Address label, before 1680

TITLE: Address label in Joan Brocksopp’s hand

DOCUMENT ID: BFP 2018.1.02-23

DATE: No date (before November 1680)

Address label for John Bowne at his house in Flushing, written in Joan Brocksopp's hand. Undated, but must be before Brocksopp's death in November 1680.

Notes:
Joan Brocksopp (c. 1610-Nov. 1680), was a Derbyshire Quaker, early female preacher and missionary, and a friend and correspondent of John and Hannah Feake Bowne.

Address label, ca. 1675?

TITLE: Address label for John Bowne, Christopher Holder, and William Richardson in Rhode Island

DOCUMENT ID: BFP 2018.1.02-22

DATE: No date (possibly circa 1675)

Undated address label for John Bowne, Christopher Holder and William Richardson in Rhode Island. May accompany correspondence relating to John Crook's 1675 business dispute with Nathaniel Sylvester of Shelter Island, in which he involved the three addressees as mediators and gave two of them his power of attorney (see BFP 2018.1.01-17, 2018.1.02-12, and 2018.1.02-14).

Emlen Letter, 1695

TITLE: Letter from George Emlen of Philadelphia to John Bowne

DOCUMENT ID: BFP 2018.1.02-21

DATE: 18 September 1695 (Old Style) / 28 September 1695 (New Style)

George Emlen orders apple cider ("Zyder") from John Bowne. If Bowne can send some as good as a previous batch marked W.P. (William Penn?) to his agent Samuel Jennings, it will come to market in the correspondent's area by fall or early spring. He declares Bowne's cider the best that he has found, and plans to take more than 10 barrels. Because of scarce crops where he lives, the author believes the cider would go for 20 pounds a barrel locally.

Notes:
George Emlen (b. c.1657, England - d.1710, Philadelphia): prominent Philadelphia Quaker and brewer by trade.

John Bowne was a known trading partner of William Penn; his account book specifically records sale of cider to him. For his part, Penn granted Bowne 1,000 acres of land in the new colony of Pennsylvania.

Tolles Letter, 1691

TITLE: Letter from Daniel Tolles to John Bowne, c/o Samuel Carpenter in Philadelphia

DOCUMENT ID: BFP 2018.1.02-20

DATE: 28 March 1691 (Old Style) / 7 April 1691 (New Style)

Dan Toals [Daniel Tolles] writes to John Bowne from Philadelphia care of Samuel Carpenter. Tolles follows up on his letter of three months prior regarding his indentured servant, who evidently has absconded and is presently working for Bowne. Tolles is in poor health and requests that his servant be returned to help him recover, reiterating that his services are worth more than 40 pounds to him. Tolles promises that he will be kind to the man and "take noe advantage of his run away time." However, he leaves the details up to Bowne, hoping to one day repay his kindness.

Notes:
"my servant": presumably the same indentured servant mentioned in his 1690 letter.

Samuel Carpenter (1649-1714), friend and associate of William Penn and Deputy Governor of Pennsylvania from 1694-1698

"ever since I was at York": refers to New York City.

George Vanderford: Possible match to Joris Michaelse Vandervoort (1656-c.1715), who was baptized in New Amsterdam but later settled in Maryland.

Dan Toals [Daniel Tolles]: identity unknown at present; presumably a member of Philadelphia’s Quaker community.

Tolles Letter, 1690

TITLE: Letter from Daniel Toals [Tolles] to John Bowne, c/o Samuel Carpenter in Philadelphia

DOCUMENT ID: BFP 2018.1.02-19

DATE: 4 December, 1690 (Old Style) / 14 December, 1690 (New Style)

Dan Toals [Daniel Tolles] writes to John Bowne from Philadelphia care of Samuel Carpenter, attempting to recover the services of an indentured servant who is now working for Bowne instead. He is willing to let Bowne buy out his contract for 25 pounds of New York money, although he values the man's help at over 40. Tolles apologizes for not meeting Bowne on the latter's recent visit to Philadelphia due to his ill health, but volunteers Carpenter to advance any expenses that he owes or any debts incurred by the servant. His purchase of a horse from Bowne is contingent on being compensated for the servant, due to Tolle's straitened circumstances. However, he defers to Bowne's judgment on all matters.

Notes:
”Dan Toals” [Daniel Tolles]: Unidentified at present; presumably a member of Philadelphia’s Quaker community.

