Table Of ContentCHRISTIANITIES IN THE TRANS-ATLANTIC WORLD
Records of Trial from
Thomas Shepard’s Church
in Cambridge, 1638–1649
Heroic Souls
Lori Rogers-Stokes
Christianities in the Trans-Atlantic World
Series Editors
Crawford Gribben
Department of History
Queen’s University Belfast
Belfast, UK
Scott Spurlock
Department of Theology and Religious Studies
University of Glasgow
Glasgow, UK
Building upon the recent recovery of interest in religion in the early
modern trans-Atlantic world, this series offers fresh, lively and inter-
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series will work strategically and systematically to address major but
under-studied or overly simplified themes in the religious and cultural
history of the trans- Atlantic.
The series editorial board includes David Bebbington (University of
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(University of Edinburgh), Andrew Holmes (Queen’s University Belfast),
John Morrill (University of Cambridge), Richard Muller (Calvin
Theological Seminary), Mark Noll (University of Notre Dame), Dana
L. Robert (Boston University) and Arthur Williamson (California State
University, Sacramento).
More information about this series at
http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14892
Lori Rogers-Stokes
Records of Trial from
Thomas Shepard’s
Church in Cambridge,
1638–1649
Heroic Souls
Lori Rogers-Stokes
Arlington, MA, USA
Christianities in the Trans-Atlantic World
ISBN 978-3-030-50844-9 ISBN 978-3-030-50845-6 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50845-6
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A
cknowledgments
An independent scholar is never independent. I began my research in
Arlington, Massachusetts, where Doreen Stevens, then director of the
town’s historic house and museum, welcomed me, then redirected me to
the Andover-Harvard Theological Library. There I received expert assis-
tance from Fran O’Donnell, then curator of manuscripts and archives. It
was from Ms. O’Donnell that I learned the ropes of working with fragile
artifacts; whenever I visit another library I compare their procedures,
watchfulness, and level of care with hers.
Rose Doherty, then president of the Partnership of the Historic
Bostons, took an active interest in my work and suggested me as a speaker
to a wide range of organizations. I am grateful to those generous and
engaged audiences at the Boston Public Library; Lynnfield Historical
Society; New England Historic Genealogical Society; Newport Historical
Society in Rhode Island; Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UMass
Boston; House of Seven Gables in Salem, Massachusetts; Deane Winthrop
House; Massachusetts Historical Society; Historic Newton; and Arlington
Historical Society.
Peggy Bendroth, then executive director of the Congregational Library
and Archives in Boston, also engaged me for a talk; it was there that I
became aware of New England’s Hidden Histories (NEHH), the digitiza-
tion project sponsored by the Library, which is making tens of thousands
of pages of previously lost records from colonial Congregational churches
in New England available online. I began working with Helen Gelinas,
editor-in-chief of NEHH, in 2013, as one of many volunteers. Helen
became a friend as she led me into and through the sink-or-swim
v
vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
immersion process that is transcribing seventeenth- and eighteenth-
century manuscripts, and widened the frame of my scholarship.
I published my first journal article in the New England Quarterly. As an
unpublished public historian, seeking to publish a first article, based on a
contrarian reading of an already well-studied set of records, in a major
academic journal, I might have had many strikes against me. Instead,
Leonard von Morzé and Jonathan Chu gave me fair consideration, and a
moment of great pride when my article appeared in that venerable journal.
I found the Deacon’s Books, whose first nine leaves contain the only
existing Shepard-era records we have from First Church Cambridge, aside
from the records of trial studied here, at the Houghton Library at Harvard.
My thanks go to John Overholt, curator of the Donald and Mary Hyde
Collection of Dr. Samuel Johnson and Early Books and Manuscripts, and
Susan Pyzynski, associate librarian of Houghton Library for Technical
Services, who made themselves available to me time and again as I
expanded my work transcribing these nine leaves.
Ashley Cataldo, now curator of manuscripts at the American Antiquarian
Society (AAS) in Worcester, was an invaluable resource as I transcribed the
Shepard leaves of the Deacon’s Books. She embodies the AAS’ commit-
ment to public scholarship.
The special manuscript collections room of the New England Historic
Genealogical Society (NEHGS) is where the earlier Shepard manuscripts
transcribed by Selement and Woolley are kept. My regular visits to look at
the same small notebook over and over must have aroused some curiosity.
