Transcript:Colonial Society of Massachusetts. Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts/v10p274

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was in New York in January, 1656, and in the same year was a "Minister and Preacher of ye Word" in Northampton County, Virginia. While there he married the widow Anne Eaton, who is thought to be the second wife of the Rev. Nathaniel Eaton of Harvard College who in 1639 " came in Nele's barque to Virginia, where he married Anne Graves, daughter of Thomas Graves, a member of the Dorchester Church, who emigrated to Virginia and died of climatic influence, leaving his daughter a fair patrimony."¹ So it is stated in the Virginia Magazine, but Mr. Graves's name does not. appear in the Dorchester Church Records. The writer adds that Eaton became the assistant of Mr. John Rozier the minister of the parish, " but fled to England in 1646." In view of his proposed marriage, Mr. Doughty, 8 June, 1657, issued the following notice:

To all xtian people to whome this present wrightinge shall come. Knowe yee that whereas there is a marriage to bee had and solemnized between me ffrancis Doughty of Northampton County in Virginia & Ann Eaton of ye same County, and yt the s'd ffrancis Doughty may by virtue of marriage haue or expect to haue an interest [in her estate I] do Disowne and discharge all right, to her estate, and to her children.²

If Doughty married Nathaniel Eaton's widow in 1657, Mather is mistaken in saying that Eaton lived to the Restoration, conformed, and, as a beneficed clergyman became a persecutor of non-conformists.³

The collection of clerical dues was not easy in Northampton and Doughty soon removed to Rappahannock, where according to Bishop Meade he was the first minister of Sittingbourne parish. Here he remained until after the Restoration, not without some troubles as the following humble petition shows:

To the Wors'p" her Maties Justices for the County of Rappa. the Humble peticon of John Catlett & Humphrey Booth Sheweth, That Whereas yor pet™ by Letters bearing date the 15th of Apr", 1668, did make their humble addresse to our Honble Govr, Sr Wm. Berkeley, shewing that Mr. Francis Doughty, uppon our desire of Communicating in.

¹ Virginia Magazine, v. 130.
² E. D. Neil], Virginia Carolorum, p. 407.
³ Magnalia (1853), ii. 10.