Nicholas Noyes

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NICHOLAS NOYES (c. 1616–1701)

MARY CUTTING, daughter of Captain John Cutting and Mary Ward

Nicholas, the son of Reverend William Noyes of Choderton, Wiltshire was born about 1616. [1] He married Mary, the daughter of Captain John and Mary Cutting. [2] He died on 23 November 1701 in Newbury. [2]

Samuel Sewall wrote in his diary, "Mr. Nicholas Noyes of Newbury, aged about 86 yars, died on the Lords-Day 9^r 23. 1701." [3]

William was the brother of Reverend James Noyes.

Mary's father refers to her as the wife of Nicholas Noyes in his will of 22 October 1659 and mentions her son Cutting Noyes. [4]

Nicholas Noyes is on a 24 March 1633/4 list of passengers who took the oaths of supremacy and allegiance to go to New England on the Mary and John. [1][5, 3] He settled in Ipswich and moved to Newbury in 1635. [1]

Nicholas Noyes was a freeman in May 1637. [6]

Nicholas went back to England, probably in 1638, and returned to New England on the Jonathan in 1639. [1]

He was on the grand jury at the September 1646 and April 1649 courts at Ipswich and Salisbury. [1] He was on the trial jury on September 1647, September 1648, and March 1651. [1] He was the Newbury clerk of the market in September 1651. [1]

On 25 November 1652 Nicholas was on a committee for managing the business of schools. [6]

He was the Newbury commissioner to end small causes for 16 years between 1652 and 1683. [1]

In September 1653 Nicholas's wife was presented for wearing a silk hood—a violation of the sumptuary law—but was acquitted on proof that her husband was worth more than 200 pounds. [6]

James was on a committee to inquire about the petitioners in support of Lieutenant Robert Pike on 3 May 1654. [1] He was on a committee to settle the bounds between Salisbury and Hampton on 6 May 1657, [1]

He was appointed selectman on 28 January 1660 and 15 June 1681. [1]

Nicholas was a deputy to the General Court in Boston from Newbury on 19 December 1660, 28 May 1679, 19 May 1680, and 4 January 1680/1. [2] He was deacon of the First Parish in Newbury on 20 March 1683/4. [2]

In the conflict in the Newbury church between Reverend Thomas Parker, and Mr. Edward Woodman, Richard supported Parker. [5, 116]

On 30 September 1679 Nicholas was freed from military training on the condition he pay a bushel of Indian corn per year. [1]

Nicholas made his will on 4 July 1700; it was proved on 29 December 1701. He mentions his sons John (late of Newbury, deceased), Nicholas (of Salem), Cutting, Timothy, and Thomas (deceased); his daughter Mary (wife of John French of Salisbury), Hannah (wife of John Atkinson, Sr. of Newbury), Sarah (wife of Matthew Pettingill of Newbury), Rachel (wife of James Jackman of Newbury), and Abigail (unmarried); his daughter-in-law Mary (widow of his son John). He named his son James his executor. His relatively sizable estate amounted to about £2,691. [2]

Children of Nicholas Noyes and Mary Cutting:

i. Mary Noyes was born on 15 October 1641 in Newbury. [2] She married John French on 23 March 1659. [2]

ii. Hannah Noyes was born on 30 October 1643 in Newbury. [2] She married first Peter Cheney on 14 May 1663. [2] Peter, the son of John and Martha Cheney, was born in 1639 and died in January 1694. [2] Hannah married second John, the son of Theodore Atkinson, as his second wife. [2] He was born in 1636 in Boston. [2]

Peter was a miller. [2] John was a hatter. [2]

iii. John Noyes was born on 20 January 1645/6 in Newbury. [2] He died in 1691/2 in Newbury. [2] He married Mary Poore on 23 November 1668 in Newbury. [2] Mary, the daughter of Daniel and Mary (Farnum) Poore of Andover, was born in the summer of 1651 and died after 1716. [2]

John was a house carpenter. [2]

iv. Nicholas Noyes was born on 22 December 1647 in Newbury. [2] He died on 13 December 1717 in Salem. [2][5, 152] He was unmarried. [2] Nicholas is infamous for his role in the Salem witch trials.

