Edward Culver (Colliver/Colver) born 1600-1610, probably in the vicinity of Middlesex England near London. He came to America with John Winthrop Jr., son of John Winthrop, Governor of Massachusetts, in 1635, after Winthop Jr. had obtained the land grants for Connecticut from King Charles I. He may have came across on the Mary and John in 1635. Edward was a member of Massachusetts Bay Colony and was a signer of the "Covenant" on 20 Sep. 1636, a group that was formed to settle Dedham, ten miles up the Charles River. The town of Dedham was setup that you had to apply to move there and get approval from the council. They were very selective and ensured that the signers were of like religious views. According to "Colver-Culver Family Genealogy, Valerie Dyer Giorgi" he was a millwright and wheel wright by trade. He served in several of the earliest Indian wars of New England.

New England was populated by many Indian tribes, the main one's were the Wampanoag, Pequots, Narragansett, Mohegans and Nipmuc . The mighty Iroquois nation was to their west in New York (this included the Mohawks) and the Mohawks kept the New England tribes from uniting by playing the tribes off against each other. Thus there was a lot of border squabbles between the tribes and mutual distrust. The dominant New England tribe in the 1630's was the Pequots. The English would trade "barter" land from the local tribes, but wouldn't always immediately occupy it. The Indians would see that the land was not being used, so they would continue to grow crops and hunt the land. This led to a series of misunderstandings and the Pequots, who felt that the whites were arrogant and a threat to the existence of Indians in general, thus attacked the villages of Saybrook (in which Edward had just helped to build a fort there) and Weathersford Connecticut, causing the colonists to lock themselves in their newly created fort. Negotiations failed (apparently the English Settlers were rather arrogant in their dealings with the natives) and skirmishes occurred and emissaries attacked. This caused an uproar and the Pequot campaign was formed.

In a book called "The Pequot War", the reproductions of documents describing the events in John Masons hand are available. Major John Mason was appointed command of the expeditionary force as he had experience at war in Europe. Mason gathered 90 men and some Indians mostly of Mohegan and Narragansett lineage and took the force up a river (Mystic River?)in the general area of present day New London Connecticut. The march inland as described by Mason brings an almost comical vision to mind, as they were ill dressed and supplied for this mission and of course were unseasoned and largely untrained soldiers. Most of the men were new to America and didn't have much in the way of wood craft and they feared to venture far from their boats. But they happened on the main Pequot stronghold and burned it to the ground with many Men, Women and Children inside, forcing the Pequots to sue for peace.

Apparently Edward was noted as an Indian scout and was to supposedly had good relations with the Indians. According to Valerie Dyer Giorgi, he was sent by Major Mason to enlist the aid of warriors from Chief Uncas of the Mohicans ( I think he was chief of the Mohegans actually). He must have been successful as Uncas provided about 150 men.

He Married Ann Ellis (Elles) on Sept. 19, 1638 by the Rev. John Allyn. His Father-in-law John Elles was also a signer of the Covenant. In 1645, they moved to Roxbury Mass. and in 1650, he constructed a Grist Mill for Governor Winthrop (jr.). In 1653 they moved again, this time to Pequot (present day New London, Conn.), where he again built another Grist Mill. I believe the reason he moved, was because he received land grants in 1652 and 1654 in the upper Mystic River, for his earlier service in the Pequot War. He traded this lands for other land in the general area, closer to the town of Pequot. In about 1654 Edward built a water power grist mill at the head of the cove of New London which was in daily use until 1897, or perhaps later. Records also show that he was embroiled in some land disputes with the Winthrops over property boundaries which affected the ownership of one of the Grist Mills.

Edward and Ann had the following children:

John Colver, born 15 Apr 1640, Dedham Massachusetts.

Joshua Colver, born 12 Jan 1642, Dedham Massachusetts.

Samuel Colver, born 9 Jan 1644, Dedham Massachusetts.

Joseph Colver, baptized 20 Sep 1646, Dedham Massachusetts.

Gershom Colver, baptized 4 Dec 1648, Roxbury Massachusetts.

daughter, born/died 21 Jan 1650 , Roxbury Massachusetts.

Hannah Colver, baptized 11 Apr 1652, Roxbury Massachusetts.

Edward Colver, born 1654, New London Connecticut.

Ephraim Colver, born 1656, New London Connecticut.

