Elder John Strong

Burial record:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11179432/john-strong

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http://strongfamilyofamerica.org/elder-john-strong/

In his book The History of the Descendants of Elder John Strong, Benjamin Dwight, the primary genealogist of the Strong family in America, makes the case that Elder John Strong sailed to Mass. in 1630, on the Mary and John, with his wife and 2 children, with the spouse and youngest child dying either en route or shortly after arrival. He then states that Strong married Abigail Ford, another Mary and John passenger, in December, 1630. The problem with this is that she was only 11 at the time. The most recent thought is that Strong and family came in 1635 on the Hopewell. Complicating matters is that he does appear as a probable passenger in synthesized lists for both ships.

Burton Spear in his work, Mary and John 1630 .pdf, clarifies the situation by submitting that Strong did arrive on the Mary and John, as a single man, then returned to England where he married and fathered the two children, returning to America with his family on the Hopewell. After the death of his wife he married Abigail Ford, now 16, probably in December 1635. The birthdates of subsequent Strong children tends to bear this out, as does the fact that Strong took the Freeman's Oath, in Boston, in 1636. Burton Spear also dismisses the idea forwarded by Dwight that Strong was born in Taunton, England, to a Richard Strong, as no records can be found to justify this. Records are available to show that he was probably born to John Strong, son of George Strong, of Chard, Somerset, England, between 1607 and 1610. (Steven Ferry, December 15, 2018.)

All current theories give the father of Elder John Strong as John Strong, son of George Strong. The ascription of Richard Strong as the father seems to come from the work of Dwight on Elder John Strong, based on recollections from Governor Strong. That tome has proved deficient in other areas as well, although it is a valuable source post colonialism. I would recommend that you open the father's page to change the name to John Strong, or at least as John Richard Strong, which does seem to find some favor. (Steven Ferry, December 30, 2019)

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Find A Grave Memorial# 11179432

Name: Elder John Strong, Jr

• Birth: 1610 Somerset, England
• Death: Apr. 14, 1699 Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, USA
• Burial: Bridge Street Cemetery in Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, USA
  • Note: Monument photograph courtesy of The Moo.
• He was the son of John Strong of Chard, Co. Someerset.
• His mother's name may have been Eleanor____Strong, though her origins are not known for certain.
• His first wife was Margery Deane,
  • daughter of William Deane of South Chard, Co Somerset, England.
  • Margery died in 1635 soon after their arrival in New England on the "Hopewell".
• Children (by first marriage):
  • John Strong III and an infant son who was born at sea and died along with his mother shortly after arrival in New England.
• His second wife was Abigail Ford Strong.
• Children (by second marriage):
  • Thomas Strong, Jedediah Strong,Josiah Strong, Return Strong (whose first wife was Sarah Warham Strong), Ebenezer Strong,Abigail Strong Chauncy Pomeroy, Elizabeth Strong Parsons,Experience Strong Fyler,Samuel Strong, Joseph Strong, Mary Strong Clark (wife of John Clark), Sarah Strong Barnard Wells, Hannah Strong Clark, Hester Strong Bissell, Thankful Strong Baldwin (second wife of Jonathan Baldwin, and Jerijah Strong.

Family links:=== 

• Spouses:
  • Margery Deane Strong (____ - 1635)
  • Abigail Ford Strong (1619 - 1688)
• Children:
  • John Strong (1625 - 1697)*
  • Thomas Strong (1637 - 1689)*
  • Jedediah Strong (1637 - 1733)*
  • Return Strong (1641 - ____)*
  • Ebenezer Strong (1643 - ____)*
  • Abigail Strong Chauncey Pomeroy (1645 - ____)*
  • Elizabeth Strong Parsons (1647 - 1736)*
  • Experience Strong Filer (1650 - ____)*
  • Samuel Strong (1652 - 1732)*
  • Joseph Strong (1652 - ____)*
  • Mary Strong Clark (1654 - 1738)*
  • Sarah Strong Barnard Wells (1656 - 1733)*
  • Hannah Strong Clark (1659 - 1694)*
  • Hester Strong Bissell (1661 - 1726)*
  • Thankful Strong Baldwin (1663 - 1726)*
  • Jerijah Strong (1665 - ____)*

---------------------------

Elder John Strong was

• born in 1605 in Chard, Somerset, , England.
• He was christened in 1606 in Chard, Taunton, Somerset, England.
• He immigrated on May 8, 1635 to Dorchester, Suffolk, MA, USA.
• He was buried in April 1699 in Bridge Street Cemetery, Northampton, Hampton, MA, USA.
• He died on April 13, 1699 in Northampton, Hampton, MA, USA.
• He was an Elder of the Church at Northampton in Northampton, Hampton, MA, USA.
• He was married to Margerie Deane
  • (daughter of William Deane and Joanne (Deane)) in 1632 in Bridgeport, , Dorset, England.
  • Elder John Strong and Margerie Deane had the following children:
    • +2 i. John Strong Jr (born about 1633).
    • 3 ii. (Infant) Strong was born in 1635 in , , , Ocean - Ship Hopewell or MA. He (or she) died in 1635 in , , , Ocean - Ship Hopewell or MA.
• He was married to Abigail Ford
  • (daughter of Thomas Ford) in 1635 in Northampton, Hampton, MA, USA.
  • Abigail Ford was born on October 8, 1619 in Bridgeport, , Dorset, England.
  • She immigrated on March 20, 1630 to Nantasket, , MA, USA.
  • She died in 1688. She was buried in Bridge Street Cemetery, Northampton, Hampton, MA, USA.
  • Elder John Strong and Abigail Ford had the following children:
    • +4 i. Thomas Strong (born on October 26, 1633).
    • +5 ii. Jedediah Strong.
    • +6 iii. Return Strong (born in 1640).
    • +7 iv. Elder Ebenezer Strong (born in 1643).
    • +8 v. Abigail Strong (born in 1645).
    • 9 vi. Elizabeth Strong was born in 1647. She died in 1736.
    • +10 vii. Experience Strong (born in 1650).
    • 11 viii. Joseph Strong was born in 1652.
    • +12 ix. Samuel Strong (born in 1652).
    • +13 x. Mary Strong (born in 1654).
    • 14 xi. Sarah Strong was born in 1656. She died in 1733.
    • +15 xii. Hannah Strong (born in 1659).
    • +16 xiii. Hester Strong (born in 1661).
    • 17 xiv. Thankful Strong was born in 1663.
    • +18 xv. Jerijah Strong (born in 1665).

      ---

• The ship Mary and John came to America with John, son John, wife Marjory, and infant child aboard.
  • Marjory and the infant did not survive the trip.
• Elder John was something of a contrarian.
  • He and his family sailed from Plymouth in 1630.
  • The original destination was Boston but he was summarily put ashore with his family at the first landfall, Nantasket, after arguing with the captain of the Mary and John, Capt. Squeb over who would conduct shipboard services and choose the subject of the sermon.
  • Came to America in 1630. Arrived in Nantasket on 5/30/1630 and settled in Dorchester, Mass.
  • Widowed, he married Abigail Ford and moved with others to Windsor, Connecticut to expand the settlement.
  • He was the First Ruling Elder of the Church in Northampton.
• Between two wives he had a total of sixteen children.

