Editing in progress

The first fully datable appearance of John Pride in records is the 27 December 1636 session of the Essex Quarterly Court, when lawyer Thomas Babb sued John and William "Vinson" for a £3 debt.5 He "confessed" the debt and "agreed." The court papers include the following:

John Pride's memorandum, dated Jan.20, 1636[/7]:

7 shirts at 4s, 1li. [pounds] 8s. [shillings]
1 pair worsted hose and garters, 5s. 6d. [pence]
4 1-2 yrds. ribbon, 1s. 3d.
for silk, 8d.
more ribion, 9d.
for an iron potte and left to pay for a halyitt [halyard], 11s.
lent in mony, 7 s. 6d.
for a pound powder, 2s
for Mr. Babb, total, 3li 2d.

More to John Prid:
Mustkitt rest bandeler and powder and shot, 1li. 10s.
for a bible, 5s
for a Codd line and 3 hooks, 3s.
100 makrill & a qr. 100 Cod fish, 15s.
6 yds. fushion [fustion], 12s.

Total, 3li. 5s.

In all, 6li. 5s. 2d.

     The nature of the debt isn't clear. One section is for Thomas Babb's goods and the other is for John's, so they may have arranged a trade, given how close the total values are in each section, but was this before or after the court case was initiated? Either way, since the memorandum was made after the court date, it was likely what was "agreed" on to settle the case. The variety of goods makes it particularly cryptic.
     John is on a list of Salem grantees listed between 26 December 1636 to 12 July 1637. He was given twenty acres, but no specific location in Salem for any of the grantees is given in this list.1 On 20 March 1636/7, he was given a half acre "on Winter Harbor by their house." Land records show that John had, at one point, twenty eight and a half acres of land. He only had five or five and a half when he died. However, there are no records of his buying or selling land. In his "Salem in 1700" series, Sidney Perley discusses the history of who had land and lived at Winter Harbor and Winter Island, and it's obvious many land deeds there went unrecorded. John mortgaged his homestead on 23 December 1640 to William Waltham of Weymouth, which is described as a house, one acre, and a half-acre enclosed near Mr. Holgrave's stage at Winter Harbor. Perley's accompanying map and Holgrave's land grant show the stage was on Winter Island. Perley doesn't question the wording in the mortgage, and the error may lie in the latter document, since John's half-acre grant was described as being at Winter Harbor by his house. Perley doesn't mention John's twenty acre grant on the Neck in 1636 or 1637. He says the Pride homestead was on land then currently owned by John Higgenson Jr., which Perley traces to the northeast side of Salem Neck on Winter Harbor. He bases this partly on speculation and the depositions of Thomas Chubb and John Glover, taken on 25 November 1684. Files and Records of the Essex County Quarterly Court vol. 1 (Salem, MA: Essex Institute, 1911), 131. "that tract of land now in possession of Jno. Higginson Jun'r, upon Salem necke, whereon Jno. Pride deceased formerly lived, was quietly & peaceably possessed & enjoyed by ye sd Jno. Pride & successors, from ye yeare one thousand, six hundred fifty & two, to ye yeare one thousand, six hundred, sixty & two, according to ye law of possession as it is now fenced in excepting ye six acres of land w'ch was given by ye towne of Salem, to Mr. Jno. Higgenson, sen'r."      Perley also discusses the evidence for Mordicai Craford living there as well. He also mentions a mortgage made by Craford and John Pride in 1661 in which various pieces of property, including real estate, were assigned to Thomas Savage. Although the mortgage describes the real estate as being near Bass River on Cape Ann Side, which is the standard contemporary description of what is now the Town of Beverly, subsequent court records and deeds show it was part of John Higginson's Salem Neck land. There is a map accompanying Perley's text that outlines his thoughts about land ownership on Salem Neck and shows John Higginson's Winter Harbor parcel:

While Perley makes a convincing case for the Pride's being in this part of Salem Neck, he doesn't differentiate between John Sr., who died in 1647, and John Jr., who was the mortgagor with Craford in 1661. It is, however, part of the circumstantial evidence that connects the two John Prides.

"Ordered that John Pride shall be forbidden to fence in the halfe acre Lotts at Winter neck. And John Holgraue doeth promise to acquaint him wth this order" 13 June 1644.19 13 June 1644, STR, 130 At the same time he was given five acres "on Darbie fort side."2 Derby Fort was another name for the area of Noggs or Naugus Head in the town of Marblehead. Winter Neck was better known as Salem Neck, and Winter Harbor was the primary launch area on the Neck, set up for the fishing trade."

