John Stockbridge of Scituate, wheelwright, was born about 1608 in England and died 13 Oct 1657 in Boston, Massachusetts.

His parents are not known.

Married:

1. Ann ?
2. on 9 Oct 1643 at Scituate in the Plymouth Colony to Elizabeth Hatch (born prob. 1600-d. betw. 1647-1654), who was first married in England to Robert Soan of Brastead co. Kent, who was living Mar 1628/9 and widowed; her parents were William Hatch.
3. on abt. 1654 to Mary ?

Children of Ann ? and John Stockbridge:

1. Charles, b. abt 1633/1634 in England, d. 28 Dec 1683 in Scituate, Plymouth Colony. m. Abigail Pierce.
2. Hannah Stockbridge(1637-1665)
3. Elizabeth Stockbridge (about 1639/40-)

Children of John Stockbridge and Elizabeth Hatch:

1. Elizabeth, b. in 1644; m. at Scituate, 1 Jan. 1661/2, Thomas Hyland of Scituate, s. of Thomas and Deborah. Children, b. at Scituate: 1. Thomas, b. 25 Jan. 1662/3. 2. Elizabeth, b. 15 Aug 1665. 3. Mary, b. 15 May 1667. 4. John, b. 17 Mar. 1670/1. 5. Ruth, b. 15 June 1673
2. Sarah, bapt. at Scituate 15 Mar. 1645/6; m. at Scituate, 6 Jan. 1669/70, Joseph Woodworth, s. of Walter of Scituate. Children, b. at Scituate: 1. Joseph, b. 19 Mar. 1670/1. 2. Margaret, b. 19 July 1673. 3. Benjamin, b. in Aug. 1676. 4. Sarah, b. in Aug. 1678. 5. Elizabeth, b. in Aug. 1680. 6. Eunice, b. in Jan. 1682/3. 7. Abigail, b. in Apr. 1685. 8. Ruth, b. in May 1687.
3. Hester, bapt. at Scituate 11 July 1647.

Children of John Stockbridge and Mary (?)

1. Mary Stockbridge (1655-)
2. John Stockbridge(1657-before 1715)

"Disgraceful Speech"

"His wife joined the Scituate Church in 1637, and she was part of the Vassal group in 1640. In June 1638 John Stockbridge was fined for disgraceful speeches against the government and those who attempted to reprove him, and in September 1638 he was fined again for contemptous words against the government. He was presented in December 1638 for receiving strangers and foreigners, but the charges were dismissed. He continued speaking against the government, and, though, he was proposed as a freeman, there is no record that he was ever granted the franchise. --Harold E. Robinson

Notes

He served at various times as constable and grandjuryman, and he bought and sold land, and purchased a one-half interest in a grist mill, which was later expanded into a sawmill. His house was the main garrison in Scituate during King Philip's War. His first wife Ann died, and on 9 October 1643 he married (2) Elizabeth (Hatch) Soan (or Soane), a sister of William Hatch, q.v., and widow of Robert Soan. Probably ca. 1654 he married his third wife Mary (--?--), whose surname was possibly Broughton. Shortly after 1656 Stockbridge moved to Boston, where he died 13 October 1657. In his will dated 4 July 1657, inventory 3 February 1658, Stockbridge mantioned his wife Mary, son Charles; a younger son John; daughters Elizabeth, Mary Stockbridge, Esther Stockbridge, Sarah Stockbridge and Hannah ticknor; and Hannah's husband William Ticknor." --Harold E. Robinson

Came in Blessing 1635 with wife Ann and son Charles age 1. Settled in Scituate, where ”Goodman Stockbridge ye wheeler” had a house by 1636. [NEHGR 10:42]

He probably came for economic reasons, not religous; only his wife is in church records in Scituate. She did not leave with John Lothrop to Barnstable in 1639. Lothrop baptized daughter Hannah, but she took Elizabeth to Boston in 1642.

John in early years in Scituate was outspoken about his dissatisfaction with the government. Fined for “disgraceful speeches...” [1]

In 1656 John bought 1/2 of mill privileges at First Herring Brook at Greenbush, and built a sawmilll. His house was the “Stockbridge Mansion House” near the mill pond, the remains were probably the second oldest house standing in New England in 1831. Markers have been placed. The mill and pond were in Woodsworth’s poem “The Old Oaken Bucket”, by which the pond in now known.

Stockbridges were mostly common, rural folk. Congregational until fourth generation. In South Boston they were millers, shipwrights, and doctors. Gloucester were clothiers and carpenters; Masons and blacksmiths in Stratham, Exeter and Alaton NH. In southern Maine as weavers. After the Revolution a few went to NY, Ohio but majority stayed in New England.

No genealogy exists for this family. Early generation notes were scant and somewhat inaccurate, eg Savage, Deane. Geneal Dict. of Maine & NH by Noyes was first record of NH branch. Barclay in TAG 38(1964):184-9 corrects many early errors.

Will

His will in NEHGR 8:352. Dated “4:7:1657” to my eldest son Charles my watermill at Sityate [sic]. He to pay sister Elizabeth. If youngest son live, he is to enjoy house after his mother’s death and pay his sister Mary. To daughter Ester house at Sityate that William Ticknor doth live in. Also to daughter Hannah Ticknor. Daughter Sarah to be paid when age 21.

Links

1. The Ancestry of Overmire Tifft Richardson Bradford Reed: Larry Overmire's Rootsweb database last updated 3 March 2011

Sources

• Family of John Stockbridge & Ann Stockbridge
• Family Genealogies Extracted From A Historical Sketch of the Town of Hanover, Mass. with Family Genealogies by John S. Barry, Boston; 1853
• Excerpts from the Family Sketches chapter of "History of Scituate" by Samuel Deane, 1831; photocopies made 10 November 2001 at the Library of Congress Local History and Genealogy Reading Room, call number F74.S3D2
• [http://www.scituatehistoricalsociety.org/families/StockbridgeJohn.htm]
• John Stockbridge
• The New England historical and genealogical register, Volume 70 By Henry Fitz-Gilbert Waters, New England Historic Genealogical Society Pg.245-260
• Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal ..., Volume 4 By Ellery Bicknell Crane p. 340

Citations

[1] Roger Joslyn, in an article appearing in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register in 1979, wrote:

John Stockbridge probably did not come to New England for religious freedom, but more likely for better economic conditions. There is no indication of his membership in the church, only the name of his wife Ann appearing in the records [in 1637]. . . . John Stockbridge spent many of his early years at Scituate letting be known his dissatisfaction with the system of government which had been adopted. On 5 June 1638 he was first presented and fined in the Plymouth Colony Court "for disgraceful speeches, tending to the contempt of the government, and for jeering speeches to them that did reprove him for it." The following 4 September he was fined ten shillings "for contemptuous words against the government.John Stockbridge spent many of his early years at Scituate letting be known his dissatisfaction with the system of government which had been adopted. On 5 June 1638 he was first presented and fined in the Plymouth Colony Court "for disgraceful speeches, tending to the contempt of the government, and for jeering speeches to them that did reprove him for it." The following 4 September he was fined ten shillings "for contemptuous words against the government.