M. (1) 19 May 1647 in Dorchester, Massachusetts
Wife: Lydia Butler
M. (2) about 1667 in (probably) Dorchester, Massachusetts
Wife: Mary Dassett
D. 12 Aug 1669 in Dorchester, Massachusetts
A father often concerns himself with the future of his children, especially that of his sons, and sometimes he’ll encourage them to follow in his footsteps. But John Minot did something a little unusual — he specified a different career path for three of his sons and laid it all out in his will.
John was born in Saffron Walden, England in about 1626; his parents were George Minot and Martha Stooke and he was the second of five sons. When he was between six and eight years-old, the family migrated to America, settling in Dorchester, Massachusetts. His father was fairly well-off and they lived in a house that would stand for over 200 years.
The house where John's family lived.
On May 19, 1647, John married Lydia Butler in Dorchester. They had four sons and one daughter born between about 1650 and 1665. John became a leader in the community by serving on the town council as selectman, from 1653 to 1655, and 1661 to 1668. He was on a committee of three men chosen in 1666 to recruit a replacement for their current schoolmaster, an effort that took a couple of years. John was known to be a large landowner in Dorchester. A document from 1667 listed the acres each man owned in a section called “Great Lots.” John had 106 acres, which was twice as much as anyone else on the list.
Records show that during the 1650s, John was not a member of Dorchester's congregation. This caused problems regarding his status in the community because every man who became a freeman was required to also be a member of the church. It was said that in 1660, two pages of the church record were devoted to arguments on his situation. This was only resolved when the rule was changed in 1665 and a freeman no longer had to be a church member, allowing John to finally gain that status.
On January 25, 1667, John’s wife Lydia died while giving birth to a sixth child; the baby also died. As a tribute to Lydia, John had an elegy printed for her, including poems, epitaph and woodcut illustrations — a piece that is preserved today in the Massachusetts Historical Society. After Lydia’s death, John married a second wife, a widow named Mary Briggs.
It wasn’t long after this that John wrote his will. Oldest son John, the only one who was an adult at the time, was given £100 “over an equal dividend with the rest”; no suggestion was made as to how he should spend his inheritance. Second son, James, was told to keep going to school. John’s third son, Stephen, was to be "placed at some convenient trade.” And youngest son Samuel was given a portion of land so he could become a farmer when he came of age. John’s daughter Martha was to have his deceased wife's clothes as "a particular remembrance." John died on August 12, 1669, and the inventory of the estate amounted to over £978, a considerable amount of money for the time.
Record of John's death in Dorchester.
Did John’s sons live up to his vision for them? The oldest, John, married a girl from a Dorchester family, but died at age 42, and Samuel also died young at the age of 25. But James, who was designated as a scholar, went on to Harvard, and had a career in medicine. And Stephen became a noted merchant who was said to be a founding member of the Brattle Street Church. A couple of John’s distant descendants were even more notable — Governor Bill Weld of Massachusetts, and actress Tuesday Weld.
Children:
1. John Minot — B. 22 Jan 1648, Dorchester, Massachusetts; D. 26 Jan 1690, Dorchester, Massachusetts; M. Elizabeth Breck (?-1691), 11 Mar 1670
2. James Minot — B. 14 Sep 1653, Dorchester, Massachusetts; D. 20 Sep 1735, Concord, Massachusetts; M. Rebecca Wheeler (~1666-1734), about 1684, Concord, Massachusetts
3. Martha Minot — B. 22 Sep 1657, Dorchester, Massachusetts; D. 23 Nov 1678, Dorchester, Massachusetts
4. Stephen Minot — B. 10 Aug 1662, Dorchester, Massachusetts; D. Nov 1732, Boston, Massachusetts; M. Mercy Clark, 1 Dec 1686
5. Samuel Minot — B. 3 Jul 1665, Dorchester, Massachusetts; D. about 1707, Concord, Massachusetts; M. Hannah Jones
6. Baby Minot — B. 24 Jan 1667, Dorchester, Massachusetts; D. 24 Jan 1667, Dorchester, Massachusetts
Sources:
Genealogical and family history of the state of New Hampshire, Vol. 2, Lewis Publishing Company, 1908
"Minot Family," Lemuel Shattuck, Esq., The Pilgrims of Boston and their descendants, 1856
Dorchester births, marriages, and deaths to the end of 1825, 1890
History of the the Town of Dorchester, Massachusetts, Ebenezer Clapp, Jr, 1859
The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 1894
Travels in New-England and New-York, Timothy Dwight, 1822
Colonial Families of the United States of America, Nelson Osgood Roades, 1917
WikiTree
Genealogical and family history of the state of New Hampshire, Vol. 2, Lewis Publishing Company, 1908
"Minot Family," Lemuel Shattuck, Esq., The Pilgrims of Boston and their descendants, 1856
Dorchester births, marriages, and deaths to the end of 1825, 1890
History of the the Town of Dorchester, Massachusetts, Ebenezer Clapp, Jr, 1859
The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 1894
Travels in New-England and New-York, Timothy Dwight, 1822
Colonial Families of the United States of America, Nelson Osgood Roades, 1917
WikiTree
Famous Kin (website)