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The following is a small excerpt of the rather confusing set of notes on:

http://www.gencircles.com/users/mccoy1/24/data/186

• In 1629 the organizers of the Massachusetts Bay Company began to gather 1500 emigrants who were to sail to New England in the fourteen ships of the great "Winthrop Fleet".
  • Rev. John White concentrated his efforts on gathering and organizing a group of people from southwestern England, from the shires of Dorset, Somerset, and Devon.
  • The Mary and John was the first ship to sail, in 1630.
• It is not know, with certainty if Elder John Strong was among those on the first ship, that sailed from Plymouth, Devonshire, England, March 20, 1630.
  • It landed at Nantasket, Plymouth, MA, May 30, 1630.
    • A widely held opinion is that he did sail on that first ship as a youth of 20, but that he returned to England, as a number of young men on the Mary and John are known to have done.
    • He then married Margery Deane, daughter of William Deane (Elder John Strong's uncle), Dec. 15, 1630, at Northampton, Hampshire, MA. (this can't be correct--already had 1 son & another on the way when he sailed with Margery.)
    • Thus Elder John and Margery were first cousins.
    • They and two children, one an infant, sailed on the Hopewell leaving from Weymouth, Dorsetshire, England, on May 8, 1635.
    • His wife and youngest child died soon after landing at Hingham or Taunton, MA.
• Elder John married second about 1635 in Dorchester, Suffolk, MA, Abigail Ford, whom he would have met during the 1630 crossing.
  • In 1635 after having assisted in founding and developing the town of Dorchester, he moved to Hingham, Plymouth, where he received a land grant, Sept 18, 1635 for five acres of land on North Street.
  • On March 9, 1636/37 he took the freeman's oath at Boston.
• They then moved to Taunton, Bristol, MA in 1638, where he had a house on Dean Street, west of John Dean's house.
• On Dec. 4, 1638, he is found to have been an inhabitant and proprietor of Taunton.
  • Elder John Strong, Walter and John Deane were admitted freemen of the Plymouth Colony, Dec 4, 1638.
• Elder John was the first constable in 1638 and 1639, a deputy to the General court in Plymouth in 1641, 1643, and 1644, and a juror in 1645.
• The family moved to Windsor, Hartford,CT, in 1646.
  • There he was appointed along with Capt. John Mason, Roger Ludlow, Israel Stoughton, and Henry Wolcott, all very leading men in the infant colony "To superintend and bring forward the settlement of that place" , which had been settled a few years before (1636) by a portion of the same colony that with him had founded Dorchester.
    • Windsor was in fact called Dorchester at first from 1636 to 1650.
• On Feb. 4, 1647, Thomas Thornton sold all his land to Thomas Ford and John Strong.
  • This included a house, yards, orchards and gardens totally about two acres, bounded north and west by the land of Walter Flyer, south by the rivulet, on the east by the highways, and adjoining at the foot of the hill, in the great meadow, one and three-quarter acres bounded north by the land of John Mason and east by the land of William Hill.
  • He was admitted Freeman of Connecticut on May 15, 1654.
    • Citizens were assigned duties in the management of the town's business.
      • Elder John was in charge of cow breeding.
• Further north from Windsor, on the Connecticut River, the tiny settlement of Northampton was declining.
  • The town needed more people, especially skilled workmen.
  • The town offered 40 acres to any skilled worker who would move there.
  • Elder John answered the call, leaving sons john and Return in Windsor to continue the tanning business there.
• About 1659, Elder John and Abigail settled in Northampton, MA.
  • He was the first ruling elder in the old First Church in its early years, and held that position for nearly 40 years, until his death in 1699.
    • The Elder position involved church government, watching over member conduct and substitution for the Pastor when he was ill or absent.
• Today, a beautiful church sits in the center of town at the same location of the original old First Church. Documents pertaining to Elder John are filed in the archives of the church.
  • In 1930 the church dedicated a new pulpit bible to him alone.
• On Oct 14, 1660, Elder John Strong bought from John Webb, a seven acre parcel of land lying in the Third square and bounded by land of Richard Lyman on the north and the highway on the south and on the sides bordering the land of David Wilton on the east by Samuel Allyn on the west.
• He bought another parcel of land from John Webb, a home lot bounded on the highway east and north and the mill trench on the west containing two acres.
  • Part of this land was given to his son Samuel.
• He bought yet another parcel from John Webb, which lies on the south side of Mill River and bounded by the highway east and west, the sides bordering the highway south and Mill River north. This land also contained about two acres.
• On Oct 15, 1660, Northampton granted to him several parcels of land including a tan yard which was bounded on the east and west by the highway, north by Ralph Hutchinson's land and the common land, and the meeting house hill on the south.
  • John gave this to his son Ebenezer on Dec 15, 1688.
• The original tan yard contained one quarter acre. It was on King Street Brook a little north of Hampshire Marble Works.
  • He was a tanner by trade and the town by vote directed all hides be taken to him to be tanned at his won price because of his reputation for honesty.
    • The tanning business was by no means a glamorous occupation. It was a greasy, smelly business.
    • Elder John was apparently illiterate, so tanning was a job he could excel in.
  • Also, on Oct 15, 1660 Northampton granted to him his home lot which was bounded on the highway north and Mill River on the south and bounded on the sides by the land of Capt. Aaron Cooke on the east and Alexander Edwards on the west.
    • Elder John conveyed these parcels to John Webb on Oct 18, 1660.
• The home lot granted to him by Northampton on West street was nearly opposite the Parson's Homestead.
  • He sold it to john Webb, and purchased John Webb's home lot at the corner of Main and South street.
    • The property remained in the family for 103 years.
• Northampton granted Elder John another parcel of land in Manham Meadow which butts up to the Great River on the east and Mill river on the west, containing over six acres.
  • He gave half of this lot to Ebenezer on Dec 15, 1688.
• His land extended along Main street from Old South Street to what is now New South Street at the Academy of Music.
  • On that valuable frontage today are business blocks, Crafts Avenue, the City Hall, Unitarian Church, Memorial Hall, Main Street Park and the Academy of Music.
  • His tannery was located on what is now the southwest corner of Market and Main Street near the railroad depot.
  • He owned at different times some two hundred acres of land in and around Northampton.
• Elder John Strong and Abigail Ford had a family of 16 children.
• John died April 14, 1699 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA.
• Abigail died July 16, 1688 in Northampton also.
• Before he died in 1699 there were about him 150 descendants.
• He was in or near the beginnings of Dorchester, Hingham, Taunton, MA and Windsor,CT.
• In 1929 a monument consisting of a large boulder and a bronze tablet was installed and dedicated at the Bridge street Cemetery. The quartz boulder came from the hills of Chesterfield, in the Bisbee section of Northampton. It stands about four feet above the ground. The tablet is inscribed:

Elder John Strong died 1699; his wife, Abigail Ford Strong died 1688; her father, Thomas Ford died 1676

Others thought to be aboard the ship Mary and John:

