Tilton
John Sr.
? – 1688
♦Verified
John Tilton Sr. was born in England.
Massachusetts
By 1640, John had come to the Colonies, likely with his wife Mary (last name unknown), and is found living in Lynn, Massachusetts (north of Boston). Mary was very strong in her beliefs and she agreed with at least some of the teachings of the Baptists, including the belief about not baptizing infants. This did not sit well with the Puritans and there were proceedings against her and other women that professed the same. As a result, the family left Massachusetts.
Long Island
The family next settled on Long Island, being one of the founding families of Gravesend (now part of Brooklyn), being there before it had formally been settled and named. At Gravesend, John was the town clerk. He owned a plantation (farm) and also a garden spot (lot).
More Religious Trouble
The move to New York did not end John and Mary’s religious troubles. After Quakerism arrived in the area, they mingled with, aided, and then joined with the Quakers. This was fine at first. However, the Quakers fell out of favor with the governor of New Amsterdam (New York City) who had jurisdiction over the area. Quakers were so disliked that they were referred to as “abominable imposters, runaways and strolling people.”
After that point, John and Mary were fined numerous times and they were even imprisoned for various crimes, such as, housing Quakers or allowing Quakers to quake at their home. The proceedings of one of the actions against the couple describe Mary as a sorceress. It said “she had gone door to door to lure and seduce the people, yes even young girls, to join the Quakers.”
Eventually, they were called before the governor and council of New Amsterdam (New York City) because of their support of the Quakers. They were condemned with their punishment being to be banned from the province. However, the banishment never took place. It has been speculated that John’s standing in the community combined with efforts of a friend who was in good favor with the governor led to this relief.
The sentence of banishment did not deter John and Mary, who continued to align themselves with the Quakers. This led to more fines and punishments. Finally, they were banished, again. This time, they actually had to leave the area, but only after some time had passed and there had been an accounting of their estate.
During their banishment, they stayed with friends at Oyster Bay on the other side of Long Island. Although not far away, Oyster Bay was outside the jurisdiction of the governor of New Amsterdam.
After the governor was ousted from office, John and Mary were able to return to Gravesend. John was able to return to his position as the town clerk. Later, he was made Justice of the Court of Common Pleas.
Land Ownership
In addition to the plantation and garden spot, John owned Barren Island (with Samuel Spicer), two lots on Garretson’s Neck and/or Guisbert’s Island (this may be near Gerritsen Creek), and another lot in Gravesend. John owned land in West Meadow of Gravesend. It is unclear if this is additional property or a different description of his plantation.
Additionally, John, along with his son John, was deeded land by the Indians at Shrewsbury, New Jersey as a part of the Monmouth Patent. The patent required that at least 100 families settle in the area within three years. It also guaranteed no infringement on religious liberties. Perhaps John bought this land with the idea of moving there or perhaps he wanted the land in case the family encountered more issues surrounding their religion. In any case, John Sr. never moved to this property.
Their Children
John and Mary’s children were
- John♥
- Peter married Rebecca Brazier.
- Thomas
- Mary married Mr. Bowman.
- Sarah married John Painter.
- Esther married Samuel Spicer.
- Abigail married Ralph Warner and William Scott.
John Sr. died in 1688 at Gravesend, New York. Mary had previously died in 1683. John willed his dwelling to John Jr., specified land for a cemetery, and split most of the rest of his property between all of his children.