Fairbanks Love Story, Revolutionary War Patriot Project, and Indentured Servant

Glimpses into Made to Last Forever: A Family, A House, A Nation

A Fairbanks Love Story

Ah, yes. There is a love story in the book, Made to Last Forever, about the original Fairbanks family that came from England to the newly formed Massachussetts Bay Colony in the early 1600s. Hopefully, the book will be published this year. It is progressing nicely.

Valentine’s Day was observed in the 1600s by love letters and poem. Puritans, however, didn’t allow public expression of affection. However, perhaps a letter wouldn’t be so public.

Jonathan and Grace Fairbanks were married at the St. John the Baptist Church in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England in 1617. All six of their children were married in the Massachusetts Bay Colony to spouses in Dedham or nearby towns. But there is one particularly interesting marriage, that of Jonas Fairbanks, the third son of Jonathan and Grace.

Unlike the other children, Jonas didn’t marry at the usual age, in his twenties. He was about 33 years old when he married a 17 year old young lady. She had two older sisters who should have been married before her.

In those days, particularly in the more isolated budding towns with small populations, fathers wanted their older daughters to marry before the younger ones to assure their marraige. How might Jonas contrive to marry the woman he loved even though she had two unmarried older sisters? This will be seen in Made to Last Forever. Many of the factors of arranging the marriage and the wedding are facts from history.

What about courtship? Jonas probably wasn’t with the young lady often in situations conducive to courtship. He likely traveled to the town of the young lady, about 45 miles from Dedham, to help her father found and build the town, another historical fact. Courtships were controlled and never private in the time of the Puritans. Public displays of affection were frowned upon even if a couple were married. A few occasions like finding a red ear of corn at a husking or shelling bees allowed a young man to kiss the lady of his choice in front of the participants at the bee. As restricted as that sounds, a young couple could get into bed together before they were married, if fully clothed and in the company ofa chaperone. This was called bundling.

In Made to Last Forever, I have written three scenes with playful courting activity which actually happened in later generations of the family. I have also included an actual courtship poem from the 1600s that is as much a puzzle and proposal as it is rhyming words. You and the young lady will have to discover the innuendo to this puzzle/proposal.

It was expected that a man would have the means in money, land, and goods to care for a wife and a family before marriage. Jonas was prepared for marriage financially after working at the ironworks and possibly helping make barrels with his brother, George, in Dedham. However, he didn’t have land or a house.

Often parents sought a match between their young adults that would enhance the whole family’s status. Did that pose a problem for Jonas and his chosen bride? The bride’s family were family friends of the Fairbanks.

Lastly, marriage was not a religious rite. The marraige had to be performed by a person licensed by the Massachusetts Bay Colony government. Find out if that posed a problem for Jonas and and his bride.

I can’t wait to share this love story with you in Made to Last Forever: A Family, A House, A Nation.

Fairbanks Revolutionary War Patriot Project

Daniel Bullen

Descendant of Fairbanks and Their Early Indentured Servant, Samuel Bullen

Lineage

Samuel Bullen I, Ephraim Bullen m. Grace Fairbanks II, John Bullen III, Joseph Bullen IV. Daniel Bullen V

Daniel Bullen is suspected to be the Patriot of John and Sue Morgan. He is the sixth great grandfather of John Morgan. John and his wife recalled a Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) marker at his grave at one time, but have not been able to trace his service with documents even through the SAR data- base. Daniel Bullen is not listed as a descendant in Fairbanks Family in America: 1633-1697 by Lorenzo Sayles Fairbanks (LSF) because he doesn’t retain the surname Fairbanks. He is not listed in the Daughter of the American Revolution Records (DAR), probably because he has not been declared a Patriot by someone seeking membership or has not been proven.

Daniel Bullen born April 9, 1756 married Lydia Rawson on June 20, 1784 in Sutton, Worcester, Mass. according to Family Search. Daniel was 19 years old at the time of the Lexington Alarms, so he would have likely served in the Revolutionary War. After the war, Daniel and Lydia are believed to have had at least 3 sons and 6 daughters. Daniel died on July 3, 1831.

