Genealogy Timeline

1600 - 1649

1600

Gerard SPENCER (Michael-B, John-C) married Alice WHITBREAD d/o John & Eleanor at Upper Gravenhurst, Bedfordshire, England. Children included: William (1601-c1640); Elizabeth (1602-?); John (1603-?); Henry (1605-1607); Thomas (1607-1687); Richard (1608-1614); unnamed male (1609-1609); Michael (1611-1653); and Jared / Gerard / Gerrard (1614-1685). William, Elizabeth, Thomas, Michael and Gerard immigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s.

1603

Irish Rebellion Quelled -- Hugh O'Neill led the Irish chieftains in an unsuccessful revolt against the English. James VI of Scotland inherits the throne of England to become King James I and a Catholic reigns in England again.

1607

Jamestown Colony Established -- The first permanent English colony in the New World is founded at Jamestown, Virginia.

1609

Puritans in Leiden -- The so-called 'Puritans' were separatists from the Church of England. They believed believed the church had wavered and was no longer 'pure' in its teachings and practices. In many ways, this was true. About 1607/8 the congregation left England for the more religiously tolerant Dutch city of Leiden. There they practiced their beliefs, traded goods and services, and generally lived as they chose. They prospered and their congregation grew in size.

1611

Michael SPENCER (Gerard-A, Michael-B, John-C) baptized 5 May 1611 at Stotfold, Bedfordshire, England. He married Isabel _____ before 1632 but appears to have arrived at the Massachusetts Bay Colony after 1632. Children included: John (c1638-1684); Susannah (c1643-?); Michael (c1648-1722); and possibly William (c1652-1712).

1619

Puritans Decide to Leave Leiden -- Many of the congregation found jobs as textile workers but low wages and standard of living, plus renewed fears of Spain attempting to regain her lost possession (the Netherlands) led their leaders to look for a new home. Fears that their children were losing their English identity were also a concern.

First Representative Assembly Held in Jamestown --

First African Slaves Imported to Jamestown -- The first slaves imported to the English colony at Jamestown arrived.

1620

Puritans in the New World -- To pay for supplies and passage the Puritans contracted with English merchants and signed up non-Puritans colonists for the journey. The Puritans called themselves 'saints' (as in members of Christ's visible church) and the non-separatists were called 'strangers'.

Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock. George SOULE (1) is aboard as a servant of Edward WINSLOW and signs the Mayflower Compact. Not sure if he was a 'saint' or 'stranger'.

1623

First Comers -- To distinguish themselves from those who came afterward, those who arrived on the first four ships to Plymouth called themselves 'First Comers'. These ships were the Mayflower (1620), Fortune (1621), Anne (1623), and Little James (1623).

Mary BECKETT (1) arrived in the Rhode Island Colony before 31 Jul 1623 with the ship Anne. She traveled alone so it may be assumed she was either a servant or a promised bride. She married George SOULE (1). Her name has appeared as BECKETT or BUCKET.

George SOULE (1) married Mary BECKETT (1) sometime before 1627. They eventually moved to Duxbury, RI and had nine children. George was born sometime before 1600, possibly as early as 1593, in England.

1625

King James I of England Dies -- James VI of Scotland was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley. His coronation occurred when he was just 13 months old in 1567 after Mary's abdication. When Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603 James became the King of England as James I. This was known as the Union of the Crowns. Upon his death, his son Charles I became king.

1630

Winthrop's Fleet arrived at Massachusetts Bay Colony -- Part of the "Great Migration", this period marks the growth of the northern colonies.

1636

1636-1637 Pequot War -- The murder of an English trader, John Oldham, in July of 1636 sparked reprisals the following spring. Fought mostly in CT, this war marked the end of the Pequot Indian tribes power in the region. Prior to the war the Pequot tribes controlled western CT to the present-day NY border, eastern Long Island and Long Island Sound. The name 'Pequot' meant 'destroyer' and the tribes numbered about 2,500 at the time of the war. Additional colonist troops came from the Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts Bay Colony, and Connecticut.

1637

Michael SPENCER (Gerard-A, Michael-B, John-C) living at Lynn in 1637. Moved from the New Towne (Cambridge).

George SOULE (1) was a volunteer during the Pequot War, probably during 1637.

1638

John SPENCER (Michael-1, Gerard-A, Michael-B, John-C) born about 1638. John is attributed to Michael-1 and wife Isabel of Lynn, Essex Co, MA though evidence is not definitive. This man moved to East Greenwich, Kent Co, RI before 1664 and married Susannah GRIFFIN in that year. Their children included: John (1666-1743); Michael (1668-1748); Benjamin (1670-1723); William (1672-1748); Robert (1674-1748); Abner (1676-1759); Thomas (1679-1742); Susannah (1681-?); and Peleg (1683-1763).

1641

English Civil War Begins -- When Parliament refused to disband King Charles I found he could not control the nobles as he wished. Charles firmly believed in his 'divine right' to rule and saw any dissent as a challenge to that right. The Long Parliament, so-called because they refused to leave when ordered to disband, soon found themselves in a war with the king. Both sides squared off as Cavaliers and Roundheads.

Oliver Cromwell rose to become the effective ruler of the land but was not elected; he was the only military dictator of England. In the end, Charles II regained his throne after Cromwell's death and the monarchy continued. Something positive which did come out of this conflict was the New Model Army, changing the structure of military organizations that followed.

1642

Susanna SOULE (George-1) was born about 1642, probably in Duxbury, RI. She married Francis WEST (Matthew-1).

Susannah GRIFFIN (Robert-1) was born about 1642.

1643

Francis WEST (Matthew-1) was born about 1643 in Lynn, Essex Co, MA. Sometimes his name was spelled WAST.

1649

Regicide! -- The unthinkable has happened. Common men sat in judgment of the king and sentenced him to death. Though this marked a turning point in the anti-monarchy camp's favor with the masses (for the worse) they held onto power so long as Cromwell was in command. England swings back to Protestantism again.