Gorham, Capt. John^[1]

Bef 1621 - 1676  (> 55 years)

• Name	Gorham, John
  Prefix	Capt.
  Birth	Bef 28 Jan 1620/1	Benefield, Northamptonshire, England
  Gender	Male
  Baptism	28 Jan 1620/1	Benefield, Northamptonshire, England   [1]
  Freeman	4 Jun 1650	Massachusetts Bay Colony, British North America   [1]
  Military	1675–76	Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts   [2]
  	Oct. 4, 1675, he was appointed by the Court, captain of the second company of the Plymouth forces in King Philip's war. Mr. Jonathan Sparrow, of Eastham, was lieutenant. Capts. Bradford and Gorham were ordered by the council of war, to rendezvous their men at Plymouth Dec. 7, Taunton Dec. 8, Rehobeth Dec. 9, and at Providence Dec. 10. Capt. Gorham and his company were in the sanguinary battle at the Swamp Fort, in the Narraganset country, fought Dec. 19, 1675.
  _COLOR	13
  _UID	29B63BAEA74948C4850F29B62B6E766AB056
  Death	5 Feb 1675/6	Swansea, Bristol County, Massachusetts   [3]
  	Cause: in King Phillip's War
  	After three or four hours of hard fighting, the English succeeded in taking the Fort. Hubbard estimates that the Indians "lost seven hundred fighting men, besides three hundred that died of their wounds. The number of old men, women and children, that perished either by fire or were starved with hunger and cold, none of them could tell." There were about eighty of the English slain, and a hundred and fifty wounded that recovered after.... Capt. Gorham never recovered from the cold and fatigue to which he was exposed in this expedition. He was seized with a fever and died at Swansea where he was buried Feb. 5, 1675-6.
  Burial	5 Feb 1675/6	Swansea, Bristol County, Massachusetts   [3]
  Person ID	I14479	Tree_1
  Last Modified	20 Jul 2023

  
  

  Father	Gorham, Ralph,   b. 1575, Benefield, Northamptonshire, England d. Abt 1643, Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts (Age 68 years)
  Mother	Stephenson, Margaret   d. Yes, date unknown
  Marriage	23 May 1610	Oundle, Northamptonshire, England   [4]
  Family ID	F5011	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Howland, Desire,   b. 1624/5, Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts d. 13 Oct 1683, Barnstable, Barnstable County, Massachusetts (Age 58 years)
  Marriage	1643	Braintree, Norfolk County, Massachusetts   [3, 5, 6]
  	Torrey says the place of marriage was Plymouth/Marshfield/Yarmouth/Barstable
  Residence	1646	Marshfield, Plymouth County, Massachusetts   [1]
  Residence	1652	Yarmouth, Barnstable County, Massachusetts   [1]
  Children	1. Gorham, Desire,   b. 2 Apr 1644, Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts d. Yes, date unknown   2. Gorham, Temperance,   b. 5 May 1646, Marshfield, Plymouth County, Massachusetts d. Yes, date unknown   3. Gorham, Elizabeth,   b. 2 Apr 1648, Marshfield, Plymouth County, Massachusetts d. Yes, date unknown   4. Gorham, James,   b. 28 Apr 1650, Marshfield, Plymouth County, Massachusetts d. Yes, date unknown   5. Gorham, John,   b. 20 Feb 1651/2, Marshfield, Plymouth County, Massachusetts d. Yes, date unknown   6. Gorham, Joseph,   b. 16 Feb 1653/4, Yarmouth, Barnstable County, Massachusetts d. Yes, date unknown   7. Gorham, Jabez,   b. 3 Aug 1656, Barnstable, Barnstable County, Massachusetts d. Yes, date unknown   8. Gorham, Mercy,   b. 20 Jan 1658/9, Barnstable, Barnstable County, Massachusetts d. 24 Sep 1725, Westerly, Washington County, Rhode Island (Age 66 years)
  Family ID	F4921	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	11 Dec 2023

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - Bef 28 Jan 1620/1 - Benefield, Northamptonshire, England Baptism - 28 Jan 1620/1 - Benefield, Northamptonshire, England Marriage - 1643 - Braintree, Norfolk County, Massachusetts Residence - 1646 - Marshfield, Plymouth County, Massachusetts Freeman - 4 Jun 1650 - Massachusetts Bay Colony, British North America Military - 1675–76 - Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts Residence - 1652 - Yarmouth, Barnstable County, Massachusetts Death - Cause: in King Phillip's War - 5 Feb 1675/6 - Swansea, Bristol County, Massachusetts Burial - 5 Feb 1675/6 - Swansea, Bristol County, Massachusetts  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Notes

  In 1646 he removed from Plymouth to Marshfield, and in 1648 was chosen constable of that town. In the same year he was propounded to become a freeman of the Colony, and June 4, 1650, was admitted. In 1651 he was a member of the Grand Inquest of the Colony. In 1652 he removed to Yarmouth, and purchased the houselot on the north County road, adjoining to the bounds of Barnstable. About the same time he purchased a part of the Hallett Farm, containing 100 acres of planting land, adjoining his houselot, and situate mostly within the then boundaries of the town of Barnstable.

  
  

• Sources

  [S2285] Barnstable Families (Otis, 1888), pg. 407. [S2285] Barnstable Families (Otis, 1888), pg. 411. [S2285] Barnstable Families (Otis, 1888), pg. 413. [S2498] New England Marriages to 1700 (Torrey), 1:638; Gorham/Stephenson; 20 June 2023. [S2498] New England Marriages to 1700 (Torrey), 1:638; Gorham/Howland; 20 June 2023. [S1241] Massachusetts Vital Records, 1620-1850 (AA), 20 July 2023; Barnstable v1:28-29.