New England Nation: The Country the Puritans Built

243 Pages·2012·1.907 MB·English

by  Bruce C. Daniels (auth.)

New England Nation
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New England Nation
The Country the Puritans Built
BruceC.Daniels
newenglandnation
Copyright©BruceC.Daniels,2012.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2012 978-1-137-02561-6
Allrightsreserved.
Firstpublishedin2012by
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intheUnitedStates—adivisionofSt.Martin’sPressLLC,
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thisisbyPalgraveMacmillan,adivisionofMacmillanPublishersLimited,
registeredinEngland,companynumber785998,ofHoundmills,
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PalgraveMacmillanistheglobalacademicimprintoftheabove
companiesandhascompaniesandrepresentativesthroughouttheworld.
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ISBN 978-1-137-02562-3 ISBN 978-1-137-02563-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781137025630
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Contents
ListofTables ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction:NewEngland,Puritans,andAmericanHistory 1
1 ProtestantReform 9
2 PilgrimBeginnings 25
3 TheGreatMigration 41
4 NewEnglandBlossoms 53
5 SubduingtheLand 83
6 SubduingtheDevil 99
7 WomeninaMan’sWorld 125
8 MenandWomen 147
9 SubduingtheIndians 169
10 TheDevilStrikesBack 191
Epilogue:AStrangeLegacy 223
Index 233
List of Tables
I.1 PopulationofColonialNewEngland(non-native) 5
1.1 Englishreligioushousesattheirdissolution 19
2.1 PassengersontheMayflower 36
3.1 EuropeanpopulationandEnglishmigration 48
4.1 NewEnglandtownsin1643 55
5.1 SampleFirstLandDistributions 89
5.2 Farmingtonlanddivisionsandnewparishes 91
5.3 TownscreatedfromoriginalgrantoflandtoFarmington 91
7.1 AWell-StockedNewHousehold 134
8.1 PetitionsforDivorceinNewEngland,1620–1699 167
Acknowledgments
Authorsaccumulatepersonaldebtsproportionatetothelengthoftimethey
have worked on a book. I have a ton. I first began New England Nation
in 2000 with the support of a research grant from the Social Sciences and
HumanitiesResearchCouncil(SSHRC)ofCanadawhileIwasaprofessor
at the University of Winnipeg. The manuscript accompanied me to Texas
Tech University and then to the University of Texas at San Antonio and
now,fullcircle,ItypetheseacknowledgmentsoverlookingtheAssiniboine
RiverindowntownWinnipeg.
I plead busyness as my defense against the inevitable charge of sloth.
Adepartmentchairpersonship,anotherbook,learningtwonewuniversities,
a Fulbright grant, two daughters’ marriages, three grandchildren, moving
across the continent (twice), selling three and buying three houses, and
yes, some laziness caused me to lay the manuscript down and pick it up
ahalf-dozentimes.But,hereitis,andIwishtothankthefollowinginstitu-
tionsandpeoplefortheirsupport,kindness,friendship,andloveoverthese
sporadic14years.
TheSSHRCgrantalludedtoabovewasoneofthemanygrantsIreceived
formanyresearchprojectsfromthatwonderfullygenerousnationalcouncil.
TheSSHRCisanationaljewelforwhichallCanadiansshouldbegrateful.
IreceivedaLeaveFellowshipfrombothTexasTechUniversity(TTU)and
theUniversityofTexasatSanAntonio(UTSA),andIwishtothankthose
twodistinguishedinstitutions,andparticularlyViceProvostJamesBrinkof
TTUandDeanDanielGeloofUTSA’sCollegeofLiberalandFineArtsfor
theirsupportinfacilitatingtheseleaves.
At the University of Winnipeg, I would like to thank Donald Bailey,
SarahMcKinnon(nowattheBostonMuseumofFineArts),DanielStone,
and Katherine and Robert Young; at Texas Tech University, Alwyn and
Nancy Barr, Paul and Ellen Carlson, Stefano D’Amico, John and Anne
Howe, Philip Marshall, and Aliza Wong; and at the University of Texas
at San Antonio, Steven and Sandy Boyd, Antonio Calabria, Sean Castro
and Elisha Reynolds, David Hansen, David Pillow, Ashlee Quosigk, Jack
and Elizabeth Reynolds, James and Denise Schneider, Andrea Trease, and
CherylTuttle.
xii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Iwouldespeciallyliketothankthetwoexecutiveassistants,PeggyAriaz
and Debbie Shelfer, at Texas Tech University who made being Chair of
Historysoeasyandsomuchfun.Noonewaseverblessedwithtwobetter
colleagues.
Other family members and friends have been important parts of my
life as I scribbled away at this book: my brother-in-law, Daniel Riccio,
his partner, Jane White, and the Riccio clan of Michael, Carla, Deborah,
Chuck,Stephen,Christopher,andCathy,Michael,Jacob,andJoshuaJones;
John Ifkovic of Branford, Connecticut; Charlie Holland, Kellie Patt, Nick
Reardon,andtheHungryPalettepeopleofStonington,Connecticut;Justin
MartinofSanJuan,PuertoRico;PennyDenisonofLubbock,Texas;Sonja
Lejeune of San Antonio, Texas; and Dave and Anne Champion, Gordon
McKinnon and Lori Spivak, the Scoville family, Carolina Springett, and
LindseySteekofWinnipeg.
IhavespentaninordinateamountoftimewithfourfriendsIwouldlike
to thank for being in my life, Diana and Hinton Bradbury, my neighbors
for many years in Winnipeg; Judith Graham, a long-time colleague and
friend from the University of Winnipeg, who acted as my agent to locate
my present home; and Hugh Grant, a University of Winnipeg colleague
whosharesmyloveofracehorsesandgolf.
And, as always, the most important people in my life since the days
theywerebornaremythreedaughters,Elizabeth,Abigail,andNora.Ilove
them and thank them for their wonderful selves and for my two sons-in-
law,PatrickSullivanandCurtissHickcoxIII,andmythreegrandchildren,
Patrick,Kate,andJames.Thankyougirlsandthankyouall.
BruceC.Daniels
Winnipeg,May1,2012