Background
Holyoke arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony from the town of Tamworth in Staffordshire, England in 1637 or 1638 at the age of 20. He and his family settled in Chelsea, Massachusetts, where his father, Edward Holyoke Jr., had a farm. His mother is Prudence Stockton.
On September 20, 1640, Elizur Holyoke traveled to Springfield, Massachusetts and married Mary Pynchon, daughter of William Pynchon, the founder of Springfield. The Holyoke and Pynchon families appeared to be close friends, dating back to their days in England. Elizur and Mary Pynchon's marriage was the first for the then small community. (2)
In 1642, Elizur received 10 "rods" (Properly interpreted as a rood; commonly, and confusingly, spelled as "rod." A rod is a unit of length, while a rood is the corresponding unit of area. The area given to Elizur was roughly equivalent to 2½ acres.) just off Chestnut Street in Springfield. In 1643, other desirable lots were given to Elizur by his father-in-law, one being between what is now Worthington and Bridge Streets.
Read more about this topic: Elizur Holyoke
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