Peter Folger

Peter Foulger (d. 1690) was an interpreter of the American Indian language for the first settlers of Nantucket. He was the grandfather of Benjamin Franklin.

He lived in Martha's Vineyard until 1663. He married Mary Morrell (d. 1704) in 1644. Their ninth child, Abiah, married Josiah Franklin. Parents of Ben. Franklin

A likely descendant, J. A. Folger (b 1835) of Nantucket, founded Folgers Coffee.

References

• Franklin, Benjamin; Jared Sparks, William Temple, Franklin, G. F. Storm, Joseph Andrews (1856). The Life of Benjamin Franklin. Boston: Whitman, Niles, and Hall, 543.

Retrieved from "<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Foulger>"

Family

Peter and Mary (Morrill) Folger

Peter FOLGER - b. 1618, Norwich, Norfolk, England; d. 1690, Nantucket, Nantucket Co., MA. Son of John FOLGER and Meribah GIBBS.

A teacher, surveyor, missionary, and interpreter, Peter moved to Martha's Vineyard about 1642 and to Nantucktet about 1657. He was chosen Clerk of Courts at Nantucker on Jul. 21, 1673, serving for a number of years. From his activity as missionary and Baptist preacher, Peter is recognized as a qualifying ancestor by the Society of the Descendants of the Colonial Clergy. His poem "A Looking Glass for the Time" was published Apr. 23, 1676, showing him as an advocate of religious liberty. From The Nantucket Way, by Mooney and Sigourney: "Peter Folger was called 'white chief's old-young man' by the Nantucket Indians, meaning he was wise for his age. Peter was a surveyor, Town clerk, Clerk for the General Court. He ground his own eyeglasses and made the frames. He was a public servant, miller, machinist, blacksmith, schoolmaster, author, poet, and preacher all rolled into one." Married about 1642, Nantucket, Nantucket Co., MA.

The Colonial Clergy and the Colonial Churches of New England

by Frederick Lewis Weis (1936, Lancester, MA), page 86

Peter Folger, b. England 1617/8, son of John Folger of Martha's Vineyard; came to New England with his father from Norwich, Eng., 1635; was in the service of the missionary corporation as assistant to Rev. Thomas Mayhew, Jr., and was left in charge of Mayhew's mission when the latter sailed for England in 1657; missionary to the Indians at Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard, 1656-1661; sett. Nantucket, 1663; grandfather of Benjamin Franklin; was learned in the Indian tongue and served as an interpreter; author of "A Looking Glass for the Times," 1675; d. Nantucket Island 1690.

Closing lines of "A Looking-Glass for the Times; or, The former spirit of New England revived in this generation by Peter Folger (1675)

Thus, reader, I, in love to all, leave these few lines with thee, Hoping that in the substance we shall very well agree. If that you do mistake the verse for its uncomely dress, I tell thee true, I never thought that it would pass the press. If any at the matter kick, it's like he's galled at heart, And that's the reason why he kicks,cbecause he finds it smart I am for peace, and not for war, And that's the reason why, I write more plain than some men do, That use to daub and lie. But I shall cease, and set my name To what I here insert; Because, to be a libeller, I hate it with my heart. From Sherbon town, where now I dwell, My name I do put here; Without offence, your real friend It is Peter Folger.

Married Mary MORRILL - b. 1620, Fowey, Cornwall, England; d. 1704; Nantucket, Nantucket Co., MA.

From The Nantucket Way, by Mooney and Sigourney: "Mary Morrill came to the New World as a bondservant. It is said she so widened out in later years, that she had to sit in a special chair which she carried with her whenever she went visiting neighbors."

”During the voyage, Folger met Mary Morrill, an indentured servant, and apparently fell in love for he spent the next nine years of his life working as a weaver, miller, surveyor, and shoemaker to raise the £20 to buy out her contract and marry her in 1644. Mary had to obtain release from the indenture that bound her by the payment of 20 English pounds, a very large sum in those days. It took all Peter Folger had saved in nine years in the New World, plus all that he could borrow from his father, to secure the liberty of Mary. Throughout his life Peter Folger always boasted that the purchase of his Mary's indenture was the best bargain he had ever obtained.”
”Peter Folger and Mary Morrell appraently met on the ship Abigail in1635 on the voyage from England to America. Mary was an indentured servant to the Reverend and Mrs Hugh Peters. Peter bought Mary's indenture for twenty pounds when Mrs Hughs was returning to England in1644. They were married that year. Peter called her "the best buy"and a "damn fine bargain."

They had eleven children born on Martha's Vineyard. The twelveth, Abiah, born on Nantucket, became the mother of Benjamin Franklin.

Children of Peter and Mary Folger (See Notable Cousins for lines to: Henry Clay FOLGER, James Athearn FOLGER, Benjamin FRANKLIN, Garrison Fletcher HALL, and Lucretia Coffin MOTT.)

• 1. Joanna - b. about 1642, Martha's Vineyard, Dukes Co., MA; d. Jul. 18, 1719, Nantucket, Nantucket Co., MA. She was married in 1666 in Nantucket, Nantucket Co., MA to John COLEMAN (d. before 1715), son of Thomas COLEMAN and Susanna. Children of Joanna and John COLEMAN: John married Priscilla STARBUCK; Jeremiah married his first cousin Sarah PRATT (daughter of Joseph PRATT and Dorcas FOLGER); Thomas married Jane (widow of John CHALLING); Isaac married first Ann REYNOLDS, and second Jane WATSON; Phebe married Gershom CATHCART; Abigail married James TISDALE; Benjamin; Solomon married first Mary MACY, and second Deliverance SWETT.
• 2. Bethiah - b. 1643, Martha's Vineyard, Dukes Co., MA; d. Jun. 6, 1669, Nantucket Co., MA. She was married on Feb. 26, 1667/8 in Nantucket, Nantucket Co., MA to John BARNARD (b. Mar. 2, 1642, Salisbury, Essex Co., MA, d. Jun. 6, 1669, Nantucket, Nantucket Co., MA), son of Robert BARNARD and Joanne HARVEY. Bethiah and John drowned is a boat accident between Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.
• 3. Dorcas - b. 1645, Martha's Vineyard, Dukes Co., MA; d. Dec. 24, 1712; Charlestown, Suffolk Co., MA. She was married on Feb. 12, 1675 in Charlestown, Suffolk Co., MA to Joseph PRATT. Children of Dorcas and Joseph PRATT: Sarah married her first cousin Jeremiah COLEMAN (son of John COLEMAN and Joanna FOLGER); Joseph; Bethia married Sampson CARTWRIGHT; Benjamin; Dorcas died young; Phineas; Joshua; and Lydia.
• 4. Eleazer - b. 1648, Martha's Vineyard, Dukes Co., MA; d. 1716, Boston, Suffolk Co., MA. He was married in 1671 to Sarah GARDNER (b. 1655; d. Oct. 19, 1729, Nantucket, Nantucket Co., MA), daughter of Richard GARDNER (b, 1622; d. Jan. 23, 1688) and Sarah SHATTUCK (b. 1632; d. 1724). Children of Eleazer and Sarah FOLGER: Eleazer married first Bethiah GARDNER, and second Mary MARSHALL; Peter married Judith COFFIN; Sarah married Anthony ODAR; Mary married John ARTHUR; Nathan married Sarah CHURCH; Daniel; and Elisha.
• 5. Bethsheba. Born in 1650 in Martha's Vineyard, Dukes Co., MA. Bethsheba died in Salem, Essex Co., MA. She was married about 1670 to John POPE, son of Joseph POPE and Gertrude. Children of Bethsheba and John POPE: Nathaniel married; Joseph died young; Bathsheba; Gertrude; Joseph; Enos; Eleazer; and Jerusha.
• 6. Patience - b. about 1653, Martha's Vineyard, Dukes Co., MA; d. Jan. 1716/7, Nantucket, Nantucket Co., MA. Married John HARKER. Refer to Caution Note concerning this marriage.
• 7. John - b. Dec 24, 1659, Polpis, Nantucket Co., MA; d. Oct 23, 1732, Nantucket, Nantucket Co., MA. A Miller and farmer of that part of Nantucket called Polpis, he was a member of the Society of Friends. He was married about 1688 in Nantucket, Nantucket Co., MA to Mary BARNARD (b. Feb. 24, 1667, Nantucket, Nantucket Co., MA; d. 1737), daughter of Nathaniel BARNARD & Mary BARNARD. Children of John and Mary FOLGER: Jethro married Mary STARBUCK; Bethiah married Samuel BARKER; Nathaniel married Priscilla CHASE; Jonathan married first Margaret GARDNER, second Deborah PADDOCK, and third Susannah GORHAM; Richard married Sarah PEASE; Shubael married Jerusha CLARK; Abigail married first her first cousin once removed Daniel FOLGER (son of Peter FOLGER and Judith COFFIN), and second Daniel PINKHAM; Zaccheus married Abigail COFFIN; and Hannah.
• 8. Experience - b. 1663, Martha's Vineyard, Dukes Co., MA; d. Aug 23, 1732, Nantucket Co., MA. She married John SWAIN (b. Sep. 1, 1664, Nantucket, Nantucket Co., MA; d. Jan. 29, 1739/40), son of John SWAIN and Mary WYER. Children of Experience and John SWAIN: William married Jemima COFFIN; Priscilla married Daniel BUNKER; John married Mary SWETT; Ruth married first George COFFIN, and second Jonathan UPHAM; Eliakim married Elizabeth ARTHUR; Katherine married Robert WYER; Stephen married Eleanor ELLIS; Hannah married Thomas GARDNER; and George married Love PADDOCK.
• 9. Abiah - b. Jul. 15, 1667, Nantucket, Nantucket Co., MA; d. May 8, 1752, Boston, Suffolk Co., MA. She was married on Nov 25, 1689 as his second wife to Josiah FRANKLIN (b. Dec 23, 1652; d. Jan 16, 1742/3), son of Thomas FRANKLIN (b. Oct 8, 1598; d. Mar 21, 1679/80) and Jane WHITE (b. 1617; d. Oct 30, 1662). Josiah FRANKLIN had first married Ann CHILD, and they had seven children. Children of Abiah and Josiah FRANKLIN: John married Ms. GOOCH; Peter married Mary; Mary married Robert HOMES; James married Anne; Sarah married Joseph DAVENPORT; Ebenezer died young; Thomas died young; Dr. Benjamin FRANKLIN married Deborah READ; Lydia married Robert SCOTT; and Jane married Edward MECOM.

