Captain John
I have found conflicting information about Henry Huddleston's parents. I ran across this information in ancestry.com, written by someone with the email address of [email protected]. This is what she wrote.
ID: I502180710
Name: John HUDDLESTON
Event: Bona Nova departs Unknown 10 Jul 1621 To Porte Of Middleburrow [Middleburg] In Zealand
Event: Commission granted Unknown 21 Nov 1621 England
Event: saved Plymoth Colony Unknown 1622 Plymoth, VA
Change Date: 18 Sep 2002
Note:
Captain John Huddleston: Council and Company for Virginia. A Commission granted to John Huddleston. November 21, 1621.
(Research):Captain John Huddleston
1622
The deaths of 347 English settlers in Virginia on March 22, 1622, that took place during the uprising of the Powhattan under the leadership of Opechancanough, have been believed to be the reason for the building of the fort at Plymouth. It seems clear, though, that it was the threat of attack from the Narragansett and the Wampanoag which was the initial motivation for building the fort, strongly reinforced by the news from Jamestown. It is not clear as to when the letter from Captain John Huddleston, warning the Plymouth colonists of the massacre, was received. All we know is that it arrived "amidst these straits" (the arrival of Weston's sixty settlers at the end of July and early August 1622, and increasing famine), via a "boat which came from the eastward . . . from a stranger of whose name they had never heard before, being a captain of a ship come there a-fishing." Bradford then reprints the letter, from John Huddleston, whom Morison notes was master of the Bona Nova of 200 tons. Huddleston gave the Plymouth settlers warning of the massacre by Indians which had taken place in Virginia of 400 English. Winslow was sent to meet Huddleston with a letter of appreciation from the Governor, and to ask for any food supplies which he could spare, and Huddleston provided what he could. It was not a great deal, and was given out as daily rations, but it sustained them until harvest, giving the inhabitants a quarter of a pound of bread per day per person, supplemented by whatever else they could get.
This summer they built a fort with good timber, both strong and comely, which was of good defense, made with a flat roof and battlements, on which their ordnance were mounted, and where they kept constant watch, especially in time of danger. It served them also for a meeting house and was fitted accordingly for that use. It was a great work for them in this weakness and time of wants, but the danger of the time required it; and both the continual rumors of the fears from the Indians here, especially the Narragansetts, and also the hearing of that great massacre in Virginia, made all hands willing to dispatch the same.
Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation, p.111
The Sparrow, however, arrived with no provisions for them and a letter from Thomas Weston, the head of the sponsoring merchants. He stated that no further supplies would be forthcoming and requested that seven passengers on the Sparrow, employees of his, be fed until supplies arrived for them later. To their credit they shared their meager stores with the newcomers. Regarding the threatened collapse of the ties with the merchants, this news Bradford kept to himself and a few trusted advisors, fearing the company would lose heart and give up had he not done so.
But the Sparrow also brought a letter from a ship captain off the Newfoundland Banks, Captain Huddleston, warning them of a possible Indian uprising. Sensing a potential friend in a time of dire need, they sailed north to meet Huddleston and seek food, which he gave them free of charge, collecting from other boats in the area what they could spare. This supply enabled the Pilgrims to survive the summer of 1622 until their harvest. It was as if the greed and nastiness of Weston was matched by the generosity of Huddleston and the other ship captains in the area.
In mid-summer two more ships arrived, the Charity and the Swan, both sent by Weston containing settlers he was going to establish near what is now Weymouth, north of Plymouth. This time some food was sent the Pilgrims, but again he asked them to shelter and feed his new company until they could establish themselves. The Pilgrim's harvest, when it arrived, was a great disappointment and starvation for yet another year faced them and their unwanted guests.
Father: Daniel HUDDLESTON
