John Irish

Abt 1611 - 1676  (~ 65 years)

 Set As Default Person

• Name	John Irish
  Born	Abt 1611	Somerset, England   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Reference Number	2785
  Died	5 Mar 1676	Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA   [1]
  Person ID	I2785	FelsingFam
  Last Modified	16 Feb 2024

  
  

  Family	Elizabeth Unknown,   b. Aft 1611
  Married	Bef 1644	Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA   [1]
  Children	+ 1. John Irish,   b. 1641, Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA ,   d. 21 Feb 1717, Little Compton, Newport, Rhode Island, USA  (Age 76 years)  [natural]   2. Elizabeth Irish,   b. 1644, Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA ,   d. 1687, Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA  (Age 43 years)  [natural]   3. Elias Irish,   b. 1651, Newport, Rhode Island, USA ,   d. 1677, Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA  (Age 26 years)  [natural]
  Last Modified	16 Feb 2024
  Family ID	F710	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - Abt 1611 - Somerset, England Married - Bef 1644 - Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA Died - 5 Mar 1676 - Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Notes

  On 20 April 1629 John Irish “of the Parish of Clisdon, County of Summerset” signed a five year indenture agreement with Timothy Hatherly. This was common to do in that era in order to pay for passage to the new world. This indenture agreement was not recorded in the new world until 12 July 1697 at Taunton, Massachusetts. At first glance this would appear to be our best document to establish the origin of John Irish. However, the County of Somerset does not have a Parish of Clisdon. Perhaps this was a misspelling of Clevedon, Somerset, which is now called Avon. Perhaps this was meant to refer to Clisdon in the County of Hampshire. No parish records have been found in either place which refer to this John Irish. The origin of John Irish therefore is still open to conjecture. His birth year is commonly referred to as “by 1611” which is assuming that he was 18 at the date on indenture. 18 is probably an “average” age for indenture agreements, however 14 year olds and 24 year olds (and older) have been known to enter into these agreements. The birth year of 1611 is at best an approximation, which could be off by as much as 5 years or more. It has been claimed that he was born in Clevedon, Somerset as the son of Jonathon Irishe of Treys and Elizabeth Kirby, however these people do not appear in the Clevedon records and no documentation exists to support this. Early New England records establish 3 children, John, Elias and Elizabeth. Some genealogies suggest a fourth child Lydia, who married a Gray and moved to France. However there is no documentation to support this. It has been claimed that he married Elizabeth Risley, but there is no documentation for his wife's maiden name. The following from NewEnglandAncestors.org: Death: He died by March 5, 1677/8. Ship: Unknown, 1630 Life in England: In an indenture dated April 20, 1629, John Irish of Clisdon, Somersetshire, laborer, agreed to serve Timothy Hatherly of Southwark in Plymouth, New England, for five years. Note: As there is no Clisdon in Somerset, it is unclear what location was meant. Life in New England: John Irish immigrated as an indentured servant. As part of his payment when he finished his service, he was to have 25 acres of land.The Plymouth court had ordered the towns in which former servants lived to provide them with land, but this practice did not work out. Ex-servants generally received land in the colony’s “frontiers” where the colonial government was encouraging settlement. In Plymouth’s case, this meant Bridgewater, between Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay and Saconett [Little Compton, Rhode Island] to the west. John Irish received land in both locations.While his main occupation was planter [farmer], John Irish described himself in a 1659 deed as a “roper.” Family: John Irish married Elizabeth _____ by about 1644 and had three children. She died in Little Compton on August 28, 1687. Children of John and Elizabeth Irish: • Elizabeth was born about 1644. She married Philip Washburn by about 1664 and had four children. She died on August 28, 1687, in Duxbury. He died about 1700. • John was born about 1647. He married (1) Elizabeth ____ by about 1672. He married (2) Priscilla (Southworth) Talbot on March 1, 1689, in Bristol, Rhode Island, and had two children. He died on February 21, 1717, in Little Compton, Rhode Island. She died on June 11, 1722. • Elias was born about 1649. He married Dorothy Witherell in Taunton on August 26, 1674, and had one child. He died before October 30, 1677, when the court appointed his father-in-law,William Witherell, to administer his estate. She married (2) William Wood on April 1, 1686. For Further Information: Robert C. Anderson. The Great Migration Begins. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995. Robert C. Anderson. The Pilgrim Migration. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004. George E. Bowman. “Washburn Notes.” The Mayflower Descendant 15(1913): 247-53; 16(1914): 248-253. Willis Luther Irish and Stella Bertha (Putnam) Irish. Descendants of John Irish the Immigrant 1629-1963 and Allied Families. Freeport: Dingley Press, 1964.

  
  

• Sources

  [S13] Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-33, Robert Charles Anderson, (Name: New England Historic Genealogical Society; Date: 1995;).