Background
John Underhill was born onOctober 7, 1597 in the family of John and Honor (Pawley) Underhill, originally of Kenilworth, Warwickshire. His father was a military adventurer in the Dutch service.
(Excerpt from Nevves From America, or a New and Experiment...)
Excerpt from Nevves From America, or a New and Experimentall Discoverie of New England: Containing, a True Relation of Their War-Like Proceedings These Two Yeares Last Past, With a Figure of the Indian Fort, or Palizado; Also a Discovery of These Places, That as Yet Have Very Few or No Inhabitants At a meeting of the Underhill Society of America, held on May 18th, 1901, the above coat-armor was adopted by a unanimous vote as the coat-armor of the Underhill Society, and that it be only used by the consent Of the Society. This coat-armor, so far as known, has never appeared in print. The discovery of its existence was made in the impression in the seahng wax on the Indians Deed Of 1667, con veying 150 acres Of land by; the Indians to Captain John Underhill. This was evidently made by a seal owned by Capt. John Underhill, and placed there by his own hands A photograph was taken Of this sealing wax, and an outline Of the Coat Armor was produced upon the negative from which this design was made. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
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John Underhill was born onOctober 7, 1597 in the family of John and Honor (Pawley) Underhill, originally of Kenilworth, Warwickshire. His father was a military adventurer in the Dutch service.
John, "bred to arms" in the Netherlands, evidently received little education. He was "a Cadet in the guard" of the Prince of Orange and an apt pupil in a great military school.
In 1630 he moved to Boston to help organize the militia of the Massachusetts Bay.
The Boston church accepted him (Aug. 27, 1630); the colony appointed him, with Daniel Patrick, captain of the militia, voted him supplies and money, and allotted him land; and, in 1634, the town chose him one of its first selectmen.
In colonial military affairs he encountered popular apathy and insufficient supplies, and in an effort to enlarge the military stores he went to England in the winter of 1634-35. When Indian troubles arose, Underhill helped in avenging Oldham's death at Block Island (August 1636).
Lent to Saybrook Plantation in April 1637, he cooperated with Mason's Connecticut forces in destroying Mystic Fort and scattering the Pequots.
Underhill had allied himself with the Antinomians and signed the petition in behalf of the Rev. John Wheelwright; the orthodox party was now in control, and Underhill was received as a seditious person.
He spent the winter of 1637-38 in England and published in 1638 Nevves from America.
Returning to Boston, he was accused of making contemptuous speeches and was brought before the General Court which, for "his gross & palpable dissimulation & equivocation, " banished him (Sept. 6, 1638).
He fled to Dover just in time to escape a church trial for adultery.
At Dover, he organized a church of which Hanserd Knollys became pastor, secured the governorship, and scorned Massachusetts' claims upon the region and Boston's summons for a church trial.
Before the Boston church (Mar. 5, 1640), he confessed to adultery; but his repentance was judged insincere, and he was excommunicated.
Subsequently, however, he satisfied the church and on Sept. 3, 1640, he was reinstated; shortly afterwards (Oct. 7, 1640) the General Court suspended his sentence of banishment and on June 2, 1641, repealed it.
Offers from New Amsterdam tempted him, but he yielded temporarily to pleas to move to Stamford, Connecticut, which in 1643 he represented in the New Haven Court.
Soon afterwards, being employed by the Dutch to fight Indians, he acquitted himself well, moved to Long Island, and later became member of the Council for New Amsterdam and schout of Flushing.
(Excerpt from Nevves From America, or a New and Experiment...)
He adopted the outward forms of Puritanism, but he displayed little of the moral stamina which characterized the Puritan fathers.
Quotes from others about the person
Matthews' American Armoury and Blue Book:"Captain John Underhill, 1597–1672, of Boston, 1630, Governor of Piscataqua Plantation. He had previously served in the British Army in the Netherlands, in Ireland, and at Cadiz. Arms - Argent, on a chevron sable, between three trefoils slipped vert, as many bezants. Crest - on a mount vert a hind lodged or. "
On December 12, 1628, he married Helena de Hooch. After his wife's death in 1658, he married Elizabeth Feake, probably became a Quaker, and moved to Oyster Bay, establishing an estate (Killingworth) on land given by the Indians. He had two daughters and one son from his first wife and three daughters and two sons from the second one.