Ensign JOHN WHITMAN came to New England as early as 1638 and was made a freeman of the Massachusetts Bay Colony on March 13, 1639. He was chosen one of the three "to end small controversies in Weymouth," on May 14, 1645, and on the same day, the General Court confirmed him "ensigne of the company at Weymouth."

John was a deacon of the First Church and died at Weymouth on November 13, 1692.

NOTE 2:
Text from History of the Descendants of John Whitman of Weymouth, Mass.
Compiled by the Children of Roscoe F. Whitman

John Whitman, one of the earliest settlers of the town of Weymouth, in the State of Massachusetts, is the Ancestor, if not of all, yet of nearly all of the name of Whitman, as well as of an equal number, at least, bearing other names, in this country. He came from England but from what particular part of it cannot be ascertained. He may have originated from Holt, in the county of Norfolk. The name of Whiteman has existed there. In the list of those copied into Winthrop's Journal, who were admitted freemen, the name of the above John is spelled with an ‘e’ as are those of Holt. Governor Winthrop and his company came principally from the vicinity, and, probably, some of them, from the town of Holt. And John came over, if not at the same time, yet not many years after and attached himself to the same company, and it may be presumed, was allured thither by his neighbors and friends, who either came with or had preceded him a few years. The ’e’ may have been omitted by him, as he and his posterity have ever written their names without it.

There was, however, a John Whitman, mentioned by Fox, in his Martyrology, who was of the town of Rye, near Dover, and, as it would seem, much of an enthusiast. He left his family at Rye in 1572, abruptly, and crossed over to Ostend, and there demeaning himself fanatically and offensively to the Roman Catholics of the place, was apprehended and consigned to the flames, in which he perished without repining and in seeming exultation. He was forty-nine years of age and left a large family at Rye. It is possible that our Ancestor, who was born near the commencement of the succeeding century, may have been grandson of the martyr.

Our Ancestor must have arrived in this country some time, and probably some years, prior to December, 1638, when, as it appears by Winthrop's Journal, he was made free, viz: admitted to the rights and privileges of a citizen. This was not usually admissible until after a probationary residence of some time, and never until after admission as a member of some established church. He probably settled at Weymouth, twelve miles south of Boston, soon after his arrival, but at what precise period cannot be ascertained. He was, by the Governor and assistants, appointed an ensign there in 1645, which was, probably, the first military appointment in that town. In the same year he was, by the same authority, with two others, appointed "to end small controversies" there. What authority was exercised under the later commission is not precisely known, but, probably, not very dissimilar to that which was subsequently expected of justices of the peace. He was also deacon of the church there, probably from its first establishment, until his death, which was on November 13, 1692.

He must have lived to a very advanced age, probably but little, if any, short of ninety years. This supposition is strengthened by the fact, that the youngest of his four sons, who was, probably, the youngest of nine children, was born in 1644. And his oldest son, Thomas, gave a deposition in 1679, by which it appears that he was born in 1629. Some of the daughters may have been older, and they probably were, as it is scarcely to be presumed that the nine children were all born in the course of fifteen years; especially as their parents were separated for four years or more of the time, the family not having removed to this country till about 1641. The tradition among the descendants of Thomas, has been that he was about twelve years old when he was brought to this country. Thus it results, as probable, that the Ancestor was married not far from 1625; and early marriages not being so common in England as is this country, it may be reasonable to suppose that he was not married till twenty-three years of age. This would make him about ninety at his decease.

He had a brother, Zachariah, who emigrated at the time he did, or soon after; and settled in Milford, in Connecticut, who is spoken of in the church records and history of that town as early as 1639. He was one of the ruling elders, and assisted at the ordination, in that town, of the Rev. Roger Newton, by the imposition of hands. These and some other circumstances concerning him are noticed in Trumbull's History. When he died is not known; but probably not until advanced in years. He left no issue. His estate in Milford he bequeathed to his nephew, the Rev. Zachariah Whitman, son of our Ancestor. The farm which he occupied is called the Whitman farm to this day, and is now in the occupation of a man by the name of Fenn.

There was a Robert Whitman, also, who settled at Ipswich. Whether he was a brother , or but a relative, or neither, of the Ancestor, is not ascertained. He came over about the same time and arrived at the same place, and settled in the same colony. He was illiterate while the others were well educated, which makes it doubtful if he were of the same family. Whether he left any issue cannot be certainly known. There is no trace of any in the records, or in the recollection of the elderly people of Ipswich. And what he did with his estate is not known. There are conveyances on record to and from him and his wife Susan. And in 1679, he was recognized as one of the proprietors of the common lands in Ipswich, and his name appears on the records there on various occasions at that period.

If he left any posterity, a Francis Whitman, a shipwright, in Boston, who died in 1708, aged fifty years, may have been his son. He was not the son or grandson of our Ancestor. He left posterity in Boston, viz: Francis, May and Sarah. His widow Mary survived him; and, with her children, made a deed of land on Essex street, in Boston, in 1718. Francis, the son, is called ship-wright also; and was without doubt the same who was, in 1755, Captain of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company in Boston. And Elizabeth Whitman, a widow, who made her will in Boston, in 1760, and who therein mentions a Francis Whitman as her son, was doubtless his widow. And the latter Francis was probably an only son, if not an only child. And it is not ascertained that he left any posterity. With him probably ended the descendants in the male line of the first Francis.

There was, at an early period, in Providence, R. I. a Valentine Whitman. He is mentioned in some of the ancient documents as an interpreter to the Indians. What posterity he left, or what became of him, is not certainly known. The family by the name of Whitman, who have been for many years inhabitants of Providence, were not of his posterity. There are, however, in the town of Warwick, in R. I. a progeny, who may and probably have descended from him. They cannot be traced to any other origin. And the name of Valentine is said to be common among them. Whether he was a brother, or any connection of our Ancestor, cannot be ascertained. He probably emigrated about the same time.

