An Uncommon Man in the Commonwealth of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1630-1659
Captain John Johnson was an "uncommon man" because he devoted his life to the benefit of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the town of Roxbury. Johnson was about forty years old when he and his family immigrated to America aboard the Winthrop Fleet in 1630. An educated man, he supported the building of a school for the children of Roxbury, was elected as a selectman, was a constable, and was also "Surveyor-General of the Arms," which meant that he was entrusted with storing the gun powder and arms used in the defense of the colony. A staunch Puritan and family man, he eventually accumulated a large estate. He was a farmer, husbandman and tavern owner.
This comprehensive biography also contains a wealth of historical and sociological information relating to the Puritans. The author discusses motivations for migration, religious dynamics, and the organization and voyage of the Winthrop Fleet. Biographical material covers the towns and villages where Johnson lived; his marriages; churches, ancestry, genealogy, education, civil responsibilities, and military history. Records, documents and letters relating to Johnson and his civil, legal and religious life, the description of real property he owned, and the transcription of his complete will and inventory give us a well-rounded portrait of this exceptional man. The book includes a general index, a full name index and a place index, and is illustrated with several maps and photos.
Gerald Garth Johnson
(2000), 2008, 5½x8½, paper, indices, 260 pp.
ISBN: 9780788416781
101-J1678