     On 25 December 1637, the town's marsh and meadowland was ordered to be divided,3 and there is a list of grantees, bound in a different part of the original volume, that was likely the result of the order.4 John was given three acres. Numbers preceeding the name of the head of household were the number of people in the household. John had four. His probate records say he had a son and two daughters by the time he died in 1647.
     Perley's History of Salem says he was a potter and brickmaker.7 That he made earthenware is certain, but his brickmaking isn't supported by the evidence. He's called a potter as early as 25 June 1639, when he was a plaintiff in a court case.8 When we consider also that he had eighty dozen pieces of earthenware (mentioned again below) in a court document and a pound's worth of lead and earthenware (earthenware with lead glaze is likely referred to here) in his inventory, John was probably not a brickmaker. The prevailing opinion is that the very early potters in Massachusetts, of which there were few, made red ware. "Redware refers to a utilitarian style of earthenware pottery using clay with a high iron content, which turns reddish-brown when fired...Because redware is very porous, it needs to be waterproofed to be useful for cooking and food storage, and since glazes were typically lead-based, redware vessels would have made any acidic food or beverages quite toxic. For potters who handled the glaze daily, it was frequently deadly." John has been associated, probably erroneously, with a regulation passed by the Massachusetts Bay General Court which decreed "Tile earth, to make sale ware, shalbe diged before ye first of ye 9th mo, & turned over in ye last or first mo ensuing, a month before it be wrought; & whosoever breaks this order shall forfeite, to ye use of ye common treasury, halfe such tile as shalbe othrwise made."13 "Tile earth," as one source says, was a provincial English term for a compact, clay soil.14 "Sale ware" undoubtedly covers the commercial use of the products. This is the only regulation found among the early laws of the colony that mentions pottery. The wording leaves questions about meaning and purpose, and the specific reference to tiles suggests that this regulation may not have affected the few earthenware potters in the colony.
     At the 28 August 1644 session of the Essex County Quarterly Court, "John Pride, petitioner, was ordered, with consent of Mr. Adam Ottley, about delivery of 50 doz. of earthen ware to Mr. Ruck, and that a bond from him to Mr. Humphreys be delivered to Ra. Fogg to be cancelled."18 (Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts [hereafter ECQC], vol. 1 (Salem, MA: Essex Institute, 1911), 72.) This is another specific reference to him in connection with pottery. He must have been in debt to John Humfrey of Salem, who was a prominent merchant and politician and who left Massachusetts in 1641. Humfrey may have given his power of attorney to Ottley, who was his son-in-law, who then agreed to the debt being paid by way of goods given to Thomas Ruck of Salem. Ralph Fogg was clerk of the Quarterly Court at Salem and must have formally cancelled the note. Humfrey's power of attorney to Ottley is even more apparent given that, on 25 July 1644, Ottley, "on behalf of John Humphry Esq" sold a piece of Humfrey's land. 1:3.
     John is mentioned in documents that associate him with William Vincent, one of which is mentioned above, and John Holgrave, both Salem Neck residents. Holgrave was granted a fishing stage on Winter Island and a houselot at Winter Harbor in 1636. Holgrave's house was eventually bought by Gilbert Tapley. Tapley was very likely the brother of John Tapley, John Pride's son-in-law. Vincent is most significant in that he was also a potter. He "requested accomodation" in Salem in July 1637 and had a land grant there in August, about four months after John's Salem Neck grant, so they came to Salem about the same time. TRS 1:53 7 August 1637. On 12 July 1637 he requested accomodation in Salem. 51 He is said to have lived and had his pottery on what is sometimes called Bridge Street Neck across Collins Cove from Salem Neck.
     There are details, although cryptic, in a case where John sued Vincent, which was brought to court on 24 September 1639.13 The suit was for a fifty eight shilling, eight pence debt from a note. John was to have two shillings for a day's work, but the rest of the case would be heard at a future court after witnesses were called. The matter must have been resolved, since there was no further action recorded. Attached to the case is this document, which may be the note by which Vincent accrued the debt:

Bill in favor of John Pride

6 yeds. canvis, 12s.
new shirt, 5s.
'for about what I stands bound to Mr. Walton,' 10s.
left to pay of a debt of 4li. 10s.
2 weeks' work with John Leach, 12s.
to Mis. Goose, 2s. 9d.
1-4 of hundred of lead, 9s.
canvis drawers, 2s.

Total, 2li. 14s. 9d.

'wh. he pd my mothr, 6s.'

