Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of William Nickerson

[ Home Page | First Page | Previous Page | Next Page | Last Page ]

Descendants of William Nickerson

Generation No. 1

1. WILLIAM⁴ NICKERSON (WILLIAM³, THOMAS², THOMAS¹) was born 1604 in Norwich, England, and died 1690 in Monomoit, MA. He married ANNE BUSBY Abt. 1627 in Norwich, England, daughter of NICHOLAS BUSBY and BRIDGET COCKE. She was born Abt. 1607 in Norwich,England, and died Aft. 5/18/1686 in Monomoit, MA.

Notes for WILLIAM NICKERSON:
[1326.FTW]

See Claude MacGray #1448
William was a weaver by trade and no doubt belonged to the Weaver's Guild of Norwich. On account of the persecutions of Bishop Wren, of Norfolk, whose zealous efforts against non-conformists drove over 3,000 small craftsmen out of the country, he and his wife Anne Busby decided to go to America. Their examination just before their departure from England reads thus: "The examination of William Nickerson of Norwich, in Norfolk, weaver, aged 33, and Anne, his wife, aged 28, with four children, Nicho, Robartt, Elizabeth, Anne, are desirous to go to Boston in New England there to inhabit. April 8, 1637." This taken from the Complete Book of Emigrants. They sailed from Yarmouth, England on April 15, 1637 on the ship "John and Dorothy" and arrived in Salem June 20 1637. With them sailed Anne's parents. In the same party was 18 year old Samuel Lincoln, the ancestor of Abraham Lincoln, and also Joseph Lincoln, the famous author of Cape Cod stories.
.
On May 2, 1638, William took the oath of a free-man at Boston though it was likely that he was living in Watertown with his wife's people who came there after a brief stay in Newbury, MA. On December 1, 1640, he was proposed as a free-man at the Plymouth Colony Court, evidently planning to settle in the jurisdiction of the Old Colony rather than that of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
He took the oath of fidelity June 1, 1641, and on the same date he was on the grand jury and was propounded to be a free-man at the next court, being described as of Yarmouth. Evidently, he moved his family to Yarmouth about this time. His house and farm were near Folland's Pond (then known as Little Bass Pond) at the head of the Bass river. When he later moved to Monomoyick (Chatham), he sold his Yarmouth farm to James Mathews.
With others he was complained of March 1, 1641, as a "Scoffer and jeerer of religion", which was true to his spirit of a non-conformist. Several times in the next twenty years he was in trouble with the church, and very likely that had much to do with his decision to move into the wilderness of Monomoy. His trouble with the minister seemed in no way to affect his standing as a citizen, because he continued to be chosen for responsible civil offices as long as he remained in Yarmouth. He was among those between 16 and 60 able to bear arms in Yarmouth. Was chosen on the committee headed by Captain Myles Standish to settle disputes over land boundaries which had become acute in Yarmouth.
May 14, 1648, in the final allotment of lands at Yarmouth by the Standish Land Court, 10 acres of upland and 6 acres of meadow were laid out to him at Little Bass Pond ("toward the South sea", the record reads). This was the farm he had lived on for about 8 years and he also had purchased 6 acres of meadow in "Nobscusset Meadows", now known as Hockanom.
