John Gorham (bef. 1621 - 1676)

Born before 28 Jan 1621 in Benefield, Northamptonshire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Desire (Howland) Gorham — married 6 Nov 1644 in Plymouth, Plymouth Colony

Descendants

Died 5 Feb 1676 after age 55 in Swansea, Bristol, Plymouth Colony

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

Biography

Captain John Gorham was KIA during King Philip's War.

John was raised in the Puritan faith. He was a leather tanner by trade and was a constable in Marshfield, Massachusetts in 1648, freeman in 1650 and in 1651 was a member of the Grand Inquest of the Colony.

In 1651, he moved to Yarmouth, Massachusetts and purchased part of the Hallett farm (100 acres which part of it was in Barnstable) and operated a grist mill and leather tannery. He was a Deputy to Plymouth Colony Court in 1653.

In 1675, he was made a Captain of the militia from Yarmouth in the war with King Phillip and he led troops in the battle of December 19, 1675 defeating the Indians.

He was a resident of Yarmouth, Massachusetts at the time of his death, but he died 5 Feb 1675/1676 in Swansea (from the flu) and was buried on the land in Swansea that he owned but never occupied, which was granted to him in 1669.

Genealogical Dictionary states under Gorham, Gorum or Goram:

John, Plymouth, s. of Ralph, b. in Eng. bapt. at Benefield, Northamptonshire 28 Jan. 1621,^[1] m. 1643, Desire, eldest d. of John Howland, the Pilgrim of the Mayflower, had Desire, b. 2 Apr. 1644; rem. to Marshfield, where he had been, perhaps,, bef had there Temperance, 5 May 1646; Eliz. 2 Apr. 1648; James, 2 or 28 Apr. 1650; and John, 20 Feb. 1652; rem. to Yarmouth, there had Aug. 1656; Mary, 29 Jan. 1659; Lydia, 11 Nov. 1661; Hannah, 28 Nov. 1663; and Shubael, 21 Oct. 1667; was capt. in Philip's war, d. on serv. of fever 5 Feb. 1676 at Swanzey. His d. Desire m. 7 Oct. 1661, John Hawes; s. Jabez was wound. in Philip's War; the wid. d. 13 Oct. 1683; d. Mary m. sec. George Denison, and Lydia m. 11 Jan. 1684, John Thacher.^[2]

Genealogical Register states:

John, son of Ralph, m. 1643, Desire, d. of John Howland, and had Desire, 1644, m. John Hawes; Temperance, 1646; Elizabeth, 1648; James, 1650, m. Hannah, d. of Thomas Huckins; John, 1652, m. Mary, d. of John Otis; Joseph, 1654; Jabez, 1656; Mary, 1659, m. George Denison; Lydia, 1661, m. John Thacher; Hannah, 1663; and Shubael, 1667, m. Priscilla Hussey. Desire was born in Plymouth; Temperance, Elizabeth, James, and John were born in Marshfield; Joseph was born in Yarmouth; and Jabez, May, Lydia, Hannah, and Shubael were born in Barnstable.^[3]

John Gorham and wife Desire moved from Plymouth to Marshfield in 1646, “where John was chosen constable in 1648. From there they moved to Yarmouth, adjoining Barnstable, in 1652.

Immigration

BEF OCT 1637 Plymouth Colony, (later Massachusetts, USA)

Probate

"John Gorum, of Yarmouth" had his inventory taken on 29 February 1675 and exhibited at Plymouth on 7 March 1675 "on the oath of Desire Gorum, widow, James Gorum, and John Gorum, Jr."^[4] The probate court ordered the estate distribution to his widow, Desire, James Gorum, John Gorum, Joseph Gorum, Jabez, Mercy, Lydia, Hannah, and Shubaall Gorum.^[5]

Research notes

The only mention of John Gorham in the The Great Migration Directory :Gorham, Ralph: Unknown; 1637; Plymouth; not seen after 1642 PCR 1:66, 118, 128, 2:37-38, 7:8, 17, 19]. (No evidence connects Ralph Gorham with the John Gorham who married Desire Howland [MD 5:174-75]. The first New England record for John Gorham is in 1643 [ PCR 8:188].)

Sources

1. ↑ St. Mary the Virgin (Benefield, England), "Christenings," 30P/1, 619, item 25, John Gorham christening record (1619); Northamptonshire Record Office, Northampton, England; record has 28 January 1619/20
2. ↑ Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England (Boston, Little, Brown and Company, 1862) page 281. Archive.org
3. ↑ Davis William T. Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth. Part I. Historical Sketch and Titles of Estates. Part Ii. Genealogical Register of Plymouth Families. 2nd ed Damrell and Upham 1899. p. 121 Archive.org
4. ↑ "Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L97D-V3PH : 9 March 2023), Wills 1633-1686 vol 1-4 > image 384 of 616; State Archives, Boston.
5. ↑ "Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G97D-V35S : 9 March 2023), Wills 1633-1686 vol 1-4 > image 385 of 616; State Archives, Boston.

See also:

• Some Descendants of Captain John Gorham of Plymouth Colony in New York State and the Western Reserve, by King, Helen H. and Linetta A. Daniels. Published online by Ancestry.com, Provo, UT: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005; originally published by Walker Printing Service, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, 1955.
• Otis, Amos. Genealogical Notes of Barnstable Families (F.B. & F.P. Goss, Publishers and Printers, Barnstable, Mass., 1888)
• Chapman, Barbara. The de Goreham Family of West (May 09, 2008)
• Coplien, Dori. We're Coming to America (May 09, 2008)
• Snow, Nora Emma. The Snow-Estes Ancestry (Hillburn, New York, 1939) Vol. 1, Page 483
• Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England (Boston, Little, Brown and Company, 1862)
• William T. Davis; Michael Tepper - Editor- Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Originally published as Part II of Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth Second Edition Boston 1899. (Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1985, Baltimore.)
• Hawes, Raymond Gordon. Edmond Hawes and His American Descendants (Gateway Press, Inc. Baltimore, MD, 2000)
• Livermore, Abiel Abbot. History of the Town of Wilton, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire (Lowell, Mass., Marden and Rowell, printers, 1888)
• Wentworth, Edward Norris, Jr. The Genealogy of Edward Norris Wentworth Junior (Chicago, Cook, Illinois, USA; June 1928): NOTE :Special Project Submitted in Courses in Community Life and Advance Biology at the University High School, University of Chicago
• The First Settlers of Barnstable, MS., The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Mass., 1848) Vol. 2, Page 67
• Saunders, Dorothy. Bristol, Rhode Island's Early Settlers (Heritage Books, Westminster, MA, 2010) #6. p.7.
• Munro, Wilfred. The History of Bristol, R.I. (J.A. & R.A. Reid, Providence, 1881) p.77,79.
• Peirce, Ebenezer Weaver. Peirce's Colonial Lists (A. Williams & Co., Boston, 1881)

• Page 107: See footnote, "died in the service of his country while commanding a company stationed in Swansea (Feb. 5, 1676)."

• Davis, William Proud. Gorham Families of Yarmouth, The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Mass., 1898) Vol. 52, Page 358.
• The Mayflower Descendant (Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, Boston, 1903) Vol. 5, Page 174-5.
• Findagrave.com Find A Grave: Memorial #38570795 Burial location: Cobb's Hill Cemetery, Barnstable, Barnstable, Massachusetts on Feb 15 1675. [Note: No gravestone, or source].
• PCR: Records of The Colony of New Plymouth, in New England (William White, Boston, 1857)

• PCR 8:188 Miscellaneous Records, 1633-1689, Page 188.