Early Settlements: by Gerald V.S. Raynor
Ask most RAYNORs about their knowledge of the first RAYNORs to reach America and if they know anything, it will probably be a hazy recollection that Thurston and Edward came to Boston in the early 1600's and then came over to Southampton, NY. Even some books print this. A very few folks may remember that Edward lived in Raynortown, now Freeport.
However, these few years between arrival in Massachusetts and arrival in Southampton, NY are fascinating. These two RAYNORs, Uncle and Nephew and 30 other families went deep into the wilderness of dangerous Indian territory, founded, from scratch, the village of Wethersfield, Connecticut, moved on to Stamford and once again from scratch founded a new village, then three years later again moved, this time to Long Island, New York. Here they helped found the town of Hempstead, before Thurston moved on again to help develop a settlement in Southampton. All this was done in about 15 years.
No chain saws available, no hardware stores or lumber yards, no earth moving machinery; no stores for food or clothing, just bare hands, a strong back and a great desire to be free. So, why did they leave civilized England and endure years of hardship in a foreign land ? In my article, "Background of the English Raynor Family", I cover some high spots of the thousand years in East Anglia until the Normans finally got complete control of England in 1066.
The next 500 years saw 23 changes in the ruler ship as the Kings and Queens came and went. A few, like Henry VIII and Elizabeth I made a mark in History. Most were incompetent or unwilling to take responsibility and allowed "Favorites" to run things as they saw fit. Some were not even English, and usually there were wars going at tremendous expense. Many of the intellectuals of the time joined the clergy. Because of this, and the continuity of long term plans to rule the church, they often had more influence than Royalty. Henry VIII discarded the Vatican influence, but the Church of England remained tremendously powerful and amassed great wealth and property. When the Reformation started, the working class flocked to it as an escape from some of the oppression around them from both government and church. Our first known ancestor, Robert was living in 1555 under Queen Mary, when a very well-liked parish priest at a church a short distance away was burned at the stake for refusing to return to the Latin mass. In 1603 a Protestant Scottish King was seated on the throne of England, much to the joy of the reformists. He promptly reverted to the Church of England with the idea of restoring Roman rule, opposed not only by the people, but also Parliament and most other Royalty. It was hard to evade the crossfire of all these factions and time to get out, so the exodus to Massachusetts began. The people coming over here were not the paupers and released prisoners of later times, but respected intellectuals, business men, tradesmen adept at their calling and of course adventurers and entrepreneurs. All were Puritans looking for freedom, equality and a place to start a new life. These colonists had to have adequate financial backing in order to buy passage for themselves and their families. Any supplies they would need for the voyage must be brought on. Any tools of their craft must be carried, even livestock and supplies to carry them on in America until they could establish themselves if they survived the month-long crossing. The idea of freedom seemed to be worth the risk. Sometimes a group intending to stay together would charter a vessel. Otherwise it was just several independent family groups and a single or two, who had managed to get government permission after months of waiting, often at the point of departure. Apparently, Thurston was not a part of a larger group when he, his family and nephew, Edward sailed from Ipswich, Suffolk, on the "Elizabeth" in the spring of 1634. They arrived after a few weeks at sea at Watertown, near Boston. They soon joined a group heading out west into Indian territory to establish a new settlement on a large river. It was a slow difficult 2 week journey to reach the spot about 40 miles up the Connecticut River from New Haven. To start the new village, arrangements had to be made with the English who claimed the area, and hoping the local Indian chief would be willing to cooperate. Money for adventures like this was put up the "Proprietors" who advanced the funds and would share in ownership of the property. Usually, the total expense was divided into "100 shares", sometimes also in "50's". The number of shares you owned depended on your contributions. From that time on, whenever new areas were opened up, only "Proprietors" were eligible and then in proportion to the number of shares they owned. The preacher probably got a share or two, and, whoever was hired to be the "Captain" and supervise the military training and defense. Trades people, who agreed to settle there and follow their craft, might be given a "Home spot" of an acre or so. Proprietors could sell part of their holdings if the Town leaders and clergy agreed. The craftsman might be tailors, coopers, potters, millers, blacksmiths, teachers, ship builders, carpenters, glass blowers, etc. all vital to the new community. Wethersfield was the name of the new settlement. The colonists seem to have survived the Pequot War of 1637 when the Indians finally decided to wipe out the English and