Major John Willard of Jamaica

ID: I10430 Name: John WILLARD 1 Sex: M Birth: 8 Sep 1673 in Groton, Middlesex, MA Death: Bet 1723 and 1724 in Port Royal, Jamaica, West Indies Note: Sources: "Willard Genealogy," Charles Henry Pope, 1915 & "Willard Memoir," Joseph Willard, 1858 & "New Englanders in the West Indies," NEHGS NEXUS, Vol 14, pg. 6. Title: Paine Ancestry, The Family of Robert Treat Paine Author: Sarah Cushing Paine, ed. Charles Henry Pope Publication: Boston: 1912 Repository: Note: NEHGS Library Call Number: Media: Book Page: pg. 86 Title: History of the Town of Groton, Including Pepperell and Shirley: from the First Grant of Groton Plantation Author: Caleb Butler Publication: Boston: T. R. Marvin, 1848 Repository: Note: www.Ancestry.com Call Number: Media: Book "Willard Genealogy," Charles Henry Pope, 1915 & "New Englanders in the West Indies," NEHGS NEXUS, Vol 14, pg. 6.

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HintsAncestry Hints for John WILLARD

   2 possible matches found on Ancestry.com	Ancestry.com

Father: Samuel WILLARD b: 31 Jan 1640 in Concord, Middlesex, MA Mother: Abigail SHERMAN b: 1 Feb 1648 in Watertown, Middlesex, MA

Marriage 1 Frances SHERBURNE b: in Jamaica? Married: Bet 1703 and 1704 in Port Royal, Jamaica, West Indies Children Has No Children William WILLARD Has No Children Nancy WILLARD Has No Children Frances WILLARD Has No Children Samuel WILLARD b: Abt 1705

Sources: Title: WILLARD GENEALOGY, SEQUEL TO WILLARD MEMOIR Author: Materials gathered by Joseph Willard and Charles Wilkes Walker, Edited and completed by Charles Henry Pope Publication: Printed for the Willard Family Assn., Boston, MA, 1915, Murray and Emery, Kendall Sq., Cambridge, MA, Digital Edition 2001 by Richard Bingham, Oceanport, NJ Repository:

SAMUEL, Groton, sec. s. of major Simon, began to preach there 1662, was ord. 13 July, and m. 8 Aug. 1664, Abigail, d. of John Sherman, the min. of Watertown, and of that Mary Launce of wh. is told in the Magn. the preposterous myth, of her being gr.d. of Earl Rivers, as also of the happiness of the two ws. of Sherman, the latter count. by the score, in bring. him ch. He had Abigail, b. 5 July 1665; Samuel, 25 Jan. or 17 Mar. 1668, d. young; Mary, 10 Oct. 1669; John, 8 Sept. 1673, H. C. 1690, merch. at Kingston, Jamaica (wh. was f. of Rev. Samuel, H. C. 1723, wh. was f. of the Rev. Joseph, H. C. 1765, and presid. of the Univ. from 1781 to his d. 25 Sept. 1840); Elizabeth 27 Feb. 1675; and Simon, the latter b. at Boston, aft. the ind. destr. Groton, 6 Dec. 1676, H. C. 1695. But two more ch. of the first m. are report.' wh. d. too young to have names. His w. d. soon after, and he m. a. 1679, Eunice, d. of the first Edward Tyng, had Edward, 6 July 1680, d. young; Josiah, 21 June 1681, H. C. 1698 (wh. was long Secr. of our prov. a counsel. and judge of pro. d. 6 Dec. 1656); Eunice, Jan. 1683, d. young; Richard, May 1684, drown. 28 June 1697, few hrs. after ent. coll. in his 13th yr. says Sewall's diary; William, bapt. 14 Feb. 1686; Margaret, b. 3 Dec. 1687; Edward, again, Sept. 1689, d. young; Hannah, Dec. 1690; Sarah, Feb. 1693, d. young; Eunice, again, bapt. 16 June 1695; Sarah, again, b. 10 June 1697, d. young; and Richard, again, Sept. 1699. Only six of these twelve by the sec. w. outliv. their f. and only the sec.

Eunice and Josiah liv. to mid. age. Nor is there now remain, any male descend. of the progenit. exc. in the line of John through Rev. Samuel. He was freem. 1670, instal. 31 Mar. 1678 at the O. S. ch. as success. to Thacher, the first min. and was highly esteem. call. by the Gen. Ct. to preach their sermon on a fast, in the anxious days of Feb. 1683, and doing gr. service, in recov. the public judgm. from the horrible delusion of the witchcraft cruelty, and on the forced resignat. of Increase Mather, as Presid. of the coll. was made his success. as vice-presid. 6 Sept. 1701, without the obligat. of resid. at Cambridge, the fatal necessity that disgusted his predecess. He resign. 14 Aug. 1707, and d. 12 Sept. foll.

Note: merchant at Jamaica, then London. Left large estate to siblings & parents; Willard Geneology, 1915

Change Date: 22 MAY 2002 at 20:45:06

John married Frances SHERBURNE (grandparents of Joseph WILLARD, astronomer, Hellenist, and president of Harvard 1781-1804);

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There are several webpages (with no sources, of course) that state that Nancy Willard married Capt John Parris on May 28, 1727 as her second husband (first husband was a Mosser) and died in 1730. She was born in Kingston, Jamaica, the daughter of Major John Willard and Frances Sherburne who died Oct 25 1741 in Kingston, Jamaica. Perhaps some research into the records of Jamaica will prove whether or not her husband Capt. John Parris was the son of Col. Alexander Parris

Posted on: WILLARD (and variants) Queries

Reply Here: http://genconnect.rootsweb.com/gc/surnames/w/i/WILLARD/queries/10054

Surname: Willard

Hi Deborah,

Thank you for that transcript. I didn't read every word of the 25 pages

but even so I couldn't see any mention of when he was executed.

In the Willard Memoir there was a Major John Willard, when a young man,

at the time of the "witchcraft delusion." seems to have sympathized with

his father (Major Simon Willard) in hostility to the proceedings at Salem.

The paragraph goes on to say "he was "bound over upon suspicion of conveying

off Mrs. Elizabeth Cary from their Majesties jail in Cambridge."

On his return from Europe in 1697, when the community had recovered its

senses, "none appearing to object against him, he was acquitted of his

bond by proclamation." An interesting account of this lady's imprisonment

and the harsh treatment she experienced until her rescue by young Willard,

will be found in "Calef."

This John Willard was the son of Samuel and Mary, born at Groton, Sept

8, 1673; went to Harvard College,1690. He m. Frances Sherburne of Jamica?

in 1703/04. She survived him at least ten years and died in Kingston in

1733.

He became a merchant and travelled abroad. He seemed to have been very

prosperous

So here is a John Willard that had some connection with the witch trials

apparently, so perhaps this ties in?

Thanks for your letter and be glad to hear from you again.

Bunny