Rash's Surname Index
Notes for Maximilian JEWETT
In the Summer of 1638, the ship "John" of London sailed from Hull for New England. On board was not only the American Colonies's first printing press, but also about 20 families nearly all of whom were from Yorkshire, under the leadership of Rev. Ezekiel Rogers, formerly pastor of the church at Rowley, Yorkshire near Hull (it was built in the 13th century; Rogers preached there from 1619-1636).
Among those families leaving England to escape persecution for their religious beliefs were those of Maximilian and Joseph Jewett from Bradford. Also, John Hazleton from Biddeford in Devon was among the passengers. When the ship dropped anchor in Salem Harbor in December 1638, this band of travelers probably spent the winter in Salem.
Rev. Rogers formed a company for the purpose of joining the new colony at Quinnipiack, now New Haven. Later he decided not to go and instead asked for a tract of land between Ipswich and Newbury. The settlement began in the spring of 1639.
A Boulder with a bronze tablet, was placed in the Rowley Cemetery in memory of Maximilian and Joseph by the Jewett Family of America, Inc., in 1912.
[The twenty families that accompanied Mr. Rogers to New England are described by Winthrop, "most of them of good estate." From the fact that the families of clothiers were trained from early life to knowledge of the different parts of the operation of making cloths, we may infer that the two sons of Edward who settled here were also clothiers. This is confirmed by the well-known fact as stated by Johonson in his 'Wonder Working Providence,' "that the settlers of Rowley were the first people that set upon making cloth in this Western World." He adds that many of them had been clothiers in England.]
At any rate, Maximillian travelled with his first wife Ann. He was admitted freeman 13 May 1640 and held a two acre lot on Bradford Street, Rowley in 1643. He was one of the first two deacons of the Rowley Church, ordained 3 Dec 1639 and served in that capacity for forty-five years. Also, for the next 220 years a descendent of him of his younger brother (Joseph) held the office of Deacon or Minister in that church (except for a period of 8 years). He many times represented in the General Court. Like his father before him, he was a clothier and with his brother Joseph was about the first, if not the first, to manufacture woolen cloth in America.
His will, dated 8 Jan 1682, is filed in Salem and mentions an unnamed wife (in fact it was Ellen Boynton whom he had married in 1671, four years after the death of Ann); a marriage contract, and "her son John Boynton"; Maximillian's eldest son Ezekiel is executor; son Joseph has the homestead; daughter Anna to have certain lands for life, with the remainder over to her son Jonathan Barker; daughter Mary Hazeltine; daughter Elizabeth Hazeltine; daughter Faith Dowse; daughter Sarah Jewett (Essex probate, 302;121).
The name transformed from Jowett to Jewett fairly early on in the line, before the deaths of Maximillian and Joseph in fact. This probably reflects the pronunciation and the broad Yorkshire accent that the brothers almost certainly retained for all of their lives.
A note about Max's Bradstreet Farm in Rowley, Massachusetts: The Bradstreet Farm today stands as this country's second oldest continually used farm owned and operated by the same family.
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