While it is not definite that Robert Ring is interred at the Salisbury Cemetery, it seems likely.

Robert was born in England in 1614.

Robert came as an indentured servant, since he was unable to afford the journey with his limited funds. He was a barrel maker by trade, and settled on an island since named "Rings Island." Over time, and due to changes in topography, Rings Island is now "high and dry" a part of the mainland, and a section of the City of Salisbury.

Robert married Elizabeth Jarvis in 1650. Two of their offspring have become famous (or infamous, as the case may be) for having testified at the Salem Witch Trials. Joseph and Jarvis Ring gave testimony which led to the execution of an innocent woman. Strangely enough, one of the siblings was ultimately burned at the stake by Native Americans. (Wilson Ring, an AP writer and descendent of Robert Ring, wrote an article, currently available on the internet, on the saga of these curious brothers.)

Robert Ring died on November 23, 1690 having gained respect as one of the original founders of Salisbury, and for his time, a rather wealthy man.

Quite something, for a man who journeyed to an unknown destination, a humble servant, his potential not fully realized, but present as a kernel which would be given abundant opportunity to spring forth.

*************
Born: about 1614 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England

Died: November 25, 1690 in Salisbury, Massachusetts

Robert Ring emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638, sailing on the ship "Confidence" from Southampton on April 24. This voyage of the "Confidence" carried a large group of friends, relatives and neighbors from Wiltshire, England. They were part of the Great Migration from an England in crisis to a rapidly populating New England frontier. The ship's list records Robert Ring as a servant of John Sanders, but this description is entirely misleading if "servant" is taken at its usual meaning. Robert Ring was 24 and unmarried in 1638, a younger son of his family with little prospect of an English inheritance. John Sanders, his ostensible "master", was 25 and unmarried. They were probably friends, maybe relatives, from the same part of Wiltshire.

Sanders was, however, somewhat better connected and with access to more investment capital for this adventure. He was one of twelve grantees to land in the area which would later become Salisbury, Massachusetts. Ring, just a step below Sanders on the social scale, probably did not lack the five or six pounds required to pay his own passage to America. But in sponsoring Ring as a servant, Sanders became eligible for additional "headright" lands in America, thanks to the following law passed by Massachusetts authorities in 1629: ".... And for such as transport servants, land shalbe allotted for each servant, 50 acres to the master; which land the master is to dispose of at his discression ...". It is not hard to imagine the deal which Ring and Sanders must have struck -- Ring agrees to travel as Sanders' servant, for which Sanders receives 50 acres of land, some portion of which (or an equivalent value) will then be given back to Ring upon arrival.

Their master-servant relationship, then, was mostly fictitious, one of convenience for both parties. Ring got free passage to America with his friends and neighbors where he could start a new life, without the need for a large amount of start-up capital. Sanders got an economic benefit apart from any labor obligation he may have negotiated with Ring. And as an investor and land grantee, it was probably advantageous for the young Sanders to present a more mature image -- married man with various servants en route to America. But the image was deceptive. If Robert Ring was not really Sanders' servant, the woman named on the ship's list as Sanders' wife wasn't that either. She was his sister.

Shortly after arriving in Massachusetts in early summer of 1638, this group of Wiltshire immigrants headed for their land grants on the north shore of the Merrimack River (an area briefly called Colchester, then renamed Salisbury). In May 1639, six of the original 12 grantees of Salisbury met and agreed that each settler would receive two meadow lots, one near the village and one farther off, as well as upland planting lots, all to be distributed on the basis of wealth -- those with more money to receive larger lots.

Ring received land in the "first division" of Salisbury. This was not a single event, but rather a series of town meetings held over the course of many months in 1639 and 1640, during which grants of land were made and recorded. His house lot in the village was in the southeast, almost facing the meeting house, on the main street which entered from Hampton in the north and exited via a ferry over the Merrimack River to Newburyport. He was declared a freeman by the quarterly court on October 9, 1640, upon evidence of church membership and the taking of a loyalty oath. This made him a voter, eligible to hold public office and a full member of the Puritan community.

