I can tell you a lot of things John isn't. He isn't the son of Thomas and Dorothy Harbottle Lamb. He isn't the son of Thomas (see above) and Elizabeth Lamb. He isn't the John who died in Springfield, Massachusetts in 16*90. He isn't the John who died January 9, 1677 in a saw mill accident in New London or perhaps Stonington, Connecticut, although there are indications this may have been John's son, John. We know several things about who he wasn't, but there's not much to show who he was.
I was surprised when I started researching John Lamb to find him first in Kittery, Maine. I had to pull up a map of Kittery, which is in York County (a new county for me to research in, perhaps making this number 238!!) to realize this was not at all far from the northern shores of Massachusetts. At the time, of course, it was part of Massachusetts Bay Colony, so John can be forgiven for being in "new" parts. However, we don't know when or where he was born, or how he arrived in Kittery, or even when he arrived in Kittery.
Most guesses put his birthdate at about 1623, with two or three different locations being put forth for his home at birth, and several guesses as to his parents. If we accept that the John killed near Stonington was his son, and assume that he was probably not more than 24 (since he would likely have been married by then) and assume that he was the first or second son of John's, then our John could have been born as late as 1630. John himself tells us that he was 45 years old in 1670, when he testified in court, so even though these dates are not always accurate, it is as close as we are likely to get.
We know he was in Kittery, Maine in 1651, because then and again in 1653 he was called a liar in court (a thief also, in 1651) although I don't know the disposition of those cases. I also don't know whether he was single or married at this time, although it must have been around this time that he married. His son Thomas sold part of his inheritance to brother Samuel in 1695. The best guess is that John died sometime around 1681, and likely some of his seven children were minors at this time, which could explain why there is no discussion of an inheritance until 1695. But that is supposition.
It's believed that his wife's name was Ann. She may have been Ann Skelton, or she may have been Ann Plaistead. The Plaistead guess seems to be based on that 1670 court case, when John testified on behalf of Roger Plaistead about lands in dispute between Connecticut and Rhode Island. In 1674, John made inquiries on behalf of this same Roger Plaistead about building a fulling mill near Stonington. There was some sort of connection here, but whether this is enough to establish a family relationship appears doubtful. There seems to be even less support for the Skelton idea. So for now and perhaps forever, the name of John's wife is not known.
He was a charcoal burner in Kittery, which was a lonely, demanding job, since the charcoal had to be tended to almost constantly. Charcoal was needed for the iron smelting process. He received grants of land in Kittery in 1655 and 1666, but by 1663 was in New London, or possibly near Stonington, Connecticut. We don't know why he changed locations. At his new home, he seems to have been a farrier and a blacksmith as well as a farmer and a miller. Again, the records are scanty.
He may be the John Lamb who became a freeman at New London in 1670, but that isn't clear.
The implication is that John died about 1681, when there was testimony about what John told John Packer about problems in a mill wash. Since John himself didn't testify, he was likely either too sick to testify or had already died.
So he don't know his parents, his origins, when he arrived in New England (I'm thinking he was possibly an indentured servant), who he married or when, or much about his life near Stonington. We don't know what he thought of King Philip's War, or whether he might have served in earlier militias. We don't know why he was only about 55 when he (most likely) died. We assume that he attended church but there don't seem to be records to confirm this. He apparently prepared a will in 1673 but it's been lost. "Johnny, we hardly knew ye."
Please, if someone knows more or has insights into this family, please contact me!
The line of descent is
John Lamb-Ann
Elizabeth Lamb-Daniel Longbottom
James Longbottom-Elizabeth Jackson
Elizabeth Longbottom-John Eames
Hannah Eames-James Lamphire
Susan Lamphire-Joseph Eddy
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Showing posts with label John Lamb. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Lamb. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Friday, March 8, 2019
Allen line: John Lamb 1628-1690
Is it breaking the rules to call John Lamb an immigrant? He was only two years old when he came to New England, so he had no say at all in whether to come. Yet, not understanding the purpose of being uprooted and joining his parents on a small and dark ship, he shared the voyage and shared the wonder of arriving in a world totally unlike anything he knew in England. From the eyes of a two year old, this would have been a big deal, and yes, I think we can call him an immigrant. Besides, he's in the Allen line and I don't have many opportunities any more to write about this side of the family.