  ---

Peter Folger came to Nantucket in 1663

Peter FOLGER - b. 1618, Norwich, Norfolk, England; d. 1690, Nantucket, Nantucket Co., MA. Son of John FOLGER and Meribah GIBBS. A teacher, surveyor, missionary, and interpreter, Peter moved to Martha's Vineyard about 1642 and to Nantucket about 1657. He was chosen Clerk of Courts at Nantucket on Jul. 21, 1673, serving for a number of years. From his activity as missionary and Baptist preacher, Peter is recognized as a qualifying ancestor by the Society of the Descendants of the Colonial Clergy. His poem "A Looking Glass for the Time" was published Apr. 23, 1676, showing him as an advocate of religious liberty. From The Nantucket Way, by Mooney and Sigourney: "Peter Folger was called 'white chief's old-young man' by the Nantucket Indians, meaning he was wise for his age. Peter was a surveyor, Town clerk, Clerk for the General Court. He ground his own eyeglasses and made the frames. He was a public servant, miller, machinist, blacksmith, schoolmaster, author, poet, and preacher all rolled into one." Married about 1642, Nantucket, Nantucket Co., MA.

 A DENUNCIATION OF WAR

If that the peace of God did rule,
with power in our heart,
Then outward war would flee away,
and rest would be our part.
If we do love our brethren,
and do to them, I say,
As we would they should do to us,
we should be quiet straightaway.
But if that we a smiting go,
of fellow-servants so,
No marvel if our wars increase
and things so heavy go.
'Tis like that some may think and say
our war would not remain,
If so be that a thousand more
of natives were but slain.
Alas! these are but foolish thoughts,
God can make more arise,
And if that there were none at all,
he can make war with flies.
It is the presence of the Lord,
must make our foes to shake,
Or else it's like he will ere long
know how to make us quake.
Let us lie low before the Lord
in all humility,
And then we shall with Asa see
our enemies to fly.
But if that we do leave the Lord,
and trust in fleshly arm,
Then 'tis no wonder if that we
do hear more news of harm.
Let's have our faith and hope in God,
and trust in him alone,
And then no doubt this storm of war
it quickly will be gone.
Thus, reader, I, in love to all,
leave these few lines with thee,
Hoping that in the substance we
shall very well agree.
If that you do mistake the verse
for its uncomely dress,
I tell thee true, I never thought
that it would pass the press.
If any at the matter kick,
it's like he's galled at heart,
And that's the reason why he kicks,
because he finds it smart.
I am for peace, and not for war,
and that's the reason why
I write more plain than some men do,
that use to daub and lie.
But I shall cease and set my name
to what I here insert,
Because to be a libeller,
I hate it with my heart.
From Sherbon town, where now I dwell,
my name I do put here,
Without offence your real friend,
it is PETER FOLGER.
[William P. Trent and Benjamin W. Wells, "Colonial Literature," New York, Thomas Y. Crowell & Co., 1901.]

Came to New England with his father, John Folger (Foulger) in 1635 from Norwich, County Norfolk, England. He was about 18. They settled at Watertown. MA. Moved to Martha's Vineyard in 1642.

Peter taught school and was a surveyor. He assisted Thomas Mayhew in Christianizing the Indians. Became a Baptist. He was the grandfather of Benjamin Franklin.

Peter Folger (1617–1690) was a poet and is more commonly known as the maternal Grandfather of Benjamin Franklin, and was instrumental in the colonization of Nantucket Island in the Massachusetts colony.

Peter Folger was born in Norfolk, England, son of John Folger, in 1617. He came to America in 1635 with his father, settling initially in Watertown, Massachusetts, and later moving to Martha's Vineyard, where he worked as a teacher and surveyor. In 1644 He married Mary Morrill, whom he may have met on the voyage from England. At the Vineyard Folger supported himself by teaching school and surveying land. He also worked with Thomas Mayhew to convert the native American population to Christianity, during which time he learned to speak the native language.

From time to time between 1659 and 1662, Folger journeyed to Nancucket in order to survey it for the proprietors. In 1663 Folger moved to Nantucket full time, having been granted a half a share of land by the proprietors, where he was a surveyor, an Indian interpretor, and clerk in the courts. Shortly thereafter, Folger's daughter, Abiah, was born, later to become the mother of Benjamin Franklin.

A Baptist missionary, teacher, and surveyor his dealings with the native population promoted harmony between the Native Americans and European settlers. His grandson, Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, son of Peter's daughter Abiah, referred to him fondly in his autobiography.

Folger died at Nantucket, Massachusetts in 1690. His wife Mary lived until 1704.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Folger_(1617%E2%80%931690)

When John passed away in 1665 his will excluded his only son Peter, which suggests their relationship may not have been ideal.

Peter himself by that time had moved away to Nantucket and had his own success. Besides a large and thriving family (9 children), Peter kept busy by working as a surveyor, miller, schoolteacher, machinist, blacksmith, eyeglass maker, published author (and poet), interpreter and preacher (sounds a lot like his grandson Benjamin!).

To fulfill his duties as a Baptist preacher – he converted to this very Flemish form of worship (a logical evolution of the Anabaptists) after arriving in the New World – Peter Folger mastered the Wampanoag language to better preach to the native Americans around Nantucket. He espoused religious and ethnic tolerance (in an age of witchcraft trials), demonstrated personal bravery during King Philip’s War (without carrying weapons) and was several times elected to serve as clerk of the court. He was esteemed by his neighbors, jailed for sticking up for the rights of others, respected by the Indians (who called him “white-chief’s old young-man” in recognition of his judiciousness and thoughtful demeanor), and especially adored by his youngest daughter, Abiah.

http://flemishamerican.blogspot.com/2009/02/franklins-flemish-foref...

