Samuel Terry
There is some information about Samuel the immigrant available on the web and in the Notes of Terry Families by Stephen Terry. Most of what you can easily find says about the same thing. More information is available on many of his descendants and much of it can be found at the Terry Family Historian’s web site and the Terry GenForum. I have found some additional information in publications of the old records and out of print books that I have not seen largely published or referred to on-line. I add these hoping that they will help our overall understanding of who Samuel was and where he came from.

General Background Information.
He was brought over to the colonies in 1650 by William Pynchon, probably when William returned to NE from a trip to England for the publishing of his book, The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption. William Pynchon was founder of Springfield, Massachusetts and according to the histories of Roxbury, Massachusetts, he was the chief founder of that town as well. The book publication caused problems for William and he decided to return to England for good in 1651.

On October 15, 1650, Samuel was apprenticed out to Benjamin Cooly for three years, 6 months and some odd days to learn the trade of weaving. I have read elsewhere, in some old history, that this Benjamin Cooly was a master linen weaver. The date of Samuel’s birth has been based on the terms of this agreement. I have seen his birth date range from 1623-1634. He was married to Ann Lobdell, January 22, 1660/61. Using that range, it would have made him anywhere between 26 and 37 when he was married. Kind of late for the day, but not unheard of.

The LDS and other sites list Stephen and Elizabeth as the parents of Samuel. There are some Terry researchers that have been studying this family for many years who believe that this is not the case. I tend to go along with this line of thinking although my site does list Stephen as his father, as that is what most people will find when searching the LDS site and a majority of web sites which list his parents.

About John and Mary Terry
Stephen was the son of John Terry, a noted anti-Catholic writer at that time. John Terry was vicar of Stockton, in Wiltshire, and one-time fellow of New College, Oxford. He was married to Mary White, the sister of John White, of Dorchester. John White was also a fellow at New College and recruited his brother-in-law, John Terry, as a member of the Dorchester Company. When John Terry died in 1625, Mary moved herself and her five sons to Dorchester to be near her brother.

Stephen was already here in 1630 having sailed on the Mary and John with the rest of the Dorchester planters. Why didn’t Pynchon bring Samuel to Windsor, to Stephen, or to apprentice him out there to be near his father? Stephen as his father seems very unlikely since the dates and locations of the people don’t add up well at all. I think that Stephen may have been an uncle to Samuel or possibly a cousin. Stephen may have been a brother, if the birthday for Samuel is figured wrong (using the apprentenceship calculation) but that would put Samuel in his mid-twenties upon arrival in New England.

Samuel in New England
William Pynchon brought a total of 4 boys over to New England that trip, that were “assigned and set over” to others before he departed permanently for England. In these other contracts, the date of the boys arrival in Boston is noted as 2d July 1650. These three boys were set over on the 9th day of September 1650. The contracts are very short and simple, not at all like Samuels.

Hugh Dudly made his agreement on 29 April 1650 for a term of five years. He went to Henry Semith, Pynchon’s step-son and son in-law. Henry was to allow him three pounds and ten shilling per year to find him “apperall and to endevor at the end of his time to provide a convenient allottment of land.”

James Wells made his agreement on 22 April 1650 for a term of nine years. He also went to Henry Semith. Henry was to find James “meat, drink, apperall and lodging with other necesssaryes during the term. At the end of the term, James was to be given “fifty shillings in mony or true value in comodities.”

Edmund Foster, alias Edward Foster, made his agreement on 22 April 1650 for a term of nine years also. He went to Elizur Holioak who was also William’s son-in-law. He was to find Edmund (alias Edward) “meat, drink, apperall and lodging with other necesssaryes during the term.” At the end of the term, Edward was to be given “fifty shillings in money or true value in comodities.”

Samuel’s contract differs greatly from the other boys in that it was an apprenticeship and not just an indenture for labor. Why was Samuel’s contract so different from the other boys?

Family Connections
I also descend from William Pynchon and while doing research on him I have seen many connections with the White family of Dorchester in England. A few of the most noteworthy are these:

• William’s father, John Pynchon, also attended New College, Oxford and knew John White at school.
• William Pynchon and John White were both members of the Massachusetts Bay Company after the collapse and reformation of the Dorchester Company.
• William was assigned by John White to collect debts in the NE owed to him.
• John White’s nephew, Josiah White, owned property that adjoined William’s in England.

