Stephen Swett, son of John Swett, was baptized 18 April 1620 in Wymondham, Norfolk, England, and came to Massachusetts with his family in 1641 or 1642. He married Hannah Merrill 24 May 1647 in Newbury. On 1 March 1652, he was listed among others acknowledged to be free-holders in the town of Newbury.

27 July 1653: Steven Swett, chosen by the townsmen to keep an ordinary, was granted a license. An ordinary was a house where a set meal was served regularly at the same price. The owners made and sold their own beer. Many ordinaries rented rooms or sleeping spaces, and some also served liquor. Stephen Swett's license was renewed annually, sometimes with and sometimes without permission to sell wine and liquor.

4 April 1662: Hannah, wife of Stephen Swett, died in Newbury.

4 August 1663: Stephen Swett married Rebecca Smith.

1665: Stephen Swett signed a petition to the General Court in which Newbury residents asserted their loyalty to the King.

11 September 1666: A special session of the General Court was held in Boston to consider the continuing difficulties between the colony and the King. Petitions favoring the adoption of conciliatory measures and the repeal of all legislative acts displeasing to the king were presented from several towns. Stephen Swett signed the petition from Newbury.

26 March 1667: Stephen Swett license to draw liquors renewed for one year. This was the last time he had his liquor license renewed.

June 1668: The selectmen and other inhabitants of Newbury petitioned the court at Salem that "Captain Paul White be licensed to sell wine out of dores by retaiale until some man be licensed to keep ordinary here." Apparently, Stephen Swett closed his ordinary when his liquor license expired on 26 March 1668.

1 March 1669: Rebecca, wife of Stephen Swett, died two days after the birth of her last child. At this time his family consisted of: John (20), Hannah (18), Stephen (16), Elizabeth (14), Joseph (12), Benjamin (5), and Rebecca (newborn).

12 March 1670: Stephen Swett sold his house to Hugh Marsh. At last, Hugh Marsh consented to leave his farm and commence tavern keeping on a large scale in the year 1670. His stand, which was, for many years, a noted place, was near the head of Marlborough street, on the spot where Messr. John and Stephen Ilsley now reside. [Coffin's Newbury, 1845] "Stephen Swett's ordinary was afterwards known as the Blue Anchor Tavern. This house, built by him, is still standing and occupied, on the west side of High Street, Newburyport, near the head of Marlborough Street. It has recently been purchased by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. " [Stackpole, published about 1914; he includes a photograph of the house.]

The Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities was founded in 1910. The Swett-Ilsley house was the first property purchased by the Society, in 1911. It is one of 11 such properties that have largely escaped remodeling and restoration, though it has been internally strengthened for preservation. It is unfurnished, to emphasize the architectural data, and may be visited by appointment. The address is 4 High Road, Newbury, MA.

16 March 1670: Stephen Swett was one of those who signed a paper dismissing Thomas Parker as minister, thus siding with Edward Woodman who had led in the election of two ruling elders as replacements for Mr. Parker and the assistant minister, Mr. Woodbridge.

28 March 1671: The court at Ipswich took numerous depositions in the law suit brought by Thomas Parker against Edward Woodman and his party. Because Mr. Woodman's party claimed to have a majority of the members, it was deemed of consequence to establish or refute that claim.

"John Knight and Tristram Coffin testify that it was a minor part of the church that voted for appointing a meeting to hear Mr. Woodman's complaint against Mr. Parker ... Benjamin Rolfe and William Moody did not vote, and Steven Swett ought not vote, because he is an anabaptist and hath not had communion with this church."

Anabaptists did not believe in infant baptism, which was insisted upon by state churches. They re-baptized adults by immersion. In the 1500's, re-baptism was a crime punished by death in many countries, and Anabaptists were hunted like animals. Nevertheless, Anabaptists introduced the ideas of voluntary church membership and the separation of church and state.

After hearing all the testimony, the court decided the actions of Mr. Woodman's party were "high and irregular practices unheard of in this country, exceedingly scandalous and reproachful to the way of the churches here established, destructive to the peace and order of the gospel, threatening ruin and desolation of all order."

The sentence of the court was passed May 29, 1671. All but two of the 41 listed as members of Mr. Woodman's party were fined, in varying amounts. Steven Swett, although his vote did not count, was fined one noble (sixteen shillings, eight pence) plus his share of court costs and fees. Interestingly enough, the list of those who supported Mr. Parker also contained 41 names.

9 May 1674: "Hugh Marsh of Newbury, joiner, & Judith my wife conveys to Stephen Swett, cordwainer, a parcel of land " [description] This apparently was a small parcel of land adjoining the piece of property that Stephen Swett had retained when he sold his ordinary to Hugh Marsh in 1670. This document shows that Stephen Swett was a cordwainer after he stopped keeping an ordinary. A cordwainer was a leather-worker who made things of cordovan, especially shoes. Cordovan is a soft, fine-grained, colored leather, usually of split horsehide, but originally made of goatskin at Cordoba, Spain.

5 March 1676: Election of town officers of Newbury: "Anthony Morse and Stephen Swett, sealers of leather."

29 June 1677: Captain Benjamin Swett, brother of Stephen Swett, was killed in battle with the Indians at Black Point, on the Scarborough Peninsula, in Maine.

1678: All inhabitants over sixteen years of age were required to take an oath of allegiance to the King. Among the 236 men recorded at Newbury there were only two named Swett: Stephen Swett, 58, and his son John Swett, 30.

16 November 1691: Stephen Swett, cordwainer, sold two small parcels of land in Newbury to Hugh Marsh, Jr., "Together with the dwelling house & shopp, fencing, priv. and all." Stackpole says that Stephen Swett sold the house in which he kept an ordinary on 16 November 1691, but evidently not. He sold that house to Hugh Marsh in 1670, kept a small house, and made his living as a cordwainer. He sold the small house and cordwainer's shop to Hugh Marsh, Jr., in 1691.

6 May 1693: Stephen Swett "in consideration of a valuable sum rec'd of my son in law Edward Poor -- which sum was toward my maintenance the time past as also the good security which he hath given me for my maintenance for the time to come, give to him all my freehold & priviledges & common lands in Newbury as also my freehold lott as it was laid out to me in ye upper woods in ye town of Newbury." It amounted to six acres of meadow and six acres of land.

1693: Stephen Swett died late in the year. He is mentioned as deceased in a deposition dated 9 January 1694.

Summary:

The life of Stephen Swett is well documented. He was baptized 18 April 1620 in Wymondham, Norfolk, England, came to Massachusetts with his family about 1641, and married in 1647. He kept an ordinary in Newbury from 1653 to 1668 and the house is still there. After 1668 he made his living as a cordwainer. He was an Anabaptist. Twice a widower, he had ten children, of whom seven survived infancy: John, Hannah, Stephen, Elizabeth, Joseph, Benjamin, and Rebecca.

Submitted by: Ben H. Swett - ben@bswett.com
Website: http://www.swett-genealogy.com