John WATERBURY [7779] ¹⁷¹⁰

   FamilySearch ID: LR11-NQP.

  General Notes:

John Waterbury was baptized on 30 Dec 1621 in All Saints Church. Sudbury, Suffolk, England.

John emigrated to New England in 1630 with his parents William and Alice . They settled in Watertown.

He married Rose (last name unknown) about 1642 in or near Watertown, where he was an innkeeper. On 15 October 1646, John and Rose sold their home and eight acres to Robert Pierce of Watertown and left for Wethersfield, Connecticut, but soon thereafter, possibly influenced by a quarrel that developed in the Wethersfield Church they moved on to Stamford where John started another Inn.

He was a landowner in Stamford as early as 1650. He became one of the leading citizens of Stamford Colony and one of its largest land-holders. Existing records show his interest and activity along many lines for the building and improvement of the community. He was prominently identified with the church and the government of that period. John served in the Connecticut Colonial Legislature for several years. From 1656 to 1658 he served as the Magistrate in Stamford by an appointment from the New Haven Colony.

An undated list in the Stamford Town Records shows John Waterbury had:
(1) One house and home lot containing an acre and a half with the out housing on the said lot bounded by William Potts on the east, Jeremiah Jagger on the west, butting to the highway north and David Nichele south
(2) 14 acres of meadow in the East Field with an acre of upland adjoining to it bounded by David Nichele and Francis Bell on the east, Daniel Scofield "with the rest of those lots in that range" on the west, butting to the highway and William Graves on the north, the sea to the south, with a highway through the said lands also through all those meadows to John Chapman's land
(3) 5 acres of upland in the North Field bounded by John Chapman on the south, William Mead on the north, butting to the highway west, and Elias Bailey on the east
(4) Another 2 acres of upland in the North Field bounded by John Mead to the north, John Chapman on the south, butting to John Chapman on the west and the highway on the east
(5) 12 ½ acres of waste land in the East Field bounded by John Finch or William Potter on the west, Henry Ackerly on the east, butting to the highway south and "the fence" on the north

A second list dated September 1650 shows a completely different list of parcels:
(1) One house with two barns and a home lot containing 6 acres bounded by John Chapman north, George Slason south, butting to the highway west, and the meadow east, with an acre and a rood of meadow bounded by the meadow which was Henry Olinison's on the north, Obadiah Seeley on the south, butting ot the creek east, and the rest of home lots west
(2) 6 acres of meadow in Rocky Neck bounded by Thomas Newman north, Edward Jessup south, butting to the creek and widow Whitmore west, and the upland of Thomas "Hiat" Hyatt as opposed to Hoyt or Hait' on the east
(3) 14 acres of combined upland and meadow in Rocky Neck bounded by the harbor on the west and south, Thomas Hiat on the east
(4) 3 acres of upland in Rocky Neck bounded by John Holly north, the widow Whitmore and Jeffrey Ferris on the south, butting to the rails [fence] west and the highway east
(5) 3 acres of waste land in Rocky Neck "lying with Goodman Hunt" bounded by Thomas Hiat on the north, William Mead and John Holly south, butting to the meadow east and west
(6) 7 more acres of waste land in Rocky Neck bounded by Thomas Hiat north, Edward Jessup south, butting to Nicholas Knapp east and Edward Jessup west

He purchased four more parcels, which were also entered in the town records:
(1) 4 acres of meadow plus 5 acres of upland in Rocky Neck bounded by John Waterbury [that is, land already his ], on the north and south, butting to the highway east and Jeffrey Ferris west, purchased from the widow Johana Whitmore, 10 August 1650
(2) 2 acres in the East Field bounded by Thomas Hunt north, Nicholas Knapp south, to the "cassy" east and John Elliott west, May 1652
(3) 3 acres of upland in the [_____] Field bounded by Francis Bell west, Thomas Stevens east, butting to the highway north [south bounds not given], [also May 1652?]
(4) 2 acres of meadow in Rocky Neck bounded by William Mead north, the meadow of the said John Waterbury south, butting to the highway west, the upland that was William Newman's east, purchased from William Newman [illegible date], recorded in 1654

Also in the town records,
John Bassett sold to John Waterbury "the house and lands he bought of Ellyas Bailly" on 25 October 1651, and the same day, Waterbury reconveyed the property to "Ealse Marshell."

In November 1653, he and John Holly appraised the estate of Vincent Simkins, late of Stamford, deceased. In 1656, John Mead charged Richard Law, constable at Stamford, with, among other things, forging an agreement between John Waterbury and Widow Turner. Counter charges were filed against Mead, and Law was supported in his case by testimony from John Waterbury and others.

On 27 May 1657 the General Court elected him as one of Stamford's three deputies, and re-elected him 26 May 1658, but he would not live to serve out his term.

