FROM THE BOOK: ANCESTORS OF MARY (MASON) SPILMAN (1813-1903) 1684 - In June 1684, the old church and watch tower of the wilderness was sold to Captain James AVERY for six pounds. He had the building taken down and moved by river and sound to his estate, the "Hive of the Averys." Here services were held, Captain James sometimes occupying the pulpit himself when no preacher was present. Roberts, Eloise M., SOME COLONIAL FAMILIES (1926), p.3-9. (Note: John D.
ROCKEFELLER, a descendant of Capt. James AVERY through his son Samuel
AVERY, had a bronze memorial tablet erected in Avery Memorial Park on
the site of his ancestors' home, "The Hive of the Averys.")
Roberts, Eloise M., SOME COLONIAL FAMILIES (1926), p.3-9. FROM THE BOOK: 1. Christopher Avery was born in England; m. about August 26, 1616, at Ipplepen, Devonshire, to Margery Stephens. In the opening chapter of Homer D. L. Sweet's history of The Averys of Groton (Syracuse, 1894), it is stated that "Christopher Avery, a weaver, was born in England about 1590," that he came to New England bringing with him his only son, James, and leaving his wife in the mother country. Further than this, nothing certain was known concerning him prior to his migration. For ten years after the publication of Mr. Sweet's book, we spent much time and money in a search for some trace of the founder of our family. Of the money thus spent, one hundred dollars was given for the purpose by Miss Carrie M. Powers of Decatur, Illinois. The chief result of these investigations, made by expert genealogists in England, was to disprove certain traditions as to the locality of Christopher Avery's English home (as at Salisbury, etc.), and thus to narrow the field of search and to increase the probability of the success of some later effort. August 6, 1613, at Newton Abbott, Devon, the inventory of the estate of a Christopher Avery was exhibited. It was dated July 26, 1613, and made mention of "Too pare of loums and certayne Implements to his trade belongeing." Thus we know that the testator was a weaver. His "relicte", Johann Avery, was made administrator of the estate. This Christopher Avery, the father of Christopher the emigrant, was of Torbrian, in the archdeaconry of Totnes. One of the witnesses to the above mentioned inventory was Hugh Sweete, whose name later appears on two other documents which may relate to our Christopher Avery. Among the marriage licenses, diocese of Exeter, Devon, England, Bishop's registry, city of Exeter, at the cathedral, is found the following, of great interest to us:
"1616, Aug. 26. Christopher Averye of Iplepen and Margery Stephens We have no certain information as to the time when Christopher Avery left England for America. In the opening chapter of Mr. Sweet's book, to which reference has already been made, I mentioned two traditions relating to the matter. "One is that he came from Salisbury, Wilts County, England, in the 'Arbella' with [Gov.] Winthrop, and landed at Salem, Mass., June 12, 1630. Another tradition is that he came over with the younger Winthrop in 1631, and that, on the voyage, the subsequent governor of Connecticut formed a strong and life-long attachment for Christopher Avery's young son, James." For a dozen years, we have been looking for some confirmation of either of these traditions, but without success. We know that he left Devon; we do not know when. We know that his wife Margery did not accompany him; we do not know why. We know that his only son James did come with him. It is possible that he sailed from Plymouth or from Dartmouth, the chief ports of Devon. Out of Devon had gone Drake and Hawkins and Ralegh and many lesser adventurers to seek fame and fortune in the New World. Devon men were ever longing to tempt the dangers of the deep. We next find Christopher Avery at the fishing establishment at Cape Ann in the colony of Massachusetts Bay. He may have come over sea with some fishermen on some summer voyage and remained. Tor Bay in Devon, is the great trawling region of England, and Brixham, only a few miles from Ipplepen, bears the same relation to England that Gloucester (Cape Ann) does to New England. The administration of her estate shows that Margaret Stephens, the mother of Christopher Avery's wife, was living at Brixham in 1642.
