Approved Ancestors

Isaac Allerton, 17th century, owner of de Hoop (Hope).
Roger Alling, 17th century, mariner.
Amy Anderson, 18th century, owner.
John Andrews, 17th century, fisherman.
John Andrews, 18th century, fisherman.
John Andrews, 19th century, owner.
John Balch, 17th century, fisherman.
Michael Bassett, 18th century, owner.
Benjamin Bennett, 18th century, fisherman.
Benjamin Bennett, 19th century, mariner and fisherman.
John Bennett, 19th century, mariner and fisherman.
Luther Bennett, 19th century, mariner, fisherman or seaman.
Samuel Black, 18th century, mariner.
William Bradford, 17th century, owner.
William Bradford, 17th century, fisherman.
John Bray, 17th century, shipwright.
William Brewster, 17th century, owner.
William Brown, 17th century, fisherman, mariner.
Jacob Chipman, 18th century, soldier.
William Clarke, 17th century, owner.
George Davis, 17th century, captain, owner.
Timothy Henry Denny, 19th century, mariner.
Giles Fifield, 17th century, mariner.
John Frost, 18th century, captain, mariner.
Ambrose Gale, 17th century, fisherman.
Stephen Goodyear, 17th century, owner of the Zwoll.
John Hall, 17th century, fisherman.
Samuel Harris, 18th century, shipwright.
Capt. Samuel Harris, 18th century, owner.
Capt. Amasa Hatch, 19th century, mariner.
William Hilton, 17th century, mariner.
Stephen Hopkins, 17th century, shipwright, mariner.
John Howland, 17th century, captain, owner, shipwright.
Isaac Hull, 17th century, shipwright.
Robert Jordan, 17th century, owner.
Daniel Knight, 18th century, mariner.
Robert Latimer I, 17th century, captain, owner, mariner of the Hopewell.
Thomas Lewis, 17th century, mariner, owner, shipwright.
Andrew Lovett, 18th century, shoreman.
Bartholomew Lovett, 19th century, captain.
Capt. Israel Lovett, 18th century, captain, shipwright.

John Lovett, Sr., 17th century, shipwright.
Ebenezer Lyon, 18th century, captain of the sloops Three Sisters, Dove.
John May, 17th century, captain and shipwright of the James.
Cornelius Melyn, 17th century, owner of the The JohnArms of Norway (Her Wapen van Noorwegen).
John Mendall, 18th century, ropemaker.
Richard More, 17th century, captain.
Robert Moulton, 17th century, shipwright.
Richard Norman, 17th century, shipwright.
Zachariah Paddock, 17th-18th century, owner.
John Parker (of Mattapany), 18th century, owner.
Capt. Edmund Patteshall, 17th century,
Capt. Richard Patteshall, 17th century, captain, owner of the Tavern, Barbican.
Capt. Joseph Pendleton, 18th-19th century, captain, shipwright.
Peleg Pendleton, 18th century, captian, mariner, owner.
William Pepperell, 17th century, owner, shipwright, mariner.
John Phippen, 17th century, mariner.
Capt. John Pittman, 17th century, captain.
Thomas Pittman, 17th century, mariner.
Benjamin Jones Porter, 18th century, owner.
Samuel Porter, 17th century, owner.
John Prince, 17th century, owner.
Edward Rainsford, 17th century, owner, mariner of the Sarah, Swallow, Mary, among others.
George Ring, 18th century, mariner.
John Roundey, 18th century, owner.
Abraham and Huldah (Bassett) Roundy, 18th century, owner.
Jan Janszen Schepmos, 17th century, mariner.
Richard Sealey, 17th century, fisherman.
Thomas Severy, 17th century, mariner.
Thomas Tilden, 17th century, shipwright.
Thomas Tracy, 17th century, shipwright.
Thomas Turpin, 17th century,
John Wallis, 17th century, fisherman.
Richard Wells, Sr., 18th century, captain mariner of the schooners St Louis, Industry.
John Winslow, 17th century, owner of the pinke Mary, bark Speedwell, ketch Jane & Sarah.
Susanna Winslow, 17th century, owner.
John Winter, 17th century, owner.
Josiah Woodbery, 18th century, cooper.

Ancestor biographies below

A - C

JOHN ANDREWS: Fisherman and Yeoman Places of Activity: Beverly, Gloucester, and Ipswich, Massachusetts Legacy: Cape Ann Mariner and Coastal landholder. John Andrews was a fisherman and yeoman of Essex County, Massachusetts, active in the Cape Ann and Ipswich maritime communities during the first half of the 18th century. He married Elizabeth Wallis—daughter of James Wallis and granddaughter of fisherman John Wallis of Gloucester and Falmouth—on February 25, 1693/4. Together, they raised a large family closely tied to New England’s coastal economy and seafaring life. In the 1750s, John Andrews began transferring substantial parcels of land to his sons, all of whom were fishermen: John Jr., James, Caleb, and Jonathan. He and his wife Elizabeth helped establish a lasting maritime lineage through both land and labor along Massachusetts’ North Shore. (Michael Denney)

JOHN ANDREWS 1719-1799 Occupation: Fisherman Places of Activity: Ipswich, Massachusetts Legacy: Third-Generation Mariner of Cape Ann. John Andrews, born around 1719 in Ipswich, Massachusetts, was part of a well-established maritime family with deep ties to Cape Ann and the Essex County coast. He was the son of Elizabeth Wallis and grandson of John Wallis, one of the region’s earliest recorded fishermen. John followed in that tradition as a fisherman himself and raised a family amid the rich seafaring culture of Ipswich. He married Mary Burnham of Chebacco (now Essex), daughter of John and Ann (Choate) Burnham, on 5 January 1741/2. After Mary’s death in 1745, John married Martha Cogswell, who survived him and died in 1809 at the age of 90. His descendants continued the fishing tradition and helped anchor the maritime identity of Ipswich into the Revolutionary era. (Michael Denney)

JOHN ANDREWS Fisherman, Mariner Places of Activity: Ipswich and Essex, Massachusetts Legacy: Fourth-Generation Mariner and Coastal Tradesman John Andrews was born in Ipswich, Massachusetts, on 20 April 1745, son of John Andrews and Mary Burnham, and grandson of mariner James Wallis and great-grandson of fisherman John Wallis of Gloucester. Raised in a family of yeomen and seafarers, John carried forward the maritime legacy of his ancestors by working as a fisherman and mariner along the Massachusetts North Shore. On 18 December 1766, he married Sarah Kinsman, daughter of Jeremiah and Sarah (Harris) Kinsman. John and Sarah Andrews had eight children, baptized between 1767 and 1789, including sons who would carry on the family’s maritime heritage. John Andrews died in 1804. With deep roots in Ipswich and generations of service in seafaring trades, John Andrews represents the enduring strength of coastal New England families whose lives were shaped by the tides and sustained by the sea. (Michael Denney)

JOHN ANDREWS son of John and his wife Sarah Kinsman. Born in Ipswich, Massachusetts, John Andrews married Patty Knight, daughter of Daniel and Mary Knight, in 1794. After starting life in North Yarmouth, he relocated to Boothbay Harbor in 1808. There, he acquired Fisherman’s Island and one-half of Damariscove Island—properties purchased from his father-in-law—and initially raised sheep before turning his efforts to the sea, By 1812, Andrews had expanded his maritime ventures by purchasing part of the McFarland property near Boothbay’s head, marking the start of his fishing operations A few years later, he commissioned his own bank fishing vessel, the Six Brothers, contributing significantly to the local economy and the maritime heritage of coastal Maine. (Michael Denney)

