The Great Allotment: Pullen Point's First Land Owners
Introduction, William Aspinwall, Edward Bates, William Brenton, Thomas Buttolph, Thomas Fayerweather, Edward Gibbons, Valentine Hill, Ralph Hudson, Thomas Matson, Elias Maverick, John Oliver, William Pierce, John Sanford, William Stitson, John Winthrop/Deane Winthrop
John Sanford |
John Sanford (Sandford) came to Boston aboard the "Lyon" in 1631. Since 1629 he was in the employee of John Winthrop making arrangements for loading provisions destined for the colonies. In 1631 he was admitted to the Boston Church, and took the Freeman's Oath in 1632. A trained surveyor, and familiar with military matters, Sanford was made cannoneer of the fort in Boston, and "surveyor of the ordinance and other ammunition."
Upon arriving in Boston in 1631, Sanford had married Elizabeth Webb. They had two children, John (1632) amd Samuel (1634). Unfortunately, she died shortly after the birth of Samuel. In 1636 he married Bridget Hutchinson, the daughter of William and Anne Hutchinson. Their mariage produced nine children, many of whom died young.
John's allotment to land on Pullen Point is noted as:
"John Sanford, 6 acrs of Marsh, bounded towards the North, towards the East by the Upland of William Aspinwall, towards the South by the Allottment of Thomas Buttalph, towards the West by the Allottment of the Governor, Mr. John Winthropp, sen."
John was caught up in the Antinomian Controversy (being a supporter of Mr. Wheelwright and and son-in-law of Mrs. Hutchinson) and was disarmed and banished in 1637. Settling in what would become Rhode Island in 1638, Sanford was active in the colony and chosen in the following years, Constable, Secretary, Treasurer and General Recorder, Head Magistrate, and eventually President of the Colony, dying in office in 1653.
After John's death Bridget moved back to Boston in 1654. She remarried Major William Phillips, his third wife.. Seh died in 1698.
John's six acres of marsh on Pullen Point became part of the Edward Hutchinson farm, and eventually purchased by the Bill family.
Selected Sanford descendants, locations, and objects of note:
- Cannoneer on Fort Hill Boston - It is thought that John acquired his military experience when pressed into service with John Winthrop, Jr. in the unsuccessful campaign to relieve Huguenots at the Siege of La Rochelle. - Wikipedia
- Portsmouth Compact signed by John Sanford - The document was written by a group of men who were seeking religious freedom apart from the governmental oversight of the Massachusetts Bay Colony by moving to Aquidneck Island to set up a new colony. - Wikipedia
- Frederick Coleman Sanford (b. 1809) - Initially a silversmith, Frederick went on to become a wealthy shipper, whaler, international businessman and benefactor to Nantucket. - Memorial Biographies of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1908, pg. 12, Google ebook
- Sanford, Maine - After the death of John in 1653, his wife Bridget (Hutchinson) married Major William Phillips, his third wife. He was a Boston merchant who had purchased in 1661 large tracts of land from the Abenaki Native Americans. When he died in 1683, he willed a portion of the land called Phillipstown to Bridget’s eldest son Peleg. The town eventually took his name. - The history of Sanford, Maine 1661-1900, Edwin Emery, 1901, pg. 12, Internet Archive
- Peleg Sanford (b. 1639) - The son of John's second wife Bridget Hutchinson, Peleg was born in Rhode Island. His first wife was Mary Brenton, a daughter of William Brenton, one of the men who received land on Pullen Point. He was the 10th Governor of Rhode Island. - Wikipedia
- Charles Skiff Sanford (b. 1816). - Born in Madison, N.Y, Charles moved his family in 1863 to Midland County, Mich. A 213-acre tract of land he purchased first became known as the "Salt-Spring Reserve", the first salt well in the state of Michigan. - Sanford Centennial Museum
| Selected John Sanford Descendants |
| John (b. 1605), m1. Elizabeth Webb, m2. Bridget Hutchinson |
John (b. 1633), m1. Elizabeth Spatchurst, m2. Mary Groton |
| Samuel (b. 1677), m. Deborah Manchester |
| Restcome (b. 1704), m1. Elizabeth Lake, m2. Content Candall |
| William (b. 1725), m. Mary Waight |
| William (b. 1757), m1. Abigail Simmons, m2. Susan Howe |
| Peleg (b. 1792), m1. Anna Skiff, m2. Melinda Greenlief |
| Charles (b. 1816), m1. Eliza Button |
| Samuel (b. 1635) m1. Sarah Wodell, m2. Susanna Spatchurst |
| William (b. 1676), m. Hope Sisson |
| Richard (b. 1701), m. Elizabeth Smith |
| Giles (b. 1730), m. Peggy Coleman |
| Frederick (b.1809), m. Mary Allen - Nantucket, Mass. |
Links
- President John Sanford of Boston, Massachusetts and Portsmouth Rhode Island - Jack Minard Sanford, 1966, Internet Archive
- John Sanford - Representative Men and Old Families of Rhode Island, 1908 pg. 2127, Haithi Trust
- John Sanford - Comprising Three Generations of Settlers who came Before 1690, John Osborne Austin, 1887, pg. 171, Internet Archive
- Sanford Genealogy, The Branch of William of Madison, N.Y. - Herman Howe Sanford, 1894, Internet Archive
- John Sanford. - Wikipedia
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