In his own words
Roger Clapp who immigrated to Massachusetts in 1630, wrote an autobiography for his children. It became public when it was published in 1731, one hundred and one years after he left England for a new life in "the colonies". This page will contain various excerpts from this book.
Relating some of GOD's remarkable providences to him, in bringing him into New-England; and some of the straights and afflictions, the good people met with here in their beginnings.
AND
Instructing, counselling, directing and commanding his children and children's children and household, to serve the LORD in their generations to the latest posterity.
Heb. xi. 4 ---He being dead, yet speaketh.
I thought good, my dear children, to leave with you some account of God's' remarkable providences to me, in bringing me into this land, and placing me here among his dear servants, and in his house, who am most unworthy of the least of his mercies. The Scripture requireth us to tell God's wondrous works to our children, that they may tell them to their children, that God may have glory throughout all ages. Amen.
I thought good, my dear children, to leave with you some account of God's' remarkable providences to me, in bringing me into this land, and placing me here among his dear servants, and in his house, who am most unworthy of the least of his mercies. The Scripture requireth us to tell God's wondrous works to our children, that they may tell them to their children, that God may have glory throughout all ages. Amen.
I was born in England, in Sallcom,1 in Devonshire, in the year of our Lord 1609. My father was a man fearing God, and in good esteem among God's faithful servants. His outward estate was not great, I think not above £80 per annum. We were five brethren, (of which I was the youngest,) and two sisters. God was graciously pleased to breathe by his hoJy spirit (1 hope) in all our hearts, if in mine; which I am not altogether without hopes of. Four of us brethren lived at home. I did desire my dear father (my dear mother being dead,) that I might live abroad; which he consented to. So I first went for trial to live with a worthy gentleman, Mr. William Southcot, who lived about three miles from the city of Exon.2 He was careful to keep a godly family. There being but a very mean preacher in that place, we went every Lord's day into the city, where were many famous preachers of the word of God. I then took such a liking unto the Rev. Mr. John Warham, that I did desire to live near him. So I removed (with my father's consent,) into the city, and lived with one Mr. Mossiour, as famous a family for religion as ever I knew. He kept seven or eight men, and divers maid-servants; and he had a conference upon a question propounded once a week in his own family. With him I covenanted.
I never so much as heard of New-England until I heard of many godly persons that were going there, and that Mr. Warham was to go also. My master asked me whether I would go. I told him, were I not engaged unto him, I would willingly go. He answered me, that should be no hindrance; I might go for him, or for myself, which I would. I then wrote to my father, who lived about twelve miles off, to entreat his leave to go to New-England; who was so much displeased at first that he wrote me no answer, but told my brethren that I should not go. Having no answer, I went and made my request to him; and God so inclined his heart, that he never said me nay. For now God sent the reverend Mr. Maverick, who lived forty miles off, a man I never saw before. He having heard of me, came to my father's house; and my father agreed that I should be with him and come under his care; which I did accordingly. So God brought me out of Plymouth, the 20th of March, in the year 1629-30, and landed me in health at Nantasket on the 30th of May, 1630, I being then about the age of twenty-one years. Blessed be God that brought me here! There came many godly families in that ship. We were of passengers many in number, (besides seamen,) of good rank. Two of our magistrates came with us, viz. Mr. Rossiter and Mr. Ludlow.3 These godly people resolved to live together; and therefore, as they had made choice of those two reverend servants of God, Mr. John Warham and Mr. John Maverick, to be their ministers, so they kept a solemn day of fasting in the New Hospital in Plymouth, in England, spending it in preaching and praying; where that worthy man of God, Mr. John White,4 of Dorchester, in Dorset, was present, and preached unto us the word of God in the fore part of the day; and in the latter part of the day, as the people did solemnly make choice of and call those godly ministers to be their officers, so also the Reverend Mr. Warham and Mr. Maverick did accept thereof, and expressed the same. So we came, by the good hand of the Lord, through the deeps comfortably, having preaching or expounding of the word of God every day for ten weeks together by our ministers.
