Israel Stoughton

Other Events and Attributes:

• Arrival: 1630, Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA
• Residence: 1632, Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA
• Probate: 17 Jul 1644, , Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA

Notes:

Baptized Great Coggeshall, Essex, England, 18 February 1602/3, son of Rev. Thomas and Katherine (_____) Stoughton. Came from Rotherhithe, Surrey to Massachusetts Bay in 1632. He settled in Dorchester, but returned to England in 1644 and died there. Died in Lincoln, England, 1644.

Married in Rotherhithe, Surrey, England, 27 March 1627, Elizabeth Knight. She died at Dorchester on 6 August 1681.

Israel was brother of THOMAS STOUGHTON of Dorchester and Windsor was an elder brother of Israel Stoughton, and = Rev. John Stoughton, who, although he did not come to New England, did marry the widow of the Rev. Ralph Cudworth of Great Coggeshall, Essex, and Aller, Somersetshire, thus making Thomas and Israel stepuncles of James Cudworth of Scituate.

Colonel Israel Stoughton's house was situated at the northeast corner of Savin Hill Avenue and Pleasant Street.
He had the distinction of building the first mill in New England to grind corn by water. It stood in the Neponset River at the Lower Mills. In the early years of the settlement, Massachusetts had to buy corn from Virginia and from the local Narragansetts. In 1631 Chief Chickatawbut donated a hogshead to the Governor. In 1634 food was still scarce, and Massachusetts bought 400 bushels of corn from the Narragansetts. Israel Stoughton set up a water mill at the Lower Mills to grind the grain.

Stoughton's mill is mentioned both in the town records and in those of the Massachusetts Bay colony. Said to be the first grist mill in the country, it was installed to grind corn purchased from native Americans due to the shortages in the colony.

Dorchester Town Records

Nov. 3, 1633 ... it is generally agreed that Mr. Israel Stoughton shall build a water mill, if he see cause.

Jan. 6, 1633/4 ...it is ordered that Mr. Israell Stoughton shall have the privaladge of a weare at Naponset adjoyning to his mill ...

Nov. 3, 1634 ... it also ordered that their shall be a sufficient cartway be made to the mill at Naponset ...

and from the 1859 History of the Town of Dorchester, p. 33:

The town granted leave to Mr. Israel Stoughton to build a water mill [in 1633], and in January following, the mill and a bridge over Neponset being completed ...

Stoughton gained his title from his command of the Massachusetts forces during the Pequot War. He served as representative in 1634 and was the Governor's Assistant for many years.

Sources:

Orcutt, William Dana. Good Old Dorchester: A Narrative History of the Town, 1630-1893. Cambridge: University Press, 1908.

History of the Town of Dorchester, Massachusetts. By a Committee of the Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society. 1859.

Israel Stoughton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Israel Stoughton (1603?-1644) was an early English colonist in Massachusetts, and later a Parliamentarian officer in the First English Civil War.

Life
Born in England, a younger brother of John Stoughton, he emigrated to New England in 1632. He settled at Dorchester, of which he was admitted a freeman on 5 November 1633. He was chosen representative for Dorchester in the assemblies of 1634 and 1635.

When the colony was disturbed by the antinomian disputes, Stoughton wrote a book which attacked the constitution of the colony and offended the general court. The author somewhat strangely petitioned that the book might be ‘forthwith burnt, as being weak and offensive.’ In spite of Stoughton's subsequent submission, he was declared incapable of holding office for three years. This sentence, however, was remitted in 1636, and Stoughton was chosen assistant in 1637.

He was entrusted with the command of the Massachusetts force against the Pequot Indians, where he took brutal measures. Stoughton was annually chosen as assistant till 1643, and in 1639 he, together with John Endecott acted as a commissioner on behalf of Massachusetts to settle a boundary dispute with Plymouth Colony.

Stoughton visited England towards the end of 1643 or the beginning of 1644, returned to America, and crossed again towards the end of 1644. He was then appointed a lieutenant-colonel in the parliamentary army, and soon afterwards died at Lincoln. His children included William Stoughton, best known as the chief magistrate of the Salem witch trials.

References
Thompson, Roger, "Stoughton, Israel", on the website of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Subscription or UK public library membership required). The first edition of this text is available as an article on Wikisource: "Stoughton, Israel". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
Attribution

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Stoughton, Israel". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

Israel married Elizabeth Knight on 27 Mar 1627 in Rotherhithe, Surrey, England. Elizabeth (daughter of William Knight and Elizabeth) was born in 1607 in Rotherhithe, London, England; died on 6 Aug 1681 in Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

William Stoughton was the Chief Justice presiding over the Salem Witch Trials.

The trial of 71 year old (good wife) Rebecca (Towne) Nurse began on June 30, 1692. By dint of her respectability, some testified on her behalf including her family members. However the young Ann Putnam and her siblings would break into fits and claim Nurse was tormenting them. In response to their outbursts Nurse stated, "I have got nobody to look to but God." Many of the other afflicted girls were hesitant to accuse Nurse.

In the end, the jury ruled Nurse not guilty. Due to public outcry and renewed fits and spasms by the girls, the Chief Justice Magistrate, William Stoughton, asked that the verdict be reconsidered. At issue was the statement of another prisoner "[she] was one of us" to which Nurse did not reply, probably because of her loss of hearing. The jury took this as a sign of guilt and changed their verdict, sentencing Nurse to death on July.

Life account

Stoughton graduated from Harvard College in 1650 with a degree in theology. He intended to become a religious minister and continued his studies in New College, Oxford, graduating with an M.A. in Theology in 1652. The Kingdom of England had by then been replaced by the Commonwealth of England.

