John Greene (abt. 1606 - abt. 1695)

Born about 1606 in Enfield, Middlesex, England [uncertain]

Descendants

Died about 1695 at about age 89 in Kingstown, Washington, Rhode Island [uncertain]

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John Greene migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Name: John Greene (of Narragansett)

AKA: John Green, John of Kings Town,^[1] John of North Kingston,^[2] and John of Quidnessett.^[3] [It should be noted that the original settlements of Kings Town/Kingston, North Kingston, and Aquidnessett/Quidnessett were located within the district that became Narragansett.]^[4]

John of Narragansett's beginnings in the new world may safely be said to have originated in England.^[5] [see Research Notes; General Note 1.] From 1632 (the earliest record) to May of 1635 there were no less than six John Greenes who arrived from England; most tracing their paths through Barbadoes & St Christophers of the Caribbean. [see Research Notes; General Notes 1.2.1-5] His birth date, estimated from his probable age at arrival, at the earliest, would be c1606.^[6] By 1639 he was found with Richard Smith in Narragansett: “When, not far from 1639, the elder Richard Smith erected his trading-post near the present village of Wickford, there was living with him one John Greene, of whose previous history nothing is certainly known.” Further on in the same source it is stated, regarding speculation that John’s surname was changed from Clarke to Greene, that it is of “tradition and conjecture rather than of fact.”^[7] From Austin's genealogical dictionary we find “Kings Town, R.I.; 1639 +/-; He came early to Narragansett, living in the family of Richard Smith, as his testimony shows."

The Land Dispute

Austin's next entry: “1663... He with others of Wickford, declared themselves in favor of being under jurisdiction of Connecticut, rather than Rhode Island.” [This was because Rhode Island, at that time, insisted that his purchase of land in Quidnesset Neck from the Indians was contrary to the orders of the Rhode Island general court.]^[8]

As a result of John signing the declaration of being under the rule of Connecticut he was called before the Court in Newport. [Newport, 1664, May 5] "Ordered, that a warrant goe [sic] from the Court to require John Greene Sen'r living at Narragansett, to come before this Court." [footnote: R. I. Col. Rec., Vol. II.] the recorder of this record goes on to suppose that if he were called John senior that there must have been with him there at that time a John Green[e] Jr.^[9] The Narragansett historical register then offers up the details of John Greene’s actions after he was taken by warrant to the court in Newport: “Newport, May 1664. Ordered. That John Greene Sen’r, living at Narragansett or Aquidnesitt, having been called before the Court for his adhering to the government of Connecticut, and having been examined concerning the premises, hee so answered as did the Court just offence: and upon the thence thereof, the sayd John Greene doth present his petition, praying the Court to pardon his sayd offence in his adhering to the government of Connecticut, and his answering to the same before the Court as hee did: upon the real consideration of the aforesayd petition the Court doe pass by his offence; and doe promise to the aforesaid John Greene all lawful protexion and doe declare that he is still looked on as a freeman of the Collony.”* [*R.I. Col. Rec., Vol.2.]^[10] From “The Early History of Narragansett” we find the date for the pardon of John: “May,1664” - “John Greene, Sen. of Aquidneesut,[sic] pardoned for his adherence to Connecticut.”^[11]

On January 1, 1672 John, with five others, bought of Awashuwett, Chief Sachem of Quoheset in Narragansett, certain land there. And in 1678-79 he served as conservator of the peace.”^[12]

Family

As for his marriage, John's wife Joan's maiden name, even after considerable research, remains elusive. [see Research Notes; General Note 2.]

The children of John Greene (of Narragansett) are as listed in "The genealogical dictionary of Rhode Island,"^[13] and the "Descendants of Joseph Greene, of Westerly, R.I.".^[14] In the "Greenes of Quidnesset" found in The Narragansett Historical Register, the author lists these same five children with the caveats of "(probably)" for Edward and Benjamin along with citing his dissatisfaction with not having a more rigorous collection of supporting documentation.^[15] Cutter's volume, listed in the "See Also" section of sources, echoes this list. All these sources cite John's wife simply as Joan. For sources citing additional children or contradictions to these listed: [see Research Notes; General Note 3.]. Unless otherwise noted, birth and death dates are a composite of these cited records.

1. John Greene Jr. c1651-1729 (Austin) c1651-1721 (Huling)
2. Daniel Greene ______d.1730
3. James Greene c1655-1728
4. Edward Greene _____-_____
5. Benjamin Greene c1665-1719

John Greene (of Narragansett) passed away about 1695. [The Austin and Huling accounts (previously cited) favor 1695-1696, William Richard Cutter in his work agrees.] There is a U.S., Find a Grave® memorial #02367501 for John Greene, but its dates and citations are from the discredited Lora S La Mance work.