When we came to Nantasket, Capt. Squeb, who was captain of that great ship of four hundred tons,7 would not bring us into Charles river, as he was bound to do, but put us ashore and our goods on Nantasket Point, and left us to shift for ourselves in a forlorn place in this wilderness. But, as it pleased God, we got a boat of some old planters, and laded her with goods; and some able men, well armed, went in her unto Charlestown, where we found some wigwams and one house;8 and in the house there was a man which had a boiled bass, but no bread, that we see. But we did eat of his bass, and then went up Charles river, until the river grew narrow and shallow, and there we landed our goods with much labor and toil, the bank being steep;9 and night coming on, we were informed that there were hard by us three hundred Indians. One Englishman, that could speak the Indian language, (an old planter,) went to them, and advised them not to come near us in the night; and they hearkened to his counsel, and came not. I myself was one of the sentinels that first night. Our captain was a Low Country soldier, one Mr. Southcot,10 a brave soldier. In the morning, some of the Indians came and stood at a distance off, looking at us, but came not near us. But when they had been a while in view, some of them came and held out a great bass towards us; so we sent a man with a biscuit, and changed the cake for the bass. Afterwards, they supplied us with bass, exchanging a bass for a biscuit cake, and were very friendly unto us.
Oh, dear children! forget not what care God had over his dear servants, to watch over us and protect us in our weak beginnings. Capt. Squeb turned ashore us and our goods, like a merciless man;11 but God, even our merciful God, took pity on us, so that we were supplied first with a boat, and then caused many Indians (some hundreds) to be ruled by the advice of one man, not to come near us. Alas, had they come upon us, how soon might they have destroyed us! I think we were not above ten in number. But God caused the Indians to help us with fish at very cheap rates. We had not been there many days, (although by our diligence we had got up a kind of shelter to save our goods in,) but we had order to come away from that place, which was about Watertown, unto a place called Mattapan, now Dorchester, because there was a neck12 of land fit to keep our cattle on. So we removed, and came to Mattapan. The Indians there also were kind unto us.
Not long after came our renowned and blessed Governor, and divers of his Assistants with him. Their ships came into Charles river, and many passengers landed at Charlestown, many of whom died the winter following. Governor Winthrop purposed to set down his station about Cambridge, or somewhere on the river; but viewing the place, liked that plain neck, that was called then Blackstone's Neck, now Boston.13 But in the mean time, before they could build at Boston, they lived many of them in tents and wigwams at Charlestown, their meeting-place being abroad under a tree, where I have heard Mr. Wilson and Mr. Phillips preach many a good sermon.
Now coming into this country, I found it a vacant wilderness, in respect of English. There were indeed some English at Plymouth and Salem, and some few at Charlestown,14 who were very destitute when we came ashore; and planting time being past, shortly after provision was not to be had for money. I wrote to my friends, namely to my dear father, to send me some provision; which accordingly he did, and also gave order to one of his neighbours to supply me with what I needed, (he being a seaman;) who coming hither, supplied me with divers things. But before this supply came, yea, and after too, (that being spent, and the then unsubdued wilderness yielding little food,) many a time if I could have filled my belly, though with mean victuals, it would have been sweet unto me. Fish was a good help unto me and others. Bread was so very scarce, that sometimes I thought the very crusts of my father's table would have been very sweet unto me. And when I could have meal and water and salt boiled together, it was so good, who could wish better?
In our beginning many were in great straits for want of provision for themselves and their little ones. Oh the hunger that many suffered, and saw no hope in an eye of reason to be supplied, only by clams, and muscles, and fish. We did quickly build boats, and, some went a fishing. But bread was with many a very scarce thing, and flesh of all kind as scarce. And in those days, in our straits, though I cannot say God sent a raven to feed us, as he did the prophet Elijah, yet this I can say, to the praise of God's glory, that he sent not only poor ravenous Indians, which came with their baskets of corn on their backs to trade with us, (which was a good supply unto many,) but also sent ships from Holland and from Ireland with provisions, and Indian corn from Virginia, to supply the wants of his dear servants in this wilderness, both for food and raiment. And when people's wants were great, not only in one town but in divers towns, such was the godly wisdom, care, and prudence, (not selfishness, but self-denial,) of our Governor Winthrop and his Assistants, that when a ship came laden with provisions, they did order that the whole cargo should be bought for a general stock; and so accordingly it was, and distribution was made to every town, and to every person in each town, as every man had need.16 Thus God was pleased to care for his people in times of straits, and to fill his servants with food and gladness. Then did all the servants of God bless his holy name, and love one another with pure hearts fervently.
