One of the early Sandwich settlers who has failed to enlist
the serious attention of genealogists is Michael Blackwell. This lack of
attention is probably largely due to the fact that the female descendants who
matured and left issue greatly outnumbered the males. But whatever the cause,
the absence of printed data on this Sandwich family causes unnecessary confusion
to many persons who have attempted to work with the many families which have
intermarried with the Blackwells.
No attempt has been made by the present writers to investigate possible
connections between Michael Blackwell and others of the name in England or
America. It certainly would be interesting to know whether the Sandwich family
was in any way related to the Rulling Elder Francis Blackwell of the Separatist
Church whose recantation William Bradford criticized. Actually it is by no means
certain that the family name was originally Blackwell. The Sandwich list of men
between 16 and 60 able to bear arms in 1643 includes one Myles Black. James
Savage in his Genealogical Dictionary of The First Settlers in New England,
1860, vol. 1, p. 191, says "hardly can I doubt that this man called by
Savage "Michael or Myles Blackwell" is he designated in the Col. list
of those able to bear arms 1643, as Miles Black" (THE REGisTER, vol. 4, p.
257, July 1850). This Question puzzled also Thomas Spooner, the compiler of the
Memorial of William Spooner, 1871, who corresponded with the Rev. Frederick
Freeman author of The History of Cape Cod, 1858. Spooner quotes Freeman as
saying: "The Blackwells of Sandwich were generally called Black. Even since
my remembrance the latter name was used for those who wrote the name Blackwell
and in some early instances of record, the same Liberty was taken. The
progenitor himself is in one instance at least on record as Black" (p:
60:61 footnotes.
It seems to us that the evidence, while not conclusive, strongly suggests that
Miles Black and Michael Blackwell were one and the same person. The reader may
speculate for himself from the data available. Conclusive proof of identity
doubtless would have been found in the Barnstable County land records, but these
were destroyed in the 1827 fire. Fortunately Michael Blackwell and his son, and
grandsons left wills and probate records which are unusually complete. The
earliest reference we find has to do with Miles Blacke who was a creditor in the
amount of 7 shillings due from the estate of William Swift, Sr., 29 Jan. 1642
(Plymouth Colony Probate, Liber 1, p. 44, in May. Des., 8:170, December 1900).
This first reference, by the way, poses a second problem of confusion of
identities, namely.the fact that there was in New England at an early date a
gentleman of some wealth and influence called "Mr. John Blackwell."
This complication will be discussed under the account of John Blackwell. For the
moment it is enough to point out the really extraordinary co-incidence that the
Swift estate should have been indebted to both Miles Black of Sandwich and to
"Mr. Blackwell," since so far as we can find the latter was of Boston
and co. Middlesex, England, and had no interest in Sandwich.
In 1643 Miles Black's name appears on the list of Sandwich men aged between 16
and 60, able to bear arms (The Register, Op. Cit.), but Michael Blackwell's name
does not appear. Yet 7 June 1648 "Mycaell Blackwell" served on the
grand inquest; and the following October "Micaell Blackwell" served as
grand juror in the infanticide case of Alice Bishop (Nathaniel B. Shurtleff,
ed., Records of the Colony of New Plymouth . . . , 2:134, cf. p. 124, where his
name appears as Mycaell Blackwell). An agreement was made 17 Jan. 1652 by the
town of Sandwich "with Daniel Wing & Michael Blackwell for the taking
of fish in Herring River" (Frederick Freeman, "Annals of
Sandwich" in his History of Cape Cod, 1858, 2:50).
"Myles Blacke" was appointed, 3 June 1656, constable of Sandwich
(Shurtleff, op. cit., 3: 100). On the 1658 list of Sandwich land holders the
name of Michaell Blackwell appears, but not that of Miles Black (Freeman, op.
cit., 2:59). Yet it would seem unlikely that the town's constable was not a land
owner. It is interesting to note here that this Miles Black or Blackwell held
the post of Constable in Sandwich immediately preceding the inauguration in 1657
of what Amos Otis called "a system of terrorism" there, under the
enthusiastic leadership of the notorious Sandwich Marshall George Barlow, to
whom the Colony Court gave "full power to act as constable in all things in
the town of Sandwich" (C.- F. Swift, Genealogical Notes of Barnstable
Families, 1888, p. 258-259). No reference is made anywhere that we have seen
which would indicate that Black or Blackwell was involved in persecution of the
Quakers in this period, though the Blackwell family seems to have been active
members of the Sandwich Congregational Church, and not to have had family
connections with the Quaker element.
On 13 June 1660 "A parcell of meadow was granted to Myles BIacke att
Mannomett." And in the following March he and Thomas Burges, Sr., were
brought to court for fraudulently obtaining meadow land there (Shurtleff, op.
cit., 3:194, 208). These entries are perhaps significant in view of the fact
that Michael Blackwell's will refers to land adjoyning Jacob Burges, principal
heir to Thomas Burges, Sr.
We come now to two entries which refer to "Myles Blackwell." The first
shows that "Myles Blackwell" served on the Grand jury 4 Oct. 1664
(Shurtleff, op. cit., 7: 1 19). The second shows that Myls Blackwell was chosen
surveyor of highways in Sandwich 3 June 1668. Oddly enough the same source shows
that Miacaell Blackwell served on the Grand Jury 5 June 1667 (ibid., 4:148,
181). Micacll Blackwell served 5 June 1671 on a committee "to view damage
done to the Indians by the horses and hoggs of the English" (ibid.-, 5:62).
In 1672 "Mr. Edmund Freeman Senr., William Swift, Thomas Wing Senr., Thomas
Dexter Senr., Michaell Blackwell & William Newland were constituted a
committee to go forward in settling & confirming the bounds of the township
with the Sachem of Mannomet . . ." (Freeman, op. cit., 2:67). Joseph Burges
petitioned the Court, 5 June 1673, regarding "a way that goes through lands
of Myles Blackwell ... att Sandwich" (Shurtleff, op. cit., 5:116). The list
of "all those who have just rights to the priviledges of the Town" in
1675 shows Michaell Blackwell and his son John Blackwell, and does -not show a
Miles Black (Freeman, op. cit., 2:68) In 1680 Michaell Blackwell served once
more on the Grand Inquest and in 1672 he took the inventory of the estate of
Edmund Freeman. His will shows that he deeded land in 1705 to his son Joshua and
it is to be inferred that he had done the same for his elder son.
His will is of considerable genealogical value. Firstly, it proves that Michael
Blackwell's wife had predeceased him. It seems strange that there is not the
slightest reference to the wife of either Miles Black or Michael Blackwell.
Secondly, the testator in his intense desire to be the founder of a dynasty
patterned upon the model of the landed gentry of old England gives proof of one
or two relationships which otherwise would have remained obscure, as will be
seen. The Sandwich vital records in the town hall are copies of the originals.
The entry of Michael Blackwell's death reads 6 January, the date of the year
having been torn away, but the careful copy made by the late George E. Bowman of
the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants notes that 1710 was added -
in pencil, and as we now see, this notation is correct (May. Des., 29: 22
footnote, January 1931). With the exception of the son Michael, no dates of the
births or baptisms of Michael Blackwell's children have been found. The order of
birth of the sons is clear from the father's will, although the daughter Jane
(whose husband was born in 1644) may have been older than Michael.
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