John Friend of Salem

Not a known child of John Friend and Elizabeth Friend

John Friend of Salem

• Don't conflate with John Friend of Boston and Barnstable.who married Mary Dexter
• Wife Unknown
• Origins and Parents Unknown
• Arrival 1635 Saybrook, Hartford then Salem
• Died before 27 JAN 1656 alem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States
• Children: Samuel, James, Bethia, Elizabeth and Hester

Notes

JOHN' FRIEND (FREIND) was bom possibly about 1605, possibly in the southern part of England. The name of his wife is unknown; she died by 1655 and probably after 1639. He died probably in Manchester between November 4, 1655 when his will was executed and January 27, 1656 when it was proved. The first reference to him in New England is found in a letter of John Winthrop to Winthrop's son, John, dated June 10, 1636: "...I pray deliver this Lettre inclosed to Jo: Friend: and if he paye you the mony deliver him his bill (which is heere allso inclosed) if not, I pray return it to me again." {Winthrop Papers, [The Mass. Historical Society, 1943], III: 269). There is a family tradition (as well as noted in Savage, Dictionary, ibid.) that he lived for a time in Saybrook, CT, a carpenter on the Fort there, along with John Winthrop, Jr. He was also possibly a carpenter on the Whitfield House in Guilford, CT which stands to this day as a museum. On August 9, 1637 John Friend was "alowed an Inhabitant" of Salem
and granted "10 Acres for planting ground" (Records of Salem [Essex Institute, Salem, 1868], I: 58, 59; hereafter "ST?"). At the Town Meeting of July 16, 1638 he requested 200 more acres of land (SR, I: 71) and was granted 100 acres on February 4, 1639 (SR, I: 83). At the January 21, 1639 Town Meeting he requested some meadow land to be added to his farm (SR, I: 98). He is listed as a carpenter in Joseph B. Felt, Annals ofSalem [Boston, 1845], II:156).In 1640 the record shows his household consisted of eleven persons {SR, 1:102). In that year he was admitted a freeman and listed as a church member {The New England Historic and Genealogical Register, [Boston, 1847-] 1:138; hereafter NEHGR). He served as a sergeant in the Salem Artillery Company. In 1643 he bought three acres of land from Richard Graves (SR, 1:123). This parcel may have been located at Jeffries Creek in what is now the town of Manchester. On March 14, 1640 John Friend joined with the other landowners in that division in petitioning the general court for authority to establish a village there. (Town Records ofManchester [Salem, 1889], 1:13;

Division Petition

We whose names are subscribed belonging to the Church and Town of Salem (being straitened in our accomidations soe that wee are not able to comfortably to subsist: havening advised and taken Councell about our present estate & condition it being Judged fitt & free liberty being granted us to remove, and noe place soe convenyent for our easy removal as Jeffreyed Creek lying soe neere us & most of us having some small quantity of ground allotted to us there also) Doe therefore Joyntly & humbly request the Honbl. Court to give us power to erect a village there & to allow us such enlargment thereabouts: as is not granted to any other plantation. Thus Leaving our request to ye wisdom & consideration with our prayers for a blessing from heaven on ye prsons & proceedings wee rest Humble petitioners. William Walton John Black Wm. Allen Saml Archer Geo Norton Wm Dbcy John Sibly James Standish John Pickworth John Galley Ben: Parmter Robert Allen Edmund Grover Pasco Foot Wm Benett John Norman John Freind The petition was finally granted on May 14, 1645, the village was set off from Salem as "Manchester" (MR, 1:13) and was referred to John Winthrop and Symond Bradstreet to settle the bounds.

In 1649 Friend petitioned the town of Salem in order to construct a grist mill on the Bass River (at the present junction of McKay and Elliot Streets in Beverly). The petition was granted on May 4, 1649, and John Friend dammed the river and erected his mill and house. The mill continued in operation through various owners until 1889, whose last owner was Israel W. Dodge. (Sidney Perley, The History of Salem, Mass. [Salem, 1926], II: 189-191; hereafter "Perley, Salem and Calvin P. Pierce, Ryal Side from Early Days of Salem Colony [The Beverly Historical Society, 1931], pp. 75-83; hereafter "Pierce, Ryal Side ).

John Winthrop

In 1653 John Friend attempted to buy some grazing land adjoining his property on Bass River from John Winthrop, Jr. who was living in Ipswich (Malcolm Freigberg, Winthrop Papers [Mass. Hist. Society, Boston, 1992], VI: 369):

from Basriver in Salem March 9th: 1653 Worshipful Serre, My humble servis remembred and to Mrs. Winthrup with my salutations to Mr. Blinman and the rest of myfrends both of Gloster and Manchester wishing your healths and prospirity both in soule and body. I have not many things to troble your worshipe withall at this present but to aquaint you with my condition and the thing I intend. It hath pleased God after many hardships in the world that I now live at Basriver and have bult a mill and I hop through Gods mercy I shall live comfortable butfor the most part all the ground near is taken up in farms and lotts that I hav but littil convenience ither to rais orfeede any Cattl and if the farmers tak in theyrfarms and the comans stented it will be wors then now it tis which in shortt time I Supos they will: therfor I made bold to writ to your worship to know whether you would be pleasd to sell the ground at the salt hous and I will give what it is worth: the salt hous is fell down long since and caried all awayfor the most part I supos sume is begun to be pluckt down and caried away also and the sea hath wase away the baink almost to the hous. I would intreat your Worship to send your mind concerning the thingfor I Supos it will be ofgreat consequenc to mee and thus not trobling your Worship any further Commiting you andyours to the protection of the Allmighty I rest Your Humbl servant to his power John Freind