He was a cooper (a barrel maker), a fisherman and a farmer. On March 26, 1642, he received a grant from the town of Salisbury of "two acres of upland upon the island over against Watts sellar [opposite the present town of Newburyport] to be employed about fishing for two years." The "island", which is actually a peninsula projecting into the Merrimack River, continues to be known as Ring's Island today. In the early days of the colony it was used as a site for drying fish and storing fish products.

Late in 1643, Robert Ring returned to England for unknown reasons, leaving friend and neighbor, Robert Pike, as his agent in Salisbury. He was absent for almost 9 years, which he later explained as due to the difficulties caused by the Civil War in England. During his stay in England, he married Elizabeth Jarvis. (She was born in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England about 1618.) Two daughters were born to them in England -- Hannah, born in 1649, and Elizabeth, born in 1652.

Robert Ring's name appears on the list of Salisbury taxpayers of December 25, 1650. He was not present, but would have been taxed on his house lot. Tellingly, his name appears on the list next to the name of his agent, Robert Pike, indicating that Pike paid the tax on behalf of his friend. A few weeks later, on February 3, 1651, a list was prepared at a town meeting of all the "townesmen and Comoners" of Salisbury. Robert Ring's name is not included.

Robert's date of return to Massachusetts is not known, but he must have traveled with his wife, two children, and probably his teenaged niece, Sarah Ring. His name appears on the taxpayer list for July 18, 1652 and this time is not connected in any way to the name of his agent. He was probably present and able to pay in person. His name is on a March 1654 list of townsmen receiving the right to mow beach lots. And on March 14, 1654, Robert Ring received exclusive fishing rights in the Powow River for five years. To avoid abuse of this monopoly, the price of fish was set by the town meeting. Obviously, he must have been present at this time. Finally, his actual signature appears on a legal document ("Articles of Agreement" between the inhabitants of Salisbury and those separating into what would become Amesbury), double dated March 14/May 1, 1654, making this the earliest positive proof of his return. His third daughter, Martha, was born in Salisbury on December 12, 1654.

On his return to Massachusetts, Robert Ring tried to regain his common land in Salisbury, as well as that of John Fuller, which he had previously acquired. The town of Salisbury claimed that, on account of his long absence, these common lands had reverted to the town and then been given to others. This led to a prolonged court case, dating from 1658 to 1665, the records of which are in the Old Norfolk County records, the Massachusetts Archives, and the Supreme Court files in Boston. On October 11, 1665, he won a judgment from the general court and an award of 49 pounds, 6 shillings, 4 pence for damages and 18 pounds, 6 shillings for court costs. The town of Salisbury was further ordered to compensate Ring by delivering to him five miscellaneous parcels of land totaling 103 acres. The bulk of this land was promptly resold by Ring, bringing in additional cash -- more than 80 pounds.

Robert Ring served as a town selectman of Salisbury for one year terms in 1655, 1656, 1668, and 1681. He served as a trial juror in the Essex County Quarterly Court held in Salisbury in 1663 and 1668 and on the grand jury in 1675 (Salisbury), 1676 (Ipswich), 1685 (Salem), and 1686 (Ipswich). In 1666, he was chosen "packer and gauger" for Salisbury, probably due to his early training as a barrel maker. A gauger inspected new barrels for volume while a packer enforced standards for filling barrels with merchandise, usually fish.

From 1672 to 1677, he was tied up in a complicated court dispute over land boundaries in which he alleged that a neighbor had taken a load of hay from his meadow and that a witness in the case had given false statements. After five years and numerous hearings, the appeals court ruled against him and assessed him court costs. Not long after that, in October 1677, he was found liable for a debt of "45 bushels of Indian corn". Unable or unwilling to pay, he was taken to jail and then had to pay an additional 3 and a half bushels of corn to the marshal for his services! Possibly as a result of these upsetting reverses, he was fined, in April 1678, for "excessive drinking", being convicted this time by his old friend and agent, now a court commissioner, Robert Pike.

During his last term as selectman in 1681, Ring and three other Salisbury selectmen were ordered to court on a charge of "illegally collecting rates." The other three refused to appear and were cited for contempt. Ring appeared and heard the charge, but then refused to testify and walked out of court. There is no record of how this case was resolved. In 1682, his property was assessed at a value of 46 pounds, 4 shillings and 4 pence, well above the average of the village of Salisbury, which was 32 pounds. In 1682, he owned 4 oxen, 3 cows, 2 horses, and 8 sheep.

