John ‘the Pilgrim’ Shaw, of Plymouth

Not the same as John ‘Weaver’ Shaw, of Weymouth

John Shaw b. abt 1597 at England; m. abt 1622 Alice Shaw Nee Unknown; d. aft 30 January 1663 at Middleboro, Plymouth, MA, aged 66 years.

His ancestry is unknown.

Their Children:

• 1. John b. abt 1622 at England; thought to have returned to England after selling land to brother-in-law Stephen Bryant in 1651.
• 2. Abigail b. abt 1624 at England; m. abt 1646 Stephen Bryant; d. 24 October 1694 at Plymouth, Plymouth, MA, aged 70 years. 
• 3. James b. abt 1626 at England, MA; m. 24 December 1652 Mary Mitchell at Plymouth, Plymouth, MA
• 4. Jonathan b. 1631 at Plymouth, Plymouth

John came to America before 1627 from England. His wife and children followed at a later date. He was listed as a freeman in 1636 and 1637, which means he disavowed his allegiance to the King of England. In 1645 he was one of eight men who went out against the Narragansett Indians. He worked as a surveyor of roadways in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

John Shaw was an "old comer" at Plymouth, sharing in the division of cattle there in 1627, and one of the first settlers of Middleborough in 1662.

notes

Mar. 6, 1654, John Shaw's wife, Alice, died. In poor health John returned to England to die. On Jan. 30, 1663, a deed of gift was recorded in Plymouth whereby he distributed his land to his heirs. This deed reads as follows: "Know all men by these presents that I, John Shaw, of Plymouth in New England, Senior have and do by these presents give unto my son-in-law Stephen Bryant of Plymouth all that, my whole share of land allotted unto me near unto Namassaket both upland and meadow, with all and singular, the appurtenances there unto belonging to the said Stephen Bryant and his heirs and assigns forever. Also, I do give unto my son-in-law, Stephen Bryant, another portion of land called by the name of Rehoboth, which land was formerly granted unto me lying on the south-side of Smelt River according as it is bounded and set out with all appurtences there unto belong to the said Stephen Bryant, his heirs, etc. I do declare by these presents that I do give unto my son, James, one-half my purchase lands at Cushena and one-fourth to son Jonathan and one-fourth to Stephen Bryant. Me daughter, Abigail Bryant, my bed, etc., also my chest." 

John Shaw of Middleborough is in the book: "John Shaw of Plymouth, Massachusetts, The descendants of John Shaw of Plymouth, Massachusetts" and his wife Alice UNKNOWN who died in 1654, by Margaret Johnson Drake (1972). 

supporting data

COMMENTS: On 1 July 1633 Plymouth Court ordered that "unless Mr. Gilson, John Shaw, & the rest that undertook the cutting of the passage between Green's Harbour & the bay finish it before the first of October next ensuing, according to covenant, they be amerced in ten pounds; but if any of them will do it, the fine be exacted of the rest, & they paid for their labor" [PCR 1:13].

John Shaw brought several actions against his Plymouth neighbors for trespass, 3 March 1639/40, 1 September 1640 [PCR 7:15, 18]. Kenelm Winslow and Mr. William Hanbury brought actions against Shaw, 7 December 1641 and 7 September 1642, respectively [PCR 7:24, 31].

BIBLIOGRAPHIC NOTE: In 1997 Jonathan A. Shaw published a comprehensive account of this immigrant and his descendants to the fourth generation [NEHGR 151:259-85, 417-37].

SHAW, JOHN-Arriving at Plymouth between 1623, when he was not named in the division of land, and 1626, when he was a Purchaser, John Shaw became the leader of one of the companies in the 1627 cattle division, and he was on the 1633 freeman list. It is likely that he had one or more children born in England, though any family would have arrived after the 1627 list, for he was alone at that time. He was later known to have a wife Alice, surname unknown, and it is not known if she came from England, or if he might have had an earlier wife in England. Shaw engaged in a number of land transactions, was a leader of the group that cut the passage between Green's Harbor and the bay in 1633 (PCR 1:13-14), and was a highway surveyor for Plymouth in 1643 and 1644 (PCR 2:53, 72). In 1653 John and Alice Shaw agreed to raise Benjamin Savory, son of Thomas and Annis Savory, and if they died before Benjamin reached twenty-one, Jonathan Shaw, John's son, was to do it, and was also to teach Benjamin reading and writing (MD 5:90). On 26 March 1658 John Shaw of Plymouth, planter, gave his son, Sgt. James Shaw, one-half of his land at Cushena, but another son, John Shaw, would get half of the land given James if he came before 1 March 1661/62 (MD 10:34). On 30 January 1663/64 John Shaw, Sr. gave his son-in-law Stephen Bryant land at Namassakett and Rehoboth, and he gave one-half of his land at Cushena to his son James, and one-fourth of the same land each to his son Jonathan Shaw and his son-in-law Stephen Bryant; he gave his daughter Abigail Bryant his furniture after his death (MD 10:35). On 22 March 1663164 George Watson and John Shaw, Sr. were granted a lot on Puncateesett Necke (Ply. Town Recs, 1:67). Benjamin Shurtleff wrote an undocumented history of his family, John Shaw of Plymouth, Massachusetts (Kenflworth, 111.).Source: Plymouth Colony Its History & People 1620-1691 by Eugene Aubrey Stratton

