Brown-Crocker

The Deposition of Richard Pettingall aged 47 testifyeth that John Webster came to me of a Lords day before the sun was down & charged me and my son to take charge of John Atkinson until he had occasion to call for him. Afterwards wee went to Mr. Thomas his house & John Atkinson him within one preferred m' Thomas that if m' Thomas wold pay month what he owed to him he shold have that Cagg of sturgeon which was now in John Kents boat delivered to him for his use at boston againe but m' Thomas wold not. [Not signed.]
Testified at a meeting of the Commissioners for Small Causes in Newbury Sept. 4, 1667. [Essex Court Files XIII, 49.]

When giving testimony in the court at Hampton (now in New Hampshire), 14(8)1673, he deposed that he was
"about 52 years old;" in 1678, when he took the oath of allegiance, he is said to have been "about 60." The statements were approximate, of course. His testimony at Hampton was in a trial about the rights of certain heirs to Giles Fuller's estate and was, viz.:
Rich. Pettingell aged about 52 years saith yt being very well acquainted wth Giles Fuller of Hampton deceased & wth Mr Fuller of Bastable doctor both in Old
England & here in New England & both told mee they were of Kinn & ye sd Giles Fuller have told mee in old England & now that Matth. Fuller doctor now of Bastable was ye nearest kinsman he had.
"Sworn before ye County Court held att Hampton ye 14: 8 m°- 1673 as attested." Fuller is positively known to have come from Topcroft in Norfolk, England and it is the opinion of one of the Fuller family who has investigated the problem that Pettingell came from Shottesham in the same county. Elsewhere we present an article upon this subject. Richard was a resident of Salem before 1641, and must have been a member of the church for he was admitted to the freemanship of the colony June 2, 1641, a dignity to which none attained at that date except members of the church, recommended by the minister of the place. He had a grant of a lot of land - 10 acres - at "Enon" (after-ward Wenham)and removed to that section, where he resided several years. He was received to the church there by letter from that of Salem 4(6)1649. He witnessed the will of Samuel Smith at Enon 10(5)1642. Richard Pettingell was a man of weight of character, as the following shows: [From the Salem Town Records.]

At a general towne meeting held the sevent day of the fifth month That twoe be appointed every Lords day to walke 1644, ordered, forth in the time of Gods worshippe, to take notice of such as either lye at home, or in the fields w'''out giving good accoiurt thereof, and to take the names of such psons, to present them to the magistrate, whereby they may be accordinglie pceeded against; the names of such as are ordered to doe this service are: [here fol-
ows a list] on the seventh day Richard Pettingell and John Ingersoll.

He again made a change of residence to a place further east, the plantation of Newbury, where he bought a tract of land April 8, 165 1, having sold his houses and lands in Wenham to Samuel Forster. He made his home near what is now known as "The Upper Green," on the high road, on the right-hand
side; part of the house is still standing (1900). The town gave him, in 1651, 14 acres of marsh in consideration of his giving a right of way 4 rods wide through his land, situated on what is now called Ocean avenue (formerly Rolfe's lane). In 1661 Richard Pettingell and others were chosen grand jurymen for the year. In 1665 he was granted an island in Plum Island river near Sandy beach by a committee appointed by the town to settle the dispute between Richard Pettingell and John Emery regarding the division as laid out. He was one of those chosen in 1671 "for a Jury of Tryalls at Ipswich court." July 15, 1695, in separate deeds, he conveyed certain houses and farms in Newbury and other interests to his sons Samuel, Matthew, and Nathaniel. He died shortly after, his wife having died two or three years before. The family became one of much note in Newbury; in the tax list of 1711 we fine the following names of descendants of Richard: Matthew, Matthew, Jr., Nathaniel, Nathaniel, Jr., John, Nicholas, Samuel, Richard, Joseph, Thomas, and the widow Sarah. Daniel and Cutting, of taxable age, were also living in the town, as we believe, In subsequent years, also, the family has been largely represented, as will be seen in the following pages.

He married some time before 1644 Joanna, daughter of Richard Ingersoll (name sometimes written Ingerson and Inkerson), probably by his wife Ann. Richard Ingersoll came from Bedfordshire, England, to Salem in 1629, under contract with the Massachusetts Bay Company to take a place in the force of planters they were gathering. His family was to be brought over, and he was well spoken of by the company's secretary in a letter to Gov. John Endecott. [See Suffolk Deeds, I.] He maintained a ferry at Salem in 1636; had large property. He died in 1644. His will is interesting.

July the 21th: 1644
I Richard Ingerson of Salem in the County of Essex in New England, being weake in body; but through Gods mercye in pfect memorye, doe make this my last will & testament as followeth,
Vidz:
I give to Ann my wife all my estate of lands, goods & chattells, whatsoever, except as followeth
viz:
I give to George Ingerson my son six acres of meddow lying in the great meddow
It. I give to Nathaniel my youngest son a percell of ground with a little frame thereupon, which I bought of John Pe... but if the said Nathaniell dy, without issue of his body lawfully begotten, then the land abovesaid to be equally shared, between John Ingerson my son & Richard Pettingall & William Haines my sons in law:
It. I give to Bathsheba my youngest daughter two cowes.
It. I give to my daughter Alee Walcott, my house at Tow... with ten Acres of upland & the meddow after my wives decease.

RICHARD V INGERSON
his
marke
Witnes
TOWNSEND BISHOP:
I read this will to Richard Ingerson & he acknowledged it to be his will.
Jo: Endecott
Presented in Court upon oath: 2: 11 "°-: 1644 p. me Ralp ffogg.
& Ann Ingersoll made executrix:
this is a true copie compd with the original on file in Salem Court Records atestes Hillvard Verin.

It has been asserted that a certain house at Salem was built by Ingersoll and was the original of the romance by Hawthorne - "House of the Seven Gables." Ann, the widow, married second John Knight, Sen., of Newbury. Some years later litigation arose over the farm her husband had willed her, and in the trial her son-in-law gave the following testimony:
"I, Richard Pettingell, aged About 45 years doe testify
that this fann of land that is now in contriversy was Reserved by the widow Inkersoll to her self before her marriage to John Knight Senior and shee verbally gave this land to John Inkersoll her son. I Richard Pettingell doe farder testify that about the year 52 the said John Knight cam hom too Newbury and tould his wif that hee had promised m' pain sum timber at the lot at frost fish river; she was then troubled at it and said what have you to doe to sell my timber wher upon the said John Knight promised her twenty shillings and the said John Knight Senior did then oun that he had no right in that land." [Essex Court Files,: XIV, 28-32.] Mr. Knight then joined with his wife in conveying the farm to her sons John and Nathaniel Ingerson," as the deed was written by the scrivener.