John French
Privacy Level: Open (White)

John French (abt. 1635 - 1712)

John French
Born about in Halstead, Essex, Englandmap [uncertain]
Ancestors ancestors
Husband of — married 21 Jun 1659 in Barnstable, Plymouthmap
Husband of — married 3 Jul 1663 in Billerica, Massachusettsmap
Husband of — married 14 Jan 1668 [location unknown]
Husband of — married 16 Jan 1678 (to Oct 1712) in Billerica, Massachusettsmap
Descendants descendants
Died at about age 77 in Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts Baymap
Problems/Questions Profile manager: David Knapp private message [send private message]
Profile last modified | Created 27 Mar 2011
This page has been accessed 2,725 times.

Contents

Biography

John French immigrated to New England as a child during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640).
* 1635: Emigrated to America on the ship "Defence", with parents, at age 5 months [Ref: Savage FRENCH William].
* William French emigrated from Halstead, Essex, England, on the ship "Francis", to Cambridge [Ref: Banks Topo p47].
* Baptised in Cambridge, after arrival in New England, by Hooker, a fellow passenger on the "Defence" [Ref: Savage FRENCH William].
* Moved to Dunstable after his marriage to Hannah Burrage. [Ref: Savage FRENCH John].
*1675: wounded by the Indians in the assault at Quaboag. Petitioned for relief, "a poor, wounded man" harassed by the constable soon after [Ref: Hazen Billerica p56, FrenchJM FRENCH p368]
* John French was often in the town's service. He was the father of nine children; the oldest, Hannah, born in Billerica, Jan. 20, 1644*, married Aug. 3, 1685, to John Kittredge, and had five children, being the progenitor of a long line of medical men through her sons John and Jacob. Simeon, the grandson of John, was the father of eight sons, all physicians.[1]
* Descendants of George Abbott, of Rowley, Mass. : of his joint descendants with George Abbott, sr., of Andover, Mass., of the descendants of Daniel Abbott, of Providence, R.I., of some of the descendants of Capt. Thomas Abbott, of Andover, Mass., of George Abbott, of Norwalk Ct., of Robert Abbott, of Branford Ct., with brief notes of many others of the name, original settlers in the United States Author: Lemuel Abijah Abbott Publication: Ancestry.com. Descendants of George Abbott, of Rowley, Mass. : of his joint descendants with George Abbott, sr., of Andover, Mass., of the de [database on-line]. Provo, UT: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005. Original data: Abbott, Lemuel Abijah,. Descendants of George Abbott, of Rowley, Mass. : of his joint descendants with George Abbott, sr., of Andover, Mass., of the descendants of Daniel Abbott, of Providence, R.I., of some of the descendants of Capt. Thomas Abbott, of Andover, Mass., of George Abbott, of Norwalk Ct., of Robert Abbott, of Branford Ct., with brief notes of many others of the name, original settlers in the United States.
"History of Billerica, 1653-1883", Rev. Henry A Hazen, A.M. A., Williams and Co., 1883.
Rev. Hazen's info on Cpl. John French is a compilation between the info found in "A Brief History of the French Family, by Mary Queal Beyer, printed in the Annals of Iowa, State Historical Society of Iowa, Vol.9, 1910, p. 495, and The Genealogical Register, page 56, attached to the History of Billerica.
Cpl. John French was wounded in a skirmish with the Indians in the assault at Quaboag in 1675, and was unable to steadily work. He was often in the employ of the town.

Birth and Family

John French was born in Feb 1635, in Halstead, Essex, England. He was the son of William French and Elizabeth (Unknown) French.

