John Heard, of Dover

Not the same as John Heard, of Kittery

Disambiguation

Two men named "John Heard" who lived in Dover and Kittery, living on either side of the river, are often confused and/or conflated, especially as relates to the Dover Combination and to land grants in 1640. John Heard (1615-1689), arrived at Dover in 1635 and there built a garrison house; whereas, John Heard (1612-1676), took up residence at Kittery in 1640. Based upon careful consideration of both men's wills and the land holdings distributed, John Heard (1615-1689) was the signer of the Dover Combination. John Heard of Kittery, almost always spelled his name "Heard" whereas John Heard of Dover is often listed as "Hord".

He was a yeoman, and ship's captain. According to the Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire by Noyes, Libby and Davis: "Heard, John, master carpenter, never mariner nor captain. Age unknown, only as his wife was born about 1628. In 1647 fined for calling Godfrey old knave and criticizing Capt. Champernowne; in 1650 he had lately been living on Champernowne's Island in Kittery, and was buying lands in York. Apparently he had built a home on Champernowne Island and on not getting pay had burnt it; judgment of court Oct 1650 that he replace as good and as large a house. His deed from Mr. Hooke, 18 July 1650, recites that he had already built and fenced there. He had left York in June 1648, when he sold his York home to John Parker, carpenter, of Marblehead, which might imply a prior acquaintance, but was back again in 1651. Grand juror 1651-2. In Dover, where he was permanently settled by 1654, he was much relied on by Major Waldron. Will 2 Apr 1687, died 17 Jan 1688-9."

From New England Historic Genealogical Society Register, 7:47: "Heard, John. This person seems to have dwelt in early years at Sturgeon Creek, otherwise called Kittery, wher he owned property. Tradition says he was at some part of his life a sea captain, and perhaps the 'master' affixed to his name by Mr. Pike might have reference to this circumstance. He was of Dover, in 1643, apparently living on Dover Neck. In 1652 he had a grant of fifty acres 'under the Great Hill at Cochecho;' there, in after years, he made his home and built a Garrison House stood [tradition] on the brow of the hill where is now the garden of Mr Cyrus Bangs. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Rev. Benjamin Hull, 'a reverend minister, formerly living in Piscataqua;' she was the one who came up the river the morning of the 28th June, in a boat with John Ham [her son-in-law] and other, and who had the remarkable escape narrated in Belknap, p. 128.

He was living in Dover, New Hampshire in 1640 when he signed the Dover Combination, to establish a local government. While living at Dover Neck he was commander of ships in the foreign trade at Dover with his partner Capt. Richard Waldron. In March 1648 he was assigned lot number 8 in Cochecho Fresh Marsh. He does not appear on the 1648 tax list, but appears on that of 1657 and following lists. On 5 December 1662 he received a grant of 50 acres of upland under the Great Hill near Cochecho, Dover and built a house there. On 26 February 1665 he received an additional 40 acres to the north of the swamp.

He retired from shipping about 1665, and having built a house at Dover, between Portsmouth and Canada, moved there. By tradition this house stood on Garrison Hill where there is "now [1923] a brick house." About 1675 the local Indians began to be dangerous and Capt. Heard erected a stockade around his home. The next garrison below the Heard's was that of Richard Otis. Of the five garrisons in the area the Heard garrison was the only one which survived the 28 June 1689 massacre. Nearby residents had been sleeping the garrisons at night, but two Indian women were allowed to sleep by the fire at the Heard garrison. Early in the morning while the settlers slept these women opened the gates to the Indian men outside. Fortunately for the settlers, a dog barked and woke Elder Wentworth, who was staying at the Heard garrison. Elder Wentworth laid on his back and held the gate closed until other members of the household came to his aid. The Indians fired several bullets through the door, but no one was hit. A letter dated 26 March 1690 says "Heard's garrison at Cochecho being the frontier & only Garrison on the North side of the river, having left three men, one killed and two wounded in the late fight at Salmon Falls, etc.' John Heard made his will 2 April 1687. Pike's Journal says "Master Heard deceased after a short sickness." His will was proved in 1692, but disputed afterwards. John's son Tristram petitioned 7 March 1703/04 saying that his father left no legal will, while Sarah, widow of John's son Nathaniel, claimed that the estate had been divided according to the will.

Sources

• http://www.leesgenes.com/hull/rev%20joseph.htm (not son of Luke Heard).

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Biography

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Heard-49
Heard-49 created 27 Jan 2011 | Last modified 10 Dec 2023

Unknown Origins

This profile originally stated, without a specific source other than a privately published genealogy not available on the internet, that John Heard was born about 1610 in Southwestern England, and he was baptized on November 29, 1612, Chichester, Sussex, England. [1] [2]

This is the christening record of a John Heard, son of Thomas but given how common that name is, there is no particular reason to associate it with this man.[3] This is presumably related to his FindAGrave memorial which asserts, without source, parentage of Thomas Heard and Elizabeth Cutler of Chichester, Sussex, who married there at St. Pancras on 28 May 1609.[4] Again, there is no known reason to associate that family with this immigrant.

