| MY MAYFLOWER ANCESTOR: EDWARD DOTY |
| Signing Mayflower Compact |
The first duel in New England
My 8-g-grandfather, Edward Doty, had the distinction of being a participant in the first duel ever
fought in America. Edward fought a duel in single combat, with sword and dagger, against Edward
Lister. Both men were wounded, one in the hand, the other in the thigh. Their punishment for this
undignified behavior: the two men were sentenced to be tied together for twenty-four hours, without
food or drink. But after an hour, "because of their great pains" they were released by Governor
Bradford. And so it was that Edward, also, had the honor of being the recipient of the first pardon
ever issued by the hand of a governor in America.
This wouldn't be Edward's last run-in with lawful authority. When I'd finished reading about some of
his encounters with the courts of New England, I wrote to a friend, "Wouldn't you know it? There was
only one troublemaker on the Mayflower, and he was my ancestor." She wrote back, "I'm not a bit
surprised."
~ ~ ~
Edward Doty came to America on the Mayflower as a servant (some sources say "apprentice") of
Stephen Hopkins. His parents and birth date are not known. However, we know that he was at least
20 on November 11, 1620, when he signed the Mayflower Compact. In August, 1643, his name
appeared on the list of men, ages 16-60, able to bear arms, so he wasn't born before 1583. Most
sources believe he was a young man at the time of the voyage to America, probably born not long
before 1599. The passenger lists indicates he was "of London" but it's not known if this was his place
of birth. Stephen Hopkins is believed to have married his second wife at Whitechapel, London. It's
likely, therefore, that Edward Doty was born in the vicinity of London.
The Mayflower arrived at Cape Cod, November 11, 1620, and they first sought to find a suitable landing
place. The shallop they'd brought along for exploration being out of service, a few of the more hardy
men volunteered to make an inland journey. In all, sixteen went ashore and they were the first
Englishmen ever to journey inland in New England. Edward Doty was in this party. They were gone
several days and, by the time they returned to the ship, the shallop had been repaired. On December
6th, ten men set out to explore by water and Edward Doty was, also, in that number. It was on
December 11th that they moored at Plymouth Rock.
Edward Doty was married twice, but nothing is known of his first wife. Since servants/apprentices
were rarely married, it's assumed that his first marriage occurred after his arrival in America. Gov.
William Bradford wrote in 1651: "But Edward Doty, by a second wife, hath 7 children and both he and
they are living."
Over the years, Edward frequently appeared in court as a plaintiff or defendant. Most of the lawsuits
were civil disputes, but some were complaints against him for trespassing, fighting or breaking the
peace. He was said to have had something of a temper and was quick to stand up for himself against
any perceived wrongs.
But, in 1624, Edward received his share of land allotment and, in 1627, in an allotment given to "heads
of families and young men of prudence" Edward was, also, given a share, even though he was
unmarried, which shows him to have gained the confidence of the governor. The inventory of his
estate at the time of his death was listed as a net value of over 130 pounds. This was substantial for
the time and showed that the one-time servant had achieved a greater-than-average level of
prosperity during his lifetime.
Edward may have been a little cantankerous, but he lived to see a large family grown and, through
perseverance and hard work, he prospered in this new land in an environment that was almost always
difficult and many times brutal. And, since it could be said that his strength of body, will and spirit are
probably responsible for the fact that he survived that first winter, those are, also, the reasons I'm
here to talk about it. You won't catch me casting any aspersions in his direction. Matter of fact, I've
taken a liking to my 8th g-grandfather. And I hope it can be said that a little - just a little - of his
fighting spirit has made its way down to me. -- Nancy
_____________________
My Doty Line:
Thurston CLARKE: b. 1574, Ipswich, Suffolk, England; d. 10 December 1661, Duxbury, Plymouth Co.,
MA; m. Faith LOCS: b. Ipswich, Suffolk, England; d. 1 June 1663, Duxbury, Plymouth Co., MA; child:
Faith Clarke
Edward Doty: b. bet. 1597-1602, probably London, England; d. 23 August 1655, Duxbury, Plymouth
Co., MA; m. Faith Clarke: b. 1619, Ipswich, Suffolk, England; d. 21 December, 1675, Marshfield,
Plymouth Co., MA; children:
Samuel Doty
Edward Doty
John Doty
Thomas Doty
Desire Doty
Isaac Doty
Mary Doty
Joseph Doty
Samuel Doty: b. bet. 1643-1644, Plymouth, Plymouth Co., MA; d. September 1715, Piscataway, Union
Co., NJ; m. Jane Harmon: b. abt. 1661, Saco, York Co., Maine; children:
Samuel Doty
Sarah Doty
Isaac Doty
Edward Doty
James Doty
Jonathan Doty
Benjamin Doty
Elizabeth Doty
Joseph Doty
Daniel Doty
Margaret Doty
Nathaniel Doty
James Doty: b. 17 September 1686, Piscataway, Union Co.; New Jersey; d. bef. 1745, New Providence,
New Jersey; m. Phebe Slater; b. 28 July 1693, Piscataway, Union Co., New Jersey; children:
Mary Doughty
Elizabeth Doughty
Esther Doughty
Edward Doughty
James Doughty
Benjamin Doughty
Benajah Doughty
Benajah Doty: b. abt. 1723, Piscataway, Union Co., New Jersey; d. bet. 22 October-15 November 1780,
Onslow County, North Carolina; m. Elizabeth FARR: b. abt. 1725, Burke Co., Georgia; children:
Faber Doughty
Esther Doughty
Nancy Doughty
m. (2nd) Elizabeth CHATWIN; children:
Lemuel
Benajah
James
Nancy Doughty Warren: b. 15 May 1753, probably New Jersey; d. 1809, Laurens County, Georgia,
buried: Poplar Springs Cemetery; m. Josiah WARREN, see Warren Family Page for details of
Nancy Warren's family. See Josiah and Nancy's marriage bond.
