Jonathon Morey, Jr. of Plymouth is born in 1661 will marry Hannah Bourne of Sandwich in Plymouth in 1690. Together they will give birth to eight children including Maria in 1692.

In 1714, Jonathan and Hannah receive her inheritance from her father Job Bourne in Sandwich. Sandwich is located a few miles east of Plymouth. Jonathan now 55 years old. Evidently, Jonathan was a successful farmer as is designated as Yeoman in his will. A Yeoman is an independent, free farmer who owns his own land. He will live until 1733 while Hannah passes the previous year in 1632. Of interest to us is daughter Maria born in 1694 who marries Seth Swift, Sr. in 1721. Their child Seth Jr. is born December, 1724.

The Bourne family of Sandwich has a number of interesting members. William Bourne (1589-1634) and wife Ursula live in Bobbingworth, Essex and have a large family of whom Richard is born in 1610. Richard’s Grandfather, another William (1527-1591) was the Bishop of Bath and also born in Bobbingworth. My assumption is that he was Bishop of the Anglican Church during the time Queen Elizabeth’s rule. It must have been an interesting career. By the way, Bath is one of the most wonderful of small English cities. Bobbingworth was probably an early Saxon settlement lying near Chipping Ongar and an hours drive from London to the west.

Our Richard is born in Bobbington in 1610 and settles in Sandwich, Massachusetts by 1637. While he was the grandson of a Bishop, we have no record of his religious training. This would not necessarily be unusual as dissenting churchmen left few academic records. His first marriage is to Bathsheba Hallett and his second to Ruth Sargent Winslow. Ruth was the daughter of Rev. William Sargent and was baptised in 1642. Richard was her second husband in Sandwich in 1677. Richard would have been 57 and she will marry again after his death in 1685.

Richard evidently brought with him considerable status to the new world. His father dies in 1634 and Richard arrives shortly after with considerable cash from England. I assume this is in inheritance. By 1639, he is helping with the legal incorporation of Sandwich at age 29. Since there were no official church leaders until the arrival of a Reverend Smith, Richard took charge. He devoted himself to missionary work with the Mashpee Indians. In 1660 he purchased at his own expense Quachatisset, some sixteen square miles for a permanent settlement for the tribe. His efforts at conversion were so successful that the pastor who succeeded him was tribal member Simon Popmonet. Richard’s son Shearjashub will serve as superintendent of the Mashpee. He procured from Plymouth Colony an irrevocable law confirming the grant of the territory to the tribe. Today there is a continuing controversy concerning the Mashpee tribe. The relatively large Wampanoag tribe rejcts the tribal qualifications of the Mashpee. It is argued that the Mashpee died out a couple centuries ago. Of course, the issue is the right of the Mashpee descendents to develop a competing casino. I do wonder what the Bournes would think of this.

Job Bourne was father Richard’s first born in the Americas. In 1639, Sandwich was but two years old and today is considered the oldest town on Cape Cod along with Yarmouth. In 1884, the western part of the town was renamed Bourne. Job will remain in Sandwich to marry Ruhamah Hallet in 1664. Ruhamah will give birth to daughter Hannah in 1667. Job passes away in Hingham in 1677. The reason for the move to Hingham is unknown as his family farmland is in Sandwich. Ruhamah will later return to Sandwich and pass away in 1714 leaving a sizable estate to daughter Hannah and Jonathan Morey, Jr. of Plymouth.

Hannah and Jonathan will pass their days in Plymouth. Hannah will pass away in 1732 at the age of 71 and is survived by Jonathan by one year in 1733. Daughter Maria Morey provides the connection to the Swift family. But before we leave the Moreys, the detailed probate for Jonathan is worth examining closely. I love the “old orchard” valued at 45 pounds.