William Pynchon

Personpeople/william-pynchon-1590.md

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name
William Pynchon
sex
male
access
public
summary
Founder of Springfield, Massachusetts: an original patentee of the Bay Colony who came with Winthrop in 1630, began Roxbury, and in 1635-36 settled Agawam on the Connecticut, building it into a beaver-trading town. His book of 1650 was burned at Boston as heresy, and in 1652 he went back to England, where he died at Wraysbury in 1662. Probably the father of John Pynchon.
born
date
11 Oct 1590
basis
compiled
confidence
probable
sources
[article-wikipedia-william-pynchon]
died
date
29 Oct 1662
place
Wraysbury, Buckinghamshire, England
basis
compiled
confidence
probable
sources
[article-wikipedia-william-pynchon, online-tree-wikitree-browne-chapin]
note
Dwight has 9 Oct 1661, "aet. 72."
buried
place
St Andrew's Church, Wraysbury, Buckinghamshire, England
basis
compiled
confidence
probable
sources
[article-wikipedia-william-pynchon]
residences
date
1630
place
Roxbury, Massachusetts
basis
documented
confidence
probable
sources
[book-dwight-1874-dwight-descendants]
note
Came with Winthrop in 1630 and began the settlement of Roxbury; his first wife died there that year.
date
1636
place
Springfield, Massachusetts
basis
documented
confidence
probable
sources
[article-wikipedia-william-pynchon]
note
Led the settlement of Agawam on the Connecticut River in 1635-36; named Springfield in 1640.
date
1652
place
Wraysbury, Buckinghamshire, England
basis
inferred
confidence
probable
sources
[article-wikipedia-william-pynchon]
note
Went home to England in 1652 after his book was burned at Boston as heresy, and remained there; he died and was buried at Wraysbury in 1662.
events
what
Sailed with Winthrop
date
spring 1630
place
Southampton, England
sources
[book-dwight-1874-dwight-descendants]
note
Came in 1630 in Gov. Winthrop's fleet and began the settlement of Roxbury; with him came his young son John.
spouses
name
Anna Andrew
basis
compiled
confidence
possible
sources
[online-tree-wikitree-browne-chapin, book-dwight-1874-dwight-descendants]
note
His first wife, the mother of his children, who died at Roxbury in 1630 "shortly after his arrival here" (Dwight, who did not know her name). The name is WikiTree's.
name
Frances Sanford
basis
compiled
confidence
probable
sources
[book-dwight-1874-dwight-descendants]
note
"Widow Frances Sanford, 'a grave matron of the church of Dorchester'"; she died in England on 10 Oct 1657.

Father of John Pynchon, and the founder of Springfield. An original patentee of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, he "came hither in 1630, with Gov. Winthrop, and began the settlement of Roxbury, Mass., being its principal founder" (source). In 1635-36 he led the settlement of Agawam on the Connecticut River, renamed Springfield in 1640 "after Pynchon's home village, now a suburb of Chelmsford in Essex," and built it into a trading town: in 1636-1652 he exported "between 4,000 and 6,000 beaver pelts a year" (source). He sided with Massachusetts against Connecticut over how to treat the Indians, and his warrant of 1650 for the man who had stolen a petticoat from Deacon Samuel Chapin's married daughter Sarah told the constable that "if you find him at Woronoco [Westfield,] you may persuade him to come, and push him forward to make him come, but in case you cannot make him come by this means, then you shall not use violence."

The banned book. In 1650 he published in London The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption, which argued, against Puritan teaching, that obedience rather than suffering was the price of atonement. When it reached Boston it "was immediately burned on the Boston Common (only 4 copies survived), and soon after became the New World's first-ever banned book." The General Court charged him with heresy. "Instead of retracting his arguments, Pynchon stealthily transferred his land holdings to his son John ... while William Pynchon returned to England in 1652, where he remained for the rest of his life" (source). Dwight tells it differently: "The next year he retracted his sentiments, and the censure was suspended; but he was so much dissatisfied that he went back to England, and never returned to this country again" (source). His departure put Springfield into the hands of his son John, Elizur Holyoke and Samuel Chapin. He died at Wraysbury in 1662.

His children, all by his first wife, were Ann (Mrs. Henry Smith), Mary (Mrs. Elizur Holyoke), John and Margaret (Mrs. William Davis). The novelist Thomas Pynchon is a descendant.

Research: Patricia Hatten's Browne–Chapin side: the pedigree, notable ancestors and famous kin.

