QUABOAG PLANTATION - ALIAS BROOKFIELD
A SEVENTEENTH CENTURY MASSACHUSETTS TOWN

By Louis E. Roy

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SOME TRANSCRIBED NOTES TO AID IN RESEARCH

NOTES RE: DOUBLE-DATING SYSTEM

From the year 46 B.C., when Julius Ceasar reformed the calandar so as to make the year 365 days and 6 hours in duration (actually ll minutes, 14 seconds too long), the Julian calendar was in use throughout most of the civilized world. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII modified the Julian calendar by suppressing ten days and making changes in the leap-year system. This more accurate timetable was immediately accpeted by the Catholic countries of the world but not by the Protestant. As a result, by 1752, the Gregorian and Julian calendars differed by 11 days.

In that year, England accepted the Gregorian calendar. In Massachusetts Bay Colony, the following Act of the General Court on Jan. 22, 1752-3, made the Gregorian calendar official:

"Ordered that the Act of Parliament passed in the 24th year of his present Majesties reign Intitled An Act for Regulating the Commencement of the Year, and for Correcting the Calendar now in use; be printed, and bound up with the Laws of this Province, for the better Information of the Inhabitants thereof, and that it be recorded in the Secretary's office in the Book of Laws." (Journal House Rep. V. XXVIII, p. 110)

Also, it must be remembered that the Gregorian calendar was ll days ahead of the Julian, so that Sept. 22, 1710 (New System) is the same as Sept. 11, 1710 (Old system).

Another matter which warants explanation is the monetary system in vogue during the Seventeenth Century in Mass. Bay Colony. The English currency was in denominations of pounds (abbrev. Li), shillings (abbrev. s), and pence (abbrev. p). One groat equalled 4 pence; twelve pence were equivalent to one shilling, and twenty shillings to one pound.

p. 81 - "The designation `Goodman' and `Goodwife' were for those below gentility, but above servants. Most of the Quaboag planters fit into the latter category..."

p. 82 - "Signatures on petitions and agreements indicate that most of them could at least write their names, but the spelling on these same documents shows a marked deficiency in learning."

CAPTAIN JOHN AYRES, SR. - NOTES

p. 127 - "The actual construction of the mill was begun in the summer of 1669. It was built at the expense of the Town since all charges in the Account Books appear as Town debts. John Ayres seems to have been in charge of the project, but many other people, both at Quaboag Plantation and in the Springfield area were involved."

p. 81 - "In July, 1668, John Ayres bought 66 pounds of bacon at six and a half pence per pound ..."

p. 119 - "The subject of brewing leads us naturally to tavern-keeping, since nearly all taverns had a brew house. Such must have been the case at Ayres' Tavern. The tavern at Quaboag served both as a stopping place for travelers between the Bay settlements and the Springfield area town, and as the social center for the community. To be appointed tavern-keeper in a town was to be adjudged a man of good reputation deserving the respect of the community. The innkeeper's authority within the confines of his establishment was as binding as that of the captain of a ship at sea. His responsibility for maintaining good order was dictated by the Legislature and he was subject to severe penalties for violations of the established codes. Licenses were granted upon specified conditions of maintaining `good rule in his house'. Goodman Ayres was first licensed on September 26, 1671, and had his license renewed annually until his death (46).

(46) "Wastebook" - Pynchon, John, HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COURT RECORDS (WASTBOOK), Apr. 1663-Jan. 1672. Conn. Valley Hist. Soc. Library, Springfield, Mass., p. 89, 103, 120.

p. 109 - "When the services of a blacksmith were required, the Quaboag farmers had recourse to two smiths at Springfield, John Stewart and Tahan Grant...

Goodman Ayres purchased for his horse for 6s in June of 1671 (22). The normal procedure was to purchase the shoes from the smith and apply them oneself. In other words, the blacksmith of that era was a manufacturer of iron goods, but did not render the service of shoeing of animals."

(22) "Account Books" - Pynchon, John, ACCOUNT BOOKS OF, 1631-1705, 6 Vols., Vol. V, p. 324.

p. 35 - "Captain John Ayres, as he was known at Ipswich, apparently made his decision to remove from that town between March and May of 1667. He was granted the privileges of commonage at Ipswich in February, 1667, and admitted a commoner in March 1667, but was named in the Regrant of 1667, dated May 15, at Quaboag as one of the committee to administer the affairs of that place. This pretty well pinpoints his date of arrival {to Quaboag Plantation}. Ayres came with his wife Suzannah; his seven sons, John Jr., Samuel, Thomas, Joseph, Edward, Mark, and Nathaniel; and, his daughter Suzannah.

p. 36 - Simple computations inform us that as of May 15, 1667 there were at Quaboag 53 persons counted in the census of inhabitants, 19 adults and 34 children. These comprised 8 families headed by John Warner Sr., Samuel Warner, John Younglove, William Prichard, John Prichard, Thomas Wilson, Richard Coy, and John Ayres Sr.

p. 43 - Recapitulation of the vital statistics of Quaboag Plantation as of August 1, 1675 {the day before the massacre of some of the settlers, by the Indians}, indicates that there were resident in the village at the time of the Indian assault, 35 adults and 43 children, divided into 14 families." The name and approximate ages of the Ayres family follows: "John Ayres (48), Suzannah (?), John Jr. (26), Samuel (25), Thomas (23), Joseph (20), Suzannah (19), Edward (17), Mark (14), Nathaniel (11)."

p. 61 - "The cental building in the village was the meeting house about which were grouped most of the dwelling houses...The only outlying building of which we have any knowledge was the grist mill of John Pynchon, situated on Sucker Brook, near the northern extremity of Wickaboag Pond, where may still be seen the remains of the dam and the foundation for the millhouse.

