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http://www.schenectadyhistory.org/families/hmgfm/shotwell.html The first definite account of a Shotwell in America is of AbrahamShotwell, who was one of the earliest settlers of Elizabethtown, NewJersey, in 1665. It is said that the name in England was originallyShadwell, and that one of the name, in an archery contest before theking, shot with such precision that the monarch exclaimed in delight,"Well done, Shot well," and that thereafter that form of the name wasadopted. In the early Friends records of Flushing, Long Island, thename is commonly written Chatwell. Abraham Shotwell was probably oneof the many Englishmen who fled to America after the death of Cromwelland the restoration of Charles II to the throne. Hatfield's History ofElizabeth, New Jersey, states that Abraham Shotwell was fourth in thelist of the sixty-five persons in that town, who, on February 19,1655, took the oath of allegiance to King Charles II of England and tothe proprietors of the province. He was the owner of five acres ofvaluable land in the heart of the town. In the contentions between thepeople of the town of Elizabeth and the proprietors, he was bold andoutspoken in his opposition to the tyranical and oppressive exactionsenforced by the governor, Captain Philip Carteret, which courserendered him obnoxious to that officer. There is a tradition in thefamily that, meeting the governor on the bridge over the creek thatpasses through the town, they had a personal altercation, whichresulted in his pitching the governor into the water. He became thevictim of the governor's wrath. Certain it is that his house andgrounds were confiscated and he forced into exile. His valuableproperty was sold at auction April 25, 1675, and a few days afterwardcame into possession of Governor Carteret for the small sum of 14pounds. Mr. Shotwell retired to New York, and did not again residepermanently in New Jersey. He obtained a grant of land in New York,and located, it is believed, not far from the site of the firstBrooklyn bridge. Riker, in the History of Harlem, says (p. 383)"Elphinstone had erected a leather mill and other buildings upon histract, with the assistance of a copartner, Abraham Shotwell, late ofNew Jersey, to whom the patent was made out. October 30, 1677,Elphinstone sold all his interest in the farm houses and mill toShotwell, who in payment gave his obligation in the form of a note for£52, 10s." Abraham Shotwell, "with consent of his son John," sold thefarm and improvements in 1679 to John Robinson. He probably died inNew York city about the year 1680. The name of his wife has not beenascertained. He certainly had a son John, who is the ancestor of theShotwells of Rahway, Plainfield, New Jersey, and Johnstown, New York(see forward).
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