− THE PURCHASE &
SETTLEMENT OF MARTHA’S VINEYARD –
Thomas Mayhew, Sr., a
merchant and Puritan, was originally from Tisbury in Wiltshire County, England.
Thomas, his wife, Abigail (Anna) Parkhurst, and son, Thomas, Jr. arrived in New
England with Winthrop’s fleet of 1630. The family settled in Watertown about
six miles west of Boston. In 1641, while Mayhew was doing business near Boston,
he learned about Nantucket, the Elizabeth Islands, and Martha’s Vineyard. All
the islands were owned by William Alexander, Earl of Sterling who had been
granted a charter by King Charles I. Thomas, Sr. purchased the islands for a
price of £40 (about $11,630 in 2025) and two beaver hats. Not long after this,
Mayhew sold Nantucket and the Elizabeth Islands.
Thomas,
Sr. intended to live on Martha’s Vineyard, home to approximately 3,000
Wampanoag who were the first inhabitants of the island over 10,000 ago before. But
first he sent his son, Thomas, Jr., to establish a settlement. Thomas,
Jr. and about a dozen families founded Edgartown in 1642. That same year, his
father appointed himself governor of the island. It was a harbinger of things to come.
Thomas, Jr. learned
the Wampanoag language, and became a successful missionary to the tribe. The
Wampanoag and the English lived in peace due to Thomas, Jr.’s ministry and his
father’s fairness when purchasing parcels of Wampanoag land. In 1657, Mayhew
sent Thomas, Jr., who was about 37, to England on business. After its departure, the ship and all that were aboard were never seen again. It was a
tremendous loss for Thomas, Sr. He then turned to his grandson, Matthew Mayhew,
to assist him in managing the affairs of the Vineyard.
− THE SEEDS OF DISCONTENT –
Martha’s Vineyard had been loosely
under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts Bay Colony, given that it was somewhat remote. Consequently, the self-proclaimed governor had experienced little
oversight. He was able to establish what would be a long-lived, self-serving
Vineyard government.
Through the years, Mayhew surrounded himself with family members who would
support his policies in the affairs of the island. They were not beneficial to
the general population of settlers, but there was no one to challenge his authority.
When the
English took Manhattan from the Dutch in 1664, King Charles II included Martha’s Vineyard in
lands he gave to his brother, James, the Duke of York. Thomas Mayhew became concerned — he did not want his authority challenged. Did Massachu-setts still have
authority over the Vineyard or was it now New York and, if so, how would that
affect him?
In 1671, Mayhew
traveled to New York to meet with New York’s Governor Francis Lovelace. A
settlement was reached that left Thomas Mayhew in a very good place. Martha’s
Vineyard was now under the jurisdiction of the Province of New York. It was farther away than Massachusetts, so Mayhew expected there would be little oversight due to the distance. Even
better, Governor Lovelace named Thomas Mayhew “Governor for Life” of
Martha’s Vineyard. Mayhew did not waste any time beginning to wield his newly enhanced
power. But there would be repercussions. This arrangement had few supporters outside the Mayhew family.
When
Henry Luce and his family arrived on Martha’s Vineyard in 1671, there were
about 40 individual families, including Thomas Mayhew and his extended
family. Henry soon became aware of the tension between the settlers and the Mayhews.
The
settlers, some of whom had been on the island since the beginning, had many
grievances, including
- a tax collection agency packed with members of
the Mayhew family,
- unfair trials because the court was filled with
Mayhew family members,
- no elections because Mayhew was now “Governor for
Life” on Martha's Vineyard,
- some residents paying a disproportionate share of
taxes without having any say in the government,
- a feudal system where landowners were required to pay rent on their own properties because they happened to be within the bounds of Thomas Mayhew's newly created Tisbury Manor.
Needless to say, the majority of Islanders were incensed.
Then, in August 1673, the Dutch regained control of New York.
− A WINDOW OF
OPPORTUNITY –
After the Dutch seizure of New York, it was unclear if Massachusetts had jurisdiction over the Vineyard. The majority of Vineyard landowners, led by Simon Athearn, decided to use the situation as an opportunity to take action. A letter authored by Thomas Burchard was sent to 80-year-old Thomas Mayhew, politely
requesting that he step down and allow an election. They even guaranteed that
he would be reelected, but that subsequent elections would take place. It was signed by twenty men, including Henry Luce. (Banks, v.1, 156)
Thomas Mayhew flatly refused.