The Fairbanks and Bullen Relationship

The Bullen lineage is an interesting relationship for the Fairbanks family. It is believed that Samuel Bullen (abt 1617-1692) was an indentured servant of the Fairbanks early in their settlement in Massachusetts Bay Colony. He evidently completed his indenture in 1640 because he and John Fairbanks, first son of Jonathan and Grace Fairbanks, the original settlers, were accepted as proprietor into Dedham at the same time that year. Samuel married Mary Morse, daughter of another founder of Dedham.

A second tie into the Fairbanks family from John and Susan’s research was that Ephriam Bullen, the son of Samuel and Mary (Morse) Bullen, married a Grace Fairbanks. This Grace, according to WikiTree, was the third daughter of Jonas Fairbanks, the third son of the original Fairbanks settlers.

It is interesting that the Fairbanks and Bullen family married early in history, first generation after the original Fairbanks and Bullens settled in Dedham. This seems to indicate that the relationship between the Fairbanks and their indentured servant, Samuel Bullen, was a good one.

Indentured servants were not slaves. At the time of the Great Migration to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, many couldn’t afford to sail from England to the colonies and bring provisions needed to settle in the New World. Those who couldn’t afford the cost of transportation would indenture themselves or a family member to work for someone who would pay their way and provide for them during their indenture. An indenture tenure was generally 4-7 years.

If the Fairbanks contracted for Samuel Bullen’s services at the time they sailed or at the time of their arrival, depending on the number of years agreed upon, it helps place the Fairbanks in the Massachusetts Bay Colony anywhere from 1633 and 1636.

An indentured servant at that time usually lived with the family. The family provided food, clothing, and many times education. The wife would direct the work of a servant, however, in this case much of the work would be done settling the land which would be directed by the man of the house.

The head of the family would be responsible for the actions of the servant in the community as he was for the rest of his family. Perhaps Jonathan taught Samuel how to work with wood, like he did his own sons during the cold winters when they couldn’t work outdoors. At the end of most indentureships, the servant was given a new suit of clothes. Today, clothes might seem a small recompense for the time given. In the 1600s, a suit of clothes was very expensive and valuable. The indentured servant would sometimes receive small amounts of land and/or goods. It appears that Samuel received land from Dedham as a new proprietor.

Many times there was a written contract made between the servant and master. At the end of the indenture the contract was torn apart indicating the indenture was complete and the servant was free to start his/her own life.

Reverend Joseph Bullen
Daniel’s Brother: same lineage

John and Susan Morgan would also like Reverend Joseph Bullen (1750-1825), Daniel’s brother, recognized as a Revolutionary War Patriot. He would also be a descendant of the Fairbanks, see Daniel Bullen’s lineage. Joseph Bullen is found in the DAR records as #A016846. He can also be found at the SAR website. He served in Vermont as a chaplain. The SAR recognize him for conducting services for the Vermont General Assembly and the Governor and Council in October 1783. He married Hannah Morse and received land for service as a chaplain. He died in Fayette, Jefferson County, Mississippi. They have three children listed on the SAR site.

Summary

We hold love as supreme in decisions of marriage today, but in the 1600s, marriage was often of necessity. A man needed a woman to run his household, a woman needed a man to provide for her. A family expected the marriage to elevate the status of one or both of the families. If a man or woman were married before and had children in that marriage, they needed a husband or wife to support or care for the children left behind when a spouse died. Love may have been of lesser importance. In the instance of Jonas, love seemed to be an important factor in the relationship between him and his future bride.

We can’t always find the facts for our ancestors even with extensive research. If we preserve what we know and share it with others, someday, those facts may surface giving us a more complete picture. This is what John and Susan Morgan hope for their entry of Daniel Bullen as a Patriot. Daniel’s brother, also a descendant, had an interesting part in the Revolutionary War. He was a cleric and is recognized for that work. Many troops were accompanied by a cleric. Religion was very important to them at home and at war.

Samuel Bullen is believed to have been an indentured servant of the original Fairbanks. Often when people hear servant, they consider it a negative relationship. In the 1600s New England in many cases, the servant is working off his transportion and livelihood, both which were very expensive. Often they were treated much like a family member. In most cases, everyone in the family worked. Even a small child had responsibilities. It took many hands and hard work to carve out a new nation.

Next Up !

 Glimpse into Made to Last Forever: A Family, A House, A Nation
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In the Fairbanks Revolutionary War Patriots Project
We’ll recognize Joseph IV, V, and VI of the Jonas line from the Fairbanks of the West