Peter FOLGER - b. 1618, Norwich, Norfolk, England; d. 1690, Nantucket, Nantucket Co., MA. Son of John FOLGER and Meribah GIBBS. A teacher, surveyor, missionary, and interpreter, Peter moved to Martha's Vineyard about 1642 and to Nantucktet about 1657. He was chosen Clerk of Courts at Nantucker on Jul. 21, 1673, serving for a number of years. From his activity as missionary and Baptist preacher, Peter is recognized as a qualifying ancestor by the Society of the Descendants of the Colonial Clergy. His poem "A Looking Glass for the Time" was published Apr. 23, 1676, showing him as an advocate of religious liberty. From The Nantucket Way, by Mooney and Sigourney: "Peter Folger was called 'white chief's old-young man' by the Nantucket Indians, meaning he was wise for his age. Peter was a surveyor, Town clerk, Clerk for the General Court. He ground his own eyeglasses and made the frames. He was a public servant, miller, machinist, blacksmith, schoolmaster, author, poet, and preacher all rolled into one." Married about 1642, Nantucket, Nantucket Co., MA.

http://kinnexions.com/smlawson/folger.htm#JFolger

I think Peter deserves a "Famous" for writing "A Looking Glass For the Times."
---------------------------
Info from M Camero (#47432545)findagrave member :

The text below is extracted from a biography of Peter Folger. I thought you might want to include it in Peter Folger's memorial.

Scource:

"A Grandfather for Benjamin Franklin" by Meador Press, Boston, 1940. "This is a biography of Peter Folger, the first Folger in Nantucket Island, and of many of his contemporaries, as well as a history of the Island's early days."

The books copyright is in the Public Domain, Google-digitized

Extract:

Peter Folger, the only child of John Folger, 1590-1660, and Meribah Gibbs, accompanied his father to America, arriving at Boston in 1635. Peter and his father settled in Watertown, MA that year. In 1642 Peter, and probably his father too, went to Martha's Vineyard with Thomas Mayhew. He married there in 1644 to Mary Morrill who had been a governess in the family of Hugh Peters and according to tradition a fellow passenger with him from England. Peter bought her from Hugh Peters, to whom she owed service, and paid the sum of 20 pounds which he very gallantly declared "was the best appropriation of money he had ever made."

Whilst at the Vineyard he taught school and also practiced as a surveyor of lands. He also assisted the younger Thomas Mayhew in his work of Christianizing the native Indians. Rev. Experience Mayhew, in a letter to John Gardner, Esq. dated 1694, stated that when Thomas Mayhew, Jr. left for England in 1657, he left the care of his church or mission with Peter Folger. Peter had become a Baptist in his sentiments and after his removal to Nantucket is said to have baptized two persons in Waiptequage pond.

Whilst a resident at the Vineyard he acquired the Indian language, which was of great service to him in business affairs and in enabling him to communicate religeous instruction to the natives. In the summer of 1659, he is said to have accompanied Tristram Coffin and others to Nantucket to serve as an Indian interpreter when they visited the Island to view it about the time of their purchase of the island from Mayhew.

At a meeting of the proprietors of the Island of Nantucket held in Salisbury in the latter part of 1660 or early 1661, fivepersons were chosen to measure and lay out the land, and in the order it is said, ".. that what shall be done by them, or any three of them, Peter Folger being one, shall be accounted legal and valid.". This vote shows the confidence they placed in his judgement and integrity. Peter was there in 1661 and 1662, surveying, and on the 4th of July, 1663, the proprietors of Nantucket granted him half a share of land on Nantucket, or half as much as had those who were one of the twentypurchasers, provided he would "...come to inhabit with his family on the aforesaid island within one year after that date, and attend the English in the way of interpreter between the Indians and them upon all necessary occasions.". He accepted the grant and moved there with his family within the specified time.

On the 21st of July, 1673, he was chosen clerk of courts, which office he held some years.

In his poem "A Looking-Glass for the Times", published on April 23, 1676, he shows himself an advocate for religious liberty and strongly condemns the prosecuting spirit exhibited in New England in his day. Dr. Benjamin Franklin, his grandson and great American patriot, when in England, found no arms for the Folgers at the Herald Office and concluded that they were a Flemish family who came over in the time of Queen Elizabeth.

Peter Folger was the grandfather of Benjamin Franklin through his daughter, Abiah. The line goes: Peter Folger & Mary Morill;their child, Abiah Lee Folger, born 15 Aug 1667 in Nantucket, died 18 May 1752 in Boston, married Josiah E. Franklin, born 23 Dec 1652 in Boston, died 16 Jan 1745 in Boston; their child, Benjamin Franklin, born 6 Jan 1705/1706 in Boston, died 17 Apr 1790 in Philadelphia, married Deborah Reed, born (?), Died (?). Benjamin Franklin was a first cousin seven times removed of Winfield D. Gallup.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=10904442

Biography

Folger, Peter (1617-1690), interpreter and public official in America, was born in Norwich, the son of John Folger and Meriba Gibbs. Little is known of Folger until 1635, when he and his widower father immigrated to Massachusetts. They sailed on the ship Abigail. During the voyage Folger met Mary Morrill, an indentured servant, and apparently fell in love for he spent the next nine years of his life working as a weaver, miller, surveyor, and shoemaker to raise the £20 to buy out her contract and marry her in 1644. Mary had to obtain release from the indenture that bound her by the payment of 20 English pounds, a very large sum in those days. It took all Peter Folger had saved in nine years in the New World, plus all that he could borrow from his father, to secure the liberty of Mary. Throughout his life Peter Folger always boasted that the purchase of his Mary's indenture was the best bargain he had ever obtained.

The couple had nine children that survived infancy. During the 1640s the family moved to Martha's Vineyard, an island settlement that was effectively ruled by the senior and junior Thomas Mayhew. There Folger began a long and prosperous career as an interpreter and cultural intermediary with the American Indian population. At the Mayhews' puritan mission he evangelized the native inhabitants and mastered Algonquian, a major Amerindian language family that would have enabled communication with the vast majority of American Indians in New England. About 1648 the younger Thomas Mayhew extended the mission to nearby Nantucket Island, part of the Mayhew proprietorship, which was home to several thousand American Indians. In 1659 Folger, who was by then familiar with the island through his missionary work, aided a group of white settlers who had purchased the island from the younger Thomas Mayhew in surveying Nantucket. That same year Folger also publicly declared himself a Baptist at a Martha's Vineyard town meeting, which undoubtedly agitated the puritan Mayhews and prompted Folger to move to the more tolerant colony of Rhode Island.

In 1663 Folger returned to Nantucket at the request of the island's proprietors in order to soothe worsening tensions with the native population that had arisen mainly from the interference of the white settlement's cattle with Amerindian crops. As an enticement he was awarded a half share in the proprietorship (full shares were reserved for families of original white settlers). Nantucket was something of an anomaly in the puritan New England context in that established religion did not gain a substantial foothold among the whites until the eighteenth century. The only churches on the island in Folger's time, therefore, were found among the American Indians. In such tolerance Folger comfortably settled his family, acted as an intermediary with the American Indians, and continued his highly successful evangelizing efforts. He also worked as a teacher, surveyor, miller, and farmer, and even served as the clerk of courts.

Folger's greatest triumph as chief diplomat to the American Indians came in 1665, when Metacom 'King Philip', arrived with a number of his warriors in pursuit of John Gibbs. Gibbs, an Amerindian from Nantucket who had recently finished his studies at Harvard, had insulted the powerful Pokanoket sachem by publicly speaking his father's name, Massasoit, which was an offence punishable by death. Gibbs was most likely a close friend of Folger, who had baptized the American Indian and given him the Christian name John Gibbs, which was the name of Folger's maternal grandfather. Neither the Amerindian nor the white population (about 100 people) was in a position to thwart Metacom through force, but Folger intervened to save Gibbs, offering his pursuer a ransom in exchange for Gibbs's life. Metacom agreed, but the people of Nantucket were only able to raise £11-significantly less than he wanted. An angry Metacom threatened to destroy the settlement, but the islanders called his bluff, threatening to attack him unless he departed, which he promptly did. A decade later Metacom led a coalition of Amerindians against New England in what became known as King Philip's War. The brutal fighting saw extensive slaughter and murder on both sides, but did not touch Nantucket.

Folger died on Nantucket Island in 1690. He was survived by a substantial family that would produce a number of prominent American scientists, merchants, and politicians, the most famous of whom was Benjamin Franklin, Folger's grandson.