On October 15, Simon
Athearn and Thomas Burchard sent a petition signed by the same twenty men to Massachusetts Governor John Leverett in the hope that he could help them. Governor Leverett, not wanting to insert himself in the contentious matter, turned them down.
− THE “DUTCH” REBELLION of
1673 –
Even though Henry
Luce had been on the island for only two years, it was clear that the
governance was not what he or other residents wanted. The settlers of
Martha’s Vineyard had been guaranteed certain freedoms and rights in Thomas Mayhew's original 1641
purchase agreement with the Earl of Sterling — Mayhew was ignoring them.
Per the original
agreement, if Mayhew founded a new colony, which he had, he was bound by the
terms of that agreement, specifically, “… it is agreed that the government that
the said Thomas Mayhew and Thomas Mayhew his son and their associates shall set
up shall be such as is now established in the Massachusetts aforesaid.” (Banks, v.1, 82)
[The Massachusetts
government allowed only Puritan men who were church members and owned property
to vote for the governor and representatives to the General Court. While
restrictive, it did allow a segment of the citizens to take part in the
selection of their leaders.]
When guaranteed
freedoms are taken away by someone whose goal is to have complete control, resistance or outright rebellion become the only options. The disgruntled, disgusted citizens formed their own government. It was short-lived. In November 1674, the
English regained control of New York and Thomas Mayhew was once again backed by the Governor of New York.
− THE AFTERMATH –
The vengeful, elderly
Thomas Mayhew (1593-1682), Governor for Life of Martha’s Vineyard and Lord of
Tisbury Manor, levied fines and made arrests. Some of the petitioners left the
island permanently. Simon Athearn, in particular, paid dearly as the main
instigator of the rebellion.
Whether
Henry Luce suffered significantly under the Mayhew regime is unknown.
It’s possible he did not endure the heavy fines and other punitive measures imposed
upon Simon Athearn, Thomas Burchard, the
Nortons, and others for two reasons. Henry was a relative newcomer on the Vineyard and did not have an extensive history with the Mayhews. Also, Henry’s daughter, Remember, was related to the Mayhews by marriage. She was the daughter-in-law of Thomas Mayhew’s niece, Elizabeth Parkhurst Merry.
[Elizabeth's husband, Joseph Merry, was one of the 19 men who did not sign the petition to Governor Leverett. Elizabeth and Joseph are my 8th great-grandparents. See the October 27, 2025 post, The Ancestors of Martha's Vineyard I: the Merry Family.]
Thomas Mayhew died in 1682. He was succeeded by his
equally oppressive grandson, Matthew Mayhew. In reference to the Athearns, Charles Banks wrote
that, “for the remaining years of their lives it was a vendetta that knew no
surcease”. The Mayhew-Athearn feud would continue for generations.
Even
under the continued Mayhew regime, Henry served as surveyor of highways in
1675, juror in 1677 and 1681, and a selectman in 1687. He died sometime between February 3, 1687, the date of his last land transaction, and March 12, 1689, when his
wife, Remember, purchased land in her own name.
The rule of the Mayhew family ended when a new charter under King William III and Queen Mary II took effect in 1692. It directed the Province of New York to cede Martha's Vineyard to the Province of Massachusetts Bay. Fifty years of Mayhew oppression was over.
Descendants of Henry Luce and Remember Litchfield still live on Martha's Vineyard.
* * *
− FURTHER READING –
“Yellacat Ranch: A
genealogical journal” is a blog written by Justin (Howery) Durand, a descendant of
Henry Luce. The
posts include findings in a Luce yDNA project and other details. https://www.yellacatranch.com/luce/
* * *
− SOURCES −
Banks, Charles
E. The History of Martha’s Vineyard, Duke’s County, Massachusetts, Vol
I. Boston: G.H. Dean, 1911. Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/historyofmarthas01bank/page/n8/mode/1up
Banks,
Charles E. The History of Martha’s Vineyard, Duke’s County,
Massachusetts, Vol II. Boston: George H. Dean, 1911. Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/historyofmarthas02bank/page/n12/mode/
Jackson, B. Darrell.
“The Family of Henry and Remember Luce of Martha’s Vineyard,” The New
England Historical and Genealogical Register 177 (Summer 2023):245-257.
McCourt, Martha F. The
American descendants of Henry Luce of Martha’s Vineyard. Boston, MA: New
England Historic Genealogical Society, 1994. Internet Archive. www.archive.org
* * *
Bradish-Scott
Family History — January 2026
