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National Humanities Center Resource Toolbox American Beginnings: The European Presence in North America, 1492-1690

“shift for ourselves in a forlorn place in this wilderness”

Surviving the First Year of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1630-1631 Memoir of Roger Clap, ca. 1680s, excerpts

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Roger Clap [Clapp] arrived in New England in May 1630 at age 21, having overcome his father's opposition to his emigration. In his seventies he began his memoir to tell his children of "God's remarkable providences . . . in bringing me to this land." A devout man, he interprets the lack of food for his body as part of God's providing food for the soul, in this case the souls of the Purit ans as they created their religious haven.

thought good, my dear children, to leave with you some account of God’s remarkable providences to me, in bringing me into this land and placing me here among his dear servants and in his house, who

am most unworthy of the least of his mercies. The Scripture requireth us to tell God’s wondrous

works to our children, that they may tell them to their children, that God may have glory throughout all

ages. Amen. . . .

I was born in England, in Sallcom, in Devonshire, in the year of our Lord 1609. My father was a man

fearing God, and in good esteem among God’s faithful servants. His outward estate was not great, I think

not above £80 per annum. 1 We were five brethren (of which I was the youngest) and two sisters. God was

graciously pleased to breathe by his holy spirit (I hope) in all our hearts, if in mine; which I am not

altogether without hopes of. Four of us brethren lived at home. I did desire my dear father (my dear

mother being dead) that I might live abroad [outside the country]; which he consented to. . . .

. . . So God brought me out of Plymouth [England] the 20th of March in the year 1629-30, and landed

me in health at Nantasket on the 30th of May, 1630, I being then about the age of twenty-one years.

Blessed be God that brought me here! . . .

* National Humanities Center, 2006/2013: nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/. Memoirs of Capt. Roger Clap, Boston, 1731; reprinted in Chronicles of the First Planters of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay from 1623 to 1636, ed. Alexander Young, 1846 (online in Internet Archive). Some punctuation and spelling modernized, and some paragraphing added by NHC for clarity. Photograph of Nantasket Beach, Massachusetts, May 24, 2013, entitled “Reflected Darkness” (detail) by Marguerite Mullaney, Gull Times (gulltimes.com/); reproduced by permission. Complete image credits at national humanitiescenter.org/pds/amerbegin/lsimagecredits.htm. 1 I.e., his property and monetary worth were not great, I think not above 80 pounds a year. [English currency]

I

Marguerite Mullaney Nantasket Beach, Massachusetts, May

National Humanities Center  Memoir of Roger Clap, publ. ca. 1680s, excerpts 2

When we came to

Nantasket, Capt. Squeb, who

was captain of that great ship

of four hundred tons, would

not bring us into Charles

river, 2 as he was bound to do,

but put us ashore and our

goods on Nantasket Point, and

left us to shift for ourselves in

a forlorn place in this wilder-

ness. But, as it pleased God,

we got a boat of some old

planters [farmers] and laded

her with goods; and some able

men, well armed, went in her

unto Charlestown, where we

found some wigwams and one

house; and in the house there

was a man which had a boiled

bass [fish] but no bread, that

we see. But we did eat of his

bass, and then went up Charles

river until the river grew

narrow and shallow, and there

we landed our goods with

much labor and toil, the bank

being steep; and night coming

on, we were informed that

there were hard by us three

hundred Indians.

One Englishman that could

speak the Indian language (an

old planter) went to them and

advised them not to come near us in the night, and they hearkened to his counsel [took his advice] and

came not. I myself was one of the sentinels [guards] that first night. Our captain was a Low Country 3

soldier, one Mr. Southcot, a brave soldier. In the morning, some of the Indians came and stood at a

distance off, looking at us, but came not near us. But when they had been a while in view, some of them

came and held out a great bass towards us; so we sent a man with a biscuit and changed [traded] the cake

for the bass. Afterwards, they supplied us with bass, exchanging a bass for a biscuit cake, and were very

friendly unto us.

Oh, dear children! forget not what care God had over his dear servants, to watch over us and protect us

in our weak beginnings. Capt. Squeb turned ashore us and our goods, like a merciless man; but God, even

our merciful God, took pity on us, so that we were supplied first with a boat, and then caused many

Indians (some hundreds) to be ruled by the advice of one man, not to come near us. Alas, had they come

upon us, how soon might they have destroyed us! I think we were not above ten in number. But God

caused the Indians to help us with fish at very cheap rates. We had not been there many days (although by

our diligence we had got up a kind of shelter to save our goods in) but we had order to come away from

that place, which was about Watertown, unto a place called Mattapan, now Dorchester, because there was

2 See map, p. 4.

3 Low Country: coastal region of northwestern Europe, including present-day Belgium and Holland.

John Clapp/Dorchester Historical Society

Roger Clap’s birthplace in Salcombe Regis, England, 2005 photograph

Dorchester Historical Society

Roger Clap built his house on Willow Court, one of the first streets in the 1630 Dorchester settlement, photo published in the Dorchester Day program, 7 June 1913

National Humanities Center  Memoir of Roger Clap, publ. ca. 1680s, excerpts 3

a neck of land fit to keep our cattle on. So we removed and

came to Mattapan. The Indians there also were kind unto

us. . . .

