“Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists."
― Franklin D. Roosevelt
Various Spellings of Batcheller:
Bachelder, Bacheldor, Bacheler, Bacheller, Bachelor, Bachelour, Bachildor, Bachiler, Bachilor, Batcheldor, Batcheldour, Batcheler, Batcheller, Batchellor, Batchellour, Batchelor, Batchclour, Batchiler and Batchilor.
Europeans who made the voyage to America faced a difficult journey of several months.
The indigenous peoples in the United States before the arrival of Europeans included many distinct tribes and languages.
The Honorable Joseph Batcheller was born in Canterbury, England about 1610. His brothers were Henry Batcheller and John Batcheller.
He married his wife, Elizabeth in England. Their children and life together are described in detail in the section on Joseph and Elizabeth Batcheller.
He immigrated to America in 1636 during the rule of Charles I. He was a Puritan who came to America for religous freedom.
He was listed as a tailor on the roll of persons who made the passage from Sandwich for the American plantations. According to Perley, he was a mariner and lived in Wenham.
They settled in Wenham, Essex County, Massachusetts were he was made freeman and proprietor in 1637. He was a deputy from March 16, 1637/8 to 1643. He was the first representative to the General Court in Boston in 1644.
He died in March, 1647. The church records said
In ye mesne space it pleased God to take to himself brother Batchel., a man wise, moderate, and very able to be helpful in such cases.
(the case was one of church discipline at the time). His son Mark was the administrator of the estate.
Any man entering a colony or becoming a a member the church, was not free. He was not forced to work, but his movements were carefully observed to see if they followed the Puritanical ideal. After this probationary period, he became a "freeman." Men then took the Oath of a Freeman where they vowed to defend the Commonwealth and not to overthrow the government.
Old Style Calendar
Before 1752 the year began on Lady Day, March 25th,. Dates between January 1st and March 24th were at the end of the year. Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) are used to indicate whether the year has been adjusted. Often both dates are used.
