379:, the ship was never seen again. The death of his only son at the age of thirty-six was a heavy blow to Mayhew and greatly increased the burdens he carried in old age. He made repeated efforts to find a replacement to continue his son's ministry to the Indians, but no minister who knew the language or was willing to learn could be induced to settle permanently on the island, so at the age of sixty Mayhew, who had started as a merchant, then turned landed proprietor, became a missionary in his son's place. For the next twenty-five years he traveled on foot as far as twenty miles to preach once a week at the Indian assembly or to visit the native camps.
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356:, who far outnumbered the whites, so an effective settlement required friendly relations with the Indians. But Thomas the Younger appears to have been motivated largely by spiritual concern, while his father and other members of the family enjoyed the practical results of the Indian mission. The son gradually abandoned most of his secular tasks and spent the remainder of his life among the natives. Progress was slow at first, but by the end of 1652 there were 283 converts, a school for Indian children, and two Indian meetings each
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151:. In 1646, the General Court of Massachusetts directed the religious leaders of the colony to select two among them to serve as missionaries to the natives. So great was the interest aroused by this venture that a society was formed in England also to support the missionaries. Unfortunately a massive conflict broke out, called King Philip's War (1675–76), which resulted in many deaths of both the settlers and the natives. However, three prominent names appear. They are:
113:, Massachusetts, and to engage in trade and shipbuilding. In or about 1633, Mayhew's wife Anna died, and about 1634 he returned to England for a business meeting with Cradock. While in England, he married Jane Gallion (1602–1666), and brought her back to New England with him. Their daughter Hannah was born in 1635, and three more daughters, Mary (1639), Martha (1642), and Bethiah, followed. Martha is the 7th great grandmother to the world-famous singer and songwriter
368:. Thomas Mayhew the Younger carried on his missionary work with little heed for his personal fortunes. As the elder Mayhew put it, his son had followed this work "when 'twas bare with him for food and rayment, and when indeede there was nothing in sight any waies but Gods promises." The situation was improved somewhat by the formation in 1649 of a London missionary society, usually called the
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sought only to improve his social and economic position. His son, Thomas Mayhew the
Younger, is credited with the launching an Indian mission. Like his father, he had emigrated from England. Somewhere, he received a liberal education, apparently from private tutors, and after moving to the Vineyard to begin the white settlement there he became
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By 1660 there were about 85 white people living peaceably among the natives, earning their living by farming and fishing. The Mayhew family, which from that time forth became an integral part of island history, wanted to share its religion with the natives, but the
Wampanoags were not too interested,
392:, a son of John, was only eight at the time, but he clearly remembered being led to the bedside to receive from the dying man a blessing "in the Name of the Lord". Matthew Mayhew, the eldest grandson, succeeded his military and civil duties. Rev. John Mayhew, the youngest grandson and grandfather of
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has concluded that the
Missionary Mayhews of Martha's Vineyard represent what is probably the longest and most persistent missionary endeavor in the annals of all Christendom. The elder Thomas Mayhew, known for his missionary work, was not concerned for Indian souls when he settled on his island; he
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Through a maze of conflicting land grants, changing political allegiances, and settler unrest, Mayhew, who styled himself "Governour Mayhew", began to rule his island with an iron hand. The most serious threat to his control came in 1665 when Martha's
Vineyard was included in the lands placed under
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Mayhew established himself as governor of Martha's
Vineyard in 1642 and sent his son, Thomas the Younger, with about forty families to settle there. He himself followed four years later. Together he and the younger Thomas established Martha's Vineyard's first settlement and called it Great Harbor,
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From the beginning, Mayhew had worked to preserve the original political institutions of the native population. Religion and government were distinct matters, he told the chiefs. When one of your subjects becomes a
Christian, he is still under your jurisdiction. Wampanoag land was guarded against
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in 1673, open rebellion broke out and this lasted until the colonial government regained control over New York and restored the authority of the
Mayhews on the island. The old patriarch died in 1682, at the age of eight-nine. Nine years later the political rule of his family ended when Martha's
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neighbors were peaceful and courteous. Under the leadership of his son, a minister, they instituted a policy of respect and fair dealing with the
Wampanoag natives that was unequaled anywhere. One of the first of Mayhew's orders was that no land was to be taken from the native islanders, the
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Transcription of
Watertown marker: "HERE BY THE ANCIENT FORD THE LANDING AND THE WEIR WAS THE HOMESTALL OF THOMAS MAYHEW: A LEADER IN WATERTOWN AFFAIRS FROM 1635 TO 1645. AFTERWARDS WITH HIS SON, THE REV. THOMAS MAYHEW, HE LABORED AMONG THE INDIANS AT MARTHA'S VINEYARD."
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When the venerable
Governor Mayhew became ill one Sunday evening in 1682, he calmly informed his friends and relatives that "his Sickness would now be to Death, and he was well contented therewith, being full of Days, and satisfied with Life". His great-grandson,
260:. Hiacoomes, in return, taught Mayhew the native language. As soon as Mayhew could converse with the natives, he would some days "walk 20 miles through uncut forests to preach the Gospel...in wigwam or open field".
