From roots-in@roots-l.rootsweb.com Fri May 21 03:10:23 2004 Received: from mail.rootsweb.com (mail.rootsweb.com [192.168.16.34]) by lists5.rootsweb.com (8.12.8/8.12.8) with ESMTP id i4L9ANcY019417; Fri, 21 May 2004 03:10:23 -0600 Received: from roots-l.rootsweb.com (roots-l.rootsweb.com [66.43.16.22]) by mail.rootsweb.com (8.12.10/8.12.10) with ESMTP id i4L9ANsh019358 for ; Fri, 21 May 2004 03:10:23 -0600 Received: from roots-l.rootsweb.com (roots-l [127.0.0.1]) by roots-l.rootsweb.com (8.12.8/8.12.8) with ESMTP id i4L6nq0T016584 for ; Fri, 21 May 2004 02:49:52 -0400 Received: (from roots-in@localhost) by roots-l.rootsweb.com (8.12.8/8.12.8/Submit) id i4L6nqM0016582 for roots-approved@rootsweb.com; Fri, 21 May 2004 02:49:52 -0400 Received: from lists5.rootsweb.com (lists5.rootsweb.com [66.43.18.41]) by roots-l.rootsweb.com (8.12.8/8.12.8) with ESMTP id i4L4bL0T016306 for ; Fri, 21 May 2004 00:37:21 -0400 Received: (from slist@localhost) by lists5.rootsweb.com (8.12.8/8.12.8) id i4L6vWaJ019334 for roots-in@roots-l.rootsweb.com; Fri, 21 May 2004 00:57:32 -0600 X-Envelope-From: marbence2002@yahoo.com Fri May 21 00:57:32 2004 Received: from mail.rootsweb.com (mail.rootsweb.com [192.168.16.34]) by lists5.rootsweb.com (8.12.8/8.12.8) with ESMTP id i4L6vWcY019323 for ; Fri, 21 May 2004 00:57:32 -0600 Received: from web41006.mail.yahoo.com (web41006.mail.yahoo.com [66.218.93.5]) by mail.rootsweb.com (8.12.10/8.12.10) with SMTP id i4L6vWsh011054 for ; Fri, 21 May 2004 00:57:32 -0600 Message-ID: <20040521065742.61786.qmail@web41006.mail.yahoo.com> Received: from [216.105.193.232] by web41006.mail.yahoo.com via HTTP; Thu, 20 May 2004 23:57:42 PDT Date: Thu, 20 May 2004 23:57:42 -0700 (PDT) From: Margaret Davis To: ROOTS-L@rootsweb.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Scanned-By: MIMEDefang 2.38 Sender: roots-in@roots-l.rootsweb.com Subject: [ROOTS-L] Re: Freeman Hi, I found this on another list last week. I do have the permission of the original poster to pass it on to any Rootsweb List. Hope it answers your question. Freeman's Oath: Becoming a freeman in Puritan New England originally meant becoming a member in good standing of the local church -- in turn meaning that a man had to demonstrate persuasively that he was one of the "elect" (a Calvinist concept essentially meaning that he was predestined to go to Heaven). Then he was inducted as a freeman, meaning he could vote in town meetings and elections. The oath essentially was a swearing of allegiance to the colony. Mass Bay Colony (and to a lesser extent Conn Colony) were theocracies, except that clegymen generally did not hold civil offices. "The Freeman's Oath" was the first paper printed in New England. It was printed at Cambridge by Stephen Daye in 1639, upon a single sheet, in the form of a handbill and without date." "The Oath was in these words as established in 1634" in Massachusetts: " I, _____, being by God's providence, an Inhabitant and Freeman within the Jurisdiction of this Commonwealth: do freely acknowledge myself to be subject to the Government thereof: And therefore do here swear by the great and dreadful Name of the Ever-living God, that I will be true and faithful to the same, and will accordingly yield assistance and support thereunto, with my person and estate, as in equity I am bound! and will also truly endeavor to maintain and preserve all the liberties and privileges thereof, submitting myself to the wholesome Laws and Orders made and established by the same. And further that I will not plot or practice any evil against it, or consent to any that shall so do; but will timely discover and reveal the same to the lawful Authority now here established for the speedy preventing thereof. "Moreover, I do solemnly bind myself in the sight of God that when I shall be called to give my voyce touching any matter of this State in which Freemen are to deal, I will give my vote and suffrage as I shall judge in mine own conscience may best conduce to tend to the public weal of the body. So help me God in the Lord Jesus Christ." Posted by Jan Jordan< Margaret in NV