     It's unfortunate there is no more information about this, including the mother he referred to. Whether his own mother or his mother-in-law, neither his parents nor his wife have been identified. holgrave vs pride 12 p damages, 4 s costs "& leave to court for misdemainer" 8121376 image 61 "Ordered that John Pride shall be forbidden to fence in the halfe acre Lotts at Winter neck. And John Holgraue doeth promise to acquaint him wth this order" 13 June 1644.19 13 June 1644, STR, 130 At the same time he was given five acres "on Darbie fort side."2 Derby Fort was another name for the area of Noggs or Naugus Head in the town of Marblehead. Winter Neck was better known as Salem Neck, and Winter Harbor was the primary launch area on the Neck, set up for the fishing trade.      More suits on record are(date) John was a defendant when John Leech and William Vincent accused him of slander, but it was "let fall" from lack of testimony.9 John Leech also sued John for a debt.12 Leech was accepted as a resident in Salem in January 1637 and was given land on Salem Neck in December 1638. More cases involving John (Pride) came along, although with no details: Anthony Buxton sued him for a debt, which was heard at the same court,10 and then John sued Buxton for a debt at the next court.11 Nothing was found connecting Buxton to Salem Neck.
      Thomas Oliver vs. John Pride15 and Thomas Pickton vs. John Pride, both debt cases.16 John was fined for contempt of a warrant on 28 August 1644,17 Massachusetts, County Court (Essex County), Court records 1638-1663, FHL film 877461 but the details are lacking. The following testimonies in a 1641 lawsuit shed some light on the Winter Harbor neighborhood11 1:34-35 25 Jan 1641 Wm. Pester presented for abusing the watch and being found at the Potter's house three nights very suspiciously, and common tippling. "I was invited by Prid et uxr [wife] & Jno Stone & his wyfe & was att Stons house fro whence we weare fetched to ye Potters." Benjamin Felton deposed being at Mr. Pester's. Prid said " he was att Plimoth & it was afterwch I came fr Plimouth y* he was invited by vincen : & he was ther in my absence. Prid also witnessed it was att diner yt himself invited but wth Vincen." Goody Hardy deposed : "I saw mr Pester his hos[e] unfastened betweene 8 and 9 in morning & he seemed to me as if he had Laine all night ther." Goody Felton and Goody Pride also deposed. Moon rose about eleven or twelve o'clock at night. Left Goody Vincent there, and Mr. Pester and nobody else. Wm. Vincen and Hary Weare left the house at eight o'clock. This was about Nov, 2. 30 June 1646, John was excused from militia training as long as he paid a fine of ten shillings a year. 8121376, image 238; 1:96, mistranscribed as 5 sh      John's estate probate was brought to the 28 December 1647 session of the Quarterly Court by his widow, who isn't named.20 Out of his estate, £8 was to go to his son and £4 each to his two daughters, all underage and not named. Aside from her dower, his widow was to be the children's guardian and they were to be brought up by her. This further supports the idea that deponents who said John Jr. lived on Salem neck between 1652 and 166- were referring to the family rather than John alone.
The following is a transcription of his inventory in the same source, said to have been in one of the "waste" books of the court.

One dwellinge house, one barne and worke house with foure Akers of land adjoyninge to it, 16li.
marsh and uplande grounde uppon the necke beinge the one halfe of that sometime belonginge to Mr. Holgrave, 8li. 15s. (this is likely the half acre he was forbidden to fence)
one halfe aker of marsh and halfe an aker of upland, 1li. 10s.
two Cowes and one heighfer of two yeares old, 13li.
three Calves of this yeare, 3li.
one hogge and two shotts, 2li. 17s. 6d.
foure ewe gotes and 2 lambes, 2li.
one fether bed, one bolster, foure pillowes, one Rugge, one pr. blanketts, 5li.
two old Rugges, two course beds, one blanket and one bolster, 12s.
three pr. of sheetes, 1li. 13s. 4d.
for other smale lenen in the same chest, 1li. 10s.
bands and capps, 10s.
wearinge apparrell, 6li.
one brass kettle, 1 lettle brass pott and one Iron pott, 1li. 4s.
thirtie and seaven dozzen of earthen ware, 4li. 12s. 6d.
warminge pann and three pewter cupps, 6s. 8d.
leade and other earthen ware, 1li. 7s.
a bible and other books and a glass, 12s.
two fryinge panns, 7s.
one Fowlinge peece, one muskett rest and sword, 2li. 10s.
a pr. of pot hookes and hangers, 7s.
foure Axes, a spade and a picke Axe, 14s.
two table boords, two chests, two boxes with chaires and stoole, 1li. 18d.
one bed steed and a trundle bedsteed, 10s.
fifteene Akers of Lande on Cape An side, 9li.
for wheate, barly, Pease and Indian Corne, 3li.
total, 88li. 16s.

