Duncan Stewart

Duncan Stewart was one of the earliest shipbuilders in the Colony, at Newbury, and in 1680 removed from that place to Rowley, where he died at the age of one hundred, in 1717.
Source: History of the Stewart or Stuart family - WV Ancestry – Submitted to Geni by Janet Milburn (Stewart researcher) 5/27/22
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Speculated as a son of Alexander Stewart.

Duncan Stewart was probably sent to the colonies as a prisoner of war after either the battle of Dunbar or Worcester. Very few Scots came to the colonies around 1650 with the exception of those prisoners who were sent over and sold as indentured servants. Duncan was a servant in Newbury, MA for at least a few years.

The battles of both Dunbar and Worcester were fought between Cromwell's army and Scottish forces seeking to keep their own form of religious practice and their king. Cromwell had no intention of spending money to feed or care for the Scottish prisoners so they were starved and mistreated. Those who survived (relatively few, Duncan was very tough and lucky) were sent to America to the relatively benign conditions of servitude.

I've had communication with the Stewart Society in Edinburgh and they think he may have been a younger son in the family of the Stewarts of Invernahyle, a branch of the Stewarts of Appin. This is not conclusive, however, a Duncan Stewart of this family was known to have fought at Worcester.

I've often wondered if he had a wife or children whom he was forced to leave when he was sent to the colonies. He was certainly of an age when most men would have been married.

Isabel Freeman

Website

• Rust, Teresa, Andrew Millard, Teresa Rust, and Cathi L. Stuart. 2019. “Battle of Dunbar Prisoner Profiles: Duncan Stewart.” Scottish Prisoners of War. 24 May 2019. Profile Available at: SPOWS.org:—
  • "Duncan Stewart, #101 on George S. Stewart’s Captured at Dunbar List
  • "Important Update! (Jul 2018)
  • "According to, Christopher Gerrard, Pam Graves, Andrew Millard, Richard Annis, and Anwen Caffell, in, Lost Lives, New Voices: Unlocking the Stories of the Scottish Soldiers at the Battle of Dunbar 1650, (England: Oxbow Books, 2018), on page 252, Duncan is categorized as: Probable [that he was a Dunbar prisoner transported on the Unity] Stewart, Duncan. Residences: Bradford, MA; Ipswich, MA; Newbury, MA; and Rowley, MA. Appears: 1654. D.1717. Servant to George Hadley. [Exiles; DR; SPOWS; Ch.8]
  • For explanations of the category, abbreviations and references see List of Dunbar prisoners from Lost Lives, New Voices.

"First Generation in the New World

• "1. DUNCAN¹ STEWART was born, presumably in Scotland about 1617 and died at Rowley, Essex County, Massachusetts on 30 Aug 1717*. He married in Essex County*, Massachusetts in Apr 1654*, ANN WINCHURST*.
  • Children of Duncan and Ann (Winchurst) Stewart:
  • 2. i. KATHERINE² STEWART, b. at Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts on 8 Jun 1658; m. PAUL WENTWORTH.
  • 2. ii. MARTHA² STEWART, b. at Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts on 4 Apr 1659; m. JOHN WENTWORTH and COLIN FRAZER.
  • 2. iii. CHARLES² STEWART, b. at Newbury on 5 Jun 1661
  • 2. iv. ELIZABETH² STEWART, b. at Newbury on 2 Nov 1662; m. SYLVANUS WENTWORTH.
  • 2. v. JAMES² STEWART,+ b. at Newbury on 8 Oct 1664; d. at Rowley
  • 2. vi. HENRY² STEWART, b. at Newbury on 1 May 1669
  • 2. vii. EBENEZER² STUART,+ b. at Rowley in 1673; d. at Rowley bef. 23 Feb 1746; m.23 May 1698, ELIZABETH JOHNSON.
  • 2. viii. SAMUEL² STEWART, b. at Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts
  • 2. ix. JOHN² STEWART, born at Newbury Feb. or Mar 1666; died at Rowley

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Source and Passage

Edson, George Thomas, and Horace W. Dickerman, eds. 1923. “Duncan Stewart of Newbury, Mass.” Stewart Clan Magazine, 1923. Available at: Archive.org:—

“DUNCAN¹ STEWART appears first in Ipswich, Mass., where he married early in 1654 Anne Winchurst. Both were in the service of George Hadley [Essex court files, 2:130]. They moved to Newbury in 1659, and for 30 years occupied a farm on that part of the Dummer estate now a portion of the Caldwell farm in the By field parish and near the Rowley line. No evidence has been found that he or any of his sons engaged in ship-building or ever owned a ship-yard as stated in Gage-s History of Rowley. His name is on the Newbury tax-list of August 1688; and in the Rowley list of 1691, when he was assessed £2.

“He deposed in 1698 that he was about 75 years old.⓺ By deed dated Feb. 20, 1698-9, “Dunckin Steward of Rowley, planter,” sold to Capt. Stephen Greenleaf of Newbury the rate lot and right in undivided lands of Newbury belonging to “my son Charles Steward, late of Newbury, deceased” [Essex deeds, 16:17]. He was among those inhabitants of Rowley living northwest of Rye Plain bridge and Long Hill Mar. 16, 1702-3, whose minister's rates were abated. He was admitted Sep. 26, 1703, to full communion in the Rowley church,⓶ and his widow was admitted to full communion Sep. 17, 1721, “thought to be nearer 100 than 90 years.” James,² John,² Samuel² and Ebenezer² Stewart signed an agreement Mar. 17, 1713-4, for the maintenance of “our aged and honoured parents, Duncan and Ann Stewart,” who since 1707 had resided with their son John [Suffolk court files, no. 19,265]. By deed dated Apr. 16, 1718, James Stewart of Boxford, John Stewart of Rowley, Samuel Stewart of Wells and Ebenezer Stewart of Rowley, “being yᵉ only surviving brothers of Charles Stewart, late of Newbury, deceased,” confirm to Capt. Stephen Greenleaf the land and rights in Newbury of said Charles which 'our honᵈ father, Dunkin Stewart, late of Rowley, deceased, was pleased in his lifetime to sell.”⓻

