Examples of Edward’s signature and writing
A transcript of a letter Edward Starbuck wrote to John Winthrop (yes, Massachusetts Bay Governor John Winthrop) has survived and was published in the New Hampshire State Papers.[1] It is not the original hand-written letter, but it appears to have been written by Edward himself. That piece of evidence plus others indicate Edward was literate.
In addition, his signature was preserved on two original documents including:
- The Dover Combination (Original at PRO in London, transcribed copies indicate the signature was abbreviated Edward Starr: or that was all that could be read)[2]
- A petition to the governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1654 (below)[3]
Edward’s signature from the 1654 petition is slightly different from his signature on a 1675 petition to Governor Andros (see below).[4] The difference may be due to Edward aging more than twenty years, or one of the two signatures may have been copied. Each petition has different handwriting/letter formation for most of the signatures, so it’s likely at least some, if not all, of the signatures are original.
More evidence
The clerks for Dover, Nantucket, and Rockingham County, New Hampshire were careful to note the differences between signatures and marks when transferring documents into their town and deed books. The records below were transferred into various books and each entry indicated Edward wrote his own name on the original document. In many cases, others who signed the same documents were noted on the transcript as using a mark. This is a partial list of items Edward signed:
- As a witness for a deed of John Awlte in 1645[5]
- An agreement with Hatevil Nutter to build a sawmill on the lower falls of the Lamperell River[6]
- As a witness for a deed of Richard Walden in 1649[7]
- A 1652 acknowledgement another sawmill would be erected[8]
- As the grantor of land sold to Peter Coffin in 1653[9]
- As a commissioner with five other men creating the boundary between Kittery from Dover in 1654[10]
- As the grantor of additional lands sold to Peter Coffin in 1660[11]
- As a witness of one of the original deeds for Nantucket lands in 1660[12]
- As a witness to a 1660 land division on Martha’s Vineyard[13]
- As a witness for a 1649 deed of James Wall in 1661[14]
- As party to a land sharing agreement on Nantucket in 1662[15]
- As a grantor to Peter Folger in 1663[16]
- As grantor of land to Humphrey Varney in 1664[17]
- As a witness to a deed on Nantucket in 1668[18]
- As a witness to a 1671 agreement on Nantucket[19]
- As grantor of land to William Gayer in 1674[20]
- An agreement for a grant of Nantucket land to William Worth in 1674[21]
- As Nantucket magistrate, Edward acknowledged a 1674/75 land sale by John Savidge[22]
- As signer a of petitions to Governor Andros in 1675, on which his signature was preserved[23]
- And as witness or seller in several other deeds, agreements, and other legal matters.
In addition to the list of documents Edward signed, there are two other indications he was literate.
- He was brought into court to affirm his signature on a 1647 document clearing Nathaniel Boulter of a debt to Darby Field.[24]
- A November 1679 entry for a Salisbury, Massachusetts court session stated a letter written by Edward Starbuck, dated 2 July 1648 or 1658, was entered into the court record.[25]
Edward was Educated
A post by Celia describes possibilities for Edward’s silent years (those with no direct documentation). Becoming literate during that time is highly probable. By 1640, he was confident enough in his own literacy to write to a governor, sign petitions, and conduct his businesses as well as assisting others with theirs. Even without a documented school record, it is clear he must have been taught privately or publicly. How much he was taught is a good question, but we can with some confidence state his vocabulary and grammar indicate he was educated through primary and possibly grammar school (ages 10-14).
Edward’s son Nathaniel could at least sign his name, if not more. There are plenty of Dover and Nantucket documents he signed, his will (when he was quite elderly and possibly in poor health) is the only document with an X. Edward’s daughters, Abigail and Sarah signed documents with an X, but no document requiring Dorcas’s signature could be found.
The Letter to Governor Winthrop
Edward’s letter to John Winthrop was about an issue in Dover with a man named John Underhill. He was a town leader, and ostensibly governor of Dover, but he was not doing his job and was interfering with the upcoming merger with Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Bay eventually governed Dover and other nearby towns for most of the second half of the 1600s, though there were legal issues to negotiate first.
