A Separation of Church and State — John Lothrop

B. about Dec 1584 in Etton, England
M. (1) 10 Oct 1610 in England
Wife: Hannah Howse
M. (2) 1635
Wife: Anne
D. 8 Nov 1653 in Barnstable, Massachusetts

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. His parents were Thomas and Mary Lothrop. John's father was married three times, and was the father of over 20 children. In spite of John’s large number of siblings and half-siblings, he attended Queens College at Cambridge, earning a B.A. in 1606 and an M.A. in 1609. He was ordained as a minister in the Church of England and assigned to a parish in Egerton, Kent. After he got settled in Egerton, John married a local woman, Hannah Howse (also spelled House) on October 10, 1610. 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. The following year, he became pastor of the First Independent Church in London. Because of the threat of persecution, John had to preach to the 60 members of his congregation in secret. 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. 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. After two years of confinement, everyone was released on bail except for John, because as their leader, he was thought to be a danger. The bishop finally agreed to free him as long as he would leave the country. On September 18, 1634, the ship Griffin arrived in New England carrying John, his 6 surviving children, and many of his congregants from London. 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. 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. 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. Within a couple of years, John had a more substantial house on the harbor. He married a woman named Anne (or Anna) by June 1635, and she gave him five more children; the youngest was born in 1648 when John was 63-years-old.

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. 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.” 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. 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.

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. He was described as being “beloved by his people.”

John died in Barnstable on November 8, 1653. His wife Anne survived him, passing away on February 25, 1687. 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 and Boris Johnson.

Children by Hannah House:
1. Thomas Lothrop — B. about Feb 1612, Eastwell, England; D. 1707, Barnstable, Massachusetts; M. Sarah Learned (1607-1652), 11 Dec 1639, Massachusetts

2. Jane Lothrop – B. 29 Sep 1614, Egerton, England; D. 1659, Barnstable, Massachusetts; M. Samuel Fuller (1608-1683), 8 Apr 1635, Scituate, Massachusetts

3. Anne Lothrop – B. May 1616, Egerton, England; D. Apr 1617, Egerton, England

4. John Lothrop — B. Feb 1618, Egerton, England

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

6. Samuel Lothrop — B. 1622, Egerton, England; D. 19 Feb 1700, Norwich Connecticut; M. (1) Elizabeth Scudder (1625-1690), 28 Nov 1644, Barnstable, Massachusetts; (2) Abigail Doane (1632-1734)

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

8. Benjamin Lothrop — B. Dec 1626, Eastwell, England; D. 3 Jul 1691, Charlestown, Massachusetts

Children by Anne:
1. Barnabas Lothrop — B. Jun 1636, Barnstable, Massachusetts; D. 26 Oct 1715, Barnstable, Massachusetts; M. (1) Susannah Clarke (1642-1697); (2) Abigail Button (1644-1715), 1698

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

3. Bathsheba Lothrop — B. Feb 1641, Scituate, Massachusetts; D. 8 Jan 1723; M. (1) Benjamin Bale, about 1668; (2) Alexander Marsh (1628-1698), about 1691

4. John Lothrop — B. 9 Feb 1644, Barnstable, Massachusetts; D. 18 Sep 1727, Barnstable, Massachusetts; M. (1) Mary Cole (1654-1695); (2) Hannah Morton (1659-1738), 1695

5. Elizabeth Lothrop — B. 27 Mar 1648, Scituate, Massachusetts; D. about 1690, Wallingford, Connecticut; M. John Williams (~1624-1694), 1666, Scituate, Massachusetts

Sources:
John Lothropp (Wikipedia article)
A Genealogical Memoir of the Lo-Lathrop Family in this Country, Elijah Baldwin Huntington, 1884
Sturgis Library website

WikiTree
Find-A-Grave