• Roger Clapp
• Henry Smith
• George Dyer
  • Richard Southcote
• Elizabeth _____, wife
  • Thomas Southcote
• Elizabeth Dyer
• Stephen Terry
• Mary Dyer
• Nicholas Upsall
  • THOMAS FORD
• Dorothy Capen, wife
• ELIZABETH CHARD, wife
• Rev. John Warham
• Mary Ford
• Susanna Gallop, wife
• Joan Ford
• Mary Warham
• ABIGAIL FORD
• Henry Way
• Hepzibah Ford
• Elizabeth Batchelar, wife
• Aaron Cooke
• Henry Way Jr.
• John Gallop
• Aaron Way
• John Gaylord
• George Way
• William Gaylord
• Hannah Way
• ______, wife
• Susanna Way
• Elizabeth Gaylord
• Richard Way
  • William Gaylord, Jr.
• David Wilton
  • Samuel Gaylord
• Henry Wolcott
  • John Gaylord
• Elizabeth Saunders, wife
  • Walter Gaylord
• Henry Wolcott, Jr.
• Jonathan Gillett
• George Wolcott
  • John Holman
• Christopher Wolcott
  • John Hoskins
• John Branker
• Thomas Hoskins
• Abigail Searle, wife
  • Thomas Lombard
  • Richard Silvester
• ______, wife
  • Roger Williams
• Barnard Lombard
• *William Hulburt
• Thomas Lombard, Jr.
  • George Phelps
• Joshua Lombard
  • John Phelps
• Margaret Lombard
• William Baulston
  • George Ludlow
• Elizabeth _____, wife
• Elizabeth, wife
• Elizabeth Baulston
• Roger Ludlow
  • John Greenway
• Mary Cogan, wife
• Mary _____, wife
• John Ludlow
• Ann Greenway
• Elizabeth Cogan, sister
• Elizabeth Greenway
• Thomas Marshfield
• Susanna Greenway
• Wife
• Katherine Greenway
• Sarah Marshfield
  • John Pierce
• Samuel Marshfield
  • John Crab
• Mercy Marshfield
• Nicholas Denslow
  • Rev. John Maverick
• Elizabeth Doling, wife
• Mary Gye, wife
• Temperance Denslow
• Elias Maverick
• Joan Denslow
• Elias Maverick
• Anne Filer, pos. widow
• Mary Maverick
• Katherine Filer
• Moses Maverick
• Walter Filer
• Abigail Maverick
• Antipas Maverick
• John Maverick, Jr.
• William Phelps
• Ann Dover, wife
• William Phelps, Jr.
• Samuel Phelps
• Nathaniel Phelps
• Joseph Phelps
  • William Rockwell
• Susan Capen, wife
• Joan Rockwell
  • John Rockwell
• Edward Rossiter
• _____wife
• Nicholas Rossiter
• Ann _____, wife
• Bray Rossiter
• Jane Rossiter
• Hugh Rossiter
• Joan Rossiter
• Frances Smith Sanford, widow

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From: The History of the Descendants of Elder John Strong, of Northampton, Mass, by Benjamin Woodbridge Dwight, 1871.

• Born in Taunton, England in 1605.
• Moved to London and then to Plymouth.
• Sailed for the New World March 20 1630 on the ship Mary and John (Capt. Squeb) landing in Nantasket Mass on May 30, 1630.

************************** From:   http://strongfamilytree.org/getperson.php?personID=I15545&tree=STR06 :

* Although Gov. Caleb Strong believed that Elder John Strong arrived to New England aboard the "Mary and John," Elder John appears to have actually arrived on the "Hopewell" on May 8, 1635.

• * He was listed as "Jon STRONGE for himself and family, and goods" in the Index to Ships & Passengers to the American Colonies, Exchequer K.R. 1618-1668 copied from Port Book E 190/876/1.
  • * (Reference courtesy the Strong Family Association of America Homepage (http://www.geocities.com/sfaapage)

Medical: Y-DNA Y DNA Results, FTDNA Haplogroup: R1b1c

The following website has more details, as well as the ancestral modal values for Elder John Strong and his descendants who have been tested:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~donegalstrongs/dnaresults.htm

The members of R1b are believed to be the descendants of the first modern humans who entered Europe about 35,000-40,000 years ago. Those R1b forebears were the people who painted the beautiful art in the caves in Spain and France. They were the contemporaries (and perhaps exterminators) of the European Neanderthals. R1b is the most common Y haplogroup in Europe - more than half of men of European descent belong to R1b. Fourteen of the 30 most common haplotypes in the YSTR.org database are typical of R1b.

************************** '''Source:''' http://kinnexions.com/ancestries/strong.htm#JStrong

* "John STRONG -

• b. about 1609, probably at Chard, Somerset, England;
• d. Apr. 14, 1699, Northampton, MA;
• bur. Bridge Street Cemetery, Northampton, MA [memorial - inscription].
• Son of John STRONG of Chard, Somerset, England.
• Possibly embarked Plymouth, England Mar. 20, 1630 in 'Mary & John', and arrived at Nantasket, May 30, 1630.
• If so, he returned to England, married, and had two children, before sailing again for New England on May 8, 1635 from Weymouth aboard the 'Hopewell.'
• The early residences in MA of John STRONG are unclear, but records seem to support his being in Hingham in 1635, Taunton in 1638, Windsor, Hartford Co., CT in 1645, and Northampton by 1659 where he was the first Ruling Elder.
• He had 17 children and 145 grandchildren.
• Married first about 1632 in England, Margery DEANE
  • (d. about 1635, Dorchester, Suffolk Co., MA),
  • the mother of son John and a child who died in infancy, and
  • daughter of William DEANE.
• Elder John STRONG married second about 1635, Dorchester, MA."

************************** '''Source:''' http://www.holcombegenealogy.com/data/p185.htm#i9218

* "Elder John Strong was born circa 1605 at Chard, Somerset, England.

• He married Marjorie Dean.
• Elder John Strong married Abigail Ford, daughter of Thomas Ford and Elizabeth Charde, circa 1636.
• Elder John Strong died on 14 April 1699 at Northampton, MA.
• John Strong was born in Taunton, England, in 1605, whence he removed to London and afterwards to Plymouth.
• Having strong Puritan sympathies he sailed from Plymouth for the new world, March 20, 1630, in company with 140 persons, and among them Rev. Messrs. John Warham and John Maverick and Messrs. John Mason and Roger Clapp, in the ship Mary and John (Capt. Squeb) and arrived at Nantasket, Mass. (Hull), about twelve miles southeast from Boston, after a passage of more than seventy days in length, on Sunday, May 30, 1630.
  • The original destination of the vessel was Charles River; but an unfortunate misunderstanding which arose between the captain and the passengers, resulted in their being put summarily ashore by him at Nantasket.
  • After searching for a few days, for a good place in which to settle and make homes for themselves, they decided upon the spot, which they called Dorchester, in memory of the endeared home in England which many of them had left, and especially of its revered pastor, Rev. John White, "the great patron of New England emigration," who had especially encouraged them to come hither. 3
• Though John has been said to have come on the 1630 voyage of the Mary and John, there is no proof of it, all passenger lists for that voyage being hypothetical.
  • Robert Charles Anderson in NEHGR, April 1993, addressed the many different lists of passengers on the Mary and John. He went about objectively establishing specific criteria for determining the likelihood that a specific individual was on the ship.
    • By the criteria he established, which seem reasonable, Mr. Anderson concluded that Elder John Strong is not likely to have come on the Mary and John in 1630.
    • Those that Mr. Anderson concluded had a solid basis for being considered passengers were: Roger Clap, George Ludlow, Roger Ludlow, John Maverick, Richard Southcott, Thomas Southcott, and John Warham. Additional passengers, based on other criteria were: Aaron Cooke, George Dyer, Thomas Ford, William Gaylord, John Holman, Thomas Lombard, Richard Louge, William Phelps, William Rockwell, Henry Smith, Thomas Stoughton, Stephen Terry, Nicholas Upsall, and Henry Wolcott.
    • Another group of families, with less reliable connection to the Mary and John were John Benham, Bygod Eggleston, Christopher Gibson, Matthew Grant, John Greenway, John Hoskins, William Hulbird, Davy Johnson, George Phillips, John Phillips, John Pierce, and Roger Williams.
    • Mr. Anderson assigns five other families that do not meet his criteria, but may, for other reasons, have been on the Mary and John: John Drake, John Gallop, Johnathan Gillet, Nathan Gillet, and Henry Way.
    • Mr. Anderson does not mention Elder John Strong anywhere in his discussion.
    • However, he does leave room for three or four families that would be unaccounted for if the total number of passengers was 140.
    • The information here, whether it describes John's voyage specifically or not, does describe the similar circumstances which brought him to Dorchester.
• In 1635, after having assisted in founding and developing the town of Dorchester, John Strong removed to Hingham, Mass., and on March 9, 1636, took the freeman's oath at Boston.
• His stay at Hingham was short, as on Dec 4, 1638, he is found to have been an inhabitant and proprietor of Taunton, Mass., and to have been made in that year a freeman of Plymouth Colony.
• He remained at Taunton, as late at any rate as 1645, as he was a deputy thence to the General court in Plymouth, in 1641, 1643, and 1644.
• From Taunton he removed to Windsor, CT, where he was appointed with four others, Capt. John Mason, Roger Ludlow, Israel Stoughton, and Henry Wolcott, all very leading men in the infant colony, "to superintend and bring forward the settlement of that place," which had been settled a few years before (1636) by a portion of the same colony that with him had founded Dorchester.
  • Windsor was in fact called at first, and for several years (1636-1650), Dorchester. 3
• In 1659 he removed from Windsor to Northampton, Mass., of which he was one of the first and most active founders, as he had been previously of Dorchester, Hingham, Taunton, and Windsor.
• In Northampton he lived for forty years, and was a leading man in the affairs of the town and of the church.
  • He was a tanner and very prosperous in his business. His tannery was located on what is now the southwest corner of Market and Main streets near the rail road depot. He owned at different times, as appears by records in the county clerk's office, some two hundred acres of land in and around Northampton."

