John Maynard, Hartford Founder

Compiled by Timothy Lester Jacobs, SDFH Genealogist

JOHN¹ MAYNARD, HARTFORD FOUNDER was born abt. 1586 in England, and died bef. 24 Feb 1657/58 in Hartford, CT d.s.p. (inventory). He married EDITHA STEBBINS aft. Oct 1648 in Hartford, CT, daughter of WILLIAM STEBBINS. She was the widow of Hartford Founder ROBERT DAY, and sister of Founder EDWARD STEBBINS. She was born abt. 1613 in poss Braintree, Essex, England, and died 24 Oct 1688 in Springfield, MA.

The ancestry and source of John Maynard is unknown. He emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony by 1634 as he was granted five acres in the West End of Cambridge on 4 August 1634. In the 10 October 1635 Cambridge land inventory, he one parcel in the West End containing one house with backside of about five acres.

He removed to Hartford in 1636 where, in the Hartford land inventory of February 1634/40 he held: two acres on which his dwelling house stood with other outhouses, yards and gardens located on the road from his property to the Little River and abutting on the north of the land of Founder William Holton; two roods and two perches in the Little Meadow; one acre and eight perches on the east side of the Great River; one acre and eight perches in the North Meadow; another parcel in the North Meadow of meadow and a swamp of six acres and thirty-six perches; three acres and eleven perches in the Cow Pasture; six acres in the Little Oxpasture; one acre and thirty-six perches in the Neck of Land; and another acre, two roods and twenty-one perches in the Neck of Land. He also acquired six other plots later.

He was Hartford surveyor of highways in 1641, 1649, 1652, and 1655. On 9 April 1646 he was freed from watching, from which his date of birth is estimated, based on freedom from watching generally occurring at age 60.

His will was dated 23 January 1657/8 and his inventory was taken 24 February 1657/8. He had no known children.

Genealogy: Not applicable, as John Maynard had no descendants