Thomas Willett

Career

Plymouth Colony fur trade

The early years of the Plymouth Colony were marked by severe economic crises and challenges. Incremental progress was made as the colonists learned the Native Americans' method of raising corn and beans, cattle were imported from England and multiplied, and some trade in wampum and other goods was established. However, the major contribution to placing the colony on a firm financial basis and finally paying its debt to its financial "Adventurers" in London was made by exporting furs, primarily of beaver to be used in making hats.

The first record of Willett's long career is probably that of William Bradford regarding the establishment of a second main trading post for the Plymouth Colony on the Penobscot River in what is now Maine in 1629. The Plymouth Colony was reluctantly joining in this effort, initiated by Isaac Allerton, in order to protect their established trading post on the Kennebunk River. Willett is thought to be the "honest young man" recently arrived with the second and last major group from John Robinson's Leyden congregation who was given the task of monitoring the activities of Edward Ashley, the man placed in charge of the trading post by Allerton. This "young man being discreet, and one (Willett) whom they could trust, they so instructed as kept Ashley ... within bounds". It is definitely known that Willett, among others, was deposed and Ashley and the depositions were transported to England for trial in July 1631 after Ashley was arrested and accused of trading arms and ammunition with Native Americans.

In 1631, the trading post was robbed of just about anything of value by the French while the "master of the house" was away meeting a supply ship. Willett was in charge of the trading post when the French again robbed it in 1635 and evicted the English; a subsequent effort to recapture it using a ship commanded by a Captain Girling was futile, and the colony gave up the Penobscot post permanently. An account of the expulsion of the English from Penobscot and the subsequent attempt to regain it from the French point of view exists in a letter from Sieur D'Aulney to Governor John Endecott of Massachusetts. Willett's early and continuing experiences in the fur trade provided valuable skills in native languages and frontier trade for use in his later career.

Willett remained active in the colony's remaining fur trading efforts, including being appointed to a committee in 1637 to advise the governor concerning the decline in the trade, and in 1649 and again in 1656, with others, taking over the remaining trading post on the Kennebunk River. He probably spent little time at the Kennebunk River trading post given his other activities, but Winthrop recorded one incident where a potential theft or worse by some Native Americans was thwarted by Willett in 1639.

Landowner in Plymouth

Willett was "Admitted to the freedom of this society" (i.e., recognized as a full citizen, or "freeman") in 1633/4 and married Mary Browne on July 6, 1636. He received several grants of land from the colony in 1638/9 and 1640 plus six acres in 1640 for a houselot. As the years passed, he assumed more and more responsibility in the colony including becoming the co-captain of the colony's military company (with Myles Standish) in 1647/8; he remained in this post after Standish retired and for almost all of the remainder of his life. His initial appointment as Assistant to the Governor was in 1651; and he was reappointed to that post many times in the following years.

Merchant and land development

Willett's initial beginning as a merchant in addition to the continuing involvement in the fur trade may have come in 1641/2 when he furnished a sixteenth portion of the construction cost to build a 40–50 ton bark (ship). In time he became the major merchant in the lucrative trade with the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam (later New York) where his early knowledge of the Dutch language and customs was of great advantage. His later merchant activities included at least some trade with Virginia and across the Atlantic.

