Elizabeth Freeman

Came with her father on the Abigail in 1635, “Elizab: Freeman 12.” Married John Ellis of Sandwich by August 1644, when the court sent for witnesses “in John Ellis & his wifes case,” and on 4 June 1645 he was sentenced to be whipped for “committing vncleanesse wth her before marryage … and Elizabeth, his wyfe, to stand by whilst execucon of the sentence is pformed” (PCR 2:76-77, 85-86). Her father was then serving his last term as an Assistant. He named her executrix in 1682, and his inventory taken “at New Oxford,” 4 Oct 1682, lists “the estate that was sett forth by Elizabeth Ellis of her father” (Freeman Genealogy pp. 21-22); she received a third of his lands west and north of her son Matthias’s.

A widow from 1677: on 7 June 1677 “Mistris Elizabeth Ellis and Mordica Ellis” were bound as administrators of her husband’s estate (PCR 5:235). She became a proprietor of Sippican (later Rochester) under the deed of 22 July 1679 and drew a home lot at the first division, 15 Apr 1679; hers is the first name after the minister and the ministry lot (Mattapoisett and Old Rochester, 1907). In July 1680 “Elizabeth Ellis, widdow, and Joseph Dotey, of Sandwich” (her son-in-law), with two other proprietors, sued Lt. Ephraim Morton of Plymouth for £200. On 12 May Morton “did, with diuers others … forcably enter vpon the lands of the said Sepecan,” and “did deface the bound markes of the said land of the said Ellis and Dotey,” namely “a pyne tree, marked with two noches on the one syde, and three noches on the other syde, standing neare Sepecan Necke, a little below the rocke house, or wigwam.” The jury found for the plaintiffs, 20 shillings and costs (PCR 7:227-229). In 1687 “Mrs. Ellis was living on her land in Sippican.”

Open questions

• Her death: “probably 24 June 1692, Rochester (intestate)” is compiled and unverified.
• Was she the “Elizabeth Freeman” of the 1660 Barlow testimony? Her stepmother is more likely, since she was married by then.