John Underhill (1609-1672) was an early English colonist in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and a soldier in that and other colonies. He is most noted for his part in two slaughters of Indians; one in the Pequot War of 1637, the other on Long Island in 1644. // Events April 4 – King of Spain signs an edit of expulsion of all moriscos from Spain April 9 – Spain recognizes Dutch independence May 23 - Official ratification of the Second Charter of Virginia. ... Events England, France, Munster and Cologne invade the United Provinces, therefore this name is know as ´het rampjaar´ (the disaster year) in the Netherlands. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ... The Massachusetts Bay Colony (sometimes called the Massachusetts Bay Company, for the institution that founded it) was an English settlement on the coast of North America in the 1600s, centered around the present-day city of Boston, which is now in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, one of the 50 United... The Pequot War in 1637 saw the virtual elimination of the Pequot Indians as a tribe. ... Events February 3 - Tulipmania collapses in Netherlands by government order February 15 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor December 17 - Shimabara Rebellion erupts in Japan Pierre de Fermat makes a marginal claim to have proof of what would become known as Fermats last theorem. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... // Events February to August - Explorer Abel Tasmans second expedition for the Dutch East India Company maps the north coast of Australia. ...

The Bay Colony

As a young man he lived with his mother as part of the group of English Puritan exiles in Holland. While there he received military training in the service of Philip William, the Prince of Orange. He also married a Dutch girl, Helena (Heylken) de Hooch on December 12, 1628 in The Hague. The Puritans were members of a group of English Protestants seeking further reforms or even separation from the established church during the Reformation. ... Holland is a region in the central-western part of the Netherlands. ... // The Principality of Orange The title originally referred to the sovereign principality of Orange in the valley of Rhone in southern France, which was a property of the House of Orange (1544 House of Orange-Nassau). ... December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events March 1 - writs were issued in February 1628 by Charles I of England that every county in England (not just seaport towns) pay ship tax by this date. ... Arms of The Hague The Hague (with capital T; Dutch: Den Haag, or officially s-Gravenhage) is the administrative capital of the Netherlands, located in the west of the country, in the province South Holland of which it is also the capital. ...

In 1630 the couple emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony with John Winthrop. Underhill was to have the role of organizing the colony's militia. He was named Captain of the militia. In May of 1634 he was appointed to the General Court, and in July was elected a selectman for Boston. He started the first construction of the fortification on Castle Island at Boston. Events February 22 - Native American Quadequine introduces Popcorn to English colonists. ... The Massachusetts Bay Colony (sometimes called the Massachusetts Bay Company, for the institution that founded it) was an English settlement on the coast of North America in the 1600s, centered around the present-day city of Boston, which is now in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, one of the 50 United... John Winthrop was the name of several prominent figures in colonial New England. ... Events Moses Amyrauts Traite de la predestination is published Curaçao captured by the Dutch Treaty of Polianovska First meeting of the Académie française The witchcraft affair at Loudun Jean Nicolet lands at Green Bay, Wisconsin Opening of Covent Garden Market in London English establish a settlement... For other instances of Boston, see Boston (disambiguation) Boston is the capital and largest city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. ...

Early in 1636 he was sent to Salem to arrest Roger Williams who was viewed by the Puritans as a heretic. But, Williams had already fled to Rhode Island. In August he led an expedition to Block Island. Events February 24 - King Christian of Denmark gives an order that all beggars that are able to work must be sent to Brinholmen Island to build ships or as galley rowers March 26 - Utrecht University founded in The Netherlands. ... Seal of Salem, MA Salem is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts. ... Roger Williams (December 21, 1603 – April 1, 1684) was an Anglo-American theologian, a notable proponent of the separation of Church and State, an advocate for fair dealings with Native Americans, founder of the City of Providence, Rhode Island and a co-founder of Rhode Island. ... State nickname: The Ocean State, Little Rhody Other U.S. States Capital Providence Largest city Providence Governor Donald Carcieri (R) Senators Jack Reed (D) Lincoln Chafee (R) Official languages None Area 4,005 km² (50th)  - Land 2,709 km²  - Water 1,296 km² (32. ... Block Island, shown in red, off the coast of the State of Rhode Island Block Island is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, a fragment of glacial terminal moraine approximately ten miles off the coast of Rhode Island, of which it is part, and from which it is separated by...

The Pequot War

In September of 1637 he headed the militia as it marched out to the Pequot War. They first went to the Fort at Saybrook. Joining with Mohegan allies, and Connecticut militia under Captain John Mason, they attacked the Pequot fortified village near modern Mystic. They set fire to the village, killing any who attempted to flee. About 400 Pequots died here. He led other expeditions that joined in hunting down the surviving Pequots. Events February 3 - Tulipmania collapses in Netherlands by government order February 15 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor December 17 - Shimabara Rebellion erupts in Japan Pierre de Fermat makes a marginal claim to have proof of what would become known as Fermats last theorem. ... Old Saybrook is a town located in Middlesex County, Connecticut. ... The Mohicans were, during the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century, a functional confederation of several branches of Native Americans. ... A coffeeshop along Main Street in Mystic Mystic is a census-designated place located in New London County, Connecticut. ...

