Ferdinando Adams (abt. 1616)

Born about 1616 in England

Husband of Ann (Unknown) Adams — married [date unknown] in England

Died [date unknown] in England

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Ferdinando Adams migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 2) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Ferdinando Adams immigrated to New England between 1621 and 1640 and later departed for England.

Ferdinando Adams was born about 1616 in England. (His birth year is uncertain and the names of his parents are unknown.)

His trade in England was shoemaking.^[1]

In 1636 Ferdinando was a churchwarden at St. Mary-le-Tower in Ipswich, Suffok, England.^[1] (A churchwarden was a layman in the Anglican Church who was responsible for handling legal and secular affairs.^[2]In November of 1635, Rev. Samuel Ward, Ipswich's preacher, had been suspended by the Court of High Commission; which resulted in Ferdinando Adams refusal to unlock the church doors and denying entrance to the authorities during their visitation. Additionally he refused to put the communion table in place of seats against the east wall of the chancel and would not eliminate an inscription of Mark 11:17 from the wall, an inscription which read "My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves." Clement Corbet who was chancellor of the diocese of Norwich told his bishop, Matthew Wren: "We heard . . . of the business concerning Adames. There be too many Adames in that towne, both Ecclesiasticks and Laickes." A court case ensued with Ferdinando Adams being represented by Willam Prynne and Thomas Lechford.^[1]

In 1637 Ferdinando Adams and his wife Ann (_____) left for New England with plans to live in Dedham, Massachusetts Bay. A bond was written by Governor John Winthrop that said he was "under question in some of his majesties Courts for matter of Contempt or misdemeanour, for which some engagement may lye upon others there, for his departure, or some displeasure or damage may arise to the magistrates or others heere for receivinge of him." Adams promised to reimburse any costs in England or New England.^[1]

On January 25, 1639/40 he was admited into the Dedham church a few months after his wife; at which time she gave "very good testimony of the grace of god in him and of his repentance from his distempers which had become offensive." Ferdinando became a freeman on May 13, 1640.^[1]The list of freeman, with Ferdinando Adams name, can be seen in "Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England."^[3]

Evidently a good case was presented to the Dedham church for his return to England for on July 20, 1641 it is said "he had from the elders a testimony of his unblameable conversation among us..." He sailed back to England in August 1641^[4] in the company of Thomas Lechford who had acted as his lawyer in England.^[1]

After his return he sent for his wife, Ann in 1642;^[1]probably their following children (all born and baptized in Dedham) returned with her:

1. Abigail b. 15th day, 7th month, 1639.^[5]
2. Bethia b. 10 day, 4th month, 1640.^[6]
3. Nathaniel (who was born after his father's departure.) He was born the 16th day of the 1st month, 1642.^[7]

Nothing more is known about Ferdinando Adams after his return to England.^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7} Susan Hardman Moore. "Abandoning America, Life-Stories From Early New England." The Boydell Press. 2013. p. 31, 32. purchase from publisher or find in a library (WorldCat).
2. ↑ The Free Dictionary[https://www.thefreedictionary.com/churchwarden link
3. ↑ Shurtleff, Nathaniel Bradstreet. "Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England" W. White printer (1853). Vol. 1, p. 377. see at archive.org
4. ↑ Robert Charles Anderson. "The Great Migration Directory, Immigrants to New England, 1620 - 1640" The New England Historic Genealogical Society (2015) p. 2. link for purchase
5. ↑ The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1847-. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2018.) "Register of Births in Dedham" Vol. 1 (1847) , p. 99. subscribers$
6. ↑ The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1847-. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2018.) "The Register of the Births and Burialls in Dedham from the Yeare 1635 vnto the Yeare 1643." Vol. 4, p. 274. subscribers$
7. ↑ Don Gleason Hill. "The Records of the Births, Marriages and Deaths in the Town of Dedham" Dedham, Mass. 1886. Vol. 1, p. 2. see at archive.org

See also: sources from "The Great Migration Directory:"

• "Winthrop Papers, 1548-1623" Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston. The Merrymount Press, Boston, Mass., U.S.A. July 1, 1943. Vol. 3, pp 349-340. see at archive.org
• DeTR 1:32
• DeCHR22, 36, 37