Elizur Holyoke (1618 1676) of

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

was an English colonist, surveyor,

scribe A scribe is a person who serves as a professional copyist, especially one who made copies of manuscripts before the invention of Printing press, automatic printing. The work of scribes can involve copying manuscripts and other texts as well as ...

, soldier, the namesake of the mountain,

Mount Holyoke Mount Holyoke, a traprock mountain, elevation , is the westernmost peak of the Holyoke Range and part of the 100-mile (160 km) Metacomet Ridge. The mountain is located in the Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts, and is the n ...

, and indirectly, of the city of

Holyoke, Massachusetts Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,247. Loca ...

Background

Elizur Holyoke arrived in the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around Massachusetts Bay, one of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of M ...

from the village of Tanworth in

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in 1637 or 1638 at the age of 20. He and his family settled in

Chelsea, Massachusetts Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts Suffolk County ( ) is located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 797,936, making it the fourth-most populous county in ...

, where his father, Edward Holyoke Jr., had a farm. His mother was Prudence Stockton. On September 20, 1640, Elizur Holyoke traveled to

and married Mary Pynchon, daughter of

William Pynchon William Pynchon (October 11, 1590 – October 29, 1662) was an English colonist and fur trader in North America best known as the founder of Springfield, Massachusetts. He was also a colonial treasurer, original patentee of the Massachu ...

, the founder of Springfield. The Holyoke and Pynchon families appeared to be close friends, dating back to their days in England. Elizur and Mary Pynchon's marriage was the first for the then small community. (2) In 1642, Elizur received 10 " rods" (Properly interpreted as a

rood A rood or rood cross, sometimes known as a triumphal cross, is a cross or crucifix, especially the large crucifix set above the entrance to the chancel of a medieval church. Alternatively, it is a large sculpture or painting of the crucifixio ...

; commonly, and confusingly, spelled as "rod." A rod is a unit of length, while a rood is the corresponding unit of area. The area given to Elizur was roughly equivalent to 2½ acres hectare, near the present-day location of Chestnut Street in Springfield. In 1643, other desirable lots were given to Elizur by his father-in-law, one being between what is now Worthington and Bridge Streets.

Land issues

In 1647, Elizur was the second largest land owner in Springfield, at . William Pynchon had . After William Pynchon's problems with the General Court of

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and his eventual retreat to England, William's son John Pynchon and Elizur Holyoke took control of Springfield, and in 1652 Elizur was appointed commissioner to govern the town of Springfield. (2) In 1660, after the founding of Hadley and

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

, a question arose regarding the exact borders of Springfield. The general court of Springfield sent out two surveying parties to explore the surrounding regions. Elizur Holyoke served as head of one of these parties, while Rowland Thomas headed the other party. While Holyoke traversed the east side of the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges into Long Isl ...

, Thomas explored the west side of the river. Lore holds that the two held a conversation over a narrow part of the river near Hockanum.

Mount Holyoke

It is commonly stated that Holyoke and Thomas gave their names to the mountains that stood at the end of their paths.

was named by Elizur Holyoke, while Rowland Thomas named Mount Tom, originally called Mount Thomas, later shortened to Mt. Tom.

Career

In 1661, Elizur was chosen as Springfield's deputy to the General Court; 1662, he was appointed associate county judge - recorder of all courts; 1663, made the rank of captain, and was a selectman and deputy to the general court; in 1675, the Holyoke home was destroyed during a raid by Indians led by Wequogan. During the

King Philip's War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1678 between a group of indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodland ...

, Capt. Elizur Holyoke was in command of the successful defense of Springfield, until his death in 1676, one account says not due directly to any injury. However, there are other accounts that say he was killed by the

Wampanoag The Wampanoag, also rendered Wôpanâak, are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of the Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Northeastern Woodlands currently based in southeastern Massachusetts and forme ...

Indians on 5 Feb 1676.

Trivia

*Contrary to some records, both the city of Holyoke and ''Mount Holyoke Female Seminary'' (now

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...

) were named after the nearby mountain,

, and not directly after Elizur Holyoke. The city's name was decided by the board of directors of the first Hadley Falls Company in a meeting in Boston on February 19, 1850. *Elizur Holyoke's grandson Rev. Edward Holyoke was president of

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

from 1737 to 1769. *Elizur is the uncle of

Thomas Putnam Thomas Putnam ( – , 1699) was a member of the Putnam family, a resident of Salem Village (present-day Danvers, Massachusetts, United States) and a significant accuser in the notorious 1692 Salem witch trials. Biography Thomas Putnam was bor ...

and the great-uncle of Ann Putnam, Jr. of the

Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in Province of Massachusetts Bay, colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Not everyone wh ...

References

*Harper, Wyatt. The Story of Holyoke.'' Holyoke, MA: Holyoke Centennial Committee, 1973. *Ella Merkel DiCarlo. "Holyoke - Chicopee; A Perspective." Transcript-Telegram (Holyoke, MA / 1982) *Josiah Gilbert Holland. "The Mountain Christening." notes circa 1660. *John Gibbs Holyoke. "Holyoke, A North American Family 1637 - 1992." Gateway Press, Inc. (Baltimore, 1993) {{DEFAULTSORT:Holyoke, Elizur 1610s births Holyoke, Edward Holyoke, Massachusetts People from Springfield, Massachusetts People from colonial Massachusetts English emigrants to Massachusetts Bay Colony