"Who would not, will not, if he can, In his History of the Town of Gloucester (Gloucester, 1860), Mr. Babson says (page 50):
"At a General Court, October, 1641, commissioners were appointed to view At the time of this disposal of lots, Christopher Avery was at Cape Ann as appears in the record of "Lands given and disposed of and to whom," written in the town-book of Gloucester:
2 mo 42. "Hugh Calkins hath given . . . This is the first trace of Christopher Avery in America that we have found. How long he had been at Cape Ann, prior to this date, April, 1642, we do not know. In the following May, the settlement was established as a plantation and called Gloucester. From the same old town record, we copy the following entries: 9 mo 45. "William Hough . . . has 6 acres of the 19th Lott of upland on Query.--Was this Mr. Stevens from Devon and was he of the family of Christopher Avery's wife?
Query.--Does not the fact that Christopher Avery had been given lot No. 2 also indicate that he was one of the original settlers of Gloucester?
The fact that Christopher Avery was "living absent from his wife" was not to be overlooked in a community that was under the domination of the Massachusetts theocracy of that period. The orthodox clergy ruled in things secular as well as in things spiritual and, under their guidance, courts and town meetings regulated the daily life of each member of the community and interfered in the management of his domestic affairs in a way that would not be tolerated now. Nothing was too trival for grave consideration by even the highest authority in the colony. For example, the records and files of the Salem court show:
30:10:1647. "Richard Windrow of Gloster fined for cursing, saying, 'There Many such entries appear in the records. From the Essex quarterly records and files one may learn:
27:10:1642. "Christopher Avery was presented for living absent from his Fortunately, the defendant's culpability in this matter was determined by the highest authority in the colony.
Oct. 19. 1654. "Christopher Auery being fined 20 li, at Ipswich Court for This seems to have put an end to the official consideration of the "absence." We have found no further allusion to it. In 1648, the above mentioned Richard Windrow was again presented for living from his wife. He proved that she was dead and was discharged Under the conditions then existing, public policy demanded the presence of wives in the new plantation, public sentiment was in accord therewith, and nearly every inhabitant was ready to act as public prosecutor in such cases. In consequence, we find a great many records of men presented for living from their wives; often as many as nine or ten in one short session; often as many as five or six in one group. Additional to the offense above mentioned was his evident lack of sympathy with the ministers. The Salem quarterly court records show--
"11:7:1649. Christopher Avery presented for speaking scoffingly of Mr. Whether the foregoing is or is not an accurate exposition of the causes of his scoffing and of his digression from the Puritan path, the Gloucester town records plainly show that Christopher Avery had the esteem and confidence of the majority of the inhabitants, as witnesseth the following from the Gloucester town records, vol. 1:
"Upon the 4th day of the 10th month 1646, Thomas Wakeley, Hugh Calkins, In the Essex County court records and files we find this:
"28:10:1647. Christopher Avery sworn constable of Gloucester." In the Salem quarterly court records and files we note some of the other offices held by Christopher Avery: "Court 29:4:1652.
Christopher Avery soon followed his son James to Pequot on the Thames, now New London. August 8, 1665, he there purchased a house, orchard, and lot of Robert Burrows. This land afterwards passed into possession of his only child, James Avery, who, in turn, deeded it to his four sons, James, Thomas, John, and Samuel. Some of this land, if not all of it, was situated on the "Great Neck." On the sixth of June, 1666, the county court freed Christopher Avery from training on account of his age. The name of Christopher Avery is found on the jury list for the county court under date of June 5, 1667. On the fourteenth of October, 1669, Christopher Avery, and his grandson, James Avery, were made freemen of the colony, by the general court of Connecticut Christopher Avery brought with him from the old country a Bible, known as the Breeches Bible, the seventh verse of the third chapter of Genesis reading as follows:
"Then the eyes of them both were opened and they knew that they were This Bible has descended from father to son and is now the property of the widow of James Oliver Avery of San Francisco. The town clerk of New London, Charles Hill, made this record: "Christopher Avery's death, vide near the death of Mother Brewster," but the date of her death does not appear. Thomas Minor's diary records that Christopher Avery was buried March 12, 1679. Child of Christopher and Margery (Stephens) Avery: 2. i. JAMES AVERY, b. about 1620, in England BACK |