My feeling is that William knew the boy Samuel’s family through this White/Terry family connection. These connections and this indenture could be be a valuable clue to Samuel’s family in England. It’s only a feeling of course and if you had no reason to look at Pynchon’s history or Samuel’s together these little clues could easily be lost. While I have not looked into all the connections nor have I done years of researching the Terry lines, I believe that Samuel is a descendant of John and Mary (White) Terry. Also interesting is the the name of the Dorchester Company’s ship, Mary and John, which brought the last group of Dorchester planters to NE just before the the MB Company’s ships set sail and the Great Migration began. Wonder if the ship was named after sister Mary and brother-in-law and partner John Terry?

Samuel In The Record
Some interesting early references to Samuel can be found in a book called Colonial Justice in Western Massachusetts 1639-1702, The Pynchon Court records. The book is a collection of cases and rulings brought before William and John Pynchon of Springfield. What I have discovered in the Record, leads me to believe that Samuel the immigrant, was not a strict variety of puritan and that he seems to have had a life long friend in Isack Morgan.

The first record of Samuel appears on July 28, 1650. In it we find that Hugh Parson and John Lombard testified upon oath, that as they were warding the Sabbath day, they saw Samuel Terry standing with his face to the meeting house wall, near the corner of the meeting house next the street “chafing his yard to provoke lust, even in sermon time”
Because they had kept it private, he was given private correction with a rod on his bare back. 6 lashes well set on.

Next we find Samuel as a reference in another case, the miscarriage occurring on Samuel’s wedding day.
January 22, 1660/61
“John Mattews, being found drunk and bereaved of his understanding which appeared both in his speech and behavior, he was according to Law fined ten shillings to the County: The miscarriage of his was at Samuell Terry’s wedding.”
Note: In the Notes of Terry Families, it is stated that in 1681, Samuel took as an apprentice, until twenty-one years, a ten month old child named John Mattews. This young John Mattews died in 1684. Some of the Matthews were killed in the native uprising when Springfield was sent on fire.

Next we find him in among a long list of case entries for a court session held on September 24, 1661. Present were Captain John Pynchon, Mr. Samuel Chapin, and Elisur Holyoke, Recorder. The Jury men were Captian Cook, Nathaneell Ely, Henry Burt, George Colton, Thomas Gilburt, John Dumbleton, Robert Ashely, Jonathan Burt, William Holton, Henry Cunliffe, Peter Tilton, Phillip Semith.
“Samuel Terry and his wife beinge presented for that they beinge marryed on the 3d of January last they has a Son born the 10th of the 5th month beinge about 12 weeks short of the ordinary tyme of womens going with child: This Corte concluded it maifest that they did abuse one another before marriage: and therefore did adjudge Samuell Terry for his offence and misdemeanor eyther to pay as a fyne to the County the summe of 4 pounds to be paid with 20 dayes or that he and his wife should be whipt on their naked bodys with 10 lashes appice: Samuell Terry chusing the punishment by fyne: his choyce was accepted”

On February 13 and 18, 1672 [1673], we again find Samuell among several others being examined before the court concerning an uncivil play unacted.
“For their uncivil Immodest and beastly acting (according to their examenations and acknowledgments on file) I fyned severall of them to the County as followeth
Samuel Terry: Timothy Cooper: John Holtum and Isack Morgan 13s 4d a peice.
Samuel Taylor: Benjamin Leanord and Thomas Miller 5s a piece and Benjamin Dunnidge 20s. John Dumbleton Junior was only admonished”

On Sept 30th 1676 Philip Butler was brought before John Pynchon on charges for being drunk. Samuel Terry and Isack Morgan both testified that around midnight while they were on watch, “Philip Butler came to them, and gave them ill and high language: his Toung run excedingly and he spake we knew not what and coming in to the house would not goe out nor be ordered but he said he has as much to doe there as wee thought it were the house we were to watch in: we Judged him Drunk or at lease well in drink” Philip Butler was to pay 10s to the County: and 12d a peice to the 2 witneses.

In the Notes of Terry Families, we are told that he was married again on November 19, 1690 to Sarah (Bliss) Scott, widow of John Scott and daughter of Thomas and Margaret Bliss. The marriage proved to be unhappy and in 1694 they parted. We are also told that Samuel was to teach her son Ebenezar Scott the art of weaving. This offered some proof that he did indeed take up the trade he leaned from Ben Cooley and that he was still practicing it 40 odd years after learning it. This arangement is mentioned in Pynchon’s Records on July 8, 1693.

