William Blackstone (?-1675) is the first English settler of common day Boston, then known as Shawmut Point. There is little remaining information regarding his early life. He came from England and stayed in the Boston area around 1625. He lived there peacefully by himself, until 1630 when he invited the Puritans across the river to join him on his land. Blackstone was a religious man, but held no affiliation with any religious group in the Americas. He did not invite them because he was lonely and needed company. He invited the Puritans, because they were suffering and getting sick from the lack of fresh water available to them across the Charles River. The people eventually settled on an amount and paid Blackstone for his land. He saved a large piece for himself until in 1635 he sold the remainder and traveled to Rhode Island. The last land that was purchased from Blackstone became Boston Common, the first public park in America.

Blackstone was a recluse and felt that his privacy was gone with the continually influx of Puritans from England. He enjoyed a quiet life with his library. That is not to say he did not seek companionship. He would travel around the area and preach to various towns and would even travel back to Boston from time to time. On one of these trips he convinced a widow, Sarah Stevenson, to be his bride. They lived the remainder of their lives at his home in Rhode Island. After their death, the land was split between her son John and their son John, yes both of her children were named John. Even though they lived peacefully among the natives and were the only white settlers at the time, his home and library were both burned down by the Indians during King Phillip’s War.

By: Jessica McKenzie 

Credits and Sources:

O’Connor, Thomas H. Boston: A to Z. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000.

Friends of the Public Garden. “Boston Common.” Friends of the Public Garden. Accessed September 12, 2016. http://friendsofthepublicgarden.org/our-parks/boston-common/

Friends of the Public Garden. “History.” Friends of the Public Garden. Accessed September 12, 2016. http://friendsofthepublicgarden.org/our-parks/boston-common/history/

Haley, John Williams. “William Blackstone, The First Settler of Boston and Rhode Island.” Old Time New England 49 (July 1958): 8-10.