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
Showing posts with label Gunn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gunn. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Allen line: John Root 1608-1684, Immigrant
Although we know quite a bit about John Root, there are two big questions I have after going through all the material I can find about him. The first is his origin. His gravestone, which I think is old but probably not dating back to 1684, states that he was a "Descendant of the Huguenots Routtes who fled from France to England." I've seen statements that this headstone was actually put up as late as 1880, and that the statement should be discounted because it was an American who had it installed. Being an American doesn't necessarily make it wrong, of course, and there is a Thomas Routte/Roote/Root who is accepted by the National Huguenot Society as being an ancestor. I don't know how much credibility to apply to this statement except that it does seem likely that at some point the Routte family came to England.
The second mystery about John is his parents. They are given everywhere as John Roote and Mary Ann Russell or Rushall. However, we are also told that John was raised by a wealthy uncle, and looking at the family tree, it appears that this couple might fit that description. I can't find documentation as to his birth or to the death of these "parents" so I'm not clear on exactly who John is. However, he was born February 26,1608 in Badby, Northamptonshire, England. Supposedly the uncle who raised him was pressing John to go into the Parliamentary Army under Cromwell, and our John was not willing to do that, so he came to America as a Puritan and settled in Farmington, Connecticut in 1640.
He married Mary Kilbourne, most likely after arriving in Farmington but possibly in England. Their first known child was born in 1642 in Farmington, so if they met soon after John's arrival, possibly in church, then a marriage perhaps in 1641 and a child born a year later would make sense.
John was a weaver as well as a farmer. We know that he and his wife were members of the church in Farmington, that John served on several juries at Hartford, and that he was apparently a respected man of his town. We are fortunate that copies of his estate are still available. At his death, it was valued at 819 pounds. Interestingly, it includes a list of the 32 books in his library, most of which were religious. There was one "law book" and it's not clear what a couple of the other books were, but most had titles like "Israel's Safety" or "door of Salvation." His inventory also included a long gun, a musket, a carbine, a backsword and belt, and various equipment needed to support these weapons. It is likely that he was part of the "military train" for much of his life, but since he lived until 1684, when he would have been 76 years old, he had probably been excused from military service some years earlier. He was have been 67 or 68 when King Philip's War broke out, so likely stayed home to help guard the women and children when the men of the town were called out.
John died in August of 1684 and his wife Mary died in 1697. Among his descendants, so our cousins, are President Rutherford B. Hayes, Louisa May Alcott (yes! I knew I liked her!), Nancy Davis Reagan, Bess Wallace Truman, and Clint Eastwood. He contributed much to American's history, besides settling in Connecticut and helping make a town out of the wilderness.
Our line of descent is:
John Root-Mary Kilbourne
John Root Mary Ashley
Samuel Root-Mary Gunn
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
A second line is the same for the first two generations, and then is:
John Root-Sarah Stebbins
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
and so on. Ruth Noble and Martin Root were second cousins, if I have this figured right. So we're doubly related to all those famous people I mentioned!
The second mystery about John is his parents. They are given everywhere as John Roote and Mary Ann Russell or Rushall. However, we are also told that John was raised by a wealthy uncle, and looking at the family tree, it appears that this couple might fit that description. I can't find documentation as to his birth or to the death of these "parents" so I'm not clear on exactly who John is. However, he was born February 26,1608 in Badby, Northamptonshire, England. Supposedly the uncle who raised him was pressing John to go into the Parliamentary Army under Cromwell, and our John was not willing to do that, so he came to America as a Puritan and settled in Farmington, Connecticut in 1640.
He married Mary Kilbourne, most likely after arriving in Farmington but possibly in England. Their first known child was born in 1642 in Farmington, so if they met soon after John's arrival, possibly in church, then a marriage perhaps in 1641 and a child born a year later would make sense.
John was a weaver as well as a farmer. We know that he and his wife were members of the church in Farmington, that John served on several juries at Hartford, and that he was apparently a respected man of his town. We are fortunate that copies of his estate are still available. At his death, it was valued at 819 pounds. Interestingly, it includes a list of the 32 books in his library, most of which were religious. There was one "law book" and it's not clear what a couple of the other books were, but most had titles like "Israel's Safety" or "door of Salvation." His inventory also included a long gun, a musket, a carbine, a backsword and belt, and various equipment needed to support these weapons. It is likely that he was part of the "military train" for much of his life, but since he lived until 1684, when he would have been 76 years old, he had probably been excused from military service some years earlier. He was have been 67 or 68 when King Philip's War broke out, so likely stayed home to help guard the women and children when the men of the town were called out.
John died in August of 1684 and his wife Mary died in 1697. Among his descendants, so our cousins, are President Rutherford B. Hayes, Louisa May Alcott (yes! I knew I liked her!), Nancy Davis Reagan, Bess Wallace Truman, and Clint Eastwood. He contributed much to American's history, besides settling in Connecticut and helping make a town out of the wilderness.
Our line of descent is:
John Root-Mary Kilbourne
John Root Mary Ashley
Samuel Root-Mary Gunn
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
A second line is the same for the first two generations, and then is:
John Root-Sarah Stebbins
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
and so on. Ruth Noble and Martin Root were second cousins, if I have this figured right. So we're doubly related to all those famous people I mentioned!
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Allen line: Thomas Gunn 1605-1681
First, there is a wonderful website with pages and pages of interestingly written information about our immigrant Thomas Gunn. It is at thomasgunnfamily.com/1st-generation/ and I urge my readers to read as much of that as they are willing to do. Not only does it give a lot of information about Thomas's life, but it also tells some compelling stories and gives a good background for many of our ancestors, not only Thomas Gunn. Compared to that narrative, this is a very condensed version.