His birth year is estimated at 1615 given that he was allocated land in New Hampshire in 1640 (see below).

Immigration

The details of his travel to New England are not yet known, but by 1640 he was in the area that would become Dover, New Hampshire.

John Heard appeared on a list of settlers of "Pascataquack" (Piscataqua) in 1640 and was granted land at Cocheco Marsh (Dover, New Hampshire) that same year[5] indicating that he was probably a few years older than 23 at the time, so an estimated birth year of 1615 is shown on this profile.

Marriage

He married Elizabeth Hull Abt. 1642 in York, York, daughter of Reverend Joseph Hull, a minister of the Church of England and Joanna Coffin. They had several children. [1][2][6][7][8][9]

Children of Elizabeth Hull and John Heard:

1. Benjamin Heard, b. Feb. 20, 1644; m. Elizabeth Roberts.
2. William Heard, d. Nov. 1, 1675; m. (???)
3. Mary Heard, b. Jan. 26, 1650; d. 1706; m. 1668, John Ham.
4. Abigail Heard, b. Aug. 2, 1651; m. Jenkin Jones.
5. Elizabeth Heard, b. Sept. 15, 1653; m. (1st) J. Nute, (2nd) Wm. Furber.
6. Hannah Heard, b. Nov. 25, 1655; m. 1674, John Nason.
7. John Heard, b. Feb. 24, 1659; m. (2nd) Jane Cole.
8. Joseph Heard, b. Jan. 4, 1661; d. young.
9. Samuel Heard; b. Aug. 4, 1663; m. 1686, Experience Otis.
10. Catherine Heard, b. Mar. 4, 1666.
11. Tristram Heard, b. Mar. 4, 1667; m. Abigail (???)
12. Nathaniel Heard, b. Sept. 20, 1668; d. Apr. 3, 1700; m. Sarah (???)
13. Dorcas Heard, b. 1669.
14. Experience Heard.
15. James Heard.

Contrary to other reports, John was never a captain or a mariner. He was a master carpenter and build a strong garrison. He and Elizabeth had 12 children including Benjamin [10] A biography is provided in Dena D. Hurd's book of 1910 describes his struggles with Natives but makes no assertion of his English origins [5]

In 1640 there was granted to John Heard "6 yeckers (acres) of land in Cocheco March."

In 1640 document, "Combination for Government by ye people at Pascataquack, 1640," as copied by the historian, John S. Jeness, Esq., which is a long document, signed by 42 men, there appears the name of John Heard.

In 1661 John Heard was chosen with two others as surveyors, next year he was chosen "Constabell for Cochico."

In 1665 John Heard's name appears with those of Elder Wentworth and John Bickford and Lieut. Hall as a committee to settle any disputes.

In about 1668 build a strong garrison that withstood several Native attacks [11]including those in King Philip's War, but not only.

It withstood the massacre of 1689 by Chief Mesandowie.

John died January 17, 1688/89 in Dover, Strafford, NH. Rev. J. Pike mentions his death on page 12 of his journal stating, "Jan: 17. [1688-9.] Master Heard deceased after short sickness. [12] [13] [6][14] The good Rev also makes mention of the death of Ben Heard February 10, 1696 of malignant fever and the death of Sam Heard of the same distemper on February 20, 1696 as well as the passing of Nathanial Heard on April 3, 1700 from a fever.

GEDCOM Note

John Heard, called "shipmaster," "shipwright," and "master carpenter" in the records, was in Cocheco (now Dover), NH, in 1636. With 41 others in 1640, he signed the "Combination for Government" to establish a formal government for Dover, NH, and was then granted six acres of land. Sometime between 1640 and 1654, John and his family lived in York and in Kittery, ME. He evidently lived in York first as he sold his house there to John Parker in June of 1648. About this time, he began living in Kittery, ME. In 1647, John was fined there for calling "Godfrey an old knave" and criticizing Capt. Champernowne. He had built a house on Champernowne's Island and, on not getting paid, set fire to it. The judgement of the Court in October of 1650 was that he had to replace it with a house as good and as large. At this time, again he began buying land in York, ME, and evidently moved there and was on the Grand Jury there in 1651/2. Finally, around 1654, he settled again, permanently this time, in Dover, NH, and on 26 February 1656 received a grant of forty acres of land. At the town meeting, he was chosen a surveyor in 1661, a contable in 1662, and a grand juror in 1665. Tradition has John Heard as the builder of a block house at Dover, NH, which was successfully defended from the Indians on 28 June 1689. During that same attack, his widow was allowed to live because of the consideration of an Indian to whom she had shown favor thirteen years before.

