Edmund Quincy (1602-1636)
Encyclopedia
Edmund Quincy known as "the Puritan", was an early English settler
of Massachusetts Bay Colony
in what later became the United States
. He is notable as the progenitor of the prestigious Quincy family.
, Northamptonshire
, England
, Edmund's family may been connected with the Earls of Winchester in the 13th century. The surname is Anglo-Norman
. One descendant named Eliza Susan Quincy wrote in 1844 that Edmund once had "a genealogical account of his family, which traced their descent from the time of the Norman Conquest," which Abigail Adams
apparently owned at one time, as well, but after a century in America it "was then unfortunately borrowed and never returned and has now been lost for more than 50 years." His parents were almost certainly Edmund Quincy (baptised 1559, died 1627) and Anne Palmer (married 1529). He is known to have lived in Thorpe in Achurch, Northamptonshire
on an estate inherited from his father. He married Judith Pares in 1623 and had two children: Judith, born in 1626, and Edmund, born in 1628. He appears to have converted to Puritan
ism by the time of the birth of his son.
for the first time in 1628, and emigrated to America along with the Reverend John Cotton on a ship called Griffin with his family and six servants, arriving in Boston Harbor
4 September 1633. The Quincys' names appear in the records of the First Church
from the following year. On September 10, 1634, Quincy was the first person named to a committee, appointed by the Puritan colonists, to assess and raise the funds necessary to purchase the Shawmut Peninsula
from William Blaxton
. The following May, he was elected to represent the town of Boston at the first Massachusetts General Court
held in Massachusetts Bay Colony.
s of land in what is now Quincy, Massachusetts
was sold by the Massachusett
Indians to Quincy and William Coddington
; the town of Boston confirmed the sale in 1636. The property consisted of a broad strip of land along the sea
, extending somewhat beyond the boundaries of the settlement established by Captain Wollaston and Thomas Morton in 1625. Around the time of the purchase, Quincy built a one-story home on this land which would eventually develop into the Dorothy Quincy House
. He died shortly thereafter, in 1636 or 1637.
British colonization of the Americas
British colonization of the Americas began in 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia and reached its peak when colonies had been established throughout the Americas...
of Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
in what later became the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He is notable as the progenitor of the prestigious Quincy family.
England
Born 1602 in WigsthorpeWigsthorpe
Wigsthorpe is a hamlet in the east of the English county of Northamptonshire, south of the town of Oundle and the village of Barnwell.It is in East Northamptonshire district and is part of the civil parish of Lilford-cum-Wigsthorpe and Thorpe Achurch....
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Edmund's family may been connected with the Earls of Winchester in the 13th century. The surname is Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
. One descendant named Eliza Susan Quincy wrote in 1844 that Edmund once had "a genealogical account of his family, which traced their descent from the time of the Norman Conquest," which Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, who was the second President of the United States, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth...
apparently owned at one time, as well, but after a century in America it "was then unfortunately borrowed and never returned and has now been lost for more than 50 years." His parents were almost certainly Edmund Quincy (baptised 1559, died 1627) and Anne Palmer (married 1529). He is known to have lived in Thorpe in Achurch, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
on an estate inherited from his father. He married Judith Pares in 1623 and had two children: Judith, born in 1626, and Edmund, born in 1628. He appears to have converted to Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
ism by the time of the birth of his son.
Emigration
Quincy came to MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
for the first time in 1628, and emigrated to America along with the Reverend John Cotton on a ship called Griffin with his family and six servants, arriving in Boston Harbor
Boston Harbor
Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeast.-History:...
4 September 1633. The Quincys' names appear in the records of the First Church
First Church in Boston
First Church in Boston is a Unitarian Universalist Church founded in 1630 by John Winthrop's original Puritan settlement in Boston, Massachusetts. The current building is on 66 Marlborough Street in Boston.-History:...
from the following year. On September 10, 1634, Quincy was the first person named to a committee, appointed by the Puritan colonists, to assess and raise the funds necessary to purchase the Shawmut Peninsula
Shawmut Peninsula
Shawmut Peninsula is the promontory of land on which Boston, Massachusetts was built. The peninsula, originally a mere in area, more than doubled in size due to land reclamation efforts, a feature of the history of Boston throughout the 19th century....
from William Blaxton
William Blaxton
Reverend William Blaxton was an early British settler in New England, and the first European settler of modern day Boston and Rhode Island.-Biography:...
. The following May, he was elected to represent the town of Boston at the first Massachusetts General Court
Massachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
held in Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Mount Wollaston
In 1635, a thousand acreAcre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s of land in what is now Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
was sold by the Massachusett
Massachusett
The Massachusett are a tribe of Native Americans who lived in areas surrounding Massachusetts Bay in what is now the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in particular present-day Greater Boston; they spoke the Massachusett language...
Indians to Quincy and William Coddington
William Coddington
William Coddington was an early magistrate of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and later of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving as the Judge of Portsmouth, Judge of Newport, Governor of Portsmouth and Newport, Deputy Governor of the entire colony, and then Governor of the...
; the town of Boston confirmed the sale in 1636. The property consisted of a broad strip of land along the sea
Quincy Bay
Quincy Bay is the largest of the three small bays of southern Boston Harbor, part of Massachusetts Bay and forming much of the shoreline of the city of Quincy, Massachusetts. Locally in the Wollaston neighborhood of Quincy it is known as Wollaston Bay...
, extending somewhat beyond the boundaries of the settlement established by Captain Wollaston and Thomas Morton in 1625. Around the time of the purchase, Quincy built a one-story home on this land which would eventually develop into the Dorothy Quincy House
Quincy Homestead
The Dorothy Quincy Homestead is a US National Historic Landmark in Quincy, Massachusetts. It was originally established by Edmund Quincy in 1686 as an extensive property upon which were built multiple homes...
. He died shortly thereafter, in 1636 or 1637.