John
Drake
Born about in Warwickshire, England
Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]
[sibling(s) unknown]
Husband of
Lettice (Shakespeare) Drake
— married
25 Jun 1615 (to 10 Nov 1623) in Hampton in Arden, Warwickshire, England
Husband of
Elizabeth (Rogers) Drake
— married
after 10 Nov 1623 in Hampton in Arden, Warwickshire, England [uncertain]
Descendants [uncertain] 
Father of
John Drake Jr., Ester Drake, Job Drake Sr, Enoch Drake, Jacob Drake, Elizabeth (Drake) Elderkin and Mary (Drake) Gaylord
Died
at about age 74
in Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut
Profile last modified
| Created 28 Nov 2010
This page has been accessed 13,096 times.
There are disproven, disputed, or competing theories about this person's parents. See the text for details.
| John Drake migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 98) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm |
Contents |
Biography
Birth
John Drake was born about 1585 in Warwickshire, England. His parents are currently unknown. (Please see: Research Notes for discussion.)
Marriage
He married Lettice Shakespeare on 25 Jun 1615 in Hampton in Aden, Warwick, England.[1] After Lettice died in 1623,[2] he married Elizabeth Rodgers. They had at least three children.
He may have arrived in New England on one of the ships that left Weymouth, England in Apr 1637 , as several of those families ended up in Taunton. He is on a list of original proprietors of Taunton that dates to 1638 or 1639.
On 26 Jan 1640/1 in Windsor, he received a land grant of 16 acres.
Death
On 17 Aug 1659 in Windsor, Connecticut. “John Drake, Senior dyed accidentally, as he was driving a cart loaded with corn, to carry from his house to his son Jacob's the Cattle being two oxen and his mare, in the high way against John Griffin's something scar'd the Cattle, and they set a running, and he labouring to stop them by taking hold on the mare, was thrown down on his face, and cart wheels went over him: brake one of his legs and bruised his body, so that he was taken up dead, being carried into his daughter's house and life come again, but dyed in a short time and was buried on the 18th day of August 1659."
Will First, I bequeah my soule to God that gave it me, and my body to Earthly burial. As for my worldly goods, I thus dispose of them: First, I desire that there may be a Inventory tooke off my State and within twelve months after my decease: I give to my son John £ 20; and after my wyve's decease, out of the State I have, I give him tenn pounds more; and to son Job I give my six acres of meaddow that is bounded of the South side with Goodman Phillps, Within twelve moneths after my decease, then, after my wife's decease, I give that six acres forementioned to his sonne Job; and after my wife's decease, I give to all grand children, viz., three of sonne John, and four of my sonne Job, and one of my daughter Elizabeth Gaylord, three pounds apeece; and too my wife I give all my part off Howsing and Lands that I have in possession ffor to make use of as she and her ffriends shall think will be fore her best advantage; and my land that I bought of Goodman Bissell that Lye of the East Side of the great river I give to my sonne Jacob provided that he pay to my sonne John tenne pounds after my wif's decease, ffor to make his porshon £ 30; the house and my land that I bought that was Mr Sen Nicholases (Mr. John Saint Nicholas) that lys of the west side of the great river I give to my sonne Jacob, and after my wife's decease he shall pay the rest of his brothers & sisters sixteen pounds ffor the Land that I have given to my sonne Jacob; my wife is to have the propriety of it for her use while shee live, and after her decease then my sonne Jacob shall have full possession of it with its appurtenances yt appertain thereunto, provided that he pay the formentioned Sums of money to his Brethren, viz., tenne pounds to my sonne John and sixteene pounds to the rest of his brothers and sisters; too my sonne Jacob I also give him my two tables and a bedsted that he maks use of yt belongs to that end of the House next the Highway in the lower romms; to my daughter Mary Gayler I give one fetherbed and two blankets and a bolster after my wife's decease; and to my daughter Elizabeth I give one coverlid after my decease; and to Timothy I give him forty shillings and two good sutes of clothes when his time is out; and the rest of Stock shall be equally divided amongst my five children after my wife's decease."
Elizabeth Rodgers - "Old widow Drake in her 100th year of age dyed Oct 7th 81."
Children
According to two well-documented resources, Frank B. Gay in 1933[3], and Robert Charles Anderson in 1988,[4] the children of John Drake of Windsor were the following, with known bapt. dates added. Neither Gay nor Anderson named Ester or Enoch.
