A House Built to Last — John Thorndike

B. 22 Jan 1675 in Beverly, Massachusetts¹
M. (1) 20 Apr 1696 in Beverly, Massachusetts²
Wife: Joanna Larkin
M. (2) 30 Mar 1718 in Beverly, Massachusetts³
Wife: Christian Woodbury
M. (3) Jun 1732 in Beverly, Massachusetts⁴
Wife: Abigail Conant
D. 23 Mar 1760 in Beverly, Massachusetts⁵

In about 1700, John Thorndike constructed a house for his family that still stands in Beverly, Massachusetts. John was born in that town to Paul Thorndike and Mary Patch on January 22, 1675,¹ the fourth of their seven children. Beverly was right on the coast, and the Thorndike family accumulated a lot of land near a place called Mackerel Cove. John’s father held prominent status in the community as a selectman and captain of the militia;⁶ as his oldest son, John was likely influenced by his father’s activities.

On April 20, 1696, John got married to a young widow, Joanna Dodge, whose maiden name was Larkin.² Joanna brought a young son into the marriage, and the following year, had another child, the first of John’s eight children with her. In 1708, John was baptized into the Church of New England at the age of 33,⁷ officially making him a Puritan, something his father had never done in spite of practicing the religion.

John’s father died in 1697,⁸ and he received 27 acres in Beverly as his inheritance, where he soon began construction on a house.⁶ The structure was a New England saltbox; the house had two stories, plus a short third story under its sloped roof, and a “lean-to” at the back giving it a "saltbox" shape. A large brick fireplace and chimney dominated one side of the house, and the exterior was faced with clapboard.⁹

On May 12, 1716, John’s wife Joanna passed away,¹⁰ and two years later he married another widow, Christian West.³ She added three children from her first marriage to the household, and had two more with John. Following in his father’s footsteps, John became an officer in the militia, first a lieutenant by 1718,⁶ then a captain by 1729.⁷ He was also selectman in Beverly “for many years,” and he was representative to the General Court in 1723.⁶ Also that year, he was appointed along with his brother Paul to serve on a committee to “renew bonds” with the community of Manchester.

John’s second wife Christian died in 1732,⁶ and three months later, John married again, this time to a widow named Abigail Ober. In 1733, he became a father for a final time to a son Nicholas.¹¹

John lived a long life in Beverly, and died on March 23, 1760 at the age of 85.⁵ Remarkably for a man that old, he hadn’t made out a will, so his estate was probated without one. His son John took on the role of administrator, noted as the only one who still lived in Beverly, and an inventory was taken on April 23rd.¹² Among the possessions on the list was described “one Negro man named Mingo” worth £50. Slave ownership in New England would soon be phased out, but in 1760, there were thousands of slaves in the colony.¹³ A census taken six years earlier showed that Beverly had 12 men and 16 women held as slaves.¹⁴ It isn’t known what became of Mingo after John died.

The house that John built was passed down through the family and added onto over the years. It’s thought that a two-story section to the left of the chimney was constructed in the late 18th-century, and a lean-to was built off of the back of it later on.⁹ The building stands today with a plaque on its front identifying it as the “Capt. John Thorndike House,” and it’s on the National Register of Historic Places.⁹ The home is now a private residence valued at over $900,000, and its deep backyard has a 20th century swimming pool. But some of the original detail remains inside, including the large fireplace that must have been built by John.¹⁵

John's house in Beverly, Massachusetts.

Children by Joanna Larkin:
1. Robert Thorndike — B. 4 Feb 1697, Beverly, Massachusetts;¹⁶ M. Elizabeth Woodbury (1696-1781), 20 Nov 1718, Beverly, Massachusetts¹⁷

2. Paul Thorndike — B. 5 Feb 1699, Beverly, Massachusetts;¹⁸ M. Mehitable Woodbury (1705-?), 30 Sep 1725, Beverly, Massachusetts¹⁹

3. John Thorndike — B. 22 Aug 1701, Beverly, Massachusetts;²⁰ D. 10 Jul 1769, Beverly, Massachusetts;²¹ M. (1) Elizabeth Ober (1704-1750), 13 Nov 1723, Beverly, Massachusetts;²² (2) Sarah Cleeves, 18 Feb 1753, Beverly, Massachusetts²³

4. Joanna Thorndike — B. 1 Aug 1703, Beverly, Massachusetts;²⁴ D. 27 Mar 1775, Beverly, Massachusetts;²⁵ M. Ebenezer Lovett (1702-1778), 17 Apr 1725, Beverly, Massachusetts²⁶