Willett's abilities in the native languages led to his becoming a trusted translator and to establishing friendships among the Native Americans, particularly with the principal leaders of the Pokanokets, who were led successively by Massasoit, and his sons Wamsutta (or Alexander) and Metacom (known as Prince Phillip). (The Pokanokets today are usually referred to as members of a larger group of Native Americans, the Wampanoag.) The colony's desire for more land to accommodate its growing population and the desire for more economic activity, combined with the Pokanokets' desire for English goods, led to a series of land purchases from them, notably in the western part of the colony. Willett's father-in-law, John Browne, was among the founders of Taunton in 1640, and Browne's and Willett's involvement continued in further purchases along and near the eastern coast and northern reaches of Narragansett Bay. Willett had moved to this western area of the colony and became involved in the affairs of Rehoboth by the early 1650s, serving in numerous capacities, particularly after the death of Browne in 1662. Willett was authorized to purchase further land from the Native Americans in 1662 and again in 1668 and 1669; these purchases led enlargement of Rehoboth and Swansey (Swansea, originally Wannamoisett). An example of a deed between the Native Americans and a group of purchasers involving Browne and Willett can be found in a history of the town of Swansea. An extensive history of the early land purchases in Pokanoket area, including those involving Willett, has been compiled by Bicknell including a map showing historical names.

Willett became a part owner with other prominent men, including his father-in-law and a son-in-law, John Saffin, of a large development consortium, the Atherton Company, leading to interests in properties in a number of the early New England towns. Willett was appointed with others to settle a dispute between the colonies of Plymouth and Rhode Island over ownership of Hog Island in Narragansett Bay in 1658/9.

English acquisition of New Amsterdam from the Dutch

Accompanying the English commander Richard Nicolls, Willett contributed to the peaceful surrender of New Amsterdam to the English on September 7, 1664. Willett had informed the Dutch that an expedition by the English was pending, and he was a member of the English party that entered New Amsterdam under a flag of truce on September 2 to attempt to persuade Governor Stuyvesant and the Dutch to surrender peacefully. This eventually happened.

Largely because of his knowledge of the native languages, Willett very soon thereafter accompanied a successful negotiating party north to the Iroquois to secure for the English the excellent relations that the Iroquois had maintained with the Dutch. Colonel Richard Nicholls, who was given command of the transfer from Dutch to English governance, sent a request to Thomas Prence, then governor of the Plymouth Colony, that Willett be relieved of his duties to that colony so that he could assist in the transfer. His letter stated that "Mr. Willett was more acquainted with the manners and customs of the Dutch than any English man in the country, and that his conversation was very acceptable to them". This request was granted and Willett resigned his official duties with Plymouth.

When the colony was reorganized with the name of New York, Willett was appointed the first mayor of the town (June 1665) with the approval of the English and Dutch alike; he had apparently maintained a residence in New Amsterdam for some years in addition to his long-established trading relationships. The next year he was elected alderman, and became mayor again for another year in mid-1667. He was a member of the New York governor's executive council at times from 1665 to 1672 under Francis Lovelace.

Return to Plymouth and legacy

One of the greatest services Willett provided to the colony for many years, along with his father-in-law John Browne, was maintenance of good relations with the Pokanokets whose main village was near Rehoboth, close to Mt. Hope. The relations with the colony soured with Willett's absences to New York and for his other merchant activities, and even more so after his death. The military affairs of the colony were increasingly assumed by Josiah Winslow, who pursued a much more aggressive approach. Alexander, Massasoit's eldest son who had become the leader of the Pokanokets, died while in the custody of Winslow in 1662. Philip, the next eldest son, then became the Pokanoket's leader; relations eventually deteriorated to the point of open warfare between the English colonies and most of the New England tribes in 1675. This became known as King Philip's War.

After his first term as New York mayor, Willett apparently spent time in Rehoboth in early 1667 where he was appointed Captain of the town's militia and was the principal in the establishment of the Township of Swansea. Swansea was originally part of Rehoboth; they divided after a Baptist congregation originally led by Obadiah Holmes, and subsequently by John Myles, arose and had differences with the existing congregation of the town. Among other things, the members of the Baptist congregation were heavily fined for setting up their own congregation and not attending services at the established church. After Swansea was officially recognized, a small group led by Willett was given control over who was allowed to set up residence in the new town. Although Willett's brother-in-law, James Browne, was probably the most prominent lay member of the Baptist congregation, and Willett was deeply involved in establishing it as a separate and recognized congregation, Willett actually may not have been a member of the congregation. Such limited religious tolerance evidently was not extended to Quakers; Willett reportedly was among a group of magistrates condoning a severe whipping of two Quakers in 1658.

