John White

1558- June 17, 1617
According to Burke's American Families with British Ancestry:

"John White, of Shalford, Essex, son of Robert White, of Messing, Essex, England, by his wife Briget Allgar, emigrated to America in the ship Lion in 1632. He married 1622, Mary, daughter of William Levit, of Messing, Essex, and died 1685."

Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England says: 

"John, the freeman of March 4, 1633, came in the Lion, arriving at Boston from London, 16 Sep 1632, with so many of the gentlemen who first sat down at Cambridge, then called Newton; and in four years went to Hartford; there he is found in good repute...removed to Hadley in 1659, and went back to Hartford before 1675, was elder, and died Dec 1683, or the next month. His will of 17 dec 1683 is followed by inventory of 23 Jan 1684. His wife was Mary."

The Great Migration Begins:
JOHN WHITE 

ORIGIN: Messing, Essex
MIGRATION: 1632 on Lyon [Hotten 150]
FIRST RESIDENCE: Cambridge
REMOVES: Hartford 1635, Hadley 1659, Hartford by 1671

CHURCH MEMBERSHIP: Admission to a Massachusetts Bay church prior to 4 March 1632/3 implied by freemanship. He presumably became a member of the church at Cambridge, and retained membership in that church when it moved to Hartford. He would then have become a member of Hadley church when that was formed, and in 1671 was dismissed from Hadley church to the Second Church at Hartford, of which he became ruling elder [Goodwin Anc 2:404-05, citing Second Church records].
FREEMAN: 4 March 1632/3 [MBCR 1:367].

EDUCATION: He signed his will by mark. His inventory included "one book" valued at 7s. and "more by books" valued at 17s.

OFFICES: Surveyor of highways, Cambridge, 3 November 1634 [CaTR 10]; Cambridge selectman, 3 February 1634/5 [CaTR 11].

Grand jury, 7 December 1654 [RPCC 132]. Jury, 6 April 1643, 6 June 1644, December 1644, 4 September 1645, 2 December 1647, May? 1648, 28 December 1648, 6 September 1649, 5 September 1650, 20 February 1650[/1], 2 December 1652, May 1657, 3 November 1657, 3 June 1658 [RPCC 19, 25, 30, 36, 49, 50, 57, 69, 87, 93, 112, 176, 183, 191]. Coroner's jury, on the body of Henry Stiles, December 1651 [RPCC 106]. Arbiter, 6 June 1644 [RPCC 27].

Deputy for Hadley to Massachusetts Bay General Court, 3 August 1664, 19 May 1669 [MBCR 4:2:117, 418].

ESTATE: Granted three roods for cowyard in Cambridge, 5 August 1633 [CaTR 5]; received proportional share of 2½ in undivided meadow [CaTR 13]; granted two acres in ground between Charlestown path and common pales, 8 February 1635/6 [CaTR 16].
In the Cambridge land inventory on 1 May 1635 John White held eleven parcels: one dwelling house in Cowyard Row, three roods; three roods in Cowyard Row; two acres and a half in Old Field; one acre and a rood in Old Field; one acre and a rood in Old Field; one acre on Long Marsh; thirteen acres and a half in the Neck of Land; eleven acres in the Great Marsh; three acres and a rood in the Long Marsh; one acre (and a rood?) in the Ox Marsh; and half a rood in Cowyard Row [CaBOP 4-5].

On 20 October 1635 John White "of the Newtowne" sold to Nicholas Danforth "those several parcels of land as they are recorded in this book in folio 3" [in other words, the eleven parcels listed immediately above] [CaBOP 36]. On 30 May 1636 John White of "the New Towne upon Quinetucquet River" sold to Nicholas Danforth twelve and a half acres in "Aylwife Meaddow" and two acres in the Ox Pasture [CaBOP 36].

In the Hartford land inventory in February 1639/40 John White held sixteen parcels: "one parcel on which his dwelling house now standeth with other outhouses, yards, or gardens ... two acres ... part whereof he received in exchange with Mr. Hopkins for part of his house lot"; "one parcel lying in the south meadow ... eleven acres & one rood"; "one parcel lying in the forty acres of meadow & swampe ... nine acres & two roods"; "one parcel lying in the ox pasture ... six acres"; "one parcel lying in the ox pasture ... twenty-seven acres"; "one parcel of meadow lying in Hockanum ... eight acres one rood"; "one parcel lying in the little meadow ... two acres"; "one parcel lying in the little meadow which he bought of Nathaniel Ward ... two acres"; "one parcel lying in the Little Meadow which he bought of Andrew Warnor ... two acres & two roods"; "one parcel of land lying in the forty acres which he bought of Andrew Warnor ... seven acres"; "one parcel of swamp ... ten acres"; "one parcel lying in the Little Meadow ... two acres & two roods ... part whereof he bought of Mr. Webster & another part he bought of John Mode [Moody]"; "one parcel of meadow & swamp ... ten acres ... part whereof he bought of Andrew Warnor"; "one parcel lying in the Little Meadow which he bought of William Pantree .... three acres"; "one parcel lying in the South Meadow which he received of Nathaniel Ward ... one acre"; and "one parcel of upland lying on the east side of the Great River at Hockanum being his division of upland ... one hundred & fifty acres" (annotated "sold to Andrew Warner") [HaBOP 273-76].
On 4 March 1651/2 the court confirmed the bargain between John White and John Skinner's widow for land [RPCC 108]. In 1659 John White paid some of the highest mill rates in Hartford [HaBOP 497].

