We know nothing further concerning Francis Sayre except that he continued to reside at Leighton Buzzard and died intestate in 1645, his widow Elizabeth being appointed administratrix of his estate in April of that year, as appears from the record in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Administration Act Book A. D. 1645, folio 39: Mense Aprilis Anno Dni 1645.

Decimo quinto die Emanat Como Elizabethe Seyre Relce Franci Sayre nup de Leighton Bussord in Com Bedford defunct ħentis &c Ad Admins bona Iura et Creda dci def de bene &c vigore Comissiones Iurat.

The expression "ħentis &c" shows that the intestate possessed personal estate to the value of £5 or upwards in more than one ecclesiastical jurisdiction, so as to let in that of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury.

The baptismal records of Leighton Buzzard give the names of children of Francis Sayre and Elizabeth Atkins as they appear in the following list. The record is in Latin, as were all church records of the time. There is a break in the records from 1615 to 1640; one other child was born, at least, Mary, who married in London, June 8, 1639, Edward Tynge, merchant, who was a man of note later in Boston and Dunstable, Mass.

CHILDREN.

FRANCIS, bap. May 14, 1592.

ELIZABETH, bap. April 28, 1594; m. Francis Wells, November 27, 1625.

WILLIAM, bap. September 15, 1595; died April 9, 1598.

THOMAS, bap. July 20, 1597.

ALICE, bap. September 3, 1598.

It will be observed from the above that in the register the child baptized on January 13, 1610, is called Johannes. The law at that period required a transcript of all marriage and baptismal records to be made and sent to the archdeacon at Bedford. In this transcript the name is very plainly Job, showing that an error exists in the Leighton Buzzard record. A copy of a baptismal item from this transcript is here given:

Job Seare filius francisci Seare de laighton . . . [slightly imperfect through damp] tercio die Januarij Anno dni 1610 [161].

Minister ibm Antoinus Slater Gard. ecclie ibm [" Gard." = wardens].

gardiani, i. e. churchEDWARDUS WILKES, RICHUS TOPPINGE, BERNARDUS BACKWELL.

(Translation: Job Seare, son of Francis Seare, of Leighton . . . 3 January,

1610.)

Our English investigator writes on this point as follows:

The present register at Leighton is not the original. The handwriting is so entirely uniform during a long series of years that it is not possible the entries can have been made at the time. And the hand is not that of any incumbent, but of a scribe, as is patent on its face. It is evident that the copyist misread in the document before him "Job" for "Joh," the common abbreviation for Johannes, and wrote the latter name.

The transcript had to be sent in yearly, and was made from the original, so that we are fully justified in relying upon it rather than upon the copy which exists in the parish.

The incumbent and churchwardens were required to sign the transcript, which, produced from the proper custody, is legal evidence in Her Majesty's courts of law.

The importance of the discovery of the error in the register in the name of the child baptized January 13, 1610, will be seen later on in the examination of Job Sayre before the Dutch magistrate in New Amsterdam in 1640, for it was through the record of this baptism that we were enabled to identify positively the Southampton, Long Island, Sayres with their English ancestors.

CHAPTER II.

THE SOUTHAMPTON FOUNDER.

One of the traditions current among some of the Sayres was that Thomas Sayre, our first Emigrant Ancestor, had been employed in the mint before sailing for America. To verify this, if possible, an examination was made, as will appear from the following report, showing undoubtedly that there was no foundation for the tradition.

It probably was based upon the supposed origin of the name from "assayer."

REPORT AS TO THE RESEARCHES AMONGST THE RECORDS OF THE MINT.

It is probable that, in matters genealogical, recourse is not often had to the records of the Mint. It appears desirable, therefore, to enter somewhat into detail as to the work done in this respect.

The practice of declaring accounts before the Lord High Treasurer of England, or before the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and two or more of the other Commissioners of the Treasury, appears to have been introduced about the reign of Henry VIII, and to have been fully established in that of Elizabeth.

Two copies of each account were prepared in the Audit Office, to which, after various formalities, one copy was returned.

An abstract of every account was entered on the Memoranda Rolls, under the heading "States and Views of Public Accounts."

An exhaustive Inventory of the Declared Accounts of the Audit Office has quite recently been prepared and arranged under suitable headings, such as Alienation Office; Army, Navy and Ordnance; Butlerage (Pincerna Regis);" Customs' (Collectors); Custos Sigilli; and so forth, one being "Mint."

The Declared Accounts of the Mint were the records first examined, as being the most likely to furnish what was desired.

The result of the examination of them and of other records is appended, the official reference being noted in each case.

(Exchequer, Queen's Remembrancer.)

Five Membranes.

Accounts, etc.

Bundle 305, No. 6.

Assay Roll.

Bundle 307, No. 2.

James I and Charles I.

Indentures of officials of the Mint relating to the execution of their duties. A file.

In not one of all these various records was the name Sayer found.

