Samuel Blanchard: 52 Ancestors 2020 Prompt “Proud”

Samuel Blanchard and His Beloved Black Horse

My ninth great-grandfather Samuel Blanchard kept what researchers term a “manuscript book” in which he recorded the significant events of his life, the sort of record often kept in a family Bible. The interesting thing about this record of births, deaths and marriages is that he added an entry about his horse, indicating how important the beast must have been to him.

Samuel begins his records by recording his marriage to his first wife Mary on the third day of January in 1654. He then follows with the names of their six children and the dates of their birth, followed with the sad notation, “My wife died upon the 20 febrary 1669.”

However, life looks up again. His next entry reads, “I Samuel Blanchard was marred to my wif Hanah upon the 24 day of Juen in the yer 1673.” Next follows notations of the births of his four children with Hannah.

He then writes down the other significant events of his life: first, his own birth in 1629. Next, his arrival in America and his relocation to Andover:

“I Samuel Blanchard landed in New Ingland on the 23 day of Jun in the year 1639. I Samuel Blanchard cam to Andovar with my family upon the tenth day of jun in the yer 1686.”

Then follows a truly extraordinary entry:

“I bought my horce of John Whelar upon the 18 day of march 1691.”

The purchase of his horse ranked among the most important events of his life, alongside his marriages, the births of his children, and his voyage to a new land.

When he wrote his will on Nov 21, 1704, Samuel divided his lands, livestock and personal possessions amongst his children and widow, and finished up with the following bequest:

“Last My black horse I doe give to my Dear Wife”.

This horse must have been incredibly important to Samuel. We tend to think that colonists nearly lived on horseback, using horses for travel and as work animals. But early in the Puritan era in New England, there were few horses. Most farmers used oxen teams for farm work if they had any sort of work animal at all. By the time of Samuel’s horse purchase, there were large breeding operations in the colonies, and horses were starting to be exported rather than imported. Even with their increase in numbers in the 1690s, the purchase of a horse was probably seen as a sign of wealth and status, the equivalent of a modern purchase of a luxury car.

Samuel’s pride in his black horse seems obvious, and quite charming. It is a shame that he never recorded the animal’s name.