick and Robert Feaks, it is noted that "Keofram hath soulde all his Right in ye above sd necks unto Jeffre Ferris." This notation suggests that Goodman Ferris was here transacting a deal with the Indian Chief Keofferam before the coming of Daniel Patrick and Robert Feaks. When signing his mark, Sachem Keofferam made the picture of a blockhouse with a projection or lookout box. In front and behind the house he drew lines which may have been an indication of plowed ground.
Indian signatures were really picture writing, and the marks usually depicted something significant in relation to the document, which was signed. Such being the case, it is quite likely that there actually was a block house on this land bought by Jeffrey, and of course this house was his home. If so, it must have been built before July 1640.
If we assume that Jeffrey was one of the first landowners, it is possible to go a step further and attribute the naming of Greenwich to this particular founder, who was born in LEICESTERSHIRE, England. About 1590 in England, there was an adventurer named Richard Ferris who served as messenger in ordinary at the court of Queen Elizabeth. At this time the Earl of Leicester was the Queen's favorite, so it is more than likely that this member of the Ferris family from LEICESTERSHIRE received an appointment through his influence. The favorite summer residence of Queen Elizabeth was at Greenwich where her yacht lay alongside the wharf in front of the palace. As a member of the court, Richard Ferris must have visited there frequently. In this way, Jeffrey Ferris, as a son or nephew (?), might have become very fond of the village of Greenwich and when he came to New England he followed the custom of other emigrants by naming the town after that place in England to which he was most attached.
Jeffrey Ferris was married three times. His second wife was Susannah Lockwood, widow of Robert Lockwood, so from the very beginning of Greenwich history these two families were united. It is said that 10,000 of their descendants can be traced and many of them still live in Greenwich today.
Angell Husted is another founder of Greenwich whose family still lives there. Robert Husted, his father, owned land in both Stamford and Greenwich and was a witness to the purchase of Patrick and Feaks. Angell Husted was a special witness to the purchase made by Jeffrey Ferris, and it is claimed by the Husted family that he was here as early as 1638.
It would be impossible to name all the families who came to Greenwich over the period of the next twenty or thirty years but it is interesting to notice that a majority of them came here by the way of Watertown and Wethersfield just as Goodman Ferris did. Some of these families settled for a time in Fairfield where Jeffrey Ferris also lived for a few years because, as a loyal Englishman, he resented the Dutch jurisdiction, which Daniel Patrick had forced upon Greenwich.
The Indians - Undoubtedly the dangerous situation due to the Indians was another reason why Jeffrey Ferris left Greenwich for several years. Almost at once the Indians became the most difficult problem with which the first settlers had to contend. There were numerous raids as well as individual attacks on helpless families.
The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) have some different dates on Jeffrey above. They show he married 1st Susannah Lockwood, who died in 1660; and then married Mathais St. John who died in 1669. The DAR also state that Jeffrey was a representative of the General Court, 1667, an original proprietor; yet above, it states he died in 1666; so there is conflicting information, but I guess that is to be expected.
From The Winthrop Woman - extracted
When on the morning of the purchase Elizabeth explained this to Daniel, he laughed, saying ASo be it then! We=ll sign this on the confounded rock, if you an= your squaw=re so set on it. I=m not the rascal to gainsay two determined women. What do we say, men?@ He turned to the five other Englishmen who stood by his hut door and were to act as witnesses. These were Jeffrey Ferris, a lean taciturn farmer of thirty, with a crest of auburn hair near as red as Patrick=s. Ferris had decided to establish himself in Rippowam, or Stamford, five miles away since that tract had just been bought by the New Haven Colony, but Ferris had already wintered on land west of Totomack cove and wished also to retain this small portion of Greenwich.
..... Jeffrey Ferris said nothing, because he never spoke idly and was in a hurry to finish these negotiations and get back to his patch of corn, which was ready for picking.
Mary departed this life on Friday, 31 May 1658 in Fairfield County, Connecticut. On her tombstone her name has weathered away leaving only "Mary -----ne". Her death date of 31 May 1658 is legible.
In spite of the important part that Daniel Patrick played in the founding of Greenwich, it was men like Jeffrey Ferris and Angell Husted who actually made this settlement. They were the men who remained permanently, and raised large families, which continued to live here for generations, forming the background of the town. So, to use Jeffrey Ferris as an example we must go back a few years to the settlement of Watertown just outside of Boston.
Along with a great number of restless, energetic Englishmen who left their homes for various reasons, Jeffrey Ferris came to America in 1634. Born in Leichestershire, England, in 1610, he was twenty-four when he came to Watertown. Over six feet tall, with blue eyes and red hair, he was a typical middle class Englishman, God-fearing, respectable, industrious and as later events proved, a good businessman. He was enough of a Puritan to be eligible as a citizen of Watertown, for his name was registered as a freeman of Boston in 1635. At that time church membership was the essential requirement for citizenship. This entitled him to be called Goodman Ferris.
From a number of small clues, it may be assumed that Jeffrey Ferris was not a rigid Puritan. He may have come to America for freedom of worship, but undoubtedly there were other more practical reasons as well. Goodman Ferris wanted land of his own, but he also wanted the rights of a free landowner. There was plenty of land around Boston, but little freedom. Not to repeat the well known story of how the citizens of Newtown, Watertown, and Dorchester separated from Boston and migrated to Connecticut, enough of this history must be told to explain how and why Jeffrey Ferris finally came to Greenwich.
