John Bryant

  Noted events in his life were:

• Dates & Events.
"John Bryant, house carpenter, was a freeman in Scituate 1639. His farm was on the second Herring brook, ten rods east of the mill, and ancient orchard now (1831) marks the place." On one Sunday morning, John Bryant entered the meetinghouse late. The Reverend William Witherle, after prayers, addressed him before the congregation saying: 'Neighbor Bryant, it is to your reproach that you have disturbed the worship by entering late, living as you do, within a mile of this place and especially so, while here is Goody Barstow, who has milked seven cows, made a cheese, and walked five miles to the House of God n good season.'

John was presented at court 2 Mar 1642 for 'drinking tobacco upon the highway.' He was a member of Scituate's Military Company in 1643, and admitted a freeman 15 Jan 1645. He served as a deputy to the general Court in 1657, 1677, and 1678; as a surveyer of highways in 1673, and was deacon of the Second Church of Scituate in 1669.

John of Scituate took an oath of fidelity on 15 Jan 1645 [Plym. Col. Rec., 8:183]. He was propounded a freeman on 7 June 1653 and admitted on June 6, 1654 [Plym. Col. Rec., 3:31, 3:48]. He served as a deputy to the general Court in 1657, 1677 and 1678 [Plym. Col. Rec., 3:115, 5:231, 5:256]. He served as a surveyor of highways for Scituate in 1673 [Plym. Col. Rec., 5:115], as selectman in 1677 and 1678 [Plym. Col. Rec., 5:230, 5:257]. He was a deacon of Scituate's Second Church in 1669.

• Background Information. ¹³²⁴
John Bryant, Senior of Scituate was a prominent person in the early history of Plymouth Colony, and throught his life was active in public affairs; was a land owner, and was actively engaged in the survey of public lands. He was a member of the General Court at Plymouth in 1657 and again in 1677-78. The date of his arrival in America in not known, thought there is a tradition that he came from Kent, England on the Ann. He lived in Barnstable previous to moving to Scituate. The first appearance of his name in the records of the Colony occurs among the list of freemen in 1639, and in 1643 he is mentioned among the list of 105 men of Scituate able to bear arms.

John Bryant married three times: first, Mary, daughter of George and Mary (Jenkins) Lewis of Barnstable, 4 Nov 1643, by whome he had seven children. She died 2 Jul 1655. He married a second time, Elizabeth, daughter of Rev. William Willertill of Scituate. He married a third time to Mary , daughter of Thomas Highland of Scituate. His will is dated 4 Nov 1684 and he died 20 Nov 1684.

~The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. 48, p. 46-47

John married Elizabeth Witherell, daughter of William Witherell and Mary Fisher, on 22 Dec 1657 in Scituate, Massachusetts ¹³²³.^,1324 (Elizabeth Witherell was born about 1639 in Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts ⁸⁹ and died before 1664 in Scituate, Massachusetts ⁸⁹.)