Thomas Sayre, son of Francis and Elizabeth Atkins Sayre, our first Emigrant Ancestor, was born in Leighton Buzzard in 1597, baptized July 20, 1597, and probably continued to reside there until he was nearly forty years of age. Presumably he married there, and his children, some or all, were doubtless born there. Owing to loss of the parish registers, however, we have no information which might have been gathered therefrom. The first record we have of him after that of his birth is at Lynn, Mass., in 1638, but how long he had been a resident there, or whether he came directly thither from England, we have no means of determining.

Lynn was settled in 1629. In 1638 the committee appointed to divide the lands completed their work, and a book was provided in which were recorded the names of the proprietors with the number of acres allotted to each. This book is lost, but the first three pages have been preserved, and on the first page appear the names of Thomas Sayre, sixty acres, and Job Sayre, sixty acres.

From Lynn six colonies had been sent out prior to 1640 to make settlements elsewhere. In the preceding year another colony undertook to make a settlement on Long Island. They invited Mr. Abraham Pierson of Boston, to become their minister, who, with seven of the emigrants, entered into a church covenant before they left Lynn. The eight "undertakers," as they were called, purchased a sloop for the transportation of their families and goods for £80, Thomas and Job Sayre each contributing £5 as his share. Before sailing the proprietors disposed of their interest in the vessel to David Howe in consideration of his making three trips annually for two years for the transportation of their goods from Lynn to the place of their settlement. Articles of agreement dated March 10, 1638, were drawn up and signed. A copy will be found in Howell's "History of Southampton."

Following is a transcript of the deed to the colonists for the land on the east end of Long Island, which has been found and sent us from England. A curious circumstance about this is that while it is dated 12th June, 1639, it refers to the colonists "being drove off by the Dutch from the Place where they were by me Planted," which appears to have been done in May, 1640. In Howell's "History of Southampton" these deeds are given, taken from the town records and from records at Albany, and attention is called to the "manifest error" in the date.

Sale of Lands in N. York by M! Farrel wth ye Ld. Sterlings Confirmacon thereof.

Know all men whom this p'sent writinge may concerne that I James Farrel of Long Island Gent Deputy to the Rt honble the Earle of Starling Secretery for the Kingdome of Scotland doe by these p'sents in the name and behalfe of the said Earle of Starling & in my owne name as doth or may concerne my selfe give up all Rights Titles Claimes & Demands of and from all Pattent Right of all those Lands lying and being bounded betweene Peaconeke and the Easter most point of Long Island with the whole Breadth of the said Island from Sea to Sea with

This name appears as Farrell, Farret, etc.

all Lands & p'misses contained wth in the said Lymitts Excepting those Lands already granted vnto any Person by me the said Farrell vnder my hand and Seale vnto Edward Howell Daniell How Job Sayer and their Associates heires and Successo both now and for ever against the Claimes of any Person or Persons whatsoever Claiming by from or under the said Earle of Starling and doe in his LoPS name and in my owne name as it doth concerne my selfe in consideration of Barge hire besides they being drove off by the Dutch from the Place where they were by me Planted to theire great damage by and with a Considerable Sume of Money in hand paid before the Sealing and delivering of these p'sents all amounting to foure hundred pounds Sterling the receipt hereof and of every part thereof I acknowledge by these p'sents doe Acquitt Discharge and Exonerate the said Edward Howell Daniell How Job Sayer and their Associates Heires and Successors for ever, Giving vp unto the said parties Heires and Successors as absolute a Right Title and Propriety as the said Earle received of the Corporation for new England incorporated by King James the Eighteenth yeare of his Reigne over England Scotland France and Ireland and that I the James Farrell said [sic original] haveing myself full power to make over the Pattent all or part in his Lops name and for his Lops vse by vertue of My Letters of Attorney bearing date 1637 by vertue of which agentie I haue made a Sale of the same for his Los use received the Some aforesaid of the Same Edward Howell Daniell How Job Sayer and their Associates and that the Same parties Heires and Successors haue as absolute power to Erect wholsome Laws and Ordinances among themselves as the Earle of Starling had Conveyed to him by the Corporation aforesaid the said Edward Howell Daniell How Job Sayer and Successors owing Allegiance to the Crowne of England and paying the ffifth part of Gold and Silver Over to his Majtie with what Royalties belongeth to the said Corporation their Heires & Successors shall be Likewise paid up dew as is Expresd in his LoPS Pattent Lastly I promise in his Lops name that his LoP his heires and Successors Shall maintaine the said Edward Howell Daniell How Job Sayer their Heires and Successors in the peaceable injoyment of the p'misses against all persons whatsoever. In witnesse hereof I have hereunto Sett my hand and Seale this 12th of June 1639.

The E: of Sterlings Confirmation of the sale of Long Island.

I William Earle of Sterline doe make knowne to all men whom it doth or may concerne That Whereas James Ffarrell Gent my lawful Agent upon Long Island &c in America hath disposed by saile of divers Lands in my name & for my vse vpon the said Island & Islands adjacent wth in my Pattent according to y power given him by my selfe April 1637 vnto Edward Howell Daniel How & their heires & successors [no mention of Job Sayer] for Ever as from Peaconnet to ye Eastermost poynte of ye sd Long Island; And vnto John Thomas & Edward