vice-versa. At least, there is no mention of serious disruption. By 1640 the Town had grown and dissension began to upset some of the first arrivals. Rev. DENTON and a group of followers, decided to move on and arrangements were made with New Haven Colony for a section of land called Ripowan about 40 miles west of the shore of Long Island Sound. A couple of small rivers entered the Sound at this point and a deal for 269 acres was made. Payment was to be 33 pounds sterling, to be paid in produce. Robert COE and Andrew WARD handled the details and in the spring of 1640 a score or so of males from Wethersfield arrived, set up their tents, and started once again to lay out a new home, Stamford, with an initial count of 29 families. The first objective was to locate a spot, preferably on higher ground, for their meeting house. It would have to be big enough for the whole community to worship. It would also have to be strong and surrounded with a stockade fence because it would also be their fort. Indians were not completely docile. This would be the center of the village. Nearby an area was set aside for pasture of their livestock. Roads were laid out in various directions from this center point depending on terrain. A wharf was needed immediately because most everything and everyone traveled by water. A spot for a mill and dam was chosen as was a spot for a community garden in which would be grown Indian corn, peas, flax and rye. Each Proprietor received a couple of acres of land for a home spot and would later get several acres of woodland and a portion of shoreline for salt hay for winter livestock feeding. The terrain, such as hills, swamps, and shore line etc. had to be considered. Rev. DENTON would get a share and a house as would the Captain they would hire to train their militia to protect the colony. A house would be one small room with a fireplace at one end for cooking and heat. Later another room could be added behind the fireplace. A strong door and a small window opening was needed. Almost at once, the first mill washed out and Thurston RAYNOR was appointed to see to the building of a new one; also he was one of the 5 men chosen to handle town affairs. He was appointed to the dignified office of Constable with responsibility to settle all disputes and keep the peace; also he became a Magistrate and represented the town at New Haven. That first summer, the workers were faced with clearing the land, cutting wood for buildings, laying out the roads, building the pastor's house and the meeting house/fort, the mill, the wharf, digging wells, and planting the garden and pasture lands. They had to fish and hunt for food and prepare their new home for the winter ahead. Things like barns and, fences awaited their attention too. By fall, there were 42 families in residence. Of course, being Puritans. no work was allowed on Sunday. One must be in church part of the day. A pastor, usually well educated, had a great deal of influence over his flock and fines were in order if one transgressed. Most of these newcomers were probably workers in various trades who would buy or be assigned a town spot. Someone with money might buy a share from one of the Proprietors, but no new shares would be issued unless additional acreage was bought surrounding the village and a new Proprietorship established for its acquisition. Money was to be made by shipping farm products, skins or wood, etc. With this, one could buy tools, livestock, seeds or whatever supplies were available. Most transactions were by barter. Prices of commodities, like a bushel of rye, or corn, or a cord of wood, were set by the community so that accounts could be settled fairly. The pastor, the Captain, the teacher etc., would usually be paid in commodities. Markets for the goods produced were usually New Haven and Boston. The building of Stamford was barely underway when in 1643 the Rev. DENTON closed a deal with the Dutch in New York to settle on Long Island. The area was a 10 mile wide strip from the Sound to the Ocean, covering what in now North and South Hempstead towns. Up until this time the English had been driven out if they ventured into Dutch territory. In the spring of 1644 co-leaders, Rev. DENTON, Matthew MITCHELL and Thurston RAYNOR, with 23 Stamford families, moved across the Sound. At least 11 of these were part of the original Stamford group, of three years before. They came ashore in Hempstead Harbor in the Glen Cove and Port Washington areas. There were lots of hilly woodlands, fertile farmlands and towards the South, the vast, treeless area that became known as the Hempstead Plains. Parts of this remained common lands used only for pasture for a couple of hundred years. Beyond the plains was more farm and woodland and then the Great South Bay and Atlantic Ocean. Thurston and family stayed here a couple of years, until once again, he was on the move. This time he moved a hundred miles east to the new settlement of Southampton. His nephew, Edward, now having reached the age of 21, elected to stay in Hempstead, and eventually established his home in "South Woods", which later became Raynor South and then Raynortown, until in the middle of the nineteenth century it became Freeport. It must have been quite an experience for a ten-year-old orphan to leave England and by the age of 21 to have crossed the ocean and participated in the founding of three villages in a dangerous and uncharted wilderness in a strange new world.