"my servant": unnamed indentured servant, evidently now working for John Bowne instead of his original master. A subsequent letter references the man’s “run-away time,” indicating that he has absconded from his former master.

Samuel Carpenter (1649-1714), friend and associate of William Penn and Deputy Governor of Pennsylvania from 1694-1698

Richardson Letter, 1688

TITLE: Letter from Francis Richardson in New York to John Bowne

DOCUMENT ID: BFP 2018.1.02-18

DATE: 27 June 1688 (Old Style) / 7 July 1688 (New Style)

Francis Richardson writes to John Bowne from New York City, offering condolences on the "great Affliction in thy family" (the recent death of Bowne's daughter, Abigail Willett). Richardson states that he has sent 2 or 3 papers (likely Quaker tracts) that Bowne may distribute as he sees fit. In the post-script, Richardson reports that his wife was recently “called to Hannah Delaval,” presumably as a nurse or midwife.

Notes:
Francis Richardson (c. 1650-1688): Quaker and mariner. Richardson died just weeks after writing this letter. In his will he requested for his "... body to be buryd in ffriends burying-place at fflushing." His wife, whom he mentions here, was the former Rebecca Howard (1655-1705).

John Bowne's daughter Abigail Willett died on 16 June, 1688.

Hannah Lloyd Delaval (1666-1727), daughter of the Quaker Thomas Lloyd, married John Delaval at the Bowne House in 1686. Francis Richardson mentions John Delaval, friend and assistant, in his will.

Good Letter, 1684

TITLE: Letter from John Good in Darby, Pennsylvania to John Bowne

DOCUMENT ID: BFP 2018.1.02-17

DATE: 15 April 1684 (Old Style) / 25 April 1684 (New Style)

John Good writes to John Bowne from Darby, Pennsylvania, thanking him for helping him to resolve some “concerns” with John Harrison, a Flushing landowner. He now hopes that Bowne will assist him in the recovery of his cattle from Adam Rhoades. He explains that he has been trying to settle this matter for two years and has suffered much. He places his trust in Bowne to handle the situation. He ends the letter by assuring Bowne of his love and his willingness to repay the kindness.

Notes:
John Good of Darby town, Chester Co., Pennsylvania was most likely a fellow Quaker of that community.

Adam Roades (Rhodes) was a Quaker originally from Derbyshire, England who settled in Darby, PA in 1684. Roades was married to Katherine Blunston, a daughter of John Blunston. John Blunston (1644-1723) was also a Derbyshire native and one of the founders of Darby, settling there in 1682. His second wife, Sarah Bickerstaff, was the sister of John Bowne's second wife, Hannah Bickerstaff Bowne.

John Harrison of Flushing sold land to John Bowne in December 1693. The matter between him and Good that Bowne helped to resolve is presently unknown.

Elson Letter, 1679/80

TITLE: Letter from John Elson in London to John Bowne

DOCUMENT ID: BFP 2018.1.02-16

DATE: 23 February 1679/80 (Old Style) / 5 March 1680 (New Style)  

John Elson of London sends Bowne and his children greetings and love from his family. He invokes his love of God and God's love of his followers, offering comfort to Bowne on the death of his wife by assuring him that she is doing God's work and is at peace. Elson then sends greetings to several Quaker couples on Long Island (the Storys, the Olivers, and the Maddocks) and requests that Bowne write with news of his own family's welfare.

Notes:
John Elson and his wife Mary hosted a Quaker Meeting in their home on Peel Street in London. John Bowne and his wife Hannah Feake Bowne were staying with the Elsons at the time of Hannah’s death in the winter of 1677/8, following an arduous preaching tour of the British Isles and the Low Countries.

Edward Letter, 1678

TITLE: Letter from Elizabeth Edwards in London to John Bowne

DOCUMENT ID: BFP 2018.1.02-15

DATE: 24 April 1678 (Old Style) /  4 May 1678 (New Style)      

Elizabeth Edwards writes to John Bowne, regretting that she missed his visit and asking for information regarding her kinswomen, Mary Partridge and her husband, hoping for "any ground of encouragement regarding...their good conversation."
Edward hopes that the Lord will accompany Bowne as he returns home to his children without his wife Hannah Feake Bowne [who passed away in London in February 1677/8]. She notes that although there is sorrow at her passing, there is joy in knowing that his wife is at peace with the Lord. Edwards closes by sending her true love to Bowne, his children, and Westbury, Long Island Quaker George Masters.

