THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, October 4, 2024 Page 9 ~375th Anniversary of Malden’s Incorporation as a Town ~ Deacon Edward Convers – Co-Founder of Charlestown, Mystic Side & Woburn, and first ferryman of Boston & Charlestown – Part 2 By Inna Babitskaya T he Converse family has left a special mark in Malden's 375year history. The patriarch of the family, Deacon Edward Converse, was among the founders of the Mystic Side (future Malden). His direct descendant, Deacon Elisha Slade Converse, became Malden's first mayor after the city’s incorporation. During the 250th anniversary celebration of Malden, Mayor Converse gave a brilliant speech on the history and prospects of Malden. For over 50 years, Elisha S. Converse devotedly served Malden, following in the footsteps of his illustrious ancestor. Deacon Edward Convers was one of the co-founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of the most respected colonists. As wrote his descendant, William Hill, “Edward Convers has always been regarded as a ever, Edward Convers was well provided financially and could pay for the transatlantic voyage for himself and his family, which, at that time, was a rather expensive enterprise. In 1630, they sailed from England aboard one of the eleven ships of the Winthrop fleet. This was the very beginning of the Great Migration. As a man of vast experience, Edward ConSt. Peter’s church, South Weald, Essex, UK St. Margaret's church, Stanford Rivers, Essex, UK Puritan family England. As well as with his ancestors, place of origin, and parents, there were a lot of discussions regarding Edward Convers’ personal life, including the number of marriages and names of his wives. According to the researchYeoman pioneer and leader.” Like many of his contemporaries, Edward Convers was some kind of enigma, because there was not too much information about his life in England before the immigration. Even the origin of the surname and the family itself were some kind of historical puzzle. Edward Convers was born in 1588/90. But it is still unclear whether his parents were Yeoman Allen Convers and his wife Joanna Convers from South Weald or Allen’s brother Anthony Convers and his wife Clemence Spady from Stanford Rivers. The numerous omissions, errors in records, or even the total absence of information regarding ordinary people were typical for that epoch. All of that contributed to a mystery about Edward Convers’ life in ers, Convers was married three times. First, he married Sarah Parker (1596–1625) at Great Burstead, a small town in Essex. After the wedding, Edward and his wife settled in South Weald, a small parish containing scattered cottages, churches, and a few manors that mostly belonged to the local monasteries. In South Weald were born three older children of Edward and Sarah Convers: Josiah, James, and Mary. After Sarah’s death in 1625, Convers married another woman, also Sarah, who accompanied him and his children to New England, and who was the mother of his youngest son Samuel, the first Convers born in America. A prosperous husbandman and miller, Edward Convers, nevertheless decided to change his life drastically and embark on a dangerous journey across the ocean to begin a new, difficult life in the New World, although he was no longer young at that time—he had crossed the threshold of 40 years. So it was a decision of a mature man and was dictated by the fact that Edward Convers, like his neighbors from Essex, was a Puritan and shared the ideas of their leaders about the purification of Protestantism. Thus, he joined the wave of Puritan immigration. For many, this meant borrowing money to move, traveling as “servant,” and then spending years paying off the debt. Howthrop, Deputy Governor Dudley, Mr. Coddington, Sir Richard Saltonstall, and others decided, “That whosoever shall first give in his name to Mr. Governor that he will undertake to set up a ferry between Boston and Charlestown and shall begin the same at such time as Mr. Governor shall appoint, shall have one penny for each person, and one penny for every hundred weight of goods he shall so transport.” Edward Convers was the first Yeoman's house vers was one of the most active colonists. He was fourth among the first thirteen inhabitants of the newly founded Charlestown. On October 19, 1630, he was included in the list of freemen, and on May 18, 1631, he took the oath of freeman. He and his wife became the first members of the First Church of Boston and later of the Charlestown Church, organized on November 2, 1632. Practically, right after his arrival, Edward Convers could find a new job, becoming the first colonial ferryman. Due to the geographical peculiarities, the most convenient means of communication between the peninsula of Boston and the northern and eastern parts of the colony were ferries. Thus, on November 9, 1630, at a meeting of the Court of Assistants at Boston, Governor Winman to answer the colonial rulers’ request about the ferries. To be continued… (Inna Babitskaya IS A Malden Historian; A Member of Malden Historical Commission; and Author of historical books “From Maldon to Malden”, “Time of Converse”, & “Fellsmere Park – Emerald of Malden”) RON’S OIL Call For PRICE MELROSE, MA 02176 NEW CUSTOMER’S WELCOME ACCEPTING VISA, MASTERCARD & DISCOVER (781) 397-1930 OR (781) 662-8884 100 GALLON MINIMUM Scan QR Code Here! Over 51 5-Star Reviews on Google & (857) 417-1936 Check Engine Light On? We Can Help! Our Services include: * Tune-Up * Lube, Oil & Filter * Tire Services * Exhaust * Transmission * AC / Heating System * Maintenance Open Daily 8AM - 5 PM Closed Sat. & Sun. 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