Gov. John WINTHROP

1588 - 1649  (61 years)

• Name	John WINTHROP  [2, 3]
  	Massachusetts Bay Colony Governor. He was instrumental in leading the first large wave of colonists from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the first major settlement in New England after the Plymouth Colony. He was born at Edwardstone, Suffolk, England, to a wealthy landowning and merchant family. In December 1602, he was admitted to Trinity College but soon left and married his first wife, Mary Forth, in April 1605. During this time, he became deeply religious in the Puritan faith. In 1613, he received the family holdings in Groton, and became Lord of the Manor there. He soon followed his father's path as a lawyer in London, having been enrolled at Gray's Inn to study law. In 1624, Charles I ascended the English throne and was opposed to all religious groups who did not ascribe to the doctrine of the Church of England. In March 1629, Charles I dissolved the English Parliament and his continued religious intolerance and crackdown on the Puritans resulted in a decision for the some of the leaders of the Massachusetts Bay Company (who were mostly Puritans) to emigrate to New England. Winthrop was chosen as governor and on April 8, 1630, he sailed from the Isle of Wight with four ships that were part of a larger fleet of 11 ships, carrying 700 people to New England, arriving at Salem in June. They chose to settle at the present-day city of Boston, near the Charles River. In the early months the colony struggled with disease, losing about 200 people, including his son, Henry. He served as governor of the colony for 12 of its first 20 years of existence, being elected on four different occasions. He was generally civil and diplomatic towards the Native American population. However, cultural differences and trade issues, along with land ownership rights of the colonists that conflicted with the hunter-gatherer rights of the natives eventually evolved into a war with the Pequot tribe in 1637, which ended with the destruction of the tribe, whose survivors were sold as slaves to the West Indies or became enslaved by the colonists themselves. During his life, he continuously wrote accounts of historical events and religious manifestations. His major contributions to the literary world were "A Modell of Christian Charity" (1630) and "The History of New England" (1630-1649; also known as "The History of John Winthrop"), which remained unpublished until the late 18th century. He was married four times and had 16 children, his first three wives preceding him in death. He died of natural causes. (bio by: William Bjornstad) [1]
  Prefix	Gov.
  Birth	12 Jan 1587/8  [4]
  Birth	23 Jan 1588	Edwardstone, Suffolk, England   [1, 3]
  Gender	Male
  Death	26 Mar 1649	Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts   [1, 3]
  Burial	Kings Chapel Burying Ground, Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts   [1]
  Person ID	I62352	Main Tree
  Last Modified	19 Apr 2018

  
  

  Father	Adam WINTHROP,   b. 10 Aug 1548, Bishopsgate, City of London, Greater London, England d. 28 Mar 1623, Groton, Babergh District, Suffolk, England (Age 74 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Mother	Anne BROWNE,   b. 13 Jan 1544, Edwardstone, Suffolk, England d. 19 Apr 1629, Groton, Suffolk, England (Age 85 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Family ID	F30699	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Mary FORTH,   b. 1 Jan 1590, Great Stambridge, Essex, England d. 26 Jun 1615, Groton, Suffolk, England (Age 25 years)
  Marriage	16 Apr 1605	Edwardstone, Suffolk, England   [1, 3]
  Children	+ 1. The Younger Gov John WINTHROP,   b. 12 Feb 1606, Groton, co Suffolk, England d. 6 Apr 1676, Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts (Age 70 years)  [Birth]   2. Henry WINTHROP,   b. 10 Jan 1607, Groton Manor, co Suffolk, England d. 2 Jul 1630, Drowned Salem, Massachusetts (Age 23 years)  [Birth]   3. Mary WINTHROP,   b. 30 Dec 1609, Groton, co Suffolk, England d. 12 Apr 1643, Salisbury, Essex Co., Massachusetts (Age 33 years)  [Birth]
  Family ID	F06629	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	11 Apr 2017

  
  

  Family 2	Margaret TYNDAL,   b. Abt 1591   d. 14 Jun 1647, Boston, Massachusetts (Age 56 years)
  Marriage	28 Apr 1618  [5]
  Children	1. Col. Stephen WINTHROP,   b. 24 Mar 1619   d. 1658 (Age 38 years)  [Birth]   2. Adam WINTHROP,   b. 7 Apr 1620   d. 1652 (Age 31 years)  [Birth]   3. Deane WINTHROP,   b. 1623   d. 16 Mar 1703/4 (Age 81 years)  [Birth]   4. Capt Samuel WINTHROP,   b. 1627   d. 1674 (Age 47 years)  [Birth]
  Family ID	F33403	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	21 Mar 2018

  
  

  Family 3	Thomasine CLOPTON,   c. 18 Feb 1583, Groton bur. 11 Dec 1616, Buried Groton with her infant child (Age ~ 33 years)
  Marriage	6 Dec 1615  [6]
  Family ID	F37342	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	19 Apr 2018

  
  

• Event Map

  Death - 26 Mar 1649 - Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Photos

  Gov. John Winthrop Massachusetts Bay Colony Governor. he was instrumental in leading the first large wave of colonists from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the first major settlement in New England after the Plymouth Colony. Photo From Find A Grave- added by: Joel Farringer

  
  

• Sources

  [S02329] Find A Grave Website. [S03310] Royal Families Americans of Royal and Noble Ancestry: Vol. I Governor Thomas Dudley and Desc. through 5 Generations by Marston Watson. [S8970] Northern New York American Canadian Genealogical Society: Lifelines, Vol. 33, Issues 1 and 2, Whole Nos. 63 and 64. [S03581] Wikipedia Encyclopedia. [S5840] Frederick Lewis Weis, Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonist Who Came to America before 1700. [S5008] David Faris, "Plantagenet Ancestry of Seventeenth-Century Colonists", (Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc.).