Benajah Warren: b. 25 October 1782, Montgomery County, Georgia; d. 4 January 1835, Jefferson
County, Mississippi; buried: Warren Cemetery; m. Ferriba Stringer in Montgomery County, GA:
b. 7 May, 1791, Montgomery County, Georgia; d. 16 August 1866, Jefferson County, Mississippi;
buried: Warren Cemetery; (see Warren Family Page and Garrett Family Page for details on
Benajah's family and descendants.)
Abba Ann Warren Garrett, my g-g-grandmother
Josiah Garrett, my g-grandfather
Edgar Garrett, my grandfather
Nancy Florelle Garrett Jackson, my mother
Nancy Lee Jackson Brister (me)
_________________
Other pages related to Edward Doty and Plymouth Colony:
Pilgrims and Strangers
Paying Tribute
Pilgrim Ancestral Homes
Pilgrim Town: Marshfield, Massachusetts
Old Winslow Burying Ground
Illustrations from "The Romantic Story of the Pilgrims" - Published 1911
The Mayflower and Plimoth Plantation
Early American Homes
Miscellaneous Doty Records
_________________
My G-Grandfather's Attic - Home
Whispers
Old New Orleans
My 8-g-grandfather, Edward Doty, had the distinction of being a participant in the first duel ever
fought in America. Edward fought a duel in single combat, with sword and dagger, against Edward
Lister. Both men were wounded, one in the hand, the other in the thigh. Their punishment for this
undignified behavior: the two men were sentenced to be tied together for twenty-four hours, without
food or drink. But after an hour, "because of their great pains" they were released by Governor
Bradford. And so it was that Edward, also, had the honor of being the recipient of the first pardon
ever issued by the hand of a governor in America.
This wouldn't be Edward's last run-in with lawful authority. When I'd finished reading about some of
his encounters with the courts of New England, I wrote to a friend, "Wouldn't you know it? There was
only one troublemaker on the Mayflower, and he was my ancestor." She wrote back, "I'm not a bit
surprised."
~ ~ ~
Edward Doty came to America on the Mayflower as a servant (some sources say "apprentice") of
Stephen Hopkins. His parents and birth date are not known. However, we know that he was at least
20 on November 11, 1620, when he signed the Mayflower Compact. In August, 1643, his name
appeared on the list of men, ages 16-60, able to bear arms, so he wasn't born before 1583. Most
sources believe he was a young man at the time of the voyage to America, probably born not long
before 1599. The passenger lists indicates he was "of London" but it's not known if this was his place
of birth. Stephen Hopkins is believed to have married his second wife at Whitechapel, London. It's
likely, therefore, that Edward Doty was born in the vicinity of London.
The Mayflower arrived at Cape Cod, November 11, 1620, and they first sought to find a suitable landing
place. The shallop they'd brought along for exploration being out of service, a few of the more hardy
men volunteered to make an inland journey. In all, sixteen went ashore and they were the first
Englishmen ever to journey inland in New England. Edward Doty was in this party. They were gone
several days and, by the time they returned to the ship, the shallop had been repaired. On December
6th, ten men set out to explore by water and Edward Doty was, also, in that number. It was on
December 11th that they moored at Plymouth Rock.
Edward Doty was married twice, but nothing is known of his first wife. Since servants/apprentices
were rarely married, it's assumed that his first marriage occurred after his arrival in America. Gov.
William Bradford wrote in 1651: "But Edward Doty, by a second wife, hath 7 children and both he and
they are living."
