JOHN WITT 1612-1675

[Ancestral Link: Lura Minnie Parker (Stagge), daughter of Minnie May Elmer (Parker), daughter of Mark Alfred Elmer, son of Hannah Polina Child (Elmer), daughter of Polly Barber (Child), daughter of Ichabod Barber, son of Mary Barney (Barber), daughter of Israel Barney, son of Israel Barney, son of Ann Witt (Barney), daughter of John Witt.]

In Salem, Essex County Massachusetts, John Witt first made his mark in America. He is known to have resided in Lynn, Massachusetts and was perhaps a selectman that helped organize the town Government of Groton, MS in 1655 however returning to Lynn. He was married in England and came to America with at least 5 children. The last 3 children were born to his 2nd wife Sarah in Lynn. His will dated September 12, 1675 lists his widow Sarah, and children: Ann Barney, Elizabeth, Sarah, Mary, Martha, John, Thomas and Jonathan. John died December 2, 1675. His first wife's name could not be found.

Children:
ANN (ANNA), born ca. 1642
Jonathan, born ca. 1643
Elizabeth, born ca. 1645
Sarah, born ca. 1647
Mary, born ca. 1649
John, born ca. 1651/2
Martha, born Mar. 5, 1659>
Thomas, born July 25. 1661
Ebenezer, born April. 6, 1665, died young
ANN WITT, born in England, ca. 1642, died February 12, 1683, married May 26, 1660 to Jacob Barney Jr., born 1634 Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts, died 1692/3.
found on ancestry.com

Cider and Apples: The Legacy of John and John Witt
22 April 1667 and November 1667, Essex County, Massachusetts
Sometimes it is difficult to find details about ancestors, other times, the information one finds is a real eye roller, as is the story of John Witt, Sr. and John Witt, Jr., and Junior's passion for apples--or is that cider?

In Records and Files of the Quarterly Essex County Court, Witt v Croft takes up nearly a page and a half. It seems that John Junior was accused by Mistress Anne Croft of drinking up her cider on the Sabbath while she was at Meeting. John Senior took offense and sued William Croft for his wife's accusations. The case stated that Mistress Croft claimed "John Witt, jr., was a thief, had stolen her cider and drunk it on the Lord's day in time of exercise."

The case was tried on 22 April 1667. During testimony, Phillip Kartland, a servant in the Croft house, said that John Junior and friends visited when Mr. Croft was at meeting, spending their time roasting apples and drinking cider. Phillip also said that John Junior threaten to have him whipped at a post, so he dared not tell John Senior. Another servant, Timothy Cooper confirmed that John Junior and friends were in his master's house, and that Samuel More "came in on the Lord's day in the time of God's holy worship and gathered damsons and there were other boys outside who called to him to bring them good store."

Elizabeth Whiting testified that as she went to meeting with her daughter Hubbard and maid Elizabeth Barrett, she "saw the men standing suspiciously at the Croft's house," and told them they "ought to go to the meeting."

Mistress Croft, when she heard her cider was drunk, took her maid "up into the chamber" to determine who was responsible; the maid "cried and knelt down and prayed her to forgive her," and told Mistress Croft that when she had made the door fast, "Ephram Hall climbed up on a post, opened the casement, and called to let him in."

The jury found for the defendant and charged John Witt Senior one pound, sixteen shillings. The Court did not accept the verdict.

The legal case seemed to have little impact on John Junior and friends. In November of the same year, Nathanyell Kirkland, John Witt, and Ephriam Hill were were "admonished for profaning the Lord's day by going to the house of William Crofts in time of public exercise and drinking cider."
___________________________________________
SOURCE
Dow, George Francis. Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts. Essex Institute. 1913. Page 422-423. http://books.google.com/books?id=Qh44AAAAIAAJ
found on ancestry.com

Captain Deacon
Title Captain Christened 16 September 1610 St Gregory, Sudbury, Suffolk, England [1, 2] Gender Male Church Membership Admitted to Boston church as member number 144. [2]
This would be shortly before 11 November 1632. On 5 December 1641 he and his wife Alice were recommended to Braintree church, and on 8 May 1642 Richard Brackett was dismissed to the Braintree church "at their desire of him unto the Office of a Deacon amongst them". Personal Information 25 May 1636 [2] Freeman in Boston Military Service 1639 [2] Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company

He was Captain of the 3rd Militia. Personal Information Education: Sufficient to be Braintree clerk of writs. Signed will with shaky hand. He was the second town clerk for Braintree, after Henry Adams, and held that position for many years. [2] Personal Information He testified by affidavit on 2 July 1668 that he was fifty-six years old. However, on his tombstone is inscribed that he died in March 1690, and was then eighty years old. [2]

If true, he was born as early as 1610. His exact age is of interest because it could answer the question of whether he would have been accompanied by a guardian or not. It is possible that the guardian may have been Peter Brackett who was probably his older brother. Personal Information More than 40 future immigrants to New England were related to Richard Brackett by either blood or marriage before their departure from England. [2] Immigration To New England by 1632 [1]

