Gillam Shipbuilding in 17th century Boston

GILLAM: Benjamin Gillam, of Boston, ship car-penter, freeman I635, came 1634, followed by his wife Ann, and son Benjamin the next year; had Zachary here, born 1636; Ann, I638, died soon; Ann, again, 1640;
Elizabeth, 1642; and Joseph, 1644.
Benjiman, second,
had command of company in Philip's War.
REFERENCES: N. E. Hist. Reg., XIX, 344; Savage's Gen. Dict., II, 255.

Credit: New England, The Great Migration and The Great Migration Begins,

BENJAMIN GILLAM
ORIGIN: Wapping, Middlesex.
MIGRATION: 1634 (on 6 October 1634, "Beniamin Gilham" was a witness in a case before Massachusetts Bay General Court [MBCR
1:133]).
FIRST RESIDENCE: Boston.
OCCUPATION: Ship carpenter. His inventory included "part of the hull of a ship upon the stocks with plane timber, stays & other stuff in the yard and under the hollow wharf" valued at £398, as well as "four apprentices, viz: Miles Sansell have about one year & half to serve;
Abiah Edward about one year; Joseph Heaven 3 years & half; Caleb Chafen 7 years," the value of all this time being £35 [SPR 7:80].
CHURCH MEMBERSHIP: On 26 October 1634, "Beniamin Gillam, ship carpenter," was admitted to Boston church [BChR 19]. On 3 January 1635/6, "Anne Gillam the wife of our brother Beniamyn Gillam" was admitted to Boston church BChR 201.
On 22 Februry 1656/7, "[o]ur sister Ann Gillam for her withdrawing from the fellowship of the Church and her obstinate refusing to hear the Church was in the Name of the Lord Jesus with the consent of the brethren by their silence excommunicate" [BChR 57]. On 28 May 1659,
"Benjamin Gilham" petitioned for relief from the fines levied against his wife "respecting her absenting herself from the public assemblies," and, on 7 May 1662, she was in prison, and, once released from prison, she was to "keep within her own house, attending such meetings as the law provides, & no other" [MBCR 4:1:371-72, 4:2:55]. (These last fewevents probably reflect an early association with the Quakers, as she was cited, just before her death, for attendance at a Quaker meeting [NEHGR
61:198-991.)
FREEMAN: 6 May 1635 (eighth in a sequence of ten Boston men)
[MBCR 1:370].
OFFICES: Boston fenceviewer, 16 April 1638, 1 March 1638/9, 30
March 1640 [BTR 1:33, 39, 52].
His inventory included "a sword & belt" valued at 5s. and "two matchlock muskets" valued at 16s. [SPR 7:79, 81].
EDUCATION: His inventory included "two Bibles & Concordance &
Mr. Dels Sermons" valued at 15s. [SPR 7:80].
ESTATE: On 8 January 1637/8 (based on a town order of 14 December
1635), "Beniamyn Gillam" was granted twenty-eight acres in the Great Allotments at Rumley Marsh and Pullen Point [BTR 1:27-28]. On 27
April 1640, "Ben[jamin] Gillum" is to have ten acres of marsh at Muddy River, and "the residue of the ground granted at Long Island (if any be)"
BTR 1:53-54].
In the 1645 Boston Book of Possessions, "Benjamin Gillom" held two parcels: "one house and garden" and "also one house and lot" [BBOP 26, 78-79]. On 24 March 1669/70, "administration to the estate of Benjamin Gillam Senior late of Boston deceased is granted to Ann Gillam the relict of the abovesaid Gillam and to Joseph Gillam their son" [SPR 7:48]. The inventory of the estate of "Benjamin Gillam Senior late of Boston deceased," taken 29 March 1670, was untotalled, but amounted to about £1400, of which £700 was real estate: "a little garden behind the washhouse and a corner of land, part of the orchard above the land of Benjamin Gilla[m] Junior from his land on a straight line to the fence next Fort Hill which the deceased declared he would give his son Benjamin," €40; "the dwelling house, shed & washhouse with the land within fence standing against the shed & running up between the aforesaid garden & washhouse on a straight line by the land of Benjamin Gillam Junior to the aforesaid fence next Fort Hill and so the whole land & orchard within the said line to the land late in the possession of Benjamin Ward on the other side, which house & land was engaged to Joseph Gillam upon his marriage by his father to be enjoyed by him & his heirs forever after the death of his father & mother," £360; "the building yard with the privileges thereto belonging which was also engaged to Joseph Gillam by promise of father upon marriage to be enjoyed by him & his heirs forever after the ship now in the stocks was launched for Mr. Wilson & set forth to sea," £200; and "about one acre & half of land on Fort Hill," £100 There were debts owing to the estate of £240 16s. 3d., with legacies and debts owing by the estate of £926 18s. 6d., "besides several other debts which are demanded which do not as yet appear to be due" [SPR 7:77-82].