Research Notes

Disambiguation

Two other John Greenes arrived in Rhode Island around the same time. This John Greene is not to be confused with John Green, surgeon of Warwick, who arrived in Rhode Island at about the same time and whose wife was also Joan, but Tattersall. The other John Greene, called "John of Newport" by Austen, had as his wife Mary Jeffeary.

Fabricated pedigree

1. There are two published sources from the early 1900s identified below claiming a direct pedigree from John Greene through Robert Greene to royalty in England, the supposed source documents for this pedigree (wills, deeds, etc.) have never been located and these sources have been discounted by genealogists. Genealogists generally consider these lines to be fabricated. La Mance does not publish any of the documentation she claims to have received while building this pedigree and Rixford uses La Mance’s book as her source. There are other less cited works that, while not referenced here, contain or repeat fabrications and other unsourced errors.
2. These often quoted sources, which have been invalidated by genealogists, SHOULD NOT BE USED to source this pedigree:
   1. La Mance, Lora S. The Green Family and all its Branches from A.D. 861 to A.D. 1904. Floral Park, NY: Mayflower Pub. Co., 1904. https://archive.org/stream/greenefamilyitsb01lama#page/33/mode/1up
   2. Rixford, Elizabeth M. Leach. Families Directly Descended from all the Royal Families in Europe (495 to 1932) and Mayflower Descendants. Genealogical Publishing Co., 1932; Page 74 https://books.google.com/books?id=8giaoVUufYkC&pg=PA74

General Notes

1. The first and most compelling reason for England as the country of his birth is that he, along with Richard Smith, and other associates, were abiding in that place that was early known as "Kings Town". And it was the king of England that was appealed to by he and 41 others to put and end to the difficulties of land disputes between Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. His disposition to support the land claims of Richard Smith in 1679 cited that the "Englishmen" of Warwick didn't appear for "several years" later.
   1. The earliest records of a John Green[e] arriving in the "New World" is from "The original lists of persons of quality;..."^[16]
   2. Those under consideration: [All spellings are (sic) unless bracketed or otherwise noted].
      1. Page 70; [27 April 1635] “PASSINGER [Which] PASSED FROM YE PORT OF LONDON.” - “John Greene” (age 25) “to be transported to the Barbadoes & St Christophers, imbarqued in the Ann & Elizabeth…”
         1. Renders a birth year of c1610.
      2. Page 74; [2 May 1635] “PASSINGER [Which] PASSED FROM YE PORT OF LONDON.” - “John Greene” (age 22) “to be transported to ye Barbadoes imbarqued in the Alexander…”
         1. Renders a birth year of c1613.
      3. Page 81; [21 May 1635] “PASSINGER [Which] PASSED FROM YE PORT OF LONDON.” - “Jo: Greene” (age 29) “to St Christophers, imbarqued in the Matthew of London…”
         1. Renders a birth year of c1606.
      4. Page 293 John Greene (age 27) from Ipswich in the Frances – last of Aprill 1634
         1. Renders a birth year of c1607.
      5. (Page) 150 “A BOOKE OF ENTRIE” 1632; (14th?) Aprilis 1632; The names of such Men women and children which are to passe to New-England to be resident there vppon a Plantacon have tendred & taken the oath of allegeance according to ye Statute. [Two John Greenes with no ages listed.]
         1. As John Green appeared with Richard Smith as an adult in 1639 (without a mention of family) he would not likely have been a child in this 1632 listing. An adult of, say, age 20 in 1632 would give him a birth year of 1612.
   3. Another learned author, Samuel Gardner Drake confirms Hotten's work in his “Result of some researches among the British archives for information relative to the founders of New England: made in the years 1858, 1859 and 1860…”^[17]
   4. A reprinting of these records was undertaken by Peter Wilson Coldham in 1988. ^[18]
   5. There were a few John Greenes listed as having been in Virginia, living and/or dead which we can disregard for our John Greene (of Narragansett).
2. The wife of John Greene (of Narragansett)
   1. As her given name was Joan we are certain of as it is seen from the works of William Richard Cutter, A. M., John Osborne Austin, and others.
   2. There was a "Greene" who took to himself a "Joan Beggarly" as recorded in a volume that is largely devoted to "Surgeon" John Greene of Warwick that cites "...one Greene (who hath married the wife of one Beggerly, whose husband is living, and no divorce, etc., but only it was said, that he had lived in adultery, and had confessed it)..."^[19] That said, citations that tie her to John Greene (of Narragansett) are found only in those works that are identified as Fabricated Pedigrees or others, such as the one that Mary Elisabeth Neal Hanaford has written, which borrows freely from them and have no certain documentation.^[20]
   3. Unless further records can be produced the wife of John Greene (of Narragansett) should remain Joan (Unknown) Greene.
3. The Children of John Greene (of Narragansett): The five children listed above are well documented from multiple sources. Notable exceptions exist that would require additional sourcing to be taken seriously.
   1. For the John Greene found In "The history of the state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" by Bicknell, Thomas Williams, 1834-1925. cn. Published in 1920, New York, The American Historical Society; the author cites but four children, sons, he does not name them.^[21]
   2. Mary Elisabeth Neal Hanaford's discredited work cites nine children (but lists only eight). Aside from borrowing freely from the La Mance and Rixford, records known to be "Fabricated Pedigrees", the work is speculative, imprecise, and lacking of corroborating sources^[22]
      1. Citations for children of John Greene (of Narragansett); Enfield Greene, Mary Green[e], and the "Unnamed Greene" are listed in these discredited sources. Henry Greene and Robert Greene are listed in La Mance and Neal along with the "Settlers of the Beekman Patent", a source requiring a paid membership to review. Access to the Beekman Patent or other verifiable documentation is needed to prove relationship of these children to John Greene (of Narragansett).
      2. A Welthian Greene who was attached to an earlier iteration of this profile was discredited and was previously removed.
4. Two images from an earlier iteration of this profile have been removed.
   1. The first is from Lora S. La Mance's The Green Family and all its Branches from A.D. 861 to A.D. 1904. which has been identified in the body of the profile as a "Fabricated pedigree" with the addition of "SHOULD NOT BE USED to source this pedigree."
   2. The second image from "The Greene Family of St. Albans, Vermont..." contains at least some of the discredited linage as the first and is not assessable for public review. "Not Available for Review"^[23]

