M. about 1618 in England
Wife: Elizabeth _______
D. Apr 1638 in Cambridge, Massachusetts
The idea that an Englishman would ever turn down a knighthood doesn’t make any sense. But the offer presented to Nicholas Danforth in the 17th century was really a money-making scheme on the part of the king, so he firmly said no.
Nicholas was born in about February 1590 in the town of Framlingham, located in Suffolk about 90 miles northeast of London. His parents were Thomas Danforth and Jane Sudbury, and he was one of six children. He was likely well-educated; his family owned land, though they weren’t of great wealth. When he came of age, Nicholas acquired the title of “yeoman” just as his father had.
Framlingham, England. (Source: Happy Bean Photography, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
In about 1618, Nicholas married a woman named Elizabeth, whose last name is unproven. They settled in Framlingham and had seven children over the next ten years. Sadly, Elizabeth died in 1628, and was buried two days after the birth of her youngest child; Nicholas never remarried. During his years in Framlingham, Nicholas was made church warden in 1622, and he was a member of the Court Baron in 1629. This was a court that met to decide disputes between lords and tenants in a system practiced since the Middle Ages.
During this time, England was being ruled by Charles I in an era of persecution against religious non-conformists. Puritanism was popular in Suffolk and Nicholas was a follower. The king needed to raise money to fund wars with France and Spain, but he was at odds with Parliament, so he found other ways to collect from his subjects. One of them was to “offer” knighthoods to anyone owning land that had an income over £40 per year. This wasn’t a position of honor because it came with large dues that had to be paid to the king. Nicholas refused the knighthood twice, and it was said that he had to pay a fine.
This may have been the reason Nicholas left England to join the Massachusetts colony. On September 18, 1634, he arrived at Boston with his children on the ship Griffin. Soon after, he settled in Cambridge, buying several houses that had belonged to settlers who moved to Connecticut with Thomas Hooker. He was deputy to the General Court in 1635, and he was appointed along with others to lay out the boundaries of the new towns of Concord and Roxbury. On March 12, 1638, the General Court gave him a license to sell alcohol, so he may have been planning to run a tavern, but he died within a few weeks after that date.
Nicholas’ sons went on to have some prominence in New England. Jonathan became a surveyor, Samuel was a preacher, poet and astronomer, and Thomas was a Puritan leader who played a small part in the Salem witch trials. Among Nicholas’ descendants are James Garfield, Elizabeth Montgomery, Sandra Day O’Connor, Henry Fonda, Peter Fonda, Jane Fonda, Bridget Fonda, and John Lithgow.
A 1647 almanac written by Nicholas' son Samuel.
Children:
1. Elizabeth Danforth — B. about Aug 1619, Framlingham, England; D. 26 Jun 1680, Cambridge, Massachusetts; M. Andrew Belcher (1614-1673), 1 Oct 1639, Cambridge, Massachusetts
2. Mary Danforth — B. about May 1621, Framlingham, England; D. 8 Aug 1674, Groton, Massachusetts; M. Thomas Parrish (1614-?), 1637, Cambridge, Massachusetts
3. Anna Danforth — B. 3 Sep 1622, Framlingham, England; D. 9 Dec 1704, Cambridge, Massachusetts; M. Matthew Bridge (~1618-1700), 1643, Cambridge, Massachusetts
4. Thomas Danforth — B. about 1623, England; D. 5 Nov 1699, Cambridge, Massachusetts; M. Mary Withington (1623-1697), 23 Mar 1643, Dorchester, Massachusetts
5. Lydia Danforth — B. about May 1625, Framlingham, England; D. 16 Aug 1686, Saybrook, Connecticut; M. William Beaumont (~1608-1699), 9 Dec 1643, Saybrook, Connecticut
6. Samuel Danforth — B. 17 Sep 1626, Framlingham, England; D. 19 Nov 1674, Roxbury, Massachusetts; M. Mary Wilson (1633-1713), 5 Nov 1651, Roxbury, Massachusetts
7. Jonathan Danforth — B. 20 Feb 1628, Framlingham, England; D. 7 Sep 1712, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. (1) Elizabeth Poulter (1633-1689), 22 Nov 1654, Boston, Massachusetts; (2) Elizabeth Champney (1631-1713), 7 Nov 1690, Billerica, Massachusetts
Sources:
Danforth Genealogy: Nicholas Danforth of Framlingham, England, and Cambridge, N.E. and William Danforth of Newbury, Mass., John Joseph May, 1902
BCW Project (website)
Find a Grave
