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There is a story that James was a Scot, an indentured servant who fought for the Huguenots and was born in 1625. This is what I found and share it with you all. If anyone sees anything I missed, or misstated, please feel free to speak up.
INDENTURE:
That James and Mary were indentured servants is real possible. 25% of all those coming to Massachusetts, in the beginning, were indentured Servants. (See citation below.) Another clue is that as of 1651, he could NOT write, as evidenced by his mark on his land sale contract. Most indentured servants were illiterate and only the gentry could read and write. Whether he learned to write after that is not yet proved.
But, for the rest, let’s take it step by step and see what we come up with. The only thing we know for sure is that he received land in 1639/40:
AGE:
- If James was born in 1625, and received land in 1639/40, he would have been 15 years old. At that time, land sales in Braintree required that a man be at least 21 yrs, or older, to own land. So, that puts the birth date back to 1618/19, at the very least.
CONCLUSION: Thus, the 1625 date cannot be correct.
WHEN INDENTURED:
- If he was 21 years in 1639/40, and a servant, he would have been indentured in 1632 or 1635, although another possibility, remote though it is, is offered below**. An indenture contract was four to seven years long. Using the 1618/19 date, he would have been between 14-17 years old. He would have received food, clothing, shelter and when his time was served, would probably have received land, as was the custom of those early Massachusetts indenture contracts.
CONCLUSION: The assumption that he arrived in Mass. in 1639, is highly unlikely, if not impossible, particularly if he WAS indentured.
WHEN HE WOULD HAVE ARRIVED:
- The first settlers, including indentured servants to arrive in America, landed in Virginia, 1607. Following that, the destination was either New York or Virginia, until 1620. In 1620/21 , the Mayflower, landed at Plymouth Rock, Mass., with 101 pilgrims, fleeing religious oppression.
- In 1624, Thomas Morton and Capt. Wollaston emigrate from England to the Plymouth Colony, but can’t get along with the Pilgrims. They set out with abt 25-30 others and settle near what is now known as Quincy, just outside of Boston. It eventually becomes Mt. Wollyston, even though the Captain moved on to Virginia a scant two years after arrival, because land was not available for purchase.
- In March, 1630, John Winthrop leads a Puritan migration of 900 colonists to Massachusetts Bay, where he was then named the first governor. Among them, were indentured servants. In September, Boston was officially established and becomes the site of Winthrop's government.
CONCLUSION: That he received his land at the end of his indenture, tells us he was probably not with the original pilgrims. He would have been 2/3 years. If he came with Wollyston and Morton, he was seven years old and would have worked off his indenture by the time he was 14 years old, in 1632. ** It is possible he had to wait another seven years to get his land, in 1639/40, at age 21 yrs. Land was not made available for individual ownership in Mt. Wollyston, until 1639, when it separated from Boston and became Braintree. He would have been one of the first to own land there. It is also possible he came with Gov. Winthrop in 1630.
But, as his actual arrival cannot be proved, it is safe to say he came to America between 1624-1630. Also think it is safe to say he probably was indentured. It appears the only way a young, illiterate man, could afford to buy land.
THE QUESTION OF BEING A HUGUENOT:
The Huguenots, did not begin to migrate to the America's until 1669, although they came in very small numbers in 1653. But, when they did come, they went Virginia and South Carolina. They did not migrate to Canada until the early 1680's. History tells us only English settlers migrated to Massachusetts.
CONCLUSION: The time of the arrival in the Colonies by the Huguenots, does not track at all. As of now, it seems there was NO connection to the Huguenots, except a french sounding name.
THE QUESTION OF BEING A SCOT:
There are only two documents which say his name was Couve - his land record and the birth of daughter Mary. Because he could not write and probably could not read, we have no idea if that spelling was correct or not.
But, if it was and he was a Scot, in Scotland “Couve” was used as: “Territorial designations in Scotland, when made official by the granting of such recognition, become legal surnames. In that sense the `of' is similar to the French `de', Alan Campbell of Glenfeochan being the equivalent in that sense of Couve de Murville, for example. This means that any "Esq." or "Bt." should be placed after the territorial designation, as in "Sir Ilay Campbell of Succoth, Bt."
