John Babcock

John Babcock d. either the last of December, 1684, or the very first of January, 1685, for on the 6th day of January, 1685, his eldest son, James Babcock, and his mother, Mrs. Mary Babcock, recognizing the English law of primogeniture as in force in Rhode Island, agreed that he might take all of the real estate of his father, which he assumed, and gave his mother one half thereof by deed. Mrs. Mary Lawton Babcock afterwards m. Erasmus Babbitt, April 21st, 1698.

The oldest son and child, James Babcock, was appointed guardian to the four youngest children, viz.: Elihu, Robert. Joseph and Oliver, April 21, 1698.

HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF STONINGTON, County of New London, Connecticut, from its first settlement in 1649 to 1900, by Richard Anson Wheeler, New London, CT, 1900, p. 211, 212

• Badcock
• Babocck

Given name has also been (erroneously?) reported to be James.

Date of birth might be 1641 or 1644.

Date of death might be May 1685 or November 8, 1685.

Find A Grave Memorial# 82913716

Capt John Babcock

• Birth:1644 in Portsmouth, Newport County, Rhode Island, USA
• Death: Nov. 8, 1685 in Westerly, Washington County, Rhode Island, USA
• son of James and Sarah (Brown) Babcock  
• John married Mary LAWTON in Westerly, Washington County, Rhode Island.
• Their children were James, Anna, Mary, John, Job, George, Elihu, Robert, Joseph, Oliver and Joseph.  
• John Babcock was born about 1644 in Newport County, Rhode Island, the son of James Babcock and Sarah Brown.
• John's father made a deposition in 1670 in which he stated he was 58, his son James was 29 and son John was 26 years old.
• Tradition and family records say that John Babcock, after failing to get her father's consent to marriage, eloped with Mary Lawton in 1658.
  • She was the daughter of George Lawton and Elizabeth Hazzard of Newport.
  • It is said that the couple went into the wilderness, one night by boat from Newport, and coasting along the shore, landed on the present site of the town of Westerly.
  • They were welcomed by friendly Indians, and he was the first white man who settled in Westerly.
  • Unfortunately, history doesn't seem to support this romantic tale.
• John Babcock and his father actually were members of the Misquamicut Company and went to the site of Westerly with the first permanent settlers in about 1660.
  • At that time John was about eighteen years of age.
  • He received an apportionment of land, the same as other settlers.
  • He settled on the banks of the Pawcatuck River, near what is now Avondale, Rhode Island.
  • Some of the original homesteaded land was still in the possession of descendants in 1903.
  • John was admitted freeman at Westerly on October 28, 1668.
• In 1675, when King Philip's War broke out, most of the settlers in Westerly fled to Rhode Island for safety.
  • John and his family stayed.
  • He joined the Stonington, Connecticut Militia.
  • Tradition says he fought in the Great Swamp Fight on December 19, 1675 and that his son Elihu was born that day.
  • Connecticut then controlled Westerly, but after the war control passed back to Rhode Iaslnd.
  • Westerly was claimed by both Connecticut and Rhode Island, and it wasn't until 1728 that Connecticut gave up its claim.
• After the war, the settlers began to return to their homes.
  • On June 12, 1678, he was chosen by the Rhode Island Assembly as Conservator of the Peace for Westerly.
  • On September 17, 1679 he took the oath of allegiance.
  • From 1682-84 he was deputy from Westerly to the Rhode Island Colonial Legislature.
• John died in Westerly on December 31, 1684 without leaving a will, and the town council disposed of his estate.
  • The inventory of his estate, 790 Pounds, made on June 25, 1685, was the largest estate in the town for many years.
  • The most unusual entries appear near the end of the inventory, "one negger boy valued at 20 pounds, and two injin men and Indian garls valued at 30 pounds."
• John is buried in the James Babcock Ground in Westerly.
• Information for this biography from "The Slade-Babcock Genealogy" by Carl Boyer; "The Babcock Genealogy" by Stephen Babcock; "The Ancestry of the Babcock Family" by Gwen Babcock
  • I (J.L.) was in the process of reading a book about John Babcock to create a summary for this memorial when I was sent the above bio by Ken Smith (#46985536) Family links: 
• Parents:  
  • James Babcock (1612 - 1679) 
  • Sarah Brown Babcock (1613 - 1665)
• Spouse:  Mary Lawton Babcock (1646 - 1711)*
  • Children:
    • James Babcock (1663 - 1736)*
    • Anna Babcock Barber (1665 - 1688)*
  • Siblings: (**Half-sibling)
    • James Babcock (1641 - 1698)**
    • John Babcock (1644 - 1685)
    • Jane Babcock Lewis (1668 - 1717)**
• Burial: James Babcock Ground in Westerly, Washington County, Rhode Island, USA

*************************** 1662- Early settler of Westerly, RI.

1669, May 18- Freeman.

