Solomon JOHNSON Sr. (c. 1601 – 1690) was Alex’s 11th Great Grandfather, one of 4,096 in this generation of the Shaw line.

Immigrant Ancestor – Johnson Coat of Arms

Solomon Johnson was born about 1601 in Clerkenwell, London, England. His parents were John JOHNSON and Hannah THROCKMORTON. He was christened in of Sudbury, Middlesex, Mass.  He married Elinor (Eleanor) CRAFT (Croft). Solomon died 28 JUL 1690 in Sudbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts.

Elinor  Craft (Eleanor Croft)  was born about 1611 in England.  Elinor died before 1654 in Marlborough, Middlesex, Massachusetts.

Children of Solomon and Elinor:

Solomon Johnson was an early pioneer of Sudbury, Mass.  The original Town of Sudbury was the third, Colonial, permanent, Inland Town within the 1639 borders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.  Inland  means above the flow of tide waters from the Atlantic Ocean.  The first  (1635) was the original Town of Concord, then and now the immediate northern neighbor of Sudbury, and the second (1636) was the original Town of Dedham.  An inland location was a high risk location for the initial settlers of the original Town of Sudbury, since: there was no possibility of escape by ship if needed; emergency resources were about ten hours away in the Boston area; there was mainly wilderness beyond the southern and western borders of the Town.

Solomon first lived in Watertown, Mass.  The petition to “The Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony” to establish the original Town of Sudbury was made by a group of Colonial residents of the original Town of Watertown.

The area within the original Town of Watertown extended west to the eastern border of the original Town of Sudbury.   The original Town of Watertown was much larger in area than the present Town of Watertown and also included the present Towns of Weston (the immediate eastern neighbor of Wayland) and Waltham.

Solomon Johnson became a freeman in 1651. He was twice married, his first wife, Hannah, dying in 1651. By this marriage he had three children, Joseph or Joshua and Nathaniel, who were twins (born Feb. 3, 1640), and Mary (born Jan. 23, 1644). He married for his second wife Elinor Crafts, by whom he had Caleb, who died young.  He assisted in the formation of the Marlboro Plantatation, and was assigned a house-lot of twenty-three acres there. He was selectman from 1651 to 1666.

Solomon Sr. was accidentally shot 4 May 1654, Watertown .

Solomon Johnson Sr and Solomon Johnson Jr. (in blue) were early pioneers in Sudbury, Mass. The lived on the Northwest Row, the road to Concord. Solomon Jr, married George Parmenter, son of John Parmenter Jr. (in red)

Midd. Deed III : 139) Dated 25 Apr. 1658. Solomon Johnson of Watertown sells land to his son Solomon Johnson Jr. of Sudbury.

(Midd. Deed III : 325) Solomon Johnson of Sudbury, Co. Midd., Junr., sells to Jeremiah Holman of Cambridge one moyty or halfe of land granted by my father Solomon Johnson Senr. called the new grant, 37th lot. Signed by markes of Solomon Johnson Junr. & Hannah Johnson 3 June 1664. In presence of Willia Bordman, Samuel Goffe. Ack. by both 23 June 1664. Rec. 25 Apr. 1666.

(Midd. P. Original Papers) Hannah Johnson relict widow of Solomon Johnson late of Sudbury, dec’d, and Caleb Johnson eldest son of said Solomon Johnson, granted adm. 2 May 1691, Charlestown.

Children

1. Solomon JOHNSON (See his page)

2. John Johnson

John’s wife Deborah Ward was born 1637 in Clerkenwell, London, England. Her parents were William Ward (1603 – 1687) and Elizabeth Whale (1613 – 1700). Deborah died 9 Aug 1697 in Marlborough, Middlesex, Mass.

(Midd. Co. Ct. Files Apr. 1686) Solomon Johnson aged fifty nine years or their about & John Johnson aged fifty seven years or their about Testifieth and saith that in the yeare fifty one we together Did mow m’ Richard Brown then of Watertown in ye medow that doth ley upon the north of Charls River between Stony Broock and Wattertown plain that then was comonly called m’ Richard Browns medow which is y* medow now in controversy and we moued it for him as his own medow and furder saith not.
Sworn 6 Apr. 1686. (Case of Stone v. Bemis & al.).

4. Nathaniel Johnson

Nathaniel’s wife Mary Plimpton was born 19 Apr 1648 in Dedham, Norfolk, Mass. Her parents were John Plimpton and Jane Demant. Mary died 27 Nov 1736 in Marlborough, Middlesex, Mass.

5. Johannah Johnson

Johannah’s husband John Barnes was born in 1637 in Sudbury, Mass.

6. Jonathan Johnson

Some sources say that Jonathan married Mary Kerley, but a different Jonathan Johnson   who was born Jan 02, 1667/68 in Marlboro, Middlesex, Mass. married a woman of the same name a generation later.  His parents were Jonathan Johnson and Mary Newton. His grandparents were William Johnson and Elizabeth Story.  This Jonathan died Oct 12, 1708 in Marlboro, Middlesex, Mass. He married Mary Kerley Dec 24, 1689 in Lancaster, Worcester Co., Mass., daughter of Henry Kerley and Elizabeth White. She was born Oct 04, 1666 in Lancaster, Worcester Co., Mass., and died 1741.

7. Mary Johnson

Mary’s husband William Taylor was born in 1644 in England.  Williiam died 28 Jul 1706 in Marlboro,  Middlesex, Mass. He embarked aboard the ship Speedwell at Gravesend, England, arrived in Boston 27 May 1656 traveling with no Taylor relatives, age 11.

April 14, 1666 – Town of Sudbury votes to pay Dr. John Chamber of Roxbury, on behalf of Joseph Noyes,  for medical care to William Taylor, who injured his hand.  Q: Was William working for the town?  Why was he taken to Roxbury (Boston)?   Was Joseph Noyes William’s guardian/mentor?

Inhabitants of the Town of Marlboro in 1686: William Taylor, James Taylor, among others. probably buried in Spring Hill Cemetery, Marlboro (no markers, but this was the first burying ground.  The Old Common Grounds were not established until 1706)

William Taylor married first Mary Johnson [Tayler V.R.’s] who d: December 11, 1672 in Marlboro, Middlesex County, MA m: November 15, 1671 in Marlboro, Middlesex County, MA

Child of William Taylor and Mary Johnson:

i.  Samuel Taylor b: December 11, 1672 in Marlboro, Middlesex County, Ma., d: January 31, 1672/73 in Marlboro, Middlesex County, MA

William Taylor married 2nd Hannah Merriam b: July 14, 1645 in Concord, Middlesex County, MA, and d: 21 Jan 1679/80 in Marlboro, Middlesex County, MA, they m: July 16, 1677 in Marlboro, Middlesex County, MA. Daughter George Merriam and Susan Raven

William Taylor m 3rd Mary Cheevers, d: 28 Jul 1697 in Marlboro, Middlesex County, MA, m: 28 Nov 1683 in Cambridge, Middlesex, Mass.

William Taylor married 4th Sarah Wheeler Larkin, b: 1666, m: 3 Feb 1698/99 in Marlboro, Middlesex County, MA

Sources:

The history of Sudbury, Massachusetts. 1638-1889 By Alfred Sereno Hudson

http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/p/e/t/Carol-Peters-New-York/GENE3-0024.html

http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=tsmith&id=I1342

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~historyofmarlborough/genitaylor.htm

http://www.sudbury.ma.us/departments/seniorcenter/services/custom/hal/sudbury.htm#Hist1