Interestingly, two lists -- one from 1677, the other 1687 -- make it clear that during that period Robert Ring was not a member of the Salisbury church. When and why he fell out of membership is not known. It seems likely that Robert transferred his church affiliation to the Amesbury church, since his will left small bequests to the Amesbury minister, Rev. Thomas Wells, and to Wells' son.

Robert and Elizabeth Ring had seven children: Hannah, Elizabeth, Martha, Jarvis, John, Joseph, and Robert, Jr. In Robert's will, which was made on January 23, 1688 and probated on March 31, 1691, he left small bequests to each of his children, to four grandchildren, to the two children of his niece, Sarah Ring (Cottle)(Hale), and to the Rev. Wells and son.

(This information is based on research done by Betty Ring and Sylvia Knights, as well as the following sources: Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury, by Hoyt; Essays in American Colonial History, ed. by Goodman [see "Social Origins of Some Early Americans"]; New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. 14 (1860), p.334; Genealogical and Family History of the State of New Hampshire, Vol. 3, p.1389, by Stearns; List of Freemen of Massachusetts,1630-1691, by Paige; History of Amesbury, by Merrill; History of Newburyport, Massachusetts, by Currier; History of Essex County, Massachusetts, Vol. 2, by Hurd; Pioneers of Massachusetts, by Pope; Record and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, MA, Vols. 3-6,8 & 9; Records of the Colony of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, Vols.1&4[part 2], ed. by Shurtleff; NH Provincial and State Papers, Vol. 40, p.442; The Essex Antiquarian, Vols. 1-3 & 5-11 [Old Norfolk County Records]; Essex Institute Historical Collections, Vols. 60&62 [Old Norfolk County Records]; The New Puritan, by Pike; and Old Norfolk/Essex County, MA court records, available on microfilm at the LDS Family History Centers, SL #0877,467, Item 1 -- 1648-1681.)

Thanks for Franz Martin and Wilson Ring for their assistance and research.

While it is not definite that Robert Ring is interred at the Salisbury Cemetery, it seems likely.

Robert was born in England in 1614.

Robert came as an indentured servant, since he was unable to afford the journey with his limited funds. He was a barrel maker by trade, and settled on an island since named "Rings Island." Over time, and due to changes in topography, Rings Island is now "high and dry" a part of the mainland, and a section of the City of Salisbury.

Robert married Elizabeth Jarvis in 1650. Two of their offspring have become famous (or infamous, as the case may be) for having testified at the Salem Witch Trials. Joseph and Jarvis Ring gave testimony which led to the execution of an innocent woman. Strangely enough, one of the siblings was ultimately burned at the stake by Native Americans. (Wilson Ring, an AP writer and descendent of Robert Ring, wrote an article, currently available on the internet, on the saga of these curious brothers.)

Robert Ring died on November 23, 1690 having gained respect as one of the original founders of Salisbury, and for his time, a rather wealthy man.

Quite something, for a man who journeyed to an unknown destination, a humble servant, his potential not fully realized, but present as a kernel which would be given abundant opportunity to spring forth.

*************
Born: about 1614 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England

Died: November 25, 1690 in Salisbury, Massachusetts

Robert Ring emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638, sailing on the ship "Confidence" from Southampton on April 24. This voyage of the "Confidence" carried a large group of friends, relatives and neighbors from Wiltshire, England. They were part of the Great Migration from an England in crisis to a rapidly populating New England frontier. The ship's list records Robert Ring as a servant of John Sanders, but this description is entirely misleading if "servant" is taken at its usual meaning. Robert Ring was 24 and unmarried in 1638, a younger son of his family with little prospect of an English inheritance. John Sanders, his ostensible "master", was 25 and unmarried. They were probably friends, maybe relatives, from the same part of Wiltshire.