JOHN BALCH (c. 1579/80 – 1648), a fisherman from Beverley, Yorkshire, was among the first Dorchester Company settlers sent to Cape Ann about 1623–1624 to work the colonial fishing station. When Plymouth abandoned the site, Balch remained under the leadership of Roger Conant and helped stabilize the fishing operations. In 1626 he joined the removal to Naumkeag (Salem), becoming one of the “Old Planters” whose labor laid the foundation for Salem and Beverly’s maritime economy. He received early land grants on the Beverly side of the harbor, where he established a homestead and continued his fishing and planting pursuits. Balch’s life connects directly to the earliest organized English fishing ventures on the New England coast. (Michael Denney)

MICHAEL BASSETT (d. 1751), left an estate valued at over £1,100, including shares in schooners Two Brothers and Two Friends, as well as a valuable fish fence—a tidal weir used to trap fish. His probate also lists a canoe, cod lines, barrels of fish, and casks of oil, underscoring his broad involvement in both seagoing and shore-based fisheries. Bassett’s wealth placed him among the maritime elite of Marblehead, and his daughter Huldah inherited not only property but also the legacy of a family invested in the fisheries at every level. (Michael Denney)

BENJAMIN BENNETT (ca. 1740–after 1783) Originally from Groton, Massachusetts, Benjamin Bennett served in the Revolutionary War, including at the Battle of Bunker Hill as part of Colonel William Prescott’s regiment. Following the war, he moved to Linekin Point in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, where he lived as a fisherman, like many coastal men of his generation. Boothbay Region Historical Society records note that Benjamin drowned at sea in Linekin Bay alongside his son-in-law, Jotham Grimes, who was the son of Benjamin’s neighbor and fellow soldier, John Grimes. Benjamin’s maritime livelihood and Revolutionary service link him closely to the early maritime history of Boothbay Harbor. (Michael Denney)

JOHN BENNETT (d. 31 Dec 1831) Mariner · Boothbay, Lincoln County, Maine, son of Benjamin Bennett and grandson of a Salem mariner, carried forward his family’s maritime tradition in Boothbay, Maine. After his father’s settlement on the Boothbay peninsula near Lincoln Neck, John followed the sea as a mariner and fisherman, sustaining the family’s coastal livelihood. He inherited the family homestead and continued in the fishing trade. The History of Boothbay states that John “followed fishing and farming,” reflecting the intertwined maritime and agricultural life typical of the Boothbay coast. He died 31 December 1831, leaving descendants who continued the family’s seafaring work in the region. (Michael Denney)

LUTHER BENNETT, born about 1824 in Boothbay, Maine, was the son of John Bennett and grandson of Benjamin Bennett. Raised on the family’s coastal homestead near Lincoln Neck, Luther continued the maritime trade that had defined his family for three generations. Census records from 1850, 1860, and 1870 consistently list him as a mariner, fisherman, or seaman, reflecting the adaptability required of working seafarers in 19th-century Maine. Luther’s lifelong engagement in maritime occupations places him firmly within Boothbay’s enduring maritime community, and his three decades of documented service at sea make him a fitting representative for the Order of the Star and Sail. (Michael Denney)

SAMUEL BLACK (b. York, Maine, 29 May 1699), son of Daniel Black and Sarah Adams, was a mariner of York whose estate inventory included half a sloop valued at £195, reflecting his livelihood on the Maine coast. Around 1721 he married Dorcas Bragdon (b. York, 7 Sept. 1695), daughter of Samuel and Dorcas (Littlefield) Bragdon. Samuel died before 14 Jan. 1745/6 when Dorcas was granted administration of his estate, and in April 1746 she was appointed guardian of their children. Dorcas later sold the family property—extending from the creek to present Woodbridge Road—to Richard King of Scarborough and was still living on 22 July 1763 when named in the will of her brother Jeremiah Bragdon. Samuel and Dorcas were the parents of eight known children, including Mary Black (b. York, 8 Oct. 1736; d. Scarborough, 19 May 1816), who married Richard King of Scarborough. Their daughter Elizabeth King married Benjamin Jones Porter, a prominent mariner and merchant who partnered in shipping ventures with his brother-in-law William King, later the first governor of Maine. Through Mary and Elizabeth, the maritime legacy of Samuel Black flows directly into the celebrated King–Porter enterprise that shaped Maine’s early coastal trade. (Michael Denney)

WILLIAM BRADFORD, Plymouth Colony · Shipowner / Colonial Maritime Leader a passenger on the Mayflower in 1620, became a central figure in shaping Plymouth Colony’s maritime enterprise. As governor for thirty years, he oversaw the development of colonial shipping and trade along the New England coast and across the Atlantic. Under his leadership, Plymouth owned or partnered in vessels such as the pinnace Swan and the ship Friendship, which supported fishing, trading, and supply ventures to England, the Kennebec, and the West Indies. Bradford’s careful management of shipping partnerships and coastal voyages provided the lifeline for the colony’s survival and prosperity, linking the small settlement to broader Atlantic trade networks. His journal, Of Plimoth Plantation, remains one of the earliest and richest maritime records from colonial New England. (Michael Denney)

WILLIAM BRADFORD, born about 1639, came to Beverly, Massachusetts, with his brother Robert. Like many early settlers of the North Shore, he earned his living from the sea. Bradford was a fisherman and husbandman and also worked as a rope maker—a trade essential to the maritime economy of New England’s ports. He lived in Beverly from 1676 until his death in 1717 and took the oath of fidelity there in 1677. In 1696/7, his father-in-law deeded him twenty acres of land in Beverly, which included a dwelling house and barn. This property was later conveyed to his son William while Bradford retained a life estate. His work as both a fisherman and rope maker situates him squarely within the bustling maritime life of Beverly’s early community, supporting both seafaring and coastal industries. (Michael Denney)

WILLIAM BREWSTER of Plymouth, New Plymouth Colony (1560/70 - 1644) William Brewster was a Mayflower passenger and became a leader and elder of Plymoulh Colony. He was a religious separatist held in high regard by the other separatists in Leyden, Netherlands. As the only college-educated Pilgrim, it is likely he was the lead writer of the Mayflower Compact, one of the first European models of self-governance in the Americas. Along with others, Brewster lormed the "Undertakers," a group that undertook to buy out the debt ol the Colony lrom the "Adventurers" who had put up the money to lound it. The Undertakers became the owners of the Colony's assets, including ships. He lived to age 80 as a leading influence in the Colony. (Wayne Leslie Clark)

WILLIAM BROWN was a fisherman living in Marblehead, Massachusetts Bay Colony, as early as 1664. He married Mary (Chinn) before that year, and together they raised a large family in one of New England’s most important early fishing communities. William’s life was intertwined with the Atlantic cod fishery, the backbone of Marblehead’s economy. Fishermen like Brown worked in small boats on nearby banks, catching, drying, and exporting fish to European and West Indian markets. His will, dated 7 November 1683, was proved 4 March 1683/4; his estate was valued at £221 1s, indicating a household established through maritime labor. (Michael Denney)

JACOB CHIPMAN In 1740, Britain and her American colonies undertook a major naval and amphibious expedition against Spanish possessions in the West Indies, particularly targeting Cartagena de Indias. The Massachusetts colony contributed both ships and troops to this effort. Colonial participants, regardless of prior occupation, were required to embark by sea — no other route existed. Soldiers and marines from Massachusetts boarded vessels at Boston and nearby ports and were conveyed south as part of a transatlantic fleet. Jacob Chipman made his will in September 1740, stating he was “bound on an expedition against the Spaniards in the West Indies.” His death followed shortly thereafter, as his estate was probated in 1741. Chipman’s documented involvement in this wholly maritime venture constitutes legitimate sea service under the eligibility standards of the Order of the Star and Sail. (Michael Denney)

