John Howland’s brothers, Henry and Arthur, arrived at Plymouth in 1632. “Did you really think that we would let you keep this paradise all to yourself?” Henry shouted as they stepped off the ship which had carried them across the Atlantic. John smiled and embraced his brothers. Then he helped them with their baggage and directed them toward his house.
2 The house was sided with clapboards to protect its inhabitants against the elements and was covered with a thatch roof that had been woven together from grasses and reeds harvested from the local marshes. Like the other houses of the time, it was a frame house with the timbers still visible among the clay plaster of the interior. Although it was small, the interior appeared to be very clean and well-furnished.
3 As they entered the house, they noticed a large stone fireplace at one end of the room. A thin but sturdy looking woman was standing beside it with a baby in her arms.
4 “This is my wife, Elizabeth,” John began. “It is so good to finally meet you, sister,” Arthur offered as he moved to embrace her. “Yes, we have heard so much about you,” Henry agreed as he patted the baby on her head.
5 “Welcome to our home, brothers,” Elizabeth smiled. “We hope that you will be comfortable here until you are able to establish a place of your own.” “Thank you,” they returned together. Then everyone chuckled nervously, unloaded their burdens and began the task of adjusting to each other and their new living arrangements.
6 Within a few years, Henry was well established at Duxbury. In 1635, he was made a constable for Duxbury. He lived along the bay and was soon considered to be one of the leading citizens in his community. The following year, he was appointed to serve on a committee with Edward Winslow and Philip Delaney to determine how the hay grounds would be used by the settlers.
7 In 1640, he purchased five acres of upland and one acre of marshland for twelve bushels of Indian corn. He also served as Surveyor of Highways and on the Grand Inquest.
8 It wasn’t long, however, until Henry started having problems with the colony’s Puritan rulers. The difficulties began as a consequence of his flirtation with the Quaker religion. Over the years, Henry became convinced that the group’s teachings were the purest expression of ancient Christianity.
9 Like them, he came to believe that no human intermediaries were necessary in his relationship with God. “The Spirit of Christ within each individual will direct that person into a right relationship with the Almighty,” he declared. As a consequence, he began inviting members of the society into his home and allowing them to witness there.
10 Then, in June of 1657, he informed colonial officials that: “I will not make any oaths, and I will not serve on a grand jury.” Shortly thereafter, he was required to pay five pounds and/or receive a whipping for “entertaining” Quakers. In October of that same year, he was called to appear before the court to answer another charge of entertaining Quakers in his home.
11 Two years later, Henry and his brother-in-law were summoned once again to appear before the court. “You are charged with abetting and entertaining Quakers,” the magistrate informed them.
12 “We must follow the dictates of our own conscience in this regard,” he protested. “Your freedom is hereby voided, and you are forever disenfranchised from fully participating in this community,” the court ruled.
13 The following year, Henry was fined twice for permitting a Quaker meeting in his home. He refused to pay the fines and his house and lands were confiscated by the marshal.
14 In the meantime, Arthur had established himself at Marshfield. In 1647, William Partridge sold 300 acres of land to Arthur, and he appeared to be on his way to becoming one of the outstanding citizens of that area.
15 Arthur, however, proved to be just as susceptible to the Quaker’s doctrines as his brother had been. As a consequence, fate and his new faith intervened.
16 In December of 1657, Constable John Phillips was dispatched to his house to break up a meeting of the Quakers. “Phillips has been informed of this meeting, and he is on his way this very minute to put an end to it,” one of his neighbors informed him. A few minutes later, the constable knocked on his door, but there was no answer – the house was empty.
17 The following day, the constable was knocking on Arthur’s door again. “I have an arrest warrant for you and Robert Huchin,” Phillips announced. “You will not take me or Robert Huchin from these grounds,” Arthur assured him.
18 At that, the constable returned to the village for reinforcements. However, when he returned, Robert Huchin was gone; but he proceeded to arrest Arthur anyway.
19 Arthur refused to post bond when he was imprisoned. Instead, he composed a letter to the General Court at Plymouth. In it, he said: “I must protest the deplorable circumstances that have resulted in my present condition. Indeed, it is a shame when a man finds himself deprived of his freedom for his conscience sake. As others before me have noted, it is dangerous to force a man to go against his own conscience.”
20 For resisting arrest, he was fined five pounds. For permitting a Quaker meeting in his home, he was fined four pounds.
21 Arthur, however, refused to pay the fines and was again imprisoned. In June, he appeared before the court and asked them to dismiss the charges against him (which they did). That same year, he and his wife were also fined ten shillings for being absent from public worship (that is, the Puritan church).
22 Even so, the financial penalties were as nothing compared to the separation that their faith had wrought in their own family. John continued to adhere to the established church and began to avoid associating with his brothers. Arthur and Henry were heartbroken.
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