John Perkins (1709 - 1761)

Born 5 Oct 1709 in Norwichtown, New London, Connecticut

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Bushnell) Perkins — married 5 Aug 1731 in Norwich, New London, Connecticut

Husband of Lydia (Tracy) Perkins — married 2 Oct 1743 in Norwich, Connecticut,

Descendants

Died 16 Apr 1761 at age 51 in Norwichtown, New London, Connecticut

Biography

He was born on 5 Oct 1709 at Norwich, New London, Connecticut.^[1]

He was a slaveholder, having 15 enslaved black people at the time of his death.

John Perkins, who “was called ‘the great Perkins,’ from his size,” married first, Elizabeth Bushnell, sister of Mary, his brother's wife, and he married second, Lydia Tracy. ^[1][2]

At the time of his death, he owned 650 acres of land in Norwich, 347 acres of land in Ashford, and 1/2 ownership of 358 acres in Canterbury (with John Huntington of Norwich).

He died on 16 Apr 1761.^[3][4]

His will is dated 9 April 1761 and proved on 2 May 1761 in Norwich. He mentions his wife Lydia, his sons John, Levi, Eliphaz, Abijah, and Durden, his daughter Elizabeth Woodward (she is given the enslavement of Dinah, a black girl), Lydia, Ruth, and Civil. His inventory was completed on 17 June 1761 in Norwich.^[5]

In 1763, a division of the Canterbury land in the partnership that he had with John Huntington was divided and set out to Durden Perkins with his mother Lydia Perkins as his guardian.^[6]

Enslaved Black People

1. London, a man
2. Cate London, wife of London, a woman
3. Simon Simon, a man
4. Lucy Hager, Simon's wife, a woman
5. Selah, a girl
6. Dinah, a girl(enslavement bequeathed to Elizabeth Woodward)
7. Jim, a boy
8. Zilpha, a girl
9. Milcha, a girl
10. Purah, a girl
11. Onisimus, a boy
12. Tamor, a girl
13. Ziba, a boy, "a sucking child"
14. Jehu, a boy
15. Cugg, a boy

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Perkins, Fred. (1860). Perkins Family of Connecticut. Boston: Mass.Vol. 14, pps. 113-114
2. ↑ "Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:78XG-QK2M : 12 July 2019), John Perkins in entry for Elizabeth Bushnell, ; citing Marriage, , Compiled by Lucius A. and Lucius B. Barbour, housed at State Library, Hartford, Connecticut; FHL microfilm 008272224.
3. ↑ "Connecticut Deaths and Burials, 1772-1934," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F7X1-L4D : 9 February 2018), John Perkins, 16 Apr 1761; citing Hartford, Connecticut, reference vol. JH285; FHL microfilm 3,183.
4. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 25 July 2019), memorial page for Capt John Perkins (5 Oct 1709–16 Apr 1761), Find A Grave Memorial no. 61626570, citing Old Lovett-Perkins Cemetery, Versailles, New London County, Connecticut, USA ; Maintained by John Beckstein (contributor 46939506) .
5. ↑ Probate records v. 1-2 1748-1761, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G92K-17WK : 20 September 2022), FHL microfilm 007627366, Images 527-532, Norwich, New London, Connecticut, Vol 2, Pages 457-466.
6. ↑ Probate records v. 3-4 1761-1773, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-892K-BPMB  : 23 September 2022), FHL microfilm 007627367, Images 70-71, Norwich, New London, Connecticut, Vol 3, Pages 127-128.

See also:

• Find A Grave: Memorial #61626570