WILLIAM CLARKE of Salem (d. 1647), Shipowner and Keeper of the Ship Tavern was an early settler of Salem and a man whose life and livelihood were tied to the sea, the shore, and the steady pulse of coastal trade. In the developing maritime economy of Massachusetts Bay, Salem harbor functioned as a lifeline of commerce—linking fishing grounds, neighboring ports, and transatlantic connections. Clarke was part of this world by the late 1630s, recorded as living in Salem as early as 1637, and by 1641 granted liberty “to entertain passengers and cattle” along the route between Lynn and Ipswich. This license indicates his participation in the regulated movement of people and goods—an early civic trust often tied to travel, transport, and shoreline infrastructure. His probate inventory, taken in 1647, reveals substantial participation in vessel ownership: an eighth part of a bark in Robert Lemmon’s hands, another eighth part in Mr. Goose’s hands, and two-thirds of a shallop at Marblehead in the hands of John Keagle. These shares underscore Clarke’s role as a shipowner, financially invested in the craft that enabled fishing, transport, and coastal commerce. The same inventory lists notable quantities of imported goods—tobacco, sugar, fine linens, Turkey carpets—suggesting access to international trade and a household shaped by maritime prosperity. (Michael Denney)

D - F

GEORGE DAVIS of Lynn, Salem, and Reading (1595–1667) Sea Captain and Mariner was born in England in 1595 and came to New England during the Great Migration, settling first at Lynn, Massachusetts. Around 1642, he married Sarah Clarke, daughter of William Clarke of Salem, the tavern keeper and shipowner. From Lynn the couple moved to Salem, where Davis became part of the working maritime community that linked Massachusetts Bay with the wider Atlantic coastline. Like many mariners of his generation, Davis later removed inland to Reading, while still remaining active in coastal trade. There he served the town as a selectman, even as his working life was still tied to the sea. His surviving will was written in Salem as he prepared to depart on a southern voyage; he spoke of “goods aboard ship”, on a voyage to Cape Fear. This journey reflects the southward expansion of New England shipping in the 1660s, as mariners carried fish, timber, and provisions to the emerging Carolina settlements. Although not a famous admiral or merchant prince, George Davis represents the indispensable working seafarers whose labor sustained New England’s earliest maritime economy. His life, lived between harbor, hearth, and open water, embodies the maritime spirit the Order of the Star and Sail exists to honor. (Michael Denney)

TIMOTHY HENRY DENNY (d. 1892) of Boston and Methuen, Massachusetts, devoted much of his life to the sea. He is listed as a mariner in the 1850 U.S. Federal Census of Massachusetts. By 1863 he had served three and a half years in the United States Navy. He continued in maritime work, appearing as a seaman in the 1870 Methuen City Directory, and was described as residing in Boston at the time of his father's probate in 1872. His seafaring life was part of a larger family maritime tradition: his brother, Francis Augustus Denney, died at sea off the coast of Sumatra in 1851, and his son, also named Francis Augustus Denny, was a seaman who died in 1894. This continuity of service across generations, both in naval and merchant pursuits, reflects a deep-rooted commitment to New England’s maritime heritage and qualifies Timothy Henry Denny for recognition by the Order of the Star and Sail. (Michael Denney)

G - I

AMBROSE GALE, a prominent early resident of Marblehead, Massachusetts, was deeply connected with the maritime trades that defined the town. He appears in multiple petitions from the 1690s protesting taxes on fishing boats, demonstrating his role in sustaining Marblehead’s fishing fleet His estate records include references to boats, marshland, and other maritime property, showing that his livelihood and wealth were tied to the sea. Gale’s life reflects the economic hardships and resilience of Marblehead fishermen, who faced heavy levies while maintaining the open-boat fisheries essential to the community. His daughter Charity Gale married Captain John Pittman, linking two seafaring families whose lives and fortunes were bound up with New England’s early maritime economy. (Michael Denney)

STEPHEN GOODYEAR of New Amsterdam (? - 1658) Stephen Goodyear was the first person to successfully open trade with the Barbados and other West Indian Islands. ln 1647, he purchased a large Dutch vessel named the Zwoll for the purpose of prosecuting this trade. The ship was contracted by Stephen Goodyear with the authorities at Fort Amsterdam to be delivered in New Haven at a stated time. He was actually the first to embark in shipbuilding and commerce. (Shirley Arendt)

JOHN HALL (ca. 1620 – 1696) — Planter and Coastal Fisherman of Yarmouth, Plymouth Colony. John Hall was among the early settlers of Yarmouth, Plymouth Colony, where he received land grants before 1643 and soon after married Priscilla Bearse, daughter of Austin Bearse of Barnstable. Colonial records list him as a freeman and planter, terms that in mid-seventeenth-century Cape Cod described men who combined farming with the maritime trades that sustained the coastal settlements (Plymouth Colony Records 3:138). Hall served as constable of Yarmouth, participated in local juries, and appears frequently in civic proceedings. Although never styled “mariner” in formal documents, his location on Yarmouth’s south shore and the occupations of his Bearse relatives strongly suggest maritime activity. Cape Cod planters of the period routinely maintained fishing shallops, salt works, and small craft for in-shore trade, and Hall’s probate inventory (1696) includes “boat rigging, nets, and fishing gear”—a clear sign of his participation in the coastal fishery and provisioning trade that linked Barnstable County with the wider Atlantic market (Barnstable Probate Records, 1696). Amos Otis observes that “the Halls of Yarmouth were a hardy, industrious race, many of them seamen and ship carpenters” (Genealogical Notes of Barnstable Families 1:228). In that tradition, John Hall stands as one of the colony’s early farmer-fishermen, men whose skill and perseverance balanced the tilling of land with the hazards of the sea. His life illustrates the blend of agrarian and maritime craftsmanship that defined Cape Cod’s first generation and the artisans of the New World shore. (Michael Denney)

SAMUEL HARRIS was born in Beverly, Massachusetts, on 21 November 1689, the son of Jonathan Harris and his wife Miriam (Haskell). He married first Sarah Biles on 31 December 1712, daughter of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Patch) Biles. She died probably in 1729. Samuel married second Elizabeth Patch on 11 November 1729, and third Elizabeth Wood on 24 April 1733 in Beverly. Samuel was a boat builder and landholder. In 1714/5, Jonathan Biles conveyed land to “my daughter Sarah, wife of Samuel Harris of Beverly, fisherman,” including the parcel on which Samuel’s dwelling stood. In 1729/30, Samuel and his wife Elizabeth conveyed land to Hezekiah Ober, showing his active participation in Beverly’s land and maritime economy. Samuel made his will on 1 December 1757; it was proved 6 March 1758. He named wife Elizabeth; sons Samuel and William; daughters Experience, Elizabeth, and Sarah; and granddaughter Rebecca Harris, with land “of Father Byles” and goods from his three marriages. (Michael Denney)

CAPT. SAMUEL HARRIS was born in Beverly, Massachusetts, on 29 September 1721, the son of Samuel² and Elizabeth (Patch) Harris.1 He married Abigail Larcom on 6 October 1742 in Beverly.2 Samuel was a mariner and is identified as “Capt. Samuel Harris”, indicating command or ownership of vessels during Beverly’s maritime peak in the mid-18th century. On 7 November 1758, he mortgaged property in Beverly to his brother William, reserving lifetime rights for his stepmother, Elizabeth Harris.3 Samuel and Abigail later moved to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, in 1762, part of the New England Planter migration following the Acadian expulsion.4 Samuel’s life reflects the Harris family’s deep ties to Beverly’s maritime trades, combining local property interests with seafaring pursuits that extended into the Atlantic world. (Michael Denney)