Here is a small portion of the transcript of that letter. It has the typical spelling variations, word choices, and capitalization that documents in that time have. Edward shows throughout the letter that he could construct complex sentences.
This letter survived because of its recipient. Most private correspondence from the 1600s between individuals has disappeared if it hasn’t been passed down through families. While archives often have correspondence written by and to notable individuals and scholars, it’s unusual to have surviving letters written by businessmen or tradesmen to others in their socio-economic class. Yet we know they wrote to friends, to family, to ecclesiastical leaders, to business associates, and to government officials. Without national and international government-run postal systems, how did seventeenth century letters reach their destinations?
Letter delivery in the 1600s
Before a general postal service was established, letter writers were tasked with finding their own methods of sending mail. If it was travelling within or between North American colonies, that task was relatively simple. Merchants, family members/friends or Native Americans traveling by foot or on horseback could be entrusted with correspondence that would very likely reach its destination.[26]
Distance transportation was more challenging, especially if it involved ocean travel or a wilderness trek. The trans-oceanic delivery problem was partially solved in 1633 when the General Court of Massachusetts designated Richard Fairbanks’ tavern in Boston as the official site of mail delivery going to or coming from overseas, a practice that had been long used by England.[27] That pattern was picked up by other port towns and spread inland. Most trans-oceanic mail came and went on merchant’s ships, but any trusted vessel could be used. Personal and merchantile networks often overlapped with business partners passing along private letters. Redundancy was employed to ensure at least one copy of a letter made it to its destination.[28]
Regular horseback postal routes were eventually established, hence the naming of the Old Boston Post Road, today’s Route 1.[29] The road was used regularly to transfer mail between New York and Boston and included branches that passed through Providence, Rhode Island, New Haven Connecticut, and Hartford, Connecticut.[30] It is unlikely a scheduled mail service existed between Dover and Boston by 1640, but letters were passing between those locations by the early 1630s as shown through a letter written by William Hilton to John Winthrop Jr. in Ipswich, Massachusetts, asking Winthrop to carry letters Hilton was forwarding to their final destination in Boston.[31]
Letters often traveled in an indirect route, passing from villages and small towns to larger ones and eventually to their ultimate destination. By the time Edward wrote to Governor John Winthrop, travelers passed regularly between Dover and Boston and would have been given mail to deliver or drop off at a local tavern or town meeting hall. In the case of Edward’s letter to Governor Winthrop, it may have been delivered personally to him as the governor was a prolific correspondent with a large correspondence postal network in place.
The broader picture
Because so few personal letters from the 1600s survive, we may unintentionally minimize their importance to early North American immigrants. Even before leaving England, puritan and dissenter networks forged links outside home parishes with others who planned to immigrate, possibly coalescing around a well-known preacher, or simply forming a community with which to travel and settle.[32] Unfortunately no pre-immigration letters from Edward nor from his correspondents have been found.
Edward’s choice of Piscataqua Plantation for his home, the name for the Dover area in the 1630s, is somewhat atypical. Most of those who came to North America that decade settled in the more “civilized” areas under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts Bay Colony or Plymouth Colony. Piscataqua Planation began in the 1620s as a commercial enterprise tasked with sending fish and other natural resources back to England. Most of the initial residents did not plan on settling, rather coming for a year or two to earn money and then return to England.
So, how did Edward hear about the Dover area and when? What made him think it would be a suitable location for him and especially his family? How did he know it was an area where his skills would be in demand enough to earn his living there? More questions could be asked, but they all come down to the answer of someone told him about Dover. It’s possible that happened after he reached North America, but that would probably have necessitated him staying in Boston or another port town for a while. That could have happened, but there is no record of Edward being anywhere prior to his settlement in Dover. It appears that was his first residence.
