Elder John White[1]
One of the First Settlers of Hartford Connecticut
By Allyn Kellogg
The Library of Congress
Elder
John White was one of the first settlers of Cambridge in Massachusetts, of
Hartford in Connecticut, and of Hadley in Massachusetts. Neither the time nor the place of his birth
is known. From the ages of his children,
and the time of his death, it may reasonably be inferred that he was born
between the years 1595 and 1605. His
connection with the Reverend Thomas Hooker and his church renders it probable
that he had known and valued Hooker's ministry in England. Chelmsford, the county-town of Essex County,-
about thirty miles north-east of London, was the seat of Hooker's labors; and
it has been plausibly conjectured, by historians, that the company who attached themselves to him were mostly
from Chelmsford and its vicinity. An
examination of the parish register of Chelmsford shows that the name of White
was a common one in that town; but there is no satisfactory evidence connecting
the subject of this sketch with any of the families named in the parish
register. Some extracts from the public
records at Chelmsford are given in the Appendix to this volume.
The
first certain knowledge we have of John
White is as a passenger in the ship the, Captain Peirce, which sailed from
England about twenty-second of June, 1632 and arrived at Boston, in
Massachusetts, on Sunday, the sixteenth of September following, after a voyage
of eight weeks from the land's End; although the passengers had been twelve
weeks aboard. They had five days of east
wind and fog, but no disaster. There
were one hundred and twenty-three passengers, of whom fifty were children, all
in health. The names of thirty-three
adult male passengers are reported, including the name of John White. He was doubtless accompanied by his family,
which then consisted of his wife and at least two children. Many of the passengers belonged to the
company of the Reverend Thomas Hooker, who was prevented from coming with them
by the attempts of his enemies to arrest him, but who come in the following
year. About a month before the arrival
of the Lyon, that part of Mr. Hooker's company which had come over before, and
had located at Braintree, removed to Cambridge, then called Newtown; that township having been assigned to them,
but the General Court of Massachusetts, for their settlement. There, at Cambridge, our John White found his
first home in this western world. His homelot,
with his dwelling house, was on the street then called Cow-Yard row. This homelot contained about three-quarters
of an acre of land, and was early allotted to him, together with about thirty
acres of farming lands. On the 5th of
August 1633, three-quarters of an acre more, near his homelot, was granted to
him by the town, for a cow-yard.
"Gore Hall," the beautiful library building of Harvard University, probably now graces this cow-yard. If not on the identical site, it is, beyond a doubt, very near to it. The location and quantity of his allotments of land indicate that, in his contribution to the common stock of the settlement, he was a middle place; neither among the wealthier nor the poorer class. It is a fair inference from this fact that his condition in England, as to property, was an easy one, and that no necessity of outward circumstances drove him from his comfortable English home to the privations and perils of a wilderness.
"Gore Hall," the beautiful library building of Harvard University, probably now graces this cow-yard. If not on the identical site, it is, beyond a doubt, very near to it. The location and quantity of his allotments of land indicate that, in his contribution to the common stock of the settlement, he was a middle place; neither among the wealthier nor the poorer class. It is a fair inference from this fact that his condition in England, as to property, was an easy one, and that no necessity of outward circumstances drove him from his comfortable English home to the privations and perils of a wilderness.
He
was admitted a freeman of Massachusetts on the 4th of March, 1633. In February, 1635 the town of Cambridge made
it first election of a board of seven men "to do the whole business of the
town." These officers were afterwards called "Townsmen," and
"Selectmen." John White was
one of the number chosen. His associates
were John Haynes, Simon Bradstreet, John
Talcott, William Westwood, William Wadsworth, and probably James Olmsted; all
of them prominent and influential men.