Sanders was, however, somewhat better connected and with access to more investment capital for this adventure. He was one of twelve grantees to land in the area which would later become Salisbury, Massachusetts. Ring, just a step below Sanders on the social scale, probably did not lack the five or six pounds required to pay his own passage to America. But in sponsoring Ring as a servant, Sanders became eligible for additional "headright" lands in America, thanks to the following law passed by Massachusetts authorities in 1629: ".... And for such as transport servants, land shalbe allotted for each servant, 50 acres to the master; which land the master is to dispose of at his discression ...". It is not hard to imagine the deal which Ring and Sanders must have struck -- Ring agrees to travel as Sanders' servant, for which Sanders receives 50 acres of land, some portion of which (or an equivalent value) will then be given back to Ring upon arrival.

Their master-servant relationship, then, was mostly fictitious, one of convenience for both parties. Ring got free passage to America with his friends and neighbors where he could start a new life, without the need for a large amount of start-up capital. Sanders got an economic benefit apart from any labor obligation he may have negotiated with Ring. And as an investor and land grantee, it was probably advantageous for the young Sanders to present a more mature image -- married man with various servants en route to America. But the image was deceptive. If Robert Ring was not really Sanders' servant, the woman named on the ship's list as Sanders' wife wasn't that either. She was his sister.

Shortly after arriving in Massachusetts in early summer of 1638, this group of Wiltshire immigrants headed for their land grants on the north shore of the Merrimack River (an area briefly called Colchester, then renamed Salisbury). In May 1639, six of the original 12 grantees of Salisbury met and agreed that each settler would receive two meadow lots, one near the village and one farther off, as well as upland planting lots, all to be distributed on the basis of wealth -- those with more money to receive larger lots.

Ring received land in the "first division" of Salisbury. This was not a single event, but rather a series of town meetings held over the course of many months in 1639 and 1640, during which grants of land were made and recorded. His house lot in the village was in the southeast, almost facing the meeting house, on the main street which entered from Hampton in the north and exited via a ferry over the Merrimack River to Newburyport. He was declared a freeman by the quarterly court on October 9, 1640, upon evidence of church membership and the taking of a loyalty oath. This made him a voter, eligible to hold public office and a full member of the Puritan community.

He was a cooper (a barrel maker), a fisherman and a farmer. On March 26, 1642, he received a grant from the town of Salisbury of "two acres of upland upon the island over against Watts sellar [opposite the present town of Newburyport] to be employed about fishing for two years." The "island", which is actually a peninsula projecting into the Merrimack River, continues to be known as Ring's Island today. In the early days of the colony it was used as a site for drying fish and storing fish products.

Late in 1643, Robert Ring returned to England for unknown reasons, leaving friend and neighbor, Robert Pike, as his agent in Salisbury. He was absent for almost 9 years, which he later explained as due to the difficulties caused by the Civil War in England. During his stay in England, he married Elizabeth Jarvis. (She was born in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England about 1618.) Two daughters were born to them in England -- Hannah, born in 1649, and Elizabeth, born in 1652.

Robert Ring's name appears on the list of Salisbury taxpayers of December 25, 1650. He was not present, but would have been taxed on his house lot. Tellingly, his name appears on the list next to the name of his agent, Robert Pike, indicating that Pike paid the tax on behalf of his friend. A few weeks later, on February 3, 1651, a list was prepared at a town meeting of all the "townesmen and Comoners" of Salisbury. Robert Ring's name is not included.

Robert's date of return to Massachusetts is not known, but he must have traveled with his wife, two children, and probably his teenaged niece, Sarah Ring. His name appears on the taxpayer list for July 18, 1652 and this time is not connected in any way to the name of his agent. He was probably present and able to pay in person. His name is on a March 1654 list of townsmen receiving the right to mow beach lots. And on March 14, 1654, Robert Ring received exclusive fishing rights in the Powow River for five years. To avoid abuse of this monopoly, the price of fish was set by the town meeting. Obviously, he must have been present at this time. Finally, his actual signature appears on a legal document ("Articles of Agreement" between the inhabitants of Salisbury and those separating into what would become Amesbury), double dated March 14/May 1, 1654, making this the earliest positive proof of his return. His third daughter, Martha, was born in Salisbury on December 12, 1654.