- John Drake, bap. 25 Aug 1616,[5] m. 30 Nov 1648
- Ester Drake, daughter of John Drake and Lettis his wife was baptized 18 Jan 1617/8 at Hampton in Arden,[6] Ester is not mentioned by either of the aforementioned genealogists who who appear to have based John's children on those who were known to be in New England, and had only estimated births.
- Job Drake, bap. 5 Mar 1619/20,[7][8] m. 25 June 1646
- Enoch Drake, son of John and Lettice Drake was baptized the 31 day of March 1622. [1621/2][9][10]
- Jacob Drake, b. ca. 1625, m. 12 April 1649
- Elizabeth Drake, bap. 9 Jan 1624/25,[11] m. 9 Feb 1653
- Mary Drake, likely bap. 20 May 1632,[12] m. 17 Nov 1655
Another researcher, Floyd Nelson Drake, in a book privately printed in 1963[13]includes an additional son Samuel, "b. in Eng. abt. 1612". His only source that names Samuel as a son of John Drake is "Bolton's History of Westchester County, NY", Appendix p. 514. That page refers to Drake of Eastchester. "John Drake, of the council of Plymouth, one of the original company established by King James in 1606 for settling New England, was a branch of the family of Drake of Ashe, several of whose sons came to the country. John, who came to Boston in 1630, with two or more sons, and who finally settled in Windsor." Floyd Nelson Drake then states: "Samuel Drake, son of John, last mentioned, removed to Fairfield about 1650, and from thence to Eastchester in 1663." No sources are cited to document that John Drake of Windsor, Connecticut is the same John Drake who came to Boston in 1630, or that John Drake of Windsor was the father of Samuel Drake.
Research Notes
Disputed Parents:
The Plantagenet ancestry for this line has been disproven. It has often been assumed that John Drake was the son of William Drake and Phillippa Dennys of Wiscombe, Devon, with an illustrious medieval lineage. However, this assumption has been rejected by the eminent genealogists Robert Charles Anderson (author of the Great Migration series) and Douglas Richardson (author of the Magna Carta Ancestry and Royal Ancestry series). Therefore, John Drake's parents are shown in this profile as unknown.[14]
Sources
- ↑ "England, Warwickshire, Parish Registers, 1535-1963," database with images, FamilySearch [1] : 13 September 2022), John Da*Ker and Lettes Schapper, 25 Jun 1615; Marriage; citing Hampton in Arden, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom, p. , Warwick County Record Office, England; FHL microfilm . (See the left page, 4th marriage record from top, "John Drak and Lettes Schaxper were married the xxv (25th) day of June 1615.")
- ↑ "England, Warwickshire, Parish Registers, 1535-1963," [2] database with images, FamilySearch: 21 August 2019], Lettice Drake, 10 Nov 1623; Burial; citing Hampton in Arden, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom, p. , Warwick County Record Office, England; FHL microfilm.
- ↑ "The Descendants of John Drake of Windsor, Connecticut", compiled by the direction of Frank B. Gay, page 3.
- ↑ Robert Charles Anderson, "John Drake of Windsor, CT", The American Genealogist, Vol 63, page 201. (can be accessed at NEHGS
- ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch [3] : 11 February 2018, John Drake in entry for John Drake, 25 Aug 1616); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 942.48 H1 V26H.
- ↑ "England, Warwickshire, Parish Registers, 1535-1963," database with images, FamilySearch [4] : 26 February 2019), Ester Drake, 18 Jan 1617; Christening; citing Hampton in Arden, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom, Warwick County Record Office, England.
- ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch [5] : 11 February 2018, Job Drake, 05 Mar 1620); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 942.48 H1 V26H.
- ↑ "England, Warwickshire, Parish Registers, 1535-1963," database with images, FamilySearch [6] : 26 February 2019), Job Drake, 5 Mar 1619; Christening; citing Hampton in Arden, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom, Warwick County Record Office, England.
- ↑ Warwickshire County Record Office; Warwick, England; Warwickshire Anglican Registers; Roll: Engl/2/1305; Document Reference: DR(B) 63 Image Accessed at Ancestry ($)
- ↑ "England, Warwickshire, Parish Registers, 1535-1963," database with images, FamilySearch : 21 August 2019, Enock Drake, 31 Mar 1622; Christening; citing Hampton in Arden, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom, Warwick County Record Office, England.
