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Overheard in GenForum: Scottish Prisoners - Ship John and Sarah
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Some of those who would find themselves deported to what was then the American colonies, were actually kidnapped. Such actions took place in many of the counties, though Middlesex had one of the highest rates of "spiriting." Often such kidnapping was done on young children. These children were then sent to Virginia, among other colonies, to be used as slave labor. |
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Just Who Went
When first practiced, the method of reprieving a prisoner and then shipping them to the colonies appeared to have not rhyme or reason. Often times, in the records that have survived, these individuals are not even named. And it is hard to determine what qualities were necessary for a reprieval.
However, after the Civil War in England, Parliament began to establish criteria for the deportation of those they deemed undesirable. Of course, here you have the question of just who qualifies as an "undesirable" under their laws. Not surprising the first group of individuals to qualify were those who lost in battle -- political prisoners.
Scots to New England
In the middle 1600s, at least 450 Scots would be sent to New England, primarily to Massachusetts. The first batch of 150 would travel on the Unity to Boston where they would serve out a six, seven or eight year term of servitude. This was a change from others, who were sold as slaves bound to perpetual servitude.
The next group, totaling 300, who were shipped from Worcester on the John and Sarah would be sent in September, 1651 and would arrive in New England in the spring of 1652.
John Brown
There was a John Brown who was transported to Boston on the John and Sarah of London. He was listed as a prisoner of war. A valuable resource in determining more about him can be found in The Original Scots Colonists of Early America, Supplement: 1607-1707 by David Dobson and published by Genealogical Publishing Company.
It appears that he settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He also lived in Marlboro, Massachusetts in 1662 and then in Falmouth, Maine in 1678. He died after 1697. Information on John Brown can be found in Ancestral Heads of New England, Founders of Early American Families, 1607-1657 and Suffolk Deeds.
In Conclusion
An excellent volume that offers a look at the social history of forced emigration from 1607-1776 is Emigrants in Chains by Peter Wilson Coldham, published by Genealogical Publishing Company.
Rhonda R. McClure is a professional genealogist specializing in celebrity trees and computerized genealogy. She has been involved in online genealogy for fifteen years. She is the author of the award-winning The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Genealogy, now in its second edition. She is the author of four how-to guides on Family Tree Maker. In late 2001, she wrote The Genealogist's Computer Companion. She is a contributing editor to Biography Magazine with her "Celebrity Roots" column and a contributing writer to The History Channel Magazine. Her latest book is Finding Your Famous and Infamous Ancestors. She may be contacted at rhondagen@thegenealogist.com.| Home | | | Help | | | About Us | | | Site Index | | | Terms of Service | | | PRIVACY |