CAPTAIN AMASA HATCH (1808–1889) was a respected mariner and ship captain from Islesboro, Maine, embodying the skill, character, and resilience central to New England’s maritime tradition. Born on November 7, 1808, to Isaac Hatch and Betsey Warren, Amasa was part of a seafaring lineage rooted in the island’s early settlement and shipping industry. He is listed in History of Islesborough, Maine (originally published in 1893) among the “Islesborough Captains and their Vessels Fifty Years Ago,” placing him actively at sea by at least 1843, during a vital era of coastal and transatlantic trade. He commanded the vessel Champion, one of many ships tied to Islesboro’s shipbuilding legacy. Captain Hatch married three times and raised a large family, continuing the maritime tradition through children who also married into seafaring families such as the Pendletons and Farrows. Known for his benevolence and deep Christian faith, he was remembered for his kindness to neighbors and his care for the weak and suffering. A photograph of Captain Hatch himself is preserved at the Islesboro Maritime Museum, along with an image of his brother—both reminders of the family’s enduring connection to the sea. Captain Hatch’s life stands as a testament to the values honored by the Order of Star and Sail—integrity, courage, and devotion to the seafaring life. (Michael Denney)

STEPHEN HOPKINS embodies the spirit of the mariner — not only by vocation, but by resilience. As minister’s clerk aboard the Sea Venture in 1609, he sailed through storm and shipwreck, surviving when the vessel ran aground in Bermuda. Marooned for nine months, Hopkins was part of a company that endured hardship with ingenuity and grit, ultimately constructing two new ships — the Deliverance and the Patience — which carried them safely to Jamestown in 1610. Though not a trained shipwright, Hopkins almost certainly contributed to the construction effort in a hands-on capacity, as all able survivors did. His later accomplishments — including building and owning the first wharf in Plymouth Colony — further reveal a working knowledge of maritime construction and infrastructure. Notably, MF 6:1 records that his brother in England provided nails to the Pilgrims, hinting at broader family connections to ship provisioning. Hopkins’s maritime journey was not merely physical but spiritual, shaped by faith, uncertainty, and the constant pull of Providence. His later passage aboard the Mayflower, his role in the founding of Plymouth, and his voice in early colonial governance all began with his trials as a mariner — a man tempered by wind, water, and will. His story resonates with anyone who knows that life’s greatest voyages are often steered more by trust than by maps. For these reasons, I submit Stephen Hopkins as both Mariner and Shipwright in the Order of the Star and Sail, whose courage, faith, and labor at sea helped set the course for a nation. (Michael Denney)

JOHN HOWLAND of Plymouth, New Plymouth Colony (1598 - 1672) A passenger on the Mayflower, he famously fell overboard during a fierce Atlantic storm—but was miraculously hauled back aboard, clinging not only to the ship’s rigging but to life itself. His survival ensured the continuation of a family line that would span generations, a reminder that sometimes grace comes in the grasp of a rope. Despite this harrowing beginning, Howland did not turn away from the sea. Years later, he sailed once more, journeying up the New England coast to the Kennebec River, where trade and exploration drew him to the colony’s northern frontier. There, aboard a small bark strong enough for shifting currents and uncertain encounters, he helped secure Plymouth’s fragile commercial presence. In 1634, William Bradford referred to Howland as “chief of the company” during a trading voyage to the Kennebec. He commanded a shallop with seven men and two tons of goods, a role that placed him at the center of a fatal altercation with rival trader John Hocking of Piscataqua. Though the incident ended in tragedy, it confirms Howland’s functional command of the vessel. From storm-tossed seas to contested rivers, Howland's life was bound to the maritime challenges that helped define early New England—and he met them with courage, resolve, and a sailor’s steady grip. (Michael Denney)

ISAAC HULL came from Topsham, Devonshire, England, to New England in 1663 aboard the John of Weymouth. That year, he was admitted as an inhabitant of Salem, joining a growing maritime community on the North Shore. By 1664 he had purchased land, and he soon became active in civic and legal affairs, witnessing wills and inventories in Beverly and Salem. A cooper by trade, Isaac produced barrels essential to the cod fishery and coastal commerce, and in 1673 he took on an apprentice. After the death of John Solart of Topsam, Isaac married Sarah (Cocke) Solart, the widow, connecting him to an established Devonshire maritime family. Depositions in 1680 describe their household and landholding in Essex County. Isaac died between 1703 and 1706. His will named children George, Ruth (Hull) Raymond, Edith, Sarah, and grandson Isaac. His descendants intermarried with Raymond, Batchelder, Herrick, and Bartlett families, anchoring the Hull line in Essex County’s maritime society. . (Michael Denney)

J - L

ROBERT JORDAN, Shipowner · Spurwink / Richmond Island, Maine an Anglican clergyman and early settler of Spurwink in present-day Cape Elizabeth, Maine, was also a maritime entrepreneur. In 1648, records note that “Mr. Jordan had three boats out at sea” (GDMNH, p. 4), indicating his active role as a boat owner in the early Gulf of Maine fishery. His ownership of multiple vessels demonstrates the close ties between early settlement, maritime commerce, and the fishing industry in 17th-century Maine. “Mr. Jordan had three boats out at sea on account of the Plantation.” This single sentence is frequently cited in Maine maritime studies because it’s one of the earliest concrete references to vessel ownership in the Gulf of Maine fishery. (Michael Denney)

DANIEL KNIGHT of Damariscove Island, Maine (ca 1709 -1780) Daniel Knight of Damariscove Island, Maine, was a coastal fisherman whose 1798 estate inventory offers compelling insight into his maritime livelihood. His holdings included two fish houses, a fishing boat, a canoe (“caneau”), 90 quarts of fish, two seines, and fish tubs—alongside lines, salt, and barrels, all essential tools of the trade. These items indicate not only active participation in fishing but also fish processing and storage. The presence of dedicated fish houses and a separate “covering house” suggest a well-established operation. Knight’s life on Damariscove, one of Maine’s earliest fishing settlements, places him squarely within the maritime traditions honored by the Order of the Star and Sail. He qualifies under the Mariner branch, and possibly as a Shipowner, given his ownership of vessels and waterfront facilities. (Michael Denney)

THOMAS LEWIS shipowner was among the earliest English settlers in Maine. Around 1628 he hired his own ship to sail to New England, an exceptional act at a time when most colonists came as passengers under others’ sponsorship. In 1631, he and Richard Bonython received a grant for the Saco tract, becoming the first patentees of the settlement at Saco, Maine. His role as shipowner and settler places him among the merchant-adventurers who laid the foundations for English colonization along the Maine coast. He married Elizabeth (Lewis) Marshall, linking him to other early colonial families. (Michael Denney)

ANDREW LOVETT Captain and Shipowner of Beverly, Massachusetts, and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia (1729–ca. 1806) Andrew Lovett was born 5 April 1729 in Beverly, Essex County, Massachusetts, the son of Israel Lovett and Elizabeth (Batchelder) Lovett. He married Lydia Thorndike, daughter of Robert and Lydia (Woodbury) Dodge, on 7 December 1758.2 Before migrating to Nova Scotia, Andrew was deeply engaged in Beverly’s maritime economy. Archival records from 1759 to 1762 refer to him as “Capt. Lovett,” documenting accounts for shipping and trade in Nova Scotia.3 Locally, he was described as a “shoreman”, indicating his involvement in the shore-based side of the cod fishery — managing curing operations, overseeing crews, and investing in voyages — roles often held concurrently by shipmasters in Beverly’s 18th-century fishery. On 28 February 1765, Andrew Lovett and John Symonds purchased the schooner Eunice from Nathaniel Wells of Ipswich for £66.13.4, becoming joint shipowners. That same year, they sailed the vessel to Nova Scotia, transporting their families and goods to Yarmouth, where they became early grantees of the township in 1767.4 Andrew Lovett died at Yarmouth by March 1806, when his will was dated and proved that July. His will named his son Henry, daughters Abigail, Elizabeth, Lydia, Deborah, and Hannah, and the heirs of his daughter Rebecca. (Michael Denney)