Plymouth Colony Deeds. John Shaw and Alice his wife to live with them untell hee bee one and twenty yeares of age hee beinge nine yeares old in march next Next ensuing in consideration heerof the aforsaid John Shaw is to pay to the aforsaid Thomas Savory thirty shillings prsent paied; And when the aforsaid Beniamine Savory is one and twenty yeares of age the aforsaid John Shaw is to give him five pounds or a Cow to the worth of five pounds; But if incase that the aforsaid John Shaw or Alice Shaw his wife one or both of them should Decease before the said Beniamines terme of yeares bee expired; the said Beniamine Savory is to stay and serve out his time with Jonathan Shaw the sonne of the aforsaid John Shaw and the said Jonathan Shaw is to pforme all the conditions above mencioned; And likewise the said Jonathan Shaw is to teach him his learning writing and reading within the tearme of yeares above mencioned; And when his time is expired the said Jonathan Shaw is to give him two suites of apparrell and likewise the said Jonathan Shaw is to teach the said Beniamine Savory whatsoever trade the said Jonathan Shaw can Doe; And in Witnesse heerunto wee have enterchangably sett to our hands the Day and yeare above written In the prsence of John Staw his marke Robert Lee Alice Shaw her marke Robert Barker his marke Jonathan Shaw Willam Spooner his marke Thomas Savory Annis Savory her marke [On inner margin of page.] Jonathan Shaw is cleared of any engagement unto Benjamine Savory; by mutuall Concent of all the psons concerned in these Covenants that are now alive with the approbation of the majestrates att the court held att Plymouth the 4th march 1657

[JOHN WINSLOW TO JOHN SHAW.] The 28th of December 1653 Memorand; That Mr John Winslow of the towne of Plymouth in the Jurisdiction of New Plym: Doth acknowlidg that for and in consideration of the summe of 3 pounds and six shillings to him in hand paied by John Shaw senior of Plymouth aforsaid planter; hee hath freely and absolutly barganed and sold unto the said John Shaw a pcell of mersh meadow conteining two acres bee it more or lesse lying in greenharbour mersh att a place called the pinney point over against wood Island lying next a psell of mersh belonging to Mis Jenings; To have and to hold the said two acres of Mersh meadow bee it more or lesse with all and singulare the appurtenances belonging therunto unto the said John Shaw his heires and assignes for ever; unto the onely proper use and behoofe of him the said John Shaw his heires and assignes for ever Acknowlidged before Mr Bradford Govr

John left Plymouth, England in 1622, and came to New England as early as 1627.
John took the oath of Freeman in 1636.

GEDCOM Note

John Shaw's place of birth is unknown. It may or may not have been in England. John's wife Alice certainly was NOT Alice Phillips. The John Shaw who married Alice Phillips was born in 1630 in Halifax, England, so he obviously could not be the same person as this John Shaw, who was born probably about 1597.

Alice Phillips' husband John Shaw was a son of Abraham Shaw, and DNA testing has proven that the Abraham Shaw family belong to the I1 haplogroup, whereas this John Shaw's male descendants are R1b. Thus, there is absolutely no way that John's wife Alice was Alice Phillips.

Incidentally, the Abraham Shaw family are English, while DNA testing has shown that this John Shaw family was Irish -- they match with the O'Sheas or Shees of Tipperary and Kilkenny. Evidentally this family's surname changed from "Shee" or "Shea" to "Shaw." Historical records show that a branch of the Shees of Kilkenny, Ireland, were merchants engaged in trade with Bristol, England. We don't know if these Shaws came from those Shees who traded in Bristol, but anyway we know that at least one branch of Kilkenny Shees moved between Ireland and England, so it's conceivable that other Shees left Ireland and settled in England, becoming English and forgetting that they once had been Irish.

A further note about when John Shaw and Alice married. We don't know if Alice was John's only wife -- it's quite possible that Alice was his second wife, and that John's children were Alice's stepchildren. Therefore we cannot affirm that Alice married John prior to 1622. ONLY IF she was the mother of John's children would she and John have married prior to 1622.

Update

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34168037/john-shaw

This John Shaw is not of Irish ancestry. Per Jared L. Olar, this turned out to be incorrect. ", as for the link to the O'Sheas or O'Shees of Tipperary and Kilkenny, that turned out to be incorrect for John Shaw of Plymouth Colony. Some initial DNA testing led me down a false path. Two Shaw men (who are cousins) are descendants of Darius Shaw of Dartmouth -- they took Family Tree DNA y-DNA tests which showed that they are descendants of the O'Shees of Tipperary in Ireland. Now, in the past it was thought that Darius Shaw of Dartmouth was identical to a Darius Shaw who descended from our John Shaw. However, several male-line descendants of our John Shaw have taken FTDNA y-DNA test, which show them all to be cousins -- and their y-DNA is Scandinavian (from the area of Denmark, Scania, and Pomerania), which means our John Shaw was descended from the Anglo-Saxons or the Danes of England, NOT from the Irish O'Shees. That means Darius Shaw of Dartmouth was not a member of our John Shaw family after all, and our Shaws were English (well, possibly Lowland Scottish, of a family that was originally of viking origin), not Irish.

I go into greater detail about that here: http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~fesschequy/genealogy/DariusShawDNA.html

References

• Pilgrim Village Families Sketch: John Shaw by Robert Charles Anderson

1. John Shaw - Plimouth Foundation "A genealogical profile of John Shaw"

• John Shaw of Plymouth, Massachusetts and his descendants
• http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~fesschequy/ShawGen.html
• http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=kenshaw20...
• http://jskent.blogspot.com/2010/06/john-shaw-family-us-1626-to-curr...
• Genealogy and history of representative citizens of the commonwealth of Massachusetts Samuel Shaw
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34168037/john-shaw
• Mayflower Source Records
• List of Those Able to Bear Arms in the Colony of New Plymouth in 1643
• New England, The Great Migration and The Great Migration Begins, 1620-1635 for John Shaw Great Migration Begins, Vol 3, P-W
• https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~fesschequy/genealogy/Shaw.html?_ga=... Register Type Parish Register