Stories From a Stony Land: Henry Straight - The First Generation

   My father's information gathered about the very first generation of Straits, one Henry Straight.  What my Dad wrote is fascinating for not only what it says but what you can read into it.  The indenture statement is straight from public records that my Dad found.  The indentured servant status seems to be a step up from outright slavery, but still pretty subservient and humiliating.  My Dad's records do not make it clear what exactly Henry Straight was apprenticing in.

The first recorded information about any ancestor of mine is of one Henry Straight of Portsmouth, Rhode Island.  Henry's birth date is unknown but is believed to be about 1652.  Henry's ancestors were Welsh.  His passage to the colonies was financed at least in part by his becoming an indentured servant upon his arrival in Rhode Island.  Official records of Portsmouth show that on December 20, 1997, one Henry Straight indentured himself to one Greshom Woddell.  Henry was believed to have been about 15 years old at the time.  A copy of Henry's indenture statement is included here:

Henry Straight Indenture Statement

This indenture withnesseth that I Henry Straight of Rhode Island in New England of my own free will and voluntary will put my self in apprentice of and with Greshom Woddell of said Rhode Island.  To serve him and/or his assigns from this day until the full term of six years from this date, during which time the said apprentice shall serve his master faithfully, shall keep his secrets, his lawful commands he will gladly do. He shall do no damage to his said master, nor allow damage to be done by others. He shall not waste the goods of said master nor lend them unlawfully to others.  He shall not play at cards, dice tables, or any other unlawful games.  He shall neither sell nor buy anything without his master's license, He shall not haunt taverns or alehouses nor absent himself from his master's service day or night.  He shall in all things be a faithful apprentice and shall behave himself towards said master during the entire term of his Indenture.

Greshom Woddell binds himself unto his said apprentice, to find and allow him meat, drink, clothing, lodging, and all other necessities during the term of this apprenticeship.  He shall, at the first Spring, give the apprentice one Ewe lamb and the keeping of it with the increases during term of apprenticeship, if said apprentice performs with all assigns.

At the end of six years, Greshom Woddell shall provide to said apprentice, one new coat, one new pair of bretches, and all of his wearing clothes.

Signed December 20, 1667

Six years and you get some clothing?  Gee whiz, released convicts get more than that.

Shortly after the end of his apprenticeship on December 20, 1673, he went to stay at the home of the widow Rebecca Cornell of Portsmouth.  One day ha and Thomas Cornell, Rebecca's son discovered that Rebecca had been "strangely killed at her own house."  The son, Thomas, was accused of murdering his mother.  He was tried, condemned and executed.  Henry was a witness at the trial.

I have to say, as an amateur fiction writer, I probably could make a whole book from that paragraph alone.

Henry married and had two sons, Henry Jr. and John.  John was born March 1, 1678.  I am a direct descendent of John.  There is no information that I know of about Henry Jr. or about Henry's first wife.

Okay, the book idea gets better and better.

On November 10, 1679 Henry was granted Homestead land in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. He built on this land and lived there with his first wife and two boys.  In 1683 and again in 1684 he purchased additional land adjoining the property.

It is not known what happened to his first wife but in May of 1684 he married as his second wife, Mary (Long) Adams, a divorced woman of 19 years old.  Henry would have been 32 at the time.  They did not have any children.

A divorced woman of 19.  Fascinating.

In 1703 Henry was elected to the town council.  In 1704 he resigned, stating that he was unwilling to serve any longer.  In 1705 and again in 1709 he was elected Grand Juryman.

In 1718, he deeded to his son Henry, a blacksmith of East Greenwich, one half of his lands, his wife releasing her dower rights.  On April 30, 1726, he deeded to his son John the east half of his homestead farm of 163.75 acres.

Henry Straight died at East Greenwich June 4, 1728, about 76 years of age.  His second wife Mary survived many years and died in East Greenwich in 1757.  Her birth record shows she was born June 9, 1665.  She was 92 years of age at death.

O Henry!  What an interesting start to our family history!  More of my father's wonderful research to come!