Anne Marbury

  General Notes:

Anne MARBURY, my 10th great grandmother, was the daughter of ReverendFrancis MARBURY and Bridget DRYDEN, and was born in 1591 in Alford,Lincolnshire, England. She married William HUTCHINSON, a merchant, 9 Aug1612 in London. She and her husband came to America in 1634 with ReverendJohn Lothrop's group on the ship "Griffin" and settled in Boston.

No stranger to religion, Anne grew up during the persecution of theCatholics and Separatists under Elizabeth and James I. Her father, Rev.Francis Marbury, had been imprisoned twice for preaching against theincompetence of English ministers, though he later became the rector ofSt. Martin's Vintry, London, rector of St. Pancras, Soper Lane, andfinally rector of St. Margaret's, New Fish Street. He was holding two ofthese offices simultaneously when he died in 1611.

Anne began her involvment with religion quite innocently, using herintelligence to interpret the only book available to her - the Bible. Shehad followed her beloved minister, Reverend John Cotton, whose removal toNew England a year earlier had been "a great trouble to me...I could notbe at rest but I must come hither."

The religious climate in the Massachusetts Bay Colony was oppresive. Asthe colony took hold, ministers emphasized everyone's pious duty to pray,fast and discipline oneself. Noting that the male members of Boston'schurch met regularly after sermons to discuss the Bible, she started tohold similar meetings for women in her own home. At first the womendiscussed the previous Sunday's sermons, but before long Anne begantelling them of her own beliefs which differed from those of the Bostonministers. She attracted hundreds of women - aided by her reputation as askilled midwife - and men, too, soon joined her discussion group.

Brilliant, articulate and learned in the Bible and theology, she deniedthat conformity with the religious laws were a sign of godliness andinisted that true godliness came from inner experience of the HolySpirit. Anne further exacerbated the local elders by claiming that onlytwo Boston ministers were "elect" or saved, John Cotton and herbrother-in-law, John Wheelwright.

Anne's weekly meetings took on a new importance. As many as eighty peoplefilled her house, including "some of the magistrates, some gentlemen,some scholars and men of learning." Among them was Sir Henry Vane, whobecame governor of the colony in 1636. When Anne, with the aid ofGovernor Vane and John Cotton, attemped to have her brother-in-law, JohnWheelwright installed as minister of the Boston chuch, most of thecongregation supported her. But the pastor of the church, Reverend JohnWilson, gave a speech on the "inevitable dangers of separation" caused bythe religious dissensions, and joined with John Winthrop in opposing her.

What started as a religious point of difference grew into a schism thatthreatened the political stability of the colony. To her opponents,questioning the church meant questioning the State. Anne's ideas werebranded as the heresy of "Antinomianism" (a belief that Christians arenot bound by moral law), and her followers became known as "Antinomians".Intended to be derogatory, the term was erroneously applied to Anne'sfollowers, who did not believe that the inner Holy Spirit released themfrom obligation to moral law.

The colonial government moved to discipline her and her numerousfollowers in Boston. In May 1637, Vane lost the governorship to JohnWinthrop. To prevent new Antinomians from settling, he imposed arestriction on immigrants, among them Anne's brother and several of herfriends. In August, eighty-two "heresies" committed by the Antinomianswere read at a synod, and a ban was placed on all private meetings.

But Wheelwright continued to preach and Anne now held her meetings twicea week. In November, Winthop and his supporters filed charges againstAnne and Wheelwright, who were then put on trial for heresy before ameeting of the General Court. Intending to prove that Anne's behavior wasimmoral, Winthrop described her meetings as "a thing not tolerable norcomely in the sight of God, nor fitting for your sex," and accused her ofbreaking the Fifth Commandment by not honoring her father and mother (inthis case, the magistrates of the colony). At this trial, she parried allquestions so well that Edmund S. Morgan, a biographer of Gov. JohnWinthrop, was led to comment that Anne Hutchinson was the governor's"intellectual superior in everything except political judgment; ineverything except the sense of what was possible in this world."Answering deftly, Anne came close to clearing herself of all charges. Butsuddenly, she mentioned that she had had several revelations. The Lordrevealed himself to her, she said, "upon a Throne of Justice, and all theworld appearing before him, and though I must come to New England, yet Imust not fear nor be dismaied," she said. "Therefore, take heed. For Iknow that for this that you goe about to doe unto me," she threatened,"God will ruin you and your posterity, and this whole State." Winthopimmediately replied, "I am persuaded that the revelation she brings forthis delusion." The court voted to banish her from the colony, "as being awoman not fit for our society".