Unfortunately, we cannot put a name to who told Edward about Piscataqua Plantation and its opportunities. It may have been in a letter sent to him, or to someone else since letters with news often became public knowledge no matter who the recipient was.[33] By the 1630s dissenter networks had become sophisticated enough to regularly pass news between England and New England.[34]
Edward may also have seen a notice posted in Sawley or another English parish. A recruiter passing through Derbyshire looking for men to harvest New England resources for export may have encouraged him to move or a push through a dissenter network to get more puritan-leaning settlers to North America or to Dover may have been behind his relocation. There is no remaining evidence or correspondence to answer this question.
Another thing we do know about emigrating puritans is that it was a collaborative effort.[35] Most travelers needed pre- and post- migration support and the way to get that was through building up relationships through correspondence. Even the choice of carrier could have an impact if that individual could certify acquaintance with and the sincerity of the letter writer. Letters to other godly believers rooted the writer, not in English soil, but in relationships with fellow travelers and supporters. Did Edward do this before he immigrated to Dover? We don’t know, but if he followed the typical pattern of early dissenter/puritan travelers he may have been part of a network of like-minded individuals who initiated travel plans and found the place to settle before leaving Starbucky Territory. In his papers, Governor Winthrop said Edward Starbuck’s letter was the biggest factor in his decision to oppose Underhill. Clearly, Edward had the skills needed to write a persuasive letter.
[1] Nathaniel Bouton, editor, New Hampshire State Papers vol 1, (Concord, New Hampshire: George E Jenks, state printer, 1867), 126-128; digital images, New Hampshire Secretary of State (www.sos.nh.gov : accessed 3 March 2022).
[2] Sibyl Noyes, Charles Libby, Walter Davis, Genealogical Dictionary of New Hampshire and Maine, (Portland, Maine: The Southworth Press, 1928), 49.
[3] Massachusetts Bay Colony, Massachusetts State Archives Collection, Colonial Period, 1622-1788, volume 3:446, Edward Starbuck, 1654, FHL microfilm 2, 294,197, item 1, image 585/1626.
[4] Franklin Benjamin Hough, compiler, Papers relating to the Island of Nantucket while under the Colony of New York (Albany, New York: State of New York, 1856), 75-77, 81-82; digital images, Family Search (www.familysearch.org : accessed 6 January 2022). 75-77, 81-82.
[5] “Rockingham County, New Hampshire deeds,” database with images, Ava (www.ava.fidlar.com : accessed 9 June 2022), Edward Starbuck 10 April 1645.
[6] Nathaniel Bouton, editor, New Hampshire State Papers vol 40 (Concord, New Hampshire: George E Jenks, state printer, 1867)124-125; digital images, New Hampshire Secretary of State (www.sos.nh.gov : accessed 3 March 2022).
[7] “Rockingham County, New Hampshire deeds,” database with images, Ava, Edward Starbuck 20 December 1649.
[8] Dover, New Hampshire, Town Records 1647-1753; digitized images, City of Dover, NH (https://www.dover.nh.gov/government/city-operations/finance/city-clerk-tax-collection/historic-dover-records/ : accessed 10 August 2023), 21.
[9] “Rockingham County, New Hampshire deeds,” database with images, Ava, Edward Starbuck, 20 July 1653.
[10] George Wadleigh, Notable Events in the History of Dover, New Hampshire, from the First Settlement in 1623 to 1865 (Dover, NH: Tufts College Press, 1913), 37-38; digital images, Internet Archive (www.archive.org : accessed 10 August 2021).
[11] “Rockingham County, New Hampshire deeds,” database with images, Ava, Edward Starbuck, 6 Mar 1659/60 and 9 Mar 1659/60.
[12] Nantucket, Massachusetts, Deed Book 2:8, Edward Starbuck, 1660, FHL film 906,232, item 2, image 132/621; digital images, Family Search (www.familysearch.org : accessed 18 January 2023).
