"A Good and Faithful Apprentice"...in which John Stickney promises to have no fun whatsoever...

by Bethany Groff Dorau

Well, friends, in our last newsletter, we introduced you to Stickney the Poore Farm barn cat, and suddenly, Stickneys are popping up everywhere! This happens around here - a name comes to mind and that family seems to take this as its collective cue to say hello.

The Stickney family is ancient and prolific, of course, and well-represented in our archives and collections. We had some fun with the merry widow Sarah Stickney, a few years ago.

Ashley, our Collections Manager, was processing some papers this week and came across this 1769 indenture. "Poor kid", she said, laughing. "Sounds like he had no fun whatsoever." I asked to see it, she brought it over to the office, and of course it was a Stickney.

The story of John Stickney, who was 19 at the time of his indenture, is one of tragedy, resilience, courage, and care, as much as can be gleaned by the 18th century record of an ordinary man. In the end, it seems he was, indeed, a good and faithful apprentice.

Read the full story after announcements...

Hear Ye, Hear Ye!

Calling All History Enthusiasts!

The Perkins Art & Research Center (PARC) seeks volunteers for its Open Research Hours! We are looking for volunteers to assist both members and the public with their research on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 am - 2 pm, in two hour shifts.

When not assisting researchers, opportunities abound at Perkins. Photograph cataloging projects and local history research endeavors await. 

If you are interested in volunteering in the Archives or have questions, please reach out to Ashley, our Collections Manager & Archivist:

Email: ashley@newburyhistory.org

Telephone: (978) 462-2681

Upcoming Events

"A Good and Faithful Apprentice"...in which John Stickney promises to have no fun whatsoever...

by Bethany Groff Dorau

Well, friends, in our last newsletter, we introduced you to Stickney the Poore Farm barn cat, and suddenly, Stickneys are popping up everywhere! This happens around here - a name comes to mind and that family seems to take this as its collective cue to say hello.

The Stickney family is ancient and prolific, of course, and well-represented in our archives and collections. We had some fun with the merry widow Sarah Stickney (she was a Stickney by marriage) a few years ago. For those of you playing genealogy bingo at home, Widow Stickney is our apprentice's great-great-great grandmother.

Ashley, our Collections Manager, was processing some papers this week and came across this 1769 indenture. "Poor kid", she said, laughing. "Sounds like he had no fun whatsoever." I asked to see it, she brought it over to the office, and of course it was a Stickney.

The story of John Stickney, who was 19 at the time of his indenture, and promised "at Cards, Dice, or any other unlawful Game or Games he shall not play: Fornication he shall not commit: Matrimony, he shall not contract: Taverns, Ale-Houses, or Places of Gaming he shall not haunt or frequent", is one of tragedy, resilience, courage, and care, as much as can be gleaned by the 18th century record of an ordinary man. In the end, it seems that, despite the upheaval and poverty of a life touched by three brutal wars, he was, indeed, a good and faithful apprentice.

Let's begin with the document itself.

This Indenture Witnesseth,

That John Stickney the fourth of Newbury-port in the County of Essex and Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England a Minor, son to Caleb Stickney late of Newbury Port deceased

Hath put him self, and by these Presents doth voluntarily, and of his own free Will and Accord, and with the Consent of His Mother Sarah Stickney & with the Overseers of the Poor of Newburyport

put and bind himself Apprentice to Sewall Short of said Newburyport in the County of Essex and Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England Cabinet Maker and Jane his Wife

to learn his Art, Trade or Mystery, and with them the said Sewall & Jane after the Manner of an Apprentice to Serve from the Day of this Date till he

Shall arrive to the full Age of twenty one Years to be comple-

ate and Ended 17 Novemr 1771 —

During all which said Time or Term, the said Apprentice his said Master and Mistress

well and faithfully shall Serve, their Secrets he shall keep close, their Commandments lawful

and honest every where he shall gladly obey: he shall do no Damage to his said Master

or Mistress nor suffer it to be done by others, without letting or giving seasonable Notice

thereof to his said Master or Mistress he shall not waste the Goods of his said Master

or Mistress — nor lend them unlawfully to any: At Cards, Dice, or any other unlawful

Game or Games he shall not play: Fornication he shall not commit: Matrimony ______

he shall not contract: Taverns,

Ale-Houses, or Places of Gaming he shall not haunt or frequent: From the Service of his

said Master or Mistress by Day nor by Night he shall not absent himself; but in all Things

and at all Times, he shall carry and behave himself towards his said Master and Mistress

and all Others as a good and faithful Apprentice ought to do ______

during all the Time or Term aforesaid. — Till he arrives

to the age aforesaid —

AND the said Sewall & Jane Short for them-selves ______

doth hereby Covenant and Promise to teach and instruct, or

cause the said Apprentice to be instructed in the Art, Trade or Calling of a Cabinet Maker

by the best Way or Means They may or can (if said Apprentice be capable to learn)

and to find and provide unto said Apprentice good and sufficient Meat Drink washing

Lodging Mending & appariel Both in Sickness & in Health

during the said Term; and at the Expiration thereof shall give unto the said Apprentice two

Suits of Appariel Neither of which is to be New But Decent and

Fitting for Such an Apprentice One fit for Sabath Dayes the Other for

Working Dayes and to give unto him four Months Schooling at the

Evening Schools also to Lern him to set Glass in sashes if he is capable to

Lern —

In Testimony Whereof the said Parties have to these Indentures inter-

changeably set their Hands and Seals, the Second Day of October In the Ninth

Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third of Great-Britain, France,

and Ireland, KING, &c. Annoque Domini, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty Nine.