Prior to or early in 1656 William had bought of the Indian Chief Sagamore Mattaquason and his son John Quason, a tract of land at Monomoy without the consent of the authorities, which was contrary to a law of June 6, 1643, and he had obtained no deed thereof. On June 3, 1656, William was brought before the court.
"Att this court William Nicarson appeered, being summoned to answare for his buying of land of the Indians, contrary to the order of the Court, and for selling of a boat to the Indians, against a warrant directed to Yarmouth strictly prohibiting the same, haveing left the boate to bee the Indians; concerning his breach of order in buying of land, hee lyeth under the fine and penalty expressed in the order for the breach thereof; and for his contempt of the warrant, he is disfranchised his freedom."
His purchase was again before the Court on June 3, 1657:
"In answare unto a petition preferred to the court by William Micarson, desiring to have liberty to enjoy the land hee purchased att Mannamoiett, - the court have ordered, that the said land shall be viewed by some that shall be deputed; and afterwards, upon their report to the court, hee is to have competency or proportion out of it allowed unto him, and then to asigne up the remainder unto the court."
In 1657, the family returned to Boston.
Prior to January 5, 1661/2 William was back in Yarmouth with his family. Probably his older sons had been keeping his farm going for him in his absence. On November 27, he sold his Boston property to Phillip Gibbs for 150 pounds.
July 4, 1663 William Nickerson presented a petition to the Plymouth Colony Court for permission to settle at township at Monomoyick, now Chatham. In the spring of 1664, William, then being about 60 years old but still physically and mentally rugged, left the comparatively settled community of Yarmouth and moved with his wife and all but one son (Nicholas) to the wilderness of Monomoick. His sons and daughters cleared farms and built homes of their own and were the first settlers of the area.
In the Records of Plymouth Colony, we find several instances with William Nickerson being fined: March Court-20 pounds (p. 119); June 6, 1667-Debts due by rates and fines-20 pounds (p.120); October 1667-For sending scandalous writings to General Nichols-10 pounds (p.122); Jul 8, 1669-Item due to county also in debts and fines-20 pounds (p.127)
In 1682, William deeded a part of his land to his daughter Elizabeth. This was only part of the thousands of acres he had purchased, beginning in 1656, from the Indian Sagamore Mattaquason, who had accepted in pay cows, cloth, wampum, and other trade goods. Together they staked out the metes and bounds, some of which are landmarks to this day; but the Sagamore could give no written deed because the Plymouth real estate operators had passed a law that no Indian could sell property without the consent of the colony. William claimed that the land was the Indian's to do with as he saw fit, but it took him 20 years and a substantial kick-back to the speculators before Mattaquason was allowed to set his hand to a deed.