The Connecticut Colony was still under Winthrop's control under the Massachusetts Bay charter. In 1662, Hooker successfully received a Crown Colony charter for Connecticut, thus severing control from Massachusetts. John Winthrop Jr. was asked to move to Connecticut with encouragement from his father and was elected governor. The colonies were basically on their own for a number of years due to the Civil War in England. Charles I was overthrown by Cromwell thus ending self rule (Charles I had dissolved parliament). The colony wisely remained neutral during this time and arrested people causing problems from either faction. Thus they retained power when Charles II ascended the throne.

The New England Colonies now consisted of Massachusetts, Plymouth, Connecticut and Rhode Island with Massachusetts being the dominate one. They were bordered to the south and west by the New York Colony with whom they had poor relations with due to the ambitions of its governor. The areas to the northwest were still dominated by the mighty Iroquois, chiefly the Mohawk tribes.

Many of the Indians in the region were chaffing under the imposed rule of the colonists. The colonists tried to convert many of the Indians to Christianity and place them in tightly controlled towns. They also imposed English laws upon them, and of course the Indians didn't understand most of them. The summer of 1675 Philip an Indian Sachem (Chief) was called upon to answer to authorities over a series of grievances and most notably the murder of a Christian Indian leader. Rather than face the stern arm of English law, he openly rebelled and attacked several villages South East of Plymouth. Other Tribes who had been facing similar circumstances also took the chance to attack.

To the English this was a rebellion of the Indians (whom they believed were subject to the crown and English law) over land rights issues, but to the Indians it was a matter of sovereignty and divine rights, thus they were fighting for a way of life.

The Indians gained the initiative and was destroying village after village and farm after farm. The whites would board themselves up in a stockade until help would arrive. Many times this came to late as the Indians would burn them out. The Indians had a habit (acquired long before the whites came) of cutting of the heads and hands of the enemy and putting them on poles outside the destroyed village as a warning. The Colonies quickly formed regiments to deal with this crisis but were quite ineffective as they tried to use European techniques of warfare, basically marching in columns and trying to bring volley fire on an elusive enemy. The accounts of the battles seem small in comparison to modern warfare, but the population of New England at this time was somewhere around 50,000. They did outnumber the Indians by almost two to one though, and of course they were much more organized.

Edward and his four sons, Edward Jr., Ephraim, Joseph and Samuel where listed as being soldiers during the King Philip Wars and the Great Swamp Fight. Records showed that either Edward or Edward jr. had been commissioned as a lieutenant.

The first big break came for the colonists on Dec 16, 1675 during the great swamp fight, near Triverton Rhode Island. A joint colonial expedition was setup in the late fall and put under the control of General Winthrop of the Plymouth Colony. They gathered on the shores of Rhode Island in what turned into the first big snow storm of the season. Supply was difficult and they were running short fast, so they decided to attempt to engage the Indians directly with over a 1000 men, before their supplies exhausted. With a captured Indian to lead them to the main fort of the Indians they struggled through the forests and bogs. The fort they found was massive and the colonists were surprise that the Indians were capable of building such a structure. Luckily the swamp was frozen and the soldiers could attack at an exposed corner of the fort. The battle raged for hours with many casualties on both sides. The commander decided that enough was enough and ordered the torching of the city. Many innocent women and children died with the warriors in this fire, but such was the nature of the war with the Indians, as they hadn' t show much mercy on white families until much later in the war when they were starting to lose.

The accounts of this battle and the subsequent lose of life of the wounded on the march back due to injuries and the bitter cold was tremendous. I find that if Edward Culver really fought in this battle, he would have had to been one rather tough old buzzard as he would have been somewhere between 65 and 75 years of age. But the population of that region was rather scarce and every able bodied man who could be spared was sent, plus his experience in the Pequot War probably ensured his participation in the war. But this battle was grim and treacherous, especially for someone of his age.

The ineffectiveness of the colonial governments due to infighting, finally turned around with experience and sheer magnitude of their dire situation. The war went for two years, meaning little farming was occurring and commerce ceased to exist. Families joined into fortified homes for protection and impressment of soldiers was occurring to raise an army. The Indians suffered as well, as they couldn't build any permanent villages, grow crops or hunt and fish in their usual places. The English in retaliation to the destruction of their farms would look for the food caches of the Indians, further worsening the situation. After sickness and famine took its toll, the Indians surrendered in droves. The prisoners were mostly sold into slavery by the Massachusetts and Plymouth Colonies, while Connecticut and Rhode Island imposed an indentured servitude for 10 years on their captives, to help rebuild the damage they caused. But the proud Indians of that area didn't make good slaves and would tend to run off for Northern and Western destinations.

One of the factors that lead to the defeat of the Indians was that the colonist finally found the right formula for battling the Indians. The famous Indian fighter Benjamin Church formed up a select company of troops that also consisted of captured Indians who swore allegiance to him. This group was responsible for the capture of many chiefs and even the wife and son of King Philip himself (they were both sold into slavery). He was the one who finally ambushed King Philip's party resulting in the chiefs death. It is interesting that the best Indian fighters happened to have the best relations with the Indians and treated them with great respect. At wars end, there was scarcely a family in New England that was not touched in some way by the war. As payment to many of the soldiers of this war, they were given land grants, as many men didn't wish to return to their burned towns and homes (of which there was many). Over 2000 colonists died in this war, which doesn't sound like a lot, but considering that of a population of 50,000, that would be around 4% died, not accounting for the wounded and maimed. The government set up a pension for those that were disabled from the war, mostly in the form of jobs (tax collectors in which they would receive a percentage) and patents.

It appears that in his old age he became a bit cantankerous and maybe a little senile. He was given a license to sell bread and beer. He died 1685 at Mystic River, New London CN. Ann died in 1682, also at Mystic. A monument was erected in honor of Edward and Ann in 1982 by descendants at the Wightman Burying Ground near Groton Connecticut. The original tombstones are there, but they are nothing more than large stones with the initials E.C. and A.C. engraved on them, church records verify the plots as theirs.

Colver homestead at Ledyard, CN. Edward Colver
and his wife Ann lived here on the farm
called Chepadas (Intersection of trails),
about 1664-1678. Edward may have spent his
last days here and we are told that it is
the oldest continually lived in house in
Connecticut, occupied by Colvers, Culvers
and Lambs for generations.
(Photo and by-line by Andrew Collver
24 Aug 1991, while attending the fourth
national Colver-Culver reunion).

Chepados
(206K)

Chepados
(122K)

Generation II

John Colver was born April 15th, 1640 at Dedham Massachusetts and baptized Sept. 19, 1641. Died 1725 in Groton Connecticut. There is a conflict at this point, Myrtice's work suggests that he married Mary Winthrop, daughter of John Winthrop Jr. and lists the children. Don DuBois's work clearly states marriage dates and etc. to a Mercy Clark, daughter of James Clark who was also a Puritan. A couple of books made some reference as to John being married twice, first to Mary Winthrop and second to Mercy Clark. Most facts bear out Don DuBois, as the other articles were far too vague and had many inconsistancies on dates and ages.

John was a Rogerene, a sect that didn't believe in the no-work rule of Sabbath, no organized churches and no Doctors. They believed strongly in the separation of church and state. They were heavily persecuted and arrested on several occasions, which supposedly re-enforced their belief as their principles called for and encouraged martyrdom. Now if John had been married to Mary Winthrop, then it is possible she either perished (Life was quite difficult then), or her family being of such high and noble position in the Colonies, could have ended the marriage. Anyway, there is little to prove that they were indeed married.

The Children of John Colver and Mercy Clark:

John Colver born 1670.

Abigail Colver, born 13 Nov 1676, New Haven Conn.

James Colver, born 13 Jun 1679, New Haven Conn.

Sarah Colver, born 17 Mar 1681, Conn.

David Colver, born 1684.

Hannah Colver.

Mercy Colver.

As it was, Mercy Clark had left John Sr. on at least one occasion and lived with some relatives, but was forced to return to her husband under penalty of law.

King Charles II, in a move to strengthen his position in the European power struggle, provided patents for New Netherlands ( New York ) to his brother James, on the condition his must take them from the Dutch. He was successful and shortly after being named King (King James II), he provided land grants to his favorites, especially to a Sir George Carteret. Sir George through the colony administrator Colonel Nicolls, made land patents in 1664 to Puritans in a move to get English speaking people to settle the area. This area was named New Jersey in honor of Sir George's home of the Isle of Jersey.