In those days God did cause his people to trust in him, and to be contented with mean things. It was not accounted a strange thing in those days to drink water, and to eat samp or hominy without butter or milk. Indeed, it would have been a strange thing to see a piece of roast beef, mutton, or veal; though it was not long before there was roast goat. After the first winter, we were very healthy, though some of us had no great store of corn. The Indians did sometimes bring corn, and truck with us for clothing and knives; and once I had a peck of corn, or there-abouts, for a little puppy-dog. Frost-fish, muscles, and clams were a relief to many. If our provision be better now than it was then, let us not, and do you, dear children, take heed that you do not, forget the Lord our God. You have better food and raiment than was in former times; but have you better hearts than your forefathers had? If so, rejoice in that mercy, and let New-England then shout for joy. Sure, all the people of God in other parts of the world, that shall hear that the children and grandchildren of the first planters of New-England have better hearts and are more heavenly than their predecessors, they will doubtless greatly rejoice, and will say, "This is the generation whom the Lord hath blessed."
I took notice of it as a great favor of God unto me, not only to preserve my life, but to give me contentedness in all these straits; insomuch that I do not remember that ever I did wish in my heart that I had not come into this country, or wish myself back again to my father's house. Yea, I was so far from that, that I wished and advised some of my dear brethren to come hither also; and accordingly one of my brothers, and those two that married my two sisters, sold their means and came hither. The Lord Jesus Christ was so plainly held out in the preaching of the Gospel unto poor lost sinners, and the absolute necessity of the new birth, and God's holy spirit in those days was pleased to accompany the word with such efficacy upon the hearts of many, that our hearts were taken off from Old England and set upon heaven. The discourse not only of the aged, but of the youth also, was not, "How shall we go to England?" (though some few did not only so discourse, but also went back again,) but "How shall we go to heaven? Have I true grace wrought in my heart? Have I Christ or no?" O how did men and women, young and old, pray for grace, beg for Christ in those days. And it was not in vain. Many were converted, and others established in believing. Many joined unto the several churches where they lived, confessing their faith publicly, and showing before all the assembly their experiences of the workings of God's spirit in their hearts to bring them to Christ; which many hearers found very much good by, to help them to try their own hearts, and to consider how it was with them, whether any work of God's spirit were wrought in their own hearts or no. O the many tears that have been shed in Dorchester meetinghouse at such times, both by those that have declared God's work on their souls, and also by those that heard them. In those days God, even our own God, did bless New-England!
After God had brought me into this country, he was pleased to give me room in the hearts of his servants; so that I was admitted into the church fellow- ship at our first beginning in Dorchester, in the year 1630.
I now return to declare unto you some of the wonderful works of God in bringing so many of his faithful servants hither into this wilderness, and preserving us and ours unto this day, notwithstanding our great unworthiness, and notwithstanding the many assaults and stratagems of Satan and his instruments against God's people here. I say, wondrous works. For was it not a wondrous work of God, to put it into the hearts of so many worthies to agree, together, when times were so bad in England that they could not worship God after the due manner, prescribed in his most holy word, but they must be imprisoned, excommunicated, &c., I say that so many should agree to make humble suit unto our sovereign lord the King to grant them and such as they should approve of, a Patent of a tract of land in this remote wilderness, a place not inhabited but by very barbarous nations? And was it not a wondrous good hand of God to incline the heart of our King so freely to grant it, with all the privileges which the Patent expresseth? And what a wondrous work of God was it, to stir up such worthies to undertake such a difficult work, as to remove themselves, and their wives and children, from their native country, and to leave their gallant situations there, to come into this wilderness to set up the pure worship of God here; men fit for government in the magistracy and in families, and sound, godly, learned men for the ministry, and others that were very precious men and women, who came in the year 1630.
Those that came then were magistrates; men of renown were Mr. Winthrop, Governor, Mr. Dudley, Deputy Governor, Sir Richard Saltonstall, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Rossiter, Mr. Ludlow, Mr. Nowel, and Mr. Bradstreet. Mr. Endicott came before, and others came then, besides those named. And there came famous ministers in that year, and afterwards; as, to name some, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Warham, Mr. Maverick, and Mr. Phillips. In our low estate God did cheer our hearts in sending good and holy men and women, and also famous preachers of the word of God; as Mr. Eliot, Mr. Weld, Mr. Cotton, Mr. Hooker, Mr. Bulkley, Mr. Stone, Mr. Nathaniel Rogers, and Mr. Ezekiel Rogers, Mr. Shepard, Mr. Mather, Mr. Peters, Mr. Davenport, Mr. Whiting, Mr. Cobbet, Mr. Hubbard, Mr. Brown, Mr. Flint, Mr. Thomson, Mr. Newman, Mr. Prudden, Mr. Norris, Mr. Huit, Mr. Street, and many others.20 Thus did God work wonderfully for his poor people here.