************************** Carleton, Hiram. "Genealogical and family history of the state of Vermont; a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation." New York, Chicago, Lewis Pub. Co., 1903. pp. 81, 655, 746.

-------------------------------

Born in Taunton, England, he moved to London and later to Plymouth. He arrived at Nantasket, Mass. after a voyage of some 70 days in 1630. He settled in a place they named Dolchester. The grandfather of John Strong was a Roman Catholic. In 1635 he left Dolchester and moved to Hingham Mass and on March 9, 1635 took the freeman's oath at Boston. Shortly thereafter he moved to Taunton where he remained until 1645. From Taunton he moved to Windsor Ct. In 1659 he moved from Windsor to Northampton Mass. In all these town he was one of the founders. He was a tanner and very prosperous. He owned at different times some 200 acres around and in Northampton.

CBW's notes

------------------------------

ID: I10169

Name: John Strong

• Sex: M
• Birth: ABT 1609 in Chard, Somerset, England
• Death: 14 APR 1699 in Northampton, Hampshire, Mass.
• Burial: 1699 Bridge St. Cemetery, Northampton, MA.
• Occupation: Tanner
• Note: John was from Chard, Somerset Co., England.
• John, with his first wife, came over on the ship "Hopewell" in 1635.
• He may have come earlier, alone, in 1630, on the Ship "Mary and John."
• He operated a tannery in Windsor, Hartford Co., CT by 1647.
• Elder John, was given 46 1 /2 acres in 1659 in Northampton, and would remain prominent in Northampton, Hampshire Co, MA for years.
• Abigail, with her family, came over on the ship "Mary and John" in 1630.

[From Dave Clark's web site]

John STRONG ELDER,

• son of Richard John STRONG Sr. and Eleanor DEANE,
• was born in Chard, Somerset, England about 1609.
• John died 14 Apr 1699 Northampton, Hampshire, MA, at 89 years of age.
• His body was interred 1699 Bridge St. Cemetery, Northampton, MA.
• He married twice.
  • He married Margery DEANE in Bridport, Dorset, England, 15 Dec 1630.
    • Margery was born in Chard, Somerset, England abt 1606.
    • Margery died abt 1635 in Dorchester, Suffolk, MA.
  • He married Abigail FORD in Dorchester, Suffolk, MA, 30 Dec 1636.
    • Abigail was born in Bridport, Dorset, England 8 Oct 1619.
    • Abigail was the daughter of Thomas FORD Sr. and Elizabeth CHARDE.
    • Abigail died 16 Jul 1688 Northampton, Hampshire, MA, at 68 years of age.
• 'Elder' John Strong Sr. was the progenitor of a very large family that remained prominent in the Northampton area for years.
  • Other sons and daughters remained in Windsor and all seem to have had large families.
  • Elder John was a tanner by trade, and passed on a successfully operating tanyard to one of his sons in Windsor, when he removed to the struggling town of Northampton in 1659.
  • John was enticed to go to Northampton by the promise of land grants from the Rev. Eleazer Mather, the new minister of the Northampton Congregational Church, and others in that town.
  • He immediately became a prominent figure in that community, was elected Elder in the church, in 1663, and has been known by that title ever since.
• There have been several variations printed about Elder John's arrival in New England.
  • One states that he arrived on the "Mary and John" in 1630, and returned to England shortly thereafter, returning with a wife, Margery Deane, in 1635, on the "Hopewell". They had a son, John Jr., in England, before 1634, and another child who died young in Massachusetts, in 1635. Margery also died that same year, and
  • John immediately remarried, to Abigail Ford, who was the mother of the remainder of his large family.

John had originally settled in Hingham, MA where he took the freeman oath, later going to Taunton, MA., and few years later, to Windsor, CT where he was operating a tannery by 1647. In about 1659, he was granted "46 and a half acres, twenty-six rods and eleven foot more or less" in Manhan meadows of Northampton by the Rev. Mr. Mather. In addition, he was granted a home lot of four acres, located on Main & West Streets. All of this land had been contributed to Mr. Mather by the earlier settlers in an effort to persuade him, and others, to re-locate to Northampton.

-----------------------------

In an article on the Elder John Strong and his descendants to the "New England Historical and Genealogical Register" Vol.23 1869, this article was prepared about 1779 by Gov. Caleb Strong of Mass.

"Elder John Strong, was born and lived in England, near Taunton in Somersetshire. His father was, Richard Strong who died when John was small. His grandfather, who was Roman Catholic lived to be very old, but died before his grandson left England. Elder John came to America in the year 1630 in the ship Mary and John in company with Mr Warham, Maverick, Mason, Clap and arrived at Nantasket on the 30th. of May that year and settled in Dorchester.

John married his first wife in England, she died on the passage or short time after arriving, leaving two young children, the youngest of which died in two months after its mother.

John married second to Abigail Ford, a sister of Capt. Clap's wife, at Dorchester in 1635.36. John and second wife moved from Dorchester to Windsor, Ct. and with four others was appointed superintendent of bringing settlers to that place. He lived in Windsor for several years than moved to Northampton in the year 1659 where he died April 14, 1699 about 94 years of age. He was the first ruling Elder of the Church of Northampton. Abigail Ford Strong died 6 July 1688. A sister of Johns came with him from England and married a man by the name of Dean. John Strong had 16 children besides those that died young.