In her will. dated 23 February 1673/4 and proved 31 July 1674,
"Anne Gillam of Boston in New England, widow relict & administratrix to Ben|jam[in] Gillam formerly of said Boston, shipwright, deceased," bequeathed to "my beloved son Benjamin Gillam twenty shillings as a token of my love"; to "my beloved son Joseph Gillam twenty shillings as a token of my love"; residue to "my beloved daughter Hannah Sharp & also do entreat her care of my daughter Gwinn's two motherless children"; "my loving son Richard Sharp" to be sole executor [SPR
6:54].
On 14 April 1676, "Benjamin Gillam and Joseph Gillam of Boston ..., mariners, adminstrators to the estate of their father Benjamin Gillam late of Boston aforesaid deceased ..., whereas the Honorable County Court held in Boston aforesaid by adjournment the twelfth day of November in the year of our Lord one-thousand six-hundred seventy and four did order that the sum of two hundred and eighteen pounds, twelve shillings and nine pence, which was left undetermined by the committee chosen to audit the accounts of the said Benjamin Gillam and Joseph Gillam ... should be divided into two equal parts and that one half part thereof should be and remain unto ... the said Benjamin Gillam ... and the other half part thereof to be divided equally between Zachariah Gillam of the City of London ..., mariner, and Richard Sharpe of Boston aforesaid, merchant, who married Hannah daughter of the late Benjamin Gillam deceased," deeded to "Zechariah Gillam and Richard Sharpe ... One moiety or half part of a certain piece or parcel of land ... on a certain place called Fort Hill near the Sconce adjoining to the southerly side of the said Benjamin Gillam's orchard containing by estimation ... one acre and an half" [SLR 18:76-771. BIRTH: About 1608 (deposed 29 January 1633/4 "aged 26" [NGBR
47:110 (date of deposition printed incorrectly)]; deposed 27 October
1653 "aged about forty-five years" [EQC 2:94; Essex Ant 12:69]).
DEATH: Before 24 March 1669/70 (date of administration).
MARRIAGE: By 1634 Anne
. She was born about 1607 (aged 28
on 1 July 1635 [Hotten 97]), and died between 23 February 1673/4 (date of will) and 31 July 1674 (probate of will).
CHILDREN:
BENJAMIN GILLAM, b. about 1634 (aged 1 on 1 July 1635 [Hotten 971); m. Boston 26 October 1660 "Hannah Savage, daughter of Captain Thomas Savage of Boston" [BVR 76;
NEHGR 67:200-1].
il ZACHARY GILLAM, b. Boston 30 September 1636 [BVR 4], bp. there 23 October 1636 [BChR 280]; m. Boston 26 July
1659 Phoebe Phillips "daughter of Lt. Willia]m Phillips of Boston" [BVR 71].
ili
HANNAH GILLAM, b. Boston [blank] September 1638 and
"died soon after" (BVR 6].
iv
HANNAH GILLAM, b. Boston [blank] January 1639/40 [BVR
7], bp. there 12 January 1639/40 [BChR 284]; m. by 1671
Richard Sharp (eldest known child b. Boston 14 February 1671[/2?] [BVR 120]).
V
ELIZABETH GILLAM, b. Boston [blank] January 1641/2 [BVR 11], bp. there 9 January 1641/2 "being 4 days old" [BChR 289]; m. by 1661 Thomas Gwinn (eldest known child b. Boston 3 November 1661 [BVR 78]).
VI
JOSEPH GILLAM, b. Boston [blank] September 1644 [BVR
18], bp. there 13 October 1644 "being about 9 days old" [BChR 297]; m. by 1673 Martha Knight (eldest known child
b. Boston 15 July 1673 [BVR 128]), daughter of Robert Knight (on 1 September 1653, "Martha of Robert & Ann Knight" was born at Boston [BVR 40]; on 28 January 1656[/7], "Mr. John Joyliffe merchant & Ann Knight widow" were married at Boston [BVR 58]; in his will of 23 November 1680, "Joseph Gillam of Boston ….., mariner, master of the ship John and Ann of Boston aforesaid now riding at anchor in the road at Mardera [Madeira]," made
"my dearly beloved wife Martha Gillam my only and sole executrix" and instructed her to carry out his bequests "with the consent and assistance of my loving friend and father-in-