Over the years, Edward frequently appeared in court as a plaintiff or defendant. Most of the lawsuits
were civil disputes, but some were complaints against him for trespassing, fighting or breaking the
peace. He was said to have had something of a temper and was quick to stand up for himself against
any perceived wrongs.
But, in 1624, Edward received his share of land allotment and, in 1627, in an allotment given to "heads
of families and young men of prudence" Edward was, also, given a share, even though he was
unmarried, which shows him to have gained the confidence of the governor. The inventory of his
estate at the time of his death was listed as a net value of over 130 pounds. This was substantial for
the time and showed that the one-time servant had achieved a greater-than-average level of
prosperity during his lifetime.
Edward may have been a little cantankerous, but he lived to see a large family grown and, through
perseverance and hard work, he prospered in this new land in an environment that was almost always
difficult and many times brutal. And, since it could be said that his strength of body, will and spirit are
probably responsible for the fact that he survived that first winter, those are, also, the reasons I'm
here to talk about it. You won't catch me casting any aspersions in his direction. Matter of fact, I've
taken a liking to my 8th g-grandfather. And I hope it can be said that a little - just a little - of his
fighting spirit has made its way down to me. -- Nancy
_____________________
My Doty Line:
Thurston CLARKE: b. 1574, Ipswich, Suffolk, England; d. 10 December 1661, Duxbury, Plymouth Co.,
MA; m. Faith LOCS: b. Ipswich, Suffolk, England; d. 1 June 1663, Duxbury, Plymouth Co., MA; child:
Faith Clarke
Edward Doty: b. bet. 1597-1602, probably London, England; d. 23 August 1655, Duxbury, Plymouth
Co., MA; m. Faith Clarke: b. 1619, Ipswich, Suffolk, England; d. 21 December, 1675, Marshfield,
Plymouth Co., MA; children:
Samuel Doty
Edward Doty
John Doty
Thomas Doty
Desire Doty
Isaac Doty
Mary Doty
Joseph Doty
Samuel Doty: b. bet. 1643-1644, Plymouth, Plymouth Co., MA; d. September 1715, Piscataway, Union
Co., NJ; m. Jane Harmon: b. abt. 1661, Saco, York Co., Maine; children:
Samuel Doty
Sarah Doty
Isaac Doty
Edward Doty
James Doty
Jonathan Doty
Benjamin Doty
Elizabeth Doty
Joseph Doty
Daniel Doty
Margaret Doty
Nathaniel Doty
James Doty: b. 17 September 1686, Piscataway, Union Co.; New Jersey; d. bef. 1745, New Providence,
New Jersey; m. Phebe Slater; b. 28 July 1693, Piscataway, Union Co., New Jersey; children:
Mary Doughty
Elizabeth Doughty
Esther Doughty
Edward Doughty
James Doughty
Benjamin Doughty
Benajah Doughty
Benajah Doty: b. abt. 1723, Piscataway, Union Co., New Jersey; d. bet. 22 October-15 November 1780,
Onslow County, North Carolina; m. Elizabeth FARR: b. abt. 1725, Burke Co., Georgia; children:
Faber Doughty
Esther Doughty
Nancy Doughty
m. (2nd) Elizabeth CHATWIN; children:
Lemuel
Benajah
James
Nancy Doughty Warren: b. 15 May 1753, probably New Jersey; d. 1809, Laurens County, Georgia,
buried: Poplar Springs Cemetery; m. Josiah WARREN, see Warren Family Page for details of
Nancy Warren's family. See Josiah and Nancy's marriage bond.
Benajah Warren: b. 25 October 1782, Montgomery County, Georgia; d. 4 January 1835, Jefferson
County, Mississippi; buried: Warren Cemetery; m. Ferriba Stringer in Montgomery County, GA:
b. 7 May, 1791, Montgomery County, Georgia; d. 16 August 1866, Jefferson County, Mississippi;
buried: Warren Cemetery; (see Warren Family Page and Garrett Family Page for details on
Benajah's family and descendants.)
Abba Ann Warren Garrett, my g-g-grandmother
Josiah Garrett, my g-grandfather
Edgar Garrett, my grandfather
Nancy Florelle Garrett Jackson, my mother
Nancy Lee Jackson Brister (me)
_________________
Other pages related to Edward Doty and Plymouth Colony:
Pilgrims and Strangers
Paying Tribute
Pilgrim Ancestral Homes
Pilgrim Town: Marshfield, Massachusetts
Old Winslow Burying Ground
Illustrations from "The Romantic Story of the Pilgrims" - Published 1911
The Mayflower and Plimoth Plantation
Early American Homes
Miscellaneous Doty Records
_________________
My G-Grandfather's Attic - Home
Whispers
Old New Orleans