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[From SFAA]

HINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS:

• Land granted, 18 September, 1635, for five acres of land on North Street near Ship Street, Hingham, Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts.
• Freeman on 9 March 1636/37

TAUNTON, MASSACHUSETTS:

• House lot on Dean Street west of John Dean house.
• Freeman of Plymouth Colony 4 December 1638
• First Constable, 1638 and 1639, juror 1645.

WINDSOR, CONNECTICUT:

• 4 February 1647 - "Thomas Thorton al his land formerly recorded in figures is sold to Thomas Ford and John Strong where the particulars fully apperar…."
  • This included a house, out house, yards, orchards and gardens containing about two acres, more or less, bounded north and west by the land of Walter Fyler, south by the rivulet, on the east by the highways, and adjoining at the foot of the hill, in the great meadow, one acre and three quarters more or less bounded north by the land of John Mason and east by the land of William Hill [Windsor Register of Deeds]
• Freeman 15 May 1654 of Connecticut.

NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS:

• John Strong was ordained and Elder of the church in 1663.
• Lands -
  • 14 October 1660 - John Strong bought from John Webb, a parcel of land lying in the Third square and bounded by land of Richard Lyman on the north and the highway on the south and on the sides bordering the land of David Wilton on the east by Samuel Allyn on the west - Seven acres .
  • John Strong bought another parcel from John Webb, a home lot bounded on the highway east and north and the mill trench on the west containing two acres. Part of this was given to his son Samuel.
  • John Strong bought another parcel from John Webb, which lies on the south side of Mill River and bounded by the highway east and west, the sides bordering the highway south and Mill River north containing - two acres.
  • 15 October 1660 - Northampton granted to him several parcels of land including a tan yard which was bounded on the east and west by the highway, north by Ralph Hutchinson's land and the common land, and the meeting house hill on the south. John gave this to his son Ebenezer, on 15 December 1688.
  • The original tan yard contained one quarter acre. It was on King Street Brook a little north of Hampshire Marble Works. The town by vote directed all hides be taken to him to be tanned at his own price because of his reputation for honesty.
  • 15 October 1660 - Northampton granted to him his home lot which was bounded on the highway north and Mill River on the south and bounded on the sides by the land of Capt. Aaron Cooke on the east and Alexander Edwards on the west. John Strong conveyed these parcels to John Webb 18 October 1660.
  • The home lot granted to him by Northampton on West Street was nearly opposite the Parson's Homestead. He sold it to John Webb, and purchased John Webb's home lot at the corner of Main and South Streets. The property remained in the family for 103 years.
  • Northampton granted John Strong another parcel of land in Manham Meadow which butts up on the Great River on the east and Mill River on the west containing four Six acres plus. John gave half of this lot to Ebenezer, 15 December 1688.

[Land records from "Strong Men and Strong Women" by Jeanne Waters Strong]

---------------------------

• Father: Richard John Strong
• Mother: Mary
• Marriage 1 Margery Deane b: ABT 1606 in Bridport, Dorset, England
  • Married: 15 DEC 1630 in Bridport, Dorset, England
  • Children
    • John Strong b: BEF 1634
• Marriage 2 Abigail Ford b: 8 OCT 1619 in Bridport, Dorset, England
  • Married: 1636 in Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts
  • Children
    • Ebenezer Strong
    • Thomas Strong
    • Jedediah Strong
    • Josiah Strong
    • Return Strong
    • Abigail Strong
    • Elizabeth Strong
    • Experience Strong
    • Samuel Strong
    • Joseph Strong
    • Sarah Strong
    • Hester Strong
    • Thankful Strong
    • Jerijah Strong

Mary Strong b: 26 OCT 1654 in Windsor, Hartford, Conn.

Hannah Strong b: 30 MAY 1659 in Windsor, Hartford, Conn.

---

ANCESTOR WITH FDR! 8 gens from him, so 7th cousin, 4 times removed.

He and wife Abigail Ford are common ancestors with Diana, Princess of Wales, and Harry and William!

11 gens from me, and Diana, so 10th cousins. 10th once removed for the boys . . .

---

In early life, he sympathized with the Puritans and Pilgrims and decided to join them in America.

It is known that he was married and had a child, but it could not be learned whether they died on the passage over or soon after reaching here.

He and a sister, Eleanor, sailed from Plymouth, England on March 20, 1630. The boat was named the "Mary and John" and the captain's name was Captain Squid. It took 70 days to complete the voyage. There were 149 passengers aboard. They landed a few miles southeast of what is now Boston and immediately began to search for a place to make a settlement. When a likely spot was found, they named it Dorchester after their old home in England.

The author states there are very few Strongs in the United States, but what are descendants of this John Strong. He helped found four other settlements and finally settled in Northampton, MA where many of the records are found of this family.

He married again and was the father of sixteen children; when the last child was born, the oldest son was then 39 years of age.

He took a prominent part in the church and was a ruling elder, always being known as "Elder John Strong." He always held a prominent place in the community in which he lived.

He was a Tanner by trade and was considered very prosperous as he at one time owned 200 acres of land.

He resided at Northampton, MA for 40 years.

---

Strong Puritan convictions

Emigration: 20 Mar 1630

Plymouth, , England Ship "Mary and John"

Immigration: 30 May 1630

Nantasket, Plymouth, Massachusetts

Will: 1699

Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts

Admitted a freeman 03/09/1636

Moved to Taunton before 12/04/1638

Lived for a time in Windsor CT before returning to MA

Prosperous businessman - tanner and husbandman

His tanyard was on the southwest corner of Market St

He owned two hundred acres in and near Northampton

Residence: 1635

Hingham, Plymouth, Massachusetts

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Elder John Strong

John Strong was born about 1610 in Chard, Somerset, England. He married about 1632, Marjorie Deane of Chard.

It was May 8, 1635 that John Strong, with his family, set sail aboard the ship Hopewell, from Weymouth, to join the Puritans in Massachusetts. His wife and an infant child did not survive the trip.

He settled briefly at Dorchester and Hingham before moving to Taunton in 1638. He was listed as one of the original purchasers of Taunton, as were the brothers of his first wife, John and Walter Deane and John Richmond.

At about that time he married second Abigail Ford. Abigail had come with her family from Dorchester, Dorset, England in 1630 on the ship Mary and John.

John served as constable at Taunton. Sometime before 1645 the family moved to Windsor, CT where his father in law was a large land holder. After living fifteen years at that young settlement, the Strongs returned to Massachusetts, settling at Northampton in 1660. As well as plying his trade as a tanner, John was appointed the first ruling elder of the church at Northampton. He died there April 14, 1699, his wife, Abigail, preceded him in death July 6, 1688.

NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS:

Land records from "Strong Men and Strong Women" by Jeanne Waters Strong

John Strong was ordained and Elder of the church in 1663.

Lands -

14 October 1660 - John Strong bought from John Webb, a parcel of land lying in the Third square and bounded by land of Richard Lyman on the north and the highway on the south and on the sides bordering the land of David Wilton on the east by Samuel Allyn on the west - Seven acres .

John Strong bought another parcel from John Webb, a home lot bounded on the highway east and north and the mill trench on the west containing two acres. Part of this was given to his son Samuel.

John Strong bought another parcel from John Webb, which lies on the south side of Mill River and bounded by the highway east and west, the sides bordering the highway south and Mill River north containing - two acres.

15 October 1660 - Northampton granted to him several parcels of land including a tan yard which was bounded on the east and west by the highway, north by Ralph Hutchinson's land and the common land, and the meeting house hill on the south. John gave this to his son Ebenezer, on 15 December 1688.

