Holbrook line: Robert Cutler about 1605-1665

 Full confession:  I am not sure of the origins of Robert Cutler.  There are countless trees that say he was born November 17, 1605 in Ipswich, Suffolk, England.  However, Roger Thompson in his book From Deference to Defiance says that he was from Stepney, which is now a part of London.  The two locations are about 78 miles apart.  It's possible that the family had become mobile and moved during Robert's early years, but at this point I would be open to other suggestions as to his origin.  

If he was born in Ipswich, then his parents were Thomas and Anne Doundy Cutler.  He had two wives.  The first was Anne Mayhiew or Mayhew, whom he married in 1623.  The second was Rebecca, whom he married in England, with an uncertain date of 1626 or 1629.  At any rate, he was married for the second time when he arrived in Massachusetts.  

The date of his immigration is variously given as 1635, 1636, or 1638.  Robert Charles Anderson's The Great Migration Directory gives him a date of 1636, and I would certainly not argue with that.  Robert was different from some of our other ancestors.  He seems to have arrived here with a trade (blacksmith) and at least some money.  He likely came with a dream of both economic advantage and freedom to worship as a Puritan, and hoped to raise a God-fearing family here.  

Robert and Rebecca are known to have had at least three children, but there may well be others.  Rebecca lived a long life and three children would have been a very small family for the time.  Many families suffered the loss of several children as infants, who don't always show up in church records.

By 1638, the family was established in Charlestown, although they may have first been in Watertown.  Robert was able to purchase a home and houselot in 1638, and from the first he seems to have been a respected part of the community. He was admitted to the church on the 6th day of the 9th month in 1637, and Rebecca was admitted a few months later.  This made him qualified as a freeman, and he was admitted as such on March 6, 1636/37.  (So it's possible he owned land earlier than the 1638 house purchase.)  

Robert was selected constable in 1645, a selectman in 1653, and in 1658 received from the town 56 acres in woods and 9 1/2 acres in the commons. The taxes he paid that year are among the highest on the listing. In 1659 he was ordained a deacon in the (congregational) church.  He served on various juries and signed petitions asking that first John Clough, and later Walter Edmonds, be licensed to keep a tavern (Clough) and to serve drinks (Edmonds).  

While he was part of the town's civil government, he was also busy building a business.  Somehow, either as a new occupation or in addition to his blacksmithing business, he became what Thompson called a retailer.  From the inventory taken at his death, he seems to have had a lot of textiles, ribbons, and notions on hand.  I am not sure whether this was the extent of his retailing, or whether he also sold other goods.  

Robert died March 7, 1665 in Charlestown.  He left a will and an inventory.  After debts were paid, the estate was valued at a little over 602 pounds, which went to his wife Rebecca, and to son John and daughters Rebecca and Hannah.  The inventory covers three pages, and although much of it is merchandise, we do know he had books, and more household furnishings than many of our other ancestors had in this time period. ( The will and inventory are difficult for me to read, but if you're interested, you can find them on Ancestry.com.  You'll likely have better luck than I did!)

Deacon Robert is an example to our family of courage in leaving his home and crossing the ocean, of service to his community, of obedience to God in his religious life, and of hard work to support his family.  I've enjoyed getting to know this much about him, and wish I could learn more!

The line of descent is

Robert Cutler-Rebecca

Hannah Cutler-Matthew Griffin

Hannah Griffin-Edward Lloyd

Elizabeth Lloyd-John Whittemore

John Whittemore-Lydia Clough

Josiah Whittemore-Lucy Snow

Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster

Mary Elizabeth Foster-Joseph Holbrook

Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown

Loren Holbrook-Etta Stannard

Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Their descendants