Obadiah Johnson (1664 - bef. 1740)

Born 15 Jun 1664 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts

Ancestors

Husband of Rebecca (Brooks) Johnson — married 7 Sep 1696 in Canterbury, Connecticut

Descendants

Died before 17 Jul 1740 before age 76 in Milford, New Haven, Connecticut

Problems/Questions Profile managers: David McKnight [send private message], Alison Andrus [send private message], and Susan Flint [send private message]

Biography

OBADIAH ^[1], son of John and Bethia (Reade) Johnson, was born at Woburn, Mass., 15 June 1664 and died at Canterbury, Conn., before 17 July 1740, when his will was proved. He removed when a young man to Plainfield * and Canterbury, Conn., where he purchased a tract of land on the Quinebaug River, was one of the first settlers and a prominent man. He was town clerk, and town meetings and religious services were held at his house. For upwards of forty years there seems to have been no progressive public movement in the community, either political, patriotic, or religious, which did not receive his support, and scarcely a petition or agreement which does not bear his signature. The precise date of Obadiah Sr.'s death has not been ascertained, but his will, dated 6 July 1733, was probated 17 July 1740, and the declaration of witnesses to said will, dated 23 June 1740, shows that he had deceased before that date, probably in June 1740. The will names his wife "Rebekah"; daughters, Mary Cleaveland, Esther Fish and Abigail Brown; and sons Jacob and Obadiah Jr. ' (See Appendix, p. 154, for will.).

• The writer has not been able to fix the exact date of the settlement of Obadiah Johnson Sr., in Connecticut. In 1688 he was taxed at Billerica, Mass., and the Land Records of Middlesex County, Mass., Vol. 18, pp. 413-414 show that he witnessed a deed at Cambridge Farms for his brother William the 2oth of June 1603, and Vol. 17, p. &.Ibid., shows that he owned land in Cambridge Farms in 1693/4. The earliest record of Obadiah in Connecticut which has come to the attention of the writer is in the summer of 1695, when, with others, he v.-as "summoned before the court of New London County to answer complaint of Major James Fitch, etc." ("History of Windham Co.," Larned, Vol. I, p. 107.) It is possible that in common with other pioneers, he was in the habit of going to Connecticut during the summer months to clear his land, put up buildings, etc., and of returning to Woburn for the winter, and that this practice may have been continued for some years before a permanent settlement in Connecticut was made, near the beginning of the 18th century..

From the Land Records of Canterbury, Conn., Vol. I, p. 22, we find that on August 19, 1699, "Owaneco Sachem of Mohegan in ye County of New London, in ye Colony of Connecticut for £13, sold to Samuel Adams millwright and Obadiah Johnson both dwelling at quinebauge or pigscomsett — certain tract of land beginning at the southwest bounds of Daniel Fitch's farme and so to run east to quinebauge river, and west to a river called ye little river till it comes to Norwich bounds within one mile and a half of quinebauge river and so to run northerly till it comes to Major Fitch's north west corner and so to run east to quinebauge river and so to run by said river till it meet with the former line.".

Obadiah Johnson seems to have dealt largely in real estate, often in company with Samuel Adams and Paul Davenport, their names appearing frequently on the Canterbury Land Records. Johnson was an Innholder as early as 1707, and is so designated in various land sales.

Obadiah Johnson married 7 Sept. 1696, "rebecca"* Brooks, daughter of Thomas Brooks of Canterbury, Conn.; she died 1 Dec. 1752, "a widow." Her inventory (see Appendix), taken 12 December 1752, presents a quaint list: "a pocket book and Bills of Credit"; "Chain of Gold Beads and Locket"; a long list of apparel, and "Pero a Negro Boy with his Cloathing £500"; " Vilet a Negro Wench with her Cloathing, £350"; "Large Bible,." etc. It is recorded in the church records that she gave a pewter platter to the church, and that Serj't Obadiah Johnson gave a pewter cup and two pewter pint pots.*.

• In view of the fact that much previous effort on the part of various persons, including the compilers of well-known genealogies, had failed to discover the maiden name of this Rebecca, the following details relative to her are of interest here. An entry of her marriage to Obadiah Johnson is found in the first book of Canterbury (Conn.), Births, Marriages and Deaths, page 4. It was written among the births occurring in families whose names began with the letter "A," and is preceded and followed on the page by records of the births of children by the name of Adams. This Johnson entry was evidently made between the birth of John, son of Obadiah, 6 Oct. 1707, and that of his daughter, Abigail, 29 Sept. 1710, which was recorded elsewhere in the book. It reads as follows:.