“There having beene some occasion of Discourse about Ebenezar Scot his being at Liberty form his Father Terry; Disorderly goeing off being noe ways allowable or Countenanced said Samuell Terry and his wife the lads Mother, as also his uncle Samuell Bliss being present: with the lad Ebenezer Scot: came to This Conclusion: That Ebenezer Scot shal be at liberty from his father in Law Samuell Terry at the end of October next Til when He the said Ebenezer Scot is to continue with Samuell Terry and under his Government, and to attend to doe him faithful Service: Samuell Terry Ingaging to Instruct him as he is Capable in the art of weaving and to Improve him for the most part as the season wil allow in that mistery or art that he may be as far as capable compleated in the art of weaving: When that is to say on the 30th day of October 1693 and after said Ebenezer Scot shal be at Liberty to Improve his time wholy for himself: and shal then be discharged from his fathers Service, his said father Samuell Terry Ingaging then to dismiss him with good and Sutable Cloathing in al respects as wel and better then he is now apparelled, that is to say with doble apparel in general and for most parts: To which agreement the Mother and uncle are consenting: as wel as father and son, who both doe hereunto Set their hands:

SAMUELTERREY
EBENEZER SCOT

Before me JOHN PYNCHON

My wonderings though the library... Looking for clues
My connection to Samuel the Immigrant eluded me for over a year. Some of this was due to family lore that “all the males in the line were named Isaac.” This led me barking up the wrong tree and hitting brick walls on a number of promising Isaacs in the area of NY where they were from. Other more fruitful lines and local histories, also pulled me away on a few occasions, keeping me busy and distracted for weeks or months at a time.

After many hours, days, and weeks of searching the state and county sites online and the LDS site before it went public, when the “Sorry I am too busy, come back later” responses were few and far between, I finally stumbled upon the Genforum. There, after much searching and reading, I was sure more than ever that I was of this Samuel’s line. But still, all the Isaacs just didn’t add up. Then I saw a number of references to Stephen Terry’s Terry Families book, so I ordered it through my library. It took weeks for it to arrive and when it finally came, I was not allowed to remove it from the library. So, I looked for my great, great, grandfather’s name, which was, Isaac Devillo, but was know as Devillo, and there he was. I found his father, Isaac, and then my missing link: not an Isaac, but a Linus! Next came my first NY Terrys, Isaac and Hannah.

On one of my many trips to the library, while waiting for the Abby Family Genealogy book to arrive, I was poking around, looking for Massachusetts and Connecticut histories, when I stumbled upon a little book about William Pynchon. I recognized the name as the person who brought Samuel over from old England. Who was this guy and what was he all about? So I grabbed it as a new distraction while waiting. I found it a very interesting read full of information for such a little book. I really liked this man. The book is by Ruth A. McIntyre and published by the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum, Springfield, Massachusetts, 1961

In this book, I read some of the information indicating some of the White/Terry/Pynchon connections. This caused my brain to start to chew on these bits of info. Wasn’t Samuel’s grandmother, according to the info at the LDS site, a White and his grandfather John Terry, called a Revered as well? I then started reading more about the John White of Dorchester and the many adventuring companies he was involved in. Could there be connections there? The Abby book came and we were in the process of buying a new house, so I made a note to look into that when we got settled in. A few other distractions kept me busy and then a package arrived from a distant cousin, it contained hundreds of names and lines going back to the dark ages. Needless to say I was overwhelmed. Also in the package was my line from Isaac and Margaret (Downing) to William Pynchon. So now I had a connection to this interesting guy too!

Once I finished adding all these people into my database. I got back to my little scrap of paper with my Pynchon/White/Terry reminder on it.

So, I looked up the connection of Mary White and John White at the LDS site and found they were brother and sister. Mary and John Terry had a son named Josiah. Was it possible that this was not just any old kid looking for passage to New England, but maybe he was taking on this child as a favor for a relative of a respected friend and colleague in the planting of New England? This has been lingering in my mind for almost three years. I can not imagine that he did not have some connection to Samuel before bringing him over to New England.

One only has to look at the lists of people that formed the various adventuring companies and the close family and town relationships of those who, in the beginning at any rate, made the journey to New England to see that it was a like a huge club. Family and friends of family were invited. Who you were related to and the social standing of yourself and these relations were very important.

See direct line to my NY Terrys

Lots interesting Terry information:
Committee Book- Introduction to the records of the town of Enfield

More of bits of information about the Enfield Terrys
An Historical Sketch of the Town of Enfield,
By John Chauncey Pease, M. D., 1829.

Enfield's first first: from the Abby Memorial

Enfield's Men of the Revolution: from the Abby Memorial