Elizur Holyoke

Captain Elizur Holyoke (c.1618—1676) of Springfield, Massachusetts was the namesake of the mountain, Mount Holyoke, and (indirectly), of the city of Holyoke, Massachusetts.

Elizur 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.

In 1647, Elizur was the second largest land owner in Springfield, at 125 acres (51 ha). William Pynchon had 237 acres (96 ha). After William Pynchon's problems with the General Court of Boston and his eventual retreat to England, William’s son John Pynchon and Elizur Holyoke took control of Springfield, and in 1652 Elizur was appointed commissioner to govern the town of Springfield. (2)

In 1660, after the founding of Hadley and Northampton, a question arose regarding the exact borders of Springfield. The general court of Springfield sent out two surveying parties to explore the surrounding regions. Elizur Holyoke served as head of one of these parties, while Rowland Thomas headed the other party. While Holyoke traversed the east side of the Connecticut River, Thomas explored the west side of the river. Lore holds that the two held a conversation over a narrow part of the river near Hockanum.

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