[1][2] Conant arrived at Plymouth Colony from London in 1624, where he became associated with Puritan opposition and subsequently led the settlement to outlying areas, including the site of an ancient Native American village and trading center, which would later become Salem.

[3] Conant's leadership provided the stability to survive the first two years in Salem, but John Endecott, one of the new arrivals, replaced him by order of the Massachusetts Bay Company.

In Bradford's history, in addition to letters to him by the London Adventurers, mention is made of an unnamed master or journeyman salter who may have arrived in Plymouth in the Charity in March 1623/24.

At about that time, John Lyford, a minister who had been sent over by the London Adventurers, was expelled from Plymouth for secretly meeting with settlers who wished to return to the type of worship that they had back in England.

Some, such as salter Roger Conant, found a place to work and worship peacefully in the fishing and trading outposts along the New England coast at Nantasket and Cape Ann.

Per Hubbard's General History, about 1624 Conant moved to Nantasket with his family and about a year or so later relocated to Cape Ann, at the north end of Massachusetts Bay.

[7] In another case of the new Pilgrim vindictiveness, in 1625 Roger Conant was involved in a violent situation between Plymouth Colony military Captain Myles Standish and some fishermen on Cape Ann.

"[7] In 1626 Conant was chosen as the first governor of the English settlers on Cape Ann (who soon moved from Gloucester to Salem) and was replaced in 1628/9 by Gov.

When the legislature granted communities the right to establish district courts, Roger Conant served on numerous Salem quarterly juries for sixteen years.

During his very long lifetime Conant had a number of family tragedies, including the death of his wife Sarah, and of sons Caleb, Lot, Roger and Joshua.

In 2005, the Salem Common Neighborhood Association successfully raised funds to restore the statue by cleaning the bronze of the stains it had accumulated from acid rain and pollution.

[16] A plaque affixed to the front of the statue reads: "I was a means through grace assisting me to stop the flight of those few that then were here with me, and that by my utter denial to go away with them, who would have gone either for England, or mostly for Virginia."