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Facts and Events
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1. Robert McEwen, in Orcutt, Samuel. A History of the Old Town of Stratford and the City of Bridgeport, Connecticut. (New Haven, Ct.: Press of Tuttle, Morehouse &. Taylor, 1886)
2:1244.
"1. McEwen, Robert, the first in Stratford, was born at Dundee, in Scotland, in 1662. Refusing to acknowledge the King's supremacy in matters of religion, for which he was persecuted, fined, imprisoned, and his property confiscated, he was banished from the country, and with about 100 others, put on board of an old vessel and sent to Virginia.
They sailed from Perth, Scotland, in September, 1685, and after being at sea some days they were overtaken by a heavy eastern gale, before which the vessel rode 14 days, and when the gale abated they found themselves near the New York harbor, and the ship having sprung a leak, was in a sinking condition. To save their lives they run the ship ashore at a place called Amboy, New Jersey, Dec. 18. 1685, where they formed a settlement, calling it Perth, after the place from which they sailed. The passengers in this voyage were poorly fed, worked hard in pumping to keep the ship afloat, and hence about half of them died on the way. Robert McEwen and one or two of his fellow passengers, having heard in Scotland of the freedom enjoyed in Connecticut, came from Amboy to Stratford in February, 1686, and being a tailor by trade began his life work in a free country. His account book of work done and charges made was a small parchment covered quarto, still in existence, now held by Mr. Robert McEwen, a descendant.
Robert McEwen m. Sarah, dau. of Timothy Willcoxson, June 20, 1695. He died Feb. 24, 1739-40, aged 78 years."
- ↑ Robert McEwen, in Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England: Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692, on the Basis of Farmer's Register. (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co, 1860-1862)
3:189.
"Robert (McEwen), Stratford 1686, a Scotchman, came in the Henry and Francis, a sh. of 350 tons, charter. by the laird of Pitlochie, as Whitehead, in Hist. of Perth Amboy tells, or in the Caledonia (by ano. rep.) a man of war of 50 guns, to transport covenanters releas. from the tolbooths of Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Sterling, on condition of transporta. to the colonies. No little of historic interest attaches to this colony that land. their precious freight. at Perth Amboy. McEwen hims. wh. by tradit. is deriv. from Dumfries, explains: 'In June 18, 1679, I was in an engagem. in Scotland, at Bothwell brigg, then of the age of 18 yrs. The 5th of Sept. 1685 we set sail to come to America, and land. at Amboy 18 Dec. and 18 Feb. foll. I came to Stratford.' Here he was a tailor, made leather breeches for men, stays and mantys for women; and he says he m. 20 June 1695, Sarah Wilcockson, d. of Timothy, as the rec. says, noting the m. of 2 June, and of b. of two first ch. his own writ. agrees very near. with John, 20 or 23 Sept. 1697; and Eliz. wh. he calls Betty, 7 Nov. 1699. Other ch. were Robert, 7 Mar. 1702; Sarah, 5 Nov. 1704; Timothy, 11, bapt. 27 Apr. 1707; and Gershom, b. 7 Apr. 1711; and the f. d. Feb. 1740. Of fellow-passeng. I presume very few (I hear with certain. of only one, came to N. E. and concur. reports say more than one third d. on the voyage to N. J. Not a few, Whitehead says, went back to Scotland, prob. aft. the revo. of 1688."
- ↑ Stratford Vital Records [NEHGS], in Connecticut, United States. The Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records
69.
"[McEwen,] Robert, d. Feb. 24, 1739/40 [LR5:59]"
- Robert McEwen, in Find A Grave.
It is obvious from the image that this monument is a cenotaph.
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