Governor John Haynes, Hartford Founder

Compiled by Timothy Lester Jacobs, SDFH Genealogist

JOHN¹ HAYNES, GOV., HARTFORD FOUNDER (JOHN^A) was born 01 May 1594 in Messing, Essex, England, and died bef. 09 Jan 1653/54 in Hartford, CT. He married (1) MARY THORNTON 11 Apr 1616 in Hingham, Norfolk, England, daughter of ROBERT THORNTON and ANNE SMITH. She was born abt. 1594 in England, and died aft. 1624 in England. He married (2) MABEL HARLAKENDEN bef. 1636 in Cambridge, MA, daughter of RICHARD HARLAKENDEN. She was baptized 27 Dec 1614 in Earl’s Colne, Essex, England, and died Sep 1655 in New Haven, CT.

John Haynes was one of the most powerful and influential men in both the colonies of Massachusetts Bay and Connecticut. He emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1633 from Essex, England, first taking up residence in Cambridge, where he was made freeman 14 May 1634. On 01 April 1634 he received a grant of one thousand acres on the east side of the Charles River, and owned in Cambridge seven houses and other lands.

While residing in Cambridge he was selectman 1635; Massachusetts Bay Assistant in 1634 and 1636; magistrate of the Particular Court for Cambridge, Watertown, Charlestown, Medford and Concord in 1636; and was Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635. He was appointed Colonel of the regiment for Charlestown, Watertown, Cambridge, Concord and Dedham in 1636.

He removed to Hartford in 1637, where in the land inventory of February 1639/40 he held eleven parcels: two acres on which his dwelling house stood with other outhouses, yards, gardens and orchards located on the west side of the road from the Palisade to Centinel Hill; three acres and three roods in the Little Meadow; two acres for a house lot abutting that of the Rev. Thomas Hooker; forty acres in the Old Oxpasture; forty-three acres, one rood and thirty-six perches in the South Meadow; thirty acres in the Great Swamp; forty-nine acres, two roods and twenty-four perches of meadow and swamp at Hockanum; forty-four acres in the Cow Pasture; sixteen acres of meadow and six acres of swamp in Hockanum; nineteen acres of upland; and four acres in the Forty Acres.

He was magistrate of the Connecticut Particular Court from 1639 to 1646 and 1648 to 1649; Assistant 1637, 1638, 1642, 1648; Deputy Governor in 1640, 1644, 1646 and 1650; and was Governor of the Colony of Connecticut 1639, 1641, 1643, 1645, 1647, 1649, 1651 and 1653. He was the Connecticut Commissioner to the United Colonies in 1643 and 1646.

Letters dated 9 and 10 January 1653/4 written to John Winthrop, Jr. described his recent death.

Genealogy: no published genealogy known