Notes:
The identity of Elizabeth Edwards is unknown at present.

"...when thou camest home without their dear mother" refers to the recent death of John Bowne's wife, Hannah Feake Bowne, in London following her missionary travels throughout the British Isles and on the Continent. John Bowne was present at her death on the 31st of the 11th month, 1677 (31 January 1677 Old Style/11 February, 1678 New Style) and testified at her burial (see BFP #2018.1.03-10).

George Masters (1650-c.1690): English Quaker and tailor who married in Westbury, Long Island in 1678.

Crook Letter, Nov. 1675

TITLE: Letter from John Crook in London to John Bowne, William Richardson, “and the rest concerned in my Letter of Attorney”

DOCUMENT ID: BFP 2018.1.02-14

DATE: 24 November 1675 (Old Style) /  4 December (New Style)         

John Crook writes to John Bowne, William Richardson, and others named in his letter of attorney (probably BFP #2018.1.01-17). This letter represents a follow-up to correspondence from two months earlier (see BFP #2018.1.02-12) concerning a business dispute with Nathaniel Sylvester over a shipment of goods to Crook's deceased kinsman, Latimer Sampson, for which Sylvester owes him an overdue accounting. Following a didactic religious salutation, Crook responds to seven points of contention referenced in a prior communication from Sylvester, then urges his proxies to speedily resolve the issue on his behalf and send him whatever funds they are able to recover.

Notes:
Letter-writer John Crook (1617-1699) was a wealthy English Quaker known for hosting George Fox before a large crowd at his estate, Beckerings Park in Bedfordshire, in May 1658. Like George Fox, Crook was an advocate of silent prayer.

Addressee William Richardson (c.1646-1692) was a Rhode Island-born Quaker of Flushing and Westchester, NY. He may have been a relative of Francis Richardson, friend of John Bowne. His name also appears on an associated power of attorney signed by Crook, which identifies him as "Master of the Ship Mayflower of Kent." (See BFP #2018.1.01-17.)

Nathaniel Sylvester (1610-1680) was the proprietor of Sylvester Manor, a 17th-century provisioning plantation on Shelter Island, New York. His daughter Grizzell Sylvester (1654-1691) was engaged to be married to John Crook's recently deceased nephew Latimer Sampson, the recipient of the disputed shipment of goods. Sampson left part of Horse Neck, Long Island to his fiancée; if she also was the beneficiary of any of Sampson's other assets, that may explain the Sylvesters' reluctance to surrender or pay for the cargo.

An interesting historical post-script: following Simpson's death, Grizzell Sylvester married James Lloyd. Their son Henry Lloyd built his estate on Horse Neck, then known as Lloyd's Neck. The first recorded African-American poet, Jupiter Hammon (1711-c.1806), was born enslaved on Henry's estate.

Brocksopp Letter, 1675

TITLE: Letter from Joan Brocksopp in Little Normanton, Derbyshire to John Bowne

DOCUMENT ID: BFP 2018.1.02-13

DATE: 23 November 1675 (Old Style) /  2 December 1675 (New Style)       

Quaker missionary Joan Brocksopp writes to John Bowne, sending "her dear love in that which never changeth nor waxeth old" and hoping that his wife (Hannah Feake Bowne) has already returned from her first religious visit to England, where Brocksopp was "refreshed to see her face and behold her innocent life." Also greetings to Bowne's family and other Friends in America, such as Rhode Island governor Nicholas Easton and John and Mary Tilton of Gravesend on Long Island; updates regarding friends in England.

Notes:
Joan Brocksopp (c. 1610-Nov. 1680) was a Quaker from John Bowne's native Derbyshire and formerly a traveling companion or "yokemate" to Elizabeth Hooton, the first female Quaker missionary.

Hannah Feake Bowne (1637-1678) was the first wife of John Bowne (1627-1695) and mother of his first eight children. In Spring of 1675 she embarked on her first religious visit to Friends in England, preceded by a letter of introduction by George Fox (see 2018.1.3-05). She and John Bowne likely met Brocksopp and Hooten at the first General Meeting of Friends, held in 1661 at Rhode Island. Evidently she paid her an in-person visit while in England.

