John Heard, of Kittery

Not the same as John Heard, of Dover

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".

John Heard is not known to have been a relative of Capt. John Heard, who lived in the same area, but on the opposite side of the Newichawnnock River. He made his will on 3 March 1657, leaving his farm to his grandson John Heard, and legacies to his granddaughters Mary, Elizabeth, Katherine, Abigail and Ann.

"John Heard was in Kittery in 1640, and lived at first on Chapernowne's Island. He was living with his wife at Sturgeon Creek in 1645. Wife's name was Isabel. His will, dated 3 March 1675-6 was probated 21 Feb. 1676. It wills all his property to the children of James Heard, his son. Another son was, doubtless, Warwick Heard, accidentally shot by Charles Frost."

Sources

• Province and Court Records of Maine, (Portland 1928-1975; rpt. Newburyport, Massachusetts, 1991) 1:42
• Provincial Papers, Documents and Records Relating to the Province of New Hampshire from 1686 to 1722 , 40 volumes, Nathaniel Boulton, ed. (Manchester, N.H., 1867-1943) 10:701, 40:9;
• Sybil Noyes, Charles Thornton Libby and Walter Goodwin Davis,Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire (Portland, Maine, 1928-1939; rpt. Baltimore 1972) 322
• Everett S. Stackpole, Old Kittery and Her Families (Lewiston, Maine, 1903; rpt. Somersworth, New Hampshire, 1981) 511
• Joshua Coffin, A Sketch of the History of Newbury, Newburyport, and West Newbury, from 1635 to 1845 (Hampton, New Hampshire, 1845) 304
• Everett, Elizabeth (Hawley), Hawley and Nason Ancestry, Including the Following Contributory Lines Chicago: R. F. Seymour, 1929) 64
• Converse, Charles Allen, Some of the Ancestors and Descendants of Samuel Converse, Jr...(Salem, Mass.: Salem Press, 1905) 807
• Wentworth: Wentworth, John, The Wentworth Genealogy: England and America, (Boston: Little, Brown, 1878) 1:665
• NEHGR 33:95
• WikiTree contributors, "John Heard (1612-1676)," WikiTree: The Free Family Tree, (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Heard-51 : accessed 04 February 2024).
• Birth seen as November 29, 1612 St Pancras, Chichester, Sussex, Eng., son of John HEARD & Sarah, without supporting evidence.