I am grateful to all the staff at NEHGS for their help, but particularly
Timothy Salls, then manager of Manuscript Collections, American
Ancestors & New England Historic Genealogical Society.
David Powers, Lee Wright, and Sarah Stewart are all fellow indepen-
dent scholars who encouraged me, took an interest in my work, pointed
me to resources, and offered advice. David in particular inspires me with
the depth of his scholarship and his robust good cheer. My first talk on the
heroic souls of the Cambridge women was at History Camp Boston, the
un-conference Lee founded, where I got thoughtful questions that helped
shape my thinking. I deeply appreciate Sarah’s evergreen interest in and
deep enthusiasm for the world of the seventeenth-century puritans.
Dorothy Feldman, Rebecca Wolfe, Connie Mooney, Maria Flanagan,
Mae Klinger, and Patricia Garcia-Rios are all non-historians who asked me
good questions and showed real interest in the women who lived in
Cambridge nearly 400 years ago. Their interest confirmed my belief that
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vii
this book has something of value to offer to a general audience, and that
all scholarship should speak to the wider world.
Francis Bremer commented on an early chapter of this book, providing
invaluable feedback. We last met at History Camp Boston, which befits his
tireless and genuine commitment to making history accessible to the gen-
eral public.
When I think about where my scholarly interest in the puritans began,
I quickly locate it in reading James F. Cooper’s book Tenacious of Their
Liberties: The Congregationalists in Massachusetts. Years afterward, I met
Jeff, now director of NEHH, at a Congregational Library event, and he
welcomed the acquaintance in the most generous way. Much of my schol-
arship since then has been touched in some way by Jeff; most crucially, he
read two rounds of drafts of this book. His ability to confirm my deeply
contrarian reading while holding me to my obligation to honor the sec-
ondary literature has been priceless. I’m deeply grateful to Jeff for his
continued friendship and mentorship.
All of my family have followed my scholarly progress with interest, but
I especially thank my parents, Jim and Irene; my brother Jim; my husband
Peter; my son Paul; and my daughter Juliette. Since I was ten years old, my
father has asked me when I was going to write a book; I’m very happy to
tell him that the day has finally come.
c
ontents
1 Re-reading, Re-interpreting, and Recovering Priceless Texts 1
2 Close-Reading the Shepard Manuscripts 39
3 “Venture and Try”: Women Taking the Ultimate Leap of
Faith 81
4 The Shepard Context 103
5 Heroic Souls: Reading the Cambridge Women’s Records 131
6 Conclusion 175
Index 187
ix
l f
ist of igures
Fig. 2.1 Mrs. Crackbone’s narrative. (“Image courtesy of American
Ancestors—New England Historic Genealogical Society”) 49
Fig. 2.2 Close-up of the Crackbone narrative. (“Image courtesy of
American Ancestors—New England Historic Genealogical
Society”) 50
Fig. 2.3 Conclusion of the Crackbone narrative. (“Image courtesy of
American Ancestors—New England Historic Genealogical
Society”) 51
Fig. 2.4 Start of John Stansby’s narrative. (“Image courtesy of
American Ancestors—New England Historic Genealogical
Society”) 52
Fig. 2.5 Christopher Cane’s narrative. (“Image courtesy of American
Ancestors—New England Historic Genealogical Society”) 53
Fig. 2.6 Ruth Ames’ struck-through narrative. (“Image courtesy of
American Ancestors—New England Historic Genealogical
Society”) 54
Fig. 2.7 Q&A in Goodman Daniell’s narrative. (“Image courtesy of
American Ancestors—New England Historic Genealogical
Society”) 55
Fig. 2.8 Close-up of Q&A. (“Image courtesy of American Ancestors—
New England Historic Genealogical Society”) 56
Fig. 2.9 Close-up of Jane Stevenson’s narrative. (AAS “Courtesy
American Antiquarian Society”) 61
Fig. 2.10 Q&A in Jane Stevenson’s narrative. (AAS “Courtesy American
Antiquarian Society”) 61
Fig. 2.11 Heading for Isabell Jackson’s narrative by unknown writer.
(AAS “Courtesy American Antiquarian Society”) 64
xi
