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Papers of the Winthrop Family, Volume 2

272
22.
Winthrop, John

1630-12-22

Rich: Garrard1 a shoemaker of Boston, and one of the Congregation there, with one of his daughters a yonge mayde, and 4: others went towardes Plimouthe in a Shalloppe, against the advise of his freindes, and about the Gurnettes nose the winde ouerblewe so muche at n: w: as they were forced to come to a Killick2 at 20. fath: but their boat drave, and shaked out the stone, and they were putt to sea, and the boat tooke in muche water, which did freese so harde, as they could not free her: so they give themselues for lost, and Comendinge themselues to God, they disposed themselues to dye, but one of their Companye espyinge lande neere Cape Cod, they made shifte to hoyse vp part of their sayle, and by Godes special providence, were Carried through the rockes to the shore, where some gate on lande, but some had their legges frozen into the Ice so as they were forced to be cutt out: beinge come on shore they kindled a fire, but having no hatchet they could gett little wood, and were forced to lye in the open ayre all night, beinge extremely Colde: in the morninge 2 of their Companye, went towardes Plimouthe (supposinge it had beene within 7: or 8 miles; wheras it was neere 50: myles from them) by the waye they mett with 2: Indian Squaws, who cominge home tould their husbandes that they had mett 2: Englishmen, they thinking (as it was) that they had been shippwracked, made after them and brought them backe to their wigwam, and entertayned them kindly, and one of them went with them the next daye to Plimothe: and the other went to finde out their boat, and the rest of their Companye which were 7: myles of: and havinge founde them, he holpe them what he could, and returned to his wigwam and fetched a hatchet, and built them a wigwam, and covered it, and gate them wood (for they were so weake and frozen as they could not stirre, and Garrard dyed about 2 dayes after his landinge and the grounde beinge so frozen as they could not digge his grave, the Indian hewed a hole about ½ yard deepe with his hatchet, and havinge layd the Corps in it, he layd ouer it a great heape of wood, to kepe it from the woulues: by this tyme the Gouernor of Plimouth had sent 3: men to them with provisions who beinge come, and not able to launche their boat, (which with the stronge n: w: winde was driven vp to the highe water mark) the Indian returned to Plimouthe, and fetched 3: more, but 273before they came, they had launched their boat, and with a fair Southerly winde, were gotten to Plimouthe, where another of their Companye dyed, his flesh beinge mortified with the frost) and the 2: who went towardes Plimouthe dyed allso, one of them beinge not able to gett thether, and the other had his foot so frozen, as he dyed of it after: the girle escaped best and one Harwood a godly man of the Congregation of B: laye longe vnder the Surgeons handes: and it was aboue 6: weekes before they could gett the boat from Plimouthe, and in their returne they were muche distressed, yet their boate was verye well manned, the want whereof before was the Cause of their losse.3

1.

Richard Garrett, “probably from Chelmsford, Essex, or vicinity” (Banks, Winthrop Fleet, 72) applied for admission as freeman, October 19, 1630. Records of Massachusetts, I. 80. Henry Harwood, “probably from Shenfield, Essex. Herdman,” applied for admission as freeman, October 19, 1630, and was admitted March 4, 1632/33. Records of Massachusetts, I. 91, 367. A Court of Assistants, August 16, 1631, “ordered, that the executors of Rich[ard] Garrett shall pay vnto Henry Harwood the somme of 20 nobles, according to the proporcion that the goods of the said Rich[ard] Garrett shall amount vnto.” Harwood later moved to Charlestown; the inventory of his estate is dated 1637. Banks, Winthrop Fleet, 74.

2.

A kind of anchor formed by a stone, inclosed by pieces of wood fastened together.

3.

The dating of the entries on page 271 shows that Winthrop, having recorded the blizzard which struck the settlement on Christmas Eve, 1630, and the freezing up of the rivers on December 26, wrote down the tragic story of Garrett and his five companions later, when the news of it reached Boston, on January 5. When he did so, he placed the date of their departure from Boston, not of his own narrative, opposite the entry. If this was his usual practice, then the occasional confusion in the dates of events recorded some time after their happening (for example, Endecott's wedding) is easy to understand.

Bradford, who began to write his History of Plymouth in 1630, curiously enough makes no mention of this misadventure, but Dudley devotes two pages to it, concluding: “I set down this the more largely, partly because the first man that died was a godly man of our congregation, one Richard Garrad, who, at the time of his death, more feared he should dishonor God than cared for his own life; as also because divers boats have been in manifest peril this year, yet the Lord preserved them all, this one excepted.” (Young, Chronicles of Massachusetts, 327–329).

Channing, in discussing the first winter at Boston, writes of this storm which blew Garrett off his course: “Up to the end of December the winter had held off, as is not infrequently the case in New England. Suddenly, on the 24th of that month, a blizzard struck the infant settlement. The cold came on with violence. Such a Christmas Eve the new-comers had never seen before.” (History of the United States, I. 331.) The winter, though severe, was not long, for the day after the Lion “came to an anchor before Boston,” Winthrop records (Journal, February 10 ; also printed in D.J.W. ): “The frost brake vp, and after that, thoughe we had many snows and sharpe frostes yet they continued not, neither were the waters frozen vp as before: (it hathe been observed ever since this baye was planted by Englishmen, viz: 7: years) that at this daye the frost hathe broken vp everye yeare.”

As to the effect of the winter weather on the settlers, Winthrop continues: “The poorer sorte of people (who laye longe in tentes etc:) were muche afflicted with the Sckirvye, and manye dyed, especially at Boston and Charles towne, but when this shippe the Lion came, and brought store of Juice of lemons, manye recovered speedylye. It hathe been allwayes observed heere, that suche as fell into discontent and lingered after their former Conditions in England, fell into the skirvye and dyed.”

Writing not later than March 12, 1631, Dudley advises against the emigration of those of “the poorer sort yet, for divers years; for we have found by experience that they have hindered, not furthered the work.... If there be any endued with grace, and furnished with means to feed themselves and theirs for eighteen months, and to build and plant, let them come over into our Macedonia and help us....” For an identical expression of opinion on the part of Winthrop, see his two letters of July 23, 1630, infra, pages 304 and 306.