Wheelwright was exiled and shortly left for New Hamphire while Anne wasput under house arrest for the winter to await a church trial in thespring. On March 15, 1638, Anne was brought to trial before the elders ofthe church of Boston. When her sons and sons-in-law tried to speak on herbehalf, John Cotton cautioned them against "hindering" the work of God inhealing her soul. To the women of the congretation he said to be carefulin listening to her, "for you see she is but a woman and many unsound anddayngerous Principles are held by her."

Once her friend, Cotton now turned full force against her, attacking hermeetings as a "promiscuous and filthie coming together of men and womenwithout Distinction of Relation of Marriage," and accused her ofbelieving in free love. "Your opinions frett like a Gangrene and spreadlike a Leprosie, and will eate out the very Bowells of Religion."

Then Reverend Wilson, whom she had once tried to evict from the Bostonchurch, delivered her excommunication. "I doe cast you out and in thename of Christ I doe deliver you up to Satan, that you may learne no moreto blaspheme, to seduce, and to lye."

"The Lord judgeth not as man judgeth," she retored. "Better to be castout of the church than to deny Christ."

Banished from Boston, Anne Hutchinson with her husband, children and 60followers settled in the land of Narragansetts, from whose chief,Miantonomah, they purchased the island of Aquidneck (Peaceable Island),now part of Rhode Island. In March, 1638 they founded the town ofPocasset, the Indian name for that locality; the name "Portsmouth" wasgiven to the settlement in 1639. Here they established that colony'sfirst civil government.

After William's death in 1642, Anne took her children, except for five ofthe eldest, to the Dutch colony in New York. But a few months later,fifteen Dutchmen were killed in a battle between Mahicans and theMohawks. In August, 1643 the Mahicans raided the Hutchinson house andslaughtered Anne and five of her youngest children. Only one youngdaughter who was present, Susanna who was taken captive, survived. (Note:Many older sources insist that ALL of Anne's children except herdaughter, Susanna were killed with her. This is simply not true. SonsEdward, Richard and Samuel were not present, nor were her eldestdaughters, Faith and Bridget, most of whom left numerous descendants.)

The site of Anne's house and the scene of her murder is in what is nowPelham Bay Park, within the limits of New York City, less than a dozenmiles from the City Hall. Not far from it, beside the road, is a largeglacial boulder, popularly called Split Rock from its division into twoparts, probably by the action of frost aided by the growth of a largetree, the stump of which separates the parts. The line of vision of onelooking through the split towards Hutchinson River at the foot of thehill will very nearly cross the site of the house. In 1911 a bronzetablet to the memory of Mrs. Hutchinson was placed on Split Rock by theSociety of Colonial Dames of the State of New York, who recognized thatthe resting place of this most noted woman of her time was well worthy ofsuch a memorial. The tablet bears the following inscription:


ANNE HUTCHINSON
Banished From the Massachusetts Bay Colony
In 1638
Because of Her Devotion to Religious Liberty
This Courageous Woman
Sought Freedom From Persecution
In New Netherland
Near This Rock in 1643 She and Her Household
Were Massacred by Indians
This Table is placed here by the
Colonial Dames of the State of New York
Anno Domini MCMXI
Virtutes Majorum Fillae Conservant
Some twentieth century observers credit Anne Hutchinson with being thefirst American woman to lead the public fight for religious diversity andfemale quality. In his 1971 biography, Eleanor and Franklin, Joseph P.Lash reported that Eleanor Roosevelt began her list of America's greatestwomen with Anne Hutchinson. Anne did indeed use her considerableinfluence as a woman to test the Massachusetts Bay Colony's religioustolerance which, ironically, had been the reason for the settlement.

Anne married William Hutchinson, son of Edward Hutchinson and Susanna Susan Hutchinson, on 9 Aug 1612 in Chapel Rectory, St Martin's Vintry, London, Middlesex. (William Hutchinson was born on 14 Aug 1586 in Alford, Alford Parish, Lincolnshire, England, christened on 14 Aug 1586 in Alford, Lincolnshire, England, died in 1641-1642 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts and was buried in 1642 in Probably Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts.)