| BIRTH | Nicholas was born circa 1585 in Upway (or possibly Dorchester), Dorsetshire, England[1,2]. This birth year is based on the age of his eldest child. The Mary & John folks say that he was born in 1594 and give his origin as Upway. Robert Anderson just says England. |
| DEATH | Nicholas died in Charlestown, Suffolk co., MA on 17d:3m(May):1646; he was 61[1,3]. |
| MIGRATION | Robert Anderson states that he emigrated in 1629[4]. The Mary & John Clearinghouse says that Nicholas, his wife, two children, two sisters, brother-in-law and two nephews came over on the Lyon's Whelp in 1629 from Upwey, Dorsetshire, England to Salem, Essex co., MA[15]. He is on their master index as #617 "Stowers, Nicholas ( - 1646) of Charlestown MA. Probably from Upwey, Dorset.[14]" |
| CHURCH MEMBERSHIP | He was admitted to the Boston, Suffolk co., MA church as member #70, which would be in the winter of 1630-1[35]. On 2 November 1632 Nicholas and Amy Stowers were among those who founded the Charlestown, Suffolk co., MA church[36]. Since Nicholas Stowers apparently married Amy in England, and since there is no record of her admission to Boston church, the Boston church record is defective, either in omitting her admission, or in designating her as a member when her husband was dismissed[4]. |
| FREEMANSHIP | Nicholas took the Oath of Freeman on 18 May 1631 in Boston, Suffolk co., MA[4,6,7,8,9]. |
| EDUCATION | He was an educated man, who signed his name to petitions and whose inventory included books[4]. |
| RESIDENCE & REAL ESTATE |
Regardless, he -- "with wife" -- was admitted as an inhabitant of Charlestown, Suffolk co.,
MA in 1628/9[32] and is still on the lists of Charlestown inhabitants of 9 January 1633/4
and January 1635/6[33]
Nicholas Stowers "surrendered" 5 acres on the Mystic River side of Charlestown, Suffolk co., MA in 1635[16]. He had 3 hay-lots that same year, later increased to four[4,17]. In 1637, he had lot #22, which was a 10 acre lot on the Mystic River side of town[5]; in addition to 5 more acres on the Mystic Side[21] and 5.75 cow commons[22]. However, on 6 March 1636/7 "Goodman Stowers was granted to have some allowance by the head of the North River, in regard of the badness of his lot"[18,20]. He received Mystic Side allotments of 25, 60 and 5 acres, respectively, on 23 April 1638[23]. On 29 October 1638 "[i]t was ordered that Tho[mas] Squire shall have that haylot which was assigned to Nicholas Stowers, & he to hold that at the head of the North River which he formerly had"[19,20]. On 30 December 1638, it ws noted that he had five cow commons in the "stinted common"[24,25]. In the 1638 Charlestown Book of Possession "Nicolas Stower" held twelve parcels: one homestead of two acres in South Field "with one dwelling house and other out houses upon it"; three acres and a half arable land in East Field; five milch cow commons; two acres arable in Lind Field (also known as the Linefield - on the Cambridge town line); five acres woodland in Mystic Field; three acres meadow on the Mystic Side; one acre and a half meadow in the Mystic Field "lying on the north side of Gibbines feilde or south meade"; one-half acre bought of Mrs. Ann Higginson, in Mystic field; two acres of the meadow in Mystic Field; 1 acre meadow; twenty-five acres woodland in Mystic Field; and sixty acres land in Rock Field[5,25,26]." |
| TOWN SERVICE |
On 28 September 1630 "It is ordered, that those of Dorchester who bought certain cattle of the
merchants of Dorchester shall pay unto Nich: Stower 9 bushels of meal or of Indian Corn, or
£9 of beaver, for the keeping of the said cattle, according to an agreement made with
him"[30]. Nicholas was chosen as the Charlestown cowherd in December of 1633[4,31].
On 10 February 1634/5, Nicholas signed an agreement creating office of selectman in Charlestown, Suffolk co., MA[34]. On 30 July 1637 "Faintnot Winds & Nicho[las] Stowers are fined 10s. apiece for receiving inmates without license from the town"[10]. He served on the coroner's jury on body of William Bateman on 18 September 1630[27] and alongside Ralph Sprague on the trial jury concerning the death of Austen Bratcher on 28 September 1630[28]. Stowers was appointed constable for Charlestown, Essex co., MA on 9 May 1639[29]. Charlestown paid him 5 shillings for a Bible in 1656[5] and paid him for keeping "Bess" (an artillery piece, I presume), in 1657[5]. |
| ESTATE |
Nicholas Stowers' will was written on 16d:3m(May):1646 and inventory taken on
1d:5m(July):1646[1]. There was no probate clause.
