Show THE BLACK SHEEP OF THE MORGAN FAMILY Records of Puritan Days That Show the Life of Benjamin Morgan Here Is la the story of or the headstrong trong foolish Coolish boy the black sheep of or the Morgan family Just as ns It appears In tn various books of or r record cord of or the tho Puritan days First from tho the records of or baptisms baptisms bap bap- U ma In the First Ch Church In Salem Luke JO Joseph eph Benjamin Den Bon jamin sons of nob Robert rt Morgan Beverly very where rc tho the Morgans lived was wn then called calle Bass Dass River and was a apart apart apart part of or Salem hut but later It was set Jet off old and a church was organized there in 1067 whose ancient records s now kept k In a bank vault In Beverly Deverl set forth ford on the first Out page that they were written written written writ writ- ten at the first by Robert Morgan ho hobeing hobeing hobeing being a n brother of ot the said Church Si re so to Doe anti and after atter him by the pastor John Yale Halo This makes It plain that Benjamins Benjamin's fath father 1 stood high In the church and tho the same records show that ho and his children then young men became members of or the Beverly church at that time Young flea Ben Ben Morgan organ was then about 18 years old Down lk h tho the office of or the the clerk clerk of or orco co courts In Salem where you you can see sec under under uner un un- un- un der er glass the records of or the witchcraft witchcraft witchcraft witch witch- craft trials s an and a little heap of or witch pins among the criminal case re referred referred TC- TC ferre to Major 1 and decided by him at the September term Is this Thos Chub Jr Benjamin Morgan and Isaac Head of Salem were wore summoned summoned sum sum- monell for abusing the watch and amI disorder by hy singing dancing etc In Sept 8 1 Clearly young Ben and his chums had hat been painting tho the town But nut whatever punishment Major 1 Hathorne gave them whether sitting in tho the stocks or a fine which their fathers had to pay It was totally without ef er- er feet teet For nino nano days later days later Inter after u a most furious Curious chase they were wore again arrested arrest arrest- ed and this time LIme for Cor an nn offense far more moro serious High up on the walls willis of the office of or the clerk of courts for Cor Middlesex sex county In East Enst Cambridge In a Japan nell ned box Is Is' Isa a a. packet of or little sheets of paper of or all sizes and shapes tied up Ul with red tape and marked ll on the wrapper wrapper wrapper wrap wrap- per October 1 1068 They are tho the court files for that term the depositions a affidavits affidavits af af- and accounts Recounts in connection with wilt tho the cases hE heard ar then One of or these sheets In the writing hand of ot Francis Willoughby trial justice fn tit Charlestown Charlesto reads thus thus- SEPT Ben Morgan living at n Bass ss river Tho Chub living at Bass both accused for driving awn away two oxen to th three ree one of or 3 years two of or too and vantage In brought before me ye day ay above two horses alsoe one gray ye e other sorrell The question being demanded of ye e sd ad Morgan Mor oror- gan Chub They rhey contest the they took the catt tatted being none of ot their ovine owne in Salem bounds hounds this morning In Intended Intended intended In- In tended to sell them In or boston the two horses th they contest the they stole out of or their ovine O towne but hut pretend they Intended to 10 carry them home Jacob Jacoh Borne Barney Junior them overtook o them at nt Charlestowne who claymes yo ye 0 two of oC 2 years old vantage the two oxen other H being his Ills fathers father's rs r's Jacob Harne Barney Senior The sil t Morgan l Chub contest that th they y drove rove away another one that Wm Shaw was Jacob Barneys Barney's but that Shaw took It from them Th Tim v y contest one of ot ye ie horses Is Andrew Elliotts ff yo ye other was nR Samuel Corn- Corn Ings both moth of bass River The They con con- feat fest they borrowed a n Sadie SolIe at n Maldi-n the bridles they thoy brought from ir owne O homes fir crr Willoughby On the back of or this document appears ap Ul pears In the handwriting of or the Puritan Purl Purl- tan county counti clerk dork of or courts In Court by BenJ Morgan Thomas Chub Ch 7 GS Thomas Danforth Recorder r Time The volume containing the court records rec for that