John Winslow (1597 - bef. 1674)

Born 16 Apr 1597 in Droitwich, Worcestershire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Chilton) Winslow — married before 22 May 1627 in Plymouth Colony

Descendants

Died before 21 May 1674 before age 77 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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John Winslow migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See Great Migration Begins, by R. C. Anderson, Vol. 3, p. 2027) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Origin

John Winslow, son of Edward Winslow and Magdalene Oliver/Ollyver, was baptised on 18 April 1597 at St. Peters in the Fields church in Droitwich, Worcestershire, England.^[1][2] A picture of the church is printed in Volume 31 of the "New England Genealogical and Biographical Record" and is available via archive.org here: [1]

Immigration

Arrived on the Fortune ship in 1621. They first resided at Plymouth. In Pilgrim Hall is a certificate of their dismissal from the Plymouth Church to the Boston Church. He moved to Boston in 1655 and became a prosperous shipping merchant.^[1][3]

When his brothers, Edward and Gilbert, sailed on the Mayflower, it is suspected that John was on the ship "Speedwell", which was forced to return to England (p 9).^[2]

Marriage and Children

John married between July 1623 and 22 May 1627 at Plymouth Colony to Mary (Chilton) Winslow, daughter of James Chilton, as he was single at the time of the land division in 1623 but married by the time of the cattle division in 1627.^[1] On 22 May 1627, John Winslow and Mary Winslow as members of the company of John Shaw were awarded cows and goats as part of a Plymouth Colony division of cattle.^[4] She died between 31 July 1676 (date of will) and 11 July 1679 (probate of will).^[1] Mary Chilton and her parents were also passengers on the Mayflower.

"MARY CHILTON, bp. St. Peter's Parish, Sandwich, Kent Co., England 31 May 1607; d. Boston bef. 1 May 1679. She m. Plymouth bet. July 1623 and 22 May 1627 JOHN WINSOW, b. Droitwich, Worcestershire, England 16 April 1597; d. Boston bef. 21 May 1674; son of Edward and Magdalen (Ollyver) Winslow, and brother of Pilgrim Edward Winslow."^[5]

Children of John and Mary:^[1]

1. John Winslow Jr. b say 1628
2. Susanna (Winslow) Latham b say 1630
3. Mary (Winslow) Gray b say 1632
4. Edward Winslow b say 1636
5. Sarah (Winslow) Middlecott b say 1639
6. Isaac Winslow b say 1641
7. Joseph Winslow b say 1643
8. Samuel Winslow (abt.1641-1680)
9. Unknown Winslow (bef.1650-bef.1673) b say 1651
10. Benjamin Winslow b say 12 Aug 1653 Plymouth

Property and Positions

After John Winslow came to the Plymouth Plantation on the ship "Fortune" 3 Nov 1621, he remained in Plymouth as a Purchaser and was on the 1633 freeman list. On 25 Jul 1633, the court noted that John Beavan had covenanted to serve John Winslow as an apprentice for six years. On 23 Jul 1634, Mr. Timothy Hatherly turned over his servant, Ephraim Tinkham, to John Winslow for the rest of his term. On 3 Mar 1634/35, Winslow was on a committee to assess colonists for the costs of the watch and other charges. On 5 Jan 1635/36, he was on a committee to set the prices of goods and labor. In 1636, he turned over the services of Edmond Weston for two years to Nathaniel Thomas. In 1637, he was on a committee to assess taxes for the cost of sending men to the Pequot War. In 1638, he and his brother, Kenelm, were witnesses against Stephen Hopkins for selling wine at excessive rates. He served on various other committees and juries and as a deputy for Plymouth. On 28 Jul 1640 he sold for 12 pounds, the services of Joseph Grosse for five years to John Howland. On 17 Oct 1642, he was one of several men appointed to grant lands for the town of Plymouth. In 1653, he was appointed to the Council of War. He moved to Boston about 1655/56. It was in Boston he became a wealthy merchant and ship owner, though he still retained lands at Plymouth, and in 1662 he was on a list of "first born" men of Plymouth to share in a land distribution. The New England Winslows were Episcopaleans (p 374).^[6]

He was active in local affairs and one of the signatories to an Address of Loyalty presented to King Charles II on his restoration to the throne in 1660. His home was in Spring Lane, Boston, a narrow alleyway running from Washington Street to Devonshire Street near Water Street. It is now marked by a plaque which was unveiled in 1924 by three-year-old Mary Chilton Winslow, a direct descendant of John Winslow and Mary Chilton.