It would be interesting to know how closely his parents, Thomas and Elizabeth Lamb, could follow the typical Puritan methods in raising children under the circumstances of sailing across the ocean. Were they stern, were they relaxed? Certainly they, especially Elizabeth, would have been watchful as there were many ways for little ones to get hurt, or worse, on a ship. The other women on board would have helped, surely, but it wouldn't have been an easy job. Actually, our ancestor John had sibling Thomas with him, so at least there was someone to play with.
John was born to Thomas and Elizabeth on or before August 1, 1628 at Barnardiston, Suffolk, England. He would have been baptized in the local church, which had parts dating back to the twelfth century, so this was a very old village indeed. Likely there was quite a bit of family in the area, as that is common for small villages, so again one wonders what the pioneer immigrants were thinking.
John came with his parents to Roxbury, Massachusetts, where Thomas died in 1646. Five years later, in 1651, John settled in Springfield, Massachusetts where he was made a freeman in 1654. He was a wheelwright and perhaps an "East Indian trader". That may mean he owned part of a ship that traveled to the East Indies, or it could have other meanings. It gets a little dicey here because he is supposed to be living in Springfield and in Kittery, Maine at the same time. I suspect there were two John Lambs, and they have been a bit intermingled in this part of the story. Perhaps the man in Kittery was the one who was engaged in trading. More research needs to be done on this.
In Springfield, he became an important part of the town. He was a fence viewer, a surveyor of highways, a sealer of weights and measures, a sergeant of the Westfield Garrison during King Philip's War, and he had the fifth seat in the church (seats were assigned according to wealth and piety as well as status in the town).
John was married to Joanna Chapin, daughter of Samuel Chapin and Cicely Penny) about 1650, and they had eleven children, with the last being born in 1674. Joanna died in 1683 and John died September 28,1690, just two or three years after he had married Lydia Wright Bliss Norton. His estate was valued at a little over 421 pounds, which was respectable indeed. He had more animals than many of his neighbors would have had, several good sized parcels of land, more tools and implements, and more household goods than would have been common. John Lamb had done all right for himself.
The line of descent is:
John Lamb-Joanna Chapin
Samuel Lamb-Rebecca Bird
Samuel Lamb-Martha Stebbins
Eunice Lamb-Martin Root
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
It would be interesting to know how closely his parents, Thomas and Elizabeth Lamb, could follow the typical Puritan methods in raising children under the circumstances of sailing across the ocean. Were they stern, were they relaxed? Certainly they, especially Elizabeth, would have been watchful as there were many ways for little ones to get hurt, or worse, on a ship. The other women on board would have helped, surely, but it wouldn't have been an easy job. Actually, our ancestor John had sibling Thomas with him, so at least there was someone to play with.
John was born to Thomas and Elizabeth on or before August 1, 1628 at Barnardiston, Suffolk, England. He would have been baptized in the local church, which had parts dating back to the twelfth century, so this was a very old village indeed. Likely there was quite a bit of family in the area, as that is common for small villages, so again one wonders what the pioneer immigrants were thinking.
John came with his parents to Roxbury, Massachusetts, where Thomas died in 1646. Five years later, in 1651, John settled in Springfield, Massachusetts where he was made a freeman in 1654. He was a wheelwright and perhaps an "East Indian trader". That may mean he owned part of a ship that traveled to the East Indies, or it could have other meanings. It gets a little dicey here because he is supposed to be living in Springfield and in Kittery, Maine at the same time. I suspect there were two John Lambs, and they have been a bit intermingled in this part of the story. Perhaps the man in Kittery was the one who was engaged in trading. More research needs to be done on this.
In Springfield, he became an important part of the town. He was a fence viewer, a surveyor of highways, a sealer of weights and measures, a sergeant of the Westfield Garrison during King Philip's War, and he had the fifth seat in the church (seats were assigned according to wealth and piety as well as status in the town).
John was married to Joanna Chapin, daughter of Samuel Chapin and Cicely Penny) about 1650, and they had eleven children, with the last being born in 1674. Joanna died in 1683 and John died September 28,1690, just two or three years after he had married Lydia Wright Bliss Norton. His estate was valued at a little over 421 pounds, which was respectable indeed. He had more animals than many of his neighbors would have had, several good sized parcels of land, more tools and implements, and more household goods than would have been common. John Lamb had done all right for himself.
The line of descent is:
John Lamb-Joanna Chapin
Samuel Lamb-Rebecca Bird
Samuel Lamb-Martha Stebbins
Eunice Lamb-Martin Root
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
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