[2]

Marriage

John French was married four times.
MARRIAGE #1
John's first marriage was to Abigail Coggin, daughter of
Henry Coggin, of Barnstable. The two were wed on 21 Jun 1650, before Mr. Thomas Hynkley of Barnstable, Massachusetts Bay Colony. Abigail passed away on 05 Apr 1662. No issue.
MARRIAGE #2
John French's second marriage was to Hannah Burrage, daughter of John Burrage of Charlestown. The two were wed on
03 Jul 1662/63, by the hon. Richard Riggel.
Hannah, the wife of John French, passed away on 07 Jul 1667.
MARRIAGE #3
John French's third marriage was to Mary Rogers, daughter of John Rogers. The two were married by Leut. William French, on 14 Jan 1667/8.
Children born to John and Mary (Rogers) French:
3. Mary French Shed was born on 04 Mar 1669/70.
Mary passed away on 16 Jun 1677.
MARRIAGE #4
John French's fourth marriage was to widow Mary (Kittredge). The two were married by Leut. William French, on 16 Jan 1677/8.

Children

Children born to John and Hannah (Burridge) French:
1. Hannah (French) Kittredge , daughter of John & Hannah (Burrage) French, was born on 20 Jan 1663/4.
2. Abigail (French) Parker, second daughter of John & Hannah (Burridge) French, was born on 06 Dec 1665.
Hannah (French) , the wife of John French, passed away on 07 Jul 1667.
Children born to John and Mary (Rogers) French:
3. Mary French was born on 04 Mar 1669/70.
Mary died on 16 Jun 1677.
Children born to John and Mary (Kittredge) French:
4. John French, b. on 15 May 1679.
5. Elizabeth (French) Abbott, b. on 24 Jul 1681.
6. William French, b. on 26 Nov 1683. William passed away on 21 Apr 1685.
7. Sarah French, b. on 15 Sep 1685.
8. William French (2nd of that name), b. on 18 Aug 1687.
9. Hannah (French) Frost, b. on 18 Feb

Siblings

1.Elizabeth (French) Ellis.
2. Mary (French) Hyde.
3. Sarah (French) Peake.
4. Jacob French.
5. Hannah (French) Brackett.
6. Samuel French.
7. Mary (French) Duncklee [half].
8. Sarah (French) Crosby [half] .
9. Abigail French [half].
10.Hannah (French) Child [half].

Military Service

He was a corporal in the militia; wounded by the Indians in assault at Quaboag in 1675. (Under Capt. Thomas Wheeler[3]).

Death and Burial

John French passed away on 17 Oct 1712, in Billerica, Middlesex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Probate File

27 Oct 1712: Agreement between the Widow & Children of John French Late of Billerica notes that "William French the Second Son (John French the s'd dec'ds Eldest Son having had his full portion)", "his [William's] Mother Mary French the s'd dec'ds Widow", "his Brother Thomas Abbot who married Eliz'a one of the Daughters of the s'd dec'd", "Benjamin Parker who married Abigail another of ye s'd dec'ds Daughter", "Nathan Shed that married Mary another Daughter of the s'd dec'd", "Joseph Frost who married Sarah another of the Daughters of the s'd Intestate", "John Kittredge who married Hannah another of the Daughters of ye s'd dec'd", "Hannah French another of the above named John French dec'ds Daughters that remaines unmarried". Signed by Mary French, William French, John Kittredge, Thomas Abbot, Benj'a Parker, Nathan Shead, John French, Joseph Frost, Hannah French.

18 Nov 1712: Receipt to William French, signed by Hannah Kittredge, Benjamin Parker, Abigail Parker, Nathan Shead, Mary Shed, Thomas Abbot, Elizabeth Abbott, Joseph frost, Sarah Frost, John kittredge.[4]