The original tan yard contained one quarter acre. It was on King Street Brook a little north of Hampshire Marble Works. The town by vote directed all hides be taken to him to be tanned at his own price because of his reputation for honesty.

15 October 1660 - Northampton granted to him his home lot which was bounded on the highway north and Mill River on the south and bounded on the sides by the land of Capt. Aaron Cooke on the east and Alexander Edwards on the west. John Strong conveyed these parcels to John Webb 18 October 1660.

The home lot granted to him by Northampton on West Street was nearly opposite the Parson's Homestead. He sold it to John Webb, and purchased John Webb's home lot at the corner of Main and South Streets. The property remained in the family for 103 years.

Northampton granted John Strong another parcel of land in Manham Meadow which butts up on the Great River on the east and Mill River on the west containing four Six acres plus. John gave half of this lot to Ebenezer, 15 December 1688.

WINDSOR, CONNECTICUT

4 February 1647 - "Thomas Thorton al his land formerly recorded in figures is sold to Thomas Ford and John Strong where the particulars fully apperar…."

This included a house, out house, yards, orchards and gardens containing about two acres, more or less, bounded north and west by the land of Walter Fyler, south by the rivulet, on the east by the highways, and adjoining at the foot of the hill, in the great meadow, one acre and three quarters more or less bounded north by the land of John Mason and east by the land of William Hill [Windsor Register of Deeds]

Freeman 15 May 1654 of Connecticut.

______________________________

Elder John Stronge is the son of John (Richard) Stronge and Eleanor Deane. John (Richard) Stronge died before the birth of his youngest child in 1613. This is well documented in his will. .

After John (Richard) Stronge's death, his wife, Eleanor Deane, daughter of a tanner, married William Cogan (a tanner by trade) before the birth of John (Richard) Stronge's offspring by Eleanor in 1613. Following a west country tradition, the daughter is christened "Eleanor," after her mother. Though she is a "Stronge" by blood, William Cogan refers to her as "my daughter," and raises her as such with the name Eleanor Cogan. .

Young (Elder) John Stronge learns the tanning trade from William Cogan and Eleanor Deane's father, Walter Deane. Sarah Stronge, the future wife of Lt. William Clarke, was born in 1613 to Thomas Stronge, the brother of Elder John Stronge's father. This makes Sarah Stronge the cousin of Elder John Stronge.

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(f/g) Elder John Strong, Jr Birth: 1610 Somerset, England Death: Apr. 14, 1699 Northampton Hampshire County Massachusetts, USA

My 10th Great-Grandfather.

His first wife was Margery Deane, daughter of William Deane of South Chard, Co Somerset, England. Margery died in 1635 soon after their arrival in New England on the "Hopewell".

His second wife was Abigail Ford Strong.

He was the son of John Strong of Chard, Co.Somerset. His mother's name may have been Eleanor____Strong, though her origins are not known for certain.

Children(by first marriage): John Strong III and an infant son who was born at sea and died along with his mother shortly after arrival in New England.

Children(by second marriage): Thomas Strong, Jedediah Strong, Josiah Strong, Return Strong(whose first wife was Sarah Warham Strong), Ebenezer Strong, Abigail Strong Chauncy Pomeroy, Elizabeth Strong Parsons, Experience Strong Fyler, Samuel Strong, Joseph Strong, Mary Strong Clark(wife of John Clark), Sarah Strong Barnard Wells, Hannah Strong Clark, Hester Strong Bissell, Thankful Strong Baldwin(second wife of Jonathan Baldwin, and Jerijah Strong.

Family links:

Spouses:

 Margery Deane Strong (____ - 1635)

 Abigail Ford Strong (1619 - 1688) 

Children:

 John Strong (1625 - 1697)*

 Thomas Strong (1637 - 1689)*

 Jedediah Strong (1637 - 1733)*

 Return Strong (1641 - ____)*

 Ebenezer Strong (1643 - ____)*

 Abigail Strong Chauncey Pomeroy (1645 - ____)*

 Elizabeth Strong Parsons (1647 - 1736)*

 Experience Strong Filer (1650 - ____)*

 Samuel Strong (1652 - 1732)*

 Joseph Strong (1652 - ____)*

 Mary Strong Clark (1654 - 1738)*

 Sarah Strong Barnard Wells (1656 - 1733)*

 Hannah Strong Clark (1659 - 1694)*

 Hester Strong Bissell (1661 - 1726)*

 Thankful Strong Baldwin (1663 - 1726)*

 Jerijah Strong (1665 - ____)

Note: Monument photograph courtesy of The Moo.

Burial: Bridge Street Cemetery Northampton Hampshire County Massachusetts, USA Created by: lyn m. mosher Record added: Jun 15, 2005 Find A Grave Memorial# 11179432

ELDER JOHN b b. 1605, Taunton, England m. in England, wife's name unknown m. Abigail Ford of Dorchester d. April 14, 1699 Because of his strong Puritan sympathies, John Strong set sail for America from England on the ship Mary and John, arriving on May 30, 1630 at Nantucket, Massachusetts. After helping to found the city of Dorchester, Massachusetts, he moved to Northampton in 1654, and lived here for forty years. He was a leader of the town and a successful businessman. A tanner by trade, he was also ruling Elder in the church. Married twice, he lived with Abigail Ford for 58 years, the mother of sixteen of his children. At the time of his death at 94 years old, he had 160 descendants, 18 children, 15 of whom had families, 114 grandchildren, and 33 great grandchildren. This marker was erected by his descendents.

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Immigrated on the "Mary and John" in 1630

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Elder John Strong sailed from England to this country March 30th 1630 in the ship Mary & John & arrived at Nantucket, May 30 same year. (from NEHGS Pedigree Form of Alexander Strong, 1871

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His first wife was Margery Deane, daughter of William Deane of South Chard, Co Somerset, England. Margery died in 1635 soon after their arrival in New England on the "Hopewell".

His second wife was Abigail Ford Strong.

He was the son of John Strong of Chard, Co.Somerset. His mother's name may have been Eleanor____Strong, though her origins are not known for certain.

Children(by first marriage): John Strong III and an infant son who was born at sea and died along with his mother shortly after arrival in New England.

Children(by second marriage): Thomas Strong, Jedediah Strong, Josiah Strong, Return Strong(whose first wife was Sarah Warham Strong), Ebenezer Strong, Abigail Strong Chauncy Pomeroy, Elizabeth Strong Parsons, Experience Strong Fyler, Samuel Strong, Joseph Strong, Mary Strong Clark(wife of John Clark), Sarah Strong Barnard Wells, Hannah Strong Clark, Hester Strong Bissell, Thankful Strong Baldwin(second wife of Jonathan Baldwin, and Jerijah Strong.

--------------------

Governor Caleb Strong, in 1779, wrote the following article about his ancestor, the Elder John Strong. It was noted by Marilyn Maxfield King that this was published in the "New England Historical and Genealogical Register," Volume 23, in 1869.