Not long after came our renowned and blessed Governor

[John Winthrop] and divers [several] of his Assistants with

him. Their ships came into Charles river, and many

passengers landed at Charlestown, many of whom died the

winter following. Governor Winthrop purposed to set down

his station about Cambridge, or somewhere on the river; but

viewing the place, liked that plain neck that was called then

Blackstone’s Neck, now Boston. But in the meantime,

before they could build at Boston, they lived many of them

in tents and wigwams at Charlestown, their meeting-place

[church] being abroad [a distance away] under a tree, where

I have heard Mr. Wilson and Mr. Phillips preach many a

good sermon.

Now coming into this country, I found it a vacant

wilderness, in respect of English. There were indeed some

English at Plymouth and Salem, and some few at

Charlestown, who were very destitute when we came

ashore; and planting time being past, shortly after provision

[food and supplies] was not to be had for money. I wrote to

my friends, namely to my dear father, to send me some

provision; which accordingly he did, and also gave order to

one of his neighbors to supply me with what I needed (he

being a seaman), who coming hither, supplied me with

divers things. But before this supply came, yea, and after

too (that being spent, and the then unsubdued wilderness

yielding little food) many a time if I could have filled my belly, though with mean victuals [coarse

unappetizing food], it would have been sweet unto me. Fish was a good help unto me and others. Bread

was so very scarce that sometimes I thought the very crusts of my father’s table would have been very

sweet unto me. And when I could have meal and water and salt boiled together, it was so good, who could

wish better?

In our beginning many were in great straits [dire hardship] for want of provision for themselves and

their little ones. Oh the hunger that many suffered, and saw no hope in an eye of reason to be supplied,

only by clams and mussels and fish. We did quickly build boats, and some went a fishing. But bread was

with many a very scarce thing, and flesh [animal meat] of all kind as scarce. And in those days, in our

straits, though I cannot say God sent a raven to feed us, as he did the prophet Elijah, yet this I can say, to

the praise of God’s glory, that he sent not only poor ravenous Indians, which came with their baskets of

corn on their backs to trade with us (which was a good supply unto many) but also sent ships from

Holland and from Ireland with provisions, and Indian corn from Virginia, to supply the wants 4 of his dear

servants in this wilderness, both for food and raiment [clothing]. And when people’s wants were great,

not only in one town but in divers towns, such was the godly wisdom, care, and prudence (not selfishness,

but self-denial) of our Governor Winthrop and his Assistants, that when a ship came laden with

provisions, they did order that the whole cargo should be bought for a general stock; and so accordingly it

was, and distribution was made to every town, and to every person in each town, as every man had need.

Thus God was pleased to care for his people in times of straits, and to fill his servants with food and

4 See Young’s footnote in box, above right.

Edward Johnson, an eyewitness, gives a graphic description of the scarcity of provisions among the first colonists. “In the absence of bread, they feasted themselves with fish. The women once a day, as the tide gave way, resorted to the mussel and clam banks (which are a fish as big as horse-mussels), where they daily gathered their families’ food. Quoth one, ‘My husband hath travelled as far as Plymouth (which is near forty miles) and hath with great toil brought a little corn home with him, and before that is spent, the Lord will assuredly provide.’ Quoth the other, ‘Our last peck of meal is now in the oven at home a baking, and many of our godly neighbours have quite spent all, and we owe one loaf of that little we have.’ Then spake a third, ‘My husband hath ventured himself among the Indians for corn and can get none, as also our honored Governor hath distributed his so far, that a day or two more will put an end to his store, and all the rest. . . .’ And as they were encouraging one another, they lift up their eyes and saw two ships coming in, and presently this news came to their ears, that they were come from Ireland, full of victuals [food].” Footnote in Chronicles of the First Planters of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay from 1623 to 1636, ed. Alexander Young, 1846, citing the Massachusetts Historical Collection journal, xiii, 125.

National Humanities Center  Memoir of Roger Clap, publ. ca. 1680s, excerpts 4

gladness. Then did all the servants of God bless his holy name, and love one another with pure hearts

fervently.

. . . After the first winter, we were very healthy, though some of us had no great store of corn. The

Indians did sometimes bring corn, and truck [trade] with us for clothing and knives; and once I had a peck

[about two quarts] of corn, or thereabouts, for a little puppy dog. Frost-fish, mussels, and clams were a

relief to many. If our provision be better now than it was then, let us not, and do you, dear children, take

heed that you do not forget the Lord our God. You have better food and raiment than was in former times;

but have you better hearts than your forefathers had? If so, rejoice in that mercy, and let New-England

then shout for joy. Sure, all the people of God in other parts of the world that shall hear that the children

and grandchildren of the first planters of New-England have better hearts and are more heavenly than

their predecessors, they will doubtless greatly rejoice, and will say, “This is the generation whom the

Lord hath blessed.”

. . .

After God had brought me into this country, he was pleased to give me room in the hearts of his

servants; so that I was admitted into the church fellowship at our first beginning in Dorchester, in the year

1630. ________________________________________________________________________________

Library of Congress 1639 Dutch map of New England; oval marks area of Boston harbor, Nantasket Beach, Dorchester, and the Charles River