Peter Folger or Foulger (died 1690) was a poet and an interpreter of the American Indian language for the first settlers of

Nantucket Nantucket () is an island about south from Cape Cod. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined county/town government that is part of the U.S. state of Massachuse ...

. He was instrumental in the colonization of Nantucket Island in the

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

colony. He was the maternal grandfather of

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading int ...

. A Baptist missionary, teacher, and surveyor, his dealings with the native population promoted harmony between the Native Americans and European settlers.

Life

Peter Folger was born in England, the son of John Folger Jr. and Meribah Gibbs. He left

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the Episcopal see, See of ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nor ...

, England for America in 1635, settling initially in

Watertown, Massachusetts Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and is part of Greater Boston. The population was 35,329 in the 2020 census. Its neighborhoods include Bemis, Coolidge Square, East Watertown, Watertown Square, and the West End. Waterto ...

, and later moving to

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes the ...

, where he worked as a teacher and surveyor. His father, John, a widower, came to the colonies in 1636 and ultimately settled in Martha's Vineyard. In 1644, he married Mary Morrell, whom he met on the voyage from England. Morrell was an

indentured servant Indentured servitude is a form of Work (human activity), labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract, called an "indenture", may be entered "voluntarily" for purported eventual compensa ...

and Folger bought her freedom from

Hugh Peter Hugh Peter (or Peters) (baptized 29 June 1598 – 16 October 1660) was an English preacher, political advisor and soldier who supported the Parliamentary cause during the English Civil War, and became highly influential. He employed a flamboyant ...

s for £20. They had nine children by 1669, the last of whom, Abiah Folger, married

Josiah Franklin Josiah Franklin Sr. (December 23, 1657 – January 16, 1745) was an English businessman and the father of Benjamin Franklin. Born in the village of Ecton, Northamptonshire, England, Josiah was the ninth child of blacksmith Thomas Franklin (b. 1 ...

, and was the mother of

. At the Vineyard, Folger supported himself by teaching school and surveying land. He was hired by Governor

Thomas Mayhew Governor Thomas Mayhew, the Elder (March 31, 1593 – March 25, 1682) established the first European settlement on Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and adjacent islands in 1642. He is one of the editors of the Bay Psalm Book, the first book published ...

and his son Thomas Mayhew Jr. to convert the Native American population to Christianity, during which time he learned to speak the native language. He was a Baptist in faith, and as such was told not to visit with the Puritans on the mainland. Rev.

Experience Mayhew Experience Mayhew (1673–1758) was a New England missionary to the Wampanoag Indians on Martha's Vineyard and adjacent islands. He is the author of Massachusett Psalter (a rare book like the Bay Psalm Book and Eliot Indian Bible). Experience was ...

, in a letter to John Gardner, Esquire, dated 1694, states that when Thomas Mayhew, Jr. left for England in 1657, he left the care of his church and mission to Peter Folger. From time to time between 1659 and 1662, Folger journeyed to Nantucket in order to survey it for the proprietors. He was an interpreter for Tristram Coffin. In 1663 Folger moved to Nantucket full-time, having been granted a half a share of land by the proprietors, where he was a surveyor, an Indian interpreter, and clerk in the courts. Shortly thereafter, Folger's daughter, Abiah, was born, later to become the mother of

. Folger died at

, Massachusetts, in 1690 and is buried in the Founders Burial Ground. His wife Mary Morrill Folger lived until 1704 and is also buried in the Founders Burial Ground.

Works

* ''A Looking Glass for the Times, or the Former Spirit of New England Revived in this Generation'' (1675) * ''A Denunciation of War''

References

Sources

* The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 16. By New England Historic Genealogical Society * American Marriages Before 1699 atabase on-line Provo, UT, US: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1997. Original data: Clemens, William Montgomery. American Marriage Records Before 1699. Pompton Lakes, NJ, US: Biblio Co., 1926. {{DEFAULTSORT:Folger, Peter 1690 deaths People from Nantucket, Massachusetts People from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts 1617 births Kingdom of England emigrants to Massachusetts Bay Colony Franklin family People from Watertown, Massachusetts People from Norwich People of colonial Massachusetts Burials in Massachusetts