On his return to Massachusetts, Robert Ring tried to regain his common land in Salisbury, as well as that of John Fuller, which he had previously acquired. The town of Salisbury claimed that, on account of his long absence, these common lands had reverted to the town and then been given to others. This led to a prolonged court case, dating from 1658 to 1665, the records of which are in the Old Norfolk County records, the Massachusetts Archives, and the Supreme Court files in Boston. On October 11, 1665, he won a judgment from the general court and an award of 49 pounds, 6 shillings, 4 pence for damages and 18 pounds, 6 shillings for court costs. The town of Salisbury was further ordered to compensate Ring by delivering to him five miscellaneous parcels of land totaling 103 acres. The bulk of this land was promptly resold by Ring, bringing in additional cash -- more than 80 pounds.

Robert Ring served as a town selectman of Salisbury for one year terms in 1655, 1656, 1668, and 1681. He served as a trial juror in the Essex County Quarterly Court held in Salisbury in 1663 and 1668 and on the grand jury in 1675 (Salisbury), 1676 (Ipswich), 1685 (Salem), and 1686 (Ipswich). In 1666, he was chosen "packer and gauger" for Salisbury, probably due to his early training as a barrel maker. A gauger inspected new barrels for volume while a packer enforced standards for filling barrels with merchandise, usually fish.

From 1672 to 1677, he was tied up in a complicated court dispute over land boundaries in which he alleged that a neighbor had taken a load of hay from his meadow and that a witness in the case had given false statements. After five years and numerous hearings, the appeals court ruled against him and assessed him court costs. Not long after that, in October 1677, he was found liable for a debt of "45 bushels of Indian corn". Unable or unwilling to pay, he was taken to jail and then had to pay an additional 3 and a half bushels of corn to the marshal for his services! Possibly as a result of these upsetting reverses, he was fined, in April 1678, for "excessive drinking", being convicted this time by his old friend and agent, now a court commissioner, Robert Pike.

During his last term as selectman in 1681, Ring and three other Salisbury selectmen were ordered to court on a charge of "illegally collecting rates." The other three refused to appear and were cited for contempt. Ring appeared and heard the charge, but then refused to testify and walked out of court. There is no record of how this case was resolved. In 1682, his property was assessed at a value of 46 pounds, 4 shillings and 4 pence, well above the average of the village of Salisbury, which was 32 pounds. In 1682, he owned 4 oxen, 3 cows, 2 horses, and 8 sheep.

Interestingly, two lists -- one from 1677, the other 1687 -- make it clear that during that period Robert Ring was not a member of the Salisbury church. When and why he fell out of membership is not known. It seems likely that Robert transferred his church affiliation to the Amesbury church, since his will left small bequests to the Amesbury minister, Rev. Thomas Wells, and to Wells' son.

Robert and Elizabeth Ring had seven children: Hannah, Elizabeth, Martha, Jarvis, John, Joseph, and Robert, Jr. In Robert's will, which was made on January 23, 1688 and probated on March 31, 1691, he left small bequests to each of his children, to four grandchildren, to the two children of his niece, Sarah Ring (Cottle)(Hale), and to the Rev. Wells and son.

(This information is based on research done by Betty Ring and Sylvia Knights, as well as the following sources: Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury, by Hoyt; Essays in American Colonial History, ed. by Goodman [see "Social Origins of Some Early Americans"]; New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. 14 (1860), p.334; Genealogical and Family History of the State of New Hampshire, Vol. 3, p.1389, by Stearns; List of Freemen of Massachusetts,1630-1691, by Paige; History of Amesbury, by Merrill; History of Newburyport, Massachusetts, by Currier; History of Essex County, Massachusetts, Vol. 2, by Hurd; Pioneers of Massachusetts, by Pope; Record and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, MA, Vols. 3-6,8 & 9; Records of the Colony of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, Vols.1&4[part 2], ed. by Shurtleff; NH Provincial and State Papers, Vol. 40, p.442; The Essex Antiquarian, Vols. 1-3 & 5-11 [Old Norfolk County Records]; Essex Institute Historical Collections, Vols. 60&62 [Old Norfolk County Records]; The New Puritan, by Pike; and Old Norfolk/Essex County, MA court records, available on microfilm at the LDS Family History Centers, SL #0877,467, Item 1 -- 1648-1681.)

Thanks for Franz Martin and Wilson Ring for their assistance and research.