A Separation of Church and State — John Lothrop

B. before 20 Dec 1584 in Etton, England¹
M. (1) 10 Oct 1610 in England¹
Wife: Hannah Howse
M. (2) before 14 Jan 1635¹
Wife: Ann ______
D. 8 Nov 1653 in Barnstable, Massachusetts¹

During the early 17th century, parts of England were hotbeds of Puritanism, and many followers were led by ministers from the southeast part of the country. With the reign of Charles I, and the effort to colonize America, many of these ministers became leaders in early Massachusetts, and were contributors to the seeds that led to the United States. 

One of them was John Lothrop (also spelled Lathrop or Lothropp). John was born in 1584 in Etton, East Riding, England, and baptized there on December 20th.¹ His parents were Thomas and Mary Lothrop. John's father was married three times, and was the father of over 20 children.² In spite of John’s large number of siblings and half-siblings, he attended Queens College at Cambridge, earning a B.A. in 1607 and an M.A. in 1609.¹ He was ordained as a minister in the Church of England, and he was assigned to a parish in Egerton, Kent.¹ After he got settled in Egerton, John married a local woman, Hannah Howse (also spelled House) on October 10, 1610.¹ They had 8 children born between 1612 and 1626.

John's signature when he was a minister in Egerton.

By 1623, John had become part of the Puritan movement in England, and that year, he renounced his orders in the Church of England.² The following year, he became pastor of the First Independent Church in London.² Because of the threat of persecution, John had to preach to the 60 members of his congregation in secret.² Under King Charles I, there was a crackdown on such meetings, and on April 22, 1632, John was arrested along with 42 others as they met in a congregant’s home.¹ Their crime was refusing to swear an oath of loyalty to the Church of England and attending an illegal religious meeting. In addition, John was charged with inciting his followers to defy the law. The group was tried in court in what was said to be a sort of inquisition. Because they still refused to take the oath, they were all sentenced to prison, including John.

While he was in prison, John’s wife Hannah became sick and she died.¹ After two years of confinement, everyone was released on bail except for John, because as their leader, he was thought to be a danger.² The bishop finally agreed to free him as long as he would leave the country.² On September 18, 1634, the ship Griffin arrived in New England carrying John, his 6 surviving children, and many of his congregants from London.¹ The bible he brought with him still survives; it was said that he spilled candle wax on one of the pages during the voyage creating a hole, and he patched the words from memory later on.

The page of John's bible where he patched it. (Source: Sturgis Library)

Perhaps because of his experience in England, John strongly believed that a parish should be able to operate independently of higher authorities.³ Within days of his arrival, he went to the small settlement of Scituate, part of the Plymouth colony, bringing his group of followers with him.² A church was formed with John as its minister, and he moved his family into a crude dwelling built by his friends. The home was described as being poles filled in with stones and clay holding up a thatched roof, and with windows made of oiled paper.⁴ Within a couple of years, John had a more substantial house on the harbor.² He married a woman named Ann (or Anna) by June 1635,¹ and she gave him five more children; the youngest was born in 1648 when John was 60-years-old.¹

John didn’t stay at Scituate for long. He had disagreements over beliefs with some of his congregants and decided to split off; he also was unhappy with the quality of the land for farming.³ He wrote to the governor of Plymouth, Thomas Prence, asking permission to move. He asked for a “place for the transplanting of us, to the end that God might have more glory and we more comfort.”³ John and many of his followers arrived at a location on Cape Cod that would become the town of Barnstable on October 11, 1639.

John was assigned four acres in Barnstable, and his house was completed in about 1644.³ It still survives today as a library that includes the bible John brought over from England. It has been said that it's the oldest structure still standing in America “where religious service were regularly held,” and also it's the oldest building in America that houses a library today.⁵

John's house in Barnstable built in 1644.  (Source: Sturgis Library)

For the rest of his life, John preached at his church in Barnstable. He was said to be a proponent of the separation of church and state, an idea that was way ahead of his time. John advocated tolerance of other people’s beliefs, and he felt no one was required to “sign a creed or profession of faith” in order to be a member of any church.⁴ He was described as being “beloved by his people.”⁴