About
this time, Mr. Hooker and his people began to feel straitened in their
accommodations, and determined to find a new home, with more room for their
friends whom they were still expecting from
England, and for the full enjoyment of their religious privileges. They selected the valley of the Connecticut,
and having obtained a reluctant consent from the government of Massachusetts,
which appreciated their influence and enterprise, they began immediate
preparations for removal. A new company,
which arrived in 1635, with the Rev. Thomas Shepard for their minister,
purchased the estates and improvements of Mr. Hooker's company, and continued
the settlement of Cambridge. John White
sold to Nicholas Danforth, on the 20th of October, 1635,his house and homelot,
with most of his outlands; and on the 30th of May 1636, another parcel of
meadow and pasture. In this last deed,
of May 30th, he describes himself, by anticipation, as "of the newtowne in
the Massachusetts." On the 1st of
March 1642, he conveyed to Nathaniel Sparrowhawke a house and seven acres of
land, on the south side of Charles River; probably the last parcel of his
Cambridge "accommodation".
In
June, 1636, the main body of the company, with whom, most probably, was our
John White with his family, effected their removal to the Connecticut. A vivid idea of what he and his companions
experienced in this migration is best obtained from the graphic but simple
narrative of the historian, Trumbull: - "About the beginning of June, Mr. Hooker, Mr. Stone, and about a
hundred men, women and children, took their departure from Cambridge, and travelled
more than a hundred miles through a hideous and trackless wilderness to
Hartford. They had no guide but their
compass; made their way over mountains, through swamps, thickets, and rivers,
which were not passable but with great difficulty. They drove with them a hundred and sixty head
of cattle, and by the way subsisted on the milk of their cows. Mrs. Hooker was borne through the wilderness
upon a litter. The people generally
carried their packs, arms, and some utensils.
They were nearly a fortnight on their journey. This adventure was the more remarkable, as
many of this company were persons of figure, who had lived, in England, in
honor, affluence, and delicacy, and were entire strangers to fatigue and
danger."
In
the Records of Hartford, John White appears as one of the original
proprietors. His allotments consisted -
as nearly as can be determined from the records - of his house lot, containing about two acres,
of about forty acres of meadow, about thirty-two acres of upland, ten acres of
swamp, and one hundred and fifty acres of upland at Hockanum, east of the Great river. Of one hundred original proprietors, there
were only eighteen whose share was larger than his. His homelot was on the east side of what is
now called "Governor Street," formerly "Cole Street," and
was about ten rods south of the Little River.
The present name of this street was given to it from the circumstance
that four of the original proprietors whose homelots were on this street, and
within a stone's throw of each other, became Governors of Connecticut. John White's house was next to that of
governor Hopkins, and near to that of Governor Wyllys. The famous Charter Oak, already past its
maturity, and beginning in its decay to construct the hollow which preserved
the charter of Connecticut from the grasp of its enemies, stood on the lot
of Governor Wyllys; and its lengthening
shadows, as the evening sun went down, rested on John White's dwelling.
At
Hartford he was again called into public service. In 1642 he was chosen one of the selectmen
of the town, - or "orderers," as these officers were at first called,
- and again in 1646, in 1651 and in 1656.
His name also appears frequently on the records of the Courts, as a
juror, or as an arbitrator in the settlement of private differences.
Of
his private life but little can be known.
He was probably a farmer, gaining a support for his growing family by
the practice of industry and frugality.
The history of his children shows that
they were trained to these virtues, and also that, amid the many cares
resting upon him, he did not fail to secure for them a good education. He maintained a respectable standing as to
property, and had some share in those early enterprises which encouraged the
settlement of other towns. The records
of Middletown show that on the 24th of May, 1653, "John White Sen."
had granted to him thirty acres of upland, and joining to his homelot, being
his proportion in Soheags fields."
At the same time he was granted
"his second and third division at Wongonk." The early records of Middletown are partially
lost, and do not show the amount of his proprietary interest there, nor how
long he retained it.
Soon
after the death of the Reverend Mr. Hooker, in 1647, dissensions arose in the
church at Hartford, between the Reverend
Mr. Stone and Elder Goodwin. The exact
points of difference between the parties are now somewhat obscure. It is supposed that Elder Goodwin and his
supporters were zealously opposed to any relaxation of those requirements for a
participation in church privileges, which they claimed that Mr. Hooker had
taught and enforced. Several Councils
were held upon the subject; but harmony was not restored. At length, the supporters of Elder Goodwin's
views, among whom was John White, determined to found a new settlement on the
Connecticut, above Springfield, where they might have room to follow out and
enjoy their principles. On the 18th of
April, 1659, sixty persons, from Hartford and Wethersfield, signed the
agreement to remove to Hadley. The place
of John Whites name, as the fifth on the
list, indicates that he was among the leaders of that important movement. At the same time, William Westwood, Richard
Goodman, William Lewis, John White, and Nathaniel Dickinson were chosen to go
and lay out homelots. Town record of
Hadley commences with a record of these transactions, and after mentioning the
appointment of this committee, thus proceeds:
"The plantation being begun by them and some others of the
Ingagers, the rest of the Ingagers that remained at Hartford and Wethersfield,
with those that were come up to Inhabit at the said plantation, did upon the
ninth of November, at Hartford, about the said time at Wethersfield, and at the
said plantation, chuse by vote William
Westwood, Nathaniel Dickinson, Samuel Smith, Thomas Standley, John White,
Richard Goodman, to order all publick occasions that conscerns the good of that
plantation for the yeare insueing."
This is called on the margin of the record, "First choice of
Townsmen: "though it is plain that
this was a voluntary agreement among the proprietors of the new plantation,
rather than a legal organization.
Thus
were laid the foundation of Hadley. It
was the frontier settlement of that day, looking out toward the north, west, and
east, on the boundless forest and its savage Indian occupants. John White's share in the common enterprise
was represented by £150, the largest hare being represented by £200. His homelot was on the east side of Hadley
Street, and is thus described in the town record: "One houselott containing Eight acres
more or lesse as it lyes. Bounded by the
land of Peter Tillton South, by the land granted to Thomas Standlye North,
abutting West against the comon streete, and East against the woods; being in
Bredth Sixteene rod and in length Eightie." A part of this homelot is now occupied by one
of his descendants, having never been alienated from the family. He had also a large allotment of outlands.
during his residence in Hadley, a large share of his time was given to the interests of the prosperous
town. His name is very frequently found
on the committees appointed to lay out lands for division among the
proprietors, and on committees for laying out highways, or for doing other
business incidental to a new settlement.
After the town was legally organized, he was chosen one of the selectmen
in 1662, 1663 and 1665. He also twice
served the town, in 1664 and in 1669, as Representative - or Deputy, as it was
then styled - to the General Court of Legislature of Massachusetts, sitting in
Boston. The early records of the Church
in Hadley are destroyed; but it is evidence of his good report among the
brethren, that he was one of the "messengers" from Hadley when the
Church at Northampton was gathered, in
April, 1661.
After
1670 his name does not appear on the records of Hadley, and it was probably
during this year that he returned to Hartford.
Difficulties still existing in the old Church at Hartford resulted in
another secession, and in the organization, on the 12th of February, 1670, of
the South Church, under the ministry of the Reverend John Whiting. The same attachment for the ancient
landmarks, in the constitution and discipline of the church, was the cause of
this secession, and of that which, eleven years before, had founded
Hadley. On his return to Hartford, John
White connected himself with the South Church, and was chosen to the office of
Elder in it. It is not improbable that
he was called from Hadley to fill that office.
the home of twenty-three years of the vigor of his life had doubtless
retained a strong hold on his affections; and as he felt the weight of
advancing years, it may have needed only the attraction of a Church framed
after his idea of the perfect scripture model, to win him back to its
rest. If, now, this Church of his choice
needed his help and services as an office bearer, the call would become
imperative.
