The biography and genealogy of Captain John Johnson from Roxbury, Massachusetts : an uncommon man in the Commonwealth of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1630 to 1659 PDF
Preview The biography and genealogy of Captain John Johnson from Roxbury, Massachusetts : an uncommon man in the Commonwealth of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1630 to 1659
A ••* I 1 The Biography and Genealogy of from Roxbury^ Massachusetts An Uncommon Man in the Commonwealth of The Massachusetts Bay Colony 1630-1659 Gerald OarthJohnson HERITAGE BOOKS, INC. c^-xi^^DC?**;?^^^^ BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARV THE BIOGRAPHY AND GENEALOGY OF CAPTAIN JOHN JOHNSON FROM ROXBURY, MASSACHUSETTS An Uncommon Man in the Commonwealth of The Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1630 to 1659 by Gerald Garth Johnson HERITAGE BOOKS, INC. Copyright 2000 Gerald Garth Johnson (23 7/ .71 Published 2000 by HERITAGE BOOKS, INC. 1540E Pointer Ridge Place, Bowie, Maryland 20716 1-800-398-7709 www.heritagebooks.com ISBN 0-7884-1678-2 A Complete Catalog Listing Hundreds ofTitles On History, Genealogy, and Americana Available Free Upon Request CONTENTS Page Preface Vll Illustrations andMaps XI Introduction XXXI ChapterOne The Puritans and Their Society ChapterTwo Adventurers and The Formation of Companies In Establishing New England 19 ChapterThree John Johnson's Motivation to Migrate to America 25 ChapterFour The Winthrop Fleet 31 Chapter Five Towns and Villages Where John Johnson Lived 39 Chapter Six The Marriages ofJohnJohnson 47 ni CONTENTS Page Chapter Seven The Churches ofJohnJohnson 53 ChapterEight TheAncestryofJohnJohnson 61 ChapterNine The GenealogyofJohnJohnson 99 ChapterTen The Education ofJohn Johnson and His Children inEngland 107 ChapterEleven The Civil Responsibilities of JohnJohnson 115 Chapter Twelve TheMilitaryHistoryofCaptain John Johnson In England and NewEngland 119 ChapterThirteen Records, Documents, and Letters Relating To John Johnson and His Civil, Legal and Religious Life 129 ChapterFourteen Description ofReal Property Owned By John Johnson andtheGreatFire ofJohn Johnson's Home in 1645 175 IV CONTENTS Page ChapterFifteen The Complete Will ofJohnJohnson 179 Chapter Sixteen The Legacies ofJohn Johnson's Puritan Society 189 Chapter Seventeen Some Conclusions aboutJohnJohnson 201 Notes 205 Index 219 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 http://www.archive.org/details/biographygenealoOOjohn PREFACE Captain Edward Johnson of Wobum, Massachusetts is quoted as saying, "to write the History ofJohn Johnson would fill a volume, and his worth as one of the founders of the government of the colonies ofMassachusetts is too well-known to be recorded here." [in the History of Essex County, Massachusetts with Biographical Sketches Volume H, published in 1888 by D. Hamilton Hurd.] , Edward Johnson goes on to describe the subject of this book, Captain John Johnson, as "the Survayor Generall ofthe Armes of the Country as an Undanted Spirit. And, one who was very well qualified for the work [of Surveyor General ofthe Arms] ready at all times to put the General Court in mind of keeping their store renewed by fresh supply" [ofpowder and other military supplies.] From a more contemporary person, Thomas Kozachek, Editor, NewburyStreetPress, wrote to the author in aprivate letter on May 12, 1999 that "setting this figure (John Johnson) into an historical narrative is aworthwhile project." It is my hope that this book is an effort toward the volume that Captain Edward Johnson suggested, and setting this figure [John Johnson] in a historical narrative is as worthwhile as Thomas Kozacheck oftheNewburyStreetPress wrote. Between the years of 1629 and 1640, slightly less than 15,000 emigrants came from England bound for America....the New England. The authorpresents Captain JohnJohnson as atypical,yet perhaps not so typical but at least representative, ofthe people who were motivated to leave their homeland and venture into the unknown and uncharted land of America. Family, as well as historians, will be pleased with the newly found information about John Johnson, where he lived, where his children were bom and baptized, who his wives were, his religious beliefs, his work, his relationships with other relatives and friends, as well as get a glimpse of his leadership in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, and the Plymouth Colony. Further, examination of the villages and towns of Ware and Great Amwell, Hertfordshire, England provides insight into the vu type of life John Johnson and his first wife, Mary Heath Johnson led. In addition to learning about the times ofthe 1600's, readers can achieve a sense of the character of John Johnson as he dealt with family, civic, military, and religious issues. In order to provide the environment of the times, the author has included information about the religion between 1590 and 1630, Puritanism, the Church ofEngland, as well as the political upheaval in Englandbetween 1550 and 1630, King Charles II, andtaxation. Further insight and knowledge is gained from the inclusion offacts about the trip across the Atlantic Ocean, the formation ofRoxbury, Massachusetts, andthe day-to-day responsibilities and events in the life ofJohn Johnson andhis family. The author, who has visitedthe towns and villages ofCaptain John Johnson in England, and who has researched all of the usual, unusual, and new sources ofinformation both here in America and abroad in England, has discovered information about John Johnson neverbeforeprinted. An enormous debt is owed to family members, other individuals, and institutions for their helpfiibiess and their tolerance while the author was in the throes ofresearch, writing, and re-writing. With the greatest gratitude, I thank the following: Karlene Johnson Messer for her constant support and technical assistance, Nancy Ticknor Johnson who gave up her dining room again and who allowed me the freedom to search, research, and travel, Cesar Augusto Johnston for inspiring meto additional research. Dr. Roger Thompson ofEast Anglia University forhis helpful comments, Mr. John McCauley of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery of Massachusetts, and, Mrs. Beryl Crawley, AGRA, of Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England who was probably overwhelmed bythe scores and scores ofletters requesting research assistance. I am especially indebted to LeAnne M. Johnson Shaw who spent many days proof-reading the various drafts ofthis book. Without the accuracy ofher help, the past ofJohn Johnson and the Colonial Period could not have been assembledproperly. Vlll
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