Stories of Being a Self-trained Doctor — John Kittredge

B. about 1630 in (possibly) Lowestoft, England
M. 2 Nov 1664 in Billerica, Massachusetts
Wife: Mary Littlefield
D. before 18 Oct 1676 in Billerica, Massachusetts

John Kittredge was said to have practiced medicine in colonial New England, but no there’s hard evidence of this. John was born in about 1630 in England, and it’s been suggested that he came from the town of Lowestoft, which is a fishing port on the North Sea and the easternmost settlement of Britain. While the records of the town contained many people named Kittredge, none of them identified as being John, so whether he came from there is uncertain.

In a book written about the Kittredge family in 1936, it was claimed that as a young man, John worked on a ship which carried some medical supplies and books which he studied. A man onboard fractured his arm and another broke his leg, and John supposedly used his knowledge to set the injured bones. It was said that word got out that he was practicing medicine without a license, and in order to avoid the authorities, he fled to America.

Was this actually true? It’s impossible to say. What we do know about John is that he was in Billerica, Massachusetts by September 25, 1660, because on that date, he received a land grant for five acres. In December 1661, he acquired another 64 acres a mile south-east of town, and this is where he would make his home. About this time, he married a young woman from Maine named Mary Littlefield, and between 1666 and 1674, they had four sons.

In Puritan New England towns, men were expected to perform civic duties which were assigned by their local council. At a meeting on December 22, 1662, John was given the job of overseeing a recent ordinance regarding the “ringing and yoking of swine.” John was to round up any loose pigs or hogs in a common pen, and inform the owner that he had three days to reclaim them. If the owner didn’t comply, he would be fined three shillings for each animal. This was a job John handled for the next five or so years.

In March 1669, John got a new assignment from Billerica’s leaders. This involved a stone building that was constructed for the protection of the town. It isn’t clear from the meeting notes whether John was in charge of getting it built, or some other function of maintaining it. Whatever his duties were, his appointment was repeated for several years, right up until 1676.

During the summer of 1675, John was a soldier in Billerica’s militia, part of the force trying to put down the Indian rebellion known as King Philip’s War. On August 2nd, John’s unit was ambushed by a band of warriors in an open field, and they retreated to a garrison house in the remote town of Quabaug (later renamed Brookfield). While cornered inside, John and the other soldiers endured a siege that included a burning cart pushed at the house, intended to set it on fire. Luckily it started raining, which put out the flames, and after a day or so, reinforcements arrived to overpower the Indian warriors. John was also known to have served on a scouting mission in 1676, presumably with the militia, but further details are unknown. 

Indians using burning cart to set garrison on fire.

Not long after the war ended, John passed away. His death occurred before October 18, 1676, which was the date an inventory was taken of his estate (he didn’t leave a will). The items listed were the typical possessions of a colonial New England farmer; there were no books or medical supplies that would help prove the story that he was an unlicensed doctor. Wife Mary was pregnant, and their fifth child, another son, was born six months later. She married a second husband, John French, in 1678. 

Part of the inventory of John's estate.  

A couple of generations later, in 1734, the part of Billerica where the family lived was incorporated as the town of Tewksbury. There were 46 families living there and 11 of them were named Kittredge, all descendants of John. As for the stories about John practicing medicine, we may never know the truth. But he did have numerous descendants who became doctors, including his son John. 

Children:
1. John Kittredge – B. 24 Jan 1666, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 24 Aug 1714, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. Hannah French (1664-1755), 3 Apr 1685, Billerica, Massachusetts

2. James Kittredge – B. 21 Mar 1667, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 30 Apr 1739, Tewksbury, Massachusetts; M. (1) Sarah _______ (1680-~1708); (2) Mary Abbott, 19 Apr 1708

3. Daniel Kittredge – B. 22 Jul 1670, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 8 Mar 1741, Tewksbury, Massachusetts; M. Elizabeth Foster (~1670-1742), 19 Dec 1694, Billerica, Massachusetts

4. Jonathan Kittredge – B. 16 Jul 1674, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 8 Mar 1696, Billerica, Massachusetts

5. Benoni Kittredge – B. 2 May 1677, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 24 Nov 1753, Tewksbury, Massachusetts

Sources:
The Kittredge Family in America, Mabel T. Kittredge, 1936
Massachusetts Land Records, 1620-1986, FamilySearch.org
Probate Records 1648-1924 (Middlesex County, Massachusetts), FamilySearch.org
WikiTree
Lowestoft (Wikipedia article)  
Wheeler’s Surprise (Wikipedia article)