John Briggs     1609-1690

 

Born: 1609 in Darrington, England

Died: November, 1690 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island

 

Spouse: Sarah (Cornell) Briggs m. 1641 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, buried in Old Commons Burial Ground, Little Compton, Rhode Island.      

Children:         Job Briggs

                        Enoch Briggs

                        William Briggs

                        Thomas Briggs  (Became an Ensign in the Colonial Army of Rhode Island.)

                        John Briggs, Jr.

                        Sarah Briggs

                        Stephen Briggs

                        Susannah Briggs

                        Susannah Briggs     

                                   

Father’s name: Henrie Briggs         Birth place: St. James, Clerkenwell, Essex, England      

Mother’s name: Mary Hinckes         Birth place: Essex, England

Siblings:         Rebecca Briggs (b. abt. October 25, 1600, London, England, d. February 8, 1673, Portsmouth, Rhode Island.) 

(More about Rebecca on father Henrie’s page.)

John Briggs (Died young at age 9)

                        Joyce Briggs (Born. abt. April 8, 1618, London, England, died abt. December 3, 1620.)

                        Henry Briggs

 

“John came to New England in 1635 on the Blessing, living for a short time in Boston before coming to Rhode Island.  He was a follower of Anne Hutchinson, who advocated a personal relationship with God in guiding one’s own conduct, instead of reliance on the Church and State for guidance.  The leaders of the Massachusetts Colony were so opposed to this teaching that it became unsafe for Mrs. Hutchinson’s followers to remain there.  Upon the advice of Roger Williams, John Briggs with some others fled from Massachusetts and purchased Aquidneck Island from the Indians.”  D. Pane-Joyce, December 24, 2005, Leister Publications.  As seen at: http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/report/rr01/rr01_379.html.

For more information regarding the Great Migration, please visit the Winthrop Society website at: http://www.winthropsociety.org/ships.php.  Included on the site are passenger lists for most of the Puritan ships, including the Blessing.

 

 

John was active in government, becoming appointed as a Commissioner for building a prison, Assistant of the General Court, and a Commissioner for uniting the four towns of Providence Plantations.

 

I stumbled upon an LDS record of a Job Briggs who is likely to be the son of one of John Briggs’ sons. (Other than William.)  This Job married a Mary Coggeshall who is very likely related to one of the many children of Major John Coggeshall II.

                       

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