John died in Barnstable on November 8, 1653.¹ His wife Anne survived him, passing away on February 25, 1688.¹ His descendants include Benedict Arnold, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Eli Whitney, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Ulysses S. Grant, Joseph Smith (founder of the Mormon church), J.P. Morgan, John Foster Dulles, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Edith (Carrow) Roosevelt, Thomas Dewey, Shirley Temple, Amelia Earhart, Lewis Comfort Tiffany, Dr. Benjamin Spock, Wild Bill Hickock, Georgia O’Keefe, Frederick Law Olmstead, C.W. Post, Marjorie Post, Cecil B. DeMille, Don Knotts, Linda Hunt, Rainn Wilson, Nick Carter (Backstreet Boys), Aaron Carter, Clint Eastwood, Dick Clark, Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, George H.W. Bush, Adlai Stevenson III, George W. Bush, Jeb Bush, Ethan Hawke, Boris Johnson, and Elon Musk.^3,6

Children by Hannah House:
1. Thomas Lothrop — B. before 21 February 1613, Eastwell, England;¹ D. 1707, Barnstable, Massachusetts;⁷ M. Sarah Learned (1607-1652), 11 Dec 1639, Massachusetts¹

2. Jane Lothrop — B. before 29 Sep 1614, Egerton, England;¹ D. 26 October 1683, Barnstable, Massachusetts;⁸ M. Samuel Fuller (1608-1683), 8 Apr 1635, Scituate, Massachusetts¹

3. Anne Lothrop — B. before 12 May 1616, Egerton, England;¹ D. Apr 1617, Egerton, England¹

4. John Lothrop — B. before 22 February 1619, Egerton, England¹

5. Barbara Lothrop — B. before 31 Oct 1619, Egerton, England;¹ M. John Emerson (1615-?), 19 Jul 1638, Duxbury, Massachusetts¹

6. Samuel Lothrop — B. about 1622, (probably) Egerton, England;¹ D. 28 Feb 1700, Norwich Connecticut;⁹ M. (1) Elizabeth Scudder (1625-1690), 28 Nov 1644, Barnstable, Massachusetts;¹ (2) Abigail Doane (1632-1734)¹

7. Joseph Lothrop — B. before 11 Apr 1624, Eastwell, England;¹ D. 7 Apr 1702, Barnstable, Massachusetts;¹⁰ M. Mary Ansell (1629-1713), 11 Dec 1650, Barnstable, Massachusetts¹

8. Benjamin Lothrop — B. before 24 Sep 1626, Eastwell, England;¹ D. 3 Jul 1691, Charlestown, Massachusetts¹¹

Children by Ann _______:
1. Barnabas Lothrop — B. before 6 Jun 1636, Barnstable, Massachusetts;¹ D. 26 Oct 1715, Barnstable, Massachusetts;¹² M. (1) Susannah Clarke (1642-1697), 3 Nov 1658, Plymouth, Massachusetts;¹ (2) Abigail Button (1644-1715), 15 Nov 1698, Boston, Massachusetts¹

2. Abigail Lothrop — B. before 2 Nov 1639, Barnstable, Massachusetts;¹ M. James Clark (1636-?), 7 Oct 1657, Plymouth, Massachusetts¹

3. Bathsheba Lothrop — B. before 27 Feb 1642, Barnstable, Massachusetts;¹ D. 8 Jan 1723, Dorchester, Massachusetts;¹³ M. (1) Benjamin Bale, about 1669;¹ (2) Alexander Marsh (1628-1698)¹

4. Elizabeth Lothrop — B. about 1643, Barnstable, Massachusetts;¹ M. John Williams (~1624-1694)¹

5. John Lothrop — B. before 18 May 1645, Barnstable, Massachusetts;¹ D. 18 Sep 1727, Barnstable, Massachusetts;¹⁴ M. (1) Mary Cole (1654-1695), 3 Jan 1672, Plymouth, Massachusetts;¹ (2) Hannah Morton (1659-1738), 1695¹

Sources:
1    The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Robert Charles Anderson, 1999
2    A Genealogical Memoir of the Lo-Lathrop Family in this Country, Elijah Baldwin Huntington, 1884
3    John Lothropp (Wikipedia article)
4    Ancestry of Thomas Chalmers Brainerd, 1948, pp. 198-200 

5    Sturgis Library (website)
6    FamousKin.com listing of John Lothrop
7    Find-a-Grave listing of Thomas Lothrop
8    Find-a-Grave listing of Jane (Lothrop) Fuller
9    Find-a-Grave listing of Samuel Lothrop
10  Find-a-Grave listing of Joseph Lothrop
11  Find-a-Grave listing of Benjamin Lothrop
12  Find-a-Grave listing of Barnabas Lothrop
13  Find-a-Grave listing of Bathsheba (Lothrop) Marsh
14  Find-a-Grave listing of John Lothrop Jr.