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Will McMurray and Harry McMurray at Camp McKinley, 1898

This entry is part 4 of 5 in the series Will McMurray and Harry McMurray- Spanish-American War

McMurray-Benjamin Family circa 1886: Frederick Asbury McMurray, Hannah "Melissa" Benjamin McMurray, William Elmer McMurray, Harry J. McMurray, Addie Belle McMurray, Roy McMurray, and Ray McMurray (baby)
McMurray-Benjamin Family circa 1886: Frederick Asbury McMurray, Hannah “Melissa” Benjamin McMurray, William Elmer McMurray, Harry J. McMurray, Addie Belle McMurray, Roy McMurray, and Ray McMurray (baby). [Sorry, we do not have a family picture from the 1890s.]
McMurray Family, Benjamin Family (Click for Family Tree)

[Are you related? Yes, if you are a descendant of the Jasper County Iowa McMurray,  Benjamin, or Lambert families. This would include having Dr. Edward A. McMurray, Dr. Herbert McMurray, or Maude “Midge” McMurray Cook as ancestors.]

As was said in previous posts in this series, the memory of the Civil War was still a part of the American psyche in 1898. Newton, Iowa’s Company L, Second Regiment, National Guard, became the 50th Iowa once they were at Camp McKinley in Des Moines- a continuation of the regimental numbers from the War Between the States.

The Newton newspaper was full of tidbits of local people and the goings-on at Camp McKinley. On April 28th, the Newton Record mentioned that Hayden Reynolds and Fred McMurray visited their sons the previous day at Camp McKinley. The boys had been in camp just one day.

On May 9th, “Mrs. Fred McMurray [Hannah Melissa (Benjamin) McMurray] went to Des Moines to visit her two soldies [sic] boys, Lieut. Will and Orderly Sergt. Harry McMurray of Co. L, at Camp McKinley.”

E. E. Lambert was called “Colonel” in the May 11th The Newton Record story that reported he had come home on the 10th and then would return in the morning, on May 12th, to Camp McKinley. His wife, Mary Elizabeth “Lizzie” (Boydston) Lambert was likely very happy to see him, even though the military had not yet given him the rank promotion the paper did.

While home, Lieut. Col. Lambert was of course asked how the Newton boys were faring at camp. He reported that Company L and the whole regiment were “… in high glee over the prospect of getting to go to the front.” Their regiment had been chosen to leave first, but he did not think it was feasible to get the regiment ready to move out until at least the following Wednesday, the 18th of May.

Apparently the First Regiment had exerted political pull as far as being the first regiment to leave camp, but that did not work out. The Third Regiment, with many soldiers from Des Moines, was rumored to be chosen next, but as the Record reported the “Second out-classed all of them.” The Second Regiment included the Newton Guard, and was to get it’s marching orders before any of the others.

After describing the Second Iowa as “the ‘crack’ regiment in the camp,” the newspaper reported that Co. L from Newton was the only group that had suffered from a “lack of comfort and friends.” A few of the Newton boys had received clothing or food from friends or family, but not the larger amount other groups, such as those from Iowa City, Keokuk, Grinnell, and Davenport, had received as “donations.” Some of these groups had received “box after box” or up to five loads of provisions, including tasty delicacies from home, clothing, and even cash. One group received about $300 in cash, another $1,300; the Newton boys had not received anything similar. The paper went on to say that the camp outfit of Co. L was one of the poorest.

“Of course, the Newton boys are as good, or better, than the most of them, but they do not always get all they really need.”

The shaming of Newton citizens by the newspaper had its intended effect- their boys at Camp McKinley began to receive “generous gifts from home” the next week. The camp outfit was improved by granite cups and plates (metal enamelware, blue or gray with white splatters was common; sometimes called ‘graniteware’), and table decorations. (??) The table decorations may have been used for the “Two Grand Feasts” provided to the boys by the ladies of Newton. “Eatables” were collected and sent up on the 10:47am train on 12 May 1898: roast chicken, dressing, bread, cakes, canned fruits, preserves, jellies, radishes, and onions. Those who wanted to contribute were to drop them by Mr. J. P. Newell’s early in the morning. The ladies requested even more chickens to help fill up those boys who were training hard at Camp McKinley. The Women’s Relief Corps (W.R.C., an auxiliary of the G.A.R.) was responsible for the big box to be sent to the boys for their Sunday dinner. The goal was for the goodies to be a “navel stretcher” and remind the boys that they had not been forgotten by the folks at home.

