John Greenaway: The Voyage of the Mary and John (1630)

 

Before the famed Winthrop Fleet set sail in the summer of 1630, a devout congregation of roughly 140 English West Country Puritans gathered in Plymouth, England. Organized largely under the guidance of the Reverend John White of Dorchester, Dorset, this company chartered the 400-ton vessel Mary and John.

• Departure: March 20, 1630, from Plymouth, England.
• The Crossing: The 70-day voyage across the North Atlantic was remarkable for its peacefulness and strict religious discipline. Passengers engaged in daily prayer, sermon expounding, and fasting led by their chosen ministers, Rev. John Warham and Rev. John Maverick.
• Arrival: On May 30, 1630, the ship made landfall at Nantasket Point (now Hull, Massachusetts). Captain Thomas Squibb refused to navigate the unfamiliar channels of Boston Harbor, forcing the passengers and their livestock—cows, goats, pigs, and poultry—to unload onto the shore.
• Establishing Dorchester: The passengers hauled their provisions up the Neponset River and established a settlement at "Clapp's Point" (now Columbia Point), naming their new town Dorchester in honor of the Dorset market town where many originated.

The Greenaway Family on Board

At roughly 67 years old, John Greenaway (our 11th great-grandfather) was considerably older than the average immigrant, making his decision to cross the Atlantic an act of profound religious devotion and enterprise.

Family Passengers:

• John Greenaway (c. 1563–1659): A skilled millwright originally from Wiltshire.
• Mary Greenaway (c. 1568–1658): His wife.
• Daughters: He brought four or five daughters on the voyage, including Ursula Greenaway (who married Hugh Batten) and Catherine Greenaway (our ancestor, who later married Captain William Daniels of New London, CT).

Life and Legacy in Dorchester

John Greenaway was held in high regard by the early New England authorities due to his essential technical skills and deep piety.

• "Millwright of Much Esteem": As a millwright, Greenaway built and maintained the water-driven timber and grain mills critical to the colony's survival.
• Early Freeman: On October 19, 1630, he applied to become a Freeman of the colony—a status granted on May 18, 1631, which required church membership and gave him voting rights in local government affairs.
• Landholdings: He received extensive land grants in Dorchester, including acreage at Rock Hill, Pine Neck, and the "Calves Pasture" near Old Harbor.
• Church Leadership: John and Mary were among the earliest members admitted to the Second Church of Dorchester (the 10th man and woman added after its 1636 re-organization). He was known as an uncompromising Puritan, even signing a 1646 petition to prevent Anabaptists from settling in the colony.

John Greenaway lived to be nearly 100 years old, passing away in Dorchester around 1659. Through his daughter Catherine, his line moved south into Connecticut, establishing the Daniels lineage that bridges our family tree directly into colonial American history.

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