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JOHN HOWLAND (d. 1673)

ELIZABETH TILLEY, daughter of JOHN TILLEY

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English ancestry of John Howland

Henry Howland

ii. John Howland

John Howland was born about 1593. [MGV] He died on 23 Februarly 1672/3 in Plymouth. [JHWI] He married Elizabeth, the daughter of John Tilley, and they had ten children. [OPP, 444]

Priscilla Tilley was born about 1607 and died on 31 December 1687 in Swansea, at the home of her daughter Lydia, the wife of James Brown. [MGV][ETHW]

John Howland came to Plymouth on the Mayflower as a servant of Mr. John Carver. [OPP, 441] William Bradford describes how John nearly lost his life on the voyage in the box below: [OPP, 76]

He was one of seven men who went out to explore the freezing cold night of 6 December and had an encounter with hostile Indians. [OPP, ch. 10, fn. 7]

Land was divided in Plymouth in 1623, with each household receiving an acre per member. John received four acres, one for himself, one for his wife, and presumably two for his wife's deceased parents. [DL21][PCHP]

The Pilgrims borrowed heavily from English merchant adventurers to come to America. Their money making efforts were unsucessful and in 1627 eight colonists, known as undertakers renegotiated and undertook to repay the debt in return for a monopoly on the fur trade and other considerations. These undertakers were William Bradford, John Howland, Myles Standish, Isaac Allerton, Edward Winslow, William Brewster, John Alden and Thomas Prence. [OPP, 194–6, ch. 18, fn. 5]

Elizabeth Howland, John Howland, Jr., and Desire Howland were in the fourth lot of the division of cattle in 1627 in Plymouth. [DC27]

John is consistently refered to as "Mr." in the Plymouth court records.

The first recorded meeting of the New Plymouth Colony General Court took place on 1 January 1632/3 (all court dates are old style). John—already a freeman—was chosen one of the seven Assistants (cabinet members) to the Governor, a position he would hold for two years. All governments need revenue and one of the courts first acts was to order the collection of taxes. John, as an Assistant, was one of the raters. The taxes, collexted in corn, ranged from nine shillings for most of the households to three pounds and 11 shillings for Isaac Allerton. John was assessed 18 shillings. [NBS1]

By an order of 2 January 1631/2, John was chosen to be on a committee to set rates. He paid a tax of 18 shillings; [his brother] Henry paid nine shillings. [NBS1] By an order of 2 January 1633/4, John was again chosen to be on a committee to set rates. He paid a tax of one pound for shillings; [his brother] Henry paid 18 shillings. [NBS1]

John was chosen for the council at the 1 January 1632 court. [NBS1] He was chosen an Assistant on 1 January 1633/4 and o n 1 January 1634/5. [NBS1] He was on a jury on 7 June 1636. [NBS1]

John and [his brother] Henry were on lists of freemen in Plymouth in 1633 and on 7 March 1636/7. [NBS1]

William Bradford was granted the right to a tract of land by the Kennebec River and was given the right to apprehend anyone else who attempted to trade their with the Indians there and to seize their ships and goods. In 1634 a man named Hocking, who belonged to the Piscataqua plantation, came up the Kennebec River with a bark and goods to trade. Bradford's associate John Howland was in charge of the trading station their. John told Hocking to leave, but Hocking said he was going to go up the river, effectively intercepting John's trade, and would stay there as long as he pleased. John told him to leave or he would apprehend him if he could. Hocking told him to do his worst and proceeded to go up river and anchor. John took a boat and sent men and went to wear he was anchored. In vain, he entreated him to leave. Realizing that their trade would be lost, he sent a couple of men in a cone to cut the anchor cable so that Hocking would drift down river. When the men came upon Hocking, he fatally shot one of them—a man named Moses Talbot. Another man with John then fatally shot Moses Talbot. The Massachusetts Bay authorities, not yet realizing the provocation came to arrest the man who shot Hocking. In their confusion, they arrested and temporarily imprisoned Mr. Alden, who had no role in the matter. [OPP, 262–8][ALR]

On 1 March 1635/6 Mr. John Howland was on a committee to view the land on the north side of the South River and decide whether to allocate it to Scituate. [NBS1]

In the 14 March 1635/6 allocation of mowing, Mr. John Howland was to have the land he previously mowed and two loads of hay at Island Creek. [NBS1] In the 7 March 1636/7 allocation, he was given what he had before. [NBS1]

At the 4/5 October 1636 court, it was ordered that the indentured servant John Gardner—having been taken from his master George Kenrick—was to be placed with John Howland and John Howland was to pay George Kenrick three pounds. [NBS1]

Plymouth Colony decided to send soldiers to assist Massachusetts Bay Colony and Connecticut Colony in their war against the Pequot. On 7 June 1637 Mr. Howland of Duxbury was one of those added to the Governor and the Assistants to assess the colonists for the cost of the soldiers' assistance. [NBS1] On the same day Mr. John Howland was one of those added to the Governor and the Assistants to investigate the beaver trade. [NBS1]

On 4 December 1637 John was granted 40 acres at Island Creek Pond. [NBS1] On 5 November 1638 he was granted an island called Spectacle in Green's Harbor. [NBS1]

On 28 July 1640 John Winslow sold his right in the remaining five years of service of his indentured servant Joseph Gross to Mr. John Howland for 12 pounds. [NBS1]

There was no meadow on the island or neck granted to Mr. John Holland, and on 30 November 1640 the court ordered that if there was any meadow between the neck and Mr. Bradford's island, John should have it; otherwise, he would have whatever meadow was found thereabouts. [NBS1]

