John French (bef. 1622 - 1697)

Born before 26 May 1622 in Assington, Suffolk, England

Ancestors

Husband of Freedom (Kingsley) French — married before 1654 in Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay

Descendants

Died 1 Feb 1697 after age 74 in Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay

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Biography

John French immigrated to New England as a child during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640).

John French was baptized, according to parish registers, on May 26, 1622 at Assington, Suffolk, England, son of Thomas and Susan (Riddlesdale) French. ^[1]

John was a tailor of Ipswich Massachusetts, and married Freedom Kingsley about 1654. ^[2] Freedom, daughter of John Kingsley, ^[3] and his first wife Elizabeth was born in England about 1630.^[1]

They resided at Ipswich and later at Northampton. He also had land holdings in Deerfield. ^[3]

He was granted to be administrator of his mother widow Susan French's estate, in March, 1658/9. [Ipswich Quarterly Court Records: Vol. 1; page 71] [Essex Co. Probate Files: Docket 10,189] ^[4]

Freedom died on July 26, 1689 at Northampton. John died there on February 1, 1697. ^[5] The are thought to be buried in the Bridge Street Cemetery, at Northhampton. ^[6]

The inventory of John French's estate, as well as that of his daughter Mary (French) Stebbins, who died just days before her father, were both taken at Northampton on February 15, 1697. ^[7]

John died intestate and his sons John and Thomas posted bond for the estate division and an agreement was reached by the children on June 2, 1697, giving portions to: ^[7]

• eldest son John to have a double portion, which he relinquished to a single portion, having been in the service of his grandfather Kingsley at Rehoboth since about age 15, and not of service to his father's estate
• sons Thomas and Jonathan French
• Francis Keet and wife Hannah
• Samuel Pomroy and wife Elizabeth ^[7]

Children

1. John born in 1655; ( ?married first Mary Palmer at Rehoboth; married secondly Hannah ___.) His will was proved in April 1725. ^[3] John French married Hannah Palmer at Rehoboth on November 27, 1675. He died March 13, 1724/5 and is buried at Attleboro. ^[8]
2. Thomas born at Ipswich on May 23, 1657 ^[9]; died April 3, 1733, at Deerfield; married Mary Catlin on October 18, 1683. She was captured and killed on March 4, 1704 on the march to Canada. He married second Hannah (Atkisson), widow of Joseph Edwards and Benoni Stebbins, as her third husband. ^{[10] [3]}
3. Mary born at Ipswich on February 27, 1659 ^[9]; married and later divorced, Samuel Stebbins ^[3]; died at Northampton on February 1, 1697. ^[5]
4. Samuel born February 26, 1661 at Ipswich; died September 3, 1683 at Northampton. ^{[3] [9] [5]}
5. Hannah born March 8, 1664 ^[9]; married Francis Keet ^[3]; died at Northampton on July 25, 1711. ^[5]
6. Jonathan born July 30, 1667 ^[9]; died February 17, 1714 ^[5]; married Sarah Warner, born at Hadley on May 28, 1668, daughter of Isaac and Sarah (Boltwood, Warner; administration of his estate in 1714, to his widow Sarah. ^{[3] [11]}
7. Elizabeth born October 9, 1673 ^[9]; died at Northampton on June 22, 1702 ^[5]; married about 1690, Samuel Pomeroy, as his first wife. He remarried in 1703.^[3] He was born May 29, 1699 at Northampton. ^[12]

Research notes

Ipswich Births

French, –––, ch. John, Feb. 27, 1658. CTR (p. 151)

French, Mary, d. John, Feb. 27, 1659. CTR (p. 151)

French, Thomas, s. John, May 25, 1657. CTR (p. 151)

French, Samuell, s. John, Feb. 26, 1661. CTR (p. 151)

French, ––, d. John, Apr. 1, 1664. CTR (p. 151)

French, Hanah, d. John, Mar. 8, 1664. CTR (p. 151)

French, Jonathan, s. John, July 30, 1667. CTR (p. 151)

French, Elizabeth, d. John, Oct. 9, 1673. CTR (p. 151)

Ipswich Deaths

French, –––––, ch. John, Feb. 27, 1658. CTR (p. 561)

French, –––––, d. John, Apr. 1, 1664. CTR (p. 561) ^[9]

Northampton Deaths

French, Freedom 7/26/1689

French, John 2/1/1697

French, Jonathan 2/17/1714

French, Samuel 9/8/1683

Pomeroy, Elizabeth 6/22/1702

Stebbins, Mary 1/26/1697

Keet, Hannah w. of Francis 7/25/1711^{[5] [13]}

Deerfield Marriages

FRENCH, Thomas, Dea., and Hannah Stebens, Feb. 16, 1709. (p. 187)

Deerfield Deaths

FRENCH, Mary [(Catlin)], w. Thomas, Mar. 9, 1703-4. "Slain by ye enemie." (p. 284)

FRENCH, Thomas, Dea., Apr. 5, 1733. [a. 76 y. CR1] Head of family. (p. 284) ^[10]

Rehoboth Marriages

French, John and Hannah Palmer, Nov. 27, 1676. Vol. 1: 16 (p. 141)

Rehoboth Deaths

French, John, of John, buried at Attleboro, death March 13, 1724/5. Vol 2:236 (p. 824) ^[8]

New England Marriages

FRENCH, John (1622-1697) (son of Thomas) & Freedom KINGSLEY (?1630-1689) b. 1655, ca 1654; Ipswich/Rehoboth/Norton/Attleboro (p. 284) ^[2]

BURIAL:

Believed buried Bridge Street Cem., Northhampton, Hampshire, Mass., with wife Freedom Kingsley (many markers illegible or missing). ^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Linzee, John William. The History of Peter Parker and Sarah Ruggles of Roxbury, Mass. (J.J. Little & Co., Astor Place, New York, 1889)
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Torrey, Clarence Almon. Torrey’s New England Marriages Prior to 1700 (Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Baltimore, 1985)
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8} The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 45, NEHGS, Boston, Massachusetts, 1891; Heritage Books, Apr 1, 1997
4. ↑ The Probate Records of Essex County, Massachusetts: 1635-1664, Essex Institute, Salem, Massachusetts, 1916
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6} Northampton, MA - Deaths in Vital Records to 1840
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Find A Grave: Memorial #13727933
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2} Case 58-26:p. 1-11: Hampshire County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1660-1889. Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2016, 2017. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives and the Hampshire County Court. Digitized mages provided by FamilySearch.org)
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Arnold, James Newell. Vital Record of Rehoboth, 1642-1896 (Narragansett Hist. Pub. Co., 1897)
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6} Vital Records of Ipswich, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849 (The Essex Institute, Salem, Mass., 1910-1919)
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Vital Records of Deerfield Massachusetts to the Year 1850, compiled by Thomas Baldwin, NEHGS, Boston, Massachusetts, 1920
11. ↑ Warner, Lucien C. & Nichols, Josephine G., The Descendants of Andrew Warner (Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor Co., New Haven, 1919)
12. ↑ The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 57, The Society, Boston, Massachusetts,1903
13. ↑ http://files.usgwarchives.net/ma/hampshire/towns/northampton/vitals/death001.txt

See Also:

• Jordan, John W. Genealogical and Personal History of Western Pennsylvania (Lewis Historical Pub. Co., New York, 1915) Vol. 3. pg. 1265-1267.
• Byrne, Melinde Lutz & Hardy, John Edward. Three French Daughters and Their Husbands, The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (NEHGS, Boston, Mass., 2021) Vol. 175, Page 106 [1], Page 119 [2].