Life Sketch of John Emery B. 1598

Life Sketch of John Emery B. 1598

John was born in September 1598 in Romsey, Hampshire, England. His parents were John Emery and Agnes Northend. John was the oldest son and had three brothers and two sisters.

John married Alice Grantham in June 1620 in Whiteparish, Wiltshire about eight miles from Romsey, England. They had three children that we have record of; Ann 1622, Eleanor 1624, and John 1628.

John brought his wife and three children to America in 1635. They sailed from Southampton in April 1635 in the ship "James" of London, with William Cooper, Captain. They traveled with John's brother Anthony and his family. The "James" landed in Boston in June 1635. John settled his family in Newbury soon after their landing. John had a town grant of 1/2 acre in Newbury, enough for a house lot. John is listed as a "carpenter and inn keeping".

John became a widower in April 1649 when Alice died. In October 1650 he married again. His second wife was Mary Shatswell Webster, the widow of John Webster. Mary was the Mother-in-law of his son John. John and Mary had two children; Ebenezer and Jonathan.

John is mentioned several times in town records, and doesn't seem to have been an especially mild mannered person:

-- 1637 -- John Emery was fined 20 shillings for "enclosing ground not laid out, contrary to a town order".

-- February 1638 -- The town of Newberry, granted John Emery the additional land he had enclosed.

-- June 1641 -- John Emery is made a Freeman.

-- 1642 -- John Emery is appointed with three others to make a valuation of all property in the town for the purpose of proportioning each man's share in the new land division.

-- December 1642 -- John Emery is among the 91 freeholders of Newbury.

-- April 1644 -- John Emery had a grant from the town for 22 acres and 5 rods "being his own and Henry Palmers portion of Divident land in the Great field beyond the new town".

-- September 1646 -- John Emery was fined by the court for "his attentions to Bridget, wife of Henry Travers and bound not to frequent her company".

-- October 1651 -- In "answer to the petition of John Emery, of Newbery, power is hereby granted him, according to his desire, to sell a certain island which was left to three of his wife's children, & also a house and six acres of land which was bound to make good twenty pounds to other three of her children, provided he give security to the County Court at Ipswich to pay the children the full price the land shall be sold for, & make the three children's twenty nobles apiece eight pounds apiece, & pay the daughters their portions at eighteen years, & the sons at twenty-one years old."

-- 1658 -- John Emery dissented from the vote in favor of a school and also "headed an agitation and petition about a local military company so vigorously that the Court charged he (John) and his son John Emery Jr with the 'distrub of the peace of the place and they had much trouble in the Court'"

-- 1661 -- John Emery was a Selectman.

-- 1662 -- John Emery joined several others to petition the court to reduce the sentence on a Robert Pike. The Court was so offended by the petition it ordered the men to apologize and answer for their offense, and post bonds. John was one of the men who would not do either.

-- March 1662 -- "John Emeery and wife Mary" sued James Merrick for "detaining and keeping Israell Webster, son of the said Mary Emery, without consent of John Emery and wife Mary, or any other person who had oversight of him", the case was later withdrawn.

-- November 1662 -- "Israell and Nathan Webster, sons of John Webster, deceased, presenting their desires in writing, together with their mother's consent, with John Cheny sr., Robert Long and William Elsly as witnesses, and said Israell Webster being present in Court and manifesting his desire also, that his father in law John Emory and brother in law John Emory Jr, might be appointed guardians, the court appointed them guardians, and also ordered that the bond given into Ipswich court for security for the children's portions remain in full force"

-- March 1663 -- The court convicted John of "hospitality to travellers and quakers". He was fined 4 pounds plus costs and fees for "entertaining strangers'. The evidence given in the case was "yt two man quakers wr entertained very kindly to bed and table and John Emmerie shok yrn hand and bid ym welcome." Also, "That the witness heard John Emery and his wife say that he had entertained quakers and that he would not put them from his house and used argument for the lawfulness of it".

-- May 1663 -- John Emery petitioned the General Court for the remission of his fine. His petition was signed by the selectmen of the town and 50 of the citizens. (The fine was not remitted).

-- 1663 -- John Emery was fined for "entertaining Henry Greeland at his house for 4 months". Greeland was a traveling doctor with a keen eye for ladies. While in Newbury, he became involved with Mrs. Rolfe, the wife of a local man, and they were both charged with adultery. John's daughter, Elizabeth was living with the Rolfe's at the time and both John and Elizabeth gave testimony at the trial.

-- 1666 -- John Emery was appointed a fence viewer.

-- 1666 -- John Emery was on the Grand Juryman.

-- March 1669 -- "John Emery, bringing in acquittances of the discharge of the portions ordered by the court, was to have his deed delivered, but one being incomplete, he and his son John Emery, jr., bound themselves to bring in an acquittance from the youngest child of John Webster".

-- 1671 -- John Emery was fined 13 shillings and 4 pence for his excessives vocal partianship in a church controversy between a Mr. Parke and a Mr. Woodman. (Emery was a partisan for Woodman).

-- 1672 -- John Emery was on the "jury of tryals".

-- 1675 -- John Emery deeded one half of his Newbury house and land to his son Jonathan.

-- 1676 -- John Emery was "appointed to carry votes to Salem".

-- 1678 -- John Emery took "the oath of allegiance in Newbury".

John died in November 1683 in Newbury. He was 85. His will was written in May 1680. "To his daughter Ebenezer Hoag he gave an acre and a half at the west end of his home lot. To his son Jonathan, all his land and housing in Newbury, on condition that he do certain work on the farm for the benefit of his father and mother during their lives and that, after their deaths, he pay to the estate 50 pounds in five annual installments. From this 50 pounds, with his chattels and movables, his widow was to have 10 pounds to dispose of as she pleased at her death. 10 pounds was to go to "my grandchild Mary Emerson" and, after the payment of debts, the residue was to be divided between his six children and MaryEmerson. Overseers; sons John Emery and Abram Merrill (his wife's son in law), with Joseph Bailey (his grandson) as substitute in case of vacancy. Witnesses: Joseph Pike, James Ordway. His son John was granted administration and filed an inventory of 263 pounds, included in which was a set of surgeon's tools, valued at 2 pounds, 2 shillings, possibly held in payment of the gallant Dr. Greenland's board bill. Among the debts listed was 6 pounds 10 shillings due to the widow as a remainder of what was promised her at marriage, further evidence of a pre marital family settlement."

The inventory of his estate was taken in November 1683 and was valued as 263 pounds 11 shillings.

It seems probable from his will, that he made provision for his children by his first marriage before or at the time of his marriage to the widow Webster. Mary was a widow for 11 years and died in April 1694 in Newbury.

There is a copy of the will of widow Mary Emery, who died in April 1694; "its preamble in an easily deciphered hand, was written in its more important parts by an inexperienced penman who succeeded in making much of it illegible. It was dated April 1, 1693, and proved November 11, 1696. To her son Jonathan Emery she gave 10 pounds "that my Husband gave me in his last will", and forgave him 30 shillings, which he had borrowed of her. To daughter Ebenezer "the rest of my wearinge cloths". Witnesses: James Gulmar, Elizabeth Bricket."

Information from "The Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury" by David Hoyt, "The Family of B.J. Burris" by D.P. Platter Pg 54-55, "Four Generations of the Descendants of John Emery" by Emery Cleaves, and "First Settlers of New England" by James Savage. Compiled by Georgia Lewis, June 2003, Updated May 2012.