M. about 1630 in (probably) Rayleigh, Essex, England1
Wife: Mary _______
D. before 30 May 1639 in (probably) Rayleigh, Essex, England1
John Poulter was a man of 17th-century England whose life was brief, but is remembered because of the migration of his widow and children.
John was born in about 1595, probably in the town of Rayleigh in Essex, England.1 His parents are unknown. Sometime before 1631, he married a woman named Mary, whose last name might have been Pope.1 They had three children together.
Rayleigh is a village that dates back to antiquity, and John seems to have spent his entire life there. Besides the christening of his children, town records show that he served as church warden,1 and in the spring of 1631, he was charged for the infraction of selling a small quantity of beer without a license.1
Rayleigh Holy Trinity Church.
While still a young man, John wrote a will on March 18, 1639.1 In it, he gave his son £50 and each daughter £100, to be paid when they turned 21. He left 40 shillings to his mother, Marie Poulter, so she could buy “a ring of remembrance.” He also left an annuity of 20 shillings for five years to his mother-in-law, Marie Pope, and had bequests for several other people who didn’t all seem to be his relatives.
John passed away by the end of May,1 leaving behind his widow to raise their three young children. She would remarry three times, with second husband John Parker bringing the family to Puritan Massachusetts.1 Son John and daughter Elizabeth (who married Jonathan Danforth) would go on to have a large amount of descendants. Through the Danforths, John was the ancestor of actresses Bette Davis and Geena Davis.2
Children:
1. Mary Poulter — B. before 10 Apr 1631, Rayleigh, Essex, England;1 D. before 10 Mar 1674, (probably) Essex, England1
2. Elizabeth Poulter — B. 1 Sep 1633, Rayleigh, Essex, England;1 D. 7 Oct 1689, Billerica, Massachusetts;3 M. Jonathan Danforth (1628-1712), 22 Nov 1654, Billerica, Massachusetts4
3. John Poulter — B. about 1635, (probably) Rayleigh, Essex, England;1 D. 20 May 1676, Cambridge, Massachusetts;5 M. Rachel Eliot (1643-1723), 29 Dec 1661, Billerica, Massachusetts1
Sources:
1 “The Poulter Family of Rayleigh, Essex, England, and Billerica, Massachusetts,” Janet Ireland Delorey, New England Historical and Genealogical Register, V. 141, Jul 1987
2 FamousKin.com listing of Jonathan Danforth
3 Find-a-Grave listing of Elizabeth (Poulter) Danforth
4 Marriage record of Jonathan Danforth and Elizabeth Poulter, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
5 Find-a-Grave listing of John Poulter III