     A pound's worth of "Lead and other earthenware" undoubtedly means that he had a stock of glazed and unglazed pottery. Lead was used for glazing, and given how toxic it is to handle, this may be why John died as a relatively young man. There is no mention of tools or production materials. The spade and pick axe might have been used to gather clay, especially since there are no other potential farming tools listed. A workhouse as well as a barn are mentioned with his real estate, so his not owning the means to craft the pottery is a mystery. Although he may have worked for William Vincent earlier on, John must have had his own product by 1644, when he arranged to pay a debt with pottery.
     Land records show that John had, at one point, twenty eight and a half acres of land. He only had five or five and a half when he died. However, there are no records of his buying or selling land. As mentioned above, Sidney Perley discusses the history of who had land and lived at Winter Harbor and Winter Island, and it's obvious many land deeds there went unrecorded. Perley speculates that John and Mordicai Craford had adjacent properties on the northeastern part of Salem Neck on Winter Harbor. John mortgaged his homestead on 23 December 1640 to William Waltham of Weymouth, which is described as a house, one acre, and a half-acre enclosed near Mr. Holgrave's stage at Winter Harbor. Perley's accompanying map and Holgrave's land grant show the stage was on Winter Island. Perley doesn't question the wording in the mortgage, and the error may lie in the latter document, since John's half-acre grant was described as being at Winter Harbor by his house. Perley doesn't mention John's twenty acre grant on the Neck in 1636 or 1637. He does refer to the Glover/Chubb depositiions in 1684 that say that the Pride homestead was on the land then currently owned by John Higgenson Jr., which Perley traces to the northeast side of Salem Neck on Winter Harbor. leaving the specifics of where the Prides lived in question.

children of John Pride:

*John, b. say 1635; m. Jane Lovering abt. 1665. He surely was on of the four people in his father's household in 1637 and the son alive in 1647.
*daughter, b. say 1636. In 1900, the author of Genealogy of the Tapley Family says she was "Mary Pride [who] married Bessol, a Dutch Governor." No sources are given. Her father's circumstances makes this incredible, and nothing was found to support the existence of "Bessol." She was probably one of the four people in her father's household in 1637 and one of the two daughters alive in 1647.
*Elizabeth, b. say 1640 due to her marriage to John Topley or Tapley on 6 December 1663,
which would mean she was born after the marsh/meadow division of 1637 and the second daughter alive in 1647.

1. Town Records of Salem, vol. 1 (Salem, MA: Essex Institute, 1868), 24
2. Town Records of Salem, 1:41.
3. Town Records of Salem, 1:61
4. Town Records of Salem, 1:102.
5. Records and Files of the Essex Quarterly Court [hereafter EQC] vol. 1 (Salem, MA: The Essex Institute, 1911), 4-5.
6. Annals of Salem vol. 2 (Salem, MA: 1849), 184.
7. Sidney Perley, History of Salem (Salem, MA: 1924), 427.
8. EQC, 1:12, "Jno. Pride, pottor" vs. Anthony Buxton; 25 June 1639.
9. EQC, 1:8, 26 June 1638, jury found for Anthony 36 sh. in damages and 4 p. in costs.
10. EQC, 1:8.
11. EQC, 13, 24 September 1638, a jury found for John 3 sh., 4 p in damages and 4 p. in costs, but he was to pay witnesses not named.
12. EQC, 12, 25 Jun 1639.
22, 29 September 1640.
13. Recs of the Gov, 102.
14. Albert Fay, A Glossary of the Mining and Mineral Industry (Washington, DC:1920), 686.
15. EQC, 1:32, 21 Jan 1641/42.
16. EQC, 1:70, 27 Aug 1644.
17. EQC, 72.
18. EQC, 96, 30 June 1646.
19. EQC, 130.
20. EQC, 131. Original mss at MA State Archives, vol. 1638-1648, 225.

Harriet Sylvester Tapley, Genealogy of the Tapley Family (Danvers, MA: The Endicott Press, 1900), Likely William Walton, who served informally as minister for Marlblehead. "Redware refers to a utilitarian style of earthenware pottery using clay with a high iron content, which turns reddish-brown when fired. Though mass-produced redware was made in Europe, the form became especially popular in the American colonies, as the clay was abundant and redware products were affordable. However, redware was also brittle and easily damaged, adding to its rarity today. Before the Revolutionary War, it was illegal for British colonists to make their own goods and offer them for sale, as they were obligated to send raw materials to England, thus generating taxed exports for big businesses like the East India Company. In fact, Americans supplied the Crown with clay, but they also surreptitiously produced their own redware pieces. John Pride, who lived in Salem, Massachusetts, during the mid-17th century, is the first American redware potter known by name. Because redware is very porous, it needs to be waterproofed to be useful for cooking and food storage, and since glazes were typically lead-based, redware vessels would have made any acidic food or beverages quite toxic. For potters who handled the glaze daily, it was frequently deadly."