1643 On May 19, Mary Gore apprenticed herself to John Winthrop, Jr., for nine years. He had been in England and was preparing to return to New England. "This Indenture witnesseth That Mary Gore daughter of Samuell Gore late Citizen and Grocer of London deceased hath putt herselfe Apprentice vnto John Winthrop Gentleman and Elizabeth his wife or their assignes to doe and performe All their affaires and businesses whatsoever And with them after the manner of an Apprentice to serve from the Feast day of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist next ensuing the date hereof For and during the terme and space of Nyne yeares from thence next following and fully to be compleate and ended during which said terme the said Apprentice her said Maister and Mistresse faithfully shall serve, their secrets keepe, and their lawfull Commands gladly doe she shall doe noe dammage to her said M[aste]r and M[ist]r[es]s nor suffer to be done of others, butt to her power shall it lett, or forthwith give notice thereof to her said M[aste]r and M[ist]r[es]s Their goods she shall not waste, nor to any vnlawfully lend She shall not committ Fornicacion, nor contract matrimony during the said terme. She shall not play att the Cards dice tables nor any other vnlawfull games. She shall not haunt Tavernes nor Alehouses, nor absent herselfe from her said service day or night vnlawfully, Butt in all things as a good and faithfull Apprentice towards her said M[aste]r and M[ist]r[es]s and all theirs shall meekely and mannerly behave herselfe during the said terme And the said Maister and Mistresse their said Apprentice in the true knowledge Feare and wayes of God and godlines shall carefully and conscionably teach and instruct, or cause to be taught and instructed Fyndeing to their said Apprentice meate drinke appareil lodgeing washing and all other necessaryes during the said terme And for the true performance of all the Covenants and articles abovesaid the said parties bynde them selves each to other by these presents In witnes whereof the said parties have to these present Indentures interchangeably sett their hands and seales Gyven the Nyneteenth day of May Anno Domini 1643 And in the nyneteenth yeare of the raigne of our Soveraigne Lord King Charles of England etc.
The X marke of
Mary Gore
Sealed and delivered in the presence of
Richard Hill
Constance Hill" [1]
[1] Allyn B. Forbes, ed., Winthrop Papers, Vol. 4 (Boston: The Massachusetts Historical Society, 1944), 377-378, [Google_Books_Snippet].