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JOHN CHURCHILL (say 1618–1663)
HANNAH PONTUS (say 1624–1690), daughter of William Pontus and Wybra Hansen
John Churchill was born say 1618. He died on 1 January 1662/3 in Plymouth. [1] He married Hannah Pontus on 28 December 1644 in Plymouth. [2][3]
Hannah Pontus was born say 1624. Hannah, the daughter of William and Wybra (Hanson) Pontus, died on 22 December 1690 in Plymouth. [3] She married first as his second wife John Churchill. [3] She married second as his third wife Giles Rikard on 25 June 1669. [3] Giles married first Judith Cogan.
William Pontus had a share of land in Middleborough, and the courts settled this land on his daughters Mary Delano and Hannah Churchill on 3 May 1664. On 1 January 1693/4, Mary Delano's son and heir Samuel Delano sold his half to John Churchill, weaver of Plymouth, for 14 pounds. [4]
On 20 October 1652 Nathaniel Masterton of Manchester in Massachusetts traded to John Churchill of Plymouth about 10 acres of upland in the town of Plymouth for two steers. [5]
John Churchill, Sr. made his noncupative will on 24 December 1662. He mentioned his sons Joseph, Eleazer, John and William and his daughter Hannah. He does not mention his daughter Mary, but made provisions for an unborn child. [3]
Hannah disposed of her real property in a series of deeds to her sons Joseph, Ebenezer, John and William. [3] On 30 January 1690 Hannah Rickard of Plymouth, widow, formerly wife of John Churchill, deeded land to her true and natural daughter Mary Churchill. [3]
Inventory on Hannah's estate was taken on 17 March 1691 (probably 1690/1). It mentions property left with her children Joseph, Eleazer, John and William Churchill, John Drew, William Churchill, Henry Churchill, her granddaughter Hannah Dotey, and Martha Dotey. Hannah was the daughter of Thomas and Mary (Churchill) Dotey and Martha was their illegitimate daughter, born prior to their marriage. [3]
Children of John Churchill and Hannah Pontus:
i. Joseph Churchill was born say 1645.
ii. John Churchill was born say 1647.
iii. Hannah Churchill was born on 12 November 1649 in Plymouth. She married John Drew.
iv. Eleazer Churchill was born on 20 April 1652 in Plymouth. [3] He died on 5 March 1716 in Plymouth. [MJEB] He married Mary Unknown about 1676. [MJEB] She died on 11 December 1715 in Plymouth. [MJEB]
v. William Churchill was born say 1653.
vi. Mary Churchill was born on 1 August 1654 in Plymouth. [3l] She married married first Thomas Doty after 30 October 1672, probably in Plymouth. [3l] Thomas, the son of Edward and Faith (Clarke) Dotey was born about 1641/2 in Plymouth and died there on 4 or 5 December 1678. [3l][MJEB] Mary married second Henry Churchill. [3l] His parentage is unknown. [3] He died about 3 March 1714/5 in Plympton. [MJEB]
On 17 June 1671/2 Mary was examined by the Governor and Mr. Constant Southworth, and admitted that she was pregnant by Thomas Dotey. She was fined six pounds for fornication. on 30 August 1672. [3] Her bondsmen were John Drew and Joseph Churchill. [MJEB] Mary complained that Thomas had departed, leaving her with no support. The court agreed and attached some of his property. [3]
Thomas and Mary's daughter Martha also became pregnant out of wedlock, and later married John White. [3]
Mrs. John E. Barclay argues that Henry Churchill was Mary's brother), and thus, Thomas must have had two wives named Mary. [6] But, this seems inconsistent with Hannah (Pontus) (Churchill) Rickard calling Mary her true and natural daughter in 1690. Henry was not the son of John and Hannah and was only mentioned in Hannah's estate records as her son-in-law.
Endnotes:
1. Elijah Hayward, "Plymouth Colony Records," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 9 (1855): 317.
2. Lee D. van Antwerp and Ruth Wilder Sherman, Vital Records of Plymouth, Massachusetts: To the Year 1850 (Camden, ME: Picton Press, 1993).
3. Barbara Lambert Merrick, "Doty and Churchill of Plymouth Colony: The Two Claimed Wives of Thomas Doty," The American Genealogist 71 (1996): 114–20.
4. Ann Smith Lainhart, "Plymouth County Records of Deeds," Mayflower Desecendant 41 (1991): 65–70, specifically 69.
5. George Ernest Bowman, "Plymouth Colony Deeds," Mayflower Descendant 1 (1899): 134–5.
6. Mrs. John E. Barclay, "Notes on the Dotey and Churchill Families," The American Genealogist 36 (1960): 1–11.
Last revised: 10-Jan-2024