year which would ha shown what the sentence was was lost lostIn lostin In a fire Oro generations ago Whatever the punishment was was and and possibly It was Vas a heavy fine It One It was not a a. long term of or Imprisonment for the young cattle stealer was back In Beverly erly In Ina Ina a CL few ow weeks And then thon came camo the tho climax For nil all that his hearted broken-hearted father was a u. pillar In the church the tho discipline of or orIts its members called for action Tim The Rev He John Halo hale the pastor was next t door neighbor to old 1 Robert Hobert Morgan Iorg II but that could not check the tho stern Puritan minister In crabbed characters char char- rs In In the ancient book of or tin till First church In Beverly in fn the clergyman's clergyman's clergy y mans man's own hand is set forth the tho cu case n of or young o Benjamin Morgan the black blacksheep blacksheep sheep With the spelling and capi capi- capitalization modernized this Is wor word f fur Cr ir wor word what appears on the record l t S Benjamin Morgan Morgans i son of or Brother Morgan of or this church having In partnership with another cl stolen two hor horses cs and several oxen and added unto this hl high handed h boldness ne K tI tin tin- heinous sin of lying to lo cover th the sin sin III was apprehended and convicted thereof there there- of or at Cambridge court and the fact being so notorious and evident ho h. was sont sent for tor by this church the day Ilay of or orD D December by two of or the brethren brethren breth breth- ren ren to appear on the time to show iril hl hH repentance for tor his heinous and publicly public public- ly scandalous sins But he not then appearing was sent sont to again to appear on the time But then ho not nol only refused to come but also spoke very reproachfully of time the church and an anthe the public worship of or God Gd This answer being returned it was wa pronounced by hy the pastor and consented consent consent- ed ea to by the time brethren that two other Ot m messengers should be sent to him with this tills message That unless the next Lords Lord's Day he Ime appeared before the tho church and manifested something of or repentance not only for tor his ron former sins of theft and antl lying but for Cor his presumptuous pro pro- sumptuous contempt of or the worship of or God GOll and of ot this church he lie should bo be proceeded with as A Scandalous and Impertinent Sinner This was accordingly I done and tho the next Sabbath namely the tho of or January January JanutH Jan Jan- utH uary 1669 he made malic his appearance But h by his Irreverent carriage and dumb silence manifested himself to bo IH boa IHa a lamentable spectacle of or a stupefied sinner and forsaken of or God anti and no Imo signs a of repentance manifested either for Cor his former sins or lute late presumptuous behavior lie Ire wits v I by the ilie censure of or mun delivered to Satan Saran for Cor the Continued un on Pane Page V Kl Rl en k THE BLACK SHEEP OF THE MORGAN FAMILY on 01 Pau ICI ht destruction of or time thc flesh llesh that thal the soul ml might ht be savo saved In tho the day da or of Christ sanctity sanctify his Arid And the the Lord Lort orti rH j ICO to his soul for that en end Amen Muon Driven D from roam tho fold fol youn lien Den as us a later down to Ipswich v nt i nt 1 record shows Then n no n more moore of i Il shows lh him for u U. while half a dozen years yeam later came cume on the time Hi si t terrible Indian ludlan war that hat affected 11 all ull NI w Ni-w England King Philips Philip's war massacred settlers settler's were peo-I peo ut houses for fOI or safety lied to garrison PI DI Id dOd and only onh the bravest of or tho the men moo dared ared forth to tu attack the Indians In to venture ro In their heir villages Mummy Many of or these lay the thc Eastward ae tho ho shore of or lo to to I ne was called cd cal ru the t- t UI at tho time stale state house among date bade back to tu the line o of that archives CH Phillips Phillip's war Is a IL sheet of or paper with time tho Philips Philip's caption of Essex Co wih and amid Wounded at yo ye East East- Killed 1 Men Ien ward It says sars 1 I Salem yo ye O h July 1 Gi In this County Acct f of ye is- is la Rather gather S Soc Poo foe far tar an ami we SC CUll cun Clil Del tn Morgan Bevrly De The excommunicated man had dk lied l d l for Cor his country |