Marriage

Date: 23 JUN 1642/3 Place: Martha's Vineyard, Dukes Co., Massachusetts

Immigrated 1635.

Father of Abiah Franklin. Grandfather to Ben Franklin.

• Peter Folger Find A Grave Memorial# 10904442

  ---

  
  

from Wendy 8-10-98

The ship was the Abigail, out of Plymouth England, bound for the new world, and the lovers were Peter Folger and Mary Morrill. Peter, then 18 years old,was proficient in mathematics, writing and history and he hoped that his academic training at Norwich Grammer School would enable him to get a job as a clerk to Thomas Mayhew at Watertown, Massachusetts. His father, John Folger, had worked as a mason, carpenter, and cabinetmaker in Norfolkshire and now, with the death of his wife, Meriah Gibbs, earlier in the same year, had embarded on this voyage to the New England Colonies. Mary Morrill was an orphan girl "bound out" to Hugh Peters and his wife. Her indenture had been purchased by Hugh Peters for 20 pounds (roughly $100) and she must serve the Peters family for a given number of years until the indenture expired or was purchased by another. Hugh Peters was a well known independent preacher whose unorthodox teachings brought him into conflict with authorities in England and later, in Holland, where he had fled to escape persecution. The voyage in the Abigail offered him the opportunity to voice his opinions in a new climate. He was headed for Salem Massachusets where he was to assume the pastorate of the church. Upon reaching the new world the lovers found themselves widely seperated, Peter in Watertown and Mary in Salem. HughPeters and his wife were kind to Mary treating her as one of the family.However, 20 pounds was not easily earned and Peter Folger knew that he would have to buy Mary's indenture before entertaining any hope of marriage. It took nine years of hard work and steady saving but at last Peter purchased Mary's indenture and the couple were married on June 23, 1644. Peter and Mary began their married life on Martha's Vineyard where Peter taught school and where he became deeply involved in Indian affairs. He learned the Algonquin Indian language and converted many of the Indians to Christianity. The Indians called him "Shite Chief'sYoung Old Man." In 1659 Peter was asked by a group of men to act as surveyor in a project for developing a settlement on Nantucket Island. He helped to lay out the house lots for the village of Nantucket and to establish boundary lines between land to be owned by the white settlers and that to be retained by the Indians. Later, he served the small community as a weaver, surveyor, blacksmith, keeper of Island records and interpreter of the Indian language. He also found time to write and publish poetry. Peter was a man of principal. His stubborn refusal to give up documents that he feared would be altered to the detriment of the Indians' interests brought him several months in the Nantucket jail until he ws pardoned by the governor.

Meribah Gibbs. John and Perer came from Norwich, Norfolk Co. England to Watertown, MA in 1635. In 1636 Peter went to Martha's Vinyard withThomas Mayhew. In 1663 he went to Nantucket to interpret for Tristram Coffin with the Indians. "Peter Married Mary Morrill in 1644, having bought her of Hugh Peters, to whom she owed service, and paid the sum of 20 pounds which he very gallantly declared was the best appropriation of money he had ever made*".

In Nantucket the Folgers last child, a girl named Abiah, was born. Peter and Mary Folger were the forebearers of many decendants, humble and proud, but the most famous and gifted of all was Abiah's son, Benjamin Franklin. ______________________________________________________________________ _________ Peter and Mary's fifth child a girl, Bethsua married Joseph Pope and resided in Salem, MA. According to "Salem Witchcraft" Vol II, pg. 65, Bethsua was present at many of the Salem Witch trials. It seems she was a fanatic of sorts who ranted and raved at those accused in many of the court proceedings. She was very disturbing in the courtroom. One of Behtsuas daughters, Gertrude married Ebenezer Flint, grandson of Thomas Flint of Salem. ______________________________________________________________________ ___________ From "The Folger Way" by Ruth Waldo Newhall provided by Proctor & Gamble: One of Peter Folgers decendants in Nantucket was Samuel B. Folger, who had early taken up the trade of blacksmith. He had become a master of the trade, and head of a shop which performed major jobs for shipbuilders and harborworks. He invested his profits in a try-works, and bought two ships. He had nine children, and was a prosperous member of the community. Samuel was the father of James A. Folger who at age 24 durring the gold rush years became a full partner in the thriving coffee business, predicessor to Folgers Coffee.

Peter Folger's house lot was on the road extending from Main street west. and about two miles from the Upper Square. It may be readily identified by a monument erected on the site by the Daughters of the American Revolution. in honour of his daughter, Abiah, the mother of Benjamin Franklin.

Peter became a baptist in sentiment and on Nantucket is said to have baptised two persons in Waiptequage pond. One of these was Mary Coffin dau of Tristam, who later became a Quaker minister. Peter published a poem in 1676 "A Looking Glass for the Times" advocating religious liberty and condemning the persecuting attitude in New England. Dr. Benjamin Franklin, his grandson, when in England found no coat of arms for the family, and concluded they were a Flemish family who came over in time of Queen Elizabeth ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- fol´jer , 1617-90, British settler on Nantucket. He was associated with Thomas Mayhew on Martha's Vineyard, becoming missionary, schoolmaster, and surveyor. He moved to Nantucket in 1663, added other duties to those he possessed in Martha's Vineyard, and became a leader in the community. Folger was a Baptist and was opposed to the intolerance of the Massachusetts leaders. He wrote A Looking Glass for the Times (1676), which his grandson, Benjamin Franklin, described as a defense of liberty of conscience in “homespun versewritten with a good deal of decent plainness and manly freedom.”

Bibliography: See F. M. Anderson, A Grandfather for Benjamin Franklin (1940). ______________________________________________________________________ __________ The following notes are from Rootsweb database of Ruth Folger ID I121733215

Name Suffix: I "Peter Folger, son of John, born in England, accompanied his father toAmerica in 1635 to Boston and probably emigrated with him to theVineyard in 1642. He married in 1644 Mary Morrill, who had beenGoverness in the family of Hugh Peters and according to tradition afellow passenger with him from England. Whilst at the Vineyard hetaught school and also practiced as a surveyor of lands. He alsoassisted the younger Thomas Mayhew in his work of Christianizing thenative Indians. Rev. Experience Mayhew, in a letter to John Gardner,Esq. dated 1694, stated that when Thomas Mayhew, Jr. left for Englandin 1657, he left the care of his church or mission with Peter Folger.Peter became a Baptist in his sentiments, and after his removal toNantucket is said to have baptized two persons in Waiptequage pond."

"At a meeting of the proprietors of the Island of Nantucket held inSalisbury in the latter part of 1660 or early part of 1661, fivepersons were chosen to measure and lay out the land, and in the orderit is said, that what shall be done by them, or any three of them,Peter Folger being one, shall be accounted legal and valid. This voteshows the confidence they placed in his judgment and integrity."

"Whilst a resident at the Vineyard he acquired the Indian language, which was of great service to him in business affairs and in enablinghim to communicate religious instruction to the natives."

"In the summer of 1659, he is said to have accompanied as aninterpreter, Tristram Coffin and others who visited the island ofNantucket to view it about the time of the purchase from Mayhew. Hewas there in 1661 and 1662, surveying, and on the 4th of July, 1663, the proprietors of Nantucket granted him half a share of land onNantucket, or half as much as one of the twenty purchasers, providedhe would come to inhabit with his family on the aforesaid islandwithin one year after that date, and attend the English in the way ofinterpreter between the Indians and them upon all necessary occasions.He accepted the grant and moved there with his family within thespecified time."

"On the 21st of July, 1673, he was chosen clerk of the courts, whichoffice he held some years. In his poem--'A Looking-Glass for theTimes,' published in April 23, 1676, he shows himself an advocate forreligious liberty, and strongly condemns the persecuting spiritexhibited in New England in his day. Dr. Benjamin Franklin, hisgrandson, when in England, found no arms for the Folgers at the HeraldOffice, and concluded that they were a Flemish family who came over inthe time of Queen Elizabeth.

