John Waterbury

  Noted events in his life were:

• Biography: From Jonathan Waterbury Genealogy. (1) JOHN WATERBURY, the early settler at Watertown. Mass. and progenitor of the American family of the name, was born in Sudbury, Suffolk County, England in December, 1621, the son of William and Alice Waterbury of that place who left England for America on board the "Eagle" (afterwards renamed the "Arabella") in 1629-1630 but who are supposed to have later returned to England as after a few years no trace is found of them in America and there is no record of their deaths here.

The parish registers of All Saints Church in Sudbury reveal a series of baptisms covering the decade between 1619 and 1629 of the children of William Waterbury, who was later to emigrate to America, possibly with several of his children, but of whom seemingly only the eldest son, John, was to survive or remain, there permanently. William and Alice in 1630, probably had at least five children living, all under 15 years of age. Some of these children may have been left behind in England with relatives when the journey to America was made. If so a reason for the early return of William and Alice, to England is suggested. It is possible that after establishing themselves in Massachusetts that they returned to England for the other children and either died on ship board or soon after landing in England as further traces of them there have not been found in England.

The parish registers [1] referred to in the preceding paragraph disclose baptisms as follows:

July 25, 1619, Rachell, daughter of William Waterbury
December 30, 1621, John, son of William Waterberrie
February 29, 1624, Mary, daughter of William Waterbery
February 26, 1626, William, son of William Waterbery [2]
August 9, 1627, William. son of William Waterbury
September 20, 1629, Samuel. son of William Waterbury

That there were other families of Waterburys resident in Sudbury at about the time that William and Alice left for America with whom some of their children might have been left is indicated from the extant records which show the marriage of John Waterburye and Anne Shelton to have taken place there November 1, 1614. This John was a brother of William Waterbury the emigrant to America. There are various extant records of others with this surname resident at Sudbury from about 1585 down appearing in the civil records all well as in those of the church.

After landing in Boston, William and Alice Waterbury took up their residence in the nearby settlement of Watertown, Mass. There their names appear upon the membership rolls of the church all having been the 35th and 36th members to unite with it. It is suggested that when William and Alice left for England that they may have left John (I) in the temporary custody of the Lockwood family, then neighbors, pending their own anticipated but thwarted return and that it was in this manner that John's romance with Rose Lockwood developed.

Whatever the fate of William and Alice, American records show John Waterbury domiciled at Watertown, Mass., married and probably with one child by 1639. If, as is supposed to be the case, he had accompanied his parents and Governor Winthrop to America and they returned home, he at least elected to remain in America. He became the common ancestor of all American possessors of the surname whose family residence in America dates back to Colonial tines. His wife was Rose Lockwood, a member of the English family of that name which had settled at Watertown. Mass., in 1630. Nothing definite has been established as to the time and place of their marriage.

Doubtless influenced by the fact that so many persons were leaving Massachusetts for the new settlements recently established in Connecticut, John Waterbury sold his house and eight acres of land October 15. 1646. to Robert Pierce of Watertown 'and he left for his new home in Connecticut. He went first to Wethersfield. but soon thereafter, possibly influenced by a quarrel that developed in the Wethersfield Church, removed to Stamford. where he continued to make his home until his death in 1658. He was a land-owner in Stamford as early as 1650.

John Waterbury (I) became one of the leading citizens of Stamford Colony and one of its largest land-holders. Existing records show his interest and activity along many lines for the upbuilding and improvement of the community. He was prominently identified with the church and the government of that period. He served in the Connecticut Colonial legislature for several years before his death while still a young man of 37 years.

After his death his widow. Rose (Lockwood), Waterbury. married May 11, 1659. Joseph Garnsey. To them was born one son, Joseph Garnsey. born at Stamford, June 30, ) 662. The sons of John Waterbury, it appears from records. deeded over to their mother the homestead property that had been their father's.

The children of John and Rose (Lockwood) Waterbury were:

Second Generation

(2) I Rachel Parcolt, born at Watertown, Mass. in 1639, married, March 11, 1659, John Holmes of Stamford. Conn. Their children were: 1. John Holmes, b. October 8, 1660, 2. Mary Holmes, b. September 25, 1662, 3. Stephen Holmes, b. January 4, 1664, 4. Rachel Holmes, b. December 7, 1669, and 5. John Holmes, b. October 18, 1670.

(3) II Sarah, born at Watertown, Mass. in 1646, m,. May 10, 1666, Zachariah Dibble of Stamford. Conn., July 14, 1666, he received 40 pound, in money as the share of his wife in the estate of her deceased father. They had one child. Zachariah Dibble, born 19 December, 1667. She divorced the elder Zachariah and later m, Nicholas Webster of Stamford, who died 12 August, 1667. Their children were: 1. John Webster, 2. David Webster, 3, Rachel Webster.

(4) III John, born at Stamford n 165O.
(5) IV Jonathan, born at Stamford, 1653.
(6) V David. born at Stamford. 1655.

Notes:

[1] New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Vol. 66. Pages 177-8.

[2] Records of the same parish show that this son, William, was buried October 15, 1626, opening the way for the next son born in the following year also to be named William in accordance with a practice then frequently prevailing.

[3] For further references relating to the Waterbury family in England, see the chapter on “The Waterbury Family in England.” (See his parent's pages for this chapter.)

Jonathan Waterbury Genealogy
by Grace A. Waterbury and Edwin M. Waterbury
Palladium-Times, Inc., Oswego, NY 1930

• Cemetery: From Find a Grave, 1658, Ridgefield, Fairfield, Connecticut. John Waterbury

Birth: Jan. 30, 1621
Sudbury, Suffolk, England

Death: Jul. 31, 1658
Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA

John Waterbury is said to have imm 1630 w his parents William and Alice, on the "Eagle." The Winthrop Fleet passenger list is incomplete and does not organize names by individual ships, but both William and Alice are on the list-- John was 10 at the time, so the inference that he accompanied them is solid, if not conclusive.

Family links:
Spouse:
Rose Lockwood Waterbury (1616 - 1684)

Children:
Jonathan Waterbury (1653 - 1702)
David Waterbury (1655 - 1706)

Burial:
Titicus Cemetery
Ridgefield
Fairfield County
Connecticut, USA
Created by: Bill Velde
Record added: May 27, 2011
Find A Grave Memorial# 70463308

John married Rose Lockwood in 1638 in Watertown, Massachusetts. (Rose Lockwood was born in 1621 in England and died on 12 Feb 1684 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticuit.)