Sources

1. ↑ The genealogical dictionary of Rhode Island: comprising three generations of settlers who came before 1690: with many families carried to the fourth generation by Austin, John Osborne, 1849-1918; Publication date 1887; Publisher Albany: J. Munsell's sons https://archive.org/details/genealogicaldict00aust/page/86/mode/1up
2. ↑ New England Families Genealogical and Memorial (3rd Series Vol.4) by William Richard Cutter, A. M., New York; Lewis Historical Publishing Company; 1915 (page 2318) https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/NegUAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Greene
3. ↑ The Narragansett historical register by Rhode Island Citizens Historical Association Publication date: 1883, Publisher Hamilton, R.I.: Narragansett Historical Publishing Co. https://archive.org/details/narragansetthistv1v2rhod/page/137/mode/1up?q=Greene
4. ↑ https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/John_Greene_of_Quidnesset_Narragansett_c1606-1695
5. ↑ The Narragansett historical register by Rhode Island Citizens Historical Association; Publication date: 1891 https://archive.org/details/narragansetthist00rhod/page/41/mode/1up?q=Greene
6. ↑ The original lists of persons of quality; emigrants; religious exiles; political rebels; serving men sold for a term of years; apprentices; children stolen; maidens pressed; and others who went from Great Britain to the American Plantations, 1600-1700 : with their ages and the names of the ships in which they embarked, and other interesting particulars; from mss. preserved in the State Paper Department of Her Majesty's Public Record Office, England by Hotten, John Camden, 1832-1873 Publication date 1874 https://archive.org/details/originallistsofp00hottuoft/page/70/mode/1up
7. ↑ The Narragansett historical register: by Rhode Island Citizens Historical Association; Publication date 1883; Vol. 1&2 Pages 137-144; The Greene's of Quidnesset; Contributed by Ray Greene Huling, Fitchburg, Mass. https://archive.org/details/narragansetthistv1v2rhod/page/137/mode/1up?q=Greene
8. ↑ The genealogical dictionary of Rhode Island: comprising three generations of settlers who came before 1690: with many families carried to the fourth generation by Austin, John Osborne, 1849-1918; Publication date 1887; Publisher Albany: J. Munsell's sons https://archive.org/details/genealogicaldict00aust/page/86/mode/1up
9. ↑ Ray Greene Huling in The Narragansett historical register by Rhode Island Citizens Historical Association; Publication date 1883; Volume 1; Page 139 https://archive.org/details/narragansetthistv1v2rhod/page/139/mode/1up?q=Greene
10. ↑ The Narragansett historical register by Rhode Island Citizens Historical Association; Publication date 1883; Vol. 1&2 Pages 139 & 140 .
11. ↑ The early history of Narragansett; by Potter, Elisha R. (Elisha Reynolds), 1811-1882; Publication date 1835; Publisher: Providence, Marshall, Brown and Company https://archive.org/details/earlyhistoryofna00pott_0/page/n85/mode/1up?q=Greene
12. ↑ The history of the state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations by Bicknell, Thomas Williams, 1834-1925. Cn; Publication date: 1920 https://archive.org/details/historyofstateof04inbick/page/n346/mode/1up
13. ↑ The genealogical dictionary of Rhode Island: comprising three generations of settlers who came before 1690: with many families carried to the fourth generation by Austin, John Osborne, 1849-1918; Publication date 1887; Publisher Albany: J. Munsell's sons https://archive.org/details/genealogicaldict00aust/page/86/mode/1up
14. ↑ Descendants of Joseph Greene, of Westerly, R.I.: Also, other branches of the Greenes of Quidnesset, or Kingston, R.I., and other lines of Greenes in America by Greene, Frank Llewellyn, 1851- ____; Publication date: 1894; Publisher: Albany, N.Y.: Munsell's Sons https://archive.org/details/descendantsofjos00gree
15. ↑ The Narragansett historical register by Rhode Island Citizens Historical Association; Publication date 1883; Publisher: Hamilton, R.I.: Narragansett Historical Publishing Co. https://archive.org/details/narragansetthistv1v2rhod/page/142/mode/1up