Nathaniel Barney says of him * "Peter Folger of whom Cotton Matherspeaks "as a pious and learned Englishman" has been named as theinterpreter for Tristram Coffin Senior when he first visitedNantucket. He was the only child of John Folger, whose wife wasMeribah Gibbs, and came from Norwich, England, a widower, in 1636, having his residence at some time thereafter at Martha's Vineyard.Peter married Mary Morrill in 1644, having bought her of Hugh Peters,to whom she owed service, and paid the sum of 20 pounds, which he verygallantly declared was the best appropriation of money he had evermade. Their children were two sons and seven daughters, the last ofwhom, Abiah, was born at Nantucket the 15th of August, 1669. She was the mother of Dr. Franklin, and her visits to her relatives here werevery frequent, even in her old age. During one of her visitsparticularly she was desirous of a bunch of mint from the garden ofher deceased father. The young man whom she enlisted for the servicewas Thomas Arthur, and on receiving the parcel from his hands she saidto the youth---"I saw that mint placed by my father, in that garden,three score years ago.""

______________________________________________________________________ ________

Lines from "A Looking-Glass for the Times; or, The former spirit of New England revived in this generation" by Peter Folger (1675)

Sure, 'tis not chiefly for those sins

  That magistrates do name, And make good laws for to suppress

  And execute the same.

But 'tis for that same crying sin

  That rulers will not own, And that whereby much cruelty

  To brethren bath been shown.

The sin of persecution

  Such laws established; By which laws they have gone so far

  As blood hath touched blood.

The cause of this their suffering

  Was not for any sin, But for the witness that they bare

  Against babes sprinkling.

The church may now go stay at home,

  There's nothing for to do; Their work is all cut out by law,

  And almost made up too.

If that the peace of God did rule

  With power in our hearts, Then outward war would fall away

  And rest would be our part.

If we could love our brethren

  And do to them, I say, As we would they should do to us,

  We should be quits straightway;

But if that we do smiting go

  Of fellow servants so, No marvel if our wars increase

  And things so heavy go.

'Tis like that some may think and say,

  Our war would not remain, If so be that a thousand more

  Of natives were but slain.

Alas! these are but foolish thoughts;

  God can make more arise, And if that there were none at all,

  He can make war with flies.

It is the presence of the Lord,

  must make our foes to shake, Or else it's like he well ere long

  know how to make us quake.

Let us lie low before the Lord

  in all humility, And then we shall with Asa see

  our enemies to fly.

But if that we do leave the Lord,

  and trust in fleshly arm, Then 'tis no wonder if that we

  do hear more news of harm.

Let's have our faith and hope in God,

  and trust in him alone, And then no doubt this storm of war

  it quickly will be gone.

Thus, reader, I, in love to all,

  leave these few lines with thee, Hoping that in the substance we

  shall very well agree.

If that you do mistake the verse

  for its uncomely dress, I tell thee true, I never thought

  that it would pass the press.

If any at the matter kick,

  it's like he's galled at heart, And that's the reason why he kicks,

  because he finds it smart.

I am for peace, and not for war,

  And that's the reason why, I write more plain than some men do,

  That use to daub and lie.

But I shall cease, and set my name

  To what I here insert; Because, to be a libeller,

  I hate it with my heart.

From Sherbon town, where now I dwell,

  My name I do put here; Without offence, your real friend,

  It is Peter Folger

______________________________________________________________________ __________

Peter Folger and Mary Morrell

   Peter Folger was born, according to Sparks, in 1617. He was the son of John Folger and, perhaps, Meribah Gibbs. According to tradition, Peter came to America with his father in 1635 from Norwich, Norfolk, England. He settled at Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts and then Martha’s Vineyard, Dukes, Massachusetts. He was a missionary and interpreter among the Indians there. Peter married Mary Morrell in 1644. According to tradition, which has been disputed, Mary was an indentured servant of Hugh Peters, Peter “bought her” by paying off her indenture, and Peter stated that she was “the best appropriation of money he had ever made”.

   Around 1663, the Folgers moved to the Island of Nantucket (Massachusetts), where he was among the first settlers. According to Sparks, Peter was “a man of considerable learning, particularly in mathematical science” and was a surveyor in both Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, becoming one of the five commissioners appointed to measure and lay out land on Nantucket. He was a teacher, was “not only well informed in theology, but in political affairs”, served as a clerk of the courts, and supposedly preached (as a Baptist) from time to time.

   Sigourney and Mooney report that Peter was “called ‘white chief’s old-young man’ by the Nantucket Indians, meaning he was wise for his age.” Sparks quotes one Mr. Prince, who mentioned “an able and godly Englishman, named Peter Foulger, employed in teaching the youth in reading, writing, and the principles of religion by catechizing; being well learned likewise in the Scriptures, and capable of helping them in religious matters.” Cotton Mather called Peter “a godly, learned Englishman”. Peter wrote poetry, including A Looking-Glass for Our Times.

   Mary was said to have “widened out in later years” and that, because of that, she had a special chair she carried with her when she visited her neighbors. Peter died in 1690 and Mary died in 1704.

http://www.boydhouse.com/michelle/swain/peterfolger.html ______________________________________________________________________ _______

  There is a tradition in the family, that John Folger, and his son Peter Folger, (the name was then written Foulger) crossed the Atlantic in the same vessel with Hugh Peters, in the year 1635. They came from Norwich, in the county of Norfolk, England. Peter was then eighteen years old, and of course was born in the year 1617. The father and son settled at Martha’s Vineyard. The time is not exactly known, but it is supposed to have been very soon after they came to the country. It has not been ascertained whether John Folger’s wife came with him, or whether she had died in England, and he married again in America. The name of his wife, Meribell, is mentioned in the records of Martha’s Vineyard. He died about 1660. His wife was living in 1663. Peter was his only child.

   In the year 1644, Peter Folger married Mary Morrell, who had been an inmate in Hugh Peters’s family. He resided at Martha’s Vineyard till 1663, when he removed to Nantucket, being among the first settlers of that Island. He was a man of considerable learning, particularly in mathematical science, and he practised surveying both in the Vineyard and Nantucket. He was one of the five commissioners first appointed to measure and lay out the land on the Island of Nantucket; and it was said in the order, that “whatsoever shall be done by them or any three of them, Peter Folger being one, shall be accounted legal and valid.” This mode of wording the order shows the confidence that was placed in his integrity and judgment.

   He acquired the Indian language, and served as interpreter, both in affairs of business, and in communicating religious instruction to the Indians. He rendered assistance in this way to the Reverend Thomas Mayhew, the distinguished missionary at Martha’s Vineyard. Mr. Prince, in his account of Mayhew, says, that he had “an able and godly Englishman, named Peter Foulger, employed in teaching the youth in reading, writing, and the principles of religion by catechizing; being well learned likewise in the Scriptures, and capable of helping them in religious matters.”[6] He is said to have preached on some occasions. There is a long letter from him to his son-in-law, Joseph Pratt, containing religious counsel, with much use of Scripture, according to the practice of those times. Indeed his poem, entitled A Looking-Glass for the Times, published in 1676, shows that he was not only well informed in theology, but in political affairs, such as they then were in New England. He died in 1690, and his widow in 1704.

   The children of Peter and Mary Folger were, 1. Johannah, who married John Coleman. 2. Bethiah, married John Barnard, February, 1668-9. They were both drowned four months afterwards by the upsetting of a boat, while crossing from Nantucket. to the Vineyard. 3. Dorcas, married Joseph Pratt 4. Eleazer born 1648, married Sarah Gardner. 5. Bethshua, married — Pope. 6. Patience, married Ebenezer Harker. 7. John, born 1659, married Mary Barnard. 8. Experience, married John Swain 9. Abiah, born August 15th, 1667, married Josiah Franklin.