Winthrop chose not to sell him the land, retaining the saltworks and property there that had been granted him in 1638 and 1639. He later made a gift of them to the Revd. Antipas Newman (d.l672) in 1658, when Newman married Winthrop's daughter, Elizabeth (Pierce, Ryal Side, pp.36-37).

Estate

John Friend's will was executed on November 4, 1655, and proved January 27, 1656. (Essex Co Quarterly Court Files, Vol. 3, leaf 47): The last will & Testament of John ffreind made ye 4th of ye 11m: 1655. I John ffreind being weake and Sick of Bodie but of perfict Memory doe ordaine this as my Last will & testament Imprs. I giue & bequeath unto my Sonn Samuell ffreind a double portion out of my whole estate personall & Reall: Item I giue unto my daughter Elizabeth pecker: besides that term pownds I haue in my hands wch her grandfather gaue her, twente shillings Item I giue & bequeath unto my other thre children Bethiah, Hester & James, Equall portions one as much as ye other: & for ye better pformance of this my will 1 appoynt my Sonn Samuell to be my Executor, & desire & appoynt my Louing ffiiends wilHam Dodg & william King to be my ouerseers in witness whereto I haue hereunto set my hand ye day & yeer first aboue written. Witness: George Emery, Edmund grouer, Henry Hericke. Proved 26: 1: 1656 by witnesses. Allowed 27: 1: 1656 Following is the inventory of his possesions, taken December 6, 1655 by Roger Conant, John Raiment and Henr>^ Hericke (Essex Co.ProbateFiles, Docketl0,208;hereafter "ECPFJ. The mill wth what belongs thereto as also the dwelling house & orchard & ground in all 2 akers, 120 h.; 100 akers of ground being most of it rockie at Manchester, 5 li.; at Manchester 30 akers bought of Georg Wilhams and 25 akers bought of Samuell Archer and a parsell of land at Kettel Hand cove, 101 li.; at Manchester 2 akers salt marsh, 3li.; 20 akers of land bought of Nath. Holton living neere to John Bachelors dwelling, 4 li.; 10 akers of land lying on the darby fort side of Forrest river, 2 li.; half an aker land neer the buriing place at Salem, 2 H.; 3 cows and a heifer, 18 H.; a yew, a yew lamb & a wether, 4 li.; 4 swine, 4 h.; a feather bedd & 2 feather bolsters & 2 feather pilloes and a blew & a red rugg, 7 li. 10 s.; a flockbed & bolster & two blankets the on woolen the other cotten, wth an old rugg & blanket, 1 li. 10 s.; a bed of flock & feathers, a fether bolster & 2 blankets. Hi. 10 s.; 2 paire of sheets the finer at 25 s. the courser at 12s., 1 li. 17 s ; a peece of nu tiking 3 yards & 1-2, 1 1 s. 8 d ; 4 pillobies of fine hollan, 1 li. 6 s.; 2 yards diap. & 3 diap. napkins, 10s.; a cloth sute of kersie, 2 li. 10 s ; a womans gown of kersie, 2 li.; another gown of mild sea, 2 li. 10 s.; nans hood, 7 s ; a doubbell cusshion, 2 s. 6 d ; 6 great puter platters. Hi. 16 s ; 2 old broken puter platters, 3 s ; 6 Saucers of wch 2 bigger & 2 middell & 2 least, 5 s.; puter canesticks & a salt, 6 s ; a broken quart & pint & littel cup & funnell, a lattin quart & 3 paint dishes, 4 s ; a smoothing Iron, 2 s ; 3 brasse potts & a brasse posnet, 10s.; a chafing dish, a pestell and morter and a littel brasse ladell, 6 s ; a warming pan, 3 s.; a clock, 2 li. 10 s.; pothoocks, crooks, hoocks & hangers, a fer shivel & tongs, a filing pan & spitt, 14 s.; a fowling peec and a pistoU, 1 li. 10 s ; a sword and belt, 10 s.; working tooles, 1 li. 3 s.; chests, bedsteeds, tubs & baeeles, tabels and chairs, 1 li.; Indian come 80 busshels, 10 li.; 3 saws of wch 2 whipsaws & on crosscut, 1 li, 4 s ; 2 akers of fi"esh meado at Topsfeild, 5 li.; total, 227 H. 10 s. 2 d. In mony, 2 s. Samuell Frend, executor, testified in Ipswich court 25: 1: 1656 that the above was a true inventory. Among these typically homely possessions and personal effects, the clock is of special interest, as it is the first such mentioned in Essex County records. It was taken to Maine probably in 1774 by his great-great-grandson, Benjamin^ Friend and at one time was in the collection of the renowned operatic soprano, Lilian Nordica (1859-1914) (Perley, Salem III: 124).