After
his return to Hartford, his name does not appear again upon the records, as
holding civil office, or performing civil services. The office of Elder then exempted him who
bore it from all duties of this kind.
But as an arbitrator, referee, and council in ecclesiastical matters, he
performed good service to the churches.
In 1776 and in 1677, he and his eldest son, Nathaniel, then of
Middletown, were members of the council called to heal the difficulty which had
long troubled the ancient church in Windsor; and the final recommendation of
the council, with the autograph signatures of its members, may be seen in the
archives of the State of Connecticut at Hartford.
John
White was married in England, a few years before he came to Massachusetts. The Christian name of his wife was Mary; but
nothing is known respecting her, except that she was living in March 1666. She died before her husband, probably after
his return to Hartford.
His
will names the six following children,
two or three of whom were born in England:
Mary, who married Jonathan Gilbert; Nathaniel, born about 1629, who
married (1)Elizabeth, (2)Mrs. Martha Mould; John, who married Sarah Bunce;
Daniel, (ancestor of Linda Janene McCrary Gravitt) who married Sarah Crow;
Sarah, who married Stephen Taylor and others; Jacob, born 8 Oct 1645, married
Elizabeth Bunce. The year of Nathaniel's
birth is derived from his age at death, as given on his tombstone; the birth of Jacob is recorded at
Hartford.
The
life of John White was prolonged to a good old age, and in the winter of 1683-4
he rested from his labors. The exact
time of his death is not known; but it must have occurred between the 17th of
December, 1683, the date of his will, and the 23 of January 1684, the date of
the inventory of his estate. He lived to
see all his children married, and to hold in his arms his children's children,
to the third and fourth generations. Of
his children, only three sons and one daughter survived him: two of the three
sons, with John, who died before him, were the heads of their tribes, and
transmitted his name and principles to succeeding generations.
His
will is recorded, and is on file, in the Probate Office at Hartford. The following is a copy of the original
document, which is in the handwriting of the principal witness.
The Last Will and Testament of Mr. John white, of
Hartford
"For as much as my time is
Vncertaine, and I know not the day of my death, I Account it my dutie to make
my last will and testament, which is as followeth.
I
resigne and give up my selfe, soul & bodie, to my soveraigne Lord &
maker, my God and father in my Lord and saviour Jesus Christ; and to prevent
trouble to those that shall survive mee, I do dispose of that portion of
outward estate which the Lord hath in mercy
blessed me with, in manner, following (viz)
I
give & bequeath to my son Nathaniel White thirtie pounds, and my best broad
cloath Coate, & I also give him my iron bound Chest in my chamber, and my
Cobirons in my parlous, & that part of my ox pasture which lyeth on the
Left hand of the way as we go to Wetherfield I give to him & his heirs for
ever, bounded upon the high way west, Henery Grimes land North, McNiccolls his Land South, the south meadow
east.
I
give to my son Daniell White twentie pounds.
I
give to my son Jacob White & his heires for ever, that part of my ox
pasture in Hartford which lyeth on the right hand of the way Leading to
Wethersfield, bounded by the high way East, by Jonathan Bigaloes land South, by Henery Grimes his
Land North, & Luet. Websters land West.
I also give him my feather bed in
the chamber with a boolstar & pillow & the best blancket upon it, &
the bed sted & Curtains belonging to it.
I impower my Executor to give to my daughter Hixton according to his
discretion as he shall see her need calls ffor.
And whereas fformerlie I intended to give one parcel of meadow land in
great Ponset to Stephen Taylor, yet now being forced to pay a great summe of
money ffor the redemption of his house & homlott, I now see cause to
dispose of the land for payment of that debt, and shall leave it to my Executor
with the advise of the overseers to give either to him or the rest of my
daughter Hixtons children as he shall see Cause.