Mr. John Howland was on the committee for the town of Plymouth on 1 June 1641, 28 October 1645, 7 July 1746, 1 June 1647, 7 June 1648, 6 June 1649, 4 June 1650, 5 June 1651. [NBS2]

Mr. John Howland was granted six acres of meadow, if it were there to be had, on 17 October 1642. [NBS2]

Mr. John Howland was appointed to help lay a highway from Mr. Bradford's farm to the bay on 20 August 1644. [NBS2] John was appointed to a committee to stake out a highway from Jones's River to Massachusetts Path on 4 June 1648. [NBS2]

Mr. Howland and Mr. Alden were to be added to the Treasurer to take account of the Kennebec trade on 7 June 1648. [NBS2]

On 22 July 1648 John was on an inquest into the death of the four-year-old daughter of Alice Bishop. Alice later confessed to murdering her child and was executed. [NBS2]

He was surveyor of highways in Plymouth on 6 June 1649, 4 June 1650.[NBS2]

John Howland, Sr. of New Plymouth made his will on 29 May 1672. He left his eldest son John, beside what he had already given him, 100 acres that had been granted to him on the east side of the Taunton River. He left his son Jabez all of his upland and meadow at Satuckett, Paomett and adjacent places. He left his younget son Isaac land in Middleborough and land near Namassackett Ponds that he had bought from William White, as wll as half of a 12-acre lot in the town of Plymouth. He left his wife Elizabeth the use of his house in Rocky Nook and all the land around it in the town of Plymouth for her natural life. He left his son Joseph this house and land after Elizabeth's decease. He left 20 shillings apiece to his daughters Desire Gorham, Hope Chipman, Elizabeth Dickenson, Lydia Browne, Hannah Bosworth, and Ruch Cushman and to his granddaughter Elizabeth, the son of John. He left Elizabeth all the rest of his estate. John's inventory was taken on 3 March 1672/[3?] and exhibited at court on 5 March 1672/[3?] on the oath of the widow Elizabeth. It contained books and without real estate and net of debts in amounted to 157 pounds, eight shillings and eight pence. [JHWI]

Elizabeth made her will on 17 December 1686; she says she is 79. She left her substantial collection of bedding to her children and her dresses to her three daughters. She left her son John five pounds and her copy of Mr. Tindale's works. She left her son Joseph "stillyards." She left her son Jabez her great iron pot and pot hooks. She left her son Isaac Wilson's book on the Romans and a great brass kettle. She left her son-in-law James Brown her great bible and her daughter Lydia Brown andirons, a lesser brass kettle and a small bible. She also mentions her daughters Elizabeth Dickenson and Hannah Bosworth, a Bursley granddaughter, one of Joseph's sons, Brown granndchildren and a Cushman granddaugher. [ETHW]

Henry was chosen constable for Duxbury on 5 January 1635/6. [NBS1] He was on a jury on 2 January 1637/8. [NBS1] He was on a grand jury on 5 June 1638, 2 June 1640, 4 June 1645, 4 June 1650. [NBS1]

On 26 July 1638 the town of New Plymouth considered the disposition of the stock donated by London merchant Mr. James Shirley for the poor of the town of Plymouth and Henry received a cow calf. [RTP]

On 2 November 1640 Arthur Howland was granted 50 acres and some meadow. [NBS1] Arthur Howland of Marshfield was propounded a freeman on 1 March 1641/2. [NBS2]

Arthur Howland and others of Sandwich were presented for not frequenting the public worship, contrary of an order of 6 June 1651. [NBS2]

Children of John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley:

i. v. Desire Howland was born before 1627. She appears to have died between 29 May 1672 and 17 December 1686. She married John Gorham in 1644. [MVRP]

ii. John Howland married Mary Lee.

iii. Jabez Howland

v. Isaac Howland married Elizabeth Vaughan.

viii. Lydia Howland married James Browne.

ix. Hannah Howland married Hannah Bosworth.

x. Ruth Howland appears to have died between 29 May 1672 and 17 December 1686. She married Unknown Cushman.

References:

MGV. George Ernest Bowman, "Mayflower Genealogies: I. Vital Statistics of Mayflower Passengers," Mayflower Descendant 2 (1900): 114–120.

OPP. William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation, Charles Dean, editor (Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1856).

NBS1. Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 1, Court Orders, 1633–1640 (Boston: William White, 1855).

NBS2. Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 2, Court Orders, 1641–1651 (Boston: William White, 1855).

RTP. Records of the Town of Plymouth (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1995).

DC27. "Division of Cattle in 1627," Mayflower Descendant 1 (1899): 148–54.

DL21. "Division of Land," Mayflower Descendant 1 (1899): 227–30.

ALR. A. L. Russell, "Affray at Kennebec, 1634," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 9, 1855, 80.

PCWI. "Plymouth Colony Wills and Inventories," Mayflower Descendant 2 (1900): 10–11.

JHWI. George Ernest Bowman, "John Howland's Will and Inventory," Mayflower Descendant 2 (1900): 70–77.

MVRP. Lee D. van Antwerp and Ruth Wilder Sherman, Vital Records of Plymouth, Massachusetts: To the Year 1850 (Camden, ME: Picton Press, 1993), 655 (marriage of Desire), 657 (first marriage of Elizabeth).

ETHW. "George Ernest Bowman, "Elizabeth (Tilley) Howland's Will," Mayflower Descendant 3 (1901): 54–57.

PCHP. Eugene Aubrey Stratton, Plymouth Colony: Its History & People (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1986), Appendix E (1623 land division), 27 (Undertakers).

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Last revised: 23-Aug-2023