Apparently, the Newton families had been following the directions of the camp that soldiers were to have only regular Army rations, however that is not what was happening with the other units in camp. They did rectify the situation once they realized- and the boys were “assured of a sumptuous feast” -actually two- before they headed off to the front.

Local folks in Newton planned to go to the camp that Friday, May 13, to celebrate Flag Day. This must have been a special event, as the official Flag Day is June 14, the anniversary of when our country’s flag was adopted. What we now call “Memorial Day” was then known as “Decoration Day” and would not occur until May 30th of 1898. Citizens likely wanted to celebrate our flag and our country with their boys before they went off to war.

(To be continued...)

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. The Newton Daily Record, 28 April 1898, page 1.
  2. The Newton Daily Record, 11 May 1898, page 4.
  3. The Newton Daily Record, 16 May 1898, page 4.

 

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Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.
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Will McMurray and Harry McMurray at Camp McKinley, Des Moines, Iowa, 1898

This entry is part 3 of 5 in the series Will McMurray and Harry McMurray- Spanish-American War
Graves at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, 2008, via Wikipedia, public domain.

McMurray Family, Benjamin Family (Click for Family Tree)

[Are you related? Yes, if you are a descendant of the Jasper County Iowa McMurray,  Benjamin, or Lambert families. This would include having Dr. Edward A. McMurray, Dr. Herbert McMurray, or Maude “Midge” McMurray Cook as ancestors.]

Today, on Memorial Day, we honor those who have fallen in service to our country. Thankfully, there are few, if any, of our direct ancestors who have made the greatest sacrifice. No one who enters military service knows if they will be called to make that sacrifice, but they march off despite the risk.  For those who survive, any war leaves scars, both physical and mental, that last a lifetime, and their families also pay a price. Please take a moment today to think of all those who have fought for our rights, because they felt it was their duty and their honor to protect them for posterity.

Freedom is never free.

 

(Continued from yesterday)

We last left Will McMurray, Harry McMurray, Roland “Rollie” E. Benjamin, and E. E. Lambert, all cousins, as they were steaming along the rails across the prairie for the 30-mile trip from Newton to Des Moines, Iowa. Their destination was Camp McKinley, named after the President who had just declared war on Spain in April, 1898.

The Iowa State Fair Grounds had been converted into a staging and training camp.  Our boys from Newton were assigned the amphitheater as their quarters. “They are having a good time and getting used to “army diet”… We’ll bet the boys won’t go hungry,” stated the newspaper report.

Lieut. Col. E. E. Lambert was appointed as the Provost Marshall for the camp of 3,000 men. He was charged with enforcing all camp regulations and was responsible for all the property within the fairgrounds. This was quite an honor- and a huge responsibility- to be appointed to such a position. Each Iowa regiment appointed a detail of 17 men to report to Lieut. Col. Lambert for special duties within the camp.

The Iowa National Guard did not provide enough soldiers for the national quota to be fulfilled by Iowa. The Iowa Governor thus issued a proclamation that any men who had drilled as a National Guardsman or in a military school should provide their name to their local sheriff, who would pass it on to the governor for enlistment.

Will McMurray was a Second Lieutenant in the Guard, so he would have been paid $114 per month for his military service; his brother Harry was a Sergeant, and his pay would have been $17.50 per month. Their cousin, Lieut. Col. E. E. Lambert, would have made about $250/month.

The government provided flags and tents to the men, but according to the newspaper, did not furnish clothing or food. Two men went along with the Newton contingent to work as cooks for them, so it is not clear where there food came from, especially since there was also mention of the Newton soldiers having to get used to “army rations.”

Military camps are of course very regimented, and we know the schedule followed by our ancestors at Camp McKinley:

Schedule at Camp McKinley, from The Newton Record.

