Belcher Genealogy in America
The Belcher Genealogy in the United States Colonies started around 1630 in Massaschusetts
and earlier in Virginia at the Jamestown Colonies.
A brief History>>>>>>>>>
....In 1620, a group of Puritans secured land from the Virginia Company
A group of 101 men, women, and children set out for the Virginia Colony on board the
"Mayflower".
A storm sent them far north and they landed in New England on
Cape Cod.
In Dec. the Mayflower reached Plymouth. Many starved during
the winter.
The Indians shared their maize (corn) and food with them,
enabling them to survive the winter.
....A new wave of immigrants arrived on the shores of Mass in 1620-1640.
Bringing with them a grant from King Charles I, to establish a Colony.
Their leader was John Winthrop.
He openly set out to create a place
where they could live
in strict accordance with thier religious beliefs
the protestant faith,
away from the catholic rule and influence.
The second group came in ships called the
"Winthrop Fleet", several ships
were included in this group.
among those immigrants on the "Winthrop Fleet", were
the first Belchers of our family line in Massaschusetts.
....The Mass Bay Colony was to play a significant role in the development
of the entire New England
region,
in part because Winthrop and his Puritan colleagues
were able to bring their charter
with them.
This autority for the colony's government resided in Mass and not England.
Our heritage in this country was based on the belief in
God, Country, and freedom of worship:
God being first:
....Many of the new colonist became a freeman,
this is different than free man:
a free man is listed as a man that was an indentured slave
or a bought slave that has obtained his freedom
.
the freeman was entirely different:
....Freemen --- those who applied for that estate in Boston
in October, 1630,
and those so sworn thereafter.
The Freemen were the only
colonists who were franchised to vote,
and the franchise was not offered to all.
One generally had to be a mature male church-member,
and must have experienced a
transforming spiritual experience
by God's grace, as attested by himself and
confirmed by church leaders.
Therefore, a small percentage of the population.
....And apparently, a number of qualifying
church-members
would not take the oath because they had problems with the
wording.
An oath in those times was taken very seriously,
as though it were a
promise made directly to the Almighty God
with ones soul forfeit in the breach.
Numerous persons who are on church and court records of 1630-1632 did not take
the oath until 1634,
when the oath was shortened and modified to replace the
persons of the Governor etc.
to whom obedience was due with the impersonal
"common weale."
Others, such as those who later became Quakers,
objected
strongly to oaths in general.
One can understand all their reservations when one
reads this
"first of all American loyalty oaths,"
Oath of a freeman::
Several of our early Belcher came to America on the
Winthrop Fleet of Ships during 1620-40.
According to the "Dictionary of First Settlers of New England"
by James Savage, and
"Belcher Families in New England" 1906 by Joseph Gardner Bartlett.
Jeremiah Belcher settled in Ipswich, Mass.,
Edward Belcher(also listed as Edmund) became a resident of Boston,
Andrew Belcher was the ancestor of Governor Belcher,
and Gregory Belcher was an early settler and an original member
of the First Church of Quincy.
The relationship
existing between the members of the families is being researched:
William Thomas Belcher settled in Virginia
and started the Virginia Kentucky, West Va. lines of the Belchers.
Belchers in Early America
Henry Thomas Belcher
Chapter 1
1460-Hugh Belcher and Havis Belson
1478-John Belcher Warwickshire England
1506-Edmund Belcher and Alice Spencer
Northamptonshire England
1525-William Andrew Belcher and Elizabeth Randes
Northamptonshire England
1565-Henry Thomas Belcher and Mary Mitchell:::Northamptonshire England
Henry Thomas Belcher
born 1565
Guilsborough Northamptonshire England
We have no confirmed information that Henry ever came to America.
Henry Belcher is listed in 1617 in Calendar of Wills of Northamptonshire"
married:#1 ? in Aston Parish Warwickshire England
married:#2 Mary Mitchell:
Children:
1...John Belcher
born 1604 England
2...William Thomas Belcher(VI)
Born 1605 Northamptonshire England
Married: Tabitha Bartlett at Warrosquoyoake USA.
Name later changed to Isle of Wight county Virginia.
Tabitha was born in 1618 in England.
She is said to have come to America on the Ship "Anne" in 1623,
No record so far has been found of this.,
3...Margery Belcher
born
1615 Northamptonshire England.
A Henry Jr. is mentioned in this time area in Northamptonshire, but cannot connect him to this Henry.
William Thomas Belcher and Tabitha Bartlett are the start of this Genelaogy LIne of Belchers in Virginia.
Chapter 2::::William Thomas Belcher Born 1605 Genealogy
Source:
Information on this early history came from these sources:
Walter C. Metcalfe, ed., The Visitations of Northamptonshire
made in 1564 and 1618-9 ... (London 1887) p. 68].
Robert Charles Anderson. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England,
1620-1633, vols. 1-3. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995.
"Belchers in New England" 1906 by: Joseph Gardner Bartlett: Genealogical Society of Church of Jesus
Christ of Ladder Day Saints microfilmed oct 8 1946 and 26 July 1978
"Outline of American History, Mass. state archives"
"James savage: Dictionary of The First Settlers of New England".
James Savages dictionary is held in high regard as being accurate
but is hard to read with all the abbreviations etc.
"Abstracts of Bristol and Easton County Mass."
"Mass. probate Records"
"Mass, Suffolk county deeds
"Church records of Easton and Bristol Mass."
"Revolutionary War Rolls Archives of Mass. vol xlvii p 236"
"The History of Bristol County">
"The History of Easton County Mass.
"Biographies of Notable Americans"
"Vital Records of Cambridge,Middlesex co.,"
"Mass. to the End of the Year 1849 volii"
"The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans voliiv
"The Winthrop Society"
"history of norfolk county ma, by Hurd".Hurds works are not well thought of
as being as accurate as james savages new england dictionary of first settlers
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