Nathaniel Eaton (1610–1674) was the first schoolmaster of Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and later became a clergyman. Image File history File links JHarvardOlympusCigar. ... // Events January 7 - Galileo Galilei discovers the Galilean moons of Jupiter. ... Events February 19 - England and the Netherlands sign the Treaty of Westminster. ... Harvard College is the main undergraduate section of Harvard University. ... Cambridge City Hall Cambridge is a city in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts, United States. ...

Biography

The sixth son of the Rev. Richard Eaton (1565–1616) and Elizabeth Shepheard (1569–1636), Nathaniel was christened October 16, 1610, at the church of St Giles Cripplegate, London, England. He was educated at the University of Cambridge, Trinity College, where he was a contemporary and good friend of John Harvard. He later attended the University of Franeker in Leiden, where he studied under Rev. William Ames. He emigrated to New England between 1634 and 1637 and became the first "professor" of the nascent Harvard College. He erected Harvard's first building, planted its first apple orchard, established the colony's first printing press in March 1639, and created its first semi-public library. October 16 is the 289th day of the year (290th in Leap years). ... // Events January 7 - Galileo Galilei discovers the Galilean moons of Jupiter. ... Categories: British churches | London places of worship | Stub ... Cripplegate was a gate in London Wall and a name for the region of the City of London outside the gate. ... London — containing the City of London — is the capital of the United Kingdom and of England and a major world city. With over seven million inhabitants (Londoners) in Greater London area, it is amongst the most densely populated areas in Western Europe. ... The University of Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, with one of the most selective sets of entry requirements in the United Kingdom. ... Full name The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity Motto Virtus vera nobilitas Virtue is true Nobility Named after The Holy Trinity Previous names Kings Hall and Michaelhouse (until merged in 1546) Established 1546 Sister College(s) Christ Church Master The Lord Rees of Ludlow Location Trinity Street... Statue of John Harvard in Harvard Yard. ... The University of Franeker was a university in Frisia, presently part of the Netherlands from 1585 to 1811. ... Leiden (in English also, but now rarely, Leyden) is a city and municipality in South Holland, The Netherlands. ... William Ames, Guilielmus Amesius, Latin, (1576 – November 14, 1633) was a Protestant divine and philosopher. ... The Flag of Plymouth Colony, also know as the First Flag of New England First Flag of New England, 1686-c. ... 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... 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. ... Harvard College is the main undergraduate section of Harvard University. ... The printing press is a mechanical device for printing many copies of a text on rectangular sheets of paper. ... Events January 14 - Connecticuts first constitution, the Fundamental Orders, is adopted. ...

Around the time that Eaton started teaching at Harvard, an Antinomian controversy had erupted in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The governor at the time, John Winthrop, was well-noted for his extreme stance within the Puritan community and was greatly feared by many of the colonists. Even those who were Winthrop's close allies, such as Rev. Thomas Hooker, who cofounded the colony of Connecticut, were repulsed by his personality. As such, many left the colony and any Antinomians who didn't leave voluntarily were forced out, banished, or excommunicated (such as Rev. John Wheelwright who founded Exeter, New Hampshire, and his sister-in-law, Anne (Marbury) Hutchinson, who founded a new colony in what later became Rhode Island). Antinomianism (Koine Greek αντι, against, νομος, law), or lawlessness, in theology is the idea that members of a particular religious group are under no obligation to obey the laws of ethics or morality as presented by religious authorities. ... 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. ... The Puritans were members of a group of radical Protestants which developed in England after the Reformation. ... Thomas Hooker (July 5, 1586 – July 7, 1647) was a prominent Puritan religious and colonial leader remembered as one of the founders of the Colony of Connecticut. ... -1... John Wheelright founded the town of Exeter in the colony of New Hampshire. ... Squamscott River Falls in 1907, Exeter, NH Exeter is a town located in Rockingham County, New Hampshire. ... Anne Hutchinson on Trial by Edwin Austin Abbey Anne Hutchinson (July, 1591 – August 20, 1643) was the unauthorized Puritan preacher of a dissident church discussion group and a pioneer in Rhode Island and the Bronx. ... State nickname: The Ocean State, Little Rhody Official languages None Capital Providence Largest city Providence Governor Donald Carcieri (R) Senators Jack Reed (D) Lincoln Chafee (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 50th 4,005 km² 32. ...