"...Nicholas Stower of Charlestown 'being sick in body' bequeathed to 'my beloved wife Amy Stower my dwelling house with the barn and all other housing...with the two acres of ground by it & all my ground arable or other that is within the neck of Charlestowne also a hay lot lying on Mistick Side near north the spring next our sister Rand's , also half of the hay of the other hay lots on Mistick Side, likewise four cow commons on the stinted common without the neck, also three of the acres of planting ground on Mistick Side that is broken up & it is now sown with English corn...she to have the use of all the aforenamed, likewise she to have use of the cart & plow & its furniture & she to have my two best working oxen, & she to have all the English corn & Indian corn that is on the ground on Mistick SIde, only excepted that which my son Richard is to have of the same crop'; 'when my wife is deceased, then my will is that my son Joseph Stower shall have the above specified house, barn & other houseing with the two acres of ground....&alll that other ground within the neck with that hay lot on Misticke Side by the north spring, wit the four cows commons without the neck on the stinted common...he shall abide with his mother to do her service while she lives or at least till he be twenty & one year old...out of his portion there bwe deducted the legacies after specified unto his two sisters Jone & Abigaill, two cows to Abigail & one cow to Jone to be paid to them at the decease of my wife'; to 'my wife Amy Stower all my household stuff...excepted a great Bible to my daughter Farr is to have after my wife's decease'; 'my wife shall have the two best of cows, the best of the three steers...with the two best working oxen forever'; to 'my son Richard Stower my two oxen the next to the best pair, & the two of the three steers, and the two cows commons on the stinted common without the neck & all the arable ground on Mistick Side...all the hay lots on Mistick Side...also my looms and their furniture' and part of the harvest; to 'my daughter Jone Stower one cow' now and' at my wife's decease another good cow out of Joseph's portion'; to 'my daughter Abigail Stower after my wife's decease two good cows to be paid to her out of Joseph;'s portion'; to 'my presently & the great brass pan'; 'my beloved wife Amy Stower' executrix; 'my two loved bretheren Thomas Lyne & Tobert Hale' overseers[11]..."[12] The inventory of "Amy Stower, widow of Nicholas Stower, late deceased" taken 1 July 1646, was certainly misnamed, and must have been that of Nicholas. It totalled £165 14s. 6d., including "four acres of upland on the hill £16"; "fifteen acres of upland on Muistick Side £20"[1,13]. |
| MARRIAGE | Before 1630 when Nicholas was 45, he married Amy [surname not known], in probably in Dorsetshire, England[1,37,38,39,40]. Amy was probably born before 1610 if she is the mother of all his children and died on 2 or 27 February 1667/8 in Charlestown, Suffolk co., MA[1,41]. |
| CHILDREN | 5. | i. | Elizabeth STOWERS | Elizabeth was born circa 1607[15] or 1610 in England[1] and died in 1687; she was 80[15]. Elizabeth migrated with the family aboard the Lyon's Whelp[15,37]. Before 1630 when Elizabeth was 20 or 23, she married George FARR, in England[37,142]. |
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6. | ii. | Richard STOWERS | Please see his own page. |
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7. | iii. | Joanna STOWERS | Joanna was born circa 1624 in England[1,47], based on the fact that she deposed in 1671, aged 47. Joanna married John BURRAGE. |
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8. | iv. | Sarah STOWERS | Sarah was born circa 1626 in England[48] and married Samuel HAYWARD. |
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9. | v. | Joseph STOWERS | Joseph was born on 21 February 1632/3 in Charlestown, Suffolk co., MA[48,49] and baptized there on 23 February 1632/3[48,50]. He married Mary BLAISDELL, daughter of Ralph BLAISDELL. |
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10. | vi. | Abigail STOWERS | Abigail was born on 27 June 1636 in Charlestown, Suffolk co., MA[48,49] and baptized there on 28 June 1636[48,51]. Abigail married John KNIGHT Jr., son of John KNIGHT. |
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11. | vii. | John STOWERS | John died on 15 August 1638 in Charlestown, Suffolk co., MA[48,49]. |
| GENERATION | Great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great (G9) Grandfather |
| FAMILY NUMBER | 3724 |
| SOURCES |
1. Edward Carroll Death Record,
19 October 1899, Lynn, Essex co., MA,
1866, 192, p. 186, #337.
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Return to the Stowers Index page. |
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| Return to the Family Index page. |
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Return to the Surname Index page. |
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Return to the Maddison Side Tree page. |
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