The only instance in which the name of Rebecca Johnson, wife of Obadiah, appears on the Canterbury Land Records, is in the sale of land purchased of Owaneco. It was usual and probably the law, that the wife should sign the deed when an original home lot was sold, and the same rule seems to have held in disposing of land originally purchased of the Indians.

r-oS, May :6. Samuel Adams, millwright, and Mary his wife; Obadiah Johnson, Innholder, and Rebecca his wife, both of Canterbury, Co. New London, Conn., for £too, sold land — "bounded by a certain river called little river on west; upon land of sd. Adams and Johnson — upon south and east and north; it being part of a larger tract by them purchased of the Sachem of the Mohegans — whole tract containing by estimation 1000 acres; — to Stephen Cook Senr, Richard Woodward, Benoni Woodward, and Jonathan Hides all of New Town County Middlesex, Mass., husbandmen, and Stephen Frost of Charlestown, Mass." (Land Rec., Canterbury, Conn.).

From the close intimacy existing between Samuel Adams and Obadiah Johnson and their families, it had often been suggested that Rebecca Johnson might have been an Adams. That her maiden name was Brooks was found through the discover}' of her father's will in February 1914, and first made public by the writer in the columns of the Boston Evening Transcript, March 16, 1914. She was the daughter of Thomas Brooks of Canterbury, an early settler on the west side of the Quinebaug River, and a neighbor of Obadiah Johnson, their names frequently appearing together on the records of the time. He is mentioned in Larned's "History of Windham County," Vol. I., pp. 107, 108, etc. The will of Thomas Brooks, of Canterbury, Conn., is recorded in Book A., pp. 268, 269, of the New London Dist. Probate Records. It was dated 24 April 1704, and as the inventory was taken on the 28th of the same month, the testator died between those dates. The will was recorded the 24 Sept. 1704. It mentions three daughters Anne Pellett, Patience Brooks and Mary Northrup, and "my loving daughter Rebecca Johnson" and "my son-in-law Obadiah Johnson." Patience Brooks was the Executrix and the will was witnessed by James Fitch and William Grosvenor. As the wife is not mentioned, she probably died before the will was made. (See Appendix pp. 158-160 for will)..

Children

1. Mary, b. at Plainfield, 10 Oct. 1697; d. a widow after 1772; m. 19 Oct. 1717, to Moses Cleaveland. The latter was b. 24 Feb. 1689/90 at Woburn, Mass., whence he removed soon after the decease of his father, Aaron Cleaveland, to Canterbury, Conn. He and his wife, Mary (Johnson) united with the church at Canterbury, 14 Oct. 1722, and on the baptismal register he is called "son of Aron late of Oburn, deceased." Moses Cleaveland died at New Marlborough, Mass., abt. 1772.

1. Jacob, b. at Plainfield, 16 Mar. 1699; d. 29 Jan. 1738/9; m. (1) at Canterbury, 14 June 1722, Mary Shepard, who d. 5 Mar. 1731/2; m. (2) 8 May 1734, Jvdith Hayices, who, after Jacob's death, married Joseph Parkhurst, 12 Aug. 1741. Jacob and Mary (Shepard) united with the Canterbury church in 1724. In Vol. 1, p. 164 of Windham District Probate Record Books, now at Willimantic, Conn., "Mr. Obadiah Johnson and Mrs. Judith Johnson, widow & relick to Mr. Jacob Johnson of Plainfield deceased ye administrators on sd. deceased estate presented an account of their administration, before a court of Probate Held in Plainfield July ye 17th 1740." Of his estate, amounting to £2689-8-3, his widow Judith received one-third part, the remainder being divided among his six children, who are mentioned by name, and who also inherited from their grandfather Obadiah Johnson Sr.

1. Obadiah, b. 23 June. 1702.

1. Esther their Daughter was Born September : Ist : 1704.

1. John their Son was born October : 6th : 1707.

1. Abigail, b. 29 Sept 1710.

Sources

1. ↑ Genealogy of the Johnsons in Connecticut 1695-1789. (DbaMalj Hdptsnn &r., 1BB4-1r4D.

• The American Genealogist 28 (1952):149-153, George E. McCracken, Ph.D., F.A.S.G., New Light on Estras Reade, Tailor

See also:

• For further information regarding Obadiah Johnson see Part I, pp. 17-31.