BARTHOLOMEW LOVETT of Thomaston, Maine (ca. 1765 - 1858) The earliest references I have found about Bartholomew is when he is married at age 26 to Hannah Fling in 1792. Also, that year, he was made a hogreeve in Thomaston, Maine. He does not appear to have taken part in military affairs (other than those required by law). In 1807, he was fined $4 for not being prepared for the train band out of Thomaston/St. George, Maine. He does not appear in the militia rolls for the War of 1812. The earliest land record I can find is that he owned land in New Canaan, Maine, in 1801, though he may not have lived there. In 1803, he is "of Thomaston" and a "yeoman" in a land sale to James Stackpole. Bartholomew's father, Israel (1741-1825), was known as a ship owner and ship captain. It seems likely that Bartholomew (1764-1858) followed in his footsteps, initially. We are trusting the local knowledge the editors of "Remarks of My Life pr me Hezekiah Prince 1786-1792" (published by the Thomaston Historical Society) for their insight as to the entries found in the journals of Hezekiah Prince of Thomaston, Maine. Two entries found (1791, 1792) about "Capt. Lovet" are indexed as Israel Lovett. Another entry (1808) is indexed as Bartholomew Lovett and augmented with the editor's notes in brackets: "Went to Capt. [Bart] Lovitts [at head of Long Cove]. A rain storm." (Sumner Hunnewell)

CAPTAIN ISRAEL LOVETT of Beverly, Massachusetts, was a master mariner and maritime entrepreneur whose life was tragically cut short during a trading voyage. On January 19, 1736/7, while commanding a sloop bound for the West Indies, he was “carried overboard and drowned by a violent sea,” according to Beverly’s vital records. He was about thirty years old. As the vessel’s master, Lovett would have overseen the cargo, crew, and coastal navigation on a high-risk Atlantic route—likely carrying goods such as codfish, lumber, or livestock from Massachusetts to Caribbean markets. A legal document dated January 1735 describes him as a “Coaster,” a term used in colonial New England for mariners engaged in regular coastal trade. This designation, found in his own hand, affirms that Lovett was not only an experienced seaman but also recognized in his community for his role in regional maritime commerce. Despite his youth, he was notably enterprising: probate records show that he held a share in a wharf and warehouse in Beverly, reflecting both his investment in infrastructure and his leadership ashore. His widow, Elizabeth Lovett, received a portion of this waterfront property as part of her dower, further underscoring the value and scope of his estate. Captain Lovett’s early death left behind a young family, and his estate was carefully inventoried and divided to provide for his widow and children. His story, preserved through probate documents and vital records, reveals a man who lived fully at the heart of New England’s maritime economy—both at sea and at port. His life exemplifies the courage, skill, and integrity celebrated by the Order of Star and Sail. (Michael Denney)

JOHN LOVETT SR., originally from England, settled at Beverly, Massachusetts before 1639. A skilled cooper by trade, he was part of the earliest maritime economy of Beverly and Salem. As a cooper, Lovett played a critical role in ship provisioning and coastal commerce, crafting and maintaining barrels essential for transporting fish, water, and goods on New England’s growing coastal fleet. His will (17 July 1686) references cooper’s tools, land near Beverly’s wharves, and parcels adjoining the lands of his sons and son-in-law George Stanley, indicating his family’s integration into the working waterfront. He owned land on the east side of Cabot Street near the South Meeting House and bank—close to Beverly’s early maritime hub. His estate included real property, tools of his trade, and parcels of marshland valuable for ship provisioning. Lovett’s descendants continued to live and work in Beverly and Salem, with many engaged in maritime trades and fisheries. His early presence as both tradesman and landholder on the waterfront makes him a representative figure of Beverly’s 17th-century maritime community. (Michael Denney)

M - O

CORNELIUS MELYN of New Amsterdam (bap. 1600 - aft. 1674) Cornelius was born in Antwerp in September 1600. He was a tailor by trade and a wealthy man. Melyn made his first voyage to New Netherland by departing from Texel (an island in the West Frisians), Amsterdam, Netherlands on the ship Het Wapen van Noorwegen (The Arms of Norway) that he had purchased. It carried over a number of colonists and a large quantity of goods, including eighteen young mares, thousands of bricks, ironwork, clothing material, spices, cheese, soap, oil and a box filled with earth in which were planted young grape vines. He was granted a patroonship on Staten Island. During Director Willem Kieft's administration, Cornelius was the chairman of the assembly of the Eight Men and was one of the signatories to the Remonstrance of the Eight Men of the Manhatas sent to the Company protesting Kieft's misrule. When Director-General Pieter Stuyvesant arrived in New Netherland in 1647, Melyn and Jochem Kuyter demanded an investigation of Kieft's misconduct. Outraged by their insubordination, Stuyvesant charged Melyn and Kuyter with libeling Kieft in the remonstrance, and both Melyn and Kuyter were banished from New Netherland. On the voyage home, Melyn and Kuyter survived the shipwreck of the Princess Amalia that claimed the life of passenger, Director Willem Kieft. Upon their arrival in Amsterdam, Melyn and Kuyter appeared before the Dutch parliament which granted them the right to appeal the banishment and allowed them to return to New Netherland under a letter of safe conduct. Melyn sailed for New Amsterdam and arrived in March 1649 with an order suspending all proceedings under the challenged judgments, and summoning Director-General Stuyvesant before the Dutch parliament to justify his acts, a public rebuke to Stuyvesant that heartened the Nine Men. Melyn returned to Holland to pursue his appeal and to support the delegates of the Nine Men, and Director-General Stuyvesant sent Cornelius van Tienhoven, the Secretary of New Netherland to represent the administration. The outcome of the appeal is not known but in 1650, Melyn sailed to New Netherland and to his patroonship on Staten Island, bringing with him a group of about 70 settlers. Off the coast of North America, the ship was caught in a storm and put into Rhode Island for repairs. When the ship arrived at New Amsterdam, Stuyvesant accused Melyn of violating the West India Company's laws regarding trading without a license (there was no proof of any trading), and confiscated both ship and cargo. Melyn's feud with the Director-General continued, and Stuyvesant had him arrested and imprisoned without trial in 1655. During Melyn's imprisonment, a colonist killed an Indian woman who was picking peaches. This started the Peach Tree War and Melyn's Staten Island colony was destroyed. Afterward, Cornelius and family moved to the English Colony of New Haven. Melyn sold his patroonship on Staten Island back to the Dutch West India Company. Conelius Melyn died in the New Haven Colony around 1674. (Linda Mizell)

JOHN MENDALL (ca. 1645 – 1720) Ropemaker — Marshfield, Massachusetts. A craftsman of the early colonial coast, John Mendall of Marshfield practiced the vital maritime trade of ropemaking—the art of twisting hemp and flax into the cordage that bound together every mast, sail, and anchor of a New England vessel. His skill linked him to the region’s thriving shipyards along the North River, where ships were fitted and launched for fishing and trade. In his will, dated 4 May 1711 and proved 8 February 1720, Mendall bequeathed to his grandson Francis Crooker “my ropemaking tools,” an unmistakable token of his lifelong occupation and the continuity of craft within his family. Later accounts confirm his trade, noting that he “lived in Marshfield in 1675” and “was a ropemaker.” Mendall’s daughter Hannah Mendall married Thomas Tilden, a shipwright and constable, uniting two households engaged in the trades that sustained colonial seafaring life. (Michael Denney)

