John Eaton (abt. 1636 - 1715)

Born about 1636 in Dedham, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Alice (Unknown) Eaton — married about 1664 in Dedham, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died 24 Dec 1715 at about age 79 in Dedham, Suffolk, Province of Massachusetts Bay, New England

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Biography

Name

Name: John Eaton

Birth

Born: About 1637, probably in Dedham, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts.

No birth or baptism record for John Eaton has ever been found. He was almost certainly born in that period of time when his parents had moved to Dedham, but remained a member of the church in Watertown. This would have resulted in his birth not being recorded at Dedham (since they were not members of the church), and not at Watertown (since they were not living in the community). This was the practice at the church in Watertown for a number of years and resulted in many baptisms not being recorded anywhere.

Mental Illness

John Eaton suffered from a mental illness (or “distraction”) for his entire adult life. His neighbors Thomas Fuller and Richard Ellis swore to the statement that “John Eaton my neighbor was distracted some years before his fathers death which is about 27 years sentce his father died, and for before he had anything to dispose of eyther Legally or eleagally or either.” His wife Alice appears a very capable woman who petitioned on May 7, 1684 the General Court of Boston to have her husband and his affairs placed under guardianship. ^[1]

To the Honnoble Generall Court Assembled on in Boston

The Humble Petition of Alice wife of John Eaton of Dedham humbly sheweth –

That whereas he ye sd Jno for many yeares past has been bereaved of ye right use of reason, some times raging mad & delirious, other times more sober so as quietly walk ye streets, but always void of common prudence needful to ye manageing of an estate, as all yt know him can declare, and as to the imprudent disposal of a considerable part of his estate doth & may sufficiently evidence. And whereas during ys his condition (wc has been for a space of near 20 years) he has att several times (being inveigled & persuaded by such as very well knew his incapacity of manageing such affairs) disposed and &conveyed &givin assuances in conveyance, of several parcels of land, for little other consideration than fair words, without the knowledge of his friends, & wc he himselfe is utterly ignorant both as to persons to whom , time when & consideration for wch , he gave &made such sd deeds and conveyances.

Whence yor humble petitioner her complaint arrises yt his family & posterity are oppressed . & greatly injured by being held unjustly out of yr propper rights.

And whereas ye sd Jno is now & continues as is incapable of prudent manageing his business as formerly &therefore as probable further to squander &wast his remaining estate : - Do therefore (by, with , &upon ye consent &desire of ye sd Jno) humbly petition (being constrained by wt already suffered, as by wt yor petitioner has reason to fear, And emboldened by ye hopes of ye hopes of ye favr clemency & commiseration of this honnourable Assembly) that such cours may be taken as yt yor Humble petitioner & hr indigent family, may have redress of grieveances, and prevent inconveniences of ye like nature by makeing and empowering a committee to examin &rectify all past conviences of land by him ye sd Jno made, & putting ye sd Jno under ward or Guardian, without whom he not have power to act in things of this rate, and whereby yor Humble Petitioner shall be further obliged to pray always for yor Honnrs good improvement & happyness.^[2]

Her petition was granted and Alice Eaton along with 2 others was empowered to examine past deals of John Eaton and to assume control of his affairs “for the prevention of future damage& preserve the estate for the benefit of the family.” Whether or not Alice Eaton was able to recover any of the lands she felt were wrongly taken from her husband is not known. The John and Alice Eaton case is cited as an example that mental illness was recognized in this time period and that not everyone who exhibited unusual behavior was accused of witchcraft.^[3]

While his father was well respected and played an active role in the Dedham community, John Eaton is much less conspicuous in the records of Dedham. He primarily appears in tax rolls and records noting some deficiency. By 1704, John’s name disappears from the various lists in Dedham and is replaced by his son William Eaton. No will or settlement of John Eaton’s estate has ever been found and this is likely because of his mental illness and because his estate was already split among his heirs. In 1703, two of his sons, Thomas and Jonathan, had purchased lands and removed to Woodstock, Connecticut. William Eaton inherited all the lands and farms in Dedham and Needham. In 1706, John sold land to his son William. John Eaton died December 24, 1715 in Dedham. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

Marriage and Children

Married: Alice about 1664. Her maiden name has never been discovered.

Estimate based of first child being born in July 1665.

1. John Eaton b. 15 July 1665 in Dedham, Massachusetts; d. 15 October 1665 in Dedham.
2. John Eaton b. 17 September 1671 in Dedham; m. Ann Whiting abt. 1694; d. 28 October 1694 in Dedham. (ch. John). She m. 2nd John Lewis on 4 April 1700 and 3rd James Herring on 11 August 1725.
3. Thomas Eaton b. July 23, 1675 in Dedham; m. Lydia Gay on October 05, 1697 in Dedham; removed to Woodstock, Connecticut 1703, then Ashford, Conn.; d. August 14, 1748 in Ashford, Connecticut. (ch. Thomas Lydia, Hannah, Nathaniel, David, Joshua, Ann, Ebenezer, Ephraim).
4. William Eaton b. August 11, 1677 in Dedham; m. Mary Starr, the sister of his brother Jonathan’s wife, on April 27, 1704 in Dedham; inherited his father’s estate in Dedham; d. April 03, 1718 in Dedham (ch. William, Mary, Josiah, Sarah, Jeremiah, Abiel)
5. Judith Eaton b. September 17, 1679 at Dedham; d. April 26, 1680 at Dedham.
6. Jonathan Eaton Born 3 September 1681 at Dedham. m. Lydia Abiah Starr on 30 November 1705. 11 children. Died June 25, 1748 at Thompson , Windham Co., Connecticut.
7. David Eaton b. March 08, 1682/83 in Dedham; d. March 23, 1682/83 in Dedham.
8. Ebenezer Eaton b. May 03, 1687 in Dedham; d. May 23, 1688 in Dedham.

Death

Died: 24 December 1715 at Dedham, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts.

'____ Eaton, deceased December the 24, 1715.'

Note: Though the death record does not have a first name, all other Eatons of Dedham have been accounted for and this is considered to be the record of his death.

Common Errors to Avoid

Early sources confused his death with that of his son, John Eaton. The assumption being the father died before the son. In fact, his son died 1694, and he died in 1715.

Thomas was born in 1698. He was the son of Thomas Eaton and Lyida Gay. He passed away in 1773.

Sources

1. ↑ Dedham. Dedham Historical Register, vol. 11. (1900): 114.
2. ↑ v. 8 -- Depositions (from p.57), 1662-1766 ; v. 9 -- Domestic relations, 1643-1774 ; v. 10 -- Ecclesiastical (to p.23), 1637-1670., Family Search (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9Y5-NCZ4 : 19 April 2024), Massachusetts State Archives Collections, Film# 007702907, image 824-831.
3. ↑ Demos, John. Entertaining Satan: Witchcraft and the Culture of Early New England. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1982).
4. ↑ Hill, Don Gleason Hill ed. Dedham Town Records, vol. 1: The Records of Births, Marriages and Deaths in the Town of Dedham, 1634-1845. (Dedham, Mass., 1886):41.
5. ↑ Alden, John Eaton. Eaton Family of Dedham and the Powder House Rock. (Dedham, 1900): 29.
6. ↑ Note: Entry reads " ____ Eaton, deceased December the 24, 1715. " All Eaton's of Dedham have been accounted for in this time, so the record is presumed to apply to this John Eaton.

• Preston, Edward M. A History of Captain Roswell Preston of Hampton, Connecticut (E.M. Preston, Nevada City, California, 1899) Page 43
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