“Duncan Stewart died in Rowley Aug. 30, 1717, “aged ‘tis thought about 100 years.”⓶ Anne died July 9, 1729.⓶ They had at least 12 children, of whom the two eldest were born in Ipswich; the others, in Newbury:

“1 Jane = June 2 1682, Joseph Esty of Topsfield
“2 Catherine, June 8 1658
“3 Martha, Apr. 4, 1659
“4 Charles, June 5, 1661; † May 8, 1689, unm.; soldier 1688 against Indians
“5 Elizabeth, Nov. 2, 1662 = Nov. 7, 1685, Sylvanus² Wentworth (William¹)
“8 1664; = (1) Elizabeth ——, (2) June 25, 1733 Elizabeth Prime
“7 John, 1666 = (1) Elizabeth ——, (2) Elizabeth Dresser, (3) Sarah Bailey, (4) Margaet Gage, (5) Mary Somerby
“8 Anna = Nov. 10, 1685, Colin Frazer, Newbury
“9 Henry, May 1 1668; probably died young
“10 Solomon † Dec. —, 1690, of starvation on Brigantine Adventure
“11 Samuel = Jan. 30 1700-1, Dorcas Baston, Wells, Me.
“12 Ebenezer = May 22 1698, Elizabeth Johnson, Rowley

“This genealogy was prepared in 1909 by Mr. Stewart and is contributed to the Stewart Clan Magazine by his widow, Mrs. Alice Heckman Stewart of Watertown. Mass. It represents the sum total of investigation and research on this branch and constitutes in full a remarkable work.”

Notes

• Married to two Ann's. Not sure which is the mother of the children (10). Need dates
• Prisoner of war captured at Worchestor Scotland (Trying to return the Stuart line to the throne) No records of where these prisoners came from.
• Handwritten note in the Town Records - Lived to be about 100 years.
• A will was dated December 20, 1695. Left to "my now wife Ann".
• As POW he (and Ann) worked for Mr. Hadley in Essex County Massachusetts.
• Mr Coffin did research on Newbury ("Coffin's Newbury"

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Biography

Notes from History of the Stewart or Stuart Family by Lee, Henry James; published 1920.
Earliest settler in the colony of Maine.
He had a daughter named Katherine, her birth recorded at Ipswich June 8, 1658

Duncan Stewart one of the earliest ship builders in the colony at Newbury, removed from that place to Rowley in 1680, where he died at the age of 100 in 1717.

Links

• https://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=bfrazer9&id=I3472
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Stewart-5571
• https://ma-vitalrecords.org/MA/Essex/Rowley/aDeathsS.shtml "(STEWARD (Stewart, Stuart)) Dunkin (Stewart), Aug. 30, 1717, a. abt. 100 y."

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Multiple GEDCOM Data Removed for Lack of Value

Unsourced GEDCOM is Never a Source
Here's what remains:

It is believed that Duncan Stewart was among the 9,000 Scottish prisoners taken in the "Battle of Dunbar" in 1650 by Oliver Cromwell during the civil war in England. Also, it is believed that he was selected to be sold into bondage in the New England states and, consequently, was settled in Ipswich, Massachusetts, as an indentured servant to a George Hadley. Here he met his future wife who was in service to George Hadley, possibly as an indentured servant also, but we assume by her own free will.

In 1659, the couple moved to Newbury, MA, where they resided for 30 years on a farm on that part of the Dummer estate which became a portion of the Caldwell farm in the Byfield Parish and near the Rowley line.

In 1690, they moved to Rowley where Duncan is on the tax list of 1691 when he was assessed 2 pounds. By deed, dated 20 February 1698/9, "Dunckin Steward of Rowley, planter" sold to Capt. Stephen Greenleaf of Newbury, MA, the rate lot and right in undivided lands in Newbury, MA, belonging to "his son Charles Steward, late of Newbury, deceased." Essex Deeds, 16:17.

Duncan Stewart was among those "inhabitants of Rowley living northwest of Rye Plain bridge and Long Hill," 16 March 1702/3, whose minister's rates were abated.

On 17 March 1713/4, four sons of Duncan Stewart signed an agreement for the maintenance of "their aged and honored parents, Duncan and Ann Stewart" who had resided with their son, John, since 1707. Ann Stewart, "tho't to be nearer a 100 yn 90 years" was admitted to the Rowley church on 17 September 1721.

http://ma-vitalrecords.org/MA/
Essex/Rowley/aDeathsS.shtml "(STEWARD (Stewart, Stuart)) Dunkin (Stewart), Aug. 30, 1717, a. abt. 100 y."

Duncan Stewart, 7th of Appin is the son of Duncan Stewart, 6th of Appin. He married Jean Campbell, daughter of Sir Robert Campbell of Glenorchy, 3rd Bt. and Isabel Macintosh, before 10 July 1656.1 Child of Duncan Stewart, 7th of Appin and Jean Campbell Margaret Stewart+1

Citation: Clan MacFarlane and associated clans genealogy, online
http://www.thepeerage.com/p68581.htm#i685809