Okay so today I got curious about this Endicott guy after seeing his name pop up in something totally unrelated. Figured I’d dig in and see what he actually did. Here’s how my afternoon went down.
Started with a simple search: “Who is John Endicott?” Straight up, tons of results. Seems like there were a few John Endicotts? Got confused right away. Saw stuff about art auctions, some guy named John S. Endicott who wrote books, even a place called Endicott College. Thought, “Alright, wrong Endicott clearly.” Needed to be way more specific.
Narrowed it down adding “John Endicott colonial” and “John Endicott Massachusetts“. Boom, different vibe instantly. Found a bunch of pages talking about a guy involved right at the beginning of the English settlements over there.
Turns out this Endicott was a major player way back when they were just setting up shop in the 1600s. First big thing I learned: He wasn’t just in Massachusetts, he helped build it. Dude actually became the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony! Early days, like late 1620s he arrived, and then multiple times later on they put him in charge. That’s a pretty big deal.
Here’s what stuck out about what he did while running things:
- He was intense about being Puritan. Like, seriously intense. Wanted the colony to stick super strictly to their religious rules. If you didn’t follow? He was not gonna be nice about it. They mention him kicking people out who didn’t fit in, even banning them.
- Stood his ground. When folks back in England tried telling them what to do (like letting the Church of England have more say), Endicott basically ripped up the papers and told them to get lost. Big early move saying the colony was gonna do its own thing.
- Military side too. He actually commanded soldiers. One story popped up where he led troops against some Native American groups they had conflicts with. Fits the whole “tough governor” picture.
Ended up seeing his name connected to Salem too. Seems like he had property there and was involved before all the witch mess even started years later. Roots run deep with this guy in Massachusetts.
Overall take: Major founding dude. Got there early, got power multiple times, ran things with a heavy Puritan hand – enforcing rules, kicking out dissenters, pushing back against England. A real key builder and enforcer in those early colonial days. Complicated figure for sure, but impossible to miss if you’re looking at that period.
Phew. Went down a rabbit hole thinking it was about some author or artist. Nope, got colonial history instead. Learned something though!