Eaton's older brother, Gov. Theophilus Eaton, emigrated to the colonies at around the same time in 1637.^[1] Deciding that he didn't want to be involved in the animosity, he – like Rev. Thomas Hooker before him – founded a new colony, the colony of New Haven, though Winthrop and others literally begged both of them to stay.^[2] Theophilus Eaton (1590 – January 7, 1658) was a merchant, farmer, and British colonial leader who was the co-founder and first governor of New Haven Colony, Connecticut. ... 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 is about the city in Connecticut. ...

In 1639, the year after Theophilus left, Eaton was fired from his job following allegations that he had beat one of his students too harshly and that his wife had supposedly served students hasty pudding with goat dung in it.^[3] Eaton's trial gave rise to the concept of court reporters. After the Church of Cambridge attempted an appeal on his behalf, Governor Winthrop refused them, saying that enough evidence had already been presented by several witnesses. The church, however, was able to secure a promise that all subsequent trials would be accompanied by a recording of facts so that defendants and plaintiffs could refer to evidence already presented without witnesses having to go through the entire process again.^[4] The only record of Eaton's own supposed "confession" was destroyed in a suspicious fire in the office of the famous historian, James Savage (1784-1873), and his guilt remains in doubt. Hasty Pudding may be: Hasty pudding, a North American desert Hasty Pudding Theatricals This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... A court reporter, stenotype reporter or stenographer is a person whose occupation is to transcribe spoken or recorded speech into written form, typically using stenography equipment to produce official transcripts of court hearings, depositions and other official proceedings. ...

Henry Dunster succeeded Eaton in 1640 as Harvard's first president, and the first students graduated in 1642.^[5] Interestingly, Dunster also found himself confronting the students, albeit in a sterner fashion, actually having to whip two of them publicly for abusing one of the citizens of Cambridge. However, the students finally triumphed in the situation,^[6] and Dunster himself resigned in 1654 over disagreements with the church about infant baptism. Henry Dunster(c. ... Events December 1 - Portugal regains its independence from Spain and João IV of Portugal becomes king. ... The President is the chief administrator of Harvard University. ... Events January 4 - Charles I attempts to arrest five leading members of the Long Parliament, but they escape. ... Events April 5 - Signing of the Treaty of Westminster, ending the First Anglo-Dutch War. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

At around the same time that Eaton was dismissed from Harvard, he apparently was also excommunicated from the congregation in Cambridge. He moved to Virginia in 1640 and then sent for his wife and children, but according to Winthrop in his History of New England ^[7] (known to be full of inaccuracies), the ship in which they traveled disappeared without a trace. Following the loss of his family, Eaton married the widow Anne (Graves) Cotton ^[8] (1620–1684), the daughter of Capt Thomas Graves (1584–1635) of Virginia and Massachusetts, and served for several years as an assistant to the Anglican curate at Accomac, Virginia before returning to England, where he was appointed the Vicar of Bishop's Castle, Salop in 1661 and Rector of Bideford, Devon in 1669. Excommunication is a religious censure which is used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community. ... State nickname: Old Dominion Official languages English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Governor Mark R. Warner (D) Tim Kaine (D-Governor Elect) Senators John Warner (R) George Allen (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 35th 110,862 km² 7. ... The Anglican Communion is a world-wide organisation of Anglican Churches. ... Accomac is a town located in Accomack County, Virginia. ... Bishops Castle is a small market-town in Shropshire, England, and formerly its smallest borough. ... Shropshire (abbreviated Salop or Salops) is a county in the West Midlands of England, bordering Cheshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, and the Welsh preserved counties of Powys and Clwyd. ... Events January 6 - The fifth monarchy men unsuccessfully attempt to seize control of London. ... Location within the British Isles Arms of Bideford Town Council Bideford is a small port town on the northern coast of the county of Devon in south-west England. ... The inner harbour, Brixham, south Devon, at low tide Devon is a large county in South West England, bordering on Cornwall to the west, Dorset and Somerset to the east. ... // Events Samuel Pepys stopped writing his diary. ...

