In all the Southern colonies we find these acute gentlewomen taking up tracts of land, clearing them, and cultivating their holdings. In the settlement of Pennsylvania, Mary Tewee took two thousand five hundred acres in what is now Lancaster County. She was the widow of a French Huguenot gentleman, the friend of William Penn, and had been presented at the court of Queen Anne.
New England magistrates did not encourage such independence. In the early days of Salem, “maid-lotts” were granted to single women, but stern Endicott wrote that it was best to abandon the custom, and “avoid all presedents & evil events of granting lotts vnto single maidens not disposed of.” The town of Taunton, Mass., had an “ancient maid” of forty-eight years for its founder, one Elizabeth Poole; and Winthrop says she endured much hardship. Her gravestone says she was a “native of old England of good family, friends and prospects, all of which she left in the prime of her life to enjoy the religion of her conscience in this distant wilderness. A great proprietor of the township of Taunton, a chief promoter of its settlement in 1639. Having employed the opportunity of her virgin state in piety, liberality and sanctity of manners, she died aged 65.”
Lady Deborah Moody did not receive from the Massachusetts magistrates an over-cordial or very long-lived welcome. She is described as a “harassed and lonely widow voluntarily exiling herself for conscience’ sake.” Perhaps her running in debt for her Swampscott land and her cattle had quite as much to do with her unpopularity as her “error of denying infant baptism.” But as she paid nine hundred or some say eleven hundred pounds for that wild land, it is no wonder she was “almost undone.” She was dealt with by the elders, and admonished by the church, but she “persisted” and finally removed to the Dutch, against the advice of all her friends. Endicott called her a dangerous woman, but Winthrop termed her a “wise and anciently religious woman.” Among the Dutch she found a congenial home, and, unmolested, she planned on her Gravesend farm a well-laid-out city, but did not live to carry out her project. A descendant of one of her Dutch neighbors writes of her:—
Tradition says she was buried in the north-west corner of the Gravesend church yard. Upon the headstone of those who sleep beside her we read the inscription In der Heere entslapen—they sleep in the Lord. We may say the same of this brave true woman, she sleeps in the Lord. Her rest has been undisturbed in this quiet spot which she hoped to make a great city.
It seems to be plain that the charge of the affairs of Governor John Winthrop, Jr., in New Haven was wholly in the hands of Mrs. Davenport, the wife of the minister, Rev. John Davenport. Many sentences in her husband’s letters show her cares for her friends’ welfare, the variety of her business duties, and her performance of them. He wrote thus to the Governor in 1658:—
For your ground; my wife speedily, even the same day she received your letter, spake with sundry about it, and received this answer, that there is no Indian corne to be planted in that quarter this yeare. Brother Boykin was willing to have taken it, but saith it is overrun with wild sorrell and it will require time to subdue it, and put it into tillage, being at present unfit to be improved. Goodman Finch was in our harbour when your letter came, & my wife went promptly downe, and met with yong Mr Lamberton to whom she delivered your letter. He offered some so bad beaver that my wife would not take it. My wife spake twise to him herself. My wife desireth to add that she received for you of Mr Goodenhouse 30s worth of beaver & 4s in wampum. She purposeth to send your beaver to the Baye when the best time is, to sell it for your advantage and afterwards to give you an account what it comes to. Your letter to Sarjiunt Baldwin my wife purposeth to carry to him by the 1st opportunity. Sister Hobbadge has paid my wife in part of her debt to you a bushel of winter wheate.
The letters also reveal much loving-kindness, much eagerness to be of assistance, equal readiness to welcome new-comers, and to smooth the rough difficulties in pioneer housekeeping. Rev. Mr. Davenport wrote in August, 1655, from New Haven to Gov. Winthrop at Pequot:—
Hon’ᵈ Sir,—We did earnestly expect your coming hither with Mrs. Winthrop and your familie, the last light moone, having intelligence that a vessel wayted upon you at Pequot for that end, and were thereby encouraged to provide your house, that it might be fitted in some measure, for your comfortable dwelling in it, this winter.
My wife was not wanting in her endeavors to set all wheeles in going, all hands that she could procure on worke, that you might find all things to your satisfaction. Though she could not accomplish her desires to the full, yet she proceeded as farr as she could; whereby many things are done viz. the house made warme, the well cleansed, the pumpe fitted for your use, some provision of wood layed in, and 20 loades will be ready, whensoever you come; and sundry, by my wife’s instigation, prepared 30 bush. of wheate for the present and sister Glover hath 12 lb of candles ready for you. My wife hath also procured a maid servant for you, who is reported to be cleanly and saving, her mother is of the church, and she is kept from a place in Connectacot where she was much desired, to serve you....
If Mrs. Winthrop knew how wellcome she will be to us she would I believe neglect whatsoever others doe or may be forward to suggest for her discouragement. Salute her, with due respect, in my name and my wife’s, most affectionately.