After having lost his first wife, Willett married Joanna Boyse in September 1671.

Willett was a given a "halbert" (halberd) in December 1673 when an expedition against the Dutch in New Orange was contemplated. The Dutch had briefly conquered New York and changed the name to New Orange (the name reverted to New York after the Dutch signed a peace treaty in February 1674). This is the last record of Willett's activity in the colony.

Family

Ancestry and transport

The origins of Thomas Willett are not known for certain and are subject to some debate. The most commonly encountered description of his early life from the Dictionary of National Biography describes him as the fourth son of the English clergyman Andrew Willet. The germ of this description may have come from the pedigree of Willett's descendants published in 1848, which offered the theory that this Thomas may have descended from Andrew Willet because the Willett name is rare. A differing opinion exists in Dexter's compilation of the Leyden congregation in the appendix of his work, England and Holland of the Pilgrims. This indicates that Willett was the son of Thomas and Alice Willet of the Leyden congregation. The respective merits of these opinions are discussed by Burgess.

There is general agreement that Willett came over to the Plymouth Colony with the second wave of the Leyden congregation in 1629. There is disagreement however over whether or not he went back to England shortly thereafter for the trial of Edward Ashley who was accused of trading weapons and ammunition to Native Americans. The evidence that this might have been the case is based upon a listing of passengers on the ship Lyon which sailed from London on June 22, 1632, with William Pierce as Master as given by Charles Edward Banks in his Planters of the Commonwealth. This list includes Thomas Willett along with the family of his future father-in-law, John Browne, including Willett's future wife, Mary. However, an examination of the original source material by Samuel Gardner Drake, published in 1860, indicates that the original record for the ship sailing to England on that date listed only a few names of the passengers, including only a "Tobie" Willet and a "Jo:" Browne (but no other Brownes). This and the indication that only the depositions of Willett and others accompanied Ashley back to England for his trial are contrary to Banks' passenger list.

Family in the Plymouth Colony and descendants

Willett's parents and siblings were evidently left behind when he emigrated to Plymouth in 1629. His family life thereafter centered around that of his wife's family. Willett married Mary, daughter of John Browne (Sr.), a leading citizen of the Plymouth Colony, and Browne's wife, Dorothy, in 1636. He moved with the Brown(e) family from Plymouth westward, originally to the Taunton area by the 1650s, and later to the eastern shores of Narragansett Bay to Wannamoisett, near present-day Barrington, Rhode Island. Willett had substantial business dealings with Browne (Sr.) and later increasingly, especially between 1656 and 1660 when Browne (Sr.) is believed to have been in England, with Browne's two sons, John (Jr.) and James. Another family connection was with Willett's early co-worker in the fur trade, John Howland. Howland's daughter, Lydia, married James Browne and Howland's widow, Elizabeth, was living with James and Lydia Broowne's family when she died. Both John Browne (Sr.) and John Browne (Jr.) died in 1662, the son ten days before the father.

The children of Thomas and Mary Willet, as compiled from several sources, were:

Mary, b. November 10, 1637, d. June 24, 1712, married Rev. Samuel Hooker (son of Rev. Thomas Hooker) in 1658, remarried Rev. Thomas Buckingham in 1703.

Martha, b. August 6, 1639, d. 1678, married John Saffin in 1658.

John, b. August 21, 1641, d. February 2, 1663/4, married Abigail Collins in 1663.

Sarah, b. May 4, 1643, d. June 13, 1665, married Rev. John Eliot (son of Rev. John Eliot).

Rebecca, b. December 2, 1644, d. April 2, 1652.

Thomas, b. October 1, 1646, d. before 1671(?).

Hester, b. July 6, 1648, d. July 26, 1737, married Rev. Josiah Flint.