Anne Busby

     Anne was born in Norwich, County Norfolk, England. She was christened there on 2 February 1607/8 in St. Mary Coslany Church. She was the daughter of Nicholas Busby II and Bridget Cocke. Anne married William Nickerson II, son of William Nickerson and Alice (?), on 24 June 1627 in Norwich, County Norfolk, England. On 15 April 1637, Anne & her husband, William, with their family, departed from Yarmouth, England aboard the ship, "John & Dorothy" or the "Rose", under the command of Captain William Andrews, bound for New England. Listed among the passengers were William Nickerson of Norwich, weaver aged 33 years & Anne, his wife aged 28 years, with four children: Nicholas, Robartt, Elizabeth & Anne. They arrived at Salem, Massachusetts on the 20th of June. It is believed that the reason Nicholas & others left Norwich & went to New England or other places across the seas, was a direct result of the actions of Bishop Wren of Norfolk. The bishop persecuted & made life unendurable for any non-conformist. During his tenure of two years & four months, 3,000 workers, most of whom were trade craftsmen, left the country for safer environs..² Soon after their arrival in Boston, 2 May 1638, William took the oath of freeman. Two and a half years later, though, he was again taking the freeman's oath, this time in Plymouth Colony, where he apparently had chosen to settle. Over the years William, true to his nature as a non-conformist, found himself at odds with the religious leaders of the colony. Undoubdtedly, his most radical act was in the purchase of Monomoit from the Indian sacum and chief Mattaquason. This was in direct conflict with the laws of the colony. His first purchase was in the early part of 1656, over the next eighteen years, William and his children, ignored the law and court ruling to the contrary, and moved into Monomoy and established a settlement there. Chief Mattaquason lived in his teepee close to the home of William and they maintained a close comfortable relationship over the courses of their lives. Finally in 1673, all legal barriers were finally removed and William received a clear title to Monomoy, both from the Indians and from the colony. The settlement remained one of Nickerson family members only for nearly another twenty years, before other families trickled in to take up residence. In 1686, William, showing great trust and confidence in his daughter, Sarah, and putting his house in order, signed over to her the management of his landed properties. Anne departed this life after 18 May 1686 in Monomoit, Barnstable County, Massachusetts. She is buried at Burial Hill in Chatham.