- ↑ "England, Warwickshire, Parish Registers, 1535-1963," database with images, FamilySearch [7] : 26 February 2019), Elizabeth Drake, 9 Jan 1624; Christening; citing Hampton in Arden, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom, Warwick County Record Office, England.
- ↑ "England, Warwickshire, Parish Registers, 1535-1963," database with images, FamilySearch [8] : 26 February 2019), Drake, 20 May 1632; Christening; citing Hampton in Arden, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom, Warwick County Record Office, England. Note the name of the mother and daughter are not legible.
- ↑ Floyd Nelson Drake, "The Family of Nelson Drake Back to 1630", 1963, page 124.
- ↑ See Notes on the two John Drakes in New England in the 1630s by David Copus. See also John Drake of Windsor, Conn. and John Drake of Windsor, Conn. Redux by Martin Hollick.
See also:
- New Englanders in the 1600s: A Guide to Genealogical Research Published Between 1980 adn 2005, by Martin E. Hollick (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2006) p. 65. DRAKE, JOHN, b. ca. 1585, d. Windsor, Conn., 17 August 1659. TAG 63:193-206, TAG 65:87-88; MJ 1:25, 66, 3:9-11, 4:75-98; 25:82-83.
- Emery, Samuel Hopkins. "History of Taunton Massachusetts", Syracuse, NY, D. Mason & Co., 1893.
- The History and Genealogies of Ancient Windsor| Page 178
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Ann
It has been proved that there were two different contemporary John Drakes who were in New England during 1630-1640. One Mr. John Drake arrived in New England in 1630 and was from the noble family, the Drakes of Wiscombe Park, Devon. The other, Goodman John Drake of Hampton in Arden, Warwickshire, was a commoner whose family arrived in Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut by 1638-39.
The 13 Mar 1634 will of Francis Drake of Esher mentions a John, son of Francis' cousin William D., who was in New England. However, the John Drake of this profile did not arrive in New England until 1638-39 and did not have the high social status of the John Drake who would have been related to Francis Drake of Esher. As indicated in this profile, John Drake of Windsor did not have any relation to the William Drake who was cousin of Francis Drake of Esher.
I hope this information helps.
Regards, Ann
Please refer to:
Anderson, Robert Charles, Some Doubts About the Parentage of John Drake of Windsor, Connecticut. The American Genealogist, Vol. 63, No. 4, Oct 1988. Pp. 193-206. Available on AmericanAncestors.org.
Anderson, Robert Charles, Drake Redux". The American Genealogist, Vol. 65, No. 2, April 1990, Pp. 87-88. Available on AmericanAncestors.org.
This first article is also transcribed here: http://www.xroyvision.com.au/drake/history/hist58.html
edited by Laurence Mohr
Enoch Drake son of John Drake and Lettyce was baptized on 31 March 1622. His name is in the parish register but is omitted in the transcription.
Source Citation Warwickshire County Record Office; Warwick, England; Warwickshire Anglican Registers; Roll: Engl/2/1305; Document Reference: DR(B) 63
Source Information Ancestry.com. Warwickshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1535-1812 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
_________________________________
Joseph Drake son of John Drake was buried 20 November 1634
Source Citation Warwickshire County Record Office; Warwick, England; Warwickshire Anglican Registers; Roll: Engl/2/1305; Document Reference: DR(B) 63
Source Information Ancestry.com. Warwickshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1535-1812 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
The burial record of Joseph Drake doesn't mention his mother's name, which is typical of other records I've seen, but again John Jr. named one of his sons with the same name. I think this record is important because it places this family in Warwick (20-Nov-1634) at the time Francis Drake's will (of the famous Devon family) went to probate (11-May-1634) and recognized John Drake of Devon who was already in New England. This is evidence that John Drake of Windsor and Warwick is a different person.
edited by Laurence Mohr
Kelly Drake
Note the year is 1659 not 1654 as shown in the "form" portion of the profile for dates
The family of Nelson Drake; back to 1630, New York and Michigan pioneers, with genealogy supplement. Main Author: Drake, Floyd Nelson. Language(s): English Published: [St. Cloud, Fla.] 1963. Subjects: Drake family. Physical Description: 147 p. illus., map [1]