In 1647 Eaton was finally "exonerated" of a £100 debt that Winthrop misstated as being for £1,000 in his History of New England, ibid, and with which Eaton had supposedly absconded to Virginia in 1640. The exoneration is documented in Henry Dunster's record book for Harvard College as a copy of a letter by two benefactors that Dunster recorded directly underneath his first design of the seal of Harvard College. The 1640 endowment letter was footnoted in 1647 by Theophilus, who wrote: // Events March 14 - Thirty Years War: Bavaria, Cologne, France and Sweden sign the Truce of Ulm. ... Events December 1 - Portugal regains its independence from Spain and João IV of Portugal becomes king. ... Download high resolution version (1000x1182, 23 KB)Shield of Harvard University Rasterized from Harvard Print Services business card order form (PDF file) by Jacobolus This is a copyrighted and/or trademarked logo. ... Endowment refers to the innate capacities of an individual, group, or institution. ...

this money was put wholey into the hands of my brother Nath:Eaton. 9th August 1647. [signed] Theo:Eaton.

Clearly, the intention of the footnote was to indicate that his brother had finally been repaid, and apparently Nathaniel had in part used the money to further his education as he did receive a doctorate (a Ph.D. and an M.D.) from the University of Padua in that same year. As for the £100, Thomas Symonds – a carpenter who had apparently assisted in the building of the college at Cambridge in 1639 and afterwards – was soon found to be in debt to one of the creditors of the college, John Cogan, for the exact same amount. As stated elsewhere, the college building itself was poorly erected – Symonds being the responsible party after Nathaniel left – and eventually Symonds and at least one of his assistants were thrown into debtor's prison. Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. ... The Medicinæ Doctor or Doctor of Medicine (M.D. or D.M.) is a doctorate level degree held by medical doctors. ... Gymnasivm Patavinum: The Universitys main Bo palace shown in a 1654 woodcut The University of Padua (Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) is one of the most well-renowned universities in Italy. ... A creditor is a party (e. ... A debtors prison is a prison for people unable to pay a debt to another. ...

Religious Convictions

Nathaniel Eaton's troubles seemed to mount, however, after he graduated from the Jesuit Missionary University; probably because the Catholic church was hated in the New World and he was considered spiritually dead by the Puritans. Thus, he left for England around 1652, where he had already been accepted back by the Church of England and honored as both a vicar and rector (cf. supra), though obviously he had his scruples, and was said to waver back and forth between devotions to his newly found home and that of his former, which he could never return to. The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu), commonly known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic religious order. ... A missionary is a propagator of religion, often an evangelist or other representative of a religious community who works among those outside of that community. ... Carte dAmérique, Guillaume Delisle, c. ... Excommunication is religious censure which is used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community. ... // Events April 6 - Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck establishes a resupply camp for the Dutch East India Company at the Cape of Good Hope, and founded Cape Town. ... The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ...

In all likelihood, that "back and forthedness" and covering up set up a scenario of confusion, which seems to have also confused every recordkeeper involved. Ironically, Eaton died in 1674 in King's Bench Prison, where he had been incarcerated for a similar debt: quite probably the same £100 debt from which he had already been given relief. Also, his imprisonment coincided with the restoration of the Stuart Throne, and was likely reposted on an old list that King Charles II's father had kept concerning those of lingering or questionable indebtedness. A Scenario (from the Italian, that which is pinned to the scenery) is a brief description of an event. ... Events February 19 - England and the Netherlands sign the Treaty of Westminster. ... One of the ancient courts of England, the Kings Bench (or Queens Bench when the monarch is female) is now a division of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales. ... The Coat of Arms of Queen Anne, the last British monarch of the House of Stuart The House of Stuart or Stewart was Scotlands, and then Great Britains, royal house, of Breton origin. ... Charles II (29 May 1630–6 February 1685) was the King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 30 January 1649 (retrospectively de jure) or 29 May 1660 (de facto) until his death. ...