Before I proceed any further, I will inform you that God stirred up his poor servants to use means in their beginning for their preservation; though a low and weak people, yet a willing people to layout their estates for the defence of themselves and others. They having friends in divers places who thought it best for our safety to build a fort upon the island now called Castle Island, at first they built a castle with mud walls, which stood divers years. First, Capt. Simpkins was commander thereof; and after him Lieut. Monish for a little space. When the mud walls failed, it was built again with pine trees and earth; and Capt. Davenport was commander. When that decayed, which was within a little time, there was a small castle built with brick walls, and had three rooms in it, a dwelling room below, a lodging room over it, the gun room over that, wherein stood six very good saker guns, and over it, upon the top, three lesser guns. All the time of our weakness, God was pleased to give us peace, until the wars with the Dutch in Charles the Second's time. At that time our works were very weak, and intelligence came to us that De Ruyter, a Dutch commander of a squadron of ships, was in the West Indies, and intend to visit us; whereupon our battery was also repaired, wherein are seven good guns. But in the very time of this report, in July, 1665, God was pleased to send a grievous storm of thunder and lightning, which did some hurt at Boston, and struck dead here at the Castle Island that worthy, renowned Captain, Richard Davenport. Upon which the General Court, in wainscot partition between the room where the captain was killed, and the powder magazine. No injury was done to this building.
But still God was pleased to keep this place in safety. The Lord enlarge our hearts unto thankfulness! August 10th following, appointed another Captain22 in the room of him that was slain. But, behold! God wrought for us; for although De Ruyter intended to come here, yet God by contrary winds kept him out; so he went to Newfoundland, and did great spoil there. And again, when danger grew on us by reason of the late wars with Holland, God permitted our castle at that very time to be burnt down, which was on the 21st day of March, 1672.
I will now return unto what I began to hint unto you before; namely, that Satan and his instruments did malign us, and oppose our godly preachers, saying they were legal preachers, but themselves were for free grace and for the teachings of the Spirit; and they prevailed so by their flatteries and fair speeches, that they led away not only "silly women, laden with their lusts," but many men also, and some of strong parts too, who were not ashamed to give out that our ministers were but legal preachers, and so endeavoured to bring up an evil report upon our faithful preachers, that they themselves might be in high esteem; and many of them would presume to preach in private houses, both men and women, much like the Quakers. They would talk of the Spirit, and of revelations by the Spirit without the Word, as the Quakers do talk of the Light within them, rejecting the holy Scriptures. But God, by his servants assembled in a Synod at Cambridge in 1637, did discover his truth most plainly, to the establishment of his people, and the changing of some, and to the recovery of not a few, which had been drawn away with their dissimulations. Thus God delivered his people out of the snare of the Devil at that time. Let us, and do you in your generations, bless the holy name of the Lord. "The snare is broken, and we and ours are delivered." There were some that not only stood out obstinate against the truth, but continually reviled both our godly ministers and magistrates, and greatly troubled our Israel. But, by order of the General Court, they were banished out of this jurisdiction; and then had the churches rest, and were multiplied.
Many years after this, Satan made another assault upon God's poor people here, by stirring up the Quakers to come amongst us, both men and women; who pretended holiness and perfection, saying they spake and acted by the Spirit and Light within, which (as they say) is their guide; and most blasphemously said that the Light within is the Christ, the Saviour, and deceived many to their persuasion. But, blessed be God, the Government and Churches both did bear witness against them, and their loathsome and pernicious doctrine; for which they were banished out of this jurisdiction, not to return without license, upon pain of death. The reason of that law was, because God's people here could not worship the true and living God, as He hath appointed us in our public assemblies, without being disturbed by them; and other weighty reasons, as the dangerousness of their opinions, &c. Some of them presumed to return, to the loss of. their lives for breaking that law, which was made for our peace and safety.
