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WILL OF JOHN HOWLAND.

The Last Will and testament of Mr John Howland of Plymouth, late deceased, exhibited to the Court held att Plymouth the fifth day of March Anno: Dom 1672 on the oath of Mr Samuel Fuller and Mr William Crow as followith:

Know all men to whom these presents shall Come that I, John Howland sen'r, of the town of New Plymouth, in the Colony of New Plymouth in New England in America, this twenty ninth day of May one thousand six hundred seventy and two being of whole mind and in Good and Perfect Memory and Remembrance praised be God; being now Grown aged; haueing many infeirmities of body vpon mee; and not knowing how soon God will call mee out of this world, doe make and ordaine these presents to be my testament containing heerin my last Will in manor and forme following:

Imp I will and bequeath my body to the dust, and my soule to God that gaue it, in hopes of a joyful Resurrection vnto glory; and as concerning my temporall estate, I dispose therof as followeth Item I doe giue and bequeath vnto John Howland my eldest sonne besides what lands I haue alreddy giuen him, all my Right and interest to that one hundred acrees of land granted mee by the Court, lying on the eastern side of Taunton River, between Titicutt and Taunton, bounds and all the appurtenantes and priviledges therevnto belonging, to belonge to him and his heires and assignes forever; And if that tract should faile, then to haue all my Right, title and Interest by and in that Last Court graunt to mee, in any other place, to belonge to him his heires and assigns forever;

Item I giue and bequeath vnto my son, Jabez Howland, all those my vpland and Meadows that I now posesse att Satuckett and Paomett, and places adjacent, with all the appurtenances and privilidges, belonging therevnto, and all my right title and interest therin, to belonge to him, his heires and assignes forever,

Item I giue and bequeath vnto my son, Jabez Howland all that my one peece of land that I haue lying on the southsyde of the Mill: brook, in the towne of Plymouth, aforsaid; be it more or lesse, and is on the northsye of a tract that is now Gyles Richards, sen., to belonge to the said Jabez his heires and assignes forever,

Item I giue and bequeath vnto Isack Howland my youngest sonne all those my vplands and meddowes devided and undivided with all the appurtenances and privilidges vnto them belonging lying and being in the towne of Middlebery, and in a tract of Land called the Majors purchase, neare Namassakett Ponds; which I haue bought and purchased of William White, of Marshfield, in the collonie of New Plymouth; which may or shall appeer by any deed or writing that is Giuen vnder the said White's hand all such deeds or writinges together with the aforemensioned peticular & to belonge to the said Isack, his heires and assignes forever,

Item I giue and bequeath vnto my said son, Isack Howland, the one half of my twelve acree lott of Meddow that I now haue att Winnetussett River within the towne of Plymouth, aforsaid to belonge to him the said Isack Howland his heires and assignes forever.

Item I Will and bequeath vnto my deare and louing wif Elizabeth Howland the vse and benifitt of my now dwelling house in Rockey Nook in the township of Plymouth aforesaid, with the outhousing lands, that is vplands and meddow lands, and all appurtenances and privilidges therevnto belonging in the towne of Plymouth and all other lands housings and meddows that I haue in said towne of Plymouth, excepting what meddow and vpland I haue before given to my sonnes Jabez and Isack Howland during her naturall life, to injoy make vse of and improve for her benifitt and comfort;

Item I giue and bequeath to my son, Joseph Howland after the decase of my louing wife Elizabeth Howland my aforsaid dwelling house at Rocky nook together with all the out housing vplands and meddowes appurtenances and privilidges belonging thervnto; and all other housing vplands and meddowes that I haue within the aforsaid towne of New Plymouth excepting what lands and meddowes I haue before Given to my two sonnes, Jabez and Isack to belonge to him the said Joseph Howland to him and his heires and assignes forever;

Item I giue and bequeath vnto my daughter, Desire Gorham, twenty shillings.

Item I giue and bequeath vnto my daughter, Hope Chipman, twenty shillings.

Item I giue and bequeath vnto my daughter Elizabeth Dickenson, twenty shillings. Item I giue and bequeath vnto my daughter, Lydia Brown, twenty shillings.

Item I giue and bequeath to my daughter, Hannah Bosworth, twenty shillings.

Item I giue and bequeath vnto my daughter, Ruth Cushman, twenty shillings.

Item I giue to my grandchild Elizabeth Howland the daughter of my son John Howland twenty shillings.

Item my will is that these legacies Giuen to my daughters, be payd by my executrix in such space as shee thinketh meet.

