John Gunn (1647 - 1726)

Born 8 Jul 1647 in Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut

Husband of Mary (Williams) Gunn — married 22 Jan 1678 (to 20 Nov 1711) in Westfield, Hampden, Massachusetts Bay, British Colonial America

Descendants

Died 17 Sep 1726 at age 79 in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Biography

Quartermaster: Farmer and Provisioner for the militia

Two major conflicts during his lifetime: King Philip's War (1675-1676) and Queen Ann's War (1703-1713).

John Gunn (later "Quartermaster" John Gunn) held property, both meadow and upland, in Windsor, Connecticut, at a place called Mr. Hill's Neck near Paquannock, which he purchased from Samuel Phelps. John later "assigned" this land to George Phelps on 7 April 1713. (Stiles, Vol. I pages 594 and 595) John apparently moved to Westfield with his parents about 1665 when his father bought land there. His father's will, dated November 5, 1679, bequeathed all his houses and lands in Westfield to his son. At that time Thomas's estate was valued at £349, a respectable amount, of which £254 was land and improvements. In April of 1687 George Phelps deeded a considerable portion of his Westfield land to John Gunn.^[1]

ESTATE: "Whereas John Gun of Westfield had by purchase of Samuell Phelps of said Westfield a certain parcel of Land in Windsor at a place commonly called Mr. Hills neck near paquannock both of meadow and upland according as it is abbutted and bounded by said Sam Phelps to said John Gun as appears of Record in fol. 151 of this booke and John Gun hath under his hand and seal, and acknowledged it before John Pynchon one of the Councell, assigned, made over and Confirmed unto George Phelps all his Right title and interest to said parcell of Land and to his heirs and assigns for ever." ... "allsoe it appears by the testimony of Capt. Timothy Thrall and Sergt. John Thrall, That said John Phelps has stood in actual possession of said Land in his own right and not as a tennant as ever they know of for the full space of twenty years past, and the sd John Phelps having noo Record of said Land moved us the subscribers to grant unto him ... a Record of said Land ... There upon is Granted ... to the said John Phelps senr. of Windsor and ... that parcell of Land John Gun bought of Samuell Phelps and said Gunn assigned to George Phelps ... this seventh of Aprill 1713. ... This land John Gun assigned to George Phelps, 11 Aprill, 1687."^[2]

Note (apparently some confusion here): In April of 1687 George Phelps deeded a considerable portion of his Westfield land to John Gunn. It may be that he intended to return to Windsor; however, this he did not do as he died the following month.^[3]

Christening

Date: 11 JUL 1647

Place: Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut^[4]

Marriage

Date: 22 Jan 1678

Place: Westfield, Hampden, Massachusetts^[5]

Married Mary Williams (b. 5 Jan 1653, d. 20 Nov 1711), daughter of John Williams and Mary Bulkeley (surname in doubt), on 22 Jan 1679^[6][7]

Death

"John Gunn was sick and died September 17, 1726"^[8]

"Quartermaster John Gunn of Westfield, d 17 Sept 1726 about 82 yrs. Longmeadow Cem" ^[9][10]

Buried in Longmeadow Cemetery, Longmeadow, Hampden County, Massachusetts, USA

Plot: Olde Burying Yard #452^[11]

Bibliographic Notes

A Record of Marriages, Births and Deaths in Westfield, Mass., Prior to the Year 1700 Communicated by the Rev. Emerson Davis of that town. Corresponding Member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. {From the New England Historical & Genealogical Register, Volume VI, July 1852, pages 267 [This gives marriage dates, children, and date of Mary's death] https://books.google.com/books?id=aXIzH8xj9hcC&q=265#v=onepage&q=Gunn&f=false

Bowles, William Gelston. The Westfield Jubilee: A Report of the Celebration at Westfield on the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Town, October 6, 1869 (Springfield: Mass., Samuel Bowles & Company, 1870. Bullard, Edgar J. Bullard and Allied Families (Detroit, Michigan; by Author, 1930), pp. 83 and 127.

Connecticut Vital Records to 1870 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011.) From original typescripts, Lucius Barnes Barbour Collection, 1928, p. 136

Dougherty, Harold T., translator. Westfield Marriage Records, Marriage Records as Obtained From the Files at City Hall, Westfield. Note: Westfield [MA] Marriage Records (Online database: NewEnglandAncestors.org (NA) , New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2003), (Abstraction of original records, donated to NEHGS by Harold T. Dougherty. "Westfield Marriage Records as Obtained From the Files at City Hall, Westfield," donated 1937), Page: John Gunn & Mary Williams

Ferris, Mary Walton, Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines :A memorial volume containing the American Ancestry of Rufus R. Dawes (Milwaukee: Wisconsin Cuneo Press, 1931-1943), Vol II, p. 410, citing the New England Register, VI, 267-70. http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=11708

Holbrook, Jay Mack. Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850. Repository: The Newberry Library. Call Number: microfiches. Page: Westfield 1669-1854, TNL microfiche 353, Marriage Index -- Males, John Gunn & Mary Williams 1678 -- also in original handwritten records, page A2 0