ROBERT MOULTON of Salem, Massachusetts (ca. 1587 - by 1655) Robert immigrated to Salem, Massachusetts, in 1629. He moved to Charlestown in 1630, but returned to Salem in 1636. He was chief shipwright over five other shipwrights in 1629. (Sunny Hayes)

P - S

ZACHARIAH PADDOCK (1636 – 1727) — Blacksmith and Shipowner of Yarmouth, Massachusetts. Born about 1636 in Plymouth Colony, Zachariah Paddock was the son of Robert Paddock, the colony’s earliest recorded blacksmith, who served the settlers from 1623 until his death in 1650. Zachariah inherited his father’s craft and established himself as a blacksmith in Yarmouth on Cape Cod, where he also became active in coastal trade and fishing, occupations that were inseparable from daily life along the Cape. He married Deborah Sears, daughter of Richard Sears the Pilgrim, about 1658; their union linked two of Barnstable County’s enduring artisan families. Town and probate records alike attest to Paddock’s dual identity as craftsman and mariner. In his will, dated 1722 and proved 1727, he bequeathed “my part in the sloop” to his son Robert — the standard legal phrasing for ownership shares in a trading vessel. That detail reveals that Paddock not only forged the hardware that ships required but also invested directly in the maritime economy, holding a stake in a sloop likely employed in the coasting and fishing trades between Cape Cod, Boston, and the West Indies. As a master smith, he supplied anchors, bolts, and fittings essential to the shipyards of Yarmouth and the neighboring ports of Barnstable and Sandwich. He also served his community as surveyor of highways, a civic trust often granted to respected tradesmen. His descendants carried both his craftsmanship and seamanship into the next century, becoming ship captains, whalers, and chandlers in Nantucket and Maine. Zachariah Paddock thus stands as an early exemplar of the blacksmith-shipowner, forging and sailing in equal measure — a life that united the forge’s steady fire with the sea’s restless tide. (Michael Denney)

CAPT. EDMUND PATTESHALL Captain · Shipmaster · York, Maine & Piscataqua Region was a shipmaster active in New England by the 1640s. He commanded vessels engaged in transatlantic and coastal trade, connecting the Piscataqua and Maine settlements with England. He appears in 17th-century records styled “Captain,” and in 1647 is named as master of a ship trading between England and New England. He was associated with the Isles of Shoals and York, Maine, and became part of the growing maritime network that sustained Maine’s earliest English communities. His descendants continued the family’s maritime legacy along the Maine coast. Father of Capt Richard Patteshall (Michael Denney)

CAPTAIN RICHARD PATTESHALL (1636 – 1689) He was a mariner, merchant, and colonial leader who emigrated from London to New England by 1664, likely alongside his father, Capt. Edmund Patteshall of Pemaquid. He lived for many years on Padishall’s Island in the Kennebec River, Maine, served as justice of the peace in Casco Bay and Pemaquid by 1684, and was appointed administrator of his uncle’s estate in Boston in 1671. On 8 July 1685, the Massachusetts General Court commissioned him to command his brigantine Tavern in pursuit of pirates—an expedition documented in the Massachusetts Archives and later chronicled in Pirates of the New England Coast (1630–1730). He was admitted freeman in Boston in 1673 and held land and islands in Maine. In August 1689, amid renewed hostilities with Native tribes following the outbreak of King William’s War, Capt. Patteshall was killed in an Indian attack on Fort Pemaquid. Cotton Mather, in Magnalia Christi Americana, recorded that “Mr. Patishall, as he lay with his sloop in the Barbican, was also taken and slain.” A 1738 deposition further confirmed that Richard had carried his family by sloop from Kennebec to Pemaquid, where he perished in the assault. He married first Abigail [–?–], and second, about 1672, Martha Woody of Roxbury, Massachusetts, a granddaughter of Capt. Richard Woody. Through their line descends the patriot silversmith Paul Revere. Captain Patteshall is remembered as a courageous mariner and a key figure in early Maine frontier governance. (Michael Denney)

PELEG PENDLETON was a lifelong mariner and patriot whose life bridged the colonial seafaring tradition of Rhode Island and the rising maritime enterprise of coastal Maine. He began going to sea at an early age. By 1762, he was a quarter-owner of the 36-ton schooner Dolphin, reflecting both maritime skill and investment in coastal trade. His name appears frequently in town records as a shipowner, militia officer, and community leader. During the smallpox epidemic of 1774, the town of Westerly entrusted him with funds to procure supplies and coordinate transport for the sick and their caregivers—demonstrating public trust in his logistical and navigational abilities. When war broke out, he served as a lieutenant in Captain James Babcock Jr.’s Artillery Company, in 1775, he received payment for transporting goods aboard the sloop Seaflower, and his name rolls throughout the Revolutionary War. Though military records refer to him as “Lieutenant,” he was also known as “Captain Pendleton” for his maritime leadership and ownership of trading vessels. His son Captain Joseph Pendleton of Islesboro carried on the family’s seafaring tradition, and "Brian Pendleton and His Descendants "records that “nearly all the sons and grandsons of Peleg Pendleton were master mariners.” Through them, his influence continued into Maine’s golden age of sail. Peleg Pendleton’s life, balancing civic duty, wartime service, and a steadfast connection to the sea, stands as a worthy testament to the values honored by the Order of Star and Sail. (Michael Denney)

CAPTAIN JOSEPH PENDLETON (1769–1858) Shipowner · Master Mariner · Islesboro, Maine was born 17 June 1769 at Westerly, Rhode Island, the son of Lieutenant Peleg Pendleton and Ann Park. Like his father and brothers, Joseph followed the sea and became a master mariner. Fourteen months after his marriage, he purchased about 100 acres at Saunders’s Harbor on Islesboro, Maine, for £70, and the deed referred to him as “Captain Joseph Pendleton of Prospect.” Before settling at Islesboro, he spent his early years at sea, where he received facial injuries as a powder boy during the American Revolution, carrying the scars for the rest of his life. Joseph was respected not only as a mariner but also as a civic leader. He served as Town Clerk of Islesboro from 1801 to 1807 and as Constable in 1814. Known for his energy, integrity, and old-school character, he helped anchor the Pendleton family’s maritime legacy on the Maine coast. He died on 21 August 1858 at Islesboro at the age of 89. (Michael Denney)

JOSEPH PHIPPEN. Seaman, Carpenter, and Quarrelsome Pioneer of Maine's Coast -- He was a seaman, carpenter, blockmaker, and pumpmaker whose skills served the colonial shipyards and fishing settlements of Massachusetts and coastal Maine. Descended from a seafaring family and active in Salem before relocating to the Casco Bay region, he was by all accounts a rough and rowdy man, known for his fists as much as his trades. In a notorious quarrel with Robert Foxwell, he was said to have “beat the said Foxwell & mancle him, & carry him downe to his doore in a roape… drawing blood from him.” Phippen’s hot temper also made headlines in civic affairs: in July 1659, he was presented “for breeding a disturbance in the Towne Meeting by flinging Mr. Jordan’s voats on the ground.”By 1664, tensions with neighbors had escalated. George Munjoy formally accused Phippen of making an “illegall intrution” on his house and land on House Island, stating that Phippen had “taken away & violently detaynes his possessions.” He was married to Dorcas (possibly Wood). Whether as a maritime craftsman or a local firebrand, Joseph Phippen left a memorable imprint on the developing communities of early Maine. His life reflects the volatile mix of seafaring grit, frontier disputes, and colonial ambition that defined many early settlers along New England’s rugged coast. (Michael Denney)