Item I will and bequeath vnto my louing wife Elizabeth Howland, my debts and legacys being first payd, my whole estate, viz: lands, houses goods, chattels, or any thinge else that belongeth or appertaineth vnto mee, undisposed of be it either in Plymouth, Duxburrow, Middlebery or any other place whatsoever, I do freely and absolutely giue and bequeath to my deare and louing wife Elizabeth Howland whom I do by these presents, make ordaine and constitute to be the sole executrix of this my Last will and Testament to see the same truely and faithfully pformed according to the tenour therof; In witness wherof I the said John Howland, senior, haue heervnto sett my hand and seale the aforsaid twenty ninth day of May, one thousand six hundred seventy and two 1672.

The house now standing in Plymouth most nearly associated with the pilgrims, is what is known as "the Carver house," on Sandwich street. It was originally a six or eight feet post house, but the old rafters indicate that the roof has been raised three times, and it is now quite modern in appearance.

The house was erected by Jacob Mitchell, probably between 1665 and 1670, as he married in 1666 and bought the lot in 1667. He sold it to Jabez2 Howland, undoubtedly before his father's death, and it is not too much to believe that the aged pilgrims, John1 and his wife, were entertained beneath its roof. The main room of the old house remains in nearly its original condition, and if its walls could speak they could repeat the words of John and Elizabeth.

It is not known where in Plymouth John was buried, as no stone marked the spot. The earliest burials were on Cole's Hill, but they were discontinued there and commenced on Burial Hill a long time before John died. His immediate descendants were buried here, and the presumption is that they were laid beside their ancestor. Act?? upon this, a headstone(*) was placed here in 1836, to John's memory. The expense was borne by his descendants. The venerable Dr. James Thatcher, one of John's descendants, attended to the putting of it in place.

The writings of Gov. Prince place John Howland as a member of Gov. Carver's family, as stated above, from the time they left England, and Bradford speaks of him as Gov. Carver's servant.(4) The general belief for many years was that John married a daughter of Gov. Carver, till records ??e found which showed that Carver had no daughter. ??ver's family originally consisted of eight persons,-- him??f, his wife Katharine, John Howland, Desire Minter, ??an servant" Roger Wilder, "the boy" Jasper More, ??e boy" William Latham, and "the servant maid." ??ver died in April, 1621, and his wife died in May, 1621. ??ger died before Carver, the "maid servant" died in a ??r or two, and Jasper died Dec. 6, 1621; so that all that ??e left were Howland, Desire, and William. The discov?? of Bradford's manuscript proved the tradition that Howland married a daughter of Gov. Carver to be erroneous, and that he married Elizabeth, daughter of John Tilly, who, with his wife, died before Carver and his wife did. This sad circumstance, together with the death of her uncle Edward the first Winter, left Elizabeth an orphan 14 years of age, and it is not at all improbable that Governor and Mrs. Carver, whose hearts seemed to be asylums for the friendless, called her to them to comfort them in their last hours. Again, the fact that in the division of land in 1623, (5) The following inscription is on the stone:

"Here ended the pilgrimage of John Howland and Elizobeth his wife. She was the doughter of Governor Carver. They arrived in the Mayflower, Dec. 1620. They had four sons and six doughters, from whom are descended a numerous posterity, 1672, Feb. 23, John Howland of Plymouth deceased. He lived to the age of 80 years. He was the last man that was left of those that come over in the Mayflower that lived in Plymouth. Plymouth Records."

The inscription has errors, as will be readily seen.

??ur acres were assigned to John Howland, when me acre was allotted to each person, led to the, firm bolief by many that he was married before he left England, and at this time had two children. But his eldest son John2 was not born then, as Judge Sewell wrote in his diary that he "saw Lieut. Howland upon ye Rode who tells us he was borne Febr 24, 1626 [1627, N. S.] tt our Plimouth." Now, if Desire was the first born, John might not have been married even as early as 1623, when Elizabeth Tilly was but 17 years old.

In my judgment nothing has yet been found to prove?? John was married before he left England, or even in 1?? notwithstanding the above and the assertion of Brad?? that his marriage was the fourth in the colony, and of ?? Shurtleff that it was the third, if not the second. T?? widely differing statements were evidently not formed?? data. My opinion, based largely upon record evidenc?? that the remnant of Carver's household consisted of J?? Howland, Elizabeth Tilly, Desire Minter, and the lad W??iam Latham; that they cast their lots together as one far?? under the direction of John, and that the allotment of land above mentioned does not prove that John and Elizabeth were or were not married at that date. They may have been married, though Elizabeth was sixteen. If they were, probably faithful Desire Minter remained with them. If they were not, doubtless Desire was matron of the house; at least, she held a prominent place in the affections of John and Elizabeth, who honored her greatly by naming their first daughter for her, when it as almost the universal custom to name the first born from a cherished ancestor. In 1627 John's family consisted of himself, Elizabeth, son John, and daughter Desire. Desire Minter had probably returned to England, where she died, and William Latham may have gone to Jamaica, where he died.