16. ↑ "The original lists of persons of quality; emigrants; religious exiles; political rebels; serving men sold for a term of years; apprentices; children stolen; maidens pressed; and others who went from Great Britain to the American Plantations, 1600-1700 : with their ages and the names of the ships in which they embarked, and other interesting particulars; from mss. preserved in the State Paper Department of Her Majesty's Public Record Office, England" by Hotten, John Camden, 1832-1873; Publication date: 1874 https://archive.org/details/originallistsofp00hottuoft/page/70/mode/1up?q=Greene
17. ↑ Result of some researches among the British archives for information relative to the founders of New England : made in the years 1858, 1859 and 1860; originally collected for and published in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, and now corrected and enlarged by Drake, Samuel Gardner, 1798-1875; Publication date: 1860 https://archive.org/details/resultofsomerese00drak/page/12/mode/1up?q=Greene
18. ↑ Genealogical Publishing Co. 1988: Source Publication Code: 1219.4; Source Bibliography: COLDHAM, PETER WILSON] https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/3828267:7486?ssrc=pt&tid=192988388&pid=122510249048
19. ↑ Records of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, in New England by Rhode Island; Bartlett, John Russell, 1805-1886; Publication date: 1856; Publisher Providence: A. C. Greene and Brothers, state printers [etc.]; Volume: 1 https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo01rhod/page/16/mode/1up?q=Greene
20. ↑ Family records of branches of the Hanaford, Thompson, Huckins, Prescott, Smith, Neal, Haley, Lock, Swift, Plumer, Leavitt, Wilson, Green and allied families by Hanaford, Mary Elisabeth Neal, 1853-; Publication date: 1915; Rockford Illinois https://archive.org/details/familyrecordsofb00hana/page/264/mode/1up
21. ↑ The history of the state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations by Bicknell, Thomas Williams, 1834-1925. cn; Page 181 https://archive.org/details/historyofstateof04inbick/page/n346/mode/1up
22. ↑ Family records of branches of the Hanaford, Thompson, Huckins, Prescott, Smith, Neal, Haley, Lock, Swift, Plumer, Leavitt, Wilson, Green and allied families by Hanaford, Mary Elisabeth Neal, 1853-; Publication date: 1915; Rockford Illinois https://archive.org/details/familyrecordsofb00hana/page/264/mode/1up
23. ↑ The Greene Family of St. Albans, Vermont Together with the Origin and the History of the Greene Family in England and Rhode Island By Walter Anson Greene, Ella Louise Geib Greene · 1964 https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/f4ZPAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwis5dawlqeEAxW6QjABHR3wDooQ8fIDegQIDRAE

See Also:

• Jabez Greene and His Descendants by Myron W. Greene in "The Narragansett historical register" by Rhode Island Citizens Historical Association Publication date: 1891 https://archive.org/details/narragansetthist00rhod/page/41/mode/1up?q=Greene
• New England Families Genealogical and Memorial (3rd Series Vol.4) by William Richard Cutter, A. M., New York; Lewis Historical Publishing Company; 1915 (pages 2318-2319) https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/NegUAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Greene
• Doherty, Frank J., The Settlers of the Beekman Patent (1990) Vol. 5 Page 752 https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/dutchess-county-ny-the-settlers-of-the-beekman-patent/image?pageName=752&volumeId=12175 [Note: a paid account is required for viewing.]
• Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s Gale Research. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc.
• American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) Godfrey Memorial Library, comp. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc.
• The Greene Family Being A Record of the Ancestry and Descendants of Maxson Alvaro Greene, Submitted by PHGS Members: Dick & Charlotte Baker [Note: this extensive dialogue on the Greenes contains much spurious and unsourced information]
• Wright William E. Ancestors and Descendants of William Browning Greene and Mary Hoxsie Lewis with Allied Families. Gateway Press 1993. [Not online]