John Fuller Sr (abt. 1614 - 1698)

Born about 1614 in England

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Cole) Fuller — married about 1644 in England [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 7 Feb 1698 at about age 84 in Newton, Middlesex, Province of Massachusetts Bay

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Biography

John Fuller emigrated from England to colonial Massachusetts

Important Note

There were three John Fullers, all married to women named Elizabeth, who were known to be in Massachusetts at the time: (1) the John of this profile, who married Elizabeth Cole; (2) John Fuller of Lynn, who married Elizabeth Farrington; and (3) John Fuller of Ipswich, who married Elizabeth Emerson. See more information on the three Johns at JohnFullerofNewton.com.

Origins

John Fuller's parents as well as his date and place of birth are unknown. He was born in England, possibly near Lavenham, Suffolk, about 1614. Nothing further is known about his origins, but he did have the financial status "to be one of the settlers of Cambridge who were able to buy large and comfortable accommodation". His 1614 estimated date of birth is based on ages John gave while testifying at the Middlesex Court several times between 1656 and 1673.^[1] The John Fuller of Newton website has posted a theory about John's ancestral line HERE. The parents attached to this profile, John Fuller and Anne Gates, are marked uncertain and are only speculative.

Marriage and Children

By 1645 (birth of their first child), John married in England to Elizabeth Cole, daughter of Walter Cole and Susanna Northfield of Lavenham.^[1] They had the following children:

1. John, born 1645^[2][3] possiby in England, died in Newton 21 January 1720/1, married first Abigail Balston and second to Margaret Hicks^[1]
2. Elizabeth,^[2][3] born about 1647 possibly in England, married Job Hyde and had ten children; Job and Elizabeth both died in November 1685 leaving eight children, aged 1-21, four of which went to live with John and Elizabeth^[1]
3. Jonathan, born 1648^[3] possibly in England, died 12 August 1722, married Mindwell Trowbridge^[1]
4. Joseph, born 10 December 1652/3,^[2][3] died 5 January 1739/40, married Lydia Jackson^[1]
5. Joshua, born 16 February 1654/5,^[2][3] died 27 June 1752, married first to Elizabeth Ward, second to Hannah (Griggs) Rainsford and third to Mary (Buckminster/Buckmaster) Dana^[1]
6. Jeremiah, born 4 March 1658/9,^[3] died 23 December 1743, married first to Mary Jones, second to Elizabeth Blake, third to Thankful Bird, and fourth to Rachel _____^[1]
7. Bethia, born 23 November 1661,^[2][3] died 25 March 1699/1700, married Nathaniel Bond^[1]
8. Isaac, born 2 December 1665,^[3] died 6 October 1691^[1]

Life in Newton Massachusetts

John and Elizabeth first appeared in New England in Cambridge, Massachusetts, when the birth of their son Joseph was recorded there in February 1652. In his August 1652 will, Walter Cole named his "daughter Elizabeth, the now wife of John Fuller of New England".^[1] It is difficult to determine when they immigrated: some accounts have them arriving as early as 1644. However, it is more likely that they arrived shortly before their son Joseph's 1652 birth, bringing three young children on the voyage with them.

The family settled on the south side of the Charles River, in Cambridge Village, now Newton, Massachusetts.^[1][2][4]

He was an extensive landholder and was a farmer and a maltster.^[1][2] He served as Surveyor of Highways 1665 and 1666; constable 1669 and 1675; and fence viewer 1673/4.^[1] John and his sons signed the 1678 petition to separate Cambridge Village from Cambridge and, in 1679, John and his sons were listed as Freeholders of Newton in 1679. Interestingly, while John's sons were admitted Freemen on 13 October 1680, "John Fuller senr. of New Camb." was not recorded as becoming a Freeman until 26 March 1690.^[1] He was only listed as a selectman once, in 1694.^[1]

John first purchased 9 acres of land in Watertown, Massachusetts on 3 December 1655. He sold the same lot on 15 May 1657.^[1] In December 1658, John purchased 750 acres of land from Joseph Cooke for £160.^[1][4] In later purchases, he increased his land holdings,^[4] including purchases of 27 acres on 13 April 1676 and 37 1/2 acres on 7 March 1694/5.^[1]

Death and Will

John Fuller died 7 February 1697/8 in Newton, Massachusetts,^[5] (7 February 1697/8 was listed on his probate inventory) and he was buried at the Centre Street Cemetery in Newton.^[1] His wife, Elizabeth, died in 1700.^[4] John Fuller is listed on the First Settlers monument in the Centre Street Cemetery as one of the twenty first settlers of Newton, Massachusetts.^[6]

