Transcript:Savage, James. Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England/v2p122

acc. the Chart. and sev. times after, and in 1644 gov. for the first time,
with full power acc. the Chart. and again, after d. of Winthrop 1649, 51, 2,
3,and from 1655 to his own d. at Boston (where he had resid. near. ten
yrs.) 15 Mar. 1665, serv. a longer period than any other of the govs.
under the old Chart. and by Shirley alone exceed. since. Capt. Johnson in
his "Wonderworking Providences of Zion's Saviour in N. E." honors him in
cap. IX. of his first book with appropriate rhymes, as John Endicott,
"twice Governor of the Eng." so, I suppose, must refer to the elections
of 1644, during Winthrop life, and immediat. after his d. in 1649, the date of
his writing. Scottow, too, in his "Narrative of the Planting" of our Col. p.
12, or as it may be read in the reprint in 4 Mass. Hist. Coll. IV. must be
understood to intend the prior title of Winthrop when the "choice of a
governor and deputy TO ABIDE THERE" is told in that valua. paragraph on
pp. 289-90. Gov. Danforth, also, in his exact enumerat. of yrs. in wh. his
friend E. had been Gov. makes the earliest of the sixteen to be 1644. See
his valua. papers in 2 Mass. Hist. Coll. VIII. 52.
I think Mr. Felt, in Ann. of Salem, I. 106, first, after a differ.
general opin. for two hundred yrs. in 1845 suggest. the right of E. in
"precedency to Mr. Winthrop;" and he explains his view of "an error in rank"
by the note, on same page, that Roger Conant "may be truly said to have
preceded both Messrs. Endicott and Winthrop IN SUCH OFFICE FOR A PART OF
THIS COMMONWEALTH." In Geneal. Reg. XII. 133-7, he elaborate. discuss.
the quest. "what office did J. E. sustain, after arr. 6 Sept. 1628, to his
elect. by the [gov. and comp.] 30 Apr. 1629." But I am satisfied that his
decision against the opin. of Gov. Hutch. will not be sustain. nor does it
seem to me, that Endicott is entit. to any more office than the Plymouth
comp. gave by their deed indent. He was sole propr. in Mass. and act.
with the absolute power of the other patentees in I Eng. and Mr. Felt
rather lessens than enlarges his right by reference to the votes of our
gov. and comp. in London. As their grant of office 30 Apr. 1629 never took
effect, it must be regard. as if never passed. Dr. Young, in n. on p. 196 of
Chron. of Mass. falls into similar error (of find. justificat. of E. in
displac. the Browns in this instr.), when E. had acted in thus shipping off
the Browns before this instr. came to his hand. Endicott was of stern
energy, but great prudence in secular affairs, disappr. the conduct of
his friends in Eng. for putting to death their king, with such strange
mockery of solemnity, and issued warrant for apprehens. of Whalley and
Goffe, the regicides, here. Much of the sad occurrences of cruel scourg.
of the Bapt. 1651 and hang. of the Quak. 1659, that fell within his admin.
must be charg. to Wilson or Norton, the spirit. advisers of the day; and
tho. Leverett, or Bradstreet would have, perhaps, successf. resist.
such inflict. of counsel, we kn. the cruel bigotry of Dudley or Bellingham
would have gone against tolerat. as far and as fiercely as Endicott. 5,
His first w. Ann Gower, who was cous. or niece of Matthew Cradock,