Their house in Monomoit stood between White Pond' and Emery Pond, just south of Old Queen Anne Road, and his father provided him additional properties as he did for all his children, except Nicholas, who remained in Yarmouth. John's lands were located at Oyster Pond, Stage Neck and Buck's Creek. In the division of common land, he received a lot in East Harwich.
At Monomoit, the years between 1664 and 1672 must have been arduous and cheerless for the first tiny group of settlers. The forest areas in some placed "wooded to the brink of the Sea", and wild, dense thickets that had to be cleared away are rather hard to imagine now. Present day old-timers will tell you that if you take a small dirt road from Wellfleet to Truro you can see, toward the bay, a stretch of tangled thicket which remains today as it was then.
Quite isolated from the other Cape colonists, William and his children's families were the only white and English-speaking inhabitants in that neighborhood - and relatively few others joined them in twenty-five years. Fortunately, they maintained cordial relationships with their Monomoic Indian neighbors, which "reflects the charity of the Indians at least as much as their own benevolence."
Their tiny cabins were sparsely furnished - a table, perhaps a chair and bunk beds in the loft. Lacking glass, the windows were covered with oiled paper and boarded up in the winter. The suffered much in the harsh, alien environment of bleak weather when icy gales and violent storms swept in from the sea.

The obligations of the women were heavy and constant. From what nature could provide they made many of the basic necessities. Responsibility for clothing the family meant spinning wool and flax, weaving and dying materials, and hand-tailoring the garments. Making soap and a winter store of candles was accompanied by the stale reek of tallow, grease, suet and wood ash. For healing and administering to the sick, they prepared bitters, salves, poultices and antiseptics from plants and herbs. Butter, cheese and bread had to be made, and large cuts of meat cooked. There was considerable strain in lugging the huge iron pots that hung on the fireplace crane, and sometimes the wife weighed little more than the pots! Aside from church meetings, gatherings to do domestic tasks were the only occasions for female sociability. The women, carrying their gear, would meet at a neighbor's house to do their spinning, knitting, sewing, or even
the paring of vegetables.
Although such luxuries as individual eating utensils, other than wooden spoons, were lacking, they did not lack for good food to put on the table. The ocean yielded a great variety of sea foods, on the land "there grew many fine vines, and fowl and deer hunted there; there grew much sassafras (of great home and commercial value for medicines) ... many walnut trees full of nuts, and a great store of strawberries..." Soon the farms provided meat, milk, grain and vegetables.
Soon the village was subject to Colony rule and they were required to perform the village organizational duties and specific obligations to the Colony. They held local offices, served as jurymen and representatives to the Court, settled land disputes and local differences, preached the sermons and took care of schooling the children at home.
William seems to have arranged for each of his children to have several parcels of land - upland, meadow and areas near the water - to take care of their various needs in farming, grazing, fishing, washing and transportation.

A vignette of the times from the record -
"3 June 1668; In reference unto a complaint of Thomas Howes, the late constable of Yarmouth, against William Nickerson, Sr., Nathaniel Covell, Samuel Nickerson, Joseph Nickerson, and William Nickerson, Jr., for affronting him in the execution of his office, the court sentences them all to sitt in the stocks during the pleasure of the court." This was accordingly performed - "but whereas William Nickerson, Sr. was the leader he was to find securities and was released upon good behaviour until next court in October."
Regardless of the law, he moved in and built his cabin in the field across the highway to the south of the present Christopher Ryder House in Chathamport. According to tradition, the Old Sagamore's lodge stood William seems to have arranged for each of his children to have several parcels of land - upland, meadow and areas near the water - to take care of their various needs in farming, grazing, fishing, washing and transportation.

A vignette of the times from the record -
"3 June 1668; In reference unto a complaint of Thomas Howes, the late constable of Yarmouth, against William Nickerson, Sr., Nathaniel Covell, Samuel Nickerson, Joseph Nickerson, and William Nickerson, Jr., for affronting him in the execution of his office, the court sentences them all to sitt in the stocks during the pleasure of the court." This was accordingly performed - "but whereas William Nickerson, Sr. was the leader he was to find securities and was released upon good behaviour until next court in October."
Regardless of the law, he moved in and built his cabin in the field across the highway to the south of the present Christopher Ryder House in Chathamport. According to tradition, the Old Sagamore's lodge stood a short distance to the north. They were about of an age; and here these two old men, the red man and the white, lived out their days as good friends and neighbors, always carrying out their word-of-mouth agreements as man to man despite the shenanigans of the political land sharks in Plymouth.
The Old Sagamore went to his Happy Hunting Ground during the winter of 1682/83 followed in a few years by William Nickerson.
[Mayflower.FBK.FBK2.FTW]

[Mayflower.FBK.FBK1.FTW]

[1326.FTW]

See Claude MacGray #1448
William was a weaver by trade and no doubt belonged to the Weaver's Guild of Norwich. On account of the persecutions of Bishop Wren, of Norfolk, whose zealous efforts against non-conformists drove over 3,000 small craftsmen out of the country, he and his wife Anne Busby decided to go to America. Their examination just before their departure from England reads thus: "The examination of William Nickerson of Norwich, in Norfolk, weaver, aged 33, and Anne, his wife, aged 28, with four children, Nicho, Robartt, Elizabeth, Anne, are desirous to go to Boston in New England there to inhabit. April 8, 1637." This taken from the Complete Book of Emigrants. They sailed from Yarmouth, England on April 15, 1637 on the ship "John and Dorothy" and arrived in Salem June 20 1637. With them sailed Anne's parents. In the same party was 18 year old Samuel Lincoln, the ancestor of Abraham Lincoln, and also Joseph Lincoln, the famous author of Cape Cod stories.
.
On May 2, 1638, William took the oath of a free-man at Boston though it was likely that he was living in Watertown with his wife's people who came there after a brief stay in Newbury, MA. On December 1, 1640, he was proposed as a free-man at the Plymouth Colony Court, evidently planning to settle in the jurisdiction of the Old Colony rather than that of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
He took the oath of fidelity June 1, 1641, and on the same date he was on the grand jury and was propounded to be a free-man at the next court, being described as of Yarmouth. Evidently, he moved his family to Yarmouth about this time. His house and farm were near Folland's Pond (then known as Little Bass Pond) at the head of the Bass river. When he later moved to Monomoyick (Chatham), he sold his Yarmouth farm to James Mathews.
With others he was complained of March 1, 1641, as a "Scoffer and jeerer of religion", which was true to his spirit of a non-conformist. Several times in the next twenty years he was in trouble with the church, and very likely that had much to do with his decision to move into the wilderness of Monomoy. His trouble with the minister seemed in no way to affect his standing as a citizen, because he continued to be chosen for responsible civil offices as long as he remained in Yarmouth. He was among those between 16 and 60 able to bear arms in Yarmouth. Was chosen on the committee headed by Captain Myles Standish to settle disputes over land boundaries which had become acute in Yarmouth.
May 14, 1648, in the final allotment of lands at Yarmouth by the Standish Land Court, 10 acres of upland and 6 acres of meadow were laid out to him at Little Bass Pond ("toward the South sea", the record reads). This was the farm he had lived on for about 8 years and he also had purchased 6 acres of meadow in "Nobscusset Meadows", now known as Hockanom.
Prior to or early in 1656 William had bought of the Indian Chief Sagamore Mattaquason and his son John Quason, a tract of land at Monomoy without the consent of the authorities, which was contrary to a law of June 6, 1643, and he had obtained no deed thereof. On June 3, 1656, William was brought before the court.
"Att this court William Nicarson appeered, being summoned to answare for his buying of land of the Indians, contrary to the order of the Court, and for selling of a boat to the Indians, against a warrant directed to Yarmouth strictly prohibiting the same, haveing left the boate to bee the Indians; concerning his breach of order in buying of land, hee lyeth under the fine and penalty expressed in the order for the breach thereof; and for his contempt of the warrant, he is disfranchised his freedom."
His purchase was again before the Court on June 3, 1657:
"In answare unto a petition preferred to the court by William Micarson, desiring to have liberty to enjoy the land hee purchased att Mannamoiett, - the court have ordered, that the said land shall be viewed by some that shall be deputed; and afterwards, upon their report to the court, hee is to have competency or proportion out of it allowed unto him, and then to asigne up the remainder unto the court."
In 1657, the family returned to Boston.
Prior to January 5, 1661/2 William was back in Yarmouth with his family. Probably his older sons had been keeping his farm going for him in his absence. On November 27, he sold his Boston property to Phillip Gibbs for 150 pounds.
July 4, 1663 William Nickerson presented a petition to the Plymouth Colony Court for permission to settle at township at Monomoyick, now Chatham. In the spring of 1664, William, then being about 60 years old but still physically and mentally rugged, left the comparatively settled community of Yarmouth and moved with his wife and all but one son (Nicholas) to the wilderness of Monomoick. His sons and daughters cleared farms and built homes of their own and were the first settlers of the area.
In the Records of Plymouth Colony, we find several instances with William Nickerson being fined: March Court-20 pounds (p. 119); June 6, 1667-Debts due by rates and fines-20 pounds (p.120); October 1667-For sending scandalous writings to General Nichols-10 pounds (p.122); Jul 8, 1669-Item due to county also in debts and fines-20 pounds (p.127)
In 1682, William deeded a part of his land to his daughter Elizabeth. This was only part of the thousands of acres he had purchased, beginning in 1656, from the Indian Sagamore Mattaquason, who had accepted in pay cows, cloth, wampum, and other trade goods. Together they staked out the metes and bounds, some of which are landmarks to this day; but the Sagamore could give no written deed because the Plymouth real estate operators had passed a law that no Indian could sell property without the consent of the colony. William claimed that the land was the Indian's to do with as he saw fit, but it took him 20 years and a substantial kick-back to the speculators before Mattaquason was allowed to set his hand to a deed.