It's believed that Thomas was born in 1605, possibly around the area of Dorset, England, but so far records have not turned up to document that. The 1605 date is given because John Winthrop Jr. treated Thomas in 1666 and said he was then a man of about 61 years of age. If Dorset was indeed the place of his birth, the most likely industries that he would have been involved in as a young man were either maritime, or sheep farming. Neither one showed much promise at the time economically, and Thomas may also have been a Puritan when he sailed for America.
It's not known for sure when Thomas came to America but "Great Migrations" gives him an immigration date of 1634. The Thomas Gunn site mentioned above says he came in 1629. At any rate, he would have been a young or youngish man when he came. He settled in Dorchester, part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and was made a freeman there in 1635, meaning he was at least 21, of proper religious beliefs, and had property worth 20 pounds. He may not have been completely happy, because he soon joined Rev. Thomas Hooker's group and went to Connecticut in 1636, where he is recognized as one of the first founders of Windsor. He may have married before making the trek to Windsor, and his wife's name may have been Elizabeth. It has been suggested that her last name was Browne, but that seems to not have been proven yet.
Thomas and his wife had four or perhaps five children in Windsor. One or perhaps two daughters named Elizabeth died young. John, Mehitable, and Deborah survived into adulthood. Thomas was a respected man in Windsor as he raised his family. He frequently served on the petit jury, and was also several times either a defendant or a plaintiff in court cases. He moved on to Westfield, Massachusetts before 1669, and again helped establish a town in a wilderness.
Westfield was extremely fortunate during King Philip's War in 1675-1676 to have escaped a direct attack by the natives. Westfield had been told to send their women and children to Springfield for safety, and the town refused, deciding instead to stay, plant their crops, and keep vigilant watch.
Thomas would have been one of the soldiers at the town, as he did not ask until 1678 to be relieved of his militia duties due to his infirmities. He would have been 73 years old at the time, so we can infer that up to this time he had been healthy enough to satisfy his military obligations.
Thomas died at Westfield February 26, 1680/81. His wife had died in 1678. The estate was left to his son John with 5 shillings given to daughter Deborah. (Her husband, Timothy Thrall, had been given several parcels of land earlier). Daughter Mehitable received 20 pounds, with each of her four children receiving 5 pounds, and the balance went to son John. The estate was valued at 349 pounds, of which 254 pounds was the house and several parcels of land. Thomas had done well for himself.
I was unable to locate an occupation for Thomas, but we know that he farmed. If he had other interests or business ventures I have been unable to find them. He was another ancestor who worked hard, raised his family well, and helped build America, by helping to found two towns that still exist today.
The line of descent is:
Thomas Gunn-possibly Elizabeth
John Gunn-Mary Williams
Mary Gunn-Samuel Root
Martin Root-Eunice Lamb
Martin Root Jr.-Ruth Noble
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Their descendants
It's believed that Thomas was born in 1605, possibly around the area of Dorset, England, but so far records have not turned up to document that. The 1605 date is given because John Winthrop Jr. treated Thomas in 1666 and said he was then a man of about 61 years of age. If Dorset was indeed the place of his birth, the most likely industries that he would have been involved in as a young man were either maritime, or sheep farming. Neither one showed much promise at the time economically, and Thomas may also have been a Puritan when he sailed for America.
It's not known for sure when Thomas came to America but "Great Migrations" gives him an immigration date of 1634. The Thomas Gunn site mentioned above says he came in 1629. At any rate, he would have been a young or youngish man when he came. He settled in Dorchester, part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and was made a freeman there in 1635, meaning he was at least 21, of proper religious beliefs, and had property worth 20 pounds. He may not have been completely happy, because he soon joined Rev. Thomas Hooker's group and went to Connecticut in 1636, where he is recognized as one of the first founders of Windsor. He may have married before making the trek to Windsor, and his wife's name may have been Elizabeth. It has been suggested that her last name was Browne, but that seems to not have been proven yet.
Thomas and his wife had four or perhaps five children in Windsor. One or perhaps two daughters named Elizabeth died young. John, Mehitable, and Deborah survived into adulthood. Thomas was a respected man in Windsor as he raised his family. He frequently served on the petit jury, and was also several times either a defendant or a plaintiff in court cases. He moved on to Westfield, Massachusetts before 1669, and again helped establish a town in a wilderness.
Westfield was extremely fortunate during King Philip's War in 1675-1676 to have escaped a direct attack by the natives. Westfield had been told to send their women and children to Springfield for safety, and the town refused, deciding instead to stay, plant their crops, and keep vigilant watch.
Thomas would have been one of the soldiers at the town, as he did not ask until 1678 to be relieved of his militia duties due to his infirmities. He would have been 73 years old at the time, so we can infer that up to this time he had been healthy enough to satisfy his military obligations.
Thomas died at Westfield February 26, 1680/81. His wife had died in 1678. The estate was left to his son John with 5 shillings given to daughter Deborah. (Her husband, Timothy Thrall, had been given several parcels of land earlier). Daughter Mehitable received 20 pounds, with each of her four children receiving 5 pounds, and the balance went to son John. The estate was valued at 349 pounds, of which 254 pounds was the house and several parcels of land. Thomas had done well for himself.
I was unable to locate an occupation for Thomas, but we know that he farmed. If he had other interests or business ventures I have been unable to find them. He was another ancestor who worked hard, raised his family well, and helped build America, by helping to found two towns that still exist today.
The line of descent is:
Thomas Gunn-possibly Elizabeth
John Gunn-Mary Williams
Mary Gunn-Samuel Root
Martin Root-Eunice Lamb
Martin Root Jr.-Ruth Noble
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Their descendants
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