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jtrue/Heard.htm

References

1. WikiTree contributors, "Elizabeth (Hull) Heard (1627-abt.1706)," WikiTree: The Free Family Tree, (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Hull-645 : accessed 04 February 2024).
2. Sources: Title: New England Historic Genealogical Register Abbrev: NEHGR Note: NEHGR Page: v9 Quality:
3. 1 Abbrev: 4. History of Dover, NH, vol 1, by John Scales, 1923. Note: 4. History of Dover, NH, vol 1, by John Scales, 1923. Page: als 269
4. Abbrev: F. Genealogical Dictionary of Maine & New Hampshire, Noyes, Note: F. Genealogical Dictionary of Maine & New Hampshire, Noyes, Page: 322 Text: JH mar Elizabeth, dau Rev Joseph Hull. Child b 20 Feb 1643/4
5. Birth seen as Birth: November 29, 1612 Chichester, Chichester District, West Sussex, England without supporting evidence.
6. http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/w/i/l/Janet-Williamson-TX/WEBSITE-0001...
7. *Hull, Oliver, "The Hull Family in America". (1913) genealogylibrary.com,
8. Pope, Charles Henry, "The Pioneers of Maine and New Hampshire, 1623-1660". (1908).
9. Noyes/Libby/Davis, "Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire," (1939), pgs. 321 and 589.
10. “Charles Samuel Candage, Heard-Hurd Genealogy 1610-1987; Some Descendants of John and Elizabeth (Hull) Heard of Dover, New Hampshire" (Rockport, Maine: Picton Press, Second printing, July 2000), 2-7.
11. WikiTree contributors, "John Heard (abt.1615-1689)," WikiTree: The Free Family Tree, (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Heard-49 : accessed 04 February 2024). Cites
    1. Ricker, P. L., & Holland, E. R. (2006). A genealogy of the Ricker family (Vols 1 & 2). Westminster, MD: Heritage Books.
    2. Ricker, J., & Lapham, W. B. (1877). Records of some of the descendants of George and Maturin Ricker, who were early at Dover, N. H.: and who were killed by the Indians, June 4, 1706. Augusta, ME.: Sprague, Owen & Nash.
    3. Source: #S368
    4. Candage, C. S., & Peak, R. E. (1988). Heard-Hurd genealogy, 1610-1987: Some descendants of John and Elizabeth (Hull) Heard of Dover, New Hampshire. Camden, ME: Picton Press. Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Public Library; Call number: 39999066618271
    5. Wentworth, Jr., E. N. (1928). The genealogy of Edward Norris Wentworth, Junior. Chicago, IL: Hillison and Etten Co.
    6. Richmond, K. F. (1936). John Hayes, of Dover, New Hampshire: a book of his family. Rutland, VT: Tuttle Publishing Company.
    7. Wentworth, J. (1878). The Wentworth Genealogy: English and American (Vol 1), Boston, MA: Little, Brown, and Company.
    8. the "Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire," by Noyes/ Libby/ Davis (1939), pg. 322.
    9. Dena D. Hurd; A History and Genealogy of The Family of Hurd in the United States and a Partial History of the New England Families of Heard and Hord, including a Treatise on Nomenclature, Heraldry and Coat Armour, and Ancestry]; New York Privately Printed; 1910; Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2009; pg 281-286
    10. Scales, John. History of Dover, New Hampshire : containing historical, genealogical and industrial data of its early settlers, their struggles and triumphs. Dover, N.H.: https://ia802704.us.archive.org/30/items/journalofrevjohn00pike/jou...
    11. Quint, Rev. Alonzo H. Genealogical Items Relating to the Early Settlers of Dover, N.H., The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (NEHGS, Boston, Mass., 1855) Vol 9, Page 367.
    12. Find A Grave, database and images (accessed 11 December 2019), memorial page for Rev John Heard (1610–17 Jan 1689), Find A Grave: Memorial #39470289, ; Maintained by Harlene Soper-Brown (contributor 46880650) Unknown.
12. [https://archive.org/details/heardhurdgenealo00cand Candage, C. S., & Peak, R. E. (1988). Heard-Hurd genealogy, 1610-1987: Some descendants of John and Elizabeth (Hull) Heard of Dover, New Hampshire. Camden, ME: Picton Press. Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Public Library; Call number: 39999066618271 (page 1) https://www.wikitree.com/photo.php/9/97/Heard-76.jpg. (Page 2) https://www.wikitree.com/photo.php/e/e1/Heard-76-1.jpg
13. Batchellor, Albert Stillman (ed.). 1907. Probate Records of the Province of New Hampshire. Vol. 1, 1635-1717, pages 312-313, https://archive.org

John Heard Will 2 April 1687 mentions wife Elizabeth, sons Benjamin, Trustrom, Samuel, and Nathaniel, daughters Mary Ham, Abigail Jones, Elizabeth Newte, and Dorcas Heard, and apprentice John Walldron. (Page 1) https://www.wikitree.com/photo.php/f/ff/Heard-49.jpg (page 2) https://www.wikitree.com/photo.php/2/24/Heard-49-1.jpg