John
Prescott, my 12th great-grandfather, was born in 1604, the youngest of four
sons of Ralph Prescott and Ellen (Unknown) in Standish Parish, Lancashire,
England. On April 11, 1629, John Prescott
married Mary Gawkroger alias Platt(s) from Sowerby, Yorkshire, England. They
had children: Mary, (who I descend from) Martha, Sarah, John, Hannah, Lydia,
and Jonas. The first four children, along with two others who died young, were
born in England, Hannah was probably born in Barbados, and Lydia and Jonas were
born in Massachusetts.
In
1638, the Prescott family set off to Barbados in order to pursue religious and
economic freedom. Records indicate that John Prescott owned ten acres in
Barbados before John and Mary Prescott decided the island wasn’t a proper place
for them to raise their family, and in 1640 they sailed to Massachusetts. The
family lived in Watertown for a few years and eventually settled in Lancaster.
John collaborated with a few other men in the area to purchase land from the
Nashaway Indians.
John
Prescott settled Lancaster, Massachusetts and many members of the town wanted
to name it Prescottville in his honor; however, he wasn’t a “freeman” so the
General Court declined to name it after him, but instead after his hometown in
England. In order to be a “freeman” you had to be a member of the church and
John Prescott wasn’t a fan of having organized religion forced on him. He became
a “freeman” in 1669 after the implementation of church reforms by Charles II.
By
trade, John Prescott worked as a blacksmith; he also built the towns first
gristmill and sawmill. His sawmill literally changed the way houses in the area
were constructed because people could purchase straight boards of various sizes,
rather than using whatever crude materials they found locally.
At
the onset of King Philips War in 1675, the Narragansett Indians attacked and
killed or captured many of Lancaster’s residents, although most of the Prescott
family escaped alive. Ephraim, the son of Mary (Prescott) and Thomas Sawyer,
and John’s grandson, died at the hands of the Indians while at his
grandfather’s house. Everyone evacuated
Lancaster, but three years later, the Prescott’s were among the first to return
and help rebuild the town. Of all the towns in New England, Lancaster fared the
worst during this time of fighting with Native Americans.
John
Prescott proved incredibly brave and refused to back down from the Native Americans
on numerous occasions. A story repeated by several relatives, and mentioned in
a few books, details one incident in which Indians stole a horse belonging to
John Prescott, who donned his suit of armor, grabbed his impressive rifle, and
pursued them by himself. (John Prescott is said to have brought the suit of
armor with him from England. It’s also possible that he made the suit since he
worked as a blacksmith. Some claim that John Prescott served in Cromwell’s
Army. Based on the dates, that proves impossible. John Prescott and his family
resided in Watertown, Massachusetts before this war broke out in England.) The
Indian Chief approached with a tomahawk and John Prescott instructed him to
strike. The Indians found it amazing that no mark was left on John, and the
Chief wanted to try on the helmet. John Prescott agreed, if the Indians
returned his horse back. The helmet proved too small for the Indian and when
the tomahawk came down, so did the helmet, scraping the Indians ears, neck, and
head. This convinced the Indians that John Prescott was something other than
human and they returned the horse. On another occasion, Indians set fire to his
barn, so he put on his armor, chased the Indians off and let his animals free.
The Indians set his mill on fire, he chased them off and put the fire out. In
another incident at the mill, the Indians tampered with the water gate, so he
pursued them with his “best gun” and they retreated. He decided to walk home
backwards with his gun pointed in the direction of the Indians and when he
heard a whoop, fired the gun, and later found blood in that area. The Indians
attacked his house and his wife, Mary, loaded his muskets while he shot at the
Indians for half an hour until they retreated carrying their dead. I can’t
vouch for certainty that there was a suit of armor, however; we can say that on
more than one occasion John Prescott bravely pursued the Indians when they
stole or destroyed his property and he survived to tell the story. His “best
gun” was passed to son John, who passed it onto his son John, and it continued
to be passed through the family until Prescott Brigham donated it to the
Wisconsin Historical Society.
Further Reading
12th Great-Grandparents
John
Prescott m. Mary Gawkroger Platt
Mary
Prescott m. Thomas Sawyer
John
Sawyer m. Mary Bella Bull
Jacob
Sawyer m. Martha Loomer
Jacob
Sawer m. Rose Bennett
Jacob
Sawer m. Sarah Rathbone
David
Sawyer m. Marilda
Elizabeth
“Eliza” Sawyer m. Andrews Harper
David
Dustin Harper m. Amanda Melvina Windom
William
Harper m. Ella Tewalt
Stella
May Harper m. Jessie W. Rhoads
Joseph
Rhoads m. Arma Mae Erwin
Grandma
Rhoads m. Grandpa Maddox
Maddox
m. Chapin
Me
It appears we may be connected at the Prescott line. I'm very great full to have stumbled across your blog. Thanks for doing it I have truly enjoyed reading your posts!
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