| MY MAYFLOWER ANCESTOR: EDWARD DOTY |
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| Plymouth Colony |
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| My G-Grandfather's Attic - Home ~ ~ ~ Pages on my other site - The Past Whispers: "Illustrations from the Story of the Pilgrims" pub. 1911 The Mayflower and Plimoth Plantation The Mayflower's End |
| "The Mayflower Departing Delftshaven" by Charles Lucy |
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| Plymouth Common House |
| Plymouth House |
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| Plymouth Rock |
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| The first duel in New England My 8-g-grandfather, Edward Doty, had the distinction of being a participant in the first duel ever fought in New England. Edward fought a duel in single combat, with sword and dagger, against Edward Lister. Both men were wounded, one in the hand, the other in the thigh. Their punishment for this undignified behavior: the two men were sentenced to be tied together for twenty-four hours, without food or drink. But after an hour, "because of their great pains" they were released by the governor. And so it was that Edward, also, had the honor of being the recipient of the first pardon ever issued by the hand of an American governor. This wouldn't be Edward's last run-in with lawful authority. When I'd finished reading about some of his encounters with the courts of New England, I wrote to a friend, "Wouldn't you know it? There was only one Pilgrim troublemaker, and he was my ancestor." She wrote back, "I'm not a bit surprised." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Edward Doty came to America on The Mayflower as a servant (some sources say "apprentice") of Stephen Hopkins. His parents and birth date are not known. However, we know that he was at least 20 on November 11, 1620, when he signed the Mayflower Compact. In August, 1643, his name appeared on the list of men, ages 16-60, able to bear arms, so he wasn't born before 1583. Most sources believe he was a young man at the time of the voyage to America, probably born not long before 1599. The passenger lists indicates he was "of London" but it's not known if this was his place of birth. Stephen Hopkins is believed to have married his second wife at Whitechapel, London. It's likely, therefore, that Edward Doty was born in the vicinity of London. The Mayflower arrived at Cape Cod, November 11, 1620, and they first sought to find a suitable landing place. The shallop they'd brought along for exploration being out of service, a few of the more hardy men volunteered to make an inland journey. In all, 16 went ashore and they were the first Englishmen permanently to land in New England. Edward Doty was in this party. They were gone several days and by the time they returned to the ship, the shallop had been repaired. On December 6, ten men set out to explore by water and Edward Doty was in that number. It was on December 11 that they moored at Plymouth Rock. Edward Doty was married twice, but nothing is known of his first wife. Since servants/apprentices were rarely married, it's assumed that his first marriage occurred after his arrival in America. William Bradford wrote in 1651: "But Edward Doty, by a second wife, hath 7 children and both he and they are living." Over the years, Edward frequently appeared in court as a plaintiff or defendant. Most of the lawsuits were civil disputes, but some were complaints against him for trespassing, assault and battery and breaking the peace. He was said to have had something of a temper and was quick to stand up for himself against any perceived wrongs. But in 1624, Edward received his share of land allotment and in 1627, in an allotment to given to "heads of families and young men of prudence" Edward was, also, given a share, even though he was unmarried, which shows him to have gained the confidence of the governor. The inventory of his estate at the time of his death was listed as a net value of over 130 pounds. This was substantial for the time and showed that the one-time servant had achieved a greater-than-average level of prosperity during his lifetime. Edward Doty's descendants have been documented and detailed in many books, most notably, "Mayflower Families through Five Generations, Volume 11, Parts 1 & 2." There are, also, many websites dealing with the Pilgrims and their descendants. _____________________ My Doty Line: Thurston CLARKE: b. 1574, Ipswich, Suffolk, England; d. 10 December 1661, Duxbury, Plymouth Co., MA; m. Faith LOCS: b. Ipswich, Suffolk, England; d. 1 June 1663, Duxbury, Plymouth Co., MA; child: Faith Clarke Edward Doty: Birth: Bet. 1597-1602, probably Suffolk, England; d. 23 August 1655, Plymouth, Plymouth Co., MA; m. Faith Clarke: b. bet. 1618-1619, (On ship Franci, Ma) Ipswich, Suffolk, England; d. 21 December 1675, Marshfield, Plymouth Co., MA; Edward's children: Samuel Doty Edward Doty John Doty Thomas Doty Desire Doty Isaac Doty Mary Doty Joseph Doty Samuel Doty: b. bet. 1643-1644, Plymouth, Plymouth Co., MA; d. September 1715, Piscataway, Union Co., NJ; m. Jane Harmon: b. abt. 1661, Saco, York Co., Maine; children: Samuel Doty Sarah Doty Isaac Doty Edward Doty James Doty Jonathan Doty Benjamin Doty Elizabeth Doty Joseph Doty Daniel Doty Margaret Doty Nathaniel Doty James Doty: b. 17 September 1686, Piscataway, Union Co.; New Jersey; d. bef. 1745, New Providence, New Jersey; m. Phebe Slater; b. 28 July 1693, Piscataway, Union Co., New Jersey; children: Mary Doughty Elizabeth Doughty Esther Doughty Edward Doughty James Doughty Benjamin Doughty Benajah Doughty Benajah Doty: b. abt. 1723, Piscataway, Union Co., New Jersey; d. bet. 22 October-15 November 1780, Onslow County, North Carolina; m. Elizabeth FARR: b. abt. 1725, Burke Co., Georgia; children: Faber Doughty Esther Doughty Nancy Doughty m. (2nd) Elizabeth CHATWIN; children: Lemuel Benajah James Nancy Doughty Warren: b. 15 May 1753, probably New Jersey; d. 1809, Laurens County, Georgia, buried: Poplar Springs Cemetery; m. Josiah WARREN, see Warren Family Page for details of Nancy's family. See Josiah and Nancy's marriage bond.. Benajah Warren: b. 25 October 1782, Montgomery County, Georgia; d. 4 January 1835, Jefferson County, Mississippi; buried: Warren Cemetery; m. Ferriba Stringer in Montgomery County, GA: b. 7 May 1791, Montgomery County, Georgia; d. 16 August 1866, Jefferson County, Mississippi; buried: Warren Cemetery; (see Warren Family Page and Garrett Family Page for details on Benajah's family and descendants.) Abba Ann Warren Garrett, my g-g-grandmother Josiah Garrett, my g-grandfather Edgar Garrett, my grandfather Nancy Florelle Garrett Jackson, my mother Nancy Lee Jackson Brister (me!) ______________________ Edward may have been a little cantankerous, but he lived to see a large family grown and, through endurance, perseverance and hard work, he prospered in this new land....in an environment that was almost always difficult and many times brutal. And, since it could be said that his strength of body, will and spirit are probably responsible for the fact that I'm here to talk about it.....you won't catch me casting any aspersions in his direction. Matter of fact, I've taken a liking to my 8th g-grandfather. And I hope it can be said that a little (but not too much) of his fighting spirit has made its way down to me. |
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| Edward Doty's lamp |