Samuel WILBORE

Samuel married Sarah PHILLIPS on 19 Dec 1688 in Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts, USA. Sarah was born on 17 Mar 1667. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: Daughter of James Phillips

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]

Notes:

Name:
"Genealogical and family history of Northern New York": Samuel Wilbore, immigrant ancestor, married in England, Ann, daughter of Thomas Bradford, of Doncaster, Yorkshire (note:this has been proven inaccurate - Bradford's daughter married Zacharias Wildbore. - The Wildbores in America, pg. 7) The first record of him is in Dec. 1, 1633, when he and his wife Ann were admitted to the First church at Boston. He was made a freeman in Boston, March 4, 1634. he owned much property in Taunton, Mass., as well as in Boston, and probably lived in both places. In November, 1637, he was among those banished from colony on account of religious views. Acting on the advice of Roger Williams he went to Providence, where he and others who fled with him negotiated the purchase of the island of Aquednek, now Rhode Island, from the Narragansett Indians. Early in 1638 he removed, with his family, to the new location. In 1645 he returned to Boston. Later he built an iron furnace at Taunton, the first in New England. 1638, he was clerk of the town board, constable in 1639, in 1644, sergeant. He married (second) Elizabeth, widow of Thomas lechford. She was admitted to church Nov. 29, 1645. He died July 24, 1656. His will, dated April 30, 1656, was proved Nov. 6, 1656, and his widow and son Shadrach were executors. His widow married Henry Bishop, Dec. 20, 1656; he died in 1664, and she died probably about July, 1665.

"The Wildbores in America": Samuel Wilbore born probably in Braintree, co. Essex, England, between 1594 and 1600, died in Boston, Mass., 24 July 1656. He married, according to the Parish Records of Sible Hedinghan, co Essex, 13 Jan. 1619/20, Ann Smith..

He was executor of his mother's will, namely Elizabeth Wilbore, which was made 25 Feb. 1624 and proved in Sible Hedingham 21 March 1624. In her will she mentions her three sons by her former husband, Robert Harringtom namely John, Edmund, and Robert Harrington, and daughter, Elizabeth Wutton, the wife of John Wutton. She mentions her son, Samuel Wilbore, and her two brothers-in-law, Francis Whiston and Francis Walford. Whether these last two were husbands of two sisters or were brothers-in-law of her late husband, it is impossible to tell. She also mentions her two grandchildren, John and Elizabeth Wutton. She leaves the rest and residue to her sons, Samuel Wilbore and Robert Harrington, and makes them administrators of her will. It was Samuel, however, who proved it.

Samutl Wilbore is also mentioned in the will of Robert Wilbore, his half-brother, in Sible Hedingham. Samuel signs as witness to this will. We have photostats of two of Samuel's signatures in America and three signatures in England. In America he signed the Portsmouth, R.I., compact, in 1638; and he also signs a letter written to the authorities in Boston, asking permission to return there. In England, he signed as witness to the will of his half-brother, Robert, in 1619, and as a witness to the will of Samuel Allen in Sible Hedingham in 1626. His signature appears also as a juror of the same place with the signature of his half-brother, John Harrington. A Leonard Harrington also signs. This document dated the 18th day of March 1624 at Sible Hedingham is also signed by nine others with their marks, which indicates that these three had a better education than the average In Sible Hedingha. (see this jury list at the public record office, London: State papers, Domestic, Charles the first (S.P.), volume 140, F 100.

Samuel Wilbore, like his ancestors for generations, both in the West Riding of Yorkshire and co. Essex, England, was in the wool business after he came to the New England.

A deed is recorded among the Suffolk County Deeds in Boston wherein Samuel Wilboare, merchant, and Elizabeth, his wife, sell a house and shop on Milk Street which he owned with Richard Sherman. For twenty-five pounds Richard Sherman bought the east half of the house and the whole barn, etc. Sherman being of the Dedham Shermans and likewise in the wool business knew Samuel Wilbore when in England.

It would seem that Samuel soon regretted that he had followed Ann Hutchinson to Portsmouth, for at the Massachusetts Historical Society we find the following letter written by him. He humbly makes the request that he be permitted to return, and eventually does, for we find the record of his joining the church of Boston, with wife Elizabeth in 1645. the following is taken from "the Winthrop Paters", vol 4, 1638-1644, published in 1944. This letter is in Samuel's own handwriting.

"May 16, 1639

"Whereas I joyned with others in presentinge to the corte a writing called a petition or remonstrance, I confes it was far beyond my place and ranke to use such unbeseming excpresyons to those who the Lorde hath set over me, therefor, intreat your Worships to understand that it is only the cause that made me doe it and for my rashness and ofence thearin, I humbly crave your worships prayers to the Lord for pardon and pardon from yourselfes; I have been noe enimy of this state, nor through the assistance of the Lord never shall.

(signed) Samuel Wilbore"

Samuel married Ann SMITH. Ann died before 1643. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]