Nicholas received in A.B. from Harvard in 1667. [2] He was a freeman on 13 May 1669. [2] He was the chaplain of the Connecticut Regiment at the Great Swamp Fight on 19 December 1675. He was ordained on 14 November 1683. He preached for 13 years in Haddam, Connecticut. [2] He was the assistant minister in Salem in 1692. [7]

Nicholas volunteered to be a chaplain at the Salem witch trials but is notorious for acting as a judge. A legend is that Sarah Good cursed him at her execution saying, "“I am no more a witch than you are a wizard, and if you take my life, God will give you blood to drink.” [7]

v. Deacon Cutting Noyes was born on 23 September 1649 in Newbury. [2] He died on 25 October 1734. [2] He married Elizabeth Knight. Elizabeth, the daughter of John Knight and Bathsheba Ingersoll, was born on 18 October 1655 and died on 20 January 1746/7. [2]

Cutting was a cordwainer and deacon of the First Parish in Newbury. [2]

Elizabeth, the wife of Cutting Noyes was admitted to fully communion in the Newbury church in 168_ . [5, image 166, page cut off]

vi. Sarah Noyes was born on 13 September 1651 and died on 20 February 1652 in Newbury. [2]

vii. Sarah Noyes was born on 22 August 1653 in Newbury. She married Matthew Pettingill.

viii. Timothy Noyes was born on 23 June 1655 in Newbury. He died on 21 August 1718. [2] He married Mary Knight on 13 January 1681. Mary, the sister of the wife of Timothy's brother Cutting, was born on 8 September 1657. [2]

ix. Colonel James Noyes was born on 11 May 1657/8 in Newbury. [2] He died in 1723. [2] He married Hannah Knight—another sister of Cutting's wife—on 31 March 1684. [2] She was born on 30 August 1684. [2]

James was a lieutenant colonel in the militia. [2]

x. Abigail Noyes was born on 11 April 1659 in Newbury. [2] She married Simon French of Salisbury on 8 May 1707. [2]

xi. Rachel Noyes was born on 20 March 1660/1 in Newbury. She died there on 24 May 1720. She married James Jackman.

xii. Thomas Noyes was born on 20 June 1663 in Newbury. He died by 30 December 1695. [2] He married Sarah ___. [2]

Thomas lived in Haverhill. [2]

xiii. Rebecca Noyes was born on 18 May 1665 in Newbury. She died on 1 December 1683. [2]

References:

1. "Great Migration 1634–1635, M–P," digitized book, AmericanAncestors.org, originally published as: Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634–1635, Volume V, M–P (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2007), 286–93.

2. James Atkins Noyes, "Noyes Pedigree," New England Historical and Genealogical Registers 53 (1899): 35–43.

3. Diary of Samuel Sewall, vol. 1, Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, vol. 6, part 2, Fifth Series (Boston: The society, 1879), 48.

4. "Will of John Cutting," Essex Antiquarian 8 (1904): 165–166.

5. Joshua Coffin, Facts and Documents Concerning the Formation of the First Church in Newbury ... with a Copy of the Church Records (n.p.: handwritten, 1861), digitized as "Church Records 1634–1735," Newbury Mass. First Church, Congressional Library and Archives (https://www.congregationallibrary.org : accessed 26 November 1023).

6. John J. Currier, History of Newbury, Mass., 1635–1902 (Boston : Damrell & Upham, 1902).

7. "Reverend Nicholas Noyes Home, Site of," webpage, Salem Witch Museum (https://salemwitchmuseum.com/locations/reverend-nicholas-noyes-home-site-of).

26-Nov-2023 10:15 PM