Old Planters (Massachusetts)

The Old Planters of Massachusetts were settlers of lands on Massachusetts Bay that were not part of the two major settlements in the area, the Plymouth Colony (1620), and the Massachusetts Bay Colony (begun 1628, expanded significantly starting in 1630).

In 1607 a Plymouth Company expedition led by George Popham and partially financed by Sir Ferdinando Gorges founded Popham Colony in Maine, which lasted one year before being abandoned. During that year the colonists built a seaworthy boat, the Virginia pinnace.

In Massachusetts, the 'old planters' proved through their hard work that settlement was possible; subsequent to this, there was a major influx of 'new planters' that continued over a decade. The early expansions centered around Plymouth and what is now Essex County, Massachusetts but eventually spawned the westward movements.

Two early areas of settlement were Plymouth (c 1620) and Nantasket (c 1621). The Plymouth Colony began with the Mayflower's landing and is a well-known story. The Nantasket settlement followed soon after that of Plymouth. Roger Conant was at these two settlements before going north to Cape Ann.

The Essex colony started at Cape Ann in 1623 with a party led by Thomas Gardner and John Tylly. For this party, there were two ships with 32 people who were to settle the area commercially. About a year later, this party was joined by a group from Plymouth led by Roger Conant. These efforts, funded by the Dorchester Company, which withdrew its funding after 1625. In 1626, some of the original party, as many left to return to England or to go south, moved the settlement, in hopes of finding more success, to Naumkeag. This settlement worked out and became Salem.

...
Wikipedia