"Elder John Strong, was born and lived in England, near Taunton in Somersetshire. His father was, Richard (sic) Strong who died when John was small. His grandfather, who was Roman Catholic lived to be very old, but died before his grandson left England. Elder John came to America in the year 1630 in the ship Mary and John in company with Mr Warham, Maverick, Mason, Clap and arrived at Nantasket on the 30th. of May that year and settled in Dorchester. John married his first wife in England, she died on the passage or short time after arriving, leaving two young children, the youngest of which died in two months after it's mother. John married second to Abigail Ford, a sister of Capt. Clap's wife, at Dorchester in 1635/36. John and second wife moved from Dorchester to Windsor, Ct. and with four others was appointed superintendent of bringing settlers to that place. He lived in Windsor for several years than moved to Northampton in the year 1659 where he died April 14, 1699 about 94 years of age. He was the first ruling Elder of the Church of Northampton. Abigail Ford Strong died 6 July 1688. A sister (Eleanor) of John's came with him from England and married a man by the name of Dean. John Strong had 16 children besides that which died young."

Although Gov. Caleb Strong believed that Elder John Strong arrived to New England in 1630 aboard the "Mary and John," Elder John may actually arrived on the "Hopewell" in 1635. He was listed as "Jon Stronge for himself and family, and goods" in the Index to Ships & Passengers to the American Colonies, Exchequer K.R. 1618-1668 copied from Port Book E 190/876/1. The "Hopewell" sailed from Weymouth, 8 May 1635. It is also possible that, as a youth of 20 that he came with the Winthrop Fleet on the Mary & John, later returning to England to and married first wife Margerie DEANE, and permanently emigrating to the Massachussets Bay Colony aboard the Hopewell with members of the Deane family.

Link to the Passenger List of the Hopewell, from the Strong Family Association of America website.

http://www.strongfamilyofamerica.org/strong/hopelist.html

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John probably embarked from Plymouth, England 20 Mar 1630 on the Mary & John, and arrived at Nantasket, 30 May 1630. He apparently returned to England, married, and had two children before sailing again for New England on 8 May 1635 from Weymouth aboard the Hopewell. He settled first at Dorchester, MA, removed to Windsor, CT about 1636, to Taunton by 1638, and to Northampton in 1659 where he was the first Ruling Elder. He had 17 children and 145 grandchildren.

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That the Strongs of England, Ireland and Scotland are of a different origin respectively, would seem to be manifest from the variety of their family-crests. The crest of the Strongs of Ireland is a lion rampart, azure, supporting a pillar argent (or silver); of those of Scotland, a cluster of grapes stalked and leaved; while of those of England there is a threefold variety of crest. One of them is, out of a mural coronet, gold, a demieagle, wings displayed, gold; another is an eagle with two heads, wings expanded: the third form of crest is an eagle displayed, gold. An eagle with wings expanded characterizes them all alike. Which of the three forms of crest belongs to the Strongs of this country, the author has no means of determining. Persons consulting books of heraldic symbols seem to have selected, on the principle of choosing the best, the first of the three English crests described as that of the American branch of the family. No one of whom the author has heard has in his possession any silver tankard, or other family relic, on which the real ensigns armorial of the family are engraved. If the crest with a mural coronet belongs to us the explanation of it will perhaps be worth the having, that such a coronet was anciently given to the man, who first scaled the walls of an enemy's city or entered by a breach. The rim of such a coronet was made to resemble battlements.

If there is any motto belonging to the ensigns armorial of the Strongs, the author knows not what it is. It was early represented to him by some members of the family, that there was a motto handed down to us by our ancestors, for the ever new inspiration of manly virtue in our hearts; and a grand motto it was for the practical wisdom that it conveys: Tentanda est via! they said that it was; and it is surely good enough to be written in letters of gold over the portals of any human pathway leading onwards and upwards. It has in it the sap and strength of a dozen or more of our best proverbs, such a "Try again:" "Nothing venture nothing have:" "First be sure your are right, then go ahead:" "Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing in the best manner possible:" "Practice makes perfect:" "Don't give up the ship:" "Faint heart never won fair lady:" "Perseverance conquers all things:" "Work and wait:" "Do or die:" "Real success is worth all that it costs."

The author has put this motto fully to the proof in the preparation of this work: and he recommends it to all, young and old, as invaluable in the work of life, in the pursuit of whatever good one may wish to obtain. He is sorry to be compelled to drop itas the family motto. It belongs to the Stronge Family of Lyman Abbey - a baronetcy created in the last century - whose crest is an eagle displayed with two heads, sable, beaked and legged, azure, langued, gules: motto, tentanda est via. This family may be connected in some way - as the resemblance of name and heraldic symbols would seem to suggest - with the Strong Family. If we cannot boast, as we would not if we could, of descent from the kings and nobles of other lands, we may well feel an honest pride in an ancestry whose wealth was wealth of character, and whose patent of nobility they obtained from above in following through storm and shine the footsteps of prophets and apostles and of the Son of God.

The Strong Family of England was originally located in the county of Shropshire. One of the family married an heiress of Griffith, of the county of Caernarvon, Wales, and went thither to reside in 1545. Richard Strong was of this branch of the family, and was born in the county of Caernarvon in 1561. In 1590 he removed to Taunton, Somersetshire, England, where he died in 1613, leaving a son John then eight years of age, and a daughter Eleanor. The name is stated in one record, on what authority the writer knows not, to have been originally McStrachan and to have gone through the following changes, McStrachan, Strachan, Strachn, Strong. John Strong was born in Taunton, Eng., in 1605, whence he removed to London and afterwards to Plymouth. Having strong Puritan sympathies he sailed from Plymouth for the new world, March 20, 1630, in company with 140 persons, and among them Rev. Messrs. John Warham and John Maverick and Messrs. John Mason and Roger Clapp, in the ship Mary and John (Capt. Squeb) and arrived at Nantasket, Mass. (Hull), about twelve miles southeast from Boston, after a passage of more than seventy days in length, on Sunday, May 30, 1630.

The original destination of the vessel was Charles River; but an unfortunate misunderstanding which arose between the captain and the passengers, resulted in their being put summarily ashore by him at Nantasket. After searching for a few days, for a good place in which to settle and make homes for themselves, they decided upon the spot, which they called Dorchester, in memory of the endeared home in England which many of them had left, and especially of its revered pastor, Rev. John White, "the great patron of New England emigration," who had especially encouraged them to come hither.

The grandfather of Elder John Strong was, as tradition informs us, a Roman Catholic, and lived to a great age. The Strong Family has borne out remarkably, in its earlier generations in this country at any rate, the historical genuineness of its name, in its wide- spread characteristics of physical vigor and longevity, and the large size of very many of its numerous households.

Eleanor Strong came with her brother John to this country, when he was but twenty- five years of age, and she was probably several years younger, and married Walter Deane, a tanner, of Taunton, Mass., previously of Taunton, Eng., and became the mother of four sons and one daughter. He was born about 1617, and was a prominent man in the affairs of his new home. Her descendants have been numerous and highly respectable. For various accounts of some of them see N. E. Gen. Register, published at Boston in several volumes, in various places.

In 1635, after having assisted in founding and developing the town of Dorchester, John Strong removed to Hingham, Mass., and on March 9, 1636, took the freeman's oath at Boston. His stay at Hingham was short, as on Dec. 4, 1638, he is found to have been an inhabitant and proprietor of Taunton, Mass., and to have been made in that year a freeman of Plymouth Colony. He remained at Taunton, as late at any rate as 1645, as he was a deputy thence to the General court in Plymouth, in 1641, '3, and '4. From Taunton he removed to Windsor, Ct., where he was appointed with four others, Capt. John Mason, Roger Ludlow, Israel Stoughton, and Henry Wolcott, all very leading men in the infant colony, "to superintend and bring forward the settlement of that place," which had been settled a few years before (1636) by a portion of the same colony that with him had founded Dorchester. Windsor was in fact called at first, and for several years (1636-50), Dorchester.

