THIRTEENTH GENERATION

7576. The Reverend John Lothrop ^{(42) (236)(30)} was born on Dec 20 1584 in Etton, Yorkshire, England. He died on Nov 8 1653 in Barnstable, Massachusetts. The Reverend John Lothrop (as he spelled it) was one of the foremost clergymen of early New England.

He was born of a landed family in Yorkshire and received a degree of bachelor of arts from Queens College, Cambridge, in 1609. He preached at Bennington, in Hertfordshire, and Egerton, in Kent, but renounced his orders when he could no longer conform to the rituals of the Church of England. He joined a congregation of non-conformists in London and became pastor of the group in 1625. The congregation was tracked down by Bishop Laud on Apr 29 1632 and Lothrop and most of the congregation were arrested.

Lothrop spent two years in prison, during which time his wife died. His children appealed to the Archbishop and he was freed on Apr 24 1634 on a bond to absent himself from all conventicles and to appear before the Court of High Commission. Instead, he accepted an invitation of the settlers of Scituate, in Plymouth Colony, to become their minister, and fled to New England with thirty of his followers. He arrived in Boston on Sep 18 1634 aboard the Griffin. Also on board that ship were Anne Hutchinson and the Reverend Zechariah Symmes (No. 3844).

He went immediately to Scituate, arriving on Sep 27 and preached twice the next day. He was ordained the first minister of the new church in Scituate on Jan 19, 1634/5. The church was built and dedicated in 1636. The following year he was admitted as a freeman in the colony of Plymouth.

The colony built a house for him which has been described as follows: "the walls were made of poles filled between with stones and clay, the roof thatched, the chimney to the mantle, of rough stone and above of cob work, the windows of oiled paper and the floor of hand sawed planks."

According to Ernest Flagg, "He was a strong man and an independent thinker, holding views far in advance of his time, which he fearlessly proclaimed in both the old and new worlds. It has been said of him: 'No pastor was ever more beloved by his people and none ever had a greater influence for good.' He is accounted one of the great religious fathers of New England."

Inadequate land in Scituate caused Lothrop and half his congregation to move to Barnstable in Oct 1639 and he lived there the rest of his life as minister to that congregation.

An article on him appears in the Dictionary of American Biography.

The Rev. John Lothrop and Hannah House are the 5th great grandparents of President Ulysses S. Grant and the 10th great grandparents of President George Bush. He was married to Hannah Howse on Oct 16 1610 in London, England.

7577. Hannah Howse was born about 1594 in Eastwell, Kent, England. She died on Feb 16 1634 in London, England. Children were:

i. Thomas Lothrop was born before Feb 21 1612/13 in Eastwell, Kent, England. He died young.
ii. Jane Lothrop was born before Sep 29 1614.
iii. Anne Lothrop was born before May 12 1616. She died in 1617.
iv. John Lothrop was born before Feb 22 1617/18. He died living 1655.
v. Barbara Lothrop was born before Oct 31 1619.
vi. Thomas Lothrop was born about 1621.
3788 vii. Samuel Lathrop.
viii. Joseph Lothrop was born about 1624. He died about 1702.
ix. Benjamin Lothrop was born about 1630. He died on Jul 3 1691.

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