John Hull (merchant)

John Hull(18 December 1624 – 1 October 1683) was the Treasurer and mintmaster of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Coinage by John Hull
John Hull
1st Treasurer and Mint Master
In office
1652–1683
Preceded bynone
Personal details
Born(1624-12-18)December 18, 1624
Market Harborough, Leicestershire, England
DiedOctober 1, 1683(1683-10-01) (aged 58)
Boston, Bay Colony
Cause of deathunknown
Resting placeGranary Burial Ground Hull Tomb
Spouse(s)Judith Quincy Hull
Children
  • [Elizabeth]
  • [Mary]
  • [John]
  • [Hannah]
  • [Samuel]
ParentsRobert Hull
Elizabeth Storer Hull
RelativesQuincy political family
EducationBoston Latin School

CPT John Hull (18 December 1624 – 1 October 1683) was the Treasurer, silversmith, and mintmaster of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Starting in 1663, Member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts . First as an Ensign, Lieutenant (1664) and Captain (1671-1678).

Hull was born in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, England. He married Judith Quincy (1626–1695), daughter of Judith Pares (d. 1654) and Edmund Quincy, progenitors of the prestigious Quincy family.[1]

"On May 11, 1647 the twenty two year old John Hull married Judith Quincy, daughter of Edmund Quincy (1602-1636) and Judith Quincy. In his diary John Hull wrote that he had been married in his own house, his exact words were, "Mr. John Winthrop married me and my wife Judith, in my own house,..." (Hull, Private Diary, p. 143)."

The Hull Mint produced the “pine-tree”, "oak tree" and "willow tree" shillings, (a clear improvement on "wampum"). The town of Hull, Massachusetts is named for John Hull. (New England Historical Society). He originally owned Longwood Historic District (Massachusetts) Muddy River (Massachusetts), a 350 acre farm passed down to his daughter Hannah Hull (Sewell). Hull was (having known John Harvard (clergyman),) Harvard College's earliest benefactors giving 500 acres, 700lbs and a library to Harvard College (Harvard Library). Hull was a founding member Old South Church (Third Church) Boston, 1669. Hull died in Boston on 1 October 1683.

"Hull's distinction, however, goes far beyond his work as silversmith. He became ultimately the leading merchant in Boston, with dealings in all parts of the world. He was authorized by the Massachusetts legislature to make the earliest coinage of the colony, the pine tree shilling which, as it turned out, was in complete violation of the laws of England. In his later life Hull devoted all of his time and most of his fortune to the public service of the colony. At the time of King Philip's War, when the colony was all but bankrupt and the devastations of the Indians threatened to wipe out whole sections of the population, Hull personally financed the only military resistance which could be effectively raised. He was never repaid. " ("A Peculiar Stamp of Our Owne": The Massachusetts Mint and the Battle over Sovereignty" by Jonathan Barth). The population of the Pilgrims/settlers was 65,000.

His partner at the "Hull Mint" was Robert Sanderson. [2] Inscription: "The Hull Mint - Near this site stood first mint in the British colonies of North America. Prior to 1652, the Massachusetts financial system was based on bartering and foreign coinage. The scarcity of coin currency was a problem for the growth of the New England economy. On May 27, 1652, the Massachusetts General Court appointed John Hull, a local silversmith, to be Boston's mint master without notifying or seeking permission from the British government. Macys is in the exact location of the "Hull Mint" (Summer Street (Boston)) and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston is just down the street. Robert Hull received a "great allotment" in 1636 and passed the property to his son John. [3]

The Hull Mint produced several denominations of silver coinage, including the pine tree shilling, for over 30 years until the political and economic situation made operating the mint no longer practical." Mostly political for King Charles II deemed the "Hull Mint" high treason in the United Kingdom which had a punishment of Hanging, drawing and quartering. "On April 6, 1681, Randolph petitioned the king, informing him the colony was still pressing their own coins which he saw as high treason and believed it was enough to void the charter. He asked that a writ of Quo warranto (a legal action requiring the defendant to show what authority they have for exercising some right, power, or franchise they claim to hold) be issued against Massachusetts for the violations."

Hull Street in Boston is named for him, because he once owned the land there.[4]"On the south-west about 330 feet it is bounded by Hull street, which derived its name from John Hull, the famous mint-master, through whose pasture it was laid out; on the north-east, it is bounded by Marshal place, about 120 feet, on the north-east'again, about 127 feet, by private property; and lastly, on the South East, about 123 feet, also by private property, and the Hull street Primary School. The oldest portion, that which has been generally called the North Burial Ground, is situated at the northeasterly part of the present enclosure, and is the ground concerning which the following order was passed, Nov. 5th, 1660"

His nephew, Daniel Quincy (1651–1690) was an apprentice to Hull, as was Jeremiah Dummer who became the first American-born silversmith.[5] In January 1658 he and several other men made a large land acquisition in Rhode Island known as the "Pettaquamscutt Purchase."[6]

References
  1. [http://www.masshist.org/findingaids/doc.cfm?fa=fa0280 Massachusetts Historical Society: Quincy, Wendell, Holmes, and Upham Family Papers, 1633-1910
  2. []
  3. Robert Hull , the father of John , arrived in Boston Nov . 7 , 1635 . He was admitted a freeman March 9 , 1637 . He had a house - lot and " great allotment ” as early as December , 1636 . Ile was one of the Antinomians who were disarmed Nov . 20 , 1637 . His house - lot is de scribed in the Book of Possessions ” as “ one house and garden bounded with John Hurd South , the High Street West , Job Judkin North and Gamaliel Waite East . " This lot lay on the easterly side of Washing ton Street , formerly Newbury Street , between Summer and Bedford Streets . The lots , by the “ Book of Possessions , " were six in num ber between these two streets . Beginning at the north , the first lot was Elizabeth Purton ' s , afterwards Robert Noone ' s ; second lot , Job Julkin ' s ; third , Robert Ilull ' s ; furth , Jolin Hurd ' s ; fifth , William Plantayne ' s , or Blanton ' s ; sixth , Thomas Wheeler ' s . The lots were proximately four rods wide and sixteen rods deep .
  4. "Historic Atlas: Boston 1676". Retrieved 2014-09-23.
  5. Dummer, Michael (June 2005). "5: Richard and Early Days in New England". The Family of Dummer (7th ed.). pp. 26–27.
  6. "Kingston Congregational Church Collection". Retrieved 2011-08-15.

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  • "Providence in the Life of John Hull:

Puritanism and Commerce in "Massachusetts Bay^ 16^0-1680" MARK VALERI


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