Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

London, Connecticut, on November 28,
1725, and was the daughter of John and
Ruth (Brewster) Pickett. Captain Samuel
Fosdick was born at Charlestown,
Massachusetts, December 15, 1655, and
died at New London, Connecticut, Au-
gust 27, 1702. He served in the Narragansett
War ; was lieutenant of Foot
Company at New London in 1690, and
captain in 1697; was deputy to General
Court in 1694-98, and again in 1700. ''He
was one of the owners of Plum Island,
and had thereon a farm under cultiva-
tion, well stocked and productive." His
residence, in what is now called New
London, was then known as Fosdick's
Neck. His widow married John Arnold.
Captain Samuel Fosdick was the son of
Sergeant John and Anna (Shapley) Fos-
dick, of Charlestown, Massachusetts.
Savage says that John Fosdick was in
Charlestown in 1677, "son off Stephen,
born probably in England, was, I sup-
pose, after of Maiden, and perhaps that
freeman called Serg. Fosdick in 1690;
married, 1648, Ann Shapleigh, perhaps
daughter of Nicholas."
John Pickett, who married Ruth Brews-
ter on March 14. 1651, died at sea while
returning from Barbadoes, August 16,
1667. His estate was inventoried at
eleven hundred and forty pounds, which
ranked him as one of the wealthy merchants
of New London. His widow mar-
ried George Hill.
Ruth Brewster was born October 3,
1631, and died May 1, 1677, daughter of
Jonathan Brewster. He came in the ship
"Fortune" in 1621 ; married Lucretia
Oldham, of Derby, April 10, 1624. He
died August 7, 1659, in Preston, Connecticut,
and is buried in the Brewster ceme-
tery there. She died on March 4, 1678-79.
In Leyden, Jonathan Brewster was a
ribbon-maker. About 1630, he became a
resident of Duxbury, Massachusetts, and
Conn—5—
9
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
125
represented that town in the General
Court in 1639, and also in the four ses-
sions, 1641-44. He was one of the principal
men in the settlement of the town
and in the establishment of its church.
He occasionally practiced before the
Court as an attorney, and is also styled
"gentleman." He also engaged in the
coasting trade, and was master, and
probably owner, of a small vessel ply-
ing from Plymouth along the coast of
Virginia. Thus, he became acquainted
with Pequot Harbor, where he traded
with the Indians. He was "Clarke of the
Towne of Pequitt." In September, 1649,
and in that same month the town granted
him land which is still known as Brews-
ter's Neck. In 1637, he was a military
commander in the Pequot War, and in
1642 was a member of the Duxbury Committee,
to raise forces against the Nar-
ragansetts. He became a member of
Captain Myles Standish's Company in
1643, and on February 25, 1649-50, was
admitted an inhabitant of New London,
Connecticut, settling in that part which
later became Norwich. For the sessions
of 1650, '55, '56, '57 and '58, he ^t as
deputy in the General Court.
"Mrs. Lucretia Brewster, the wife of
Jonathan, was evidently a woman of note
and respectability among her compeers.
She has always the prefix of honor (Mrs.
or Mistress) and is usually presented to
view in some useful capacity—an attend-
ant upon the sick and dying, as a nurse,
doctress or midwife—or a witness to
wills and other important transactions."
Elder William Brewster, father of Jon-
athan Brewster, was born sometime between
the middle of the year 1566 and the
middle of 1567; was educated at ,Peter-
house, Cambridge ; was the assistant of
William Davison, Secretary of State to
Queen Elizabeth until 1657; returned
then to Scrooby, his birthplace, in York-