I
give to my grand child, Stephen Taylor a flock bed & truckle bed sted at Nathanaell Whites at Hadly, and old
blancket upon my bed in my chamber, and a linzy woolsie Coverlid at the feet of
my bed in the parlour and a peice of dutch searge now at the tailors to make me
a pair of breeches & Jacket, I give to the said Stephen Taylor.
I
give to Sarah white the daughter of my son Nathanaell five pounds.
I give to the Rever Mr John Whiting my honored pastor five pounds in silver.
I give to the Rever Mr John Whiting my honored pastor five pounds in silver.
My
will is that due debts being discharged, and the above mentioned legacies payd,
the remainder of my estate shall be divided among my grand Children, (viz.)
Jonathan gilbert son of my daughter Mary, my son Nathaniells children, my son
Johns children, my son Daniells children & my Daughter Sarah Children,
their sons to have as much more as their daughters & if any of their sons
shall dye before they come to the age of one & twentie years then his or their
portion to be divided equally among the survivors, and in like manner among the
daughters, if any of them shall dye before the age of eighteen years. My will is that my wearing apparrell be
divided amongst my sonns. My will also
is that my Executor shall have four years time after my decease for the payment
of the legacies mentioned, only my will is that my moveable goods be payd to
them that are readie to receive them presently, and I do give my said Executor
full power to sell my land lying in the
last out division in Hartford, being about eightie acree and my share in the
mill for the payment of the legacies as aforesaid, & what ever time or
expences he shall be at, in managing these affaires, he shall fully satisfie
him selfe out of the estate before division
be made.
I
do Constitute & ordaine my son Nathaniell White the sole Executor of this
my Last will and testament; and I do desire my beloved friends Ensign
Nathaniell Stanly and Stephen Hosmer as overseers to assist in performance of
this my last will, and I do give them twentie shillings apeice for their paines
therein.
This
was declared by John White senior to be his last will and Testament the
seventeenth day of December, 1886, in presence of Caleb Watson & Mary
Watson. His will was made when the extreme
feebleness of old age and disease forbade him to write his own name. The Inventory of his estate is dated Jan 23,
1683, and amounts to £190.0s. It
contains nothing of particular interest, and is omitted. He had given away a part of his property during
his lifetime.
The
age and character of our John White, as well as the number of his descendants,
justly entitles him to the appellation of Patriarch. The controlling power of religion over him is
seen in his forsaking the comforts of hi English home, and encountering the
privations and perils of a wilderness, that he might help to maintain what he
considered to be a true church, and might enjoy the pure worship of God and the
teachings of his faithful ministers.
To
the conscientiousness and zeal of the Puritan, he added the enterprise and
daring of the Pioneer. Ever ready to
forsake his old home and make for himself a new one, when the interests of truth and religion called,
the Newtowne of Massachusetts; and this last, again, for the frontier post of
Hadley. And when he could serve the same
cause with greater usefulness in his old home, we find him again at Hartford,
with his harness on, and ready to labor, even in the feebleness of age.
His
good sense and sound judgment are attested by the nature of the services which
his fellow-citizens sought from him.
Each of the three important towns in which he lived required his aid in
the management of its prudential affairs.
The capacity to discharge the duties of a townsman as well as those of a
representative to the colonial legislature, was, in that day, an indispensable
re-requisite to the appointment
. The
office of ruling elder in the church, which he held during the last ten or
twelve years of his life, was one of
great influence and importance. There
was usually but one ruling elder in each church. His office was designed to relieve the
teaching elder, or pastor, of a considerable part of the labor, responsibility,
and anxiety attending the government and discipline of the church. It required a grave, discreet, and reliable
man, one who had earned a good report of those without and those within the
church. Such as a one, in all respects furnished for his
work, was our John White.
To
be the descendant of one whose qualifications caused him to be called to these
various duties in the state and in the church, and who appears to have
discharged them well, is a matter of just pride. His descendants may safely and abundantly
honor the ancestor in whose footsteps they may so safely walk.
