Lieut. John ELLIS

1627 - Bef 1677  (50 years)

• Name	John ELLIS  [1, 2, 3]
  	The first list of Sandwich settlers is dated 3 April 1637 (see "Annals of Sandwich," in Frederick Freeman, 'History of Cape Cod', 1858, Vol. 2, p. 15). No one of the Ellis name appears on it, but in the list of 1643 Jon Ellis' name is among those between the ages of 16 and 60 and able to bear arms. Therefore, we know that he was born not later than 1627 and it seems safe to assume that the date of his birth was not far from the year 1620. The next mention of his name shows that he was in rouble. At the court held on 20 Aug. 1644 he was accused of fornication, and the record shows that "A warrant was set forth to bring in the bodies of Jonathan ffish & Mary his wife; Nathaniell ffish; Jane, the wife of William Wood; Rose the wife of Joseph Holly; the wife of Richard Kerby; the wife of Michael Turner & Joanna Swyft, widdow, to give evidence in John Ellis and his wife's case." (Nathaniel B. Surtleff ed., 'Records of the colony of New Plymouth', vol. 2, pg. 75. 4 June 1645 "John Ellis of Sandwich...and his now wife...is censured to be whipt at publicke post and Elizabeth his wife to stand by whilst execucon of the sentence is pformed; which was accordingly done. And the said John Ellis for his long and tedious delayes occasioning much trouble and charge to the countrey, for that he would not confess the truth until the present, is fyned 5 li". It has often been observed that neither the colony nor the ecclesiastical courts of the period were apt to view with favor the possibility of a premature birth. In this instance the stubborn refusal of Ellis to admit guilt may have been based on some other argument. The prominence of the Freeman family may have played a part in the case. It would be interesting to read a transcript of the testimony presented by the young couple and their neighbors. Whatever may have been the merits of the case, it is clearly of interest genealogically speaking that the marriage almost certainly took place before 20 Aug. 1644 and that the first child by Elizabeth Freeman was born about that date. Yet the first recorded birth, that of "Benet Elles" (no parents listed), took place in 1648-1649. [1]
  Prefix	Lieut.
  Birth	Between 1620-1627  [1]
  Gender	Male
  Death	Bef 23 Mar 1676/7  [1]
  Person ID	I20911	Main Tree
  Last Modified	10 Jan 2021

  
  

  Family	Elizabeth FREEMAN,   c. 11 Apr 1624, Parish of Billingshurst, co. Sussex, England d. Aft 24 June 1692 (Age ~ 68 years)
  Marriage	Abt 1647  [2]
  Children	1. Elizabeth ELLIS,   b. Abt 1645  [Birth] + 2. Bennet ELLIS,   b. 27 Feb 1648/9  [Birth] + 3. Lieut. Mordecai ELLIS,   b. 24 Mar 1650/1, Sandwich, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts d. 5 Feb 1709/10, Sandwich, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts (Age 58 years)  [Birth]   4. Deborah ELLIS,   b. Bef 1652   d. 21 Jun 1711, Rochester, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA (Age > 59 years)  [Birth]   5. Joel ELLIS,   b. 20 Mar 1654   d. Poss. died young  [Birth] + 6. Lieut. Matthias ELLIS,   b. 2 Jun 1657   d. 30 Aug 1748, Sandwich, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts (Age 91 years)  [Birth] + 7. Manoah ELLIS,   b. Abt 1659  [Birth] + 8. Freeman ELLIS,   b. Abt 1661   d. Bef 20 Jun 1728, Sandwich, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts (Age 67 years)  [Birth]   9. Gideon ELLIS,   b. Abt 1663  [Birth]   10. William ELLIS,   b. Abt 1665  [Birth]
  Family ID	F12412	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	10 Jan 2021

  
  

• Sources

  [S2285] Gary Boyd Roberts, "Genealogies of Mayflower Families" From The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. I, (Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. 1985). [S02018] Mary Walton Ferris, Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines Vol. II. [S02654] Peter B. Hill, Compiler, Mayflower Families Through 5 Generations Vol. 11 Edward Doty Part 3, (Name: Name: General Society of Mayflower Descendants 2000;;).