(To be continued…)

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. The Newton Record, 28 Apr 1898, Vol. 4, No. 40, Page 1.
  2. A Military Tattoo in this schedule is a musical signal that the day is almost ended. Interestingly, the word “tattoo” comes from a Dutch term, doe den tap toe,  from the 1600s. It meant “turn off the tap,” referring to a beer tap. The tattoo would be sounded from the military garrison so that innkeepers/tavern owners near the base would end the service of beer to those in the military. Soldiers should then return to their quarters. Military tattoos have become elaborate musical performances in the years since. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_tattoo for more information.

 

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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

Original content copyright 2013-2020 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.
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Will McMurray and Harry McMurray- Off to Training Camp for the Spanish-American War

This entry is part 2 of 5 in the series Will McMurray and Harry McMurray- Spanish-American War
Lieut. Col. Elliott Ellsworth Lambert, Provost Marshall of Camp McKinley, Des Moines, Iowa, possibly around 1898. Posted with the kind permission of our new-found cousin.

McMurray Family, Benjamin Family (Click for Family Tree)

[Are you related? Yes, if you are a descendant of the Jasper County, Iowa McMurray,  Benjamin, or Lambert families. This would include having Dr. Edward A. McMurray, Dr. Herbert McMurray, or Maude “Midge” McMurray Cook as ancestors.]

(Continued from yesterday.)

Will McMurray and his younger brother Harry McMurray, their cousin Roland Benjamin, plus the other Company L, National Guard of Newton, Iowa members met at the Old Armory at one o’clock on Tuesday, April 26th, 1898, for one last time. The nineteen men and two cooks formed up to march off to the train station for their trip to training camp in Des Moines, Iowa. Lieut. Col. Elliott Ellsworth Lambert (1863-1948), above, another cousin on the Benjamin side, mounted a very handsome black charger and the horse pranced off down the street. A large crowd had gathered at Lister’s Opera House to see off their sons, brother, fathers, friends, and neighbors. An “eloquent prayer” was offered by the Methodist minister, and the Mayor spoke briefly. A minister of the Christian Church gave the benediction for the young men, and the crowd heartily sang the hymn, “America.”

Company L once again formed up to march. About forty veterans from the Civil War, members of the G. A. R. (Grand Army of the Republic- a group of Civil War veterans) led the Knights of Pythias and then “the heroes of the day,” Company L, in a march to the train depot. The young men bravely sang, “The Battle Song of the Iowa Troops” written especially for this war, trying to distract themselves from the sadness of the moment.

A special train of six coaches arrived at the train station at about three p.m. to rousing cheers. The cars already contained young volunteers from Davenport, Muscatine, Maquoketa, Grinnell, and Student Cadets from the State University at Iowa City.

“Soon the last farewells were spoken and the last kisses received from the mothers, wives, sisters and sweethearts. There was scarcely a dry eye or a lip that did not quiver in the vast crowd…”

The Newton soldiers marched into their own car, which was added to the train. The steam train chugged out of the station as the crowd waved goodbye, and likely many more tears were shed.

“Thus the boys have won their first battle, and though hallowed by tears instead of blood, it was one of the hardest battles that they will be called on to meet– the sad goodbyes with loved ones and going out from home for the first time with the possibility of never returning.”

 

(To be continued…)

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. “Our Boys March Off to War,” The Newton Record, 28 April 1898, Vol. 4, No. 40, P. 1.
  2. Lieut. Col. Elliott Ellsworth “E. E.” Lambert was the son of Reuben K. Lambert (1839-1918) and Cynthia Adeline Benjamin (1841-1925). Cynthia was the sister of Hannah Melissa Benjamin.
  3. The photo of Elliott Ellsworth Lambert appears to have embossed on it “G.L. Bates” and to the left of the name, probably “Newton,” to the right, “Iowa.” There was a photographer named G. L. Bates in Newton Iowa at least from 1901-1902, and one, possibly the same person, in Prairie City, Iowa (near to Newton), from 1884-1885. See “Langdon’s List of 19th & Early 20th Century Photographers” at https://www.langdonroad.com/ban-to-baz.
  4. E. E.’s uniform in this picture was likely ceremonial dress. http://www.spanamwar.com/American49Iowauniform.htm
  5. The ‘hymn’ “America” was originally a poem, and sung to as many as 75 different tunes before being first published in 1910. We know it today as “America the Beautiful.” See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_the_Beautiful for details.