Nicholas Easton (1593-1675) was a prominent Rhode Island Quaker and governor of the colony whom Joan Brocksopp met at the first General Meeting of Friends in Rhode Island in 1661.

John Tilton (1613-1688) and his wife, Mary Pearsall Tilton (1620-1683) were arrested for harboring Quakers at various times between 1658 and 1661 in Gravesend, Long Island (today a neighborhood of Brooklyn). It's unclear where John and Mary Tilton met Brocksopp; they may also have attended the first General Meeting of Friends in Rhode Island.

Crook Letter, Aug. 1675

TITLE: Letter from John Crook in London to John Bowne, Samuel Spicer, and John Tilton

DOCUMENT ID: BFP 2018.1.02-12

DATE: 7 August, 1675 (Old Style) / 17 August, 1675 (New Style)             

John Crook of Newton in Bedfordshire, England writes to John Bowne, Samuel Spicer, and John Tilton, asking them to mediate a business dispute with Nathaniel Sylvester of Shelter Island regarding a shipment of goods that he sent to his kinsman Latimer Simpson using Sylvester as a middleman. Crook has repeatedly failed to get an accounting for, despite multiple letters to Sylvester. He suggests involving Rhode Island Quaker Christopher Holder and other area residents if need be, and threatens legal action against Sylvester if mediation does not prevail.

Attached invoices and attestations mentioned in the letter are no longer present, nor is an enclosed letter to Sylvester himself. (See also 2018.1.1-17: Power of Attorney from John Crook.)

Notes:
Letter-writer John Crook (1617-1699) was a wealthy English Quaker and writer well known for hosting George Fox before a large crowd at his estate, Beckerings Park in Bedfordshire, in May 1658. Like George Fox, Crook was an advocate of silent prayer.

Co-recipients Samuel Spicer (1640-1699) and John Tilton (1631-1688) were Quakers of Gravesend on Long Island. today part of Brooklyn. Nathaniel Sylvester (1610-1680) was the sole proprietor of Shelter Island, Long Island at the time of this letter.

Latimer Sampson was engaged to Nathaniel's daughter Grizzell Sylvester (1654-1691), but he died in 1674 before marrying. It is not clear to what extent Grizzell and/or Nathaniel Sylvester had an interest in Sampson's estate or a role in executing his will; Grizzell did inherit some land. Their relationship may explain Sylvester's delay in rendering an account and reluctance to release the funds that Crook claims he is still owed for the shipment.

Christopher Holder (1631-1688) was an English Quaker missionary and passenger on the ship Woodhouse who disembarked in Cape Cod in 1657 rather than in New Amsterdam. A year later in Massachusetts his right ear was cut off by the Boston authorities. Holder later married Mary Marbury Scott, Anne Hutchinson's niece in Rhode Island.

Brocksopp Letter, 1674

TITLE: Letter from Joan Brocksopp in Little Normanton, Derbyshire to John Bowne

DOCUMENT ID: BFP 2018.1.02-11

DATE: 1 June 1674 (Old Style) / 11 June 1674 (New Style)             

Quaker missionary Joan Brocksopp sends her love and professions of their shared faith; news of her son's death and her resignation to the Lord's will; a visit from Bowne's sister Truth; greetings to Bowne's sister Dorothy Farrington and Quaker missionary sisters Mary and Hannah Wright. "Friends here are generally well, and the truth prospers."

Notes:
Joan Brocksopp (c.1610-1680) of little Normanton in Derbyshire met John Bowne and his wife Hannah in Rhode Island in 1661 at the first General Meeting of Friends, shortly after she and her fellow missionary Elizabeth Hooten had been arrested and expelled from Boston for unauthorized preaching.

Dorothy Bowne Farrington (1631-1678) was the sister of John Bowne and wife of Flushing magistrate Edward Farrington, who signed the 1657 Flushing Remonstrance and was arrested by Director Peter Stuyvesant..

Mary Wright (c.1642-1688) and Hannah Wright (1646-1675) of Oyster Bay on Long Island were fellow Quaker missionaries who met Joan Brocksopp and Elizabeth Hooton in jail in Boston in 1661.

Truth or Troth Bowne (b.1642) remained behind in England when the rest of the family emigrated to America in 1649, as she was only seven years old at the time.

