d.26 Aug 1690 Marshfield, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States
m. 6 Jun 1653
Facts and Events
Little is known of Mary Howland. She was the third daughter of Arthur and Margaret Rood Hosland and was either a child of about eight when the family came to American or was born here almost immediately after their arrival, depending upon the date the crossing was made.
Mary Howland married Timothy Williamson in June of 1653 when she was about 21. He had come to America in 1647 at age 26 and was later licensed to run a small store. They produced a family of eleven children during the 21 years between 1654 and 1675, all born in Marshfield.
The tried and true name of Mary was carried on through both a daughter and a granddaughter. But another daughter, Experience, was given a name typical of so many in the Plymouth Colony -- names based upon traits that the Pilgrims apparently wished their children to embody. Among them were Patience, Hope, Thankful, Reliance, Mercy, Deliverance, Grace, Silence, Desire,Piety, Faithful, Mindswell, Love, Desire, Constant, Remembrance, Freedom, Peace, Humility and Temperance.
As Mary and Timothy raised their large family, both Plymouth Plantation and its several associated settlements were growing rapidly, as was the Massachusetts Bay colony, which was spreading out from Boston. Most of the arrivals by this time were landing in Boston because of its superior harbor. Its population was about 400 when the influx began. Where dozens or hundreds had come before, thousands of immigrants began arriving in New England.
As they pushed further inland, Indian resistance increased and many bloody episodes occurred. Not only were the natives losing their lands to the settlers but European diseases, to which they had no immunity, were almost wiping out whole tribes. One tribe of about a thousand was left with only 50 after an epidemic of smallpox. Understandably, the Indian chief known as King Philip was convinced that the only way his people could survive was to drive the white settlers out. The war that followed saw hundreds of victims massacred on both sides. The Chief's wife and son were captured by the colonists and sold into slavery and he later was fatally wounded. timothy Williamson also was a casualty of the conflict.
Mary died at age 58, 14 years after Timothy had fallen in King Philip's War in 1676. (Taken from: A Family History, by Donovan Faust)