[13] Joshua Coffin, “Martha’s Vineyard,” New England Historical Genealogical Register 12 (1858): 33, American Ancestors (222.americanancestors.org : accessed 11 March 2022).
[14] Nathaniel Bouton, editor, New Hampshire State Papers vol 40; digital images, New Hampshire Secretary of State.
[15] Hough, Papers Relating to the Island of Nantucket While Under the Colony of New York, 13-14. Original record on film 945,268, item 1 Book 1, page 75.
[16] Nantucket, Massachusetts, Deeds Book 1:31, Edward Starbuck, 1663, FHL film 906,232, item 1, image 67/621; digital images Family Search (www.familysearch.org : accessed 19 January 2023).
[17] “Rockingham County, New Hampshire deeds,” database with images, Ava, Edward Starbuck, 11 May 1664.
[18] Nantucket, Massachusetts, Deed Book 2: 28, Edward Starbuck, 1668, FHL Film 906,232, item 2, image 153/621; digital images, Family Search (www.familiysearch.org : accessed 8 February 2022).
[19] Franklin B. Hough, Papers Relating to the Island of Nantucket While Under the Colony of New York, 25.
[20] Nantucket, Massachusetts, Deed Book 2: 6, Edward Starbuck, 1674, FHL Film 906,232, item 2, image 130/621; digital images, Family Search (www.familiysearch.org : accessed 19 January 2022).
[21] [21] Nantucket, Massachusetts, Deeds Book 1:38, Edward Starbuck, 1674, FHL film 906,232, item 1, image 71/621; digital images Family Search (www.familysearch.org : accessed 19 January 2023).
[22] Nantucket, Massachusetts, Deed Book 2: 11, Edward Starbuck, 1674/1675, FHL Film 906,232, item 2, image 135/621; digital images, Family Search (www.familiysearch.org : accessed 11 February 2022).
[23] Hough, Papers Relating to the Island of Nantucket While Under the Colony of New York, 75-77, 81-82.
[24] Essex Institute, “Old Norfolk County Records,” The Essex Antiquarian 2 (1898): 181, image copy American Ancestors (www.americanancestors.org: accessed 6 April 2022).
[25] The transcription indicated the year was uncertain due to difficulty reading the original entry. It proved Edward ran sawmills in Dover in the 1640s and 1650s. Records and Files of the Quarterly Court of Essex County, Massachusetts, Volume 7, 1678-1680 (Salem, Massachusetts: The Essex Institute, 1911), 286; digital images, Internet Archive (www.archive.org : accessed 23 March 2022).
[26] Rickie Longfellow, Transportation in America’s Postal System, online article in General Highway History, US Department of Transportation (https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/back0304.cfm#:~:text=In%20early%20colonial%20times%2C%20letter,service%20in%20the%20colonies%20appeared. : accessed 30 January 2024).
[27] Longfellow, Transportation in America’s Postal System, online article in General Highway History.
[28] Sarah Kate Hall, “Preserving Sociability: Negotiation and Mediation in Transatlantic Puritan Correspondence Networks, 1625-1649,” (Ph.D. thesis, East Anglia University, 2019), 102-103.
[29] Longfellow, Transportation in America’s Postal System, online article in General Highway History.
[30] Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org), “Boston Post Road,” rev. 21:24, 12 December 2023.
[31] William Hilton to John Winthrop Jr (18 April, 1633), typescript copy printed in the Winthrop Papers, III, 119, (https://www.masshist.org/publications/winthrop/index.php/view/PWF03p119: accessed 9 February 2024).
[32] Hall, “Preserving Sociability:,” 66.
[33] Hall, “Preserving Socialibility:,” 82
[34] F. J. Bremer, “Increase Mather’s friends: the trans-Atlantic congregational network of the
seventeenth century,” Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, 94, 1 (1984), p. 74.
[35] Anthony Fletcher, ed., Religion, Culture and Society in Early Modern Britain (Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2019), 271.
Hall, “Preserving Socialibility:,” 81
Hall, “Preserving Socialibility:,” 77-78.