Children

1. Samuel
2. James
3. Bethiah
4. Elizabeth
5. Hester

Sources

1. Stearns, Peter Pindar, The history & genealogy of John Friend of Salem, Massachusetts and his descendants (c. 1636 to c. 1910) ( Baltimore, MD : Gateway Press, 1997)
2. Massachusetts Historical Society; John Davis Batchelder. Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society (Boston : The Society , 1792) John Friend and his man mentioned in "Leift Lion Gardener his Relation of the Pequot Warres." 3:3:159
3. John Winthrop Papers 3:269
4. Collections of the Connecticut Historical Society (The Connecticut Historical Society and the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Connecticut, Hartford 1897. Vol. 6 Hartford Town Votes Vol. 1 1635-1716 -- 4 Jan 1639. the land that was given to John Friend, about 8 acres on the east sied and half an acre in town and 4 acres of upland being sold by him to William Gibbons ... previous to this date p. 15
5. [https://archive.org/details/collectionsofcon14conn/page/n9. Collections of the Connecticut Historical Society]] (The Connecticut Historical Society and the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Connecticut, Hartford 1912. Vol. 14 Original Distribution of The Lands in Hartford Among the Settlers 1639. All of these parcels refer to john's land in the past tense, before 1639. 10 195 247 248 306 307 341 --abutter, 195, 248, 341; land bought from 10, 307; land formerly belonging 59 247; land sometime appt for 306.
6. Salem Town Records 1:58 25th 7th month 1637 "Mr ffriend desires to be admitted an inhabitant wth other accomodations convenient. "
7. Essex Quarterly Court Records 1: 7 Court at Salem 27:1:1638. ... and Edward Hall, servant to Mr. Freind, fined 10s. for "being overseen in drink." Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts, 1636-1686]] (The Essex Institute, 1911-1975) Vol 1. 7 Also p. 25 1641, p. 57 1643, p. 64, 1644, p. 180 1649 John Friend of Manchester Grand Jury member, p. 191 1650 Grand Jury member p. 157 1648/9 Elizabeth Friend was a witness, p. 361 1654 reference to Mr. Freinds lot, p. 422 - Perley in the footnote dates the will - proved in court 27:1:1656 (27 mar 1656) , dated 4:2:1655 (4 April 1655).
8. Collections of the Connecticut Historical Society. Vol. 22 Records of the Particular Court of Connecticut 1639-1663 (Hartford, 1928) p. 99 Thomas Bull as Attorney for John Friend of Salem, against John Nott in an action of debt with damage valued at £20
9. Oliver Ayer Roberts, History of . . . the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Com­pany of Massachusetts, 1637-1888, Vol. 1 (1895) 1637 - 1738 (Boston: Alfred Mudge 1895). p. 103 This combines the two men in a brief biography. Mentions that the Boston man was working on the first building of Harvard and was sgt of th Artillery Co. in 1640.
10. ohn Friend of Salem and his Descendants, Essex Genealogist 16:138t 16:138-40
11. NEHGR 1 (1847) p. 138 John Friend, Salem church member 1640. but I cna't find him in the Salem church records.
12. The History of Salem Massachusetts By SIDNEY PERLEY Volume I. p. 314 Lot #80 on map on previous page John Friend as of 1654. Seel also p. 448, 449, p. 462- # of persons 11. Mr ffrend 1 acre allotment. land division marsh and meadow 24 Dec 1637.
13. “ John Friend, Hartford Founder” Compiled by Timothy Lester Jacobs, SDFH Genealogist

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Biographical Summary:

John Friend, Salem, 1637, was at the River's mouth (Saybrook), with John Winthrop; he owned a lot in Hartford, on the east side of the river, eight acres, which he sold to William Gibbons before Jan. 7, 1639-40, and he sold part of his house-lot to George Wyllys before that time. Savage says that he was an inhabitant of Boston in 1640. In 1651, May 14, he was plaintiff in an action for debt at Hartford, Thomas Bull being his attorney; died 1656.

SOURCE: James Hammond Trumbull, editor, The memorial history of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1884, Volume 1 (Boston, Massachusetts: Edward L. Osgood, 1886), page 238. Retrieved: 3 May 2011 from Google Books

Comments

We know that John Friend of Boston m. Mary Dexter c. 1639.

John Friend of Boston and John Friend of Salem seem to have a lot in common. John F of Salem died late in 1655 or early in 1656 (not Aug). The dates of John's probate are all messed up. But the inventory was taken 6 Feb (12th m) 1655 [55/56] He does not mention a wife. Mary wife of Boston marries James Oliver says Aug 1655 by I haven't found why that date. That date is before Salem dies. The Founder's of Harford bio, claims they were estranged so not mentioned in the will. The puritan courts usually made note of people who weren't living with spouses. A Mary Friend widdow was admitted to the Boston Church in 1648. I doubt that they are the same man, but can't quite prove they are different.