In 1659 he removed from Windsor to Northampton, Mass., of which he was one of the first and most active founders, as he had been previously of Dorchester, Hingham, Taunton, and Windsor. In Northampton he lived for forty years, and was a leading man in the affairs of the town and of the church. He was a tanner and very prosperous in his business. His tannery was located on what is now the southwest corner of Market and Main streets near the railroad depot. He owned at different times, as appears by records in the county clerk's office, some two hundred acres of land in and around Northampton.

How he obtained his office and title as Elder John Strong will appear by the following quotation from the church records at Northampton: "After solemn and extraordinary seeking to God for his direction and blessing, the church chose John Strong ruling Elder, and William Holton, deacon. They were ordained 13: 3 mo: '63" (or, the year beginning then in March, June 13, 1663, O. S., or N.S. June 24, 1663), "the elder by the imposition of the hands of the pastor" (Rev. Eleazer Mather) "and Mr. Russell of Hadley - the deacon, afterwards by the imposition of the hands of the pastor and elder. Mr. Russell, Mr. Goodwin, and brother Goodman were present from Hadley; Dea. Chapin and Mr. Holyoke from Springfield, who gave the right hand of fellowship to these delegates." How near to the minister himself, so greatly revered, the ruling elder stood in the thoughts of our Pilgrim fathers, is manifest from the functions of his office, as described in the following church record under date of Sept. 11, 1672: "Solomon Stoddard was ordained pastor of the church in Northampton by Mr. John Strong, ruling elder, and Mr. John Whiting, pastor of the second church in Hartford."

His first wife, whose name and family the author has not been able to ascertain, he married in England. She died on the passage or soon after landing; and in about two months afterwards her infant offspring, a second child, died also. He married in December, 1630, for a second wife, Abigail Ford of Dorchester, Mass., with whom he lived in wedlock for fifty- eight years. She died, the mother of 16 children, July 6, 1688, aged about 80; he died April 14, 1699 aged 94. He had had, up to the time of his decease, 160 descendants, viz: eighteen children, fifteen of whom had families; one hundred and fourteen grandchildren (6, John of Windsor; 16, Thomas of Northampton; 14, Jedediah; 7, Return; 10, Elder Ebenezer; 6, Abigail, Mrs. Chauncey; 12, Mrs. Joseph Parsons; 13, Mrs. Zerubbabel Filer; 8, Samuel; 11, Mary, Mrs. John Clark; 7, Hannah, Mrs. William Clark; 4, Hester, Mrs. Thomas Bissell); and thirty-three great grandchildren, at least.

He made over his lands in his life-time to his children, and took bills of those whom he had helped, beyond their share - as of Ebenezer, for land and rent [2]

__________________________

Elder John STRONG (1605 – 1699) was Alex’s 9th Great Grandfather; one of 1,024 in this generation of the Miller line.

John Strong was born in 1605 in Chard, Somerset, England. His parents were Richard STRONG and Eleanor DEAN. He married Margerie Dean in 1625 in Somerset, He sailed in on the Hopewell, Master John Driver from Weymouth, Dorsetshire, England on 8 May 1635 with his wife and their two children: John Jr age 2 and an infant plus John’s sister Eleanor age 22.

Some sources state he came to America in the year 1630 the Mary and John from Plymouth in England, in company with Mr. Wareham Maverick, Mason, Clap, etc., and arrived at Nantasket on the 30th of May, of that year, and settled in Dorchester. His future wife Abigail Ford was on board, but John Strong is only a “maybe” on the passenger list.

After Margerie died, he married Abigail FORD in Dec 1635 in Dorchester, Mass. John died 14 Apr 1699 in Northampton, Mass.

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• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Apr 14 2018, 7:29:08 UTC
• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Apr 14 2018, 7:30:01 UTC

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John Strong (colonist) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia John Strong (1610—1699) was an English-born New England colonist, politician, Puritan church leader, tanner and one of the founders of Windsor, Connecticut and Northampton, Massachusetts as well as the progenitor of nearly all the Strong families in what is now the United States. He was referred to as Elder John Strong because he was an Elder in the church.[1]

Early life

Strong was born in about 1610 in Chard, Somerset, England and emigrated to Massachusetts with his pregnant wife and a one-year-old child in 1635 aboard the sailing ship Hopewell. During the 70-day sea voyage, his wife, Marjory Deane (md. 1632) had a baby while they were still at sea. She and their infant child died within two months of their arrival. With a one-year-old son to take care of, John Strong Jr., John Sr. married sixteen-year-old Mary & John (1630) passenger Abigail Ford, daughter of Thomas Ford and Elizabeth Charde, in December 1635. They settled originally in Hingham, Massachusetts, a New-Plymouth Colony, in 1635. In 1638 he was made a "Freeman" (eligible to vote in town and colony elections and serve in the church), and went to Taunton, Massachusetts. While in Taunton, Strong represented the town in the General Court of Plymouth Colony for four years, from 1641 to 1644.[2]

He later moved to Windsor, Connecticut, on the Connecticut River where he was a leading figure in the new Connecticut colony. In 1659 he moved 40 miles further up the river to the Connecticut River town of Northampton, Massachusetts—then a frontier town surrounded by Indians about 100 miles (160 km) inland from Boston. One of the early settlers of the town, he operated a tannery for many years, helped defend the town against Indian attacks during King Philip's War (1675-1676) and also played an important role in town and church affairs.[3]

In 1661, John Strong was one of the eight men who founded the First Church of Northampton. Of their number, Eleazer Mather, the older brother of Boston minister Increase Mather, was chosen as the first pastor. Two years later, 1663, Strong was ordained an elder of the church. The Puritan pastor Mather died in 1669, and Strong was tasked with finding a suitable minister to replace him. The following year, he and several other church leaders extended a call to Solomon Stoddard, who formally accepted in 1672, and was ordained by John Strong. Stoddard served as pastor for many years, until his death in 1729, and was succeeded by his grandson, Jonathan Edwards, whose subsequent ministry in Northampton would play a major role in the Great Awakening.[4]

John Strong died on April 14, 1699, at Northampton and is buried at the Bridge Street Cemetery, Northampton Massachusetts.[5]

Family John Strong was the first of the Strong family to settle in New England, and is the ancestor to most of that name in the United States. He and his two wives had 18 children, 15 of whom survived to adulthood. His descendants include many prominent figures in the early history of the United States, including his great-grandson, Caleb Strong, a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, a US Senator, and Governor of Massachusetts from 1800-1807 and 1812-1816. In addition, Strong's descendants included, as of 1889, three other governors, four other Senators, 12 Congressmen, four members of the Continental Congress, and 29 judges, including US Supreme Court Justice William Strong, who served from 1870 to 1880.[6]

References

• Trumbull, James Russell (1898). History of Northampton Massachusetts. Northampton, Massachusetts: Gazette Printing Company.
• Dwight, Benjamin W. (1871). The History of the Descendants of Elder John Strong, of Northampton Massachusetts.

Occupations:
Tanner, of Taunton, Mass, Deputy/ Windsor, Northampton, "Hopewell" sailed from Weymouth 8 May 1635, w/1st wife, church elder, Elder, tanner, freeman, first constable, juror, Founder of Colonies, Politician, Came on the Hopewell from England

Marriage
Marriage to: Abigail Ford