The Wandering Years

But, within a year of these exploits, he in his turn, fell to the Puritan drive for conformity. He had signed a petition supporting minister John Wheelwright, who had been censured for a sermon. After briefly returning to England, he joined Wheelwright in his colonial venture at Dover, New Hampshire. Dover is a small city located in Strafford County, New Hampshire, in the United States of America. ...

He didn't last here, in spite of a brief term as governor of the Dover Colony. By 1642 he had settled at Stamford, Connecticut. In 1643, he represented them in the assembly of the New Haven Colony. But this location also didn't work out, and he moved on to the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam. Events January 4 - Charles I attempts to arrest five leading members of the Long Parliament, but they escape. ... City motto: The City that Works State  - County Connecticut Fairfield Mayor Dannell Malloy Area  - % water 139 km² (52. ... // Events January 21 - Abel Tasman discovers Tonga February 6 - Abel Tasman discovers the Fiji islands. ... Dutch Revival buildings from the early 20th century on Pearl Street in lower Manhattan recall the Dutch origins of the city. ...

Dutch Service

In May of 1644 he took up residence in New Amsterdam. His plot of land is now the site of Trinity Church in Manhattan. Later that year he led New Amrsterdam's forces in a reprise of his attack during the Pequot War. The Indians on Long Island built a fort called Fort Neck in what is now Massapequa. Underhill attacked and burned the Massapequan fort, killing about 120 Indians. The war started because the leader of the Indians Tackapausha claimed he sold the Dutch use to the land, but not the land. In 1648 he moved to Flushing, since the colony's director Peter Stuyvesant had appointed him sheriff of Flushing. He served as magistrate there starting in 1651. // Events February to August - Explorer Abel Tasmans second expedition for the Dutch East India Company maps the north coast of Australia. ... Trinity Church Close-up of Trinity Church Trinity Church, at the corner of Broadway and Wall Street in New York City, viewed from the World Trade Center A glimpse of New York from Trinity Church steeple. ... // Events Peace treaty signed at Westphalia ends the Thirty Years War. ... Flushing is a section of the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. ... Peter Stuyvesant, ca. ... // Events January 1 - Charles II crowned King of Scotland in Scone. ...

Return to English Service

In 1653 he learned of Dutch plans to ally with some tribes to attack English settlements. He brought word of this to the colonies in Connecticut, and led Connecticut militia in seizing the Dutch post called Hope House at Hartford. When the Anglo-Dutch war was finally resolved and the English gained New York he returned to Long Island, living out his years at Oyster Bay. Events February 2 - New Amsterdam (later renamed New York City) is incorporated. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... State nickname: The Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York City Governor George Pataki (R) Senators Charles Schumer (D) Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) Official languages None (English is de facto) Area 141,205 km² or 54,556 square miles (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water...

He served as a sheriff, magistrate, and representative at various times in his later life. He also served as an advisor to remaining Indians on Long Island. He presented at petition to the court on behalf of The Matinecock Indians in October of 1666. He died on July 21, 1672 and is buried at Locust Valley, New York. Events September 2 - Great Fire of London: A large fire breaks out in London in the house of Charles IIs baker on Pudding Lane near London Bridge. ... July 21 is the 202nd day (203rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 163 days remaining. ... Locust Valley is a census-designated place located in Nassau County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a total population of 3,521. ...

Modern Revisionism

John Underhill has been the victim of a recent trend toward historically revised accounts of the Pequot War. (See: Pequot War#Controversy about the war). He has been described as mercenary, in service to the English and the Dutch. He was a professional soldier, so at times was paid for his service. He did serve in both English and Dutch armies, but remember that he grew up while in exile in Holland with other Puritans and that his wife was Dutch. He tried to be a legitimate pioneer in both the Plymouth Colony and New Amsterdam, but when the Anglo-Dutch war forced his decision, he held true to his English roots. In Parson Weems Fable (1939) Grant Wood takes a sly poke at a traditional hagiographical account of George Washington Historical revisionism is the reexamination of the accepted facts and interpretations of history, with an eye towards updating it with newly discovered, more accurate, and less biased information. ... The Pequot War in 1637 saw the virtual elimination of the Pequot Indians as a tribe. ...

John Underhill is the title of a poem, by John Greenleaf Whittier. The poem is a somewhat allegorical account of his career. John Greenleaf Whittier, November 25, 1885. ...