Samuel Howes was baptized 10 June 1610 at Eastwell,
Kent, England, the
son of John Howes and Alice (Lloyd?). His last name is often seen as House in
records. He is my 11th great-grandfather on my Grandmother Millie
(Booth) Rollins’ side of the family.
Samuel likely came over with Rev. Lothrop’s group of
Separatists in 1634. Samuel settled at Scituate
in 1634/5 near the harbor, southeast of Coleman's Hills, between the lots of
Rev. Lothrop and Richard Foxwell. Samuel
went with Rev. Lothrop and others to be among the first white settlers of Barnstable (1639). He later
went to Cambridge, eventually returning to Scituate. His family was
close with Rev. John Lothrop—Samuel’s sister Hannah was the Reverend’s first
wife.
About April 1636 he married Ann Hammond who was born about
1619. I have sometimes seen his wife’s name as Elizabeth Hammond. Ann’s parents
were William Hammond and Elizabeth Paine who were married at Lavenham, a village
in Suffolk, England
and immigrated to Watertown,
Massachusetts.
The couple had four children that I know of: Samuel, Elizabeth,
Sarah and John.
I descend from Elizabeth who married John Sutton.
Samuel was a shipbuilder by trade. Capt. George Henry Preble’s
NEHGR April 1871 article Notes on Early
Ship-Building in Massachusetts, states that “At Hobart’s landing [Scituate] vessels were
built by Samuel House as early as 1650.”
From a deposition in England (below), it shows that he
was in the English Navy as a young man. It also indicates he was an opinionated
and brave man to make a negative comment about taxation under oath!
The Rawlinson Manuscript, A-128, in the Bodleian Library comprising
records of the proceedings of the Court of High Commision (Ecclesiactical
Division) 1632, gives an interesting account of the prosecution of Rev. John Lothrop/Lathrop
and his flock of dissenters who met at a conventicler [a private meeting to
hear illegal preaching]
in the Black Friars, London. Among those
arrested were Samuel Howes and his sister Penninah Howes who was a sister-in-law
of Mr. Lathrop and their examination by the different members of the court is
recorded as follows;
Register: "Samuel Howes," saith the King's
advocate, "you are required by your oath to answer to the articles."
Howes: "I have served the King both by sea and by land,
and I had been at sea if this restraint had not been made upon me. My
conversacon, I thank God, none can tax."
Register: "Will you take your oath?"
Howes: "I am a young man and doe not know what the oath
is."
King's Advocate: "The King desires your service in
obeying his laws."
Then Penninah Howes was called and required to take her oath
but she refused.
London:
"Will you trust Mr. Lathrop and believe him rather than the Church of
England ?"
Penninah: "I referre myself to the word of God whether
I maie take this oath or noe."
Rev. Lothrop served two years in a London prison where many prisoners died
because of the deplorable conditions.
The first church services in Barnstable were held at a large boulder known
as Sacrament Rock.
Sacrament Rock, Barnstable |
Rev. Lothrop’s Bible is on display at Sturgis Library in Barnstable.
Samuel died in Scituate
on 12 September 1667 (date of death given in his probate records). Ann survived
him but I do not know her date of death. Samuel had a large estate in Barnstable
and Scituate.
Ann was the niece of William Paine of Boston, a man of great wealth, who left 10
pounds to his "kinswoman Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel House.”
The inventory of the Estate of Samuel House Sr. who deceased
the 12th day of Sept 1661: appraised at the request of Samuel House Jr. and
Elizabeth House, children of the deceased by Timothy Hatherly, Nicholas Baker,
Joseph Tilden and Isaac Chittenden. Among the items are the boat as she with
the new sayle at Boston,
and all belonging to it: 80 lbs. The house and land at Scituate, 60 lbs. His share of a parcel of
land granted by the court, to the ancient freemen of Duxburrow, Scituate and Marshfield,
251 lbs. These goods heer underwritten, not being here at Scituate,
were appraised by Tristem Hull and John Chipman of Barnstable, because the goods were there.
The property at Barnstable
was all personal, including his wife's gown at 1 lb 17s; his sonnes suite at 1
lbs. Samuel House Jr. was deposed to the
truth of the above written inventory. (Mayflower
Descendant Vol. 15, p. 59)
Sources Not Listed Above:
Amos Otis, Genealogical
Notes of Barnstable Families, being a reprint of the Amos Otis Papers, 1888
Dan R. McConnell, The Howes,
Lothrops, and Linnells of Kent and London, England,
and Scituate and Barnstable, Massachusetts,
Cape Cod Genealogical Society Bulletin, Fall
2007
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your information about the House/ Howse families. My husband and children are also descendants although we are Australian! Their stories are fascinating to us.
ReplyDeleteMichele, That's so interesting there are Howes descendants in Australia! Chris
DeleteI am a Howes/Howes/House of Samuel Howes, over a hundred years after Samuel died one of his descendants served in a Mass Reg in the revolutionary war & settled in Maine around 1877. I would like to find out if you have any names of ships built by Samuel Howes, type of ship, owners etc. my email is bbhowes(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I don't have any names of ships he built, but wish I did! Chris
DeleteMy name is Michael House from Winthrop Maine. I am a 13th generation descendant of Samuel
DeleteYes. He is buried in Leeds near adroscoggin lake. I'll look up his name
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteHi Michael,
Delete13 generations of the House name is remarkable! Chris