Edward Hutchinson (captain)
Edward Hutchinson (born around May 28, 1613 in Alford, Lincolnshire, England - died August 19th, 1675 in Marlborough, Massachusetts) (sometimes referred to as junior to differentiate him from his uncle)[1] was the oldest son of the founder of the Massachusetts Bay Colony William Hutchinson and the dissident minister Anne Hutchinson.[2]
Edward actually arrived in the American English colonies before his parents, in 1633, after traveling from England, together with his uncle (who was also named Edward and is often referred to as senior) and John Cotton.[1] Anne and William joined him the following year. He returned to England in 1636, where he married his first wife, Katherine Hemby, in Lawford, Essex. They had seven children.[2] Katherine died in 1650, at the age of 35 and Edward married Abigail Vermaies, with whom he had seven children.[2] Court records from the time show that in 1656 Abigail Vermaies testified against Eunice Cole at her witch trail.[2] Cole may have been the only woman convicted of witchcraft in New Hampshire.[3][4]
One of Edward's daughters, Elizabeth, married Edward Winslow, a relative of the Edward Winslow, the Pilgrim leader on the Mayflower.[5] Another, Susanna, married Nathaniel Coddington, son of William Coddington, the first governor of Rhode Island.[6][7]
Unlike his parents, Edward managed to get along with Puritan religious authorities and for most of his life lived in Boston. He was accepted as a member of the First Church in Boston in 1636.[6] However, he was a big proponent of religious toleration and opposed the persecution of Quakers and Baptists.[2]
He was made a captain of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1657 and took part in King Philip's War in 1665. He was co-captain (along with Cpt. Thomas Wheeler) of an expedition to negotiate with the Nipmuc sachem Muttawmp and unwittingly led his men into an ambush in what became known as Wheeler's Surprise. In this battle he was seriously wounded and died several weeks afterward in Marlborough.
References
- ^ a b Roberts, pg. 65
- ^ a b c d e LaPlante, pg. 240
- ^ Damos, pg. 322. According to this source, it's possible Cole was not actually convicted. Author infers this from the fact that witchcraft was a capital crime in Massachusetts and Cole was not executed.
- ^ Karlsen, pg. 53. According to this source Cole was convicted.
- ^ Winsor, pg. 579
- ^ a b Updike, pg. 110 Cite error: The named reference "updike" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Winthrop, pg. 356
Works cited
- Eva LaPlante, "American Jezebel: The Uncommon Life of Anne Hutchinson, the Woman Who Defied the Puritans", HarperCollins, 2005, ISBN 0060750561, [1]
- Oliver Ayer Roberts, "History of the Military Company of the Massachusetts, now called, the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts: 1637-1888, Volume 1", A. Mudge & Son, 1895. [2]
- John Putnam Demos, "Entertaining Satan: witchcraft and the culture of early New England", Oxford University Press US, 1983, [3]
- Carol F. Karlsen, "The devil in the shape of a woman: witchcraft in colonial New England", W. W. Norton & Company, 1998, [4]
- Justin Winsor, "The memorial history of Boston: including Suffolk County, Massachusetts, 1630-1880, Volume 1", James R. Osgood, 1885, [5]</ref>
- Wilkins Updike, "A history of the Episcopal Church in Narragansett, Rhode Island: including a history of other Episcopal churches in the state, Volume 1", Printed and published by D.B. Updike, 1907, [6].
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