CAPTAIN JOHN PITTMAN, son of Thomas Pittman of Marblehead, followed his father’s calling to the sea. Identified as “Captain,” he was engaged in transatlantic trade and likely commanded his own vessel. He died on 13 July 1691 during a voyage to Barbados. The administration of his estate was granted to his widow, Charity (Gale) Pittman, later that year. His probate inventory included both real estate and valuable personal property, testifying to his status as a master mariner. Surviving records also show him purchasing land near his dwelling in Marblehead in 1689/90, confirming his position in the community as well as at sea Though his life was cut short, John Pittman exemplified the risks and rewards of New England’s early seafaring trade. (Michael Denney)

THOMAS PITTMAN, described in land records as a seaman, was an early resident of Marblehead, Massachusetts. On 8 June 1661, he purchased an acre of marshland on the Marblehead side of Forest River, the deed explicitly naming him “Thomas Pittman, seaman.” He became a landholder and active townsman, serving on juries, signing petitions, and participating in community life. His will, dated 24 May 1694 and proved that September, distributed orchards, housing, and lands to his children and grandchildren, confirming his standing as a respected member of Marblehead’s maritime community. Through both his vocation at sea and his family’s settlement on the Massachusetts coast, Thomas Pittman firmly established his place in New England’s maritime history. (Michael Denney)

BENJAMIN JONES PORTER was a prominent shipowner, trader, and entrepreneur who played a foundational role in the maritime economy of late 18th-century Maine. Partnering with General William King—who would later become the first governor of Maine—Porter co-founded a significant shipbuilding enterprise in Topsham and Brunswick, strategically situated along the Androscoggin River. Together, they oversaw the construction of numerous vessels, including the schooner Minerva; the brigs Androscoggin, Ferdinand, Valarius, Volunteer, and Nancy (brig-rigged); and the ships Confidence, Adrastus, Osiris, Homer, Reunion, and Typhus. Porter was also part owner of the schooner Guardian, along with other investors. In addition to building vessels, Porter and King acquired the Rebecca, a ship constructed in Freeport in 1795, which they employed in transatlantic and West Indies trade. Their business extended beyond ship construction to include cargo management, wharf operations, and extensive domestic and international shipping ventures. Through this dynamic enterprise, Benjamin Jones Porter emerged as one of the leading maritime figures of his era—embodying the spirit of enterprise, resilience, and seafaring excellence honored by the Order of the Star and Sail. (Michael Denney)

SAMUEL PORTER, son of John Porter of Hingham and Salem, Massachusetts, was a mariner by trade and part of the early generations who built New England’s maritime economy. He married Hannah Dodge, daughter of William and Elisabeth Dodge of Beverly. Samuel owned a house and a large farm in Wenham but was also engaged in transatlantic trade. In December 1658, while “being bound to the Barbadoes,” he wrote his will, leaving his estate primarily to his wife and son. His early death in 1660, likely during one of these voyages, reflects the perils faced by mariners of his era. Through both his maritime ventures and landholdings, Samuel represents the blend of seafaring and settlement that characterized early Massachusetts coastal communities. (Michael Denney)

EDWARD RAINSFORD of Boston, Massachusetts (bap. 1609 - 1680) Edward Rainsford, a descendant of King Henry III of England, was a fisherman. He later expanded his work to include being a merchant, as he owned a warehouse "with privileges" (meaning dockside rights), and investing in several ship, along with owning a canoe and lighter. He was the first owner of Rainsford Island in Boston Harbor, which was initially used for farming. (Douglas Gilham)

GEORGE RING, identified in a 1762 deed as a mariner of Kingston, Massachusetts, was active during a formative era of New England’s maritime expansion. His residence in Kingston placed him in one of the South Shore’s key shipbuilding and coastal trading communities, alongside Duxbury and Plymouth. The deed, recorded on 27 April 1762 in Plymouth County, begins with the declaration: “I George Ring of Kingston… Mariner,” affirming both his occupation and civic identity in Massachusetts before his later relocation to Nova Scotia. George Ring’s maritime profession would have involved navigation along the Atlantic coast, participation in the fishing industry, and possibly trade with Nova Scotia and other British North American ports. His career places him squarely within the tradition of 18th-century American seafarers whose labor, risk, and expertise helped knit together the economic and familial networks of the northeastern colonies. Though George Ring ultimately settled in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, his identity as a Massachusetts-based mariner is well documented prior to his departure. His daughter Louisa Ring, born in Kingston in 1748, later married Ephraim Cooke, another New Englander whose life and legacy would take root in Nova Scotia. George Ring’s legacy lives on through the descendants of these maritime families who helped shape the transatlantic and coastal history of early North America. (Michael Denney)

JOHN ROUNDEY (d. 1755), was a mariner and shipowner whose probate records list three vessels: the schooner Elizabeth, the sloop schooner Joseph, and the schooner Pinke. At his death, he distributed these among his children, leaving Joseph the Elizabeth and Joseph, and dividing the Pinke between Abraham and his sisters. These bequests confirm John as more than a fisherman—he was a prosperous owner with multiple vessels under his name. (Michael Denney)

ABRAHAM AND HULDAH (BASSETT) ROUNDY embodied the maritime world of Marblehead at its height. At his death, his father John divided the small schooner Pinke between Abraham and his sisters. Huldah inherited from her father Michael. Yet their lives took a new direction. Rather than remain in the bustling seaport, Abraham moved inland to Clinton, Maine, on the Kennebec River. There, far from the schooners and fish fences of their fathers, the Roundy-Bassett family began a new chapter rooted in farming and land-based life. This move from sea to soil reflects a broader New England pattern, as younger generations sought opportunity inland when coastal towns grew crowded. (Michael Denney)

JAN JANSZEN SCHEPMOS of New Amsterdam (1605 - by 1656) Jan Janszen Schepmoes was born in Delft, Netherlands. He was a 'seafaring man' residing in Brouwerstaat, when he got married at the age of 26. His wife was Sarah Pieters of Hoom, an orphan living in Moriaansteegje when she married Jan Janszen Schepmoes. They arrived in New Amsterdam in 1638 with their two children after having a stormy voyage on The Dolphin. Jan was one of the earliest tavern owners in New Amsterdam and was cited for serving wine to sailors. Jan died prior to 7 Octobert 1656 in New Amsterdam. (Sunny Hayes)

RICHARD SEALEY, brother of George Sealey, was among the earliest English fishermen at the Isles of Shoals and along the Piscataqua River in the 1630s. Both brothers were early mariners who helped establish the seasonal fishing stations that became the foundation of permanent New Hampshire settlements. Richard’s daughter Dorcas married James Gibbins, linking the family to another prominent early Piscataqua household. Richard’s activity places him within the first generation of mariners working the North Atlantic fishery in northern New England. (Michael Denney)

THOMAS SEVERY was a fisherman in Marblehead, Massachusetts Bay Colony, during the late seventeenth century. On 1 November 1683, he married Elizabeth² Brown, daughter of William¹ Brown, also a Marblehead fisherman. Their marriage united two families deeply rooted in the town’s seafaring community at a time when the Atlantic cod fishery formed the backbone of Marblehead’s growing prosperity. As a fisherman, Thomas likely labored in the small shallops that ventured to nearby fishing banks, hauling cod that was dried along the rocky shore for export to European and Caribbean markets. This trade demanded skill, endurance, and cooperation among fishing crews. Thomas’s livelihood placed him within the tight-knit maritime networks that sustained Marblehead’s economy and shaped its identity as one of colonial New England’s premier fishing ports. Through his marriage to Elizabeth Brown and his work on the sea, Thomas carried forward the maritime legacy of both families. (Michael Denney)

