Nathaniel Paine
Published: 2015-08-05
Total Pages: 42
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Excerpt from Genealogical Notes on the Paine Family of Worcester, Mass Stephen Paine, from whom so many of the family in America trace their descent, was originally from Great Ellingham (a parish in the hundred of Shropham), near Hingham, Norfolk county, England. He was a miller by occupation, and came to New England with a large party of emigrants from Hingham and vicinity, in the year 1638. He came in the ship Diligent of Ipswich, John Martin, master, bringing his family, consisting of his wife Rose, three sons and four servants. As the above statement, from the Plymouth Colony Records, is the only mention of three sons, that the writer has been able to find, he considers it probable that one of the sons must have died soon after the arrival in New England; the ancient records indicating that but two lived to the age of manhood. Mr. Paine settled first at Hingham, Plymouth county, Mass., where he had land granted him, was made a freeman in 1639, and elected a Representative or Deputy in 1641. In 1641-2, he, with four others all called of Hingham, Mass., made application to the authorities of Plymouth Colony, for leave "to sit down at Seacunk" (Seekonk), which was granted and he removed there with his family in 1643-4. Rev. Samuel Newman, who came from England in 1637-8, and lived for a time at Weymouth, Mass., also removed to Seekonk with a large part of his congregation, about the same time that Mr. Paine did, and at his suggestion, it was decided to call the new settlement Rehoboth. The first grant in 1641, of the township, "eight miles square," was to "Mr. Alexander Winchester, Richard Wright, Mr. Henry Smith, Mr. Joseph Pecke, Mr. Stephen Paine and divers others, for the settling of a town, which is now bounded, etc., etc." Mr. Paine became prominent in the affairs of the new settlement, and his name often appears in the town records, as holding offices of honor and trust. He was a man of considerable wealth for that period, his estate in 1643 being valued at 535, there being but two others, in a list of fifty-eight proprietors, that were more. In 1644 he was elected one of the townsmen, so called, who acted as advisors for deciding controversies which might arise, made up the tax levies, and had the general management of town affairs; this office he held for several years. In 1645 he was chosen a Deputy to the court at Plymouth, or as the original record quaintly expresses it, on "the 31st of Maie, 1645, at a meeting of the town upon public notice given, Stephen Payne and William Carpenter, were chosen to certify the town's minds," He continued to hold the office of Deputy till 1660, and was elected at various times afterwards previous to 1671. In a division of land made by lot in June, 1645, Mr. Paine was the first named, in a list of fifty-eight persons entitled to draw, indicating perhaps, his prominence in the town. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."
