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John Lovejoy

Birth
Caversham, Reading Borough, Berkshire, England
Death
7 Nov 1690 (aged 67–68)
Andover, Essex County, Massachusetts, USA
Burial
North Andover, Essex County, Massachusetts, USA Add to Map
Memorial ID
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The immigrant, John Lovejoy, was the progenitor of the New England branch of the American Lovejoys. He was likely the son of a William Lovejoy of Caversham, England.(1) This John was baptized as "John Lovejoye, s. Willm", on Jul. 14, 1622. His mother was not shown and no additional records have been proved for William. See, James R. Henderson, "The English Origins of John Lovejoy of Andover, Massachusetts", NEHGS Register, V.163, Jan 2009 for more.

John and his sister, Grace, immigrated to New England on "The Confidence" in 1638 as indentured servants to John Stephens (John Stevens), a husbandman (farmer) from Goversham (Caversham), which then was in Oxfordshire.(2) It is likely they became indentured to pay for their passage. They initially settled in Newbury, where Grace is believed to have become the wife of William Blanchard (or Ballard?).

Both John Stevens and John Lovejoy are later found among the first settlers of Andover (see, Abiel Abbott's 1829 "History of Andover", p. 15). John Lovejoy married 1st Mary Osgood, daughter of immigrants Christopher and Mary (Everatt/Everard) Osgood, in Ipswich, Essex County, MA on Jan. 1, 1650/1651.

John and Mary had 12 known children, all born in Andover:
1. Mary (1652-1677; m. Joseph Wilson)
2. Sarah (1654-1706; m. William Johnson)
3. John (1655-1680; m. Naomi Hoyt)
4. William (1657-1748; m. Mary Farnum)
5. Anne (1659-1723; m. Jonathan Blanchard)
6. Christopher (1662-1737; m. Sarah Russ)
7. Joseph (1663-1737)
8. Benjamin (1664-1689)
9. Nathaniel (1667-1758; m. Dorothy Hoyt)
10. Abigail (1669-1747; m. Nehemiah Abbott)
11. Debora (1671-?)
12. Ebenezer (1673-1759; m. Mary Foster).

After Mary died in 1675, John served in the Salem Militia during King Phillip's War (1675-1676). He then married 2nd Mrs. Hannah (Hoyt) Pritchard in Andover in Feb. 1676/1677. Her husband, William, had been killed in the "Brookfield Massacre" during the war. There was no issue from this union.

John had an initial allotment of 7 acres in Andover. This was increased to over 200 acres by the time of his death. That was a large amount of land for that area and time. With it, he was able to provide substantial farms for his sons. In addition to farming, he was a fence viewer and a constable. He also owned an iron works with his sons.

John's will was dated Sep, 1, 1690. It was proved on Mar 31, 1691. He is presumed to have been buried in the North Parish Burying Ground, but his grave has not been found.

[Bio by Darrell Mansur, a 9th great grandson of John Lovejoy and 10th of John Stevens.]

Notes:
(1) Major Clarence Lovejoy speculated in his 1930 Lovejoy Genealogy that John's father might have been Rowland Lovejoy, a London goldsmith, based on John's birth year, but he noted there was no proof of that connection. He apparently had not seen the "Confidence" ship manifest or the Caversham records.

(2) Caversham became part of Reading Borough, Berkshire County, England in 1911.
The immigrant, John Lovejoy, was the progenitor of the New England branch of the American Lovejoys. He was likely the son of a William Lovejoy of Caversham, England.(1) This John was baptized as "John Lovejoye, s. Willm", on Jul. 14, 1622. His mother was not shown and no additional records have been proved for William. See, James R. Henderson, "The English Origins of John Lovejoy of Andover, Massachusetts", NEHGS Register, V.163, Jan 2009 for more.

John and his sister, Grace, immigrated to New England on "The Confidence" in 1638 as indentured servants to John Stephens (John Stevens), a husbandman (farmer) from Goversham (Caversham), which then was in Oxfordshire.(2) It is likely they became indentured to pay for their passage. They initially settled in Newbury, where Grace is believed to have become the wife of William Blanchard (or Ballard?).

Both John Stevens and John Lovejoy are later found among the first settlers of Andover (see, Abiel Abbott's 1829 "History of Andover", p. 15). John Lovejoy married 1st Mary Osgood, daughter of immigrants Christopher and Mary (Everatt/Everard) Osgood, in Ipswich, Essex County, MA on Jan. 1, 1650/1651.

John and Mary had 12 known children, all born in Andover:
1. Mary (1652-1677; m. Joseph Wilson)
2. Sarah (1654-1706; m. William Johnson)
3. John (1655-1680; m. Naomi Hoyt)
4. William (1657-1748; m. Mary Farnum)
5. Anne (1659-1723; m. Jonathan Blanchard)
6. Christopher (1662-1737; m. Sarah Russ)
7. Joseph (1663-1737)
8. Benjamin (1664-1689)
9. Nathaniel (1667-1758; m. Dorothy Hoyt)
10. Abigail (1669-1747; m. Nehemiah Abbott)
11. Debora (1671-?)
12. Ebenezer (1673-1759; m. Mary Foster).

After Mary died in 1675, John served in the Salem Militia during King Phillip's War (1675-1676). He then married 2nd Mrs. Hannah (Hoyt) Pritchard in Andover in Feb. 1676/1677. Her husband, William, had been killed in the "Brookfield Massacre" during the war. There was no issue from this union.

John had an initial allotment of 7 acres in Andover. This was increased to over 200 acres by the time of his death. That was a large amount of land for that area and time. With it, he was able to provide substantial farms for his sons. In addition to farming, he was a fence viewer and a constable. He also owned an iron works with his sons.

John's will was dated Sep, 1, 1690. It was proved on Mar 31, 1691. He is presumed to have been buried in the North Parish Burying Ground, but his grave has not been found.

[Bio by Darrell Mansur, a 9th great grandson of John Lovejoy and 10th of John Stevens.]

Notes:
(1) Major Clarence Lovejoy speculated in his 1930 Lovejoy Genealogy that John's father might have been Rowland Lovejoy, a London goldsmith, based on John's birth year, but he noted there was no proof of that connection. He apparently had not seen the "Confidence" ship manifest or the Caversham records.

(2) Caversham became part of Reading Borough, Berkshire County, England in 1911.