Now as Satan has been a lying spirit to deceive and ensnare the mind, to draw us from God by error, so hath he stirred up evil men to seek the hurt of this country. But God hath delivered his poor people here from time to time; sometimes by putting courage into our magistrates to punish those that did rebel, and sometimes God hath wrought for us by his providence other ways. Here was one Ratcliff spake boldly and wickedly against the Government and Governors here, using such words as some judged deserved death. He was for his wickedness whipped, and had both his ears cut off in Boston, A. D. 1631. I saw it done. There was one Morton27 that was a pestilent fellow, a troubler of the country, who did not only seek our hurt here, but went to England, and did his utmost there, by false reports against our Governor; but God wrought for us, and saved us, and caused all his designs to be of none effect. There arose up against us one Bull,28 who went to the eastward a trading, and turned pirate, and took a vessel or two, and plundered some plant- ers thereabouts, and intended to return into the Bay, and do mischief to our magistrates here in Dorchester and other places. But, as they were weighing anchor, one about the year 1633 or 1634, who carried himself very proudly, and spake contemptuously of our magistrates, and carried it lewdly in his conversation. For his misdemeanour, his ship was stayed; but he fled, and would not obey authority; and there came warrants to Dorchester to take him dead or alive. So all our soldiers were in arms, and sentinels were set in divers places; and at length he was found in a great cornfield, where we took him and carried him to Boston; but for want of one witness, when he came to his trial, he escaped with his life. He was said to be a man of great relation, and had great favor in England; and he gave out threatening speeches. Though he escaped with his life, not being hanged for adultery, there being but one witness, yet for other crimes he was fined, and payed it; and being dismissed, he went towards Virginia. But by the way putting into the Pequot country, to trade with them, the Pequots cut off both him and his men, took his goods, and burnt his ship. Some of the Indians reported that they roasted him alive. Thus did God destroy him that so proudly threatened to ruin us, by complaining against us when he came to England. Thus God destroyed him, and delivered us at that time also. of Mr. Short's29 men shot from the shore, and struck the principal actor dead, and the rest were filled with fear and horror. They having taken one Anthony Dicks,30 a master of a vessel, did endeavour to persuade him to pilot them unto Virginia; but he would not. They told him that they were filled with such fear and horror, that they were afraid of the very rattling of the ropes; this Mr. Dicks told me with his own mouth. These men fled eastward, and Bull himself got into England; but God destroyed this wretched man. There was also one Capt. Stone
About that time, or not long after, God permitted Satan to stir up the Pequot Indians to kill divers Englishmen, as Mr. Oldham,32 Mr. Tilly,33 and others; and when the murderers were demanded, instead of delivering them, they proceeded. to destroy more of our English about Connecticut; which put us upon sending out soldiers, once and again, whom God prospered in their enterprises until the Pequot people were destroyed.34 See Mr. Increase Mather's Relation of the Troubles which have happened in New-England by reason' of the Indians, from 1634 to 1675. I say nothing to you of the late war,35 but refer you to the histories in print. Thus was the Lord pleased to deliver us at that time also, and to put a fear and dread of us into the hearts of the Indians round about us; and many of them did voluntarily put themselves under the government of the English,t also pleased God to put it into the hearts of some of our worthies, to consider that one end of our coming hither was to preach the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to the Indians,36 for the saving of God's elect, and for the bringing into Christ's kingdom those that were as in highways and hedges. Some did therefore set themselves to learn the Indian language, and so taught them to know God and the Lord Jesus Christ, whom they never knew or heard of before, nor their fathers before them, and to know themselves, namely, their misery by nature and by reason of sin. Among others, the principal was that reverend man of God, Mr. John Eliot37 teacher of the church of Christ at Roxbury; whose great labor and pains in catechising, preaching the word, and translating the Bible into the Indian language, God has blessed, I doubt not, to the converting of many among them. "He that converteth souls shall shine as the sun in the firmament." O how glorious will the shining of that star be in heaven! I rejoice to think of it.
Furthermore, know ye, that God wrought wonderfully for our preservation, when men abroad (and doubtless some at home) endeavoured to overthrow our government, and prevailed so far that Commissioners were sent from England hither with such power and authority that doubtless put themselves (and too many among us) in: hopes that they had attained their ends. They proceeded so far that they set up a Court, appointed the time and place, and gave out their summons, yea, for our then honored Governor and Company personally to appear before them. But the Lord our God was for us, though troubles were very near. He stirred up a mighty spirit of prayer in the hearts of his people. This poor country cried, and the Lord heard, and delivered them from all their fears. And the Lord put wisdom and courage into the hearts of his servants, then sitting in the General Court, to give such Answers and to make such a Declaration, published by a man appointed, on horseback, with the trumpet sounding38 before the Proclamation, to give the people notice that something was to be published,--which was done in three several places in Boston,--that it put an end to their Court, and (through God's goodness) to our troubles at that time about that matter.39 And as our Court did assert our privileges granted unto us by Patent, and. did adhere thereto, so our God hath hitherto continued the same unto us: Blessed be his glorious name! I humbly beg of God that he will in mercy continue those privileges unto you and yours in your generations, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.
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