Working on Wednesday: Richard Raymond/Rayment (About 1602 - 1692), Mariner

In his entry in The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to N.E. 1620-1633, Vols. I-III* this paternal eighth great grandfather's occupation is described as "fisherman, coastal trader." Documents of the time refer to him as a mariner.

We don't know where he was born in England or what his history was before he arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1631, settling in Salem,** but he was able to sign his name when he became of freeman of that place in 1634.***

[By John Smith of Jamestown [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons]

[Perley, S. (1924-28). The history of Salem, Massachusetts. Salem, Mass.: S. Perley.]

In the Salem land grand of 1636 Richard received at least 60 acres of land (and perhaps as much as 180) and later in the year was one of eight men who received half an acre at Winter Harbor "for fishing trade, & to build upon." Eight years later in 1654 he was granted another 100 acres of upland and 10 acres of meadow, and in 1657 he had two cows in the town herd.

Richard sold a one-quarter interest in the ketch Hopewell of Salem for a year and a day to Walter Price on August 27, 1660. Two years later he and his wife Judith**** sold several acres of salt marsh to another Salem neighbor, followed by the sale of his dwelling house with some land on October 13, 1662, to Oliver Mannering***** who had married their daughter Hannah in about 1660 and the couple moved to Norwalk, Connecticut, buying a house and land there two weeks later.

However Richard and Judith didn't remain in Norwalk for long and soon moved to Saybrook where in 1668 when Richard deeded two more acres in Salem to his son-in-law, he was described as "Richard Rayment late of Salem now of Saybrooke at Coneticotts river's mouth."

Richard died in Saybrook on May 12, 1692, at 90 years of age. His place of burial is unknown.

Richard and Judith had nine children, six boys and three girls. I trace my descent from their daughter Hannah.

*Beginning on page 1563. Most of the information here comes from that source via americanancestors.org ($)
**Originally founded as a fishing village in 1626.
***In various records he spelled his surname ending in a "d" or a "t".
****They were married in Salem in about 1635. Her surname is unknown.
*****Or Manwaring.

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