Gov. Edward Winslow placed his brother, John, in charge of the Kennebec Trading Post, where he remained from 1651 to 1654/1655. In 1655/1656, John moved to Boston, where he remained. Moving his residency did not end John's interest in the Kennebec Post. In Oct 1661, the Kennebec patent of the Plymouth Colony, nearly one thousand square miles containing not more than three hundred white people, was purchased by Antipas Boyes, Edward Tyng, Thomas Brattle and John Winslow. The site of the Kennebec Post, Cushnoc, is now Augusta, Maine. [NEHGR, Vol. 21 (Year 1867), p. 353; "The History of Kennebec County" (p 13).^[7]

Last Will & Testament

The will of John Winslow dated 12 Mar 1673/74 and proved 21 May 1674 and 31 Jul 1674. (Suffolk Prob. Rec., VI, 50).^[7] After a preamble commending his soul to God etc., revoking previous wills, and ordering his debts to be paid, he makes bequest to the following: his wife Mary, his son John; William Payne (not 21), the son of his daughter, Sarah Middlecott; Parnell Winslow (not 21), daughter of his son Isaac; the daughters (not of age) of his daughter Latham; son Benjamin (not 21); son Edward; granddaughter Susanna Latham (not 21); son Edward's children (not of age); the children (not of age) of Edward Grey by his daughter Mary; two children of his son, Joseph: who he said "I give unto my son Joseph's two children...to be paid to them as aforesaid (vis. when they come of age or the day of their respective marriages.); granddaughter Mercy Harris's two children; kinsman Josiah Winslow, the Governor of Plymouth; brother Josiah Winslow; kinswoman Eleanor Baker, the daughter of his brother Kenelm; a total of seven children; Mr. Paddeys Widdow; negro girl Jane when she serves 20 years from this date and after decease of wife to be set free. Son John was named overseer and Mr. Thomas Brattle, Mr William Tailer and Mr John Winsley were named overseers.^[6][8]

Death and Legacy

John died between 12 March 1673/4 (will written) and 21 May 1674 (will probated) at Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts.^[1] He was buried in King's Chapel, Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts although the exact grave site is not now able to be located (p 11).^[2]

In 1673, John Winslow appointed his "loving friend Mr. Thomas Brattle," one of the overseers of his estate (p 13).^[7] The inventory, taken 27 October 1674, totaled £2,946 (a substantial sum for the time).^[1] £450 was in his dwelling and garden, and most of the value was in ownership of trade vessels, goods, and debts due.^[1]

Among John Winslow's descendants were Brigadier-general John Winslow, paymaster of the American forces in the Revolution; General Joshua Winslow, who held a similar position in the British Army; Susanna Clarke, the wife of Copley, the artist, whose mother was Elizabeth, daughter of Col. Edward Winslow; Dr. Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, mayor of Boston and antiquarian; and Admiral John A. Winslow.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7} Anderson, Robert Charles, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volume III, Pages 2027-2030. (Online database accessed November 11, 2015: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2010) $
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Winslow, Lester E., "Winslow Family Heritage. 1 Jul 1965, Pages 9, 11.
3. ↑ Walker, John, "John Walker Family Newsletter, 1982. No. 1, Page 3
4. ↑ Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, ed., Records of the colony of New Plymouth, in New England (Printed by order of the legislature of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston, 1861), volume 12, page 11
5. ↑ Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, Vol. 15, p. 5-6 #3.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Stratton, Eugene Aubrey, Plymouth Colony: Its History and Its People 1620-1691]., Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry Publishing, 1986, GoogleBooks.com preview. Pages 84, 374.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2} Jones, Mrs. A. Waldo, "Joseph Winslow and Timothy Winslow and Other Records pertaining to the family of John and Mary (Chilton) Winslow For the Archives of The General Society of Mayflower Descendants, Vinings, Georgia: May 1969. Page 13.
8. ↑ Suffolk County, MA: Probate File Papers.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2017-2019. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives. Digitized mages provided by FamilySearch.org) Link at AmericanAncestors ($) Accessed at Ancestry ($)

See also:

• Wikipedia article on John Winslow.
• George Thomas Little, A. M., Litt. D., Genealogical and Family History of the State of Maine. Lewis Historical Publishing Company, New York 1909.
• Roser, Susan E. "Mayflower Increasings (For Three Generations), Genealogical Publishing Co., Balt. 1989, Page 41.
• Winslow, Stephen, Winslow Genealogy, John Winslow from web.archive.org.
• Maynard, Mary. "Dead and Buried in New England: Respectful Visits to the Tombstones and Monuments of 306 Noteworthy Yankees, (Dublin, NH: Yankee Publishing Inc., 1993).
• Holton, David-Parsons, Winslow memorial: family records of Winslows and their descendants in America, with the English ancestry as far as known. New York: D.-P. Holton, 1877. Vol. 1, Page 60.
• Hotten, John Camden. The Original Lists Of Persons Of Quality.;; 1874) Page xxix

User-contributed:

• Fortune (Plymouth Colony ship) on Wikipedia.
• Passengers of 1621 Fortune voyage on Wikipedia.