Their house in Monomoit stood between White Pond' and Emery Pond, just south of Old Queen Anne Road, and his father provided him additional properties as he did for all his children, except Nicholas, who remained in Yarmouth. John's lands were located at Oyster Pond, Stage Neck and Buck's Creek. In the division of common land, he received a lot in East Harwich.
At Monomoit, the years between 1664 and 1672 must have been arduous and cheerless for the first tiny group of settlers. The forest areas in some placed "wooded to the brink of the Sea", and wild, dense thickets that had to be cleared away are rather hard to imagine now. Present day old-timers will tell you that if you take a small dirt road from Wellfleet to Truro you can see, toward the bay, a stretch of tangled thicket which remains today as it was then.
Quite isolated from the other Cape colonists, William and his children's families were the only white and English-speaking inhabitants in that neighborhood - and relatively few others joined them in twenty-five years. Fortunately, they maintained cordial relationships with their Monomoic Indian neighbors, which "reflects the charity of the Indians at least as much as their own benevolence."
Their tiny cabins were sparsely furnished - a table, perhaps a chair and bunk beds in the loft. Lacking glass, the windows were covered with oiled paper and boarded up in the winter. The suffered much in the harsh, alien environment of bleak weather when icy gales and violent storms swept in from the sea.

The obligations of the women were heavy and constant. From what nature could provide they made many of the basic necessities. Responsibility for clothing the family meant spinning wool and flax, weaving and dying materials, and hand-tailoring the garments. Making soap and a winter store of candles was accompanied by the stale reek of tallow, grease, suet and wood ash. For healing and administering to the sick, they prepared bitters, salves, poultices and antiseptics from plants and herbs. Butter, cheese and bread had to be made, and large cuts of meat cooked. There was considerable strain in lugging the huge iron pots that hung on the fireplace crane, and sometimes the wife weighed little more than the pots! Aside from church meetings, gatherings to do domestic tasks were the only occasions for female sociability. The women, carrying their gear, would meet at a neighbor's house to do their spinning, knitting, sewing, or even
the paring of vegetables.
Although such luxuries as individual eating utensils, other than wooden spoons, were lacking, they did not lack for good food to put on the table. The ocean yielded a great variety of sea foods, on the land "there grew many fine vines, and fowl and deer hunted there; there grew much sassafras (of great home and commercial value for medicines) ... many walnut trees full of nuts, and a great store of strawberries..." Soon the farms provided meat, milk, grain and vegetables.
Soon the village was subject to Colony rule and they were required to perform the village organizational duties and specific obligations to the Colony. They held local offices, served as jurymen and representatives to the Court, settled land disputes and local differences, preached the sermons and took care of schooling the children at home.
William seems to have arranged for each of his children to have several parcels of land - upland, meadow and areas near the water - to take care of their various needs in farming, grazing, fishing, washing and transportation.

A vignette of the times from the record -
"3 June 1668; In reference unto a complaint of Thomas Howes, the late constable of Yarmouth, against William Nickerson, Sr., Nathaniel Covell, Samuel Nickerson, Joseph Nickerson, and William Nickerson, Jr., for affronting him in the execution of his office, the court sentences them all to sitt in the stocks during the pleasure of the court." This was accordingly performed - "but whereas William Nickerson, Sr. was the leader he was to find securities and was released upon good behaviour until next court in October."
Regardless of the law, he moved in and built his cabin in the field across the highway to the south of the present Christopher Ryder House in Chathamport. According to tradition, the Old Sagamore's lodge stood William seems to have arranged for each of his children to have several parcels of land - upland, meadow and areas near the water - to take care of their various needs in farming, grazing, fishing, washing and transportation.