Morris Letter, 1673/4

TITLE: Letter from Lewis Morris in Greenwich, Connecticut to John Bowne

DOCUMENT ID: BFP 2018.1.02-10

DATE: 6 February 1673/4 (Old Style) / 16 February 1674 (New Style)                 

Lewis Morris writes to John Bowne from Greenwich, Connecticut during his travels. He laments learning from George Denis of Rhode Island of division among the Society of Friends in the region, particularly a confrontation between Denis and preacher John Stubbs; he prescribes the Apostles' advice to "live in peace and charity with all men." Postscript mentions a delivery of pins and thread to Bowne's wife Hannah.

Notes:
Lewis Morris (1601-1691): Welsh-born former soldier, Quaker and plantation-owner of Barbados who subsequently purchased large tracts of land in New York and New Jersey, where he founded the Tintern Manor Ironworks in Shrewsbury Township, Monmouth County.

John Stubbs was an influential Quaker preacher numbered among the so-called "Valiant Sixty." He urged the use of informal second-person pronouns "thee" and "thou" among Friends as an expression of equality; it is not clear exactly what transpired between Stubbs and Denis (Morris' informant).

Brocksopp Letter, 1666/7

TITLE: Letter from Joan Brocksopp in Little Normanton, Derbyshire, to John Bowne

DOCUMENT ID: BFP 2018.1.02-09

DATE: 16 February 1666/7 (Old Style) / 26 February 1667 (New Style)             

Joan Brocksopp expresses her great affection for her fellow Quaker John Bowne "in that which neither sea not land can separate us from." She reports the spread of the Society of Friends in Derbyshire, acknowledges the receipt of Bowne's letter from Shelter Island, asks after an undelivered missive that she sent him via Barbados through Margaret Fell, and sends love from Bowne's sister Truth.

Notes:
Shelter Island was a provisioning plantation off the coast of Long Island, New York, owned by Nathaniel Sylvester.

Margaret (Askew) Fell (1614-1702), Quaker preacher, pamphleteer, and wife of George Fox, acted as an unofficial secretary for the Society of Friends, routing letters internationally through a network of itinerant preachers.

John Bowne's sister, Truth or Troth Bowne (b. 1642), remained in England after her father and siblings emigrated to America in 1649, as she was just seven years old at that time.

Todd Letter, 1665/6

TITLE: Letter from John Todd in Barbados and "Friends all over" to John Bowne

DOCUMENT ID: BFP 2018.1.02-08

DATE: 19 March 1665/6 (Old Style) / 29 March 1666 (New Style)                        

John Todd of Barbados salutes the Bownes and "all faithful lambs in ye sheepfold of those parts," expressing his desire for "communion and fellowship" and decrying sectarian strife. He offers to ship ginger to Rhode Island, and in return requests cranberries and "very good pooke" (tobacco.) Also signed by John and Elizabeth Deare; sent via William Borden.

Notes:
"Pooke" is a word for tobacco borrowed from the Native Americans of Connecticut.

John Todd (died c.1689): prominent Quaker who hosted meetings in his home on his plantation in St. John's Parish, Barbados.

Joseph Borden (1643-1693): Quaker of Rhode Island and Barbados, designated to transport the letter

William Reape (1628-1670), Rhode Island Quaker and signer of the Monmouth Patent, NJ., designated to receive the letter

Lewis Morris (1601-1691): Welsh-born Quaker and Barbadian merchant. Morris later purchased vast tracts of land in New York and New Jersey. In 1675, he bought a controlling interest in an iron works from Monmouth Patentee James Grover and named his share "Tintern Manor."

Morris Letter, 1665

TITLE: Letter from Lewis Morris in Barbados to John Bowne

DOCUMENT ID: BFP 2018.1.02-07

DATE: 15 October 1665 (Old Style) / 25 October (New Style)

Lewis Morris writes to John Bowne from Barbados, explaining his plan to settle near Bowne in Flushing, where he has sent his brother Richard to scout locations. He asks Bowne and other locals to advise the latter on potential sites, including Madnan's Neck (Great Neck) and Matinecock, Long Island.

Notes:
Lewis Morris (1601-1691) was a Welsh-born former soldier, Quaker, Barbadian planter and New York and New Jersey landowner. In 1675 he bought a controlling interest in an iron works from Monmouth Pantentee James Grover and named his estate, "Tintern Manor" (sometimes "Tinton"). He and his brother Richard also bought Bronck's estate in present-day Bronx, NY.

