Holbrook line: Samuel Eddy, Immigrant, of Plymouth

He wasn't a Mayflower Pilgrim, but there he is, arriving in New England in 1630, probably, and settling in Plymouth Colony.  So he knew our Mayflower ancestors William Brewster, Myles Standish, and Edward Doty.  He was a tailor, so he may even have sewn clothes for them and their families.  How cool is that!  I also find it "cool" that there is quite a bit of material available about him, so let's start at the beginning. 

Samuel Eddy was born on or before May 15, 1608 in Cranbook, Kent, England, the child of William and Mary Fosten Eddy.  If that location and those parents seem familiar, it's because John Eddy, an ancestor on the Allen side of the family, was Samuel's brother.  I've written about John before.  We know little of Samuel's life in England, except that he was a PK, (preacher's kid, for those who don't recognize the initials).  His mother died in 1611 and his father died in 1616, so it's likely that his  guardian, older bother Phineas, was the one who decided that Samuel should learn the trade of a tailor.  We don't know how much schooling Samuel had, but the terms of his father's will said that he was to be educated before being put to a trade.  So presumably he at least had a few years of primary school, and could read and write.

It's believed that Samuel came to New England with his brother John in 1630.  John settled in Watertown but Samuel decided to stay in Plymouth Colony.  He had enough money left from his father's bequest to purchase a home within two years of his arrival.  It's not known for sure when he married, but it was probably around 1635 or 1636 because the children started arriving in 1637.  It is believed, but not for certain, that his wife was Elizabeth Savory.

Samuel and Elizabeth had somewhere between 5 and 8 children, depending on which list you believe.  Robert Charles Anderson in "The Great Migration Begins" credits them with five children, all born between 1637 and 1647.  Life may have been difficult for the two, as they sent at least three of the children to live with others, and to be taught a trade.  It's possible that there was not great call for a tailor in Plymouth, or perhaps there was competition.

Samuel was made a freeman on January 1, 1634/35, and was on the surviving tax lists for many years after.  He apparently had some sort of aptitude for real estate, because he bought several different parcels during his lifetime, and was granted more by the colony.  In 1632/33, his servant, Thomas Brian, ran away but I was not able to learn the resolution of this.  His wife Elizabeth was called to court two different times for being absent from the meeting house on Sunday.  Once she was doing laundry (which may have been a necessity as there was sickness in the house) and once she went to Boston because someone was ill there, and asked for her.  She was admonished, but apparently not punished further, both times.

Samuel was still practicing his tailor trade in 1675/76, because the colony paid him for making uniforms for the soldiers who fought in King Philip's War.   Samuel had been a member of the training band but by the time of this war, he was in his late 60's, and had probably been excused from duty.  Samuel and Elizabeth moved to Swansea, Massachusetts about 1680, and Samuel died there a year later.  He had apparently donated some of his land as a burial ground for his family there, and there are a lot of Eddy wills and estates through the 1700s and later.  Elizabeth died at Swansea in 1689.  I've been unable to locate a copy of the will or estate.

So here is Samuel Eddy, tailor, husband, father, church member, tax payer, and probably a good man.  It would be nice to know more about him, but we have enough information to recognize that he was a valued member of his society and an ancestor worthy of our respect.

The line of descend is:

Samuel Eddy-Elizabeth Savory
Zachariah Eddy-Alice Paddock
Zachariah Eddy-Amphyllis Smith
Elisha Eddy-Sarah Phetteplace
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants