Capt. John Leighton, II of Rogers' Rangers

His death is often reported as 15 Aug 1772 with a will proved 16 Dec 1772. but as noted below, the will probate has never been found, and no such record appears to exist. Also, a Jonathan Leighton (Laiten) died at Newcastle on 15 Aug 1772, but he had immigrated to Maine from Rowley, MA with his sons John, Jonathan, Moses, Ezekiel, and Richard, and they lived in Sheepscot.

concerns

Is this John supposed to be the same as his same-named brother John Leighton? Further research is warranted.

not-so-brief biography and family

1698— [6 John3 and Sarah] was born at Dover in
1698, lived at Edgecomb ME

in 1725; married first SARAH ---— , and second RUTH ---— .

His wives are known only from their names on deeds, releasing dower rights. Sarah so signed in 1742; Ruth's name appeared in 1750, but was absent in 1762.

In 1722, John bought a third of lot 117 in Rochester with Benjamin Mason and William Dam (McDuffee, Rochester, 1:40); on the list of proprietors in 1737 he was called "Capt. John Laighton" (TRs 1:2). On 6 Feb. 1733 he signed a petition for Rochester to become a town (NHSP, 9:168— 171). He frequently held town offices: commissioner, selectman, assessor and surveyor (McDuffee, 2:531, 535).

On 10 Jan. 1741— 2, Sarah and Lydia Layton, probably his wife and daughter, entered into the covenant of the Rochester church and were baptized (McDuffee, 2:588).

He signed petitions seeking military protection in 1744, 1746 and 1747 (NHSP, 9:725— 7; 13:334— 5).

On 29 Nov. 1749, the selectmen asked that the court "do account Mr. John Leighton a Sutabel Person to Keep a tavren in Rochester, he living in a Part of the town whare it is much wanting" (N. H. Province Court Record #24759).

Why he was called captain is not clear, but he had extensive service as a soldier. He was a corporal in Capt. Thomas Millett's company 21 July 1740 (NHSP, 9:173— 4, 725— 7), and later the same year enlisted under Capt. Thomas Wallingford for a proposed expedition to the West Indies (18:113). He was one of nine scouts with Capt. Benjamin Mathes during the winter of 1744— 45 (Stackpole, Durham, 1:113).

He served from 24 Apr. to 9 Aug. 1755 under Capt. John Tasker, and under Capt. Roberts Rogers at Ft. William Henry 25 Nov. 1755 to 6 June 1756 (Potter, Mil. Hist., 2:137, 156).

Note: Robert Rogers was founder of modern day special operations forces in United States Military

He took part in Capt. Ephraim Berry's march against Crown Point 14 Mar. to 27 Nov. 1760, but had to be left behind sick at the blockhouse on the Connecticut River (2:248— 9).

Often his sons served in the same company with him.

In 1729 John's brother Thomas transferred to him the Dover land due from their father's estate. John and Sarah sold 20 acres of it to William Dam

1 Oct. 1735, and another 20 acres, the former Back River homestead, to Shadrach Hodgdon 28 Nov. 1737 (NHPD, 21:353, 25:138); on the same date he bought from Hodgdon 250 acres in Rochester.

On 1 June 1742 he sold Jonathan Young 36 of those Hodgdon acres, and on 22 July that year bought of Jonathan Wentworth 60 acres adjacent to his Rochester homestead (58:339; 27:210).

He sold to his brother Thomas 26 Aug. 1743 the marsh and flats near Royal Cove at Dover, formerly their father's property, and 26 Aug. 1743 sold him the rest of his Dover property (28:16). With his wife Ruth he sold 120 acres, half of lot 43, second division, to James Place 20 Oct. 1750 (64:252).

He and Walter Bryant were hired to survey the town's third division (McDuffee, 1:48); their map, completed 28 Aug. 1753, is in the Rochester Fourth Generation 37 Town Hall vault.

John Leighton and "his son Jonathan Leighton, both of Rochester," joined in purchasing 60 acres, adjoining land of John and of James Place, from Joseph Colbath and John Kent 2 July 1754 (78:368— 370).

About 1760, with others from NH, John settled in Lincoln County in the District of Maine, taking up land along the Damariscotta River at Townsend, a plantation which now includes Boothbay and part of Edgecomb.

John's sons we know by their deeds; in 1762 "John Laighton of a place called Townsend" acknowledged at Dover deeds to four of his sons-— naming each as "my son." To his son Jonathan on 30 Mar. he sold his share of the 60 acres they had bought jointly, land on which Jonathan was living, and all his rights as a proprietor to undivided land. To his son David he sold on Mar. 18 sixty acres in lot 69, 1st division, which David then lived on and had improved, and on the same date he sold Rochester land and buildings to Samuel. To his son Benjamin he sold on 30 Mar. other land in Rochester, and on the same day sold to David Place 32 acres of the Colbath— Kent property (NHPD, 78:372— 4; 68:89; 105:12, 14; 70:332— 4). Without naming him his son, John on 18 June 1771 sold to Solomon Laighton of Freetown (now Edgecomb) 122 acres on the Damariscotta River (Lincoln County Deeds, 8:169— 70).

On 9 March 1766, John Laighton, Solomon Laighton, "bengamen laighton" and Simon Pearl were signers of a petition to Gov. Francis Bernard protesting the selection of Frankfort (now Dresden) as shire town, and asking that the court sit instead at the more— populous Wiscasset (Documentary History of the State of Maine, Collections of the Maine Historical Society, Second Series, 13:441— 3). John witnessed in 1778 a deed between Solomon and John Smithson Leighton (LincCD, 13:44). An unverified reference stated that his will was proved at Wiscasset 16 Dec. 1772.

No such record exists, although a Jonathan Leighton did die at Newcastle 15 Aug. 1772. That Jonathan Laiten (as that family usually spelled the name) had immigrated to ME from Rowley MA with his sons John, Jonathan, Moses, Ezekiel and Richard, settling at nearby Sheepscot (now Newcastle).

The descendants of Richard Leighton of Ipswich and Rowley settled mainly in Lincoln County.

Children by first wife Sarah, born at Dover and Rochester:

50. i. LYDIA5, b. c1726; m. JAMES ROGERS, JR.

51. ii. JONATHAN , b. c1728.

52. iii. SAMUEL, b. 20 June 1729.

53. iv. DAVID, b. 14 Oct. 1730.

54. v. BENJAMIN, b. c1735.

55. vi. SOLOMON, b. c1739.

Probable child by second wife Ruth:

vii. JAMES, listed in the 1790 census at Washington Plantation (Mount Vernon) with one male under 16 and one female, but not in the 1800 census. On 18 Apr. 1804, at the Mount Vernon town meeting, Solomon Leighton was asked to maintain his "half— brother James Leighton," and was voted a dollar a month for the expenses. On 6 Apr. 1807, Samuel Leighton was voted $12 for the keep of James the year past (TRs 2:115, 154). James disappeared from town records thereafter.

Known Volunteers of Roger's Rangers Name spelled as LEITON, John At this point only 2 Men Have been identified on Geni.com as being a member of the Rangers (5 Dec 2015), we are talking Elite here, BIG TIME.

• Marriage to Sarah: (1725 — Age: 27)