vii
ELISHA GILLAM, bp. Boston 21 May 1648 "being about 8
days old" [BChR 311]; no further record.
ASSOCIATIONS: On 25 September 1637, "Robert Gillam, mariner, hath leave to buy a houseplot where he can" [in Boston] [BTR 1:19]. In 1638 or 1639, "Robert Gilham," presumably the same man, appears in a list of freemen of Newport [RICR 1:91]. There is no evident connection between this man and the subject of this sketch.

COMMENTS: Benjamin Gillam travelled to New England alone, in advance of the rest of his family. On 1 July 1635, "Ann Gillam," aged 28, and "son Ben[jamin] Gillam," aged 1, were enrolled at London as passengers for New England on the Abigail [Hotten 97].
On 29 July 1640, the partnership of Thomas Robinson, mariner, and John Swinforth, ship carpenter, owed f1 10s. to "Goodman Gilham for a barrel of tar" [Lechford 279]. On 28 July 1657, "Benjamin] Gillam is fined ten shillings for making a fire upon the wharf" [BTR 1:139]. On 22 February 1657/8, "Ben[jamin] Gillam hath five shillings abated of his fine for heating a pitch pot on the wharf" [BTR 1:142].
Benjamin Gillam attained an interesting position in the social and economic scale, at the margin between the majority in the middle of the spectrum and the minority at the top. He was called throughout his years in New England simply "Benjamin Gillam of Boston ..., shipwright" (document of 6 April 1663 [SLR 4:310]), but over the years he strayed from this social status and this occupation. In 1640 he was called
"Goodman" [Lechford 279], but as early as 20 July 1647 he was called
"Mr." [WP 5:1731. This latter description was not always used thereafter, and in an interesting business account of 14 May 1650 there is an amount of money due to "Mr. Gillom," and then some lines later an amount due to "Goodman Gillom" [Aspinwall 285-86]. Benjamin Gillam the son would have been only sixteen at this time, so he would not likely be represented in any of these lines. Perhaps one of these entries is for some other person altogether, but another explanation might be that the creator of this record was uncertain about the exact social status of Benjamin Gillam. Benjamin Gillam apparently attained this somewhat elevated social status through repeated association with those who were firmly situated in the higher levels. In early 1633, even before coming to New England, he was hired to serve on a vessel which was supposed to support the colonizing activities of Sir RICHARD SALTONSTALL (Watertown) [GMB 3:1618-21]. Once settled in Boston, he quickly became involved in financial transactions with members of the Winthrop family and with various prominent merchants of the town [SLR 1:45, 97; Aspinwall 13, 36, 82, 119, 143, 211, 313].
While Beniamin Gillam continued to carry on the business of a ship carpenter [Aspinwall 13, 143; SLR 1:97, 4:69-70], he also moved himself into related activities which would justify the description of merchant, such as taking a part interest in the cargo of some vessels, and also partial ownership of some of the vessels themselves [Aspinwall 49, 113, 119, 200, 313, 356; SLR 1:4, 3:245]. There is no indication, however, that the immigrant was ever a ship's captain. Benjamin Gillam, the son of the immigrant, would have reached his majority about a decade before his father died, and any reference during this period to
"Captain Benjamin Gillam" or "Benjamin Gillam, mariner," would pertain to the son.