T - V

THOMAS TILDEN (ca. 1634 – after 1700) Shipwright and Constable of Scituate, Massachusetts. Born about 1634, Thomas Tilden Jr. was the son of Thomas Tilden Sr. (b. ca. 1608, England) and Mary (Holmes/Holes), and the grandson of Elder Nathaniel Tilden and Lydia (Huckstep), immigrants from Tenterden, Kent, who came to Plymouth Colony on the Hercules in 1634. Following his father’s example as a community leader and craftsman, Thomas became a shipwright and constable in Scituate, where he lived along the North River, the heart of early New England’s small-vessel shipbuilding industry. On 21 March 1649/50 [Scituate VR p. 40], he married Hannah Mendall, daughter of Thomas Mendall of Marshfield, another family of shipwrights and artisans. Tilden’s work contributed to the thriving maritime economy that carried Massachusetts-built vessels to ports throughout New England. His civic service as constable reflected the trust placed in him by his neighbors. By the late 1600s he had established a line of descendants who remained in the North River region for generations. Their daughter Susannah Tilden married Robert DeCrow, son of Valentine and Martha (Bourne) DeCrow, linking the Tilden, Mendall, and Bourne families—three names central to the colonial shipbuilding and coastal trade of Plymouth Colony. (Michael Denney)

THOMAS TURPIN lived and fished at the Isles of Shoals by the mid-1640s, with residence noted at Salt Creek near the Shoals. He had business on the mainland—reported as a joint purchase of a small plantation with Richard Cummings in 1645—typical of Shoals fishermen who balanced shore holdings with seasonal fishing. Turpin drowned on 29 October 1649 while on a fishing trip to the Isles of Shoals, an early and stark reminder of the hazards of the North Atlantic fishery that sustained New England’s first coastal communities. (Michael Denney)

W - Z

JOHN WALLIS, Occupation: Fisherman Places of Activity: Falmouth and Purpooduck, Maine; Salem, Gloucester, Massachusetts Bay Colony Legacy: Maritime Pioneer and Settler of Coastal Maine and Massachusetts. John Wallis was born around 1627, possibly in Cornwall, England, and became a key figure in the early maritime communities of Falmouth and Purpooduck, Maine. By 1659, he appears in the Falmouth court records as a fisherman and landholder. He purchased land at Purpooduck in 1667, and served as a selectman in both 1674 and 1680. He married Mary Phippen, daughter of Joseph and Dorcas (Wood) Phippen of Salem and Hingham, and together they raised a large family in coastal Maine and Massachusetts. A survivor of the shifting and often dangerous frontier, John Wallis took refuge in Salem and Gloucester during the First Indian War in 1675, later resettling in Gloucester where he died on 13 September 1690. His descendants carried on his maritime legacy—many becoming fishermen and seamen themselves. John Wallis exemplifies the courage and resilience of early colonial mariners, forging a life along the New England coast where the sea was both sustenance and danger. (Michael Denney)

RICHARD WELLS, SR. of South Carolina (bef. 1779 - ca. 1758-1759) Richard Wells started out as a privateer. ln May 1777, he was referred to as "Captain Richard Wells, Prize Master” of the captured schooner Industry. The Industry was taken by the St. Louis operating out of Charleston. The Industry was brought back to Charleston on 17 Jun 1777 and then taken to Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania Gazette of 23 July 1777 reported that "the Polly, Richard Wells, Master" and seven other rebel sloops were captured off the coast of Maryland. Richard Wells was sent to New York City as a prisoner of war and was released at some point. Later in 1777 he was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant of the Comet of the South Carolina Navy. The Comet was captured off the coast of Cuba and sent to Pensacola from whence the crew were once again sent to New York as prisoners. Released in late 1778, Richard was posted to the Hornet in early 1779 as Lieut. ln March 1779 the Hornet was captured just off Charleston and the officers were taken prisoner. "Well-treated and carried to Savannah, Georgia, they were paroled and transferred across the Savannah River to South Carolina". The South Carolina & American General Gazette of 30 Apr 1779 noted the death of a short illness Mr. Wells late first lieutenant of the State brig Hornet. (Harold Ford)

JOHN WINSLOW Was a prominent figure in early colonial America. He arrived in Plymouth Colony aboard the Fortune in 1621, joining his brother, Edward Winslow, a Mayflower passenger and future governor of the colony. In Plymouth, John married Mary Chilton, a Mayflower passenger reputed to be the first European woman to step ashore at Plymouth. Together, they had ten children and were integral members of the early colonial community. By 1655, the Winslows relocated to Boston, where John established himself as a successful merchant and shipowner. His business ventures included transatlantic trade and ownership of shipping vessels, contributing significantly to the economic development of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. At the time of his death in 1674, John Winslow was considered one of the wealthiest merchants in Boston. John Winslow's legacy is marked by his contributions to the maritime commerce of early New England and his role in the expansion of colonial trade networks. His life exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit and leadership that were vital to the growth of the American colonies. (Michael Denney)

SUSANNA WINSLOW, daughter of John Winslow of Boston, merchant, inherited a share in her father’s vessel, the Ketch Speedwell, through his 1673 will. John Winslow, a prominent merchant and shipowner, directed that the Speedwell and her cargo be sold on her return to Boston, and the proceeds divided equally among his children, with only one son excluded. This inheritance made Susanna part of New England’s maritime ownership network. Her father’s estate also included shares in multiple other vessels, reflecting the Winslow family’s deep involvement in colonial shipping and trade. Through this inheritance, Susanna became a female shipowner, an important yet often overlooked role in sustaining family maritime enterprises during the colonial era. (Michael Denney)

JOHN WINTER, a skilled English Captain, mariner, ship builder who played a vital role in the establishment and maritime operations of one of New England’s earliest permanent settlements. Serving as the colonial agent for Robert Trelawny, a prominent English merchant, Winter oversaw the development of Richmond’s Island, off the coast of present-day Cape Elizabeth, Maine. By the early 1630s was already managing laborers, ships, and trade at Trelawny’s fishing and trading post. His responsibilities included enforcing contracts, provisioning ships, managing infrastructure, and writing detailed reports back to England. His leadership made Richmond’s Island one of the most active maritime outposts in northern New England. After an extended period overseeing the colony, Winter returned to England aboard the Speedwell, around 28 June 1635 with Winter as master. By the following year, Winter was again at sea, this time commanding the Agnes, which sailed from England after 26 March 1636 and arrived in New England on 24 May 1636. Though he did not captain the return voyage, Winter’s role in delivering cargo and passengers back to Richmond’s Island was essential to the colony’s continuity. One of Winter’s most notable accomplishments was his construction of the bark Richmond—a vessel built on-site to support the colony’s commercial and logistical needs. As the builder or overseer of this ship, Winter demonstrated technical expertise and resourcefulness, qualities that defined the mariners and shipwrights of early colonial America. John Winter’s career—spanning transatlantic voyages, colonial governance, and ship construction—makes him an exemplary figure for recognition by the Order of the Star and Sail, which honors American maritime figures active between 1607 and 1850. (Michael Denney)

JOSIAH WOODBERRY (1682–1746) of Beverly, Massachusetts, was a skilled cooper whose work supported the thriving maritime economy of coastal New England. In a seaport where barrels were essential for preserving fish and shipping goods across the Atlantic, his trade placed him at the heart of Beverly’s seafaring life. Probate records from 1746 identify him explicitly as a cooper, and his inventory includes tools and materials of his craft. Through his work, Josiah contributed to the maritime trade networks that sustained Beverly’s economy in the 17th and 18th centuries. (Michael Denney)