A very significant finding in the books of John Pynchon is the following on November 28, 1672, in the account of Goodman John Aires: 'to what you are to allow for the purchase of Quabaug, viz. for your son Samuel, 30 acres 01 17 06'. Simple computations tell us that the price paid by John Ayres was one shilling three pence per acre of land. Since the price paid for an average single home lot and meadow was one pound five shillings, we know that this is equivalent to the purchase of a 20 acre plot. Since we also know the exact price paid by each man for his share of the land, we can easily compute the number of acres in his home lot and meadow. Assuming that the price of the land was fixed, the same for all, and with the above mentioned land value as a guide rule, we can state without reservation that the size of the plots of each of the inhabitants was as follows: ...John Ayres, 90 acres, 05 12 06;...Samuel Ayres, 30 acres, 01 17 06...

p. 62 - Not only is the above list an arrangement in order of the size of land grants, but it also suggests the probable relative social stature of the individuals concerned and their `rateable' estates. The customary method of taxation was based on just such a sliding scale as represented by the above listing. This was also the basis for `dignifying the seats' of the meeting house, the benches being assigned according to social status or wealth. The proportion of the size of the home lots also decided the amount of meadow land, planting fields and common land awarded to each individual."

RESOURCES RE: CAPT. JOHN AYRES & FAMILY

1. AYRES GENEALOGY - SOME OF THE DESCENDANTS OF CAPT. JOHN AYRES OF BROOKEFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, fourth edition - 1985 & fifth edition - 1995, by Thomas D. Ayres, of Simsbury, CT.
   {The Library of Congress, Washington, DC has a copy of this book under card catalog number 72:95412. His Sons of the American Revolution number is 106206, using Joseph Ayres as his revolutionary ancestor.}
   NOTE: In 1998, Mr. Ayres currently has an e-mail if you have interest in contacting him.

2. A RECORD OF THE DESCENDANTS OF CAPTAIN JOHN AYRES, OF BROOKFIELD, MASS., by William Henry Whitmore; Boston: Printed by T. R. Marvin & Son., 1870.
   {A copy of this book can be found at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC as well as the Pennsylvania State Library, in Harrisburg, PA 17126}

3. Whitmore, William H.; Article in New England Historical & Genealogical Register. Vol. VII, p. 307-309; Vol. XXVII, p. 307.

4. Waters, Thomas Franklin, IPSWICH IN THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY, 2 Vols., Pub. by Ipswich Hist. Soc., 1905, p. 94, 365, 490.

5. Hammatt, Abraham, THE EARLY INHABITANTS OF IPSWICH, MASS., 633-1700, Printed, Ipswich, 1880, p. 13, 14, 420

6. "Early History Brookfield" - Waite, Henry E., Esq., AN EARLY HISTORY OF BROOKFIELD, MASS., N. E. Hist. & Gen. Register, Vol. XXXV., Boston, p. 337.

7. "Account Books" - Pynchon, John, ACCOUNT BOOKS OF 1631-1705, (6 Vols.); Vol. III, p. 26, 27 318; Vol. V. pgs. 324-325.

8. "Wastebook" - Pynchon, John, HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COURT RECORDS (WASTEBOOK), Apr. 1663-Jan. 1672. Conn. Valley Hist. Soc. Library, Springfield, Mass., p. 89, 103, 114, 120.

9. "Magistrate Book" - Pynchon, John, MAGISTRATE BOOK, 1639-1702. Photostats courtesy Conn. Valley Hist. Soc. Springfield, Mass., pgs. 149, 159, 255.

10. Felt, Joseph B., HISTORY OF IPSWICH, ESSEX, AND HAMILTON, Cambridge, Mass., 1834, p. 62.

11. IPSWICH VITAL RECORDS, Vol. 1, p. 25, 30-31; Vol. II, pgs. 23, 33, 441, 485, 702, 703.

12. Temple, J. H., Rev., HISTORY OF NORTH BROOKFIELD, MASS., Pub. by Town of North Brookfield, 1887, p. 10, 205

13. BROOKFIELD PROPRIETORS RECORDS BOOK, p. 22, 36, 49, 52-53, 59

14. BROOKFIELD VITAL RECORDS, pgs. 22, 256, 455-457

15. JOURNALS HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES OF MASS., Pub. by Mass. Hist. Soc., Vol. I, p. 201, 227

16. ROWLEY VITAL RECORDS ., pgs. 14, 243

17. NEWBURY VITAL RECORDS, Vol. I, p. 29-30; Vol II, p. 24

18. Blodgette, George Brainart, A.M. EARLY SETTLERS OF ROWLEY, MASS., Revised, edited and pub. by Amos Everett Jewett, Rowley, Mass., 1933, p. 5

19. Stackpole, Everett S. OLD KITTERY AND HER FAMILIES, Lewiston, Maine, 1903, p. 114, 148-150

20. THE BOSTON NEWS LETTER, Issue, March 5, 1722; June 16, 1726; September 26, 1723; September 23, 1725