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CHAPTER II

IMMIGRANT JOHN GLASIER

By Bob Glasier

  Such was the situation in England and America in the year 1653-54 when John Glasier, at age 16, along with many others, decided to come to Massachusetts.

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Where did he come from? Some historians believe that he came from Yorkshire, or Hertfordshire, but there is no proof. Others believe he descended from the Glasiers of Lea in Cheshire, and that one of his ancestors was mayor of the town of Chester there. There is no proof but there were indeed Glasier families living in Cheshire in the early 1600's.

Why did he want to come? We don't really know. What we do know is there existed a great economic depression in England and there was a shortage of jobs. Despair was widespread in England . England and the Continent were ravaged by the Thirty Year's War. Families were large in those days and it was increasingly difficult to feed all the children. Some 20,000 people embarked for New England during the Great Migration which began in 1630.

John probably left England because there was little hope for a decent future in England. Some people think he may have been in prison for non-payment of debt. We know that entire families were put in jail for failure to pay taxes.

Whatever the reason, John came to America about the year 1653 as an indentured servant bonded to Samuel Richardson, a deacon of the church, who, along with his brothers, came to Massachusetts Bay from West Mill, Hertfordshire, England, about 1630, and became large landowners in Woburn, about 15 miles northwest of Boston. Woburn was originally part of Charlestown but was set off and incorporated in 1642. The terms of his bond are unknown but we learned that he apprenticed and worked as a shoemaker.


In September 1656 John tried to run away from his master but was caught. He and Master Richardson were summoned and "examined" by Daniel Gookin, Esq. at the Middlesex County Court in Charlestown. Running away was considered only a misdemeanor and John, after offering an apology and paying a fine, was allowed to stay with and continue to serve the Richardson's. It is interesting to note that John signed the deposition as John Glasher. Even more interesting is that John could write his name, albeit phonetically, while his master, Richardson, signed with an "X".

We should remember that in the 17th Century there were few possibilities for schooling available to the masses. The majority of the early settlers were illiterate, unable to read or write. Only a small minority of the population were able to obtain an education. Teachers were non existent in the Puritan era. The ministers were responsible for most teachings and those
were based on the Bible and the writings of Calvin. In any event, writing paper was uncommon and decent writing quills and ink were hard to come by.

In 1657 or 1658 after Samuel Richardson died, John left Woburn for Charlestown. He probably worked there as a shoemaker and became a good citizen. At about 24 years of age in 1661, he met and married Elizabeth George of Charlestown, the granddaughter of John George Sr., the founder of the First Church of Boston.

By 1663 John and Elizabeth were back in Woburn where they made their home. John was familiar with Woburn having lived and worked there in past years. It is recorded that John was taxed in Woburn in 1666 and to encourage him to stay in town, fourteen inhabitants in 1677 gave him land, some 20 acres
located at Wyman's Bridge. The Wyman family were large landowners in Woburn.

John remained in Woburn only a few more years however before moving west to Lancaster soon after the town's resettlement in 1678. The original Lancaster settlement had been sacked and burned by the Indians in 1675-76 during King Philip's War.




Who was King Philip?another English king? No, he was an Indian of the Wampanoag tribe whose father, Chief Massasoit, a friend of the Pilgrims,asked the General Court in Plymouth to give his sons English names. The Court, remembering the kings of ancient Macedon, named the eldest son Alexander and the younger Philip.

Philip became chief after the death of his father and following the murder of his brother Alexander. He was vengeful and feared the steady encroachment of the English settling on their hunting and camping grounds. Philip prepared for war against the colonists, uniting the many tribes in the New England area. Of 90 white settlements in New England, 52 were attacked and plundered, and 12 destroyed by the marauding Indians, including Lancaster. Many people were massacred or captured before Philip was finally surrounded and killed in August 1676.

In Lancaster John purchased Edward Breck's land located near where the old railroad station stood. Breck was one of the first immigrant settlers of old Lancaster and possessed prime land. John and Elizabeth lived on this homestead until his death in 1688 at 51 years of age.

When we read John's last will and testament, written in January 1687, we learn that John names his wife Elizabeth as executrix of his estate, and he recognizes his surviving six sons by name and three daughters, but also states that none should "make sale of any part of the property?that ye estate rest upon ye name of the Glasher forever". John also requested that his "mortal bodie be deacently buried in the deacent burying place in ye town of Lancaster". His gravesite has never been identified.

The inventory of his property taken after his death in 1688 was valued at 105 Pounds, an amount considered modest in those times. More importantly what belongings accounted for this value, besides the land, house and barn. The inventory lists a pair of oxen and heifers, a mare and colt, bushels of rye and corn, hay, hemp and flax, arms and ammunition, cooking kettles and pots of iron and brass, wool, lumber and books. The books are another indication that John and Elizabeth were not completely illiterate. In colonial times people lived with the barest of necessities, few luxuries existed or could be afforded.

What was the cause of his death? There were no coroner's reports in colonial times but it is reasonable to believe that he died of disease or prolonged illness, given that he wrote his will only one year before his death.

The records of Woburn and Lancaster mention the surviving nine children of this marriage. The boys were:

    Zachariah born in 1666
     John Jr. born in 1669
    Samuel born in 1672
    George born in 1676
    Joseph born in 1678
    Benjamin born in 1681

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