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Major-General Humphrey Atherton, ( ca.1608 – September 16, 1661) an early settler of Dorchester, Massachusetts, held the highest military rank in colonial New England.〔Adams, William Frederick, William Richard Cutter. ''Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of the state of Massachusetts'', Volume 4. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. 1910. pp. 2646–2647〕〔Pope, Charles Henry. ''The History of the Dorchester Pope Family'', 1634–1888. Published by the author, 1888. p. 322〕 He first appeared in the records of Dorchester on March 18, 1637 and made freeman May 2, 1638.〔 He became a representative in the General Court in 1638 and 1639–41. In 1653, he was Speaker of the House, representing Springfield, Massachusetts. He was chosen assistant governor,〔 a member of the lower house of the General Court who also served as magistrate in the judiciary of colonial government,〔Drake, Samuel Adams. The History of Middlesex County Massachusetts. Estes and Lauriat. 1880. p. 555〕 in 1654, and remained as such until his death."〔Hall, Charles Samuel. ''Hall Ancestry''. G.P. Putnam and Sons. 1896. p. 74〕 He was a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts and held the ranks of lieutenant and captain for several years before rising to the rank of major-general. He also organized the first militia in Massachusetts.〔〔 It is unclear where and when Atherton was born. It is presumed he came from Lancashire, England.〔Woodward, Harlow Elliot. ''Epitaphs from the Old Burying Ground in Dorchester''. Boston Highlands. 1869. p .6〕 He was active in the governance of the colony, taking part in the acquisition of Native American lands,〔 the persecution of Quakers,〔Hazard, Caroline. ''The Narragansett Friends' meeting in the XVIII century: with a chapter on Quaker beginnings in Rhode Island.''Houghton, Mifflin. 1899. Pg. 51〕 and the apprehension and convictions of heretics.〔Martin, George Castor. ''Founder of the Atherton Family of New England''. National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Volume 1, Issue 4. January, 1913〕 His accidental death was seen by the Quakers as a punishment from God for his persecution of them,〔Bishop, George. ''New-England judged, by the spirit of the Lord''. T. Sowle. 1703 pp. 306〕 an idea repeated in a play by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He was one of the most successful land speculators in the New England colonies.〔Martin, John Frederick. ''Profits in the Wilderness: entrepreneurship and the founding of New England towns in the seventeenth century.'' UNC Press Books. 1991 p. 306〕 He and his wife, Mary, had a number of children and several New England families have traced their ancestry to them. He is interred at Dorchester North Burying Ground, one of the oldest cemeteries in New England.〔Walker, G.H. Guide to metropolitan Boston. 1899. p. 66〕 ==Origin and emigration== Humphrey Atherton's date and place of birth are uncertain. It has been presumed by some that he was born in Lancashire, England, because the name Atherton is prominent there.〔 However, genealogist Robert Charles Anderson, in ''The Great Migration'', states that this "does not come close to constituting proof of origin." The date of 1608 is sometimes given as his date of birth because Edmund Atherton of Wigan Lancashire, England died in 1612 leaving, as his heir, a four-year-old son named Humphrey. However, Duane Hamilton Hurd, in ''History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts'' stated that Atherton was 36 years old when he died in 1661.〔Hurd, Duane Hamilton. ''History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts'' J.W. Lewis and Company. 1884. p. 416〕 On the other hand, Charles Samuel Hall in ''Hall Ancestry'', pointed out that when Atherton was made freeman and was granted property in 1638, "he must at that time reached his majority."〔 A descendant of his, Charles H. Atherton, said that Humphrey Atherton, his wife and three young children arrived at the colony in the ship ''James'', August 7, 1635,〔Clapp, Ebenezer. ''The History of the Town of Dorchester''. Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society. 1859. p. 102〕 but there is no record of this.〔 His descendant further said that Atherton and his wife were each about 15 years old when they were married.〔 There is a record of Nathaniel Wales having voyaged on the ''James''. Wales referred to Humphrey Atherton as his "brother-in-law" in his will, so it has been assumed that Atherton's wife, Mary, was Wales' sister. However, the term may have been used because Atherton's daughter, Isabel, was married to Nathaniel Wales, Jr.〔Putnam, Eban. ''Putnam's Historical Magazine'', Volume 7. pp. 98–104〕 The identity of his wife is unknown.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Humphrey Atherton」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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