What's a futcheon?

[AAllan at AOL.COM]

Allen Walker Read's detailed history of the origins of O.K. cites the
following passage from the Boston Morning Post of March 26, 1839:

"Many of O.F.M. [Our First Men] and several _futcheons_ had the pleasure of
taking these 'interesting strangers' by the hand, and wishing them a speedy
passage to the Commercial Emporium [New York City]. They were o.k. . . ."

This is the second earliest known citation of "o.k." (the first is from the
same newspaper three days earlier). But my question is, what's a futcheon?
It's not in any of my dictionaries, and Read doesn't provide an explanation.

You can see this on p. 13 of American Speech 38.1 (February 1963).

- Allan Metcalf