On 3 Nov. 1653, JOHN SHAW and his wife ALICE agreed with Thomas Savory and Annis Savory his wife, all of New Plymouth, that the Savorys' son, Benjamin, aged 9 years old, would live with the Shaws until he was 21, and the Shaws would pay him �5 at the end of his service. If either John or Alice died, Benjamin was to serve out his time with JONATHAN SHAW, the son of John Shaw, and Jonathan was to teach him a trade, writing and reading, and give him two suits of apparel. On 4 March 1657, Jonathan was cleared of this engagement by mutual consent of all the persons "that are now alive," which reflects the fact that Alice had died in the interim.
The text of the agreement of 3 Nov. 1653, recorded among the Plymouth Colony Deeds, is as follows.
"John Shaw and Alice his wife to live with them untell hee bee one and twenty yeares of age hee beinge nine yeares old in march next Next ensuing in consideration heerof the aforsaid John Shaw is to pay to the aforsaid Thomas Savory thirty shillings prsent paied; And when the aforsaid Beniamine Savory is one and twenty yeares of age the aforsaid John Shaw is to give him five pounds or a Cow to the worth of five pounds; But if incase that the aforsaid John Shaw or Alice Shaw his wife one or both of them should Decease before the said Beniamines terme of yeares bee expired; the said Beniamine Savory is to stay and serve out his time with Jonathan Shaw the sonne of the aforsaid John Shaw and the said Jonathan Shaw is to pforme all the conditions above mencioned; And likewise the said Jonathan Shaw is to teach him his learning writing and reading within the tearme of yeares above mencioned; And when his time is expired the said Jonathan Shaw is to give him two suites of apparrell and likewise the said Jonathan Shaw is to teach the said Beniamine Savory whatsoever trade the said Jonathan Shaw can Doe; And in Witnesse heerunto wee have enterchangably sett to our hands the Day and yeare above written "In the prsence of John Shaw his marke Robert Lee Alice Shaw her marke Robert Barker his marke Jonathan Shaw Willam Spooner his marke Thomas Savory Annis Savory her marke"
The following is written on the inner margin of the page on which the 1653 deed is written:
"Jonathan Shaw is cleared of any engagement unto Benjamine Savory; by mutuall Concent of all the psons concerned in these Covenants that are now alive with the approbation of the majestrates att the court held att Plymouth the 4th march 1657"
Source: Eugene Aubrey Stratton's Plymouth Colony: Its History & People 1620-1691
Return to Ten Generations of the Shaw Family