Another Nathaniel Eaton?

There is also evidence of another Nathaniel Eaton who lived in the town of Boston at the same time, across the street from Governor John Winthrop, but who spelled his name "Heaton." Boston is a town and small port c. ...

His wife was also named Elizabeth, and there's some doubt whether the children that are listed in the colony's birth records at Boston are his children or Eaton's, since there are double listings for all of them spelling the name as "Eaton" and "Heaton." Further complicating the situation was a mysterious fire that destroyed the Cambridge town records in 1643. // Events January 21 - Abel Tasman discovers Tonga February 6 - Abel Tasman discovers the Fiji islands. ...

Further, as Eaton had graduated from Franeker in 1633, and the Revs. John Cotton and Thomas Hooker, and others, had all decided to leave for the colonies in the same year, it is quite probable that the Nathaniel Heaton who immigrated in 1634 with Revs. Hutchinson and Hooker is the very same Nathaniel Eaton that was the first professor of Harvard College. (Cf. endnote 1, infra) John Cotton (1585?-1652) was a founder of Boston, Massachusetts and a highly regarded principal among the New England Puritan ministers, who also included John Winthrop, Thomas Hooker, Increase Mather (who became his son in law), and Thomas Shepard. ... Thomas Hooker (July 5, 1586 – July 7, 1647) was a prominent Puritan religious and colonial leader remembered as one of the founders of the Colony of Connecticut. ... William Hutchinson (August 14, 1586 - 1642) was a prominent merchant and judge in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of the founders of Rhode Island. ...

Lastly, since Eaton had no place else to go, and no records are found of him in England or Holland after 1634, the evidence is strong that they are the same person. Holland is a region in the central-western part of the Netherlands. ...

End notes

1. ^  And possibly on the same ship with Nathaniel, the Hector, though there is no record of Nathaniel being on it, just that a Nathaniel Heaton emigrated in 1634 on another ship, the Griffin with William Hutchinson and his wife Anne [see Anne (Marbury) Hutchinson, supra], and on the very same ship on which the Rev. Thomas Hooker, the first pastor of the church at Cambridge, had emigrated a few months earlier. William Hutchinson (August 14, 1586 - 1642) was a prominent merchant and judge in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of the founders of Rhode Island. ... Anne Hutchinson on Trial by Edwin Austin Abbey Anne Hutchinson (July, 1591 – August 20, 1643) was the unauthorized Puritan preacher of a dissident church discussion group and a pioneer in Rhode Island and the Bronx. ...

2. ^  Cf. John Warren Barber History and Antiquities of New Haven, (Conn.) (1831) pp 25–29

3. ^  Cf. Samuel Eliot Morison Builders of the Bay Colony (1930) pp 190–191 where can be found his wife's supposed confession that was obviously coerced. Allegations of embezzlement appear to be ex post facto, or after the fact, and when one compares the entries in: Thomas Lechford's Note Book Kept by Thomas Lechford Lawyer, 1638–1641 (1885), it can be seen that Nathaniel paid all his debts, and was even owed money by Thomas Lechford himself. RAdm Samuel Eliot Morison (1887-1976), USN historian Samuel Eliot Morison, RAdm, USNR (July 9, 1887 – May 15, 1976) was an American historian, notable for producing scholarly works that were both authoritative and highly readable, an ability recognized with two Pulitzer Prizes. ... An ex post facto law (Latin for from a thing done afterward), also known as a retrospective law, is a law that is retroactive, i. ...

