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| Elizabeth Fones | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 January 1610 Groton Manor, Suffolk, England |
| Died | 1 February 1673 Newton, Queens County, New York |
| Nationality | English |
| Known for | Early settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony |
| Religious beliefs | Puritan |
| Spouse(s) | Henry Winthrop Lt. Robert Feake William Hallet |
| Children | Martha Johanna Winthrop Elizabeth Feake Hannah Feake John Feake Robert Feake Sarah Feake William Hallet Samuel Hallet |
| Parents | Thomas Fones Anne Winthrop |
Elizabeth Fones (21 January 1610 - 1 February 1673) was an early settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony where her uncle John Winthrop served as Governor. Her subsequent behaviour would scandalise the Puritan colony.
A novel of her life, The Winthrop Woman, was written by Anya Seton.
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Early life
Elizabeth Fones was born at Groton Manor, Suffolk, England on 21 January 1610 to Thomas Fones, a London apothecary and a staunch Puritan, and his wife, Anne Winthrop.[1]
As a young girl, Elizabeth worked at her father's shop in London. She married her first cousin Henry Winthrop, a son of Governor John Winthrop, on 25 April 1629. A year later, her husband sailed alone for the Massachusetts Bay Colony on the ship Talbot, leaving his young bride behind in England on account of her pregnancy. The baby, a daughter named Martha Johanna, was born on 9 May 1630. Shortly after his arrival in Massachusetts, Henry was killed in a drowning accident on 9 July 1630 when he went swimming in the North River after visiting an Indian village near Salem.
Massachusetts Bay Colony
Elizabeth sailed to the Massachusetts Bay Colony with her infant daughter aboard the Lyon, arriving on 2 November 1631. Her uncle and guardian, John Winthrop, served as governor of the Colony.
In 1632 Elizabeth married her second husband, a wealthy landowner named Lt. Robert Feake (born 1602) in Watertown, Middlesex County. He owned land in both Massachusetts and Connecticut. In 1640, Robert and Elizabeth acquired more land in what is now Greenwich, Connecticut.[2] They had five children: Elizabeth, born 1633; Hannah, born 1637; John, born 1639; Robert, born 1642; and Sarah, born before 1647. In 1647, due to financial, domestic, and personal problems, Lt. Feake went insane and abandoned his wife and children.[1]
Scandal
Following her husband's desertion, Elizabeth deeply scandalised the rigid Puritan society in which she lived by marrying her husband's business manager, William Hallet, by whom she had two sons: William (born c.1648) and Samuel (born c.1650). Their marriage took place in August 1649 and was officiated by her former brother-in-law John Winthrop, Jr.[2] Only her close blood relationship to the Governor saved her from prosecution for adultery, for which she could have been hanged. Nevertheless, Elizabeth and her new husband and family were forced to leave Massachusetts for the more tolerant Dutch colony of New Netherlands New York, where they were eventually recognized as husband and wife, possibly due to the friendship Elizabeth formed with Judith, wife of Director-General Peter Stuyvesant. Elizabeth and William settled in what is now known as Hallett's Cove, Long Island near Hell Gate.
In September 1655, Elizabeth and her family survived an attack by the Hackensack tribe of Indians; however, the Indians set fire to their house and farm, burning both to the ground. She purchased land in Flushing and Newtown, Queens County on 1 October from Edward Griffin. The following year, William was made "schout" or chief-official of Flushing.[3]
In 1673, at the age of sixty-two, Elizabeth died in Newtown, Queens County, New York. Elizabeth has numerous descendants in the United States.
References
External links
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