It also appears the origin of the word “Couve”, is Spanish/Latin and means “Kale, or Collard Greens.” Now, if one goes way, way, way back to Irish and Scot beginnings, the Spanish ruled both, for many, many years. The name may not be French at all.
CONCLUSION: Could he be a Scot? Sure! Was he? Have no idea. Also possible is that his family migrated from Scotland to England, where he caught the boat in London and came to America.
Safe to say he was of English- Scottish descent. French is real questionable.
CITATIONS:
Early Colonial Era
Beginnings to 1700
http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/revolution/rev-early.htm
1620 - November 9, the Mayflower ship lands at Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with 101 colonists. On November 11, the Mayflower Compact is signed by the 41 men, establishing a form of local government in which the colonists agree to abide by majority rule and to cooperate for the general good of the colony. The Compact sets the precedent for other colonies as they set up governments.
An Outline of American History (1994)
Chapter One
Settlers, Slaves and Servants (11/12)
“In other cases, the expenses of transportation and maintenance were paid by colonizing agencies like the Virginia or MASSACHUSETTS BAY COMPANIES. In return, indentured servants agreed to work for the agencies as contract laborers, usually for four to seven years. Free at the end of this term, they would be given "freedom dues," sometimes including a small tract of land.
It has been estimated that half the settlers living in the colonies south of New England came to America under this system. Although most of them fulfilled their obligations faithfully, some ran away from their employers. Nevertheless, many of them were eventually able to secure land and set up homesteads, either in the colonies in which they had originally settled or in neighboring ones. No social stigma was attached to a family that had its beginning in America under this semi-bondage. Every colony had its share of leaders who were former indentured servants.”
On Aristotle’s Doctrine of the Mean
Cydney A. Craft
“The first colonists of Massachusetts were a group of Puritans from England, many of which traveled as entire families, which provided for a self-reproducing colony; some indentured servants also traveled to Massachusetts with the Puritans.” These Puritans came to the Massachusetts colony with the intention of staying–for good; they wanted to cultivate the land and reap a harvest, and they had God at the center of their lives. These attitudes were fundamental for the long-term success of the Massachusetts colony.”
The FOLLOWING information is based on David Hackett Fischer's Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America (Call number: E169.1 .F539).
Largest period of English migration to Virginia from 1642 to 1675
“Virginia was an establishment colony in the 1600s. People came to Virginia for economic advancement rather than political and religious freedom."
IN VIRGINIA:
- Men outnumbered women by 9:1 ratio
- 75 percent of the settlers came as indentured servants. 75 percent of this number were between the ages of 15 and 24.
- Most adults were illiterate. Although almost all gentry could read and write, only 25 to 30 percent of indentured servants and fewer than 1 percent of all slaves could sign their names.
- Despite official efforts to establish towns, Virginians lived in the countryside.
- Largely because of the climate, the death rate was twice as great as the death rate in Massachusetts. Nearly half of all children died before reaching adulthood.
- 50 percent of child names came from the Bible. Virginians preferred the names of medieval knights and kings for the boys--William, Robert, Richard, Edward, George, and Charles. For girls, they selected Christian saints and English folk names--Margaret, Sarah, Elizabeth, Jane, Catherine, Anne, Mary, and Frances.
Largest period of English migration to Massachusetts from 1629 to1641.
“....Massachusetts was settled by religious dissenters--people unhappy with the Church of England.”
IN MASSACHUSETTS:
- Men outnumbered women by a 3:2 ratio
- Fewer than 25 percent of the settlers came as indentured servants. 40 percent of all immigrants were over 25 years of age, and nearly half were children under the age of 16.
- Two-thirds of all adults could sign their names.
(James was Illiterate, as evidenced by his mark on his land sale contract.)
- Residents lived close together in towns.
- 90 percent of child names came from the Bible. More than half the girls were named Elizabeth, Sarah, or Mary. John, Joseph, Samuel, and Josiah were popular for boys
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