   Joseph Pratt lived at one time in Nantucket, but is supposed to have removed to Boston. Some of the descendants of Pope also lived in Boston. John Pope was a physician of some eminence. Joseph Pope was ingenious in mechanics, and constructed the orrery in Harvard College. Robert Pope was a watchmaker, skilful in his art. The other children of Peter Folger and their descendants have nearly all resided in Nantucket. A son of Eleazer, of the same name, served as register of probate forty-seven years, and died in 1753, aged eighty-one. He was succeeded by his son Frederick, who held the same office thirty-seven years, and died in 1790, at the age of sixty-five. Peleg, a brother of Frederick, wrote many pieces in prose and verse, and was distinguished for his piety and estimable character; he died in 1789, aged fifty-five. Nathan, another son of the first Eleazer, had several children. His son Abisha was justice of the peace, and for thirty years represented the town in the legislature. Barzillai, another son of Nathan, commanded a vessel in the London trade. Abisha had a large family of children. Among them were William, George, and Timothy; the last of whom was justice of the peace and a merchant. He took an active part with the patriots at the beginning of the Revolution. There is a portrait of him by Copley. Barzillai likewise had many children. Among them was Walter, a man of great strength of mind, of strict probity and honor, a good mathematician, at one time commander of a vessel, and for many years a merchant and ship-owner. He died much respected in 1826, in the ninety-second year of his age. His son, Walter Folger, known as the astronomer of Nantucket, was born in 1765, and is still living (in 1839). Many years ago be invented and constructed a very ingenious astronomical clock. He also made a telescope with a magnifying power of about five hundred. The above are descendants of Eleazer, the son of Peter. His other son, John, had children, from whom have sprung descendants, but they are less known.

Source: Sparks, Jared, Life of Benjamin Franklin: A Continuation of Franklin’s Autobiography, Boston: Hilliard, Gray, & Co., 1836-40. _____________________________________________________________________

Peter Folger(1617-1690) was a poet and is more commonly known as the maternal Grandfather of Benjamin Franklin, and was instrumental in the colonization of Nantucket Island in the Massachusetts colony.

Peter Folger was born in Norfolk, England, son of John Folger, in 1617. He came to America in 1635 with his father, settling initially in Watertown, Massachusetts, and later moving to Martha's Vineyard,[1] where he worked as a teacher and surveyor. In 1644 He married Mary Morrill, whom he may have met on the voyage from England.[2] At the Vineyard Folger supported himself by teaching school and surveying land. He also worked with Thomas Mayhew to convert the native American population to Christianity, during which time he learned to speak the native language.

From time to time between 1659 and 1662, Folger journeyed to Nancucket in order to survey it for the proprietors. In 1663 Folger moved to Nantucket full time, having been granted a half a share of land by the proprietors, where he was a surveyor, an indian interpretor, and clerk in the courts. Shortly thereafter, Folger's daughter, Abiah, was born, later to become the mother of Benjamin Franklin.[3]

A Baptist missionary, teacher, and surveyor his dealings with the native population promoted harmony between the Native Americans and European settlers. His grandson, Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, son of Peter's daughter Abiah, referred to him fondly in his autobiography.

Folger died at Nantucket, Massachusetts in 1690. His wife Mary lived until 1704.

[edit] Children Peter and Mary Folger had several children:

Joanna, married John Coleman Bethiah, married John Barnard, both died in a boating accident on 6 June 1669 Dorcas, married Joseph Pratt Eleazer (1648- ), married Sarah Gardner Bathshua, married Joseph Pope Patience, married ? Harker and then James Gardner John (1659 - ), Married Mary Barnard Experience, married John Swain, Jr Abiah (15 Aug 1667 - ), married Josiah Franklin and was the mother of Benjamin Franklin

[edit] Works A Looking Glass for the Times, or the Former Spirit of New England Revived in this Generation (1675) A Denunciation of War

[edit] References ^ Trent, William Peterfield; Benjamin Willis Wells (1903). Colonial Prose and Poetry. Thomas Y. Crowell & co.. pp. 111. http://books.google.com/books?id=MTH_udTDkcAC&pg=PA111&dq=peter+folger . ^ New England historical and genealogical register. Samuel G. Drake. 1906. pp. 269. http://books.google.com/books?id=ALIUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA269&dq=peter+folger &as_brr=3. ^ Worron, Harriet B. (1881). "Trustum" and His Grandchildren. http://books.google.com/books?id=yLkpc0vsrrwC&pg=PA36&dq=peter+folger.

• Religion: Baptist
  • Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Mar 1 2018, 1:47:35 UTC

    ---

GEDCOM Note

Category:Norwich, Norfolk Category:Abigail, sailed_July_1635 Category:Nantucket, Massachusetts Category: Nantucket Founders and Descendants Category:Founders Burial Ground, Nantucket, Massachusetts

Biography ==Folger, Peter (1617-1690), interpreter and public official in America,was born in Norwich, the son of John Folger and Meriba Gibbs. Little is known of Folger until 1635, when he and his widower father immigrated to Massachusetts. They sailed on the ship Abigail. During the voyage Folger met Mary Morrill, an indentured servant, and apparently fell in love for he spent the next nine years of his life working as a weaver, miller, surveyor, and shoemaker to raise the £20 to buy out her contract and marry her in 1644. Mary had to obtain release from theindenture that bound her by the payment of 20 English pounds, a very large sum in those days. It took all Peter Folger had saved in nine years in the New World, plus all that he could borrow from his father, to secure the liberty of Mary. Throughout his life Peter Folger always boasted that the purchase of his Mary's indenture was the best bargainhe had ever obtained.

The couple had nine children that survived infancy. During the 1640s the family moved to Martha's Vineyard, an island settlement that was effectively ruled by the senior and junior Thomas Mayhew. There Folger began a long and prosperous career as an interpreter and cultural intermediary with the American Indian population. At the Mayhews' puritan mission he evangelized the native inhabitants and mastered Algonquian, a major Amerindian language family that would have enabled communication with the vast majority of American Indians in New England. About 1648 the younger Thomas Mayhew extended the mission to nearby Nantucket Island, part of the Mayhew proprietorship, which was home to several thousand American Indians. In 1659 Folger, who was by then familiar with the island through his missionary work, aided a group of white settlers who had purchased the island from the younger Thomas Mayhew in surveying Nantucket. That same year Folger also publicly declared himselfa Baptist at a Martha's Vineyard town meeting, which undoubtedly agitated the puritan Mayhews and prompted Folger to move to the more tolerant colony of Rhode Island.
In 1663 Folger returned to Nantucket at the request of the island's proprietors in order to soothe worsening tensions with the native population that had arisen mainly from the interference of the white settlement's cattle with Amerindian crops. As an enticement he was awarded a half share in the proprietorship (full shares were reserved for families of original white settlers). Nantucket was something of an anomaly in the puritan New England context in that established religion did not gain a substantial foothold among the whites until the eighteenth century. The only churches on the island in Folger's time, therefore, were found among the American Indians. In such tolerance Folger comfortably settled his family, acted as an intermediary with the American Indians, and continued his highly successful evangelizing efforts. He also worked as a teacher, surveyor, miller, and farmer, and even served as the clerk of courts. Folger's greatest triumph as chief diplomat to the American Indians came in 1665, when Metacom 'King Philip', arrived with a number of his warriors in pursuit of John Gibbs. Gibbs, an Amerindian from Nantucket who had recently finished his studies at Harvard, had insulted the powerful Pokanoket sachem by publicly speaking his father's name, Massasoit, which was an offence punishable by death. Gibbs was most likely a close friend of Folger, who had baptized the American Indian and givenhim the Christian name John Gibbs, which was the name of Folger's maternal grandfather. Neither the Amerindian nor the white population (about 100 people) was in a position to thwart Metacom through force, butFolger intervened to save Gibbs, offering his pursuer a ransom in exchange for Gibbs's life. Metacom agreed, but the people of Nantucket were only able to raise £11-significantly less than he wanted. An angryMetacom threatened to destroy the settlement, but the islanders called his bluff, threatening to attack him unless he departed, which he promptly did. A decade later Metacom led a coalition of Amerindians against New England in what became known as King Philip's War. The brutal fighting saw extensive slaughter and murder on both sides, but did nottouch Nantucket. Folger died on Nantucket Island in 1690. He was survived by a substantial family that would produce a number of prominent American scientists, merchants, and politicians, the most famous of whom was Benjamin Franklin, Folger's grandson.

