Edward Doty
Encyclopedia
Mayflower
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
passenger, a signer of the Mayflower Compact
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was written by the colonists, later together known to history as the Pilgrims, who crossed the Atlantic aboard the Mayflower...
, and a permanent settler of Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town...
. His surname
Family name
A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...
sometimes appears as Doten, Dotey, or Day.
His ancestry is unknown. Statements that he was born in Shropshire, England, on May 14, 1598, or baptized on the same date in St. Mary le Strand, Thurburton Hills, Suffolk, England, are fabrications. While there are no fewer than eight Edward Doty baptisms recorded between 1585 and 1605, none have been confirmed to be the Edward Doty of the Mayflower.
Doty was one of two indentured servants obligated to Stephen Hopkins
Stephen Hopkins (settler)
Stephen Hopkins , was a tanner and merchant who was one of the passengers on the Mayflower in 1620, settling in Plymouth Colony. Hopkins was recruited by the Merchant Adventurers to provide governance for the colony as well as assist with the colony's ventures...
, the other one being Edward Leister, and as such accompanied Hopkins and his family aboard the Mayflower. While the Mayflower was anchored off Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
, forty-one of the adult males, including the servants, signed the Mayflower Compact
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was written by the colonists, later together known to history as the Pilgrims, who crossed the Atlantic aboard the Mayflower...
on November 11, 1620. Doty and Leister were among the signers.
Doty was a member of the exploratory party, led by Myles Standish
Myles Standish
Myles Standish was an English military officer hired by the Pilgrims as military advisor for Plymouth Colony. One of the Mayflower passengers, Standish played a leading role in the administration and defense of Plymouth Colony from its inception...
and including John Carver
John Carver
John Carver was a Pilgrim leader. He was the first governor of Plymouth Colony and his is the first signature on the Mayflower Compact.-Mayflower:...
, William Bradford
William Bradford (1590-1657)
William Bradford was an English leader of the settlers of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, and served as governor for over 30 years after John Carver died. His journal was published as Of Plymouth Plantation...
, Edward Winslow
Edward Winslow
Edward Winslow was an English Pilgrim leader on the Mayflower. He served as the governor of Plymouth Colony in 1633, 1636, and finally in 1644...
, John Tilley
John Tilley (Pilgrim)
John Tilley was one of the Pilgrims who traveled from England to North America on the Mayflower and signed the Mayflower Compact. Tilley died shortly after arrival in New England.-Overview:...
and his brother Edward, John Howland
John Howland
John Howland was a passenger on the Mayflower. He was an indentured servant who accompanied the separatists, also called the Pilgrims, when they left England to settle in Plymouth, Massachusetts...
, Richard Warren
Richard Warren
Richard Warren was a passenger on the Mayflower in 1620. He settled in Plymouth Colony and was among ten passengers of the Mayflower landing party with Myles Standish at Cape Cod on November 11, 1620...
, Stephen Hopkins
Stephen Hopkins (settler)
Stephen Hopkins , was a tanner and merchant who was one of the passengers on the Mayflower in 1620, settling in Plymouth Colony. Hopkins was recruited by the Merchant Adventurers to provide governance for the colony as well as assist with the colony's ventures...
, and several crewmen from the Mayflower, that departed on December 6, 1620, in a shallop to search for a suitable site for settlement.
The first duel in Plymouth Colony occurred June 18, 1621, when Doty and Edward Leister fought with swords and daggers until one was wounded in the hand and the other in the thigh. They were to be punished by having their ankles tied to their necks for twenty-four hours without food or drink. Within an hour they were begging to be released, which the governor allowed upon their promise to behave.
Doty's name appears in the lists of freemen
Freeman (Colonial)
Freeman is a term which originated in 12th century Europe and is common as an English or American Colonial expression in Puritan times. In the Bay Colony, a man had to be a member of the Church to be a freeman. In Colonial Plymouth, a man did not need to be a member of the Church, but he had to be...
for 1633 and 1636 and in the 1643 list of males that are able to bear arms. His name also appears many times in the records of the Plymouth Colony as either plaintiff
Plaintiff
A plaintiff , also known as a claimant or complainant, is the term used in some jurisdictions for the party who initiates a lawsuit before a court...
or defendant
Defendant
A defendant or defender is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff or pursuer in a civil lawsuit before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute...
in various lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
s. Doty was on the losing side in the majority of these cases. Doty was married twice, but the name of his first wife is unknown. His second wife was Faith Clarke, daughter of Thurston Clarke, both of whom arrived at Plymouth on the Francis in April 1634. Doty and Faith Clarke were married on January 6, 1635. They are the progenitors of a large American family. They had nine children, 76 grandchildren, and at least 358 great-grandchildren.
Notable Descendants
Generations in this list begin with Edward Doty's children as the first generation.- James Otis, Jr.James Otis, Jr.James Otis, Jr. was a lawyer in colonial Massachusetts, a member of the Massachusetts provincial assembly, and an early advocate of the political views that led to the American Revolution. The phrase "Taxation without Representation is Tyranny" is usually attributed to him...
(February 5, 1725 – May 23, 1783), 4th generation, lawyer - Mercy Otis WarrenMercy Otis WarrenMercy Otis Warren was a political writer and propagandist of the American Revolution. In the eighteenth century, topics such as politics and war were thought to be the province of men. Few women had the education or training to write about these subjects. Warren was the exception...
(September 14, 1728 – October 19, 1814), 4th generation, playwright - James Duane DotyJames Duane DotyJames Duane Doty was a land speculator and politician in the United States who played a large role in the development of Wisconsin and Utah Territory.-Legal career:...
(November 5, 1799 – June 13, 1865), 6th generation, territorial governor - Sile DotySile DotySile Doty was an infamous robber, burglar, horse thief, highwayman, counterfeiter, and criminal gang leader. Doty's criminal career is known primarily through his autobiography, compiled by J. G. W...
(August 30, 1800 – March 12, 1876), 6th generation , outlaw