Madnans Neck was part of Hempstead in colonial New Netherland, later known as Great Neck, while Matinecock, named after the original Native American residents, is a village located within the town of Oyster Bay, both in Nassau Co., Long Island.

Horner Letter, 1664

TITLE: Letter from Bartholomew Hornor to John Bowne, “from my prison house in Wakefield, 6 miles of Leeds"

DOCUMENT ID: BFP 2018.1.02-06

DATE: 1 November 1664 (Old Style) / 11 November 1664 (New Style)

Bartholomew Horner writes to John Bowne "from my prison house in Wakefield, six miles of Leeds in Yorkshire" about the death of his cousin Thomas Horner during a transatlantic voyage with Bowne. Horner also reports on Quaker prisoners at his location and in York Castle, on George Fox and Margaret Fell imprisoned at Lancaster, and on the welfare of English Quakers generally, concluding with greetings to his brother, Isaac Horner of Oyster Bay on Long Island.

Notes:
This letter was entrusted to William Storrs at Chesterfield and/or to Quaker preacher and missionary Joan Brocksopp at Little Normanton, Derbyshire, who was a friend and correspondent of John Bowne and his wife Hannah (Feake) Bowne.

Todd Letter, 1664

TITLE: Letter from John Todd in Barbados to John Bowne

DOCUMENT ID: BFP 2018.1.02-05

DATE: 29 July 1664 (Old Style) / 8 August 1664 (New Style)

John Todd writes to John Bowne from Barbados, expressing gladness at the latter's safe homecoming and sharing religious sentiments. He details a shipment of ginger and sugar sent via Bowne's kinsman, Captain John Bowne of Gravesend, with details about the Bill of Lading, Customs, and money owed.

Notes:
During his return from exile, John Bowne spent nearly three months in Barbados, where he met the merchant John Todd (d. 1689). Todd was a prominent Quaker who hosted meetings in his home on his plantation in St. John's Parish. According to agricultural records, the commodities that Todd is sending represent produce that survived a caterpillar infestation of Bardados in 1663-'64.

Captain John Bowne (1630-1684) was a sea captain from a branch of the Bowne family that had emigrated to New England a generation before the Flushing Bownes and eventually settled in Gravesend (today part of Brooklyn.) The Gravesend Bownes were Baptists who later became original patentees of Monmouth County, New Jersey. Despite belonging to a different sect, Captain Bowne's wife, "cousin Lydia," had visited the Quaker John Bowne in prison in New Amsterdam. John Bowne of Flushing also purchased a share of the Monmouth Patent, although unlike his kinsmen he never relocated there.

Brocksopp Letters, 1664

TITLE: Letters from Joan and Thomas Brocksopp to John Bowne, Elizabeth Hooten, and Nathaniel Sylvester

DOCUMENT ID: BFP 2018.1.02-04

DATE: 8 July 1664 (Old Style) / 18 July 1664 (New Style)

DESCRIPTION & NOTES

Four bundled letters or notes from Quakers Joan and Thomas Brocksopp of Little Normanton, Derbyshire, sent to John Bowne and others following Bowne's return from exile in spring of 1664:

a. Joan Brocksopp to John Bowne

b. Joan Brocksopp to Elizabeth Hooton

c. Joan Brocksopp to Nathaniel Sylvester

d. Thomas Brocksopp to John Bowne

Joan Brocksopp shares news of Derbyshire Quakers, greetings from John’s sister Truth, and an attempted visit to a woman named Ellen (possible John’s youngest sister, Ellen Bowne, b. 1647), whom she deems "but weak seed"; she reports on the welfare of missionary Elizabeth Hooten's family in Skegby during the latter's travels in Virginia.

Notes:
Joan Brocksopp (c.1610-1680) and her "yoke-mate," or fellow missionary, Elizabeth Hooten (1600-1672) most likely met John and Hannah Bowne at the first General Meeting of Friends on Rhode Island in June 1661. Nathaniel Sylvester (1610-1680) was an original proprietor and later sole owner of Shelter Island, a provisioning plantation for his brother Constant's sugar plantation in Barbados. Sylvester had harbored Joan Brocksopp and Elizabeth Hooton after their arrest and expulsion from Boston in 1661. He also harbored other persecuted Quakers such as Mary Dyer, and hosted George Fox on his tour of America in 1672.