Earliest Mystic River ship-building.
‘October 15-1635.
A number of
Dorchester, Mass., families began their journey to
Windsor, Conn., and arrived at their destination just as winter was setting in. Many died of cold and starvation.
In December about 70 adults and children, including some of these emigrants came to
Saybrook from the up-river settlement and took passage for
Boston in the
Rebecca, a vessel of 60 tons burden.’
‘April 26-636.
The possessions of
William Pynchon and others, who settled
Springfield, Mass., were sent to the head of navigation on the
Connecticut, in the
Blessing of the Bay belonging to
Gov. John Winthrop.’
The
Rebecca was owned by
Gov. Mathew Cradock, and was, no doubt, built in
Medford soon after the settlement of the plantation.
The establishment of his men on the
Mystic, extensively employed in the fisheries, caused the building of small vessels therefor, and this leads to the inference that ship-building was commenced on the
Mystic at an early date.
In a letter from the company in
London to the authorities here, dated April 17, 1629, they say, ‘We have sent six shipwrights of whom
Robert Moulton is chief.’ . . .
In another letter, May 28, 1629, they say, ‘The provisions for building ships, as pitch, tar, rosin, oakum,
[p. 72] cordage and sail-cloth in all these ships, with nine firkins and two half-barrels of nails in the
Two Sisters, are two-thirds for the company and one-third for the
Governor,
Mr. Cradock.’. . .
These letters show conclusively that vessels were built in the settlement prior to the building of the
Blessing of the Bay, claimed to have been the first built in
New England.
As
Governor Cradock's location was in
Medford, and the place where his vessels were built, it is fair to consider the
Rebecca the older vessel of the two.