This is shown by his church membership in 1632. He was 17 years old when he arrived in New England. Other Bracketts in the Bay Colony at an early date were Peter Brackett of Boston and Thomas Brackett of Salem. These three may have all been brothers. Richard must have returned to England briefly in 1633, because he was married there, then returned with his wife to New England. Died 3 March 1690 Braintree, Massachusetts [2] Buried Hancock Cemetery, Braintree, Massachusetts Person ID I7747 Linda's TreeLast Modified 15 April 2007 07:46:00 Father Peter Brackett, born about 1582, Sudbury, Suffolk, England Mother Rachel (_____), born about 1595 Family ID F3402 Group Sheet Family Alice Blower, c. 30 June 1615, St. Gregory's, Sudbury, Suffolk, England Married 6 June 1634 Saint Katherine by the Tower, London, England [2, 4, 5]
Children >
1. Hannah Brackett, born 1634, Braintree, Massachusetts >
2. Peter Brackett, (Twin), c. 7 May 1637, Boston, Massachusetts >
3. John Brackett, (Twin), c. 7 May 1637, Boston, Massachusetts >
4. Rachel Brackett, c. 3 November 1639, Boston, Massachusetts
5. Mary Brackett, born 1 February 1641, Braintree, Massachusetts >
6. James Brackett, born about 1646, Braintree, Massachusetts
7. Josiah Brackett, born 8 May 1652, Braintree, Massachusetts
8. Sarah Brackett, born about 1655, Braintree, Massachusetts
Last Modified 15 April 2007 07:46:00 Family ID F3404 Group Sheet
found on ancestry.com

Richard Brackett and family
5540. Richard Brackett, born September 16, 1610 in Billerica, England; died March 05, 1689/90 in Braintree, Massachusetts. He was the son of 11080. Peter Brackett and 11081. Alice Harper. He married 5541. Alice Blower about 1630. 5541. Alice Blower, born June 30, 1615 in Sudbury in Suffolk, England; died November 03, 1690 in Braintree, Massachusetts. She was the daughter of 11082. Thomas Blower and 11083. Alice Frost. Notes for Richard Brackett:Roland Brackett was the father of our ancestor John Brackett, who led to our Spauldings and Ransoms. Roland was born in Billerica, England, the son of Peter Brackett and his wife Rachel, according to the Mormon database. It was about 1633 that he married Alice Blower at St. Katherine by the Sea, England. The Mormon records imply that this couple boarded the ships to America soon after. Their children were born at Braintree, Massachusetts in 1634, Boston from 1637 to 1641, Braintree from 1642 to 1652. This implies a couple who remained in the immediate Boston area all their married life. Roland died at Braintree. Notes for Alice Blower:Alice Blower was the mother of John Brackett, who led to our Spauldings and Ransoms. She was born at Sudbury in Suffolk, England. Mormon databases indicate that her parents were Thomas (2) Blower and Alice Frost. Alice Blower married Roland Brackett about 1633 in England. (SeeRoland Brackett for list of children). This couple moved to Braintree, Massachusetts by 1634. As far as we know, they remained in that area. Their son John was born at Braintree on May 7, 1637. Alice Blower died at Braintree. More About Richard Brackett and Alice Blower:Marriage: about 1630

Children of Richard Brackett and Alice Blower are:
i. Hannah Brackett, born June 04, 1634; died Unknown. 2770
ii. John Brackett, born May 07, 1637 in Boston, Massachusetts; died March 18, 1686/87 in Billerica, Massachusetts; married (1) Ruth Ellis; married (2) Hannah French September 06, 1661 in Probably Braintree, Massachusetts. --->>>
iii. Peter Brackett, born May 07, 1637; died Unknown.

Notes for Peter Brackett:A twin of John Brackett.
iv. Rachel Brackett, born November 03, 1639; died Unknown.
v. Mary Brackett, born May 12, 1641; died Unknown.
vi. James Brackett, born 1645; died Unknown.
vii. Sarah Brackett, born 1647; died Unknown.
viii. Josiah Brackett, born May 08, 1652; died Unknown.
found on ancestry.com

My ancestors on my mother’s side came to America in the Puritan Great Migration (1620–1643), most of them emigrating from the southeast of England and settling in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The busiest years of the Great Migration were those of “The Eleven Year Tyranny” (1629–1640) during which Charles I tried to rule without calling the Puritan-dominated parliament. Once the King was forced to call Parliament in 1640 and the Puritan revolution began, immigration to New England came to a near-complete halt. Virginia Anderson’s book New England’s Generation: The Great Migration and the Formation of Society and Culture in the Seventeenth Century (Cambridge University Press, 1993) is an excellent account of the immigrant group and the experience of sea travel.