The next 500 years saw 23 changes in the ruler ship as the Kings and Queens came and went. A few, like Henry VIII and Elizabeth I made a mark in History. Most were incompetent or unwilling to take responsibility and allowed "Favorites" to run things as they saw fit. Some were not even English, and usually there were wars going at tremendous expense. Many of the intellectuals of the time joined the clergy. Because of this, and the continuity of long term plans to rule the church, they often had more influence than Royalty. Henry VIII discarded the Vatican influence, but the Church of England remained tremendously powerful and amassed great wealth and property. When the Reformation started, the working class flocked to it as an escape from some of the oppression around them from both government and church. Our first known ancestor, Robert was living in 1555 under Queen Mary, when a very well-liked parish priest at a church a short distance away was burned at the stake for refusing to return to the Latin mass. In 1603 a Protestant Scottish King was seated on the throne of England, much to the joy of the reformists. He promptly reverted to the Church of England with the idea of restoring Roman rule, opposed not only by the people, but also Parliament and most other Royalty. It was hard to evade the crossfire of all these factions and time to get out, so the exodus to Massachusetts began. The people coming over here were not the paupers and released prisoners of later times, but respected intellectuals, business men, tradesmen adept at their calling and of course adventurers and entrepreneurs. All were Puritans looking for freedom, equality and a place to start a new life. These colonists had to have adequate financial backing in order to buy passage for themselves and their families. Any supplies they would need for the voyage must be brought on. Any tools of their craft must be carried, even livestock and supplies to carry them on in America until they could establish themselves if they survived the month-long crossing. The idea of freedom seemed to be worth the risk. Sometimes a group intending to stay together would charter a vessel. Otherwise it was just several independent family groups and a single or two, who had managed to get government permission after months of waiting, often at the point of departure. Apparently, Thurston was not a part of a larger group when he, his family and nephew, Edward sailed from Ipswich, Suffolk, on the "Elizabeth" in the spring of 1634. They arrived after a few weeks at sea at Watertown, near Boston. They soon joined a group heading out west into Indian territory to establish a new settlement on a large river. It was a slow difficult 2 week journey to reach the spot about 40 miles up the Connecticut River from New Haven. To start the new village, arrangements had to be made with the English who claimed the area, and hoping the local Indian chief would be willing to cooperate. Money for adventures like this was put up the "Proprietors" who advanced the funds and would share in ownership of the property. Usually, the total expense was divided into "100 shares", sometimes also in "50's". The number of shares you owned depended on your contributions. From that time on, whenever new areas were opened up, only "Proprietors" were eligible and then in proportion to the number of shares they owned. The preacher probably got a share or two, and, whoever was hired to be the "Captain" and supervise the military training and defense. Trades people, who agreed to settle there and follow their craft, might be given a "Home spot" of an acre or so. Proprietors could sell part of their holdings if the Town leaders and clergy agreed. The craftsman might be tailors, coopers, potters, millers, blacksmiths, teachers, ship builders, carpenters, glass blowers, etc. all vital to the new community. Wethersfield was the name of the new settlement. The colonists seem to have survived the Pequot War of 1637 when the Indians finally decided to wipe out the English and vice-versa. At least, there is no mention of serious disruption. By 1640 the Town had grown and dissension began to upset some of the first arrivals. Rev. DENTON and a group of followers, decided to move on and arrangements were made with New Haven Colony for a section of land called Ripowan about 40 miles west of the shore of Long Island Sound. A couple of small rivers entered the Sound at this point and a deal for 269 acres was made. Payment was to be 33 pounds sterling, to be paid in produce. Robert COE and Andrew WARD handled the details and in the spring of 1640 a score or so of males from Wethersfield arrived, set up their tents, and started once again to lay out a new home, Stamford, with an initial count of 29 families. The first