Name

: Peter Folger

Birth ===:: APR 1618 Norwich, England<ref name=VRNM>#VRNM|Vital Records of Nantucket</ref>

Marriage

:: 23 JUN 1642/3 Martha's Vineyard, Dukes Co., Massachusetts
:: Children:<ref name=VRNM/><ref>#Grover|Grover</ref> ::# Folger-59|Joanna Folger married Coleman-36|John Coleman ::# Folger-60|Bethia Folger married Barnard-154|John Barnard ::# Folger-67|Dorcas Folger married Pratt-747|Joseph Pratt ::# Folger-61|Eleazer Folger married Gardner-595|Sarah Gardner::# Folger-62|Bathsheba Folger married Pope-846|Joseph "John"Pope ::# Folger-63|John Folger married Barnard-585|Mary Barnard ::# Folger-64|Experience Folger married Swain-11|John Swain.::# Folger-65|Patience Folger married Gardner-593|James Gardner.::# Folger-66|Abiah Lee Folger married Franklin-2|Josiah Franklin.

Notes ===: He had a share of land granted to him in 1663 as a tradesman. His house lot is identified by a fountain erected to the honor of his daughter Abiah, the mother of Benjamin Franklin. It is on the extension of Main Street, nearly two miles west from the Upper Square and bank. He was interpreter of the Indian language, miller, joiner and preacher.

: Peter taught school while at the Vineyard and was also a surveyor ofland. He assisted the younger Thomas Mayhew in his work of Christianizing the native Indians, and in a letter dated 1694, it is stated thatwhen Mayhew went to England in 1657 he left his Mission in the hands of Peter Folger. : Peter became a Baptist and removed to Nantucket Island abt 1660/63. Chosen as one of 5 to lay out & measure the land. He was granted land as payment for acting as interpretor between the Indians and the English on all necessary occasions. On 7/21/1673 he was chosen Clerk of theCourts and held this office for several years. Their house lot was onthe road extending from Main st. West, and about 2 miles from Upper Square. A monument is erected there in honor of his daughter, Abiah, Mother of Benjamin Franklin. Mary died in 1704.

Sources ==* Space:Vital Records of Nantucket, Massachusetts to the Year 1850|Vital Records of Nantucket, Massachusetts to the Year 1850 (NEHGS, Boston, Mass., 1925-1928) P.R. 38: citing "William C. Folger genealogical records in possession of the Nantucket Historical Association." Peter Folger, s. John, "came from the city of Norwich in England in 1638", "Came to Nant. in 1663."::* Vol. 1: Births A-F, Page 465-496: birth of children.::* Vol. 1: Births A-F, Page 497: Peter Folger, h. Mary Morrell, s.John: born ___, 1618 [in England]::* Vol. 4: Marriages H-Z, Page 215: "Morrell (Morrel, Morril), Mary and Peter Folger, s. John: married ___, 1644.::* Vol. 5: Deaths, Page 273: Peter Folger: died ___, 1690.* Grover, Harriet. Space:Highlights of the Folger Family with a Brief Genealogy|Highlights of the Folger Familywith a Brief Genealogy (Berkeley, California, 1939) Page 1-8* Space:American Genealogical-Biographical Index|American Genealogical-Biographical Index, Godfrey Memorial Library, Middletown, CT, USA* Space:Dictionary of National Biography|Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900)* Ancestry Family Trees (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com) Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.

::* https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/58044861/family ::* https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/20194044/family ::* https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/20194044/family

• http://www.bakerancestry.org/public/pedigree/792.htm
• https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=10904442

Footnotes

<references/>

GEDCOM Note

Category:Norwich, Norfolk Category:Abigail, sailed_July_1635 Category:Nantucket, Massachusetts Category: Nantucket Founders and Descendants Category:Founders Burial Ground, Nantucket, Massachusetts

Biography ==Folger, Peter (1617-1690), interpreter and public official in America,was born in Norwich, the son of John Folger and Meriba Gibbs. Little is known of Folger until 1635, when he and his widower father immigrated to Massachusetts. They sailed on the ship Abigail. During the voyage Folger met Mary Morrill, an indentured servant, and apparently fell in love for he spent the next nine years of his life working as a weaver, miller, surveyor, and shoemaker to raise the £20 to buy out her contract and marry her in 1644. Mary had to obtain release from theindenture that bound her by the payment of 20 English pounds, a very large sum in those days. It took all Peter Folger had saved in nine years in the New World, plus all that he could borrow from his father, to secure the liberty of Mary. Throughout his life Peter Folger always boasted that the purchase of his Mary's indenture was the best bargainhe had ever obtained.

The couple had nine children that survived infancy. During the 1640s the family moved to Martha's Vineyard, an island settlement that was effectively ruled by the senior and junior Thomas Mayhew. There Folger began a long and prosperous career as an interpreter and cultural intermediary with the American Indian population. At the Mayhews' puritan mission he evangelized the native inhabitants and mastered Algonquian, a major Amerindian language family that would have enabled communication with the vast majority of American Indians in New England. About 1648 the younger Thomas Mayhew extended the mission to nearby Nantucket Island, part of the Mayhew proprietorship, which was home to several thousand American Indians. In 1659 Folger, who was by then familiar with the island through his missionary work, aided a group of white settlers who had purchased the island from the younger Thomas Mayhew in surveying Nantucket. That same year Folger also publicly declared himselfa Baptist at a Martha's Vineyard town meeting, which undoubtedly agitated the puritan Mayhews and prompted Folger to move to the more tolerant colony of Rhode Island.
In 1663 Folger returned to Nantucket at the request of the island's proprietors in order to soothe worsening tensions with the native population that had arisen mainly from the interference of the white settlement's cattle with Amerindian crops. As an enticement he was awarded a half share in the proprietorship (full shares were reserved for families of original white settlers). Nantucket was something of an anomaly in the puritan New England context in that established religion did not gain a substantial foothold among the whites until the eighteenth century. The only churches on the island in Folger's time, therefore, were found among the American Indians. In such tolerance Folger comfortably settled his family, acted as an intermediary with the American Indians, and continued his highly successful evangelizing efforts. He also worked as a teacher, surveyor, miller, and farmer, and even served as the clerk of courts. Folger's greatest triumph as chief diplomat to the American Indians came in 1665, when Metacom 'King Philip', arrived with a number of his warriors in pursuit of John Gibbs. Gibbs, an Amerindian from Nantucket who had recently finished his studies at Harvard, had insulted the powerful Pokanoket sachem by publicly speaking his father's name, Massasoit, which was an offence punishable by death. Gibbs was most likely a close friend of Folger, who had baptized the American Indian and givenhim the Christian name John Gibbs, which was the name of Folger's maternal grandfather. Neither the Amerindian nor the white population (about 100 people) was in a position to thwart Metacom through force, butFolger intervened to save Gibbs, offering his pursuer a ransom in exchange for Gibbs's life. Metacom agreed, but the people of Nantucket were only able to raise £11-significantly less than he wanted. An angryMetacom threatened to destroy the settlement, but the islanders called his bluff, threatening to attack him unless he departed, which he promptly did. A decade later Metacom led a coalition of Amerindians against New England in what became known as King Philip's War. The brutal fighting saw extensive slaughter and murder on both sides, but did nottouch Nantucket. Folger died on Nantucket Island in 1690. He was survived by a substantial family that would produce a number of prominent American scientists, merchants, and politicians, the most famous of whom was Benjamin Franklin, Folger's grandson.

Name

: Peter Folger

Birth ===:: APR 1618 Norwich, England<ref name=VRNM>#VRNM|Vital Records of Nantucket</ref>

Marriage

:: 23 JUN 1642/3 Martha's Vineyard, Dukes Co., Massachusetts
:: Children:<ref name=VRNM/><ref>#Grover|Grover</ref> ::# Folger-59|Joanna Folger married Coleman-36|John Coleman ::# Folger-60|Bethia Folger married Barnard-154|John Barnard ::# Folger-67|Dorcas Folger married Pratt-747|Joseph Pratt ::# Folger-61|Eleazer Folger married Gardner-595|Sarah Gardner::# Folger-62|Bathsheba Folger married Pope-846|Joseph "John"Pope ::# Folger-63|John Folger married Barnard-585|Mary Barnard ::# Folger-64|Experience Folger married Swain-11|John Swain.::# Folger-65|Patience Folger married Gardner-593|James Gardner.::# Folger-66|Abiah Lee Folger married Franklin-2|Josiah Franklin.