The inventory of his stepfather (Gregory Taylor) totaled £48 14s. 06d. and was taken October 1657 by Richard Law and Francis Bell. Later that month, on 21 October, John appealed to the court, because he did not agree with the inventory:
"John Waterberey of Stamford desired advice of the court; his father in law and mother are both lately dead at Stamford, and hath left some small estate w'ch they gave to him, as himselfe and his wife can testifye, and he now brought Henry Jackson of Fairfeild, who in writeing declared some thing as a ground why the estate should belong to him, ye said Jno. Waterberey, w'ch writing he had againe; but by all he was told ther is not a full evidenc to cleere the estate to him, though it is likely none may have more or so much right as he; therefore it were best that a true inventorie be taken of the estate, and he may be admitted administrator upon securitie put in, that right may be done, if any appeare w'thin the time lymited by the order, w'ch can show a better tytle then he can."

Later when John Waterbury's estate was distributed in 1669, Taylor's estate had grown:
"whereas ther is an Inventory of Gregory Taylors amounting to 92 pounds 12 s. 6d. is [sic] Included in the above said Inventory, if ther appears a better proprieter to the estate (within a year and a day after this date) then Waterberry, deceased, Then the above Said widow [Mrs. Waterbury] and Children to abate each of them proportionable out of ther portions the Said 92 pound 12 s. 6d. . . . ."

John was a community leader and sought to have Quakers/Friends arrested in 1657 including the Crab family charged with harboring Quakers. In the History of Stamford, there is an account of the confrontation between one of the local Quakers, Mrs. Richard Crabb, and a posse of prominent citizens led by Daniel Scofield, which included deputy John Waterbury.

John died on 31 Jul 1658 in Stamford, Connecticut. He was 37.
John's estate is described in the book Early Settlement of Stamford, CT. He died intestate, and the inventory was taken in April 1659, and totaled £383 1s. including:
housing and lands, £80
livestock, £183
44 pounds of pewter, £3 06s.
four guns and one pistol, £12 15s.

After John's death, Rose married 11 May 1659 Joseph Gurnsey, with whom she had one son, Joseph, on 30 June 1662.

John's estate was distributed in 1669:
At a Court held at fairfield 2 Novem 1669. Whereas the Inventory of John Waterberry was this day Exhibited to the Court, which amounts to three hundred eighty three pounds, one shilling, The deceased dying Intestate, the Court enters a devision of the estate to She that was the widow, now is the wife of Joseph Gernsee, and to the Children, as followeth: the wife of the Said Joseph (that was the widow of the Deceased), She to have a third part of the estate out of the personal estate. The eldest Son to have a double portion, which amounts to eighty five pounds, Two Shillings and three pence. To the Second Son, Jonathan, forty two pound, eleven Shillings. To David the third Son of the deceased, forty two pounds, eleven Shillings; the two Daughters portions, to each of them, forty two pounds, eleven Shillings a peece.

The Land to be devided between the three Sons; The ohouse and one half [of the land] to the eldest Sonn, the other half to be equally Devided between the other two Sons, and what the eldest Sons part is more worth then the other part, he is to allow out of his portion as Indifferent men Shall apprize. The Said Joseph Gernse is to enjoy the use of the house and home lot During his above Said wifes life and her Continuance in Standford. The Sons are to receive ther portions at Twenty one years of age, and if any of them Dye before they be of age, the Survivers are to enjoy it. Joseph Garnsee is admitted Administrator on the Said estate and he is enjoyed to give in Secryty to the overseers that the portions Shall be duly payd . . . Mr. Holly and Liut. Bell are appointed overseers fo the Children and ther Disposals & portions.

In 1674, three of his sons, John, Jonathan, and David, conveyed to their stepfather, Joseph Garnsey, a parcel of land then possessed by John Miller.

Sailed from England in the The Winthrop Fleet. Which consisted of eleven ships sailing from Yarmouth, Isle of Wright to Salem. Some sailed April 8, arriving June 13, 1630 and the followng days, the others to sail in May, arriving in July. The total count of passengers is believed to be about seven hundred, and presumed to have included the following people. Financing was by the Mass. Bay Company.

The ships were the Arbella flagship with Capt Peter Milburne, the Ambrose, the Charles, the Mayflower, the Jewel, the Hopewell, The Success, the Trial, the Whale, the Talbot and the William and Francis.

  Noted events in his life were:

1. He immigrated England in 1630 to Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. ¹⁸⁴³ He traveled on the Winthrop fleet and was in Stamford, Connecticut in 1646.

2. Estate: Waterbury, John, late of Stamford, on 2 November 1669, in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut Colony, British Colonial America. ¹⁸⁴³ From letters of administration on his estate granted to Joseph Garnsey, Page 39. Inventory taken April 1,1659 by Richard Law and Francious Bell, and verified by the widow of decedent now the wife of Joseph Garnsey.

John married Rose [7780] [MRIN: 5748] in 1642 in Massachusetts Bay, British Colonial America.¹⁸⁴³ (Rose [7780] was born about 1622 in England ¹⁷¹⁰ and died after 24 September 1696 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut Colony, British Colonial America ¹⁷¹⁰.)