Rebecca WILBORE

Rebecca married Deacon Abraham HATHAWAY on 28 Aug 1684. Abraham (son of Ensign John HATHAWAY and Martha SHEPARD) was born on 11 Sep 1652 in Taunton, Bristol Co., Massachusetts; died on 23 Aug 1725. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. John B. HATHAWAY was born about 1695 in Taunton, Bristol Co., Massachusetts; died on 15 Sep 1733 in Dighton, Massachusetts.

Notes:

Name:
"The Wildbores In America": Shadrach Wilbore was probably born in England about 1632 for he gives his age twice at least in different public records. He also removed with his father Samuel, Sr., to Portsmouth in 1638 but must have returned with him to Boston in 16645 for he would then be but thirteen years of age.

Soon after returning to Boston Samuel, Sr., bought land of Edward Csae in Taunton. A house lot near the centre and a farm spoken of in the article about him, which lately belonged to the Caswells on Caswell Street.

On August 14, 1672, Shadrach Wilbore was on a jury to view the body of Peter Treby, son of Peter of Newport, being at Taunton with his mother Bethiah. The verdict was that the child of three years being near the riverside b some accident fell into the river, etc.

On october 27, 1685, Shadrach was granted liberty to sell strong liquor by the gallon if Careful not to sell to such as will abuse the same."

The history of Taunton says, "The town clerk chosen for the present year being the 6th of March, 1664/5 is Shadrach Wilbore and so to continue as long as he the said clerk and the town shall agree." He was not, however, the first town clerk of Taunton as has been sometimes stated. Oliver Purchis had already preceded him as clerk of the town. But s the history further relates, "the clerkship of this Wilbore in Taunton's history is remarkable, not only for it's length, continuing on from 1664/5 to nearly the close of the century, or about thirty-five years, but for the beauty of his penmanship, which appears in many documents still preserved, and more especially of his fidelity as a town officer, and what he suffered as a proof of that fidelity in a long imprisonment in Boston and Bristol during the odious administration of Sir Edmund Andros in 1686 and onwards."

The tax which produced such excitement in the colonies was levied the net january as appears in the following orders: January 4, 1686. Ordered that a single country rate of one penny in the pound be levied and collected in all the late colonies and provinces towards defraying the publick charges of this his Majesty's government. the treasurer at the time who collected the tax was Mr. John Usher. The letter of Mr. Wilbore to Mr. Usher cannot be found, but we do know that the people of Taunton replied to him though Shadrach Wilbore their clerk, that they did not "feel free to rase money on the inhabitants without their own assent in an assembly,"

It seems that in 1684 the Massachusetts charter was falsely declared forfeited and Governor Edmund Andros having been appointed governor over the whole of New England, commended arbitrary and tyrannical measures. One of the first was to levy a tax of twenty cents on each poll and one penny in the pound, upon all property in the colonies. Andros was a much hated man.

For transmitting the above spirited answer to Mr. Usher, Shadrach Wilbore was fined 20 marks and imprisoned three months in Boston and in the jail in Bristol. In less than two years from that time Andros was himself on his way to England under arrest for his misdeeds.

As has been said before the letter written by Shadrach cannot be found, but it was the occasion of the following order fro Sir Andros and his council:
"Shadrach Wilbore of the town of Taunton, being by the messenger brought before the board and examined about the scandalous, factious and seditious writeing sent from the said towne to the treasurer in answer to his warrant for the publicke rate signed by him as clerke, he owned the same and declared it to be the act of the town.
"Ordered, that the said Shadrach Wilbore be bound over to answer for the same att the next superior court to be holden at Bristoll meeting held Wednesday, August 31, 1687."

This order was followed on the same day by a warrant for Shadrach's arrest.

"To ye sheriffs of ye county of Suffolk: "Whereas Shadrach Wilbore, town clerk of Taunton, both lately in ye name and with ye consent of said town, wrote and published , a certain scandalous, factious and seditious writeing, wherein being much reflecting upon and containneing the laws, authority and government of this his Majesty's territory and dominion of New Enland, the such writeing upon his examination before his excellency in council he hath confessed and owned these are therefore in his Majesty's name to require and command you to take into yor Custody ye body of ye sd. Shadrach Wilbore and him safely keep in his Majesty's goals until he shall have answered for ye sd. contempt and misdemeanor and be from thence delivered by sd. courts of his Majesty's laws. Where of fail not and for so doing this shall be your warrant. Dated Boston, ye 30th day of August 1687." Mass. Hist. Coll. 3rd series; Vol. 7, page 190.

After lyng five weeks in jail, Wilbore petitioned for his release, expressing more humbly than the case required his penitence for having given offence to his Majesty's servants. Anyone wishing to see the document, may fin it in the State archives. Vol. 127, page 236. It bears date "Bristoll, the 14th of November 1687." and is as follows:

"The humble petition of Shadrach Wilbore of Taunton Towne Clark; To his highness Sir Edmund Andross, knight, Governor in Chief of his Majesty's territory and dominion in New England. Humbly showeth that whereas your poor petitioner did in the name and with the consnet of the Town of Taunton (As towne Clarke) and by virtue of his office, judge himself obliged to doe, did write a letter to John Usher Esq., the contents of said letter or Writting, proving very offensive to authority, for which your petitioner is sorry, sorry that he should give cause for offense to any, either in writing or any other way, for it was not any way intended by your petitioner, either to offend your excellency, or the government his Majesty hath set over us, and therefore where-in your petitioner hath offended any person (he asketh their pardon) intreating your excellency to impute the offensiveness of sd. writing to the ignorants, weakness and sinfulness of your poor petitioner, (as to law matters) entreating your Excellency to grant your poor petitioner a gracious pardon, and to the honoured court's sentence against him, here at Bristol (and remit it) or what of it your excellency shall think fit, beseeching our Excellency to consider what your poor petitioner hath already suffered, both at Boston and also here at Bristol, at Boston his imprisonment there, and charges for a retreat out of prison, and here at Bristol, it being five weeks since he was first committed to Prison, intreating your Excellency to consider the inability of your poor petitioner, and the time of the year, it being very cold for a poor prisoner, and also his low estate, and a great family of children (not needful to say the towne of TAunton hath already answered the matter then in question) and for the future your petitioner hopes he shall be most careful what he writes,-----your pardon for giving our Excellency the trouble of reading these lynes, hoping for your Excellency's gracious answer, shall rest you humble petitioner.

SHADRACH WILBORE
Bristol the 14th of November 1687.

"A copie of my petition to Sir Edmund Andross in Bristol."

The above letter is written in a very beautiful script and shows him to have been a man of education as well as a very fine penman. We find that Shadrach faithfulness to the town was afterwards rewarded by the town of Taunton for the records of the town contain the following: "This 21 day of November, 1689, it was voted and granted to Shadrach Wilbore, the Town Clerk, one hundred acres of land joining to his land at Bareneed, or some where thereabout, in consideration of his imprisonment and suffering he paying what money is due at that account, which is to say, the five and forty shillings which we borrowed of William Wilbore of Rhode Island."

The land mentioned above as being at Bareneed is of course the farm which was given to Shadrach by his father, Samuel, and was his father's homestead farm.

Shadrach Wilbore died at Taunton, Mass., in February 1697/8. ...

Shadrach married Mary DEANE. Mary was born about 1638 in Bristol County, Massachusetts; died on 27 Mar 1691 in Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]