Person:William Vassall (1)

Immigrated in 1630, but then returned to England and returned to New England with his family in 1635 on the Blessing. The 1898 Obadiah Wheeler genealogy calls him "a man of wealth who came to New England in 1630 with Gov. Winthrop."

He moved to Scituate about 1635 -- about 1635 "Mris. Anna Vassail the wife of Mr. William Wassaile [was admitted to Roxbury church]. Her husband brought five children to this land, Judith, Francis, John, Margret, Mary". "Mr. Vassel joined" Scituate church on 28 November 1636. ^[4] His was also one of the first houses built at Scituate in 1636.^[5]

He went to England in 1646 with a petition to Parliament for the liberty of English subjects. Later removed to Barbadoes due to his disagreements with the residents of Plymouth colony.

It is very likely that William did make money in the slave trade business. There is a record of his sale of slaves to his son in law - Nicholas Ware. Williams brother Samuel sold slaves also. However, both men made money as merchants - and probably had money to start with from their father - John Vassall. Samuel owned many ships and was part owner in the Levant Co. William was one of the Puritans and an original patentee of the Mass. Bay Company. He played an importantpart in colonial history. He was co-author of a pamplet that was widely circulated in England about John Winslow. His disagreements with the pastor of the First Church in Situate are very interesting. He did return to Englandwith a petition to the King regarding the better treatmentof those who were not Puritans. After England he movedto his plantation in Barbados.

In his will, dated 31 July 1655 and proved 12 June 1657, William Vassall Esq. of Barbados, mentioned his son John Vassal, executor; daughters Judith White, wife of Resolved White, Frances Addams, wife of James Addams, Anna Ware, wife of Nicholas Ware and their children, and Margarett Vassall and Mary Vassall "here with me"; son-in-law Nicholas Ware was to be executor until son John arrived in Barbados.

Text References

1. ↑ NEHGR 109:94.
2. ↑ Barbados Records, Wills and Administrations, 1639-1680, Volume 1 (1979).
3. ↑ ^3.0 3.1 Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995).

   ORIGIN: London MIGRATION: 1630 FIRST RESIDENCE: Boston
   REMOVES: Scituate 1635, England 1646, Barbados 1648
   BIRTH: Baptized Stepney, Middlesex, 27 August 1592, son of John and Anne (Russell) Vassall [ NEHGR 109:94].
   DEATH: Barbados between 31 July 1655 (date of will) and 12 June 1657 (probate of will).

4. ↑ Great Migration, citing Roxbury Church Records, and NEHGR 9:280.
5. ↑ Id, citing NEHGR 10:42

The Winthrop Fleet (1630)

The Winthrop Fleet brought over 700 colonists to establish a new colony at Massachusetts Bay. The fleet consisted of eleven ships: the Arbella flagship with Capt Peter Milburne, the Ambrose, the Charles, the Mayflower, the Jewel, the Hopewell, The Success, the Trial, the Whale, the Talbot and the William and Francis.   Sailed: April and May 1630 from Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, England   Arrived: June and July 1630 at Salem, Massachusetts   Previous Settlers: The Higginson Fleet (1629)   Passengers: Winthrop wrote to his wife just before they set sail that there were seven hundred passengers. Six months after their arrival, Thomas Dudley wrote to Bridget Fiennes, Countess of Lincoln and mother of Lady Arbella and Charles Fiennes, that over two hundred passengers had died between their landing April 30 and the following December, 1630.   Selected leaders and prominent settlers: Gov. John Winthrop - Richard Saltonstall - Isaac Johnson - Gov. Thomas Dudley - Gov. William Coddington - William Pynchon - William Vassall - John Revell - Robert Seely - Edward Convers - Gov. Simon Bradstreet - John Underhill - William Phelps   Resources: The Winthrop Society - The Winthrop Fleet (Wikipedia)