His will was dated at Newton [13 or] 30 January 1695/6 and was proved 28 February 1697/8. It included bequests to his wife Elizabeth, sons John, Jonathan, Joseph, Joshua and Jeremiah, and daughters Elizabeth Hide (deceased), and Bethia Bond. It also mentions grandchildren Jonathan Hide, Mary Brown, Elizabeth Hide (later corrected to Bethia Hide) and Hannah Hide. The executors named as "his dutifull sons" John, Jonathan, Joseph, Joshua and Jeremiah.^[1][7][8]

The inventory of John Fuller's estate totaling £534.05.00^[4] was taken 15 February 1698.^[1] His will directed that none of the land left to his sons should be sold to strangers unless it had first been offered for sale to the nearest relation.^[4]

An agreement was made dated 25 March 1699 which divided the 788-acre farm in Newton that John Fuller had left to his five sons. This document reconfirms his death date as 7 February 1697/8. Witnesses to the document were Isaac Williames, Thomas Oliver and Abraham Jackson.^[9]

Research Notes

Disproved Parents

At one time Roger Fuller and Jane Gowan were attached as the parents of this John Fuller. However the will of Roger Fuller proves that he had a son-in-law named John Fuller, but not a son. See Roger Fuller's profile for further information.

Notes

From Wayne Fuller:

Searched the Lavenham Parish records and did not find a 1611 record for John Fuller of Newton. His *wife* however was recorded as baptised there, and her father's will was signed at Lavenham

Does not qualify as a PGM profile, since it appears he didn't arrive until approximately 1644, and he's not listed in the Great Migration series. DNA of John of Newton: http://johnfullerofnewton.com/fuller-name/dna/ And we know this is NOT Mayflower Fuller's DNA.

The Mayflower Fullers Book Vol. I "Early New England Fullers" where Roger is named on pp 812 and his son Giles Fuller (of Dedham & Hampton) was a kin of Dr. Mathew Fuller of Barnstable (Mayflower). Goes on to page 814 of that Vol. to quote from Roger's Will of 1644 .... "my daughter Elizabeth wife of John Fuller". So we conclude that Roger Fuller was a "kin" of the Mayflower Fullers.

BUT we know for 100% certainty that John of Newton was not a Mayflower Fuller because his DNA is totally different from the Mayflower Fullers. So Roger Fuller CANNOT be father to John of Newton.

And an aside is that Elizabeth Fuller (previous sentence), daughter of Roger Fuller, who married a John Fuller, who we do not know anything about. And this John Fuller & Elizabeth did NOT immigrate to New England.

DNA

More from Wayne Fuller:

Here is the Mayflower DNA Project and you can see that their Haplogroup is R-M269; https://www.familytreedna.com/public/mayflowersociety/default.aspx?section=ycolorized

And you can see from this I-P109 (also I-M253) Project that John of Newton is in the Haplogroup of I-M253 .... totally different from R-M269: https://www.familytreedna.com/public/yDNA_I-P109?iframe=yresults (Light Yellow = Germans?) -- this confirms our John of Newton shown here: http://johnfullerofnewton.com/fuller-name/dna/

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21} Early New England Families Study Project. Vol. 1: John Fuller (say 1614-1698). NEHGS, 2013. Online at AmericanAncestors.org ($), pages 1-10.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6} Lucius R. Paige. History of Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1630-1877. New York: Hurd and Houghton, 1877. Online at Archive.org, page 556: Fuller, John.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7} "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, (FamilySearch: 10 November 2020), Children of John Fuller and Elizabeth; citing Birth, Newton, Middlesex, MA, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007009513.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5} Samuel F. Smith, comp., History of Newton, Massachusetts, 1630-1880. (Boston, MA: American Logotype Co., 1880). Online at Archive.org, pages 89-90
5. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, (FamilySearch: 5 November 2017), John Seignior Fuller, 07 Feb 1698; citing Death, Newton, Middlesex, MA, town clerk offices, Massachusetts; FHL microfilm 745,868.
6. ↑ JohnFullerofNewton.com: First Settler
7. ↑ Middlesex County Probate Records file #8745 on FamilySearch.
8. ↑ JohnFullerofNewton.com: Will transcribed by W. L. Fuller, D. R. J. Fuller & E. F. Fuller. Originally, Dec 2011, Last update, Aug 2017
9. ↑ JohnFullerofNewton.com: First Division Agreement 1699

See also:

• Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 24 February 2022), memorial page for John Fuller Sr. (1611–7 Feb 1698), Find A Grave: Memorial #5041549, citing East Parish Burying Ground, Newton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA; Maintained by Don Fuller (contributor 15169336): monument photo.