Sources

  1. Beyer, Mary Queal. "A Brief History of the French Family." The Annals of Iowa 9, no. 6 (1910): 493-514.
  2. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-8979-4CCF?i=137&cc=2061550 Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001).
  3. Soldiers in King Philip's War
  4. Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871. (American Ancestors, 2014), Case 8495: John French 1712.
  • Vinton, John Adams. (1876).Vol II. The Richardson Memorial; Full History and Genealogy of Ezekiel, Samuel, and Thomas Richardson. Posterity of Thomas Richardson .Portland ME. (Pg 515)
  • Anderson, Robert Charles, George F Sanborn Jr, Melinde Lutz Sanborn, The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England 1634-1635. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1999.
  • Banks, Charles Edward, Topographical Dictionary of 2885 English Emigrants to New England 1620-1650, Philadelphia, PA: Elijah Ellsworth Brownell, 1937.
  • Burrage, Alvah A., The Burrage Memorial, A Genealogical History of the Descendants of John Burrage. Boston: Alfred Mudge & Son, 1877.
  • French, John M, Lieut. "William French and his Descendants, "NEHGR v44 (Oct 1890), pp367-372.
  • French, Mara T, French and Related Family Genealogy. San Jose, CA: author, 1984.
  • Hartwell, John F, The Hartwells of America. Saginaw, Michigan: Hartwell-Lorenzen, 1956.
  • Hazen, Henry A, History of Billerica, with Genealogical Register. Boston, MA: A Williams, 1883.
  • Marshall, Grace Merle, The Marshall Family Tree: Rufus Marshall and Suzanna George Branch. Salt Lake City, UT: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1951.
  • McCracken, George E, Early Cogans English and American, NEHGR v111 (July 1957) pp168-187.
  • 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, Genealogical Publishing Co, Baltimore, MD, 1965.
  • Vital Records of Billerica, Massachusetts, to the year 1850. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1908.
  • Wyman, Thomas Bellows, The Genealogies and Estates of Charlestown, in the County of Middlesex and Commonwealth of MA, 1629-1818. Boston: David Clapp and Son, 1879.

Note: For info on French family, author cites: French, John M, "Lieut. William French and his Descendants" [1890]; and Hazen, Henry A,, "History of Billerica, with Genealogical Register" [Boston, MA: A Williams, 1883].

  • Pierce Genealogy. Frederic Beech Pierce with Frederick Clifton Pierce. Worcester: Press of Chas. Hamilton, 311 Main St., Boston, Mass.,1882


  • A Brief History of the French Family by Mary Queal Beyer. The Annals of Iowa. State Historical Society of Iowa. Volume 9, No. 6, 1910 pps. 493-514

See also:

  • Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 31 July 2019), memorial page for CPL John French (1635–1 Oct 1712), Find A Grave: Memorial #156176614, ; Maintained by Descendants of Early Settlers (contributor 48409992) Body lost or destroyed.

Acknowledgments

  • WikiTree profile French-1865 created through the import of Oct 14 2012.ged on Nov 10, 2012 by Pam Carter. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Pam and others.




Is John your ancestor? Please don't go away!
 star icon Login to collaborate or comment, or
 star icon contact private message the profile manager, or
 star icon ask our community of genealogists a question.
Sponsored Search by Ancestry.com

DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with John by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with John:

Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.



Comments: 6

Leave a message for others who see this profile.
There are no comments yet.
Login to post a comment.
This person immigrated to New England between 1621-1640 as a Minor Child (under age 21 at time of immigration) of a Puritan Great Migration immigrant who is profiled in Robert Charles Anderson's Great Migration Directory (or is otherwise accepted by the Puritan Great Migration (PGM) Project).

Please feel free to improve the profile(s) by providing additional information and reliable sources. PGM encourages the Profile Managers to monitor these profiles for changes; if any problems arise, please contact the PGM Project via G2G for assistance. Please note that PGM continues to manage the parent's profile, but is happy to assist on the children when needed.

posted by Bobbie (Madison) Hall
I suggest improving this profile "into a single, easy-to-read narrative, removing duplication, long quotes, and long extracts that could be summarized and linked to,” in accordance with Puritan Great Migration Editing Guidance [1]. Any objections?
posted by Clyde Perkins
My records identify John as a Colonel.
posted by Mitchell Watson