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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

Original content copyright 2013-2019 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.

The McMurray Brothers– Will and Harry– and the Spanish-American War

This entry is part 1 of 5 in the series Will McMurray and Harry McMurray- Spanish-American War
“Our Boys March Away to War” headline in The Newton Record, 28 April 1898, Vol. 4, No. 40, P. 1.

[Are you related? Yes, if you are a descendant of the Jasper County Iowa McMurray,  Benjamin, or Lambert families. This would include having Dr. Edward A. McMurray, Dr. Herbert McMurray, or Maude “Midge” McMurray Cook as ancestors.]

McMurray Family, Benjamin Family (Click for Family Tree)

In a previous post some time ago, we mentioned that William Elmer McMurray (1874-1957), his brother Harry James McMurray (1876-1962), and their cousin Roland “Rollie” E. Benjamin (1868-1950?) were members of the Iowa National Guard at Newton. They were in Company L, Second Regiment in 1898, even before the April call to war by President William McKinley. Tensions leading to the Spanish-American War had been building for some time, including the January explosion and sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor (“Remember the Maine!”), and Spanish atrocities in the Cuban War for Independence.

The sinking of the USS Maine after an internal explosion, 1 Jan 1898. Via Wikipedia, public domain.

Those in the Guard likely knew that they might be called soon for actual fighting in a foreign land. Will was just 23, Harry 21, and Roland was 29. Will and Harry were not yet married; Roland had married four years before but had no children. Were these young men excited at the patriotic thought of serving their country, traveling to a foreign land, proving themselves as men? Did they understand the politics of the situation? Were they afraid, but courageous enough to continue in the Guard anyway? Probably some of all the above.

On 22 April 1898, Congress authorized an increase in our military forces, and the very next day President McKinley declared war on Spain (including in the Spanish colonies such as Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines). It had only been 35 years since the horrors of the Civil War, and those dark times were still fresh in the nation’s collective memory. Newspaper headlines included “Newton Again Witnesses the Scenes of 1861-1862” as their young men marched off to war.

“Dreaded war, with all its train of heartaches, sorrows, suffering and devastation, is again upon us… we are living over again the sad scenes of 1861-2– giving up sons, brothers, husbands and fathers, the very flower of our young manhood, to battle again for the old flag and in defense of our country’s honor.”

The article continued with “Last Tuesday’s scenes will never be forgotten by the people of Newton.”  The parents of Will and Harry, Frederick Asbury “F.A.” McMurray (1850-1929) and Hannah Melissa (Benjamin) McMurray (1854-1932) [AKA “The Scary Lady” by some of her descendants- you know who you are] must have been beside themselves with sadness yet full of pride as their two oldest children marched off to war, along with their McMurray and Benjamin cousins.

William Elmer McMurray, five years later, in 1903.

Orders were prepared quickly and Company L was to be “hastily” transported to Des Moines, Iowa, about 30 miles west. They would rendezvous with other Iowa troops from across the state, drill, and receive their final equipment before heading off to war.

The train was to leave Newton at three p.m. on Tuesday, April 26th. Every business in Newton closed that day at 1 p.m. and the school children were dismissed for the afternoon. The town was decorated with the stars and stripes, patriotic fever infecting the town. In a town of about 3,700, it was estimated that two thousand persons filled the streets to see their boys off.

(To be continued…)

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Read “Military Monday: McMurrays and a Benjamin in the Iowa National Guard of 1898,” Heritage Ramblings, 18 June 2018, for some background on the war and our family.
    https://heritageramblings.net/2018/06/18/military-monday-mcmurrays-and-a-benjamin-in-the-iowa-national-guard-of-1898/
  2. Wikipedia also has a more complete article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish–American_War
  3. Newton, Iowa, population statistics for 1900 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton,_Iowa
  4. Will McMurray image was cropped from a family photo. We do not have a photo of Will, Harry, or Roland in uniform- does anyone out there have a photo from this time, or any other time? Please contact us if you do.

 

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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

Original content copyright 2013-2019 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.

Mystery Monday: The John White Family and Puritanism

Pilgrims Going to Church by George Henry Boughton (1867), via Wikipedia, public domain.