In February 1671[/2] John White paid a modest proportion for the purchase of undivided lands in Hartford [HaBOP 549]. On 30 January 1672[/3] John White drew lot #27 in the lands next to Windsor [HaBOP 552, 565].

In his will, dated 17 December 1683 and proved 6 March 1683/4, "Mr. John White of Hartford" bequeathed to son Nathaniel £30, movables, and part of "my ox pasture"; to son Daniel White £20; to son Jacob White part of "my ox pasture" and moveables; "I empower my executor to give to my daughter Hixton according to his discretion as he shall see her need calls for"; "and whereas formerly I intended to give one parcel of meadow land in great Ponset to Stephen Taylor, yet now being forced to pay a great sum of money for the redemption of his house & home lot, I now see cause to dispose of that land for payment of that debt, and shall leave it to my executor with the advice of the overseers to give either to him or the rest of my daughter Hixton's children as he shall see cause"; to "my grandchild Stephen Taylor" various moveables; to "Sarah White the daughter of my son Nathanaell" £5; to "the Reverend Mr. John Whiting my honored pastor" £5; residue to be divided "among my grandchildren (viz) Jonathan Gilbert son of my daughter Mary, my son Nathaniell's children, my son John's children, my son Daniell's children & my daughter Sarah['s] children, their sons to have as much more as their daughters"; "my wearing apparel be divided amongst my sons"; "my son Nathaniell White" to be sole executor and "my beloved friends Ensign Nathaniell Stanly and Stephen Hosmer" to be overseers [Hartford PD Case #5928; Goodwin Anc 2:406-07; Manwaring 1:385-86].

The inventory of the estate of Elder John White deceased 23 January 1683[/4]" totalled £190 9s., of which £48 was real estate: "his lots in the west division," £12; "his ox pasture lying on the east side of the highway leading to Wathersfeld," £18; and "his oxpasture lying on the west side of the highway leading to Wathersfeld" [Hartford PD Case #5928; Manwaring 1:385].

BIRTH: About 1597, son of Robert and Bridget (Allgar) White of Messing, Essex [NEHGR 55:22-31]. 
DEATH: Hartford 23 January 1683/4 (from inventory).
MARRIAGE: Messing, Essex, 26 December 1622, Mary (Lev)it [NEHGR 55:29]; she apparently predeceased her husband.

CHILDREN:

  1. JOHN, bp. Messing 28 December 1623 [NEHGR 55:29]; no further record. 
  2. MARY, bp. Messing 16 July 1626 [NEHGR 55:29]; m. 29 January 1645/6 Jonathan Gilbert [HaVR 606]. 
  3. PHILIP (daughter), bp. Messing 21 December 1628 [NEHGR 55:29]; no further record. 
  4. NATHANIEL, b. say 1630 (sworn for Middletown 1656 [RPCC 174]); m. (1) by 1653 Elizabeth _____ (daughter Elizabeth aged four and a half on 29 March 1658 [WMJ 297, 384]); (2) after 1692 Martha (Coit) Mould, daughter of John Coit and widow of Hugh Mould [Goodwin Anc 2:408; MacDonough-Hackstaff 248-51]. 
  5. JOHN, b. about 1636 (aged twenty-one, November 1657 [WMJ 61]); m. by 1659 Sarah Bunce, daughter of Thomas Bunce (John Winthrop Jr. treated "White, Joh: his wife" on 15 March 1659[/60] and "White, Sarah, about 17 y." on 7 May 1660 [WMJ 425]; on 2 April 1666 he treated "White [blank] widow daughter of Tho[mas] Buns" [WMJ 638]). 
  6. DANIEL, b. say 1638; m. Hadley 1 November 1661 Sarah Crow [Pynchon VR 223] 
  7. SARAH b. about 1641 (aged sixteen years 17 March 1657/8 [WMJ 94]); m. (1) by about 1664 Stephen Taylor; m. (2) Hadley 15 October 1666 Barnabas Hinsdale [Pynchon VR 223 (bride's name given as "Mary")]; m. (3) Hatfield [blank] February 1678 Walter Hickson [Goodwin Anc 2:409, citing Hatfield VR 1:80]. 
  8. JACOB, b. Hartford 8 October 1645 [HaBOP 576]; m. by 1669 Elizabeth Bunce (on 8 July 1669 John Winthrop Jr. treated "White, Elis[abeth], wife of Jacob of Hartford" [WMJ 935]; in his undated will (but about 1683) Thomas Bunce bequeathed to "my daughter Elizabeth White" [Manwaring 1:283]). 

ASSOCIATIONS: Three of John White's sisters came to New England with their husbands: Mary, wife of Joseph Loomis; Elizabeth, wife of WILLIAM GOODWIN; and Anne, wife of John Porter [NEHGR 55:22-31].

COMMENTS: John White may have resided briefly in Middletown [Goodwin Anc 2:402-03].

On 7 March 1660/1 Connecticut court heard a case of Edward Stebbin and John White as overseers for Mr. Haines's children against John Deming Jr. for debt [RPCC 223].

BIBLIOGRAPHIC NOTE: In 1901 "A Descendant" published an excellent article on the White family in England, and the connections to other New England immigrants [NEHGR 55:22-31]. In 1915 Frank Farnsworth Starr prepared the best account in print of the immigrant and his children [Goodwin Anc 2:395-419].