objective was to locate a spot, preferably on higher ground, for their meeting house. It would have to be big enough for the whole community to worship. It would also have to be strong and surrounded with a stockade fence because it would also be their fort. Indians were not completely docile. This would be the center of the village. Nearby an area was set aside for pasture of their livestock. Roads were laid out in various directions from this center point depending on terrain. A wharf was needed immediately because most everything and everyone traveled by water. A spot for a mill and dam was chosen as was a spot for a community garden in which would be grown Indian corn, peas, flax and rye. Each Proprietor received a couple of acres of land for a home spot and would later get several acres of woodland and a portion of shoreline for salt hay for winter livestock feeding. The terrain, such as hills, swamps, and shore line etc. had to be considered. Rev. DENTON would get a share and a house as would the Captain they would hire to train their militia to protect the colony. A house would be one small room with a fireplace at one end for cooking and heat. Later another room could be added behind the fireplace. A strong door and a small window opening was needed. Almost at once, the first mill washed out and Thurston RAYNOR was appointed to see to the building of a new one; also he was one of the 5 men chosen to handle town affairs. He was appointed to the dignified office of Constable with responsibility to settle all disputes and keep the peace; also he became a Magistrate and represented the town at New Haven. That first summer, the workers were faced with clearing the land, cutting wood for buildings, laying out the roads, building the pastor's house and the meeting house/fort, the mill, the wharf, digging wells, and planting the garden and pasture lands. They had to fish and hunt for food and prepare their new home for the winter ahead. Things like barns and, fences awaited their attention too. By fall, there were 42 families in residence. Of course, being Puritans. no work was allowed on Sunday. One must be in church part of the day. A pastor, usually well educated, had a great deal of influence over his flock and fines were in order if one transgressed. Most of these newcomers were probably workers in various trades who would buy or be assigned a town spot. Someone with money might buy a share from one of the Proprietors, but no new shares would be issued unless additional acreage was bought surrounding the village and a new Proprietorship established for its acquisition. Money was to be made by shipping farm products, skins or wood, etc. With this, one could buy tools, livestock, seeds or whatever supplies were available. Most transactions were by barter. Prices of commodities, like a bushel of rye, or corn, or a cord of wood, were set by the community so that accounts could be settled fairly. The pastor, the Captain, the teacher etc., would usually be paid in commodities. Markets for the goods produced were usually New Haven and Boston. The building of Stamford was barely underway when in 1643 the Rev. DENTON closed a deal with the Dutch in New York to settle on Long Island. The area was a 10 mile wide strip from the Sound to the Ocean, covering what in now North and South Hempstead towns. Up until this time the English had been driven out if they ventured into Dutch territory. In the spring of 1644 co-leaders, Rev. DENTON, Matthew MITCHELL and Thurston RAYNOR, with 23 Stamford families, moved across the Sound. At least 11 of these were part of the original Stamford group, of three years before. They came ashore in Hempstead Harbor in the Glen Cove and Port Washington areas. There were lots of hilly woodlands, fertile farmlands and towards the South, the vast, treeless area that became known as the Hempstead Plains. Parts of this remained common lands used only for pasture for a couple of hundred years. Beyond the plains was more farm and woodland and then the Great South Bay and Atlantic Ocean. Thurston and family stayed here a couple of years, until once again, he was on the move. This time he moved a hundred miles east to the new settlement of Southampton. His nephew, Edward, now having reached the age of 21, elected to stay in Hempstead, and eventually established his home in "South Woods", which later became Raynor South and then Raynortown, until in the middle of the nineteenth century it became Freeport. It must have been quite an experience for a ten-year-old orphan to leave England and by the age of 21 to have crossed the ocean and participated in the founding of three villages in a dangerous and uncharted wilderness in a strange new world.
Early Raynor History
.jpg "Map of Raynor Settlements")