McMurray Family, Benjamin Family (Click for Family Tree)

Yesterday’s post reviewed a bit of the life of John White, our Puritan ancestor who immigrated to New England about 1638 with his family. The sources listed below will provide more details about all the land he was granted in the Puritan colony of Wenham, which was a part of Salem, Massachusetts at the time.

Although the Puritans came to the New World to find religious freedom, the Puritans wanted only those who worshipped the same way to live in their colonies- no religious tolerance was allowed by the Puritans. Those who had other ideas and challenged the Puritan church were expelled from the colonies, such as Anne Hutchinson, a lay minister (and a woman!! and mother of 11…), and Roger Williams, who founded Rhode Island where all could practice religion as they desired. Mary Dyer was hanged by the Puritans of Boston for her Quaker beliefs and not leaving the colony when ordered to do so. The Puritans also were very intolerant of Anglicans,  Baptists, but especially Catholics: a Catholic who had been banished from the colony once would be executed at a second offense.

So was John White a Puritan? It seems he would have been required to be of the faith, since he was granted so much acreage by those in charge of the colony. He, in fact, was one of the largest landholders.

But, his “…name does not appear upon the church roll” per an 1898 letter concerning the Church Record kept by Rev. John Fisk, Pastor of the First Church in Wenham, Massachusetts, organized in 1644. (The Fisks married into the White family.)

We do know that his wife, Joane (West) White, became a member of the very first church formed in Salem on Feb. 26, 1642-3, and three of their children were baptized there- but in their mother’s name. This is curious because in the Puritan faith, the father was the undisputed head of household, and held all power within the family.

The family held lands in Wenham, which was considered a part of Salem, Massachusetts at that time. As the population grew with “The Great Migration” from England, a second church, actually in nearby Wenham, was formed. To become a new member of that church, which was closer to their home, Joane had to be dismissed in good standing from the Salem church, and then accepted into the new church.

Part of her dismissal letter to the Wenham church read:

Whereas Joane White a member of our Congregation, by reason of her abode with you, cannot so well partake with us in ye Ordinances: nor live under our watch…

Know you therefore yet we have consented thereto & request you to receive her in ye Lord, as becometh Scts. & watch over her, administering to her all ye holy things of his house yt she may be prsented blamelesse in ye day of Jesus Christ…

Part of the Puritan faith included watching over the other members and ensuring that they followed the rules of the Bible and society. This preserved order as well as prepared individuals, if they were chosen by God, to go to Heaven. The Puritans did not believe that a life of good works would get one to Heaven- they believed in predestination. However, if chosen, their life would need to have been “blamelesse” in order to receive the Grace of God in the hereafter.

The letter was dated “Salem, 10, 2, 45”- the Puritans dated with the day of the month first, then the month. At that time, the 2nd month of the year was April, as their year started in March, not January. The year was 1645. Seeing that they casually left off the first two digits of the year, as we often do today, could they have imagined that their descendants would have to determine which century they were referencing 373 years later?? They would not have been able to even comprehend the technology that we are using at this moment for me to write this, nor you to read it via computer and the internet. (Nor can we predict how our descendants might read this 373 years from today, in the year 2391!)

Joane’s letter of dismissal from the Salem church was only the first half of her move to the new Wenham congregation. On that same day, 10 April 1645, the letter was read and accepted by the Wenham faithful at a church meeting. As caretaker’s of each member’s soul, the new church wanted to make sure that Joane was faithful enough:

Hereupon ye church desired of her being present to make a declaration of ye worke of Grace on her soule w’ch was done, ye substance whereof was this:

She was brought up in a poore Ignorant place &c. [etc]

her 1st conviction was of ye sins of ye breach of ye sabbath & ye taking of Gods name in vayne, from Commandments 3 & 4th, her hearte being drawn towards New England because good people came hither:–

At last by a providence comeing over was shut up for a long space of time liveing far remote in ye woods from ye means, (of grace) & reading in Romans 10, Faith commeth by hearing: put her affections onward, towards ye desire of ye meanes: — afterwards at Ipswich…– her consent & closure.