Elizabeth Howland was a woman of superior natural ability and earnest Christian faith, and was a help meet for the sturdy pilgrim. She passed the closing days of her life with her daughter Lydia Brown, in Swanzey, where she died, according to the Swanzey town records, "21, 12, 1687, aged 80 years," which proves she was but 13 when she arrived in Plymouth. She was the last but three of the Mayflower passengers, who died as follows:

Resolved White, in 1690; John Cook, in 1694; Mary (Allerton) Cushman, in 1699.

Elizabeth's will is dated at Swanzey, 17th Dec. 1686. In it she writes:

Being seventy nine years of age, but of good & perfect memory thanks be to Almighty God, and calling to Remembrance ye uncertain Estate of this transitory Life & that all flesh must yield vnto Death when it shall please God to call: Doe make, constitute, etc . . . . . And first being penitant and sorry from ye bottom of my heart for all my sinns past, most humbly desiring forgivenes for ye same, I giue & comitt my Soule vnto Almighty God my Savior and Redeemer in whome & by ye meritts of Jesus Christ I trust & believe assuredly to be saved, & to full remission & forgiveness of all my sins, & that my Soule wh my Body at the generall Day of Resurrection shall rise again wh Joy, & through ye meritts of Christ's Death & passion possesse & inherit ye Kingdom of heaven prepared for his Elect & Chosen; & my Body to be buryed in such place where it shall please my Executr, etc.

The following persons are mentioned: Her sons John, Jabez, and Isaac, son-in-law James Brown, daughters Lydia Brown, Elizabeth Dickarson, Hannah Bosworth, granddaughters Elizabeth Bursley, Dorothy Browne, and Desire Cushman, grandsons Nathaniel Howland, James and Jabez Browne. Her son Jabez, and James Browne, were appointed executors. In the closing item is her "Will and Charge to all the Children that they walke in ye Feare of ye Lord."----------

(1) This celebrated document reads as follows: "In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are under written, the loyall subjects of our dread soveraigne Lord, King James, by the grace of God, of Great Britaine, Franc and Ireland king, defender of the faith, etc., having undertaken for the glorie of God, and advancemente of the Christian faith, and honor of our king and countrie, a voyage to plant the first colonie in the northerne parts of Virginia, doe by these presents solemnly and mutualy in the presence of God, and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civill body politick, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enacte, constitute and frame such just and equall lawes, ordenances, acts, constitutions and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meete and conveniant for the generall good of the colonie, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. "In witness whereof we have hereunder subscribed our names at Cape Codd the 11 of November, in the year of the raigne of our soveraigne lord, King James of England, France and Ireland the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty fourth, Ano Dom 1620."

(2) Hutchinson, in his History of Massachusetts Bay, says: "The first settlers of the Old Colony, like those of Massachusetts, were very careful that no title or appellation should be given where it ?? not due. Not more than a half dozen gentlemen in the Massachusetts colony took the title of Esquire, and in a list of 100 freemen, not more than four or five were distinguished by a Mr., although they were generally men of substance. Goodman and Goodwife were the common appellations." Distinctive titles appear to have been bestowed in recognition of merit or some valuable service, rather than of wealth.

(3) The Indian name of this place was Cushmoc. Here the colonists of New Plymouth established a trading post as early as 1626, only six years after their arrival in New England. It was near this post, it is said, that the affray took place, in 1634, between John Hocking of the Piscataqua plantation, and John Howland of New Plymouth, in which Hocking and Moses Talbot, one of Howland's men, were killed, an event which caused much excitement at the time.--History of Augusta, Me.

(4) This word should not be used in a menial sense. It indicated, doubtless, that John cast his lot in the family of Carver, who had no children, and who probably advanced John's passage money. Sir William Temple applied the term servant to one of whom he wrote as correlative of master, one to receive employment or place.

Elizabeth Tilley, 1606-1687, daughter of the above, was married before 1624 to John Howland, the secretary and close friend of her grandfather, John Carver. Lamb's Biographical Dictionary says mistakenly that Elizabeth was left in England. Our Grandmother Abiah is descended from her by two lines. Her daughter, Desire, was named for Elizabeth's early friend, Desire Minter, a young girl employed in Governor Carver's family. It would seem that after the deaths of John Tilley and his wife, that Elizabeth Tilley went to live with her grandparents, the Carvers, so that the two young girls would be intimately thrown together. Desire, however, returned to England soon after the death of her mistress, Katherine Carver. This parting was a heart-breaking sorrow to Elizabeth whose affection found expression in the naming of her eldest daughter. Desire Minter died early and the girl friends never met again.

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