A vignette of the times from the record -
"3 June 1668; In reference unto a complaint of Thomas Howes, the late constable of Yarmouth, against William Nickerson, Sr., Nathaniel Covell, Samuel Nickerson, Joseph Nickerson, and William Nickerson, Jr., for affronting him in the execution of his office, the court sentences them all to sitt in the stocks during the pleasure of the court." This was accordingly performed - "but whereas William Nickerson, Sr. was the leader he was to find securities and was released upon good behaviour until next court in October."
Regardless of the law, he moved in and built his cabin in the field across the highway to the south of the present Christopher Ryder House in Chathamport. According to tradition, the Old Sagamore's lodge stood a short distance to the north. They were about of an age; and here these two old men, the red man and the white, lived out their days as good friends and neighbors, always carrying out their word-of-mouth agreements as man to man despite the shenanigans of the political land sharks in Plymouth.
The Old Sagamore went to his Happy Hunting Ground during the winter of 1682/83 followed in a few years by William Nickerson.

More About WILLIAM NICKERSON:
Burial: Burial Hill, now Chatham Port, MA
Fact 1: Tailor
Fact 4: NFA #1

Children of WILLIAM NICKERSON and ANNE BUSBY are:

2.	i.	JOSEPH⁵ NICKERSON, b. 12/1647, Yarmouth MA; d. Abt. 1731, Harwich MA.
3.	ii.	NICHOLAS NICKERSON, b. 8/10/1628, Norwich, Norfolk, England; d. 3/26/1681, Yarmouth, MA.
	iii.	ELIZABETH NICKERSON, b. 1/1/1629-30, Norwich,England; d. Bef. 5/3/1706, Monomoit ,MA; m. ROBERT ELDREDGE, 10/1649; b. WFT Est. 1604-1630; d. WFT Est. 1653-1696.

More About ELIZABETH NICKERSON:
Fact 2: Jan 1 1629/30

4.	iv.	ROBERT NICKERSON, b. 11/27/1631, Norwich, Noefolk, England; d. Bef. 4/5/1710, Monomoit ,MA.
	v.	THOMAS NICKERSON, b. 1/10/1633-34, Norwich, Noefolk, England; d. 2/21/1633-34, Norwich, Noefolk, England.
	vi.	ANNE NICKERSON, b. 5/7/1635, Norwich,England; d. Abt. 1680, Monomoit ,MA; m. TRISTAM HODGES, Boston, Mass; b. WFT Est. 1592-1626; d. WFT Est. 1648-1684.

Notes for ANNE NICKERSON:
[1326.FTW]

Anne and Tristam were married in Boston by Governor John Endicott[Mayflower.FBK.FBK2.FTW]

[Mayflower.FBK.FBK1.FTW]

[1326.FTW]

Anne and Tristam were married in Boston by Governor John Endicott

5.	vii.		SAMUEL NICKERSON, b. Abt. 1638, Yarmouth, MA; d. Bef. 8/17/1719, Chatham, MA.
	viii.		JOHN NICKERSON, b. 1640, Yarmouth MA; d. 3/1713-14, Yarmouth, MA buried in Chatham; m. SARAH WILLIAMS, Abt. 1665; b. WFT Est. 1627-1649; d. WFT Est. 1669-1722.

More About JOHN NICKERSON:
Fact 1: Buried Chatham

6.	ix.		SARAH NICKERSON, b. Abt. 1644, Yarmouth, MA; d. Abt. 1715, Yarmouth MA.
7.	x.		WILLIAM NICKERSON, b. 6/1/1646, Yarmouth, MA; d. 4/7/1719, Chatham, MA.

[ Home Page | First Page | Previous Page | Next Page | Last Page ]