DOGGETT, John ^{1 4}

  General Notes:

Kay has birthdate ca. 4 Oct, 1602; marriage in 1625.

Following references from Banks: 1630: "one of the large body of immigrants who came to New England with Gov. Winthrop in 1630, settling first at Salem, later at Charlestown and Watertown" (Vol 2, p63) 18 May 1631: made freeman of the colony, residence Watertown. March, 1642: became on of the original five grantees of a township on Martha's Vineyard, the Vineyard having been purchased by Thomas Mayhew, a friend and neighbor in Watertown. 1646: removed to Rehoboth 29 March 1651/2: chosen corporal of the military company on the Vineyard, having moved to the island sometime between 1648 and this date. 8 June 1653: chosen assistant to the chief magistrate (Mayhew) to manage the business of the island, a position which he held for 3 years.

//During this period of late 1650's he had a major dispute with the Governor when he purchased a 500 acre farm from the Indians at Ogkeshkuppe without Mayhew's consent, even though Mayhew had granted him a farm of that size in 1642. Mayhew fined him £5000 and he had to sue for his rights, a suit that he won to the 'great humiliation of Mayhew.'//

1661: one of the townsmen who 'submitted' to the Mayhew government.

1661-3: recorded as a plaintiff in several civil suits against his neighbors.

1663: a subscriber to the 'general fence'

Early 1665: agent for the town in purchasing some fishing rights of the Sachem Tewanticut.

Post 1665: moved to Plymouth by 29 Aug 1667 when he remarried.

26 May 1668: His holdings on Martha's Vineyard (besides the 500 acre farm) detailed by his son Thomas (then the clerk of Martha's Vineyard).

His home lot at Great Harbor wa the first one south of Governor Mayhew's and was situated on the west side of the road to the plains as it passes Tower Hill. Apparently it was the west half of a lot owned by him and Malachi Browning and the probable site of his residence.

John was one of the many Puritans who came to this country as part of Governor Winthrop's contingent of 1630, settling first in Boston, then Charlestown and Watertown. In Watertown he befriended the young and eterprising Thomas Mayhew, for in 1641 he was one of the original five proprietors of Mayhew's newly purchased 'estate' of Martha's Vineyard. He evidently took up residence in Reheboth briefly before moving to the island between 1648 and 1652. There his friendship with the governor was renewed. His homelot, detailed by his son in 1668, was the house directly south of the Governor's, and he was appointed assistant to the chief magistrate of the Island (Governor Mayhew).

Things didn't fare so well between the two in the latter part of the decade, however, for the governor got angry with John for purchasing some land from the Indians without his permission, Mayhew claiming that he didn't have title to that land in the first place. John won the dispute, but to smooth ruffled feathers consented to a curious 'submission' to the authority of the governor that Thomas was demanding of the people of the island to consolidate his authority. Things were never the same again, and in 1665 John left the island to settle in Plymouth, where he remarried, his wife of 30 some years having died in this decade. John died at the age of 70 after six years of marriage to Bathsheba Pratt. ⁴

  Noted events in his life were:

• Origin: Woburn, Bedforshire, England. ¹

• He immigrated from England in 1630 to Watertown, Middlesex Co., MA. ¹

• He signed a will proved 4 June 1673 on 13 May 1673 in Plymouth, Plymouth County, MA. ⁶ In his will, dated 13 May 1673 and proved 4 June 1673, "John Doggett finding the symptoms of Death upon me" bequeathed to "my beloved wife" all the household goods, "all my wearing cloths and all my debts in any part of Plymouth Collonie," also one ox as Sacconesit in the hands of William Week Jr., also £5 in goods from John Edy in part payment for two oxen Week sold for Doggett, also the hide and tallow of an ox at the Vineyarad to be sent to Boston "and the four quarters of the ox I give equally to my sons and daughters at the Vineyard"; to "my two sons John and Joseph ... my lands at Martha's Vineyard undivided and their privileges which are part of the twenty seventh part of that township called now Edgartown"; to "my son Thomas" ten acres of meadow; to "my son John" five acres of meadow; to "my son Joseph" five acres of meadow; to "my son Thomas" a small parcel of meadow at Chappaquiddick; to "my son Thomas" forty acres of upland and two acres of meadow at Elizabeth Islands "which upland I bought of Francis Ussleton"; "my whole farm I have already equally divided betixt my three sons"; "my ten acre lot upon the line" equally to "my two sons John and Joseph"; "my land at Aquampache and at Felix Neck and at Konomache and a piece of meadow at Sangekantackett" and residue of lands equally divided between "my two daughters Elizabeth and Hephzibah"; "all my cattle and horse kind at Martha's Vineyard" equally divided between "my two daughters"; "my will is that my son John send my wife two pair of shoes and then to discharge him of all further debt"; all estate at the Islands "my loving friends Isaac Robinson and Jon Edy my son-in-law" overseers; "concerning my estate in this Collonie ... Lieutenant Morton and Andrew Ring" overseers

• He has conflicting birth information. ¹ Anderson (Great Migration) says by 1597 based on the date of his first marriage.

John married Alice BROTHERTON, daughter of Thomas BROTHERTON and Ellen, on 29 Aug 1622 in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, England.^{1 2} (Alice BROTHERTON was born in 1602 in Husborne Crawley, Bedfordshire, England ⁷, christened on 6 Mar 1602 in Husborne Crawley, Bedfordshire, England ^{2 8} and died by 1667 in Edgarton, Dukes Co., MA ^{1 4}.)

John next married Bathsheba PRATT on 29 Aug 1667 in Plymouth, Plymouth County, MA.³ (Bathsheba PRATT died after 4 Jun 1673 ¹.)