Lockwood, Rev. John H., Westfield and Its Historic Influence 1669-1919: The Life of an Early Town: with a survey of events in New England and bordering regions to which it was related in colonial and Revolutionary times (Printed and sold by the author, 1922), p. 91. Questionable quality of research. (In a paragraph describing Thomas Gunn who died 1680] "His son, Capt. John, was born in Windsor, July 8, 1647. He married in Westfield, January 22, 1678, Mary Williams, daughter of John and Mary Buckley Williams who also came from Windsor.") http://books.google.com/books?id=pPgLAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

Preston, Belle. Bassett-Preston Ancestors (New Haven, Conn.: Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor Co.,1930), p. 121

Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692 on the Basis of Farmer's Register, 4 Vols.(Boston: Little, Brown, and Co, 1860-1862; Genealogical Publishing Company, 1965, 2001), Vol. II, p 323. "John, Westfield, s. of Thomas, m. 22 Jan. 1679, Mary Williams, had Thomas, b. 14 Dec. foll.[1680]; John, 5 May 1682; Mary, 9 Jan. 1685; Daniel, 21 Mar. 1687; Mercy, 14 Mar. 1691; and Aaron, 29 Aug. 1694. His w. d. 26 Nov. 1711."

Stiles, Henry R., The History and Genealogies of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut including East Windsor, South Windsor, Bloomfield, Windsor Locks and Ellington 1635-1901, 4 Vols (New York: Charles B. Norton, 1859; Hartford, Conn.; Press of the Case, Lockwood, and Brainard Company, 1892; Genealogical Publishing Co., 1965, 2001), Vol. I, pp. 594-595; Vol. II, p. 323 and 651

Torrey, Clarence Almon, New England Marriages Prior to 1700 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1985; 1990), p. 330 http://books.google.com/books/about/New_England_marriages_prior_to_1700.html?id=mOgK8dM9qqUC

Vital Records of Hartford, Windsor and Fairfield, Connecticut, 1631 to 1691. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009.) Originally published as: Births, marriages, and deaths returned from Hartford, Windsor, and Fairfield, and entered in the early land records of the colony of Connecticut : volumes I and II of land records and no. D of colonial deeds, transcribed and edited by Edwin Stanley Welles. Hartford, Conn.: Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co, 1898, p. 34 "GUNN, John Gunn sonn of Thomas Gunn was baptised July the 11th 1647"

Vital Records of Springfield, Massachusetts to 1850. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2002. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.), p. 2293

Warren, Thomas B. Springfield Families, 1636-1844: A Complete Transcript of the Births, Marriages and Deaths, Showing the Genealogy of All Springfield Families Between the Above Dates : and Including the Present Cities and Towns of Agawam, Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Hampden, Holyoke, Longmeadow, Ludlow. (Springfield, MA: T.B. Warren, 1898; 1934-1935), Vol. II F-O, as copied by The Mercy Warren Chapter, Springfield, MA 1934-35.

For more information on John Gunn, his family and parents, go to "The 2nd Generation" in the Thomas Gunn Family web site: https://www.thomasgunnfamily.com/

Sources

1. ↑ The Bankert Family website - http://www.bankert.org/genreport/p33.htm
2. ↑ Stiles, Vol. I pages 594 and 595
3. ↑ The Bankert Family website - http://www.bankert.org/genreport/p33.htm
4. ↑ Connecticut Vital Records to 1870 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011.) From original typescripts, Lucius Barnes Barbour Collection, 1928, Vol. Windsor, p. 136.
5. ↑ Westfield, MA: Marriage Records. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2003), (Abstraction of original records, donated to NEHGS by Harold T. Dougherty. "Westfield Marriage Records as Obtained From the Files at City Hall, Westfield," donated 1937), p. 1023. "John of W. and Mary Williams of W; m. Jan. 22, 1676"
6. ↑ Bullard; also "Westfield Town Records", in Family History, Vol 5, p 36] NEHGR gives 22 Jan 1678, as does Holbrook
7. ↑ "Massachusetts Marriages, 1695-1910", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FCDN-KMT : 24 January 2020), John Gun, 1678.
8. ↑ Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850. Book 1, Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1638-1728, page 131
9. ↑ Warren, Thomas B. Springfield Families, 1636-1844: A Complete Transcript of the Births, Marriages and Deaths, Showing the Genealogy of All Springfield Families Between the Above Dates : and Including the Present Cities and Towns of Agawam, Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Hampden, Holyoke, Longmeadow, Ludlow. (T.B. Warren, 1898; 1934-1935), Vol. II F-O, as copied by Mercy Warren Chapter, Springfield, MA 1934-35
10. ↑ Vital Records of Springfield, Massachusetts to 1850. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2002. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.), Vol, 3, p. 2293: "Here lyeth the Body of John Gunn of Westfield Quarter Master Who Died Septr 17 1726 Aged about 82 Years [Longmeadow Cemetery ]"
11. ↑ Tombstone shown: Find A Grave Memorial# 14639413

See also:

• Space:The Association for Gravestone Studies|The Association for Gravestone Studies (1985) "Markers III" https://archive.org/stream/markersiii00davi#page/7/mode/1up Page 7 : gravestone photo.
• The Great Migration Online Newsletter Biographical Sketches
• New England Marriages Prior to 1700, Clarence Almon Torrey