Holbrook line: John Tidd, Immigrant, of Woburn

John Tidd is a bit of a mystery, or at least his earlier years are a mystery.  Some, but not all, genealogists say that we was the John Tidd who was christened at Hertford, Hertfordshire, England on October 18, 1594.  If so, he was the son of John Tidd and Anna or Agnes Dane.  This date would  fit in well with the proposed marriage date of 1616 for John to marry Margaret.  Margaret is believed by some to be Margaret Greenleaf of Yarmouth, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Leeds Greenlefe, which leaves us to wonder how the two would have met.  An argument has been made that she was Margaret Greenfield, sister of Samuel Greenfield, but there seems to be no proof as to that marriage, either.  So the most that we can say with confidence is that he married Margaret and that the six or seven children they are credited with were all born in England.  Field Dalling, Norfolk, England is given as the birth place of some of the children, and Ipswich, Suffolk, England for others, but again, I don't find documentation. 

However, we know that John and Margaret were in New England by 1637, when he is said to be at Charlestown (a frequent first stop for those who moved on).  All of their children were born by then, and John would have been in his early 40s.  Their oldest son, would have been 20 and their youngest, Hannah, perhaps eight years old. 

John, a tailor, became a member of the church at Charlestown on March 10, 1639.  He was an original proprietor of the town of Woburn in December of 1640, and three years later was a freeman and sergeant of the training band (militia) in Woburn.  This wasn't just some show up one day a month and drill group.  These men were responsible for protecting the town from any incursions from the native Americans, and the Pequot War had just ended in 1637.  Training would have been serious business. 

John acquired eight pieces of land in Charlestown, as well as part of the cow commons.  When he moved to Woburn, he had minor town offices, most relating to taxes, besides the role of sergeant for the band.  He was a courageous man, for he was one of those who, in 1653, signed a petition to the General Court called the "Woburn Memorial for Christian Liberty", earning himself the permanent label of "One of the bold petitioners."  Apparently religious freedom was still frowned upon by the Court.

Margaret died about 1641.  We don't have a cause of death but there were many illnesses prevalengt that took both women and men.  John married Alice sometime after Margaret's death, but they had no children together.  

John gave land to his son Samuel and possibly to his other sons before he died, which would explain why they are not mentioned in his will.  He died April 24, 1656, leaving an estate of 163 pounds.  One unusual feature of his will was that he left the house and orchards to his wife Alice, for as long as she lived or until six years after her re=marriage.  Usually men left the use of the home, or part of it, until the widow remarried, so the six years grace period is a bit different. 

John was another of our ancestors who had the courage to come to the New World under difficult conditions, and who apparently "made good".  He coped with the new environment, with supporting and raising his family, and with the demands that the military placed on him.  He and Margaret are good role models. 

John Tidd gives us another ancestor in common with the two Presidents Bush, with Barbara Bush, and with Buckminster Fuller, among others. 

The line of descent is:

John Tidd-Margaret possibly Greanleaf
John Tidd-Rebecca Wood
John Tidd-Elizabeth Fifield
Elizabeth Tidd-Joseph Stevens
Elizabeth Stevens-William Snow
Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants