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An American Family History |
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John Richards |
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John Richards was born about 1652 in Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts. His parents were Edward Richards and Ann Knight. He married Mary Brewer in 1674. Their children and life together is described in detail in the section on John and Mary Richards. He was a soldier in King Philip's War. On December 10th, 1675, he marched against the Narragansett Fort with the forces of the United Colonies and their allies. They attacked a fortified settlement of Narragansett and Wampanoag Indians. They set the huts on fire, burning women and children to death. Scores of fighters on both sides were slaughtered. In 1685 John signed a petition to receive payment for his war service. He took the freeman's oath in Lynn in 1691. In his will he wrote “my son Crispus hath, who hath borne the burden of my work and taken care of me in all my long and tedious weakness and lameness for many years past." He died at age 61 on April 6, 1713 in Lynn. He was buried in the Lynn Cemetery. |
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| John Richards' reasons of appeal: that he had held the land for above forty years, as by evidence of Henry Collins, sr., and Henry Collins, jr., and had a legal title; that Witter, under pretence of a recorded grant by the town of twenty acres of land, dated Mar. 13, 1676, lays claim to this parcel which the town had no right to dispose of; that he had his twenty acres and more unless he had conveyed it to another, and "theirfore cannot but Judg him Insatiable that he canot be contented to run loose In his own pasture but he must break over fences and feed down mine also;" that Witter's conscience in former years would not allow him to claim it, although he had an "Itching desire after It," as appeared by the testimony of Henry Collins and John Lewise, who affirmed that Witter would have borrowed a yoke of oxen of said Lewise to purchase the land now in controversy which he then acknowledged to be Thomas Joyes; that Thomas Wheeler, father-in-law of Witter, etc.; that Capt. Marshall testified that Witter never sold any land within the fence, which Richards owns to be true, "for he sold not all of Mulliners right to Oliver purchase, for he reserved some part to himself within fence which after ward he sold to Edward Richards, as appears by a deed from Thomas Joy to Capt. Marshal which bears date May 30, 1661, which deed is now made over to Edward Richards"; that Edward Kibby gave a different testimony two years before, etc. | ||||||
Soldiers in King Philip's War: Being a Critical Account of that War, ..
By George Madison Bodge
Published by Printed for the Author, 1896 |
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It will be remembered that when, on December 10th, 1675, the forces of Massachusetts Colony were mustered on Dedham Plain, to march against the Narraganset fort, a proclamation was made to the soldiers, in the name of the Governor, that, "if they played the man, took the fort, and drove the enemy out of the Narraganset country, which is their great seat, they should have a gratuity of land, besides their wages." We find that after they had so valiantly performed the service, and the war was long past, the soldiers were not forgetful of their claim, nor the colony unmindful of its obligations. The petition of those who were soldiers in Lynn, in the Nipmugg Country, and at the Narragansett Fort included John Richards.
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