| Notes |
- 1 NAME John /Swain/
2 SOUR S006212
3 PAGE 16:272 July 1862
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3 NOTE lucyfol@aol.com, http://awt.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GED&db=:2537872. Folger genealogy by Lucy Folger. GEDCOM imported on 25 February 2004.
2 SOUR S004136
3 DATA
4 TEXT Date of Import: Feb 27, 2004
1 NAME John /Swain/, Jr.
2 SOUR S007771
3 NOTE 453 Glendon Road, P.O. Box 850, Cave Junction, OR 97523-0850, 541-592-6575
2 SOUR S002753
3 DATA
4 TEXT Date of Import: Feb 25, 2004
[Birch genealogy by Terry Birch - 680559_GM.GED]
Notes for John Swain:
He was the first white male born on Nantucket Island.
John Swain must have been more outgoing than his father because there is one account of his being summoned into court for striking a man, although he "ingeniously acknowledge" the offense and was
excused. By the same token he must have been a generous and honorable man. He had promised to
give a certain tract of land to the Town of Sherbourne in 1687 and finally in 1712/13 he did do so, citing "I have met with many accidents which hath caused me to detract time. But now I think it is time to confirm what I then have promised."
The following is from the unpublished manuscript written by Obed Macy, included in the History of Nantucket:
"In the year 1695, a French Privateer anchored under Squam Head at the east end of the Island. A boat with a number of men landed from her. They inquired of an Indian, who happened to be there, where the inhabitants lived? He answered them vaguely. At that time Squam was covered with thick woods, and the weather was foggy and the Indian was able to get away from the questioners unperceived and he ran rapidly as he could to inform John Swain, his master, of the landing. Swain lived near Polpis Harbor, and apprehending that the strangers might find his house and commit some depredation he took his bag of money and a spade and left his house and went westward, but did not inform his family of his intention. In his day he was considered a rich man and one of but a few words. His family supposed he went upon Swain's Neck and there buried the money, but from that time to present, no one has been able to find where he deposited his cash, how much there was of it or whether he buried any. His family always believed he buried it there and that there was a large amount for that day*******."
Although many descendants of John and Mary (Weare) Swain remained on the Island, many of them left to settle on the mainland, as has been alluded to and several families went to Nova Scotia. A good number of them who were ship captains returned to England to work for whaling companies. One of those was Samuel Swain, son of James and Rebecca (Baker) Swain. He died aboard his vessel in Sidney, Australia, and later several of his children from England went to Australia to live. Stephen Swain, b. 1666, left as a young man and located in eastern North Carolina. Nathaniel Swain and his family, along with several other Nantucket families, left the Island in 1773 and migrated to Guilford Co., NC. A few more were:
1. Zaccheus Swain, son of Charles & Elizabeth (Coffin) Swain. His wi1l was probated in 1826, Guilford Co., NC. He still owned land in Nantucket which he left to his sisters, Phebe and Elizabeth.
2. Ruth Swain, dau. of Reuben and Hannah (Macy) Swain. She mar. Seth Starbuck in 1801, Guilford Co., NC.
3. George Swain, son of Howland & Jemima (Gardner) Swain. He mar. Deborah Macy, dau. of Henry & Sarah (Swain) Macy. Sarah Swain was the dau. of Caleb & Margaret (Paddack) Swain. Many of this line went on to Indiana, Illinois and Ohio from Guilford Co., NC.
THE SILVER TANKARD
In the book "The Decorative Arts and Crafts of Nantucket", by Charles H. Carpenter, Jr. and Mary Grace Carpenter, there is shown a silver tankard. They also give some of the history of the tankard, the name of the craftsman and owners through the years.
This tankard was made by Jeremiah Dummer (1664-1718) of Boston, who was said to have been America's first native-born goldsmith. This tankard was made for, John Swain, Jr. and Experience Folger, his wife, on the occasion of their wedding, which took place in early 1688. The tankard was left to their daughter Hannah, wife of Thomas Gardner, and it remained in the Gardner family until it was sold to Miss Ima Hogg of Houston, Texas, in 1954. Miss Hogg was the spinster daughter of a former Governor of Texas. She bought many valuable antiques through the years and gave all of this vast collection to the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.
The first item listed in the inventory of the estate of John Swain, Sr. (1633-1717), is a silver tankard valued at 13 pounds, 10 shillings. This tankard was probably made by Jeremiah Dummer also, but its location today is unknown. We know it was passed down to John Swain, III (1690-1744), at least. Based on silver tankards in the inventories of other owners, the value of these tankards increased many times through the years, and of course they are invaluable to descendants who might possess them today. From "Swains of Nantucket" by Robert Swain.
More About Experiance Folger:
1: Aunt of Benjamin Franklin.
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[Folger genealogy by Lucy Folger - 2537872_GM.GED]
He was the first male white child born on the island of Nantucket.
When he died, he was the oldest white man on the island. He owned a fa rm in Polpis, where he resided, being a farmer. His land adjoined that o f his brother-in-law John Folger.
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|
Davis Uriah I | Born 1707
1664 - 1739 (74 years)
[3]