1675- Fought in the Great Swamp Fight during King Philip's War.

1678, June 12- Elected as Consevator of the Peace for Westerly, RI by the General Court of Rhode Island.

1682 and 1684: Deputy to the General Assembly for Westerly, RI.

Siblings: James, Jr. born 1641, Job born 1646, Mary born 1648, Nathanuel, Joseph born 1670, and Elizabeth..

From: http://www.familyorigins.com/users/p/o/i/Tanya-B-Poirier

John Babcock b 1644 in Portsmouth, Newport, RI, d Jan 1 1684/85 in Westerly, Washington, RI.

• He was an Indian Interpreter.
• From National Society Colonial Dames:
  • John Babcock 1644-1685 was Deputy from Westerly to Genl Asssembly of RI 1682 & 1684.
• He m Mary Lawton
  • (dtr of George Lawton & Elizabeth Hazard) 1658 in Westerly, Washington, RI.
  • Mary Lawton b 1644 in Portsmouth, Newport, RI, d Nov 8 1711 in Westerly, Washington, RI. John Babcock & Mary Lawton had following children:
  • i. James, Sr. Babcock Capt
  • ii. James Babcock
  • iii. Ann Babcock
  • iv. Mary Babcock
  • v. John Babcock Capt
  • vi. Job Babcock
  • vii. Job Babcock
  • viii. George Babcock
  • ix. Elihu Babcock b Dec 9 1675 in Westerly, RI, b Dec 19 1675 in Westerly, Washington Co, RI, d 1745 in Westerly, Washington Co, RI, Invalid, helpless, never married.
  • x. Robert Babcock
  • xi. Rebecca Stanton
  • xii. Joseph Babcock
  • xiii. Oliver Babcock Capt

****************************** '''From:''' rootsweb.com (Jon Saunders-cousins.connecter@cox.net):

Tradition says that John & wife, Mary, eloped from Newport, settled upon the east bank of Pawcatuck River, on Massatuxet Cove (what is now Avondale, town of Westerly RI) with no neighbors but the friendly Indians & that they were not discovered by their parents for several years. Much poetry & romance have been written upon this tradition, but as no history has been found to establish it as a fact, & as authentic records seem clearly to disprove the statement, we class the elopement story as fiction. John was propounded a freeman of the Colony of CT May 14 1676, & later was admitted a freemen. John Badcock and his father were members of the Misquamicut Co & went there with 1st permanent settlers. At that time John was about 18 yrs of age. He received an apportionment of land & the same as other settlers. He settled in Westerly on the banks of Pawcatuck River, near what is now Avondale, RI, & his oldest son, James, inherited & occupied the homestead. Some of the homestead land was still occupied by descendants of John in 1903. In 1675 King Philip's War broke out, & most of the pioneers of Westerly were obliged to flee from their homes & take refuge on the island of RI. By Sep & Oct 1676 they had begun to return to their abandoned lands & to rebuild their ruined houses & barns. Indications are that John Babcock & family remained in their home in Westerly, which was across the river from CT, & as he could have no protection from RI sought the protection of CT. From the time of its settlement, Westerly was claimed by both RI & CT, & CT did not relinquish her claim to the town until 1728. Traditions says that John volunteered with the CT Militia, which organized for protection against Indians; that in King Philip's War he was with the CT Militia in 'Great Swamp Fight', Dec 19 1675, & that his son Elihu was born at that time. After King Philip's War was over, & white settlers of Westerly had returned to their homes, John Badcock was elected Conservator of Peace for Westerly, Jun 12 1678. He was Deputy from Westerly to Colonial Legislature in 1682 & 1684. He died intestate (1685) & a will disposing of his estate was made by Town Council. Inventory of personal property amounted to 790 pounds & was the largest recorded in the town for many yrs. By law oldest son, James, received all real estate, 1/2f of which he conveyed by deed to his mother. The widow received 1/3 of the personal property, remaining 2/3 divided equally among 9 younger children. Wm E Wright: 'Ancestors & Descendants Of William Browning Greene & Mary Hoxsie Lewis'; Gateway Press; Baltimore, MD; 1993; pp 18-20.

Babcock Genealogy, Stephen Babcock, MA 1832-1916, Instructor at NY School for Blind, Eaton & Mains, NY, 1903, pg: 6, 8

History of Town of Stonington, Richard Anson Wheeler, Press of the Day Publishing Co, New London, CT, 1900, pg: 211, 212

Old Tobe: Some Lines of Descent of Tobias Saunders of Westerly, RI, Earl P. Crandall, Higginson Book Co., Salem, MA, 1995, pg: 4

From Genealogy.com accompanying photos of Babcock and Lawton Gravesites:

This memorial is in Westerly, RI, not far from the Babcock Historical cemetery. John & Mary (Lawton) Badcock eloped to Westerly, RI, in 1662 to this area, originally known then as Misquamicut, an Indian village. Their parents didn't approve of their marriage. They went by canoe from Portsmouth, RI. This is a memorial, to them, for founding Westerly, RI.

And:

Many original tombstones are missing. There are MANY graves...Badcock, James b.1612 England & John b.1644 Portsmouth, RI and their wives are all buried here.. Just up the road, on the opposite side is where the original house stood, on the hill...This was all Badcock land back then...

http://www.babcockancestry.com/books/babcock/093babcockfirst5genera...

John Babcock m Mary Lawton, dtr of George & Elizabeth Hazard Lawton of Portsmouth, RI in 1662. They had 10 children, James, Ann, Mary, John, Job, Elihu, Robert, Joseph, & Oliver...John was prominent mbr of Westerly community. 1669 he was granted 27th lot in town, on banks of Pawcatuck Riv in what is now town of Avondale. When Babcock Genealogy was written in 1903, there were still Babcock descendants living on same piece of property where John and Mary's house had stood.

"About that time King Philip's War broke out, and the treachery and cruelty of the Indians was such that most of the pioneers of Westerly were obliged to flee from their homes and take refuge on the island of Rhode Island. No delegate from the town appears in the General Assembly for 5 years."

Evidently John & family were among few inhabitants who stayed in their home in Westerly, & sought protection from neighboring towns across river in CT. In History of Stonington, he is listed as mbr of CT volunteers in King Philip's War who recd bounty land from Colony. "After King Philip's War was over, & the white settlers of Westerly had returned to their homes, the Colony of Rhode Island must have resumed its jurisdiction over Westerly, for John Badcock was elected by the General Courth of Rhode Island, Conservator of the Peace for Westerly, June 12, 1678." He served as Deputy from Westerly to Colonial Legislature 1682 & 1684. John died intestate & will disposing of his estate was made by Town Council, Jun 25 1685. Inventory of his property dated Jun 4, 1685 totaled 790 pounds & was largest recorded in town for many yrs. Numbers of livestock, 43 steers, 33 cows, 52 horses, 100 sheep & 50 lambs are unusually lrg for this time in New Eng. Most unusual entry appears near end of inventory: 1 negger boy valued at 20 pounds, & 2 Injin men & Indian garls valued at 30 pounds-1st slaves found in my genealogical research.

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@R1050710867@ U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60525::0

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@R1050710867@ U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 Yates Publishing Ancestry.com Operations Inc 1,7836::0

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Source number: 4677.006; Source type: Pedigree chart; Number of Pages: 7 1,7836::42936

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@R-1044483872@ Millennium File Heritage Consulting Ancestry.com Operations Inc 1,7249::0

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1,7249::10981273

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@R-1044483872@ U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60525::0

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1,60525::37346919

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@R-1044483872@ U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,2204::0

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1,2204::831675

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@R-1044483872@ U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60525::0

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1,60525::37346919

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@R-1044483872@ Millennium File Heritage Consulting Ancestry.com Operations Inc 1,7249::0

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1,7249::10981273

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@R-1044483872@ U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60525::0

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1,60525::37346919

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@R-1044483872@ U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,2204::0

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1,2204::831675

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Book Title: The Hazard family of Rhode Island : 1635-1894 : being a genealogy and history of the descendants of Thomas Hazard, with sketches of the worthies of this family, and anecdotes illustrative of their traits and also of the times in which they live 1,61157::3314175

GEDCOM Note

1 _UPD 7 NOV 2017 07:40:18 GMT -0600

Placeholder profile for children found attached to James Badcock, Sr. in error. Please feel free to merge them into correct tree position. - EH, April 2019

Military Service: Nov 1678 - Rhode Island, British Colonial America
(Source: https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-40001-466350871/john-bab...)

Jobs/Career: Was an "Indian Interpreter" and a "Captain"
(Source: https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-40001-466350871/john-bab...)