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of the small Anglican church as well as acting governor in his father's absence. He soon discovered that he could not refuse the challenge he found among the three thousand Pokanaukets, a branch of the mainland
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Wampanoags, without their consent or without fair payment. From this time forward, the colonial settlers and Wampanoag lived without the bloodshed that marked the history of European colonies elsewhere in the
291:. After much delay, a settlement, worked out in 1671, confirmed the Mayhew patent and named Mayhew "Governour and Chiefe Magistrate" for life. At the same time, a patent was issued erecting the
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Change was in the air though, for the world outside this small island was unsettled. There were more visitors from off island and some stayed, challenging the Mayhew government, while
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The Mayhews had great success in regard to Indian policy. Because of the fair treatment of the Indians there, the colony was protected from the bloodshed that occurred elsewhere, in
198:. He bought the County for 40 pounds and two beaver skin hats from William Alexander, the 2nd Earl of Stirling. To resolve a conflicting ownership claim, he also paid off Sir
144:. This enabled him to transfer his business operations there. With the help of his son Thomas, a settlement was established and farming and whaling enterprises were begun.
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In the fall of 1657, Thomas Mayhew the Younger sailed for England on a trip combining an appeal for missionary funds with personal business. After leaving
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in England, but the manorial land tenure remained. Although some of the Mayhews clung to the "pleasant fiction" of their manorial rights almost until the
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in the southwestern part of the island. The Governor and his grandson Matthew were made "joint Lords of the Manor of Tisbury", and the inhabitants became
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There is a stained glass window in the baptismal font in the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. depicting Rev. Thomas Mayhew Jr. baptizing a native.
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159:, who established "Doctor Wheelock's Academy for the promotion of Christianity and civility among the savage Indians of this continent" (now known as
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In 1657, the younger Thomas Mayhew was drowned when a ship he was travelling in was lost at sea on a voyage to England. Mayhew's three grandsons
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jurisdiction of the Mayhews. This full-fledged feudal manor appears to have been the only such institution actually established in New England.
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Mayhew and his fellow settlers found a large and economically stable native population of about 3,000 living in permanent villages, led by four
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170:(born 1648), Thomas (born 1650), John (born 1652), and other members of his family assisted him in running his business and government.
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239:, in 1675-1676, the Vineyard's native population never stirred, although they outnumbered the settlers on the island by twenty to one.
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155:(known as the Apostle to the Indians); Thomas Mayhew (who was already ministering to the natives); and, three generations later,
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86:, England, daughter of Matthew Parkhurst. In 1621 they had a son, Thomas, the Younger, baptised in Hanna's home town of
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Jennifer E. Correa (ne Mayhew) (1964) - U.S. Airforce Veteran, Real Estate Title Agent, Small business owner
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further encroachment by white settlers. So successful were these policies that during the bloody battles of
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on Martha's Vineyard died the same slow, lingering but certain death it did elsewhere in the colonies.
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remained in charge of their people, some became curious about the white man's God. When a native named
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having their own spiritual faith. However, once it was clear that, though Mayhew was the governor, the
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of Martha's Vineyard who said grace before meals became a topic of conversation on both sides of the
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This article is about the early Puritan settler in Massachusetts. For the English cabinetmaker, see
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on the Vineyard met with increasing opposition as more and more colonists arrived. When the
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Josephine L. Doyle (ne Mayhew) (1965) - Public servant (retired) - County Planning Division
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in England. He married Anna (also called Hanna and Abigail) Parkhurst, born about 1600, in
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expressed an interest, Mayhew invited him into his home and instructed him in English and
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467:(1832–1916) American writer, newspaper correspondent, and Catholic activist
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Stephanie J Hayek (Hunn) 1989, Margaret Mayhew's Great Granddaughter
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was a prominent 18th-century Boston clergyman who coined the phrase "
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Glorious Progress of the Gospel Amongst the Indians in New England
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Island Wilderness; Imagining the Early Years of Martha's Vineyard
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In 1641, while engaged in business ventures in the vicinity of
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Stephanie W. Knuth (ne Mayhew) (1963-2020) - U.S. Army Veteran
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Marker for Thomas Mayhew homestead in Watertown, Massachusetts
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and adjacent islands in 1642. He is one of the editors of the
482:(1815-1857), American anthologist, editor, poet and critic
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Nathan M. Mayhew (1971) - Commercial transportation driver
222:(chiefs). Relations between the first settlers and their
425:(1673–1758), Martha's Vineyard colonist and missionary
109:, Mayhew had been appointed to manage properties in
611:. Appleton & Co. (1900), Vol. IV, pp. 275-76.
485:Nathan W. Mayhew (1935-2017) - Newspaper pressman
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319:Vineyard was annexed by Massachusetts after the
642:Neu, Jacob L. (1925). "Rufus Wilmot Griswold".
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672:Called Unto Liberty, A Life of Jonathan Mayhew
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622:Martha's Vineyard: A Short History and Guide
609:Appletons' Cyclopaedia of American Biography
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452:(1821–1915), 6th Prime Minister of Canada
446:(1792–1854), Episcopal Bishop of New York
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