John, Zachariah, Robert and Valentine are, it is believed, the only persons of the name that ever emigrated to New England. They must have emigrated about the same time. These circumstances seem to render it probably that they were at least relatives. John and Zachariah are known to have been brothers. It is most probable the others were relative to those in a more remote degree. If they had been brothers, some trace of it would have been discoverable from what had been preserved from John and Zachariah.

John Whitman owned and live upon a farm adjoining the north side of the highway, leading by the north side of the meeting-house of the north parish in Weymouth, and directly off against it, and extending to Weymouth river; and his dwelling-house was situated near the center of it. A part of the dwelling-house now remaining there is said to be 150 years old. If so, the Ancestor must have resided in it a dozen years before his death. It was built in the old style, being a wooden house, two stories, in front, facing the meeting-house, and one in the rear towards the river, and well preserved with paint.

The same farm, entire, has descended, by bequest, from father to son, until 1806, when the Ancestor's great grandson, Abiah, dying without issue, leaving two widowed sisters, his heirs-at-law, one of them, a Mrs. Salisbury, purchased out it. Thus it still remains, and ever has remained, in unbroken succession, in its first possessor and his descendants, for nearly two centuries--an instance the like of which does not often occur.

He was undoubtedly a worthy man. His enterprise had brought him to a new country, probably with but little if any estate. He had, like most adventurers into a new country, his own fortune to achieve. The wilderness was alone open to him. An undaunted resolution must have urged him forward. His wife and several children had been left in the country from which he had migrated--three thousand miles of ocean intervening between them. His only hope of again rejoining with them, with emotions of unalloyed felicity, depended on his ability to carve from the wilderness the source of a comfortable subsistence. Affection on the one hand, and almost desperation on the other, stimulated his exertions, Joy and sadness must have alternated in his breast, as the idols of his affection, or the prospect before him, were uppermost in his mind. Years had elapsed before he could be allowed to realize that the day of anxiety and solicitude had passed away. In 1641, however, according to traditionary account, the measure of his felicity was made full by the arrival of his family, and their establishment on the venerated spot, in the town of Weymouth, where he had unremittingly toiled in anticipation of this consummation of his fondest hopes. There he would seem to have been trebly blessed with competency, offspring and length of days--his competency the fruit of industry, his offspring the gift of heaven, and his length of days the reward of temperance and virtue.

In him his posterity have an example worthy of imitation. His virtues were not of the obtrusive kind, nor adapted to catch the popular admiration. He was probably, incapable of exploits that would astonish the crowd; or, if he was, his ambition did not prompt him to the attempt. Many a man has been lauded to the skies for the tricks of a mere mountebank without a single virtue to recommend him. Nine-tenths of the heroes of all times are of the order. Such is human nature, and so prone to the marvelous, and to be dazzled with external show and pomp, and to be blinded by it, and utterly reckless of what is simple, amiable and really praiseworthy!

But our Ancestor, who feared God and hated covetousness; who did good continually all the days of a long life; who by honest industry and without offence to any one nurtured and educated a large family, and fitted them to become citizens worthy of any country; who was a exemplar to all around him; who braved and endured hardships and privations few can realize; and finally, who fulfilled every civil, religious and moral obligation, must not be forgotten by his numerous posterity. His virtues should be their virtues, and his history should be deeply engraven on their minds. To reverence and venerate our ancestors would seem to be but an instinct of nature. At any rate, it is a dictate of humanity, in every form of existence, from the most savage to the most civilized state, and so ordered for wise purposes. From veneration, imitation, if not emulation, will follow. Let us then cherish and not endeavor to extinguish this propensity.

LET US HONOR OUR PROGENITORS THAT OUR DAYS MAY BE MANY IN THE LAND WHICH THE LORD OUR GOD HATH GIVEN US.

The foregoing has been taken from Judge Whitman's pamphlet published in 1821: recent researches have enabled the author to obtain some additional data.

Children of JOHN WHITMAN and RUTH REED are:
9. i. ABIAH8 WHITMAN, b. 1646, Weymouth, Norfolk County, Massachusetts; d. January 28, 1727.
ii. JUDITH WHITMAN, b. Abt. 1625; m. PHILIP KING, Abt. 1627, England.
iii. THOMAS WHITMAN, b. Abt. 1629, England; d. 1712, Weymouth, Norfolk County, MA; m. ABIGAIL BYRAM (BIRON), November 22, 1656, Weymouth, Norfolk County, MA.
iv. SARAH WHITMAN, b. 1629, England; d. June 11, 1718, Massachusetts; m. ABRAHAM JONES, 1653.
v. MARY WHITMAN, b. Abt. 1634; d. July 10, 1716; m. JOHN PRATT, November 22, 1656.
vi. ELIZABETH WHITMAN, b. Abt. 1624; d. February 2, 1720; m. JOSEPH GREEN, May 1657.
vii. JOHN WHITMAN, b. Abt. 1622; d. February 1, 1712; m. ABIGAIL HOLLIS, October 19, 1662.
viii. HANNAH WHITMAN, b. August 24, 1641; d. October 8, 1720, Plympton, Massachusetts; m. STEPHEN FRENCH, September 19, 1660.
ix. ZECHARIAH WHITMAN, b. 1644, Weymouth, Norfolk County, Massachusetts; d. November 5, 1726, Hull, Plymouth County, Massachusetts; m. SARAH ALCOCK, October 26, 1671, Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts.