Allen line: John Gunn, Quartermaster 1641-1726

John Gunn or Gunne is another one of our ancestors who contributed to the Westfield, Massachusetts family connections.  For such a small village, we certainly had a lot of Allen ancestors there, back in the day.  We know a little bit about him, but not a lot. 

John was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth possibly Brown Gunn, born July 8, 1647 in Windsor, Connecticut.  Thomas was an inkkepper in Windsor but left for Westfield "early".  Since Westfield wasn't formed until the late 1660s, John may well have been 25 years old or so before moving, if he left at the same time his father did.  John was apparently in Westfield when he married Mary Williams, daughter of John and Mary (maiden name Burley, Bulkeley, or something else) on January 22, 1678. 

John seems to have been one of four children who survived infancy, and he and Mary had at least six children.  There is a four year gap between two of their children, so it's possible there was another baby, or a miscarriage.  Women typically had children every two years or so, unless illness or absence prevented it.

We don't know for sure what John did for a living but he likely farmed, at least enough to support his family.  He had land both in Windsor and in Westfield at one time, and eventually sold the Windsor land.  He may have purchased more in Westfield at about the same time.  He seems to have been a respected man in town and probably accumulated some wealth, although I have not been able to locate a will or inventory for him-yet.

His gravestone calls him "quartermaster". which has me scratching my head.  John lived through King Philip's War, Queen Anne's War, and King William's War.  John Root, another of our ancestors,  was listed as a commissary in Westfield for King Philip's War, and it seems, unless I am missing something, that the two terms have the same definition.  It's possible that John Root took care of the troops who were garrisoned in Westfield and John Gunn took care of supplying the troops who went further afield, fighting the natives and their French instigators.  It would be interesting to figure out which conflict or conflicts John Gunn was part of, and whether he was part of any actual skirmis or battles. 

Mary died in Westfield November 26, 1711, and John survived her by close to fifteen years.  He lived until Spetember 17, 1726.  The records say he died in Springfield but was buried in Westfield.  He may have been staying with daughter Mercy in Springfield, or he may have gone there for medical attention.  At any rate, he lived a long life, about 85 years. 

We don't know certain things about John but we can infer that he could read and write, because most men in the town could.  We can guess that if he wasn't a church member, he at least attended church, because regular church attendance was required in Puritan towns, whether or not one was a member.  And we can know that he was a good citizen and attended town meetings, because, again, it was required.  He did much to help shape America, just by living and raising his family.

The line of descent is

John Gunn-Mary Williams
Mary Gunn-Samuel Root
Martin Root-Eunice Lamb
Martin Root-Ruth Noble
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants