John GAGE

  General Notes:

Notes from file: Immigration, 1630, Boston, MA. Signed the covenant of the First Church, Boston, 27 Aug 1630; of Ipswich 1633; was of Rowley before 7 Oct 1661, when he was chosen one of the "overseers for pentuckit sid". His home was in that part of Rowley now Bradford. Freeman: 4 Mar 1633/4424. On 1 April 1633 he was one of those permitted to accompany John Winthrop Jr. to Agawam (Ipswich) to begin a new plantation. When Winthrop was recalled to Boston in 1637, John Gage was one of the inhabitants of Ipswich who petitioned that he be allowed to stay.

Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-33:
ORIGIN: Unknown
MIGRATION: 1630
FIRST RESIDENCE: Boston
REMOVES: Ipswich 1633, Bradford (Rowley Merrimack) 1662
CHURCH MEMBERSHIP: Admitted to Boston church as member #50, which would be late in 1630. On 10 September 1643 "Our brethren John Gage and Thomas Howlett having now for sundry years inhabited at Ipswich and desiring letters of dismission to the church there have the same granted unto them with the church's consent by their silence".
FREEMAN: 4 March 1633/4.
EDUCATION: John Gage made his mark to his deeds and to the inventory of Daniel Rolfe. The inventory of John Gage listed books valued at 20s. The inventory of the widow, Sarah Gage, included "a Bible" valued at 3s.
OFFICES: Essex grand jury, 29 September 1668. Petit jury, 28 September 1658, 26 September 1665.
Ipswich selectman, 20 February 1636[/7]. Ipswich surveyor, 1634, 27 March 1643.
Corporal, 1639. Sergeant, by 31 March 1669.
ESTATE: "John Gadge" received a number of grants of land at Ipswich: "four acres of meadow and marsh, lying on the south side of the river"; six acres of land in equal shares with Thomas Howlett and others "lying upon this neck of land the town standeth"; on 13 January 1637[/8] a "houselot in Bridge Street, containing in breadth eight pole".
On 21 February 1653[/4] John Gage and "Amee my wife" of Ipswich sold to "Daniel Roffe" of Rowley twenty acres of land "granted to me by the town of Ipswich". On 3 April 1660 John Gage of Ipswich sold to Thomas Newman of Ipswich six acres of land in Ipswich at a place called Morning's Neck. On 5 April 1660 John Gage of Ipswich, husbandman, sold to Mr. Robert Paine, ruling elder of the Church of Christ in Ipswich, ten acres of upland and meadow in Reedy Marsh "which John Gage purchased of Mr. William Paine of Boston and was sometimes Mr. Gardnour's land late of Ipswich".
On 10 August 1662 John Gage of Rowley sold to Aron Pengry of Ipswich "my parcel of salt marsh containing six acres ... granted unto me by the town of Ipswich". On 11 January 1664[/5?] John Carlton of Haverhill sold to John Gage of Rowley three hundred acres in Rowley.
On 12 November 1672 John Gage of Rowley Merrimack "upon a contract of marriage betwixt Benjamin Gage and Prudence Leaver, daughter unto Thomas Leaver of Rowley ... did promise and set out unto the said Benjamin a certain parcel of land to the value of sixty acres ... I ... John Gage ... grant ... unto the son and heir of the aforesaid Benjamin, young John Gage, all and every part of the aforesaid lands ... estimated at ten acres".
In his will, undated but proved 25 March 1673, John Gage "daily waiting for my change" appointed "my sons Samuell, Daniell, Nathaniell, Jonatton and Josiah Gage" joint executors, and bequeathed to "my beloved wife Sarah Gag" one cow and "what household goods was her own during her life and to dispose of at her death"; residue of household goods for her during her life and at her death to "return to my children" except "my wearing cloths and my chest and all that is in it, and a great kettle and a cowel" to be distributed immediately to children; to "her one third part of all the corn that shall be mine at my decease"; "my five sons above mentioned" to pay to "my wife Sara Gag" 20s. apiece every year, half in grain, the other half in corn, this in exchange for her dower right of thirds; to "my sons" the lands already laid out to them and the island "which is not yet laid out to be equally divided amongst them, my grandson to have an equal share with each of them"; residue equally divided amongst my sons.
The inventory of the estate of "Sergt. John Gage of Bradford" was taken 26 March 1673 and totalled £435 10s., of which £360 was real estate: "about 350 acres land," £350; and "about 10 acres upon an island," £10.
Administration on the estate of "Sarah Gage, widow of John Gage, intestate," was granted on 29 March 1681 to "John French and Thomas Smith two of her sons-in-law". The inventory of the estate of "Sareth Gage deceased July 7, 1681," was taken 14 July 1681 and totalled £28 2s. On 27 September 1681 the court ordered that the estate "be equally divided to the three daughters, namely, the wives of Wm. Smith, John French and Samuell Buswell". (These were her sons-in-law who had married three of her daughters by ROBERT KEYES .)
BIRTH: About 1605 (deposed 27 September 1659 "aged about fifty years"; deposed in early 1662 "aged about fifty-eight years").
DEATH: Bradford 24 March 1672/3.
MARRIAGE: (1) By about 1638 Amy _____; she died at Ipswich in June 1658.
(2) Ipswich 7 November 1658 Sarah (_____) Keyes, widow of ROBERT KEYES ; she died Newbury 7 July 1681.
CHILDREN:
With first wife
i SAMUEL, b. say 1638 (at least fourteen in 1656 when he deposed about a fence); m. Bradford 10 June 1674 Faith Stickney.
ii DANIEL, b. about 1639 (deposed 31 March 1669 "aged thirty years"); m. Bradford 3 May 1675 Sarah Kimball.
iii BENJAMIN, b. say 1641; m. (1) Andover 16 February 1663/4 Mary Keyes (his stepsister), who died Rowley Village 20 December 1668; m. (2) "Merimack" 11 October 1671 Prudence Lever.
iv JONATHAN, b. say 1643; m. Andover 12 November 1667 Hester Chandler.
v NATHANIEL, b. about 1645 (deposed early 1665 "aged about twenty years"); m. by 1696 Mary _____ (eldest child b. Bradford 15 April 1696). (She is said to be Mary (Weeks) Green, widow of Thomas Green of Malden [Gage Gen 67], but the evidence is not seen.)
vi JOSIAH, b. about 1648 (deposed 31 March 1669 "aged about twenty-one years"); m. (1) "Rowley Village by Merrimake" 15 May 1669 Lydia Ladd; m. (2) Haverhill 17 May 1697 Martha Dow.
ASSOCIATIONS: Duane Marshall Gage presents evidence of a John Gage baptized 21 April 1606 at Kersey, Suffolk, son of John and Jane (Lufkin) Gage, who were of Boxford, Suffolk [John Gage of Ipswich, His English Ancestry, And Some American Descendants (Decorah, Iowa, 1983), cited above as Gage Gen, p. 17]. This is the right name, the right age, and a likely location, but does not constitute proof; further exploration of this lead would be worthwhile.
Alexander Sessions deposed on 27 March 1669 that "Goodman Kingsburough's son said [the swine by the riverside] were his uncle Gage's hogs," suggesting that Henry Kingsbury had married a sister of Gage, or vice versa, or that the two men had married sisters. Whatever the solution it supports the suggested origin of Gage in southwestern Suffolk, as that was the origin of Henry Kingsbury.
In a reply to the court dated 28 September 1672 John Gage called THOMAS HOWLETT "my brother Howlet". Since we have noted above that they were first at Boston together and were then dismissed at the same time to Ipswich church, there may well be a genealogical relationship between the two, and not just brotherhood in the church.
COMMENTS: On 1 April 1633 John Gage was one of those permitted to accompany John Winthrop Jr. to Agawam [Ipswich] to begin a new plantation. When Winthrop was recalled to Boston in 1637, John Gage was one of the inhabitants of Ipswich who petitioned that he be allowed to stay.
As an early surveyor and lotlayer he was called into court many times to depose regarding bounds. He deposed at September 1658 court that Robert Roberts cut wood from the land of Goodman Scott. He deposed about the condition of Mr. Tuttle's oven and house at the end of Richard Shatswell's lease at court March 1662.

  Burial Notes:

Old North Burial Ground, Ipswich, Essex Co, MA

John married Amee (Anna) WILFORD about 1637 in Bradford, Essex Co, MA. (Amee (Anna) WILFORD was born about 1614 in Hertfordshire, England, died in Jun 1658 in Ipswich, Essex Co, MA and was buried in Ipswich, Essex Co, MA.)

John next married Sarah UNKNOWN on 7 Nov 1658 in Ipswich, Essex Co, MA. (Sarah UNKNOWN was born on an unknown date and died on 7 Jul 1681 in Newbury, Essex Co, MA.)