Puritans believed that it wasn’t enough to just say that you were a Puritan- one had to have a conversion, or “conviction”- a spiritual event within oneself that bound your soul to God. So the church elders would have asked her about that event, and Joane stated that she was brought up ignorant of the faith. She did have a realization that she was sinful in not keeping the Sabbath and by taking God’s name in vain. Knowing that the faithful were migrating to New England, she too desired to make the journey, which became spiritual as well as physical. Once she got to the colony, however, it was such a deep wilderness and there was little mobility for a woman with many children when walking, riding horseback, or going by boat were all dangerous journeys due to the wildlife, the natives, the weather, etc.

Joane did, however, probably have her Bible in the wilderness, and as she was probably able to read Romans 10, she realized that she needed to be a part of a church with a preacher to speak of the faith. She apparently decided that at Ipswich, which was about 7 miles from Wenham. (This is about a three-hour walk today with paved roads, but going through the wilds of Massachusetts in 1645 might have taken much longer.)

The men of the church asked Joane more questions, and she gave her confession and acceptance of the church Covenant.  Satisfied with her conviction and answers, the elders told her to come back the next Sabbath.

Three days later, on 13 April 1645, Joane returned to the Wenham church:

After ye sermon & singing, ye letters of dismission concerning Joane White were publickly read, and after that ye Church had by vote manifested their willingness to reach forth unto her ye right hand of fellowship: –she was admitted & pronounced and actual member of this church.

Knowing that the family practiced Puritanism, we can surmise that the whole family was literate. Puritan leaders believed that wives, children, and servants should be able to read the Bible as well as civil laws, and in 1642 in Massachusetts, the leaders required husbands to teach reading and writing to their family and servants. Five years later Massachusetts required a teacher and school for any town over 50 households, and Harvard and Yale were founded to further educate men for the ministry.

Learning of Joane’s involved process of becoming a church member, we can understand why her husband, John White, may not have been listed on a church roll. By the 1640s, the second generation of the first Pilgrims had become more lax in requiring a “conviction” experience, yet some were allowed to “be” Puritans so that the faith would not lose members. John may have been one of those who had not experienced a “conviction” or who was more interested in survival and business than his own spiritual journey, so he probably never joined the church. A Puritan wife, however, had the duty of ensuring that her children were brought up properly in the faith, and Joane did just that.

The Puritan tradition lived on in the Congregational Church, and we have quite a few ancestors who were deacons,  ministers, and/or missionaries in the Congregational church. None were descended from John White, but they carried the spirit of Puritanism that he must have embodied despite not officially being a church member.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. I am definitely not an authority on religious thought and practice, but the above is my understanding from the copious reading I have done on the subject. For more information on Puritanism and some of our other family members who practiced that faith, see also “Thankful Thursday: Thanksgiving Day has New Meaning This Year”–http://heritageramblings.net/2015/11/26/thankful-thursday-thanksgiving-day-has-new-meaning-this-year/
  2. “Sorting Sunday: John White, Our Puritan Immigrant,” Heritage Ramblings blog.  http://heritageramblings.net/2018/11/25/sorting-sunday-john-white-our-puritan-immigrant/
  3. Genealogy of the Descendants of John White of Wenham and Lancaster, Massachusetts. 1638-1900, in Two Volumes. Almira Larkin White, 1900. Volume 1 has provided information for this blog post. Both volumes are available on archive.org.
  4. Ancestry.com. Colonial Families of the USA, 1607-1775 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors. Accessed 11/24/2018. Original data: Mackenzie, George Norbury, and Nelson Osgood Rhoades, editors. Colonial Families of the United States of America: in Which is Given the History, Genealogy and Armorial Bearings of Colonial Families Who Settled in the American Colonies From the Time of the Settlement of Jamestown, 13th May, 1607, to the Battle of Lexington, 19th April, 1775. 7 volumes. 1912. Reprinted, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1966, 1995.
  5. “Puritans”– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puritans#Puritans_in_North_America; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Puritans_under_King_Charles_I#The_foundation_of_Puritan_New_England,_1630–1642; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puritan_migration_to_New_England_(1620–40)
  6. The Puritan Family: Religion and Domestic Relations in Seventeenth-Century New England by Edmund S. Morgan, 1966.

 

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