At this time Boston was controlled by a few rigid Puritans who had organized a theocratic and completely undemocratic form of government. The citizens of the three settlements around Boston were not allowed to govern themselves independently, nor were they even fairly represented in Boston although they were subject to taxation. The rules and regulations regarding personal conduct were unbelievably strict. It was not only irregular characters like John Underhill and Daniel Patrick who were punished for minor crimes. Many very respectable law abiding citizens were fined or put in the stocks for trivial offenses.
Men like Jeffrey Ferris who had broken home ties and sailed across the ocean to a wilderness for the sake of freedom were not likely to submit to such a situation. At the same time glowing statements were coming to Boston concerning the fertile meadows and rich valley land along the Connecticut River. A separation from Boston and migration to Connecticut was inevitable, and in the company of a number of families from Watertown, Jeffrey Ferris acquired four acres of land and built a house. Evidently he planned to stay and settle down but within four years he was moving again.
So far Jeffrey Ferris had made two moves toward freedom, but from the point of view of freedom Wethersfield proved a disappointment. Worse than that, there was no peace because of several strong minded ministers who were all trying to rule the small settlement at once. There were infinite quarrels and disputes over religion, politics, and the distribution of land. Because of these unsatisfactory conditions at Wethersfield, Jeffrey came to Greenwich. Land, always land, was what he wanted more than anything, so this time, quite on his own, he negotiated a purchase with the Indians here.
July 18, 1640, is the commonly accepted date for the founding of Greenwich because the Indian deed was signed on that day. Although historians are literally quite accurate when they assert that the settlement was established after the purchase, there are, nevertheless, a number of reasons for assuming that a few pioneers came here before July, 1640.
As an addition to the purchase of Daniel Patrick and Robert Feaks, it is noted that "Keofram hath soulde all his Right in ye above sd necks unto Jeffre Ferris." This notation suggests that Goodman Ferris was here transacting a deal with the Indian Chief Keofferam before the coming of Daniel Patrick and Robert Feaks. When signing his mark, Sachem Keofferam made the picture of a blockhouse with a projection or lookout box. In front and behind the house he drew lines which may have been an indication of plowed ground.
Indian signatures were really picture writing, and the marks usually depicted something significant in relation to the document, which was signed. Such being the case, it is quite likely that there actually was a block house on this land bought by Jeffrey, and of course this house was his home. If so, it must have been built before July 1640.
If we assume that Jeffrey was one of the first landowners, it is possible to go a step further and attribute the naming of Greenwich to this particular founder, who was born in LEICESTERSHIRE, England. About 1590 in England, there was an adventurer named Richard Ferris who served as messenger in ordinary at the court of Queen Elizabeth. At this time the Earl of Leicester was the Queen's favorite, so it is more than likely that this member of the Ferris family from LEICESTERSHIRE received an appointment through his influence. The favorite summer residence of Queen Elizabeth was at Greenwich where her yacht lay alongside the wharf in front of the palace. As a member of the court, Richard Ferris must have visited there frequently. In this way, Jeffrey Ferris, as a son or nephew (?), might have become very fond of the village of Greenwich and when he came to New England he followed the custom of other emigrants by naming the town after that place in England to which he was most attached.
Jeffrey Ferris was married three times. His second wife was Susannah Lockwood, widow of Robert Lockwood, so from the very beginning of Greenwich history these two families were united. It is said that 10,000 of their descendants can be traced and many of them still live in Greenwich today.
Angell Husted is another founder of Greenwich whose family still lives there. Robert Husted, his father, owned land in both Stamford and Greenwich and was a witness to the purchase of Patrick and Feaks. Angell Husted was a special witness to the purchase made by Jeffrey Ferris, and it is claimed by the Husted family that he was here as early as 1638.
It would be impossible to name all the families who came to Greenwich over the period of the next twenty or thirty years but it is interesting to notice that a majority of them came here by the way of Watertown and Wethersfield just as Goodman Ferris did. Some of these families settled for a time in Fairfield where Jeffrey Ferris also lived for a few years because, as a loyal Englishman, he resented the Dutch jurisdiction, which Daniel Patrick had forced upon Greenwich.
The Indians - Undoubtedly the dangerous situation due to the Indians was another reason why Jeffrey Ferris left Greenwich for several years. Almost at once the Indians became the most difficult problem with which the first settlers had to contend. There were numerous raids as well as individual attacks on helpless families.
The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) have some different dates on Jeffrey above. They show he married 1st Susannah Lockwood, who died in 1660; and then married Mathais St. John who died in 1669. The DAR also state that Jeffrey was a representative of the General Court, 1667, an original proprietor; yet above, it states he died in 1666; so there is conflicting information, but I guess that is to be expected.
From The Winthrop Woman - extracted
When on the morning of the purchase Elizabeth explained this to Daniel, he laughed, saying ASo be it then! We=ll sign this on the confounded rock, if you an= your squaw=re so set on it. I=m not the rascal to gainsay two determined women. What do we say, men?@ He turned to the five other Englishmen who stood by his hut door and were to act as witnesses. These were Jeffrey Ferris, a lean taciturn farmer of thirty, with a crest of auburn hair near as red as Patrick=s. Ferris had decided to establish himself in Rippowam, or Stamford, five miles away since that tract had just been bought by the New Haven Colony, but Ferris had already wintered on land west of Totomack cove and wished also to retain this small portion of Greenwich.
..... Jeffrey Ferris said nothing, because he never spoke idly and was in a hurry to finish these negotiations and get back to his patch of corn, which was ready for picking.
Mary departed this life on Friday, 31 May 1658 in Fairfield County, Connecticut. On her tombstone her name has weathered away leaving only "Mary -----ne". Her death date of 31 May 1658 is legible.
Family | Jeffrey Ferris b. 1610, d. 31 May 1666 |
| Children |
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