4. ^  Cf. Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, M.D. Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England (1853, vol I) p. 275; and subsequent later trials such as the Salem Witch Trials where it can be seen that testimonies at trial, etc., were thereafter taken down. 1876 illustration of the courtroom; the central figure is usually Mary Walcott The Salem witch trials of Colonial America resulted in a number of convictions and executions for witchcraft in 1692 in Massachusetts, the result of a period of factional infighting and Puritan witch hysteria which led to the deaths...

5. ^  According to Cotton Mather's Magnalia Christi Americana (1702), the graduating class of 1642 included the following individuals: Magnalia Christi Americana is a book written in 1702 by Cotton Mather. ...

Benjamin Woodbridge

Georgius [George] Downing

Johannes Bulklæus [John Bulkeley]

Gulielmus [William] Hubbard

Samuel Bellingham

Johannes Wilsonus [John Wilson]

Henricus [Henry] Saltonstall

Tobias Barnardus [Barnard]

Nathanael Brusterus [Nathaniel Brewster]

6. ^  Since then Harvard has been marred by occassional shunnings, chastizements, and forced depositions of their Presidents by possibly the most powerful, if not notorious, student body in the history college education. A students union, student government, or student council is a student organization present at many colleges and universities, often with its own building on the campus, dedicated to social and organizational activities of the student body. ...

7. ^  James Savage, Winthrop's Journal "The History of New England" 1630–1649 (1825–26 edition). There are other versions, including the original 1649 version, but Savage's annotated edition, or its 1853 revision, is considered to be the most comprehensive.

8. ^  Many spelling variations exist, such as "Greaves" for "Graves". Also, some authorities state that Ann in fact was the daughter of Francis Graves, the son of Thomas Graves. She later married Francis Doughty as her third and final husband.

Sources

• James Kendall Hosmer, editor, Winthrop's Journal 'The History of New England' 1630–1649 (1908 edition) vol. I, p. 314 — Appeal by the Church of Cambridge and the seizing of Nathaniel Eaton's estate. See also: James Savage's footnotes in his edited version of the same above Winthrop's Journal 'The History of New England' 1630-1649 (1825–26 edition)
• Nathaniel Bradstreet Shurtleff, M.D., editor, Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England (1853, vol. I) [1628–1641] by page ...

p. 210 – [Eaton] left out of tax rate for 1637 on November 20, 1637

p. 262 – 500 acres [2 km²] of land granted on June 6, 1639 vis-à-vis: "If hee continew his employment wth vs for his life".

p. 275 – Removed from employment on September 9, 1639

p. 275 – Judgements henceforth, after the Eaton Trial, to "bee recorded in a booke, to bee kept to posterity".

(Same day as above: September 9, 1639, and written in after the above "deposition" event. It's probable that the "deposition" was a "first order of business", and not just something anticipated long before "recordation of facts" had even been conceived.)

p. 277 – His estate attached on November 5, 1639

p. 374 – Nathaniel Eaton Made a Freeman on June 9, 1638

p. 375 – Nathaniell Heaten made free on May 25, 1636

• Thomas Lechford, Note Book Kept by Thomas Lechford Lawyer, 1638–1641 (1885) p. 236

"I payd Nathaniel Heaton for full of writings & cutting wood. 11.31.1639. 5s".

• Cotton Mather, Magnalia Christi Americana (The Ecclesiastical History of New England) (1702) [7 books; 2 volumes in modern versions]
• John Warren Barber, Connecticut Historical Collections (1837 edition) pp 134–185
• Benjamin Trumbull, D.D., A Complete History of Connecticut (1818) [Also, 2 volumes]
• New England Historical and Genealogical Register (1855, vol. 9) pp 269–271, article entitled "The First President of Harvard College"
• James D. & Georgiana W. Kornhoff, Architecture and Town Planning in Colonial North America (2002) vol 2, pp. 981–986 [Harvard College]

(all preceding dates are in their original Julian Calendar format)

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Nathaniel Eaton