John Colver II was born 1673 at Groton, Connecticut and married in about 1698 to Sarah Way, said to be granddaughter of Henry Way the Puritan. I cant actually verify that it was Sarah Way, as I have seen reference several times to a Sarah Long, daughter of Thomas Long and Sarah Wilcox. I tend to lean towards Sarah Long as being the true wife of John Colver. They lived in Groton CN, and he became a leader in the Rogerene faith. The Rogerenes were founded by John Rogers, son of James Rogers. James was an influential man in Connecticut in the area of New London. He occupied the home of John Winthrop Jr. who had moved due to his appointment to Governor. James was a baker and considered one of the richest men in the township. James (like Edward Culver) were involved in various legal disputes with the Winthrops over property boundary lines and water rights.

John Colver I, John Colver II and his wife Sarah, various Lamb family members and John Rogers were arrested on several occasions for disturbing the peace and various acts of religious acts of non-faith. They found themselves at odds with puritan laws and had been jailed and fined on several occasions. After the death of his father in 1727, they moved to Schooleys Mountain, New Jersey (by 1734), taking took a lot of family and cousins and friends. A large group of Lambs went as well. They apparently had a commune like place and were referred to as "Colverites" and their neighbors considered them to be odd. They stayed there for three years, then moved to Monmouth County, New Jersey for eleven years.

From the Newark N.J. Star Ledger of November 20 1955 in an article on Schooley's Mountain Springs:

It is said that the mineral spring that made Schooley's Mountain famous was discovered by a man named Joseph Culver in 1809 and it was he who sold a considerable tract of land to Joseph Heath.

It Makes me wonder who and what the Culverites were. I think I have heard of them but Mrs. Apgar doesn't explain what it is that may lie behind the name. "One Account" She wrote " dates the discovery of the springs by the Culverites in 1734. The Indians knew of the springs in the early days and tried to keep them secret from the white man.

Excerpt from Tercenary Days: History of Pleasant Grove A brief history of Pleasant Grove was written earlier this year by a young student from township school, Clara E. Haid. Her research and essay follows:

In 1732 the first religious body came to Schooley's Mountain from New London Connecticut. The group called the Rogerenes, had as their leader a John Coloer (Collver). The reason behind the Rogerenes move to a frontier so far removed from their original homes, was their desire to be free from religious persecution so that they could practice undisturbed their peculiar religious habits.

These people considered all days alike. They deemed it lawful to labor after worship on the Lord's day, and would sometimes even attend the service of the churches carrying their work along with them into the sanctuary. One description of their worship says:

To the meetings the women took their spinning wheels and stools. The men hats on, seated themselves upon the ground in rows opposite the women. Then came the solemn hush of the period of introspection, which often would be long and impressive. When some one was moved to speak the women would quickly uncross their hands and the men would unfold their arms, neither thereafter would be idle for a minute. The women applied themselves to knitting, sewing and spinning, the men went to basket making or some noiseless occupation until the speaking ended and the assemblage dispensed. Their house of worship was usually the "temple in the grove" a grassy slope in the shade of a cluster of venerable oaks leading down to the edge of a body of water.

In 1748 they returned to Schooley's Mountain, Morris County where John died, and was buried on Mrs. William Martin's place, Schooley's Mountain, New Jersey." He was a saddler ( a maker of saddles ) by trade.

The Children of John and Sarah:

Mercy Colver.

Sarah Colver

Esther Colver.

John Colver.

Thomas Colver.

Timothy Colver.

Samuel Colver.

Robert Colver born June 1713.

Nathan Colver.

John Colver III was baptized on July 7, 1700 at Groton Connecticut and was married to Freelove Lamb the daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth Lamb of Groton or Stoningham, Connecticut. He died about 1732-33 at Blackriver, Hunterdon County, New Jersey and was buried at the family cemetery near Chester, Morris County, New Jersey. There was several other Collvers and Lambs in the area and they apparently didn't ever live with his father on the Mountain, so it isn't clear as to whether he was a Rogerene as well.

He was a leather worker by trade (cordwinder, shoe maker) and had left little to his family. It is said that Freelove returned to Connecticut and her children were either raised by uncles or her father (As was the custom of the time).

Children of John and Freelove:

John Culver, born 1728, went to live with Maternal grandfather after fathers death.

Jabez Culver, born 19 Jun 1731.

Jonas/Jonahs Culver, born 1733.

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