Notes ===: He had a share of land granted to him in 1663 as a tradesman. His house lot is identified by a fountain erected to the honor of his daughter Abiah, the mother of Benjamin Franklin. It is on the extension of Main Street, nearly two miles west from the Upper Square and bank. He was interpreter of the Indian language, miller, joiner and preacher.

: Peter taught school while at the Vineyard and was also a surveyor ofland. He assisted the younger Thomas Mayhew in his work of Christianizing the native Indians, and in a letter dated 1694, it is stated thatwhen Mayhew went to England in 1657 he left his Mission in the hands of Peter Folger. : Peter became a Baptist and removed to Nantucket Island abt 1660/63. Chosen as one of 5 to lay out & measure the land. He was granted land as payment for acting as interpretor between the Indians and the English on all necessary occasions. On 7/21/1673 he was chosen Clerk of theCourts and held this office for several years. Their house lot was onthe road extending from Main st. West, and about 2 miles from Upper Square. A monument is erected there in honor of his daughter, Abiah, Mother of Benjamin Franklin. Mary died in 1704.

Sources ==* Space:Vital Records of Nantucket, Massachusetts to the Year 1850|Vital Records of Nantucket, Massachusetts to the Year 1850 (NEHGS, Boston, Mass., 1925-1928) P.R. 38: citing "William C. Folger genealogical records in possession of the Nantucket Historical Association." Peter Folger, s. John, "came from the city of Norwich in England in 1638", "Came to Nant. in 1663."::* Vol. 1: Births A-F, Page 465-496: birth of children.::* Vol. 1: Births A-F, Page 497: Peter Folger, h. Mary Morrell, s.John: born ___, 1618 [in England]::* Vol. 4: Marriages H-Z, Page 215: "Morrell (Morrel, Morril), Mary and Peter Folger, s. John: married ___, 1644.::* Vol. 5: Deaths, Page 273: Peter Folger: died ___, 1690.* Grover, Harriet. Space:Highlights of the Folger Family with a Brief Genealogy|Highlights of the Folger Familywith a Brief Genealogy (Berkeley, California, 1939) Page 1-8* Space:American Genealogical-Biographical Index|American Genealogical-Biographical Index, Godfrey Memorial Library, Middletown, CT, USA* Space:Dictionary of National Biography|Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900)* Ancestry Family Trees (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com) Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.

::* https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/58044861/family ::* https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/20194044/family ::* https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/20194044/family

• http://www.bakerancestry.org/public/pedigree/792.htm
• https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=10904442

Footnotes

<references/>

GEDCOM Note

[3026504.ged] Moved to Nantucket in 1622 and worked for Thomas Mayhew "It all began with a shipboard romance in the year 1635. The ship was the Abigail, out of Plymouth England, bound for the new world, and the lovers were Peter Folger and Mary Morrill. Peter, then 18 years old, was proficient in maathematics, writing and history and he hoped that his academic training at Norwich Grammer School would enable him to get ajob as a clerk to Thomas Mayhew at Watertown, Massachusetts. His father, John Folger, had worked as a mason, carpenter, and cabinetmaker in Norfolkshire and now, with the death of his wife, Meriah Gibbs, earlier in the same year, had embarded on this voyage to the New England Colonies. Mary Morrill was an orphan girl "bound out" to Hugh Peters and his wife. Her indenture had been purchased by Hugh Peters for 20 pounds (roughly $100) and she must serve the Peters family for a given number of years until the indenture expired or was purchased by another. Hugh Peters was a well known independent preacher whose unorthodox teachings brought him into conflict with authorities in England and later, in Holland, where he had fled to escape persecution. The voyage in the Abigail offered him the opportunity to voice his opinions in a new climate. He was headed for Salem Massachusets where he was to assume the pastorate of the church. Upon reaching the new world the lovers found themselves widely seperated, Peter in Watertown and Mary in Salem. Hugh Peters and his wife were kind to Mary treating her as one of the family. However, 20 pounds was not easily earned and Peter Folger knew that he wuld have to buy Mary's indenture before entertaining any hope of marriage. It took nine years of hard work and steady saving but at last Peter purchased Mary's indenture and the couple wre married on June 23, 1644. Peter and Mary began their married life on Martha's Vineyard where Peter taught school and where he became deeply involved in Indian affairs. He learned the Algonquin Indian language and converted many of the Indians to Christianity. The Indians called him "Shite Chief's Young Old Man." In 1659, Peter was asked by a group of men to act as surveyor in a project for developing a settlement on Nantucket Island. He helped to lay out the house lots for the village of Nantucket and to establish boundary lines between land to be owned by the white settlers and that to be retained by the Indians. Later, he served the small community as a weaver, surveyor, blacksmith, keeper of Island records and interpreter of the Indian language. Peter was a man of principal. His stubborn refusal to give up documents that he feared would be altered to the detriment of the Indians' interests brought him several months in the Nantucket jail until he ws pardoned by the governor. Peter Folger was one of the founding fathers of Nantucket. Peter Folger (1617/18 - 1690) was the only known son of John Folger (ca. 1590/95 - 1664/65), of Flemish decent, who was the first to bear the surname in America. He was born in England and arrived at age 18 in Massachusetts from Norwich, County Norfolk, England, in 1635 on the ship Abigail with his father and his mother Meribah (also Merible, Meribell, Myrable) Gibbs Folger (d.> 1664). John Folger was from the village of Diss, about 20 miles from Norwich, and Meribah Gibbs was from nearby Freyn. She was the daughter of yeoman John Gibbs. The family moved first to Dedham, then Watertown, then to Martha's Vineyard, before finally settling in Nantucket. Peter had two sisters, Ruth and Joanna. In 1842, John Folger and his family were living in Watertown and owned six acres of land. In the same year, they accompanied Rev. Thomas Mayhew, Jr. to Martha's Vineyard, were they bought a house and land. John Folger died about 1660. His wife Meribell was still living in 1664. Peter Folger (who spelled his name *ffoulger*) married Mary Morrill of Salem in 1644. She was an indentured servant in the household of Rev. Hugh Peters (who came to America in the same ship as the Folgers). It is said that he paid her service debt of 20£ to Rev. Peters to secure her freedom. Peter Folger was a decipel of Puritan Thomas Mayhew, Jr., following him to Martha's Vineyard, where he served as Mayhew's accountant and general overseer. Peter Folger was a preacher, surveyor, miller, and blacksmith. While living on Martha's Vineyard, he became a prominent citizen of Edgartown, serving as a town commissioner and schoolmaster. He was also employed by the Commissioners of the United Colonies to teach English and Christianity to Indian children. He was a staunch Anabaptist (now Baptist). At a meeting of the proprietors of Nantucket Island held in Salisbury in late 1660, Peter was chosen as one of five men to lay out the land, which was to be purchased from Mayhew. The previous year, he had accompanied Tristram Coffin and others to Nantucket to view the potential purchase. Peter surveyed the Island during 1661-1662, and on July 4, 1663, was granted half a share. He moved his home to Nantucket in 1663, and there, as he did on Martha's Vineyard, Peter Folger served as an interpreter between the Indians and the English. On July 21, 1673, he was elected clerk of the courts in Nantucket. He died in 1690 and his widow died in 1704. Peter and his wife had at least nine children, all but the youngest born on Martha's Vineyard. They were: Joanna, m. John Coleman, son of Thomas; Bethiah (d. 6 June 1669), m. 26 Feb. 1668 John Barnard (d. 6 June 1669), son of Robert - both drowned; Dorcas, m. 12 Feb. 1675 Joseph Pratt of Charlestown; Eleazur (1648-1716), m. 1671 Sarah Gardner, daughter of Richard and Sarah Eleazer and Sarah Folger had a son named Peter born 28 Aug. 1674., Bathshua, m. Joseph Pope, son of Joseph of Salem; Patience, m. Ebenezer Harker; John (b. 1659), m. Mary Barnard, daughter of Nathaniel Barnard; Experience, m. John Swain, Jr.; and Abiah (15 Aug. 1667- 1752), m. ca. 1690 Josiah Franklin of Boston (23 Dec. 1657 - 16 Jan. 1744/5, emigrated to England ca. 1685 - Abiah was his second wife).

GEDCOM Note

Sources

• Jenkins Gardiner Fan Chart *Our Heritage, privately published, 1955, by H Danforth Starr and Kathryn Starr