  1. ---
  2. name: William Pynchon
  3. sex: male
  4. access: public
  5. summary: >-
  6. Founder of Springfield, Massachusetts: an original patentee of the Bay Colony who came with
  7. Winthrop in 1630, began Roxbury, and in 1635-36 settled Agawam on the Connecticut, building it
  8. into a beaver-trading town. His book of 1650 was burned at Boston as heresy, and in 1652 he went
  9. back to England, where he died at Wraysbury in 1662. Probably the father of John Pynchon.
  10. born:
  11. date: 11 Oct 1590
  12. basis: compiled
  13. confidence: probable
  14. sources: [article-wikipedia-william-pynchon]
  15. died:
  16. date: 29 Oct 1662
  17. place: Wraysbury, Buckinghamshire, England
  18. basis: compiled
  19. confidence: probable
  20. sources: [article-wikipedia-william-pynchon, online-tree-wikitree-browne-chapin]
  21. note: Dwight has 9 Oct 1661, "aet. 72."
  22. buried:
  23. place: St Andrew's Church, Wraysbury, Buckinghamshire, England
  24. basis: compiled
  25. confidence: probable
  26. sources: [article-wikipedia-william-pynchon]
  27. residences:
  28. - date: "1630"
  29. place: Roxbury, Massachusetts
  30. basis: documented
  31. confidence: probable
  32. sources: [book-dwight-1874-dwight-descendants]
  33. note: "Came with Winthrop in 1630 and began the settlement of Roxbury; his first wife died there that year."
  34. - date: "1636"
  35. place: Springfield, Massachusetts
  36. basis: documented
  37. confidence: probable
  38. sources: [article-wikipedia-william-pynchon]
  39. note: "Led the settlement of Agawam on the Connecticut River in 1635-36; named Springfield in 1640."
  40. - date: "1652"
  41. place: Wraysbury, Buckinghamshire, England
  42. basis: inferred
  43. confidence: probable
  44. sources: [article-wikipedia-william-pynchon]
  45. note: "Went home to England in 1652 after his book was burned at Boston as heresy, and remained there; he died and was buried at Wraysbury in 1662."
  46. events:
  47. - what: Sailed with Winthrop
  48. date: "spring 1630"
  49. place: Southampton, England
  50. sources: [book-dwight-1874-dwight-descendants]
  51. note: "Came in 1630 in Gov. Winthrop's fleet and began the settlement of Roxbury; with him came his young son John."
  52. spouses:
  53. - name: Anna Andrew
  54. basis: compiled
  55. confidence: possible
  56. sources: [online-tree-wikitree-browne-chapin, book-dwight-1874-dwight-descendants]
  57. note: His first wife, the mother of his children, who died at Roxbury in 1630 "shortly after his arrival here" (Dwight, who did not know her name). The name is WikiTree's.
  58. - name: Frances Sanford
  59. basis: compiled
  60. confidence: probable
  61. sources: [book-dwight-1874-dwight-descendants]
  62. note: '"Widow Frances Sanford, ''a grave matron of the church of Dorchester''"; she died in England on 10 Oct 1657.'
  63. ---
  65. Father of John Pynchon, and the founder of Springfield. An original patentee of the Massachusetts Bay
  66. Colony, he "came hither in 1630, with Gov. Winthrop, and began the settlement of Roxbury, Mass., being its
  67. principal founder" ([source](/files/sources/book-dwight-1874-dwight-descendants/)). In 1635-36 he led the
  68. settlement of Agawam on the Connecticut River, renamed Springfield in 1640 "after Pynchon's home village,
  69. now a suburb of Chelmsford in Essex," and built it into a trading town: in 1636-1652 he exported "between
  70. 4,000 and 6,000 beaver pelts a year" ([source](/files/sources/article-wikipedia-william-pynchon/)). He sided with
  71. Massachusetts against Connecticut over how to treat the Indians, and his warrant of 1650 for the man who
  72. had stolen a petticoat from Deacon Samuel Chapin's married daughter Sarah told the constable that "if you
  73. find him at Woronoco [Westfield,] you may persuade him to come, and push him forward to make him come,
  74. but in case you cannot make him come by this means, then you shall not use violence."
  76. **The banned book.** In 1650 he published in London *The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption*, which
  77. argued, against Puritan teaching, that obedience rather than suffering was the price of atonement. When
  78. it reached Boston it "was immediately burned on the Boston Common (only 4 copies survived), and soon after
  79. became the New World's first-ever banned book." The General Court charged him with heresy. "Instead of
  80. retracting his arguments, Pynchon stealthily transferred his land holdings to his son John ... while
  81. William Pynchon returned to England in 1652, where he remained for the rest of his life"
  82. ([source](/files/sources/article-wikipedia-william-pynchon/)). Dwight tells it differently: "The next year he
  83. retracted his sentiments, and the censure was suspended; but he was so much dissatisfied that he went
  84. back to England, and never returned to this country again" ([source](/files/sources/book-dwight-1874-dwight-descendants/)).
  85. His departure put Springfield into the hands of his son John, Elizur Holyoke and Samuel Chapin. He died
  86. at Wraysbury in 1662.
  88. His children, all by his first wife, were Ann (Mrs. Henry Smith), Mary (Mrs. Elizur Holyoke), John and
  89. Margaret (Mrs. William Davis). The novelist Thomas Pynchon is a descendant.
  91. Research: `research/hatten/Browne_Chapin_Cumins.md`.
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