Many of the immigration dates given below are upper bounds, based on when the person in question first appears in the New England records. Thus, in the absence of more specific information, a date of 1636 should be understood as “arrived by 1636.” Very few passenger lists exist from the time of the Great Migration and only in a few cases are the names of ancestors’ ships and their actual departure or arrival dates known. For the period 1620–1633 the standard reference is now Robert Charles Anderson’s The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620–1633 (New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995). It should be noted that the early work of Charles Banks on the composition of the Winthrop Fleet of 1630 is now considered unreliable. None of Banks’ conjectures about arrival dates are used here.

RICHARD BRACKETT — second trip to New England, returning with his new wife Alice (Blower) Brackett.

ALICE (BLOWER) BRACKETT — Alice (Blower) Brackett was the wife of Richard Brackett (see 1632 above) and daughter of Thomas Blower (see 1635 below). Richard immigrated in 1632, then returned to England for their marriage on 6 January 1633/4 in London. They were back in New England again in late 1634. Their first child, Hannah Brackett, was baptized 4 January 1634/5 at Boston, so Alice was probably pregnant during their voyage to New England (making Hannah an immigrant ancestor also) [GMB 203–206].The Truelovefrom London to Boston
The Truelove under John Gibbs took on passengers for New England in September 1635 at London, and arrived at Boston in late November. Hotten [131–132] transcribes a Truelove passenger list from the London port book that is dated 19 September. Surnames represented among the Truelove passengers include …

THOMAS BLOWER — Thomas Blower was baptized 23 April 1587 at Stanstead, Suffolk, and died about 1639 in Massachusetts. In “September 1635 Thomas Blower, set sail in the Truelove, John Gibbs, Master. The ship arrived in Boston in late November. He was listed as aged 50 on the passenger list and alone. Ages were often mere estimates and in this case he seems to have been actually aged 48. There is no record of a family with him. His daughter Alice had preceded him to Boston two years earlier as the young bride of Richard Brackett. Three years later, his sister-in-law and her husband, Edmund Rice, also came to New England to join him” [GMC50 77].

ALICE (FROST) BLOWER — May have accompanied her husband Thomas Blower on the Truelove in 1635.
found on ancestry.com

Alice Blower Brackett
Alice Blower married Richard Brackett at St. Katherine by the Tower in London. They were married on 06 June 1633/34. Richard had been in New England prior to this wedding. After the marriage they, along with relatives, returned to New England.30 June 1615 Alice Blower was baptized in St. Gregory, Suffolk County, England. She was born to Thomas and Alice Blower. Thomas Blower and Alice Frost were married about 1610 probably in Stansteade, Sussex County, England. They later moved to Suffolk County near Sudbury. Alice Frost was the daughter of Edmond Frost and Thomasine Belgrave. About 1585 Thomas Blower was born to Thomas and Susanna Blower in Stansteade, Sussex County, England. Thomas and Susanna had at least one other son who was born about 1588 and his name was Caleb Blower. Thomas Blower and Susanna Vincent were married about 1580. Susanna was the daughter of Andrew Vincent and Alice ... .In 1996 I received information that Richard Brackett and Alice Blowers wedding took place on 6 June 1633/34 at Saint Katherine by the Tower, London, England. Alice was born 30 Jun 1615, St. Gregory's, Suffolk County, England. Alice died 03 Nov 1690 in Braintree Massachusetts. If this information is correct, Richard had returned to England as he is recorded in colonial records as early as 1628 or 1629. Alice Blower's parents were Thomas Blower and Alice Frost. Their children were, (1.) Alice born 30 Jun 1615 and died 03 Nov 1690 in Braintree, Mass.. (2.) John Blower born about 1617. These are also from Suffolk County, England and attended St. Gregorys' church probably in Sudbury. Alice Frost's parents were Edmond Frost and Thomasine Belgrave. They were born about 1550. Thomas Blower's parents were Thomas Blower and Susanna Vincent. They were born about 1560. Their children were, (1.) Thomas Blower born about 1585. (2.) Caleb born about 1588. (3.) Alice Blower born about 1590. They are from Stanstead, Suffolk County, England. Susanna Vincent's parents were Andrew Vincent who married Alice ... . They were born about 1545. Interestingly these families lived in and around Sudbury, England from 1522 to1630. Sudbury is not ten miles from Braintree, England. The immigrants, Captain Richard Brackett and his wife Alice, Thomas, Peter and Rachel lived, worked and died around the new town of Braintree, Massachusetts from 1630 to 1690.
found on ancestry.com

Alice Blower
ALICE (BLOWER) BRACKETT — Alice (Blower) Brackett was the wife of Richard Brackett (see 1632 above) and daughter of Thomas Blower (see 1635 below). Richard immigrated in 1632, then returned to England for their marriage on 6 Jan 1633/4 in London. They were back in New England again in late 1634. Their first child, Hannah Brackett, was baptized 4 Jan 1634/5 at Boston, so Alice was probably pregnant during their voyage to New England (making Hannah an immigrant ancestor also) [GMB 203–206].
found on ancestry.com