(The
above excerpt were from a copy of "Memorials of Elder John White"
obtained from the Family History Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, film #0928385,
item #3 and were re-typed by Linda Janene McCrary Gravitt- 1992. I only re-typed information pertaining to my direct
ancestry - John White and Daniel White.
Many other generations are available on this film.)
Lieutenant Daniel White
Son of
Elder John White
Lieutenant
Daniel White was probably born in Hartford Connecticut as early as 1639. He settled in Hatfield, Mass., about the year
1662, as appears from the following entries on the town record of Hadley. "Jan. 21: 1660: 61. This day Daniel White had a hundred pound lot
given him beyond the river, and his father John White Ingages for
him." Dec 12, 1661, there was a
renewal of the grant to Daniel White, "provided he be resident on his
allotments in March next." His
homelot was on the west side of Hatfield Street, the fourth lot south of the
Mill Lane, or road leading westerly.
Other lands were allotted to him, and the records of Hatfield show that
he was a farmer. He was frequently
called into the service of the town.
Before the division of Hadley, he was chosen a constable in 1666, and
one of the selectmen in 1670, but the records of the town officers previous to
1677 are mostly lost. During the twenty
years after 1678, Daniel White was eight times chosen one of the selectmen of
Hatfield. He occasionally held other
offices, and was often appointed on committees for attending to various town
affairs which called for the exercise of discretion and sound judgment. He was also active in the ecclesiastical
affairs of the town. The title of
Lieutenant is first given him on the records in Dec 1692.
He
died July 27, 1713, being probably not far from 75 years of age. By his will, dated July 11, 1713, he gave £4
to the church in Hatfield, and constituted his only surviving son, Daniel, his
executor. Previous to his death he had
given a part of his land to his son, Daniel, and to his daughter Hannah; but
he left a large estate for those
times. The inventory amounted to £363,
not including the homestead and some other property, which was appraised in
1719, after the death of his widow, at nearly £300.
He married, Nov. 1, 1661, Sarah Crow,
daughter of John Crow (Linda J. McCrary
Gravitt's 8th Great Grandfather) and Elizabeth Goodwin. Her father was an early settler of Hartford and
Hadley, and became one of the largest landholders in the colony of Connecticut. Her mother was the only child of Elder
William Goodwin and Elizabeth White (9th Great Grandparemts). Elder Goodwin was a fellow-passenger with
Elder John White (9th Great Grandfather), in the ship Lyon, and was one of the
leaders in the settlement of Hadley.
Sarah Crow was born at Hartford, Mar 1, 1647, and was but 14 years and 8
months old at the time of her marriage.
She was one of seven daughters, who married into some of the best
families in the valley of the Connecticut.
A high authority in such matters has said, "Those Crow girls made
smart women." Mrs. Sarah White died
at Hatfield, June 26, 1719 at the age of 72.
Her inventory shows she was not only well supplied, but seems to have
been a little extravagant for that day for one residing in a small town.
Their
children were:
Sarah, born Oct 15, 1662, married (1)
Thomas Loomis, Mar 31, 1680 (2) John Bissell, Nov 12, 1689
Mary, died 1664
Mary, born Aug 5, 1665, married (1)
Noah Wells, he died 1712, (2) -----Barnard - Probate Records at Northampton
show that he name was Wells in 1713, and Barnard in 1717 (Ancestor of Linda
Janene Mc Crary Gravitt)
Elizabeth, born Nov 13, 1667, married
Dea. Samuel Loomis July 2, 1688, died Feb 18, 1736
Daniel, born July 4, 1671 Married
Sarah Bissell and others.
Esther, died Feb 1675
Hannah, born July 4, 1674, died in
infancy
John, born Nov
16, 1676, died Aug 1677
Esther, married Lieut. John Ellsworth
on Dec 7, 1696
Hannah, born Sept 1679, married Dea.
Nathaniel Dickinson
Mehitable, born March 14, 1683,
Married Dec 19, 1705, Jeremiah Bissell