Signed, Sealed and Delivered

in Presence of

Matthw Perkins

Edmund Morse Jun'r

Sewall Short

John Stickney

John Stickney

Nathl Knapp

Tristram Dalton

Stephen Hooper

Sarah Stickney

My first task, when I "meet" an intriguing new person in a historical record, is a genealogical dive into the family. In this case, it was a gift that the indenture mentions the name of both of John's parents - Caleb Stickney, deceased, and Sarah Stickney, who is, with her children, a ward of the Overseers of the Poor of Newburyport.

Fortunately for me, my family tree is well-leafed with Stickneys, and John's parents are no exception. His father Caleb is my 1st cousin (6x removed). Sarah Stickney, John's mother, was born Sarah Titcomb. She is a 3rd cousin. The first celebratory (and tragic) moment came when I realized that there was no record anywhere that I could find, of Caleb's death. Since the widow Sarah married Benjamin Coleman on October 27, 1778, his death was listed as "BEF1778". We know from this indenture that Caleb Stickney was dead on October 2, 1769, almost a decade earlier than believed.

A deeper dive reveals that Caleb was involved in numerous land transactions between 1753 and 1757, when he is listed as a "shipwright".

Then, a deeper dive still, and I find Caleb Stickney signing up in 1766 for the "Total Reduction of Canada."

Caleb Stickney, as it turned out, had been fighting the French in New York and Canada with his neighbors since 1757. The muster records have him as a private at Lake George, Quebec, Halifax, returning home to Newburyport once that I can find, in 1762 for 12 days before heading out again. He is last listed in the document below, age 45, signing up for yet another tour of duty.

I cannot yet conclusively prove it, but I believe that the reason John Stickney was under the care of the Overseers of the Poor in 1769, is that his father was killed, deserted, or otherwise disappeared in Canada between 1767 and 1769.

As for John's mother, Sarah, whose gravestone is above, she went on to marry Benjamin Coleman in 1778, as another war raged. Meanwhile, her son John Stickney marched out with the Newburyport men when they heard of the fighting at Lexington and Concord, and continued to serve in Newburyport "for the defense of the seacoast", and as far away as Bennington, Vermont. He enlisted repeatedly, both for Newburyport and Newbury, until 1779.

There are also records of John Stickney of Newburyport as part owner of the privateer brigantine Resolution in 1782, and he is involved in numerous court cases, including a case involving the privateer Ranger, as well as land transactions and probate cases.

Though the information on these documents may seem fragmentary, what we glean from them is the outline of a life from centuries ago. John Stickney, fatherless apprentice, became John Stickney, Surveyor of Lumber and Clerk of the Market, both positions of trust and esteem in Newburyport civic life. He married Sarah Woodwell, daughter of Capt. Gideon Woodwell, in 1773, and had six children.

And the indenture seems to have paid off. Though there is no record of his ever mastering the art of "setting glass in sashes", as the contract suggests, he is listed in 1778, and thereafter for the rest of his life, as a cabinet-maker, joiner, and merchant.

John Stickney died on June 1, 1828, having outlived his first wife and two of his sons. In the box in which we found his indenture, we also found several references to the schooner Washington. And then, as I dug deeper into the family tree, I found this...

On May 9, 1811, John Stickney's son Caleb, age 25, was aboard the Washington, resting at anchor and waiting for the tides to cross the bar at Plum Island. According to contemporary reports, he was "knocked overboard by the foreboom", and drowned. The newspaper's lengthy obituary noted his "amiable disposition" and his "active and enterprising spirit".

John Stickney's indenture from 50 years earlier, quaint and humorous as it may have seemed at first glance, opened up generations of his family to me, carried me through three wars (he was also involved in the War of 1812), and led me through the generations to other tragedies and triumphs. Intrigued? Come pay us a visit. We'll introduce you.

Something Is Always Cooking...

Cabbage and Apple Slaw

This recipe is so simple and delicious and feels just right after all the holiday indulgences of the past few months.

Ingredients

1 red cabbage, thinly shredded.

2 teaspoons kosher salt.

2 Granny Smith apples, cut into matchsticks.

1 small bunch of scallions thinly diced or 1 medium red onion thinly sliced.

1/2 cup mayonnaise (optional).

1/4 cup honey or brown sugar.

3 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard.

Freshly grated zest of 2 limes.

Juice of 2 limes.

1 medium carrot, grated or cut into matchsticks.

1/2 cup pecan pieces or sliced almonds.

1 small fresh jalapeno, seeded and finely diced (optional for a little heat).

Small bunch parsley, stems removed and finely chopped (optional for a little freshness and iron).

Fresh ground pepper to taste.

Instructions

Toss together cabbage and salt in a colander. Let sit for about 15/20 minutes stirring occasionally while you prep remaining ingredients.

Drain any accumulated liquid and put into a large bowl.

Add diced scallion (or red onion) and lime juice and zest, honey (or brown sugar) to bowl, mix well and let sit to pickle a bit for about 5 minutes.

Core and cut the apple into matchsticks and add to the cabbage mix.

Grate the carrot and add to the cabbage mix.

Add the mustard and mayonnaise (if desired) and toss thoroughly.

Taste and season with pepper as needed.

Add in the pecans/almonds just before serving.

Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Keeps well in the fridge for a day or so if it lasts that long. This slaw also makes a fantastic burger/taco/sandwich topping. Or, if you are like me, this is often a stand-alone meal, as I can't keep out of the bowl long enough for it to be the side dish it was supposed to be.

Enjoy!

Puzzle Me This...

Click the image to do the puzzle

American Brig "Yankee Hero" and British Frigate "Milford" off Cape Ann, June 1776.

Museum e-Newsletter made possible through the generosity of our sponsors: