| Notes |
Stephen Paine/Payne (Sr) was born in l602 in Great Ellingham, No rfolk England. He married Nelle Rose Adcock. Stephen died a nd was buried at Rehoboth colony on August 21, 1679.(Vital Recor ds of Rehoboth 1642-1896) He was a miller and came with a larg e party of immigrants to Hingham and vicinity in 1638 in the "Di ligent of Ipswich" John Martin, Master. (or Capt. of the ship) H e came with his wife, four children (three sons and a daughter , Rebecca died on the voyage and son John shortly after arriving , before records were kept) and four servants. Stephen Payne evi dently financed his move to New England by selling "Heynons", hi s home in Great Ellingham, to his father in law, John Adcock an d seven rods of land and other property to his mother and stepfa ther, Margaret and Francis Stacye. On May 2, 1638 Stephen Payn e was one of eleven "shippers of wheat and malt in the Blessing , Mr. John Adams, master, bound from Yourmouth (Norfolk) to Ne w England. ((Peter Wilson Coldham, The complete book of Emigra nts, 1607-1660, Baltimore 1988, p. 197) The following month, i n June 1638, he sailed with his family from Ipswhich, Suffolk Co unty, in the Diligent, arriving at Boston, Massachusets Bay Colo ny on August 10, 1638, (Charles Edwards Banks, Planters of th e Commonwealth 1930 repr. 1972 Baltimore, p 191, 193) He remove d immediately to Higham. At Higham, Plymouth, he was granted l and and was made a freeman on June 6,1639 (Records of the Govern or and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England Boston 18 53 p. 376) and was elected Deputy to the general Court at Bosto n in 1641. His name appears frequently in records of Plymouth Co lony. Henry D.Paine in his thorough account of Stephens's life i n New England relates that in 1641 he became one of the grantee s of an eight-mile square plot of land which was then purchase d of Massasoit, Sachem of the Wampanoag Indians. (Paine Genealog y, p. 19-21) In 1642 he became one of the original proprietor s and he then became a freeman. In 1643 he moved his family to t his area called Seakonk and at his suggestion the new colony wa s renamed Rehoboth. He became prominent in the affairs of the c olony. He became a representative to the General Court of the c olony. In 1661 he and his sons Stephen and Nathanaiel with Capt . Thomas Willett (the first English Major of New York) purchas ed of Wamsitta,, a sachem of Pokenoket, and son of Massasoit . He also purchased a large tract of land adjoining Rehoboth, w hich included within its limits the present town of Attleboro Ma ss. He also owned tracts of land which include these present ci ties, Swansea Mass, Barrington, R.I. and Sowains, now Warren R. I. Mr. Payne's name often appears in the town of Rehoboth rec ords as holding offices of honor and trust. He was a man of con siderable wealth for that period. His estate in 1643 was value d at 535 pounds, with only two others in a list of 58 who were w orth more. In 1644 he was elected to the first Board of Selec tman, one of the townsmen who acted as advisors for deciding co ntroversies of town affairs, an office he held for several years . In 1645 he was chosen a Deputy to the court at Plymouth, or a s the original record quaintly expresses it, on "the 31st of Mai e, at a meeting of the town upon public notice given, Stephen Pa ine and William Carpenter were chosen to certify the town's mind s." He continued to hold the office of Deputy till 1660 and w as elected at various times afterwards. . Let me now add to th is summarization with specific dates and appointments mostly tak en from "Early Rehoboth" a well-researched book taken of the ea rly records of Rehoboth.
Rehoboth was granted to Joseph Peck, Stephen Paine, Henry Smith , Alex Winchester and Thomas Cooper in 1641, by William Bradfor d the colony known as Rehoboth. In a division of land made by lo t in June 1645, Mr. Paine was the first named in a list of 58 pe rsons entitled to draw, perhaps indicating his prominence in th e town.
From page 26, the town of Swansea was founded on the bases o f a class division of inhabitants that existed nowhere else in N ew England. On March 5, 1678 Plymouth colony court appointed Ca pt. John Willett, Mr. Stephen Paine Sr., Mr. John Brown, John Al len and John Butterworth (all Rehoboth men) to have charge of th e admittance of inhabitants, to dispose of the land and to hav e control of the affairs of the new township "at Wannamoisett an d places adjacent" later to be named Swansea. These men procee d to establish a system of three fold ranks allotting 3 acres o f land for the first rank, 2 for the second and one acre for th e third rank. On the basis of three men, one in each rank the f irst rank man had 50 percent of the land, the second rank man ha d 331/2 percent of the land and the third had 162/3 of the land . This system of land division under direction of committee o f first rank men who had arbitrary power of assigning rank, esta blished a land aristocracy lasting nearly 25 years.
The Indian deed transferred 3 months after Oursamaquin sold th e Sowams tract to the Gentlemen Purchasers, (in Rehoboth record s) 41 inhabitants of Rehoboth appointed Richard Bowen, Stephe n Paine, Thomas Cooper and William Sabin to represent them in se ttling status of Rehoboth uplands and meadows lying within bound s of new Sowams purchase. (Plymouth Colony deeds vol. 11 pt 1 p g. 79) (Sowams records pg. 9,10)
June 28, 1653, Forty one in the town empowered Stephen Paine, Ri chard Bowen, Thomas Cooper and William Sabin to settle land disp ute for the town with Capt. Miles Standish, Capt. Thomas Willet t and Josias Winslow.
June 24, 1650 Stephen Paine elected one of 7 townsmen.
May 19, 1651 Stephen Paine to be one of two Deputies to Cour t at Plymouth.
Oct. 18, 1651 Stephen Paiine to be one of 7 townsmen.
June 8, 1655 General Court at Plymouth before Governor Bradford , the Rehoboth inhabitants present a petition dated June 5 ask ing court to force inhabitants of town to contribute to maintena nce of ministry. As of June 26, 1655, the townsmen (7 includin g Stephen Paine) were also to be a committee to levy a rate fo r raising the maintenance fee for Mr. Newman the teacher whic h was 50 pounds a year .
Stephen Paine and Peter Hunt were Rehoboth Deputies to the Court .
June 22, 1658 Lots were drawn for meadow on the north side of to wn, Stephen Paine was number 10 to draw out of 49.
Stephen owned and operated a sawmill and continued to acquire pr operty in both Rehoboth and nearby areas.
Dec. 25, 1660 He became one of the original proprietors of Swans ea and also of Sowams ,now Warren Rhode Island.
Dec. 25, 1660 John Brown, Thomas Willett, Stephen Paine, Josep h Peck, Peter Hunt, Henry Smith, Phillip Walker, Thomas Chafey , and Sam Newman, the proprietors of Sowams land agree not to l et or sell any of their lands to any stranger not already a prop rietor without joint consent of all. (Sowams record p 13)
In 1661 he was one of agroup which purchased from Wamsutta Son o f Massasooit , Sachem of Pokanoket, land later named Attleboto , Mass.
Sept. 27 1664 At second session of general court Stephen Pain ag ain was chosen as one of the deputies from Rehoboth.
April 18 1666, at town meeting Stephen Paine and Mr. Brown are c hosen Deputy to the court. June 26, 1666, At town meeting Steph en Payne, Mr. James Brown and Goodman John Allen were chosen sel ectmen to answer the court order. (Rehoboth town meetings Boo k 1 pg. 169) These were the first "Selectmen" in Rehoboth and t he first time the name appears in records. Previously town affa irs were in the hands of Townsmen. Now we find three Baptists a s ruling official of Rehoboth and following year find same men l eaders of new Baptist town of Swansea.
On March 30, 1668 Wamsutta (who was brother of Alexander, know n as King Phillip) Sachem of the Wampanoags, confirmed unto Mr . Stephen Paine the elder, and the other selectmen of Rehoboth " The eight miles square' Purchased of his father Massasot, in 164 1.
May 29, 2670 exact list of names of Freemen of jurisdiction of N ew Plymouth includes name of Mr. Stephen Pain and Nathaniel Payn e.
May 28, 1672 meeting of Purchasers of Rehoboth North Purchase fo llowing list agreed on Mr. Stephen Pain Sr. 2 shares, one fo r himself and one for John Martin.
After 1667 it is difficult to make a division because men of Reh oboth who set up Swansea as a Baptist township continued to be p roprietors and land holders of both. Leaders in establishment o f Swansea were top officials and influential men of Rehoboth
including Capt Thomas Willett, and Magistrate; Stephen Paine Sr . and Mr. James Brown, Rehoboth deputies, to Plymouth colony cou rt.
In his will dated July 18, 1679 and proved October 30, 1679, Ste phen Paine senior of Rehoboth made bequests to his grandson Samu el Pain, grandson John Paine Nathaniel son of his son Nathaniel, deceased, Nathaniel and Benjamine, sons of his son Stephenm dece ased, daughter in law Anne Pain (wife of Stephen) Granddaughter s Elizabeth and Sarah and servants Anne Pearson and James Thurbe r. He mentions his wife Elizabeth the name by which she is call ed in the accounting of the estate also but in her own will thre e years later she called herself Alice.
|
1602 - 1679 (77 years)