5. James Thorndike — B. 11 Jan 1706, Beverly, Massachusetts;²⁷ D. 20 Feb 1787, Tewksbury, Massachusetts;²⁸ M. Anna Ober (1708-1787), 21 Jan 1728, Beverly, Massachusetts²⁹

6. Herbert Thorndike — B. 3 Jan 1708, Beverly, Massachusetts;³⁰ D. 10 Jul 1746, Beverly, Massachusetts;³¹ M. Abigail Ober (1708-1796), 4 Feb 1731, Beverly, Massachusetts³²

7. Edward Thorndike — B. 10 Apr 1711, Beverly, Massachusetts;³³ D. 21 Apr 1711, Beverly, Massachusetts³⁴

8. Sarah Thorndike — B. 17 Sep 1712, Beverly, Massachusetts;³⁵ M. Joshua Thorndike, 14 Dec 1738, Beverly, Massachusetts³⁶

Children by Christian Woodbury:
1. Anna Thorndike — B. 6 Jun 1719, Beverly, Massachusetts;³⁷ M. John Ober (1721-1775), 20 Jul 1743, Salem, New Hampshire³⁸

2. Mary Thorndike — B. 15 Oct 1722, Beverly, Massachusetts;³⁹ D. 30 Apr 1758, Beverly, Massachusetts;⁴⁰ M. John Lovett (1718-1797)⁴⁰

Child by Abigail Conant:
1. Nicholas Thorndike — B.14 Jan 1733, Beverly, Massachusetts¹¹

Sources:
1    Birth record of John Thorndike, Massachusetts Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
2    Marriage record of John Thorndike and Joanna Larkin, Massachusetts Marriages, 1695-1910, FamilySearch.org
3    Marriage record of John Thorndike and Christian West, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
4    Marriage record of John Thorndike and Abigail Conant Ober, The Massachusetts Vital Records Project – Vital Records of Beverly, Massachusetts, V. 2
5    Death record of John Thorndike, Massachusetts Deaths and Burials, 1795-1910, FamilySearch.org
6    Colonial Families in America, Vol. 8, Ruth Lawrence, 1930
7    Records of the First Church of Beverly, 1667-1772, 1905
8    Descendants of John Thorndike of Essex County, Massachusetts, Morgan Hewitt Stafford, 1960
9    Capt. John Thorndike House (Wikipedia article)  
10  Death record of Joanna Larkin Thorndike, The Massachusetts Vital Records Project – Vital Records of Beverly, Massachusetts
11  Birth record of Nicholas Thorndike, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
12  Probate records of John Thorndike, Essex County, Massachusetts: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881, AmericanAncestors.org
13  History of slavery in Massachusetts (Wikipedia article)  
14  1754 Massachusetts Slave Census – Beverly, Massachusetts  
15  Redfin.com profile for 184 Hale Street, Beverly, Massachusetts  
16  Birth record of Robert Thorndike, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
17  Marriage record of Robert Thorndike and Elizabeth Woodbury, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
18  Birth record of Paul Thorndike, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
19  Marriage record of Paul Thorndike and Mehitable Woodbury, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
20  Birth record of John Thorndike (younger), M.T.C., V. & T.R.
21  Death record of John Thorndike (younger), M.T.C., V. & T.R.
22  Marriage record of John Thorndike and Elizabeth Ober, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
23  Marriage record of John Thorndike and Sarah Cleeves, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
24  Birth record of Joanna Thorndike, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
25  Death record of Joanna Thorndike Lovett, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
26  Marriage record of Ebenezer Lovett and Joanna Thorndike, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
27  Birth record of James Thorndike, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
28  Death record of James Thorndike, Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1620-1850, AmericanAncestors.org 29  Marriage record of James Thorndike and Anna Ober, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
30  Birth record of Herbert Thorndike, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
31  Death record of Herbert Thorndike, Massachusetts Vital Records, Beverly, Volume 2, page 575 

32  Marriage record of Herbert Thorndike and Abigail Ober, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
33  Birth record of Edward Thorndike, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
34  Death record of Edward Thorndike, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
35  Birth record of Sarah Thorndike, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
36  Marriage record of Joshua Thorndike and Sarah Thorndike
37  Birth record of Anna Thorndike, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
38  Marriage record of John Ober and Anna Thorndike, New Hampshire Marriage Records, 1637-1947, FamilySearch.org
39  Birth record of Mary Thorndike, Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1620-1850, AmericanAncestors.org
40  WikiTree listing for Mary (Thorndike) Lovett