Stoughton was a pious man who believed that the “Lord’s promises… have singled out New England… above any nation or people in the world.” [2]

Stoughton received a Master's degree in June 1653. The same year the Commonwealth was replaced by The Protectorate of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell.
Stoughton served as a curate in Sussex during the English Restoration of 1660. He was a Puritan at a time when this denomination was strongly connected to the recently deceased Cromwell. They fell out of favor with the Restoration of Charles II of England to the throne. Stoughton would not hold his position for long.

Having lost his position as a curate and having little chance to gain another, Stoughton returned to Massachusetts in 1662. He served in various positions in the colonial government, including as Joseph Dudley's deputy in 1686. By the early 1690s he was colonial chief magistrate, the first Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. In 1692 he acted as judge and prosecutor during the Salem Witch Trials, notoriously allowing spectral evidence and denying the accused defense counsel.

Stoughton was acting Governor of Massachusetts from 1694 to 1699, while still serving as Chief Justice, and again from 1700 to 1701. He was an adroit politician who managed the factions of the Colony's politics using the power of his governorship and judgeship and appointments to both his council and to lower courts

Honoraria
In 1726 the town of Stoughton, Massachusetts was named in his honor.

One of the Harvard College dormitories in Harvard Yard is named after Stoughton.


Sister
His sister, Rebecca Stoughton, was married to William Tailer. Their namesake son, William Tailer, would serve as acting Governor of Massachusetts from 1715 to 1716 and again in 1730. Their daughter Elizabeth married John Nelson (c. 1654 - 1734) who served as Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts.

William Stoughton was in charge of what have come to be known as the Salem Witch Trials, first as the Chief Justice of the Special Court of Oyer and Terminer in 1692, and then as the Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Judicature in 1693. Born in the Kingdom of England, Stoughton was the son of Israel Stoughton and Elizabeth Knight. Soon after the birth of William they moved to the Massachusetts Bay Colony where they had a large holding of land. His parents were among the founders of Dorchester, Massachusetts. His paternal grandparents were Thomas and Katherine Stoughton.

Stoughton graduated from Harvard College in 1650 with a degree in theology. He intended to become a religious minister and continued his studies in New College, Oxford, graduating with an Masters in Theology in June 1653, the same year the Commonwealth was replaced by the Protectorate of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. Stoughton was serving as a curate in Sussex at the time of the English Restoration in 1660. He was a Puritan at a time when this denomination was strongly connected to the recently deceased Cromwell. Puritans fell out of favor with the Restoration of Charles II of England to the throne. Stoughton would not hold his position for long. Having lost his position as a curate and with little chance to gain another, Stoughton returned to Massachusetts in 1662. He served in various positions in the colonial government, including as Joseph Dudley's deputy in 1686. By the early 1690s he was colonial chief magistrate, the first Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. In 1692 he acted as both judge and prosecutor during the Salem Witch Trials, notoriously allowing spectral evidence and denying the accused defense counsel.

Stoughton was acting Governor of Massachusetts from 1694 to 1699, while still serving as Chief Justice, and again from 1700 to 1701. He was an adroit politician who managed the factions of the Colony's politics using the power of his governorship and judgeship and appointments both to his council and to lower courts.

In 1726 the town of Stoughton, Massachusetts was named in his honor.
One of the Harvard College dormitories in Harvard Yard is named after Stoughton.

His sister, Rebecca Stoughton, was married to William Tailer. Their son, also William Tailer, served as acting Governor of Massachusetts from 1715 to 1716 and again in 1730. Their daughter Elizabeth married John Nelson (1654- 1734) who served as Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts.

External links
Biography of William Stoughton (1631-1701) from the website about this history of the town named for him
A page noting his notable relations
official Massachusetts Governor biography
A narrative of the proceedings of sir Edmond Androsse and his complices by William Stoughton, et al. (1691)
"William Stoughton," pp. 194–208 of Biographical Sketches of Graduates of Harvard University, Vol. 1
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFD

Family/Spouse: Hannah Minot. Hannah (daughter of George Minot and Martha Stooke) was born in Feb 1637 in Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Hannah married James Minot on 9 Dec 1653 in Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA. James (son of George Minot and Martha Stooke) was born on 31 Dec 1628 in Saffron, Walden, Essex, England; died on 30 Mar 1676 in Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: William Tailer. William was born about 1730 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; died on 6 Sep 1813. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

James married Rebecca Jones on 9 Feb 1688 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA. Rebecca was born on 8 Mar 1663 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA; died on 17 Jul 1712 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Elizabeth married John Danforth on 21 Nov 1682 in Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA. John was born on 8 Nov 1660 in Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA; died on 26 May 1730. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Mehitable married Thomas Captain Cooper on 6 Mar 1683 in Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA. Thomas was born on 3 Dec 1657 in Candover, Hampshire, England; died on 6 Aug 1705 in Shoreditch, Middlesex, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Mehitable married Peter Sargent on 19 Dec 1706 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA. Peter was born in 1665; died in 1715 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Mehitable married Simeon Stoddard on 12 May 1715 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA. Simeon was born on 25 May 1647 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA; died on 15 Oct 1730 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Elizabeth married John Nelson in 1685 in , , Massachusetts, USA. John was born in 1654 in London, London, England; died on 14 Nov 1734 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Jonathan married Elizabeth Stratton on 26 Jan 1713 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA. Elizabeth was born on 16 Feb 1692 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA; died on 7 May 1772 in Westford, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Henry Lloyd. Henry was born on 28 Nov 1685 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA; died on 18 Mar 1763 in Long Island, Queens, New York, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]