John Sheldon S0008

Name: John (J) SHELDON
Sex: Male

Individual Facts
Birth 1630 England, United Kingdom
Death 27 Sep 1708 (about age 78) Pawtuxet, Kent, Rhode Island, United States
SheldNo S0008
CompNo J1

Marriages/Children
1. Joanna VINCENT (1632-1708)
Marriage 1660 (about age 30) Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Children Timothy SHELDON (1661- )
John SHELDON (1663-1741)
Mary SHELDON (1665-1735)
Nicholas SHELDON (1670-1747)
Nehemiah SHELDON (1672- )

Notes

Notes: John (J) SHELDON

General: Comment – An original Sheldon progenitor.
Source – Sheldon’s at Bicentennial (J003)
References – J001,J006,J013

22 Nov. 1680 Frideswide Carpenter buried Amesbury http://members.cox.net/jrcrin001/carplink.htm

Bio Note 1: Information about John Sheldon of Providence comes from the early records of the Town of Providence. These original records, preserved by the Rhode Island Historical Society, were printed and published as The Early Records of the Town of Providence by Snow & Farnham, City Printers. The publication is in twenty volumes dating from 1893 to 1910 with an index which was produced later as Vol XXI.

The first known proof of John Sheldon’s existence is an entry dated September 8, 1654 in these early Town of Providence records and published in Snow & Farnham’s Vol. II on p 77.
10th of the 7th m. 54
Mr Roger Williams is chosen Moderatour of this Assembly. /

Mr Roger Williams Chosen for President
Arthur ffener Tho : Harris for Asistant
Gregory Dexter Gen.ll Recorder. /
Hugh Bewet Genll Serjeant
John Sayles Genll Treasurer: /
The 8th of the 9th m. 54
Mr Roger Williams Moderatour. /
memorandu that Thomas Harris is Chosen Livtenant over the Traine band.
[77]
John Smith Miller Ensigne.
Benjamin Smith Serjeant.
Jt is ordered that the Law of 5s for non = trayning, is
mittigated unto 2s/6d

Whereas Hugh Bewet complayned unto the Town = deputies against John Seldon for falling on him in the night, And whereas John Seldon hath Presented himselfe this day to the
Town to give satisfaction to them for the said fact upon his acknowledlegement of the facts unto Hugh Bewet, he declareth himself satisfyed, & upon his reall submission to the Town, they declare themselves fully satisfyed

His name appears next again in an entry dated March 6, 1660 indicating his intention to marry Joanne Vincent.
[123]
Concerning our plantations, and to meete upon munday com fortnight: and to bring in theire Result into the Towne

Att A Towne Metteing March the 6t i659)60
Tho : Olney Senr Moderatr
Chosen for Jurey rnen to atend the Court of Tryalls to be held at Newport the Second Tuesday of this Jnstant are these;
Tho: Walling
Edward Jnman
Valentine Whittman

John Sheldon hath this day declared his intention of marriage with Joane Vincentt:

Note: The above taken from “The Early Records of the Town of Providence,
Vol.II, page 123., Published by Snow and Farnham City Printers, 1893.

His name continues to be found a number of times in these records up to 1708. The names of his children and some of his grandchildren also appear frequently in these records but there is no mention or hint about his father, his mother or his place of birth.

John Sheldon was born in 1630, a date established by his own testimony when on February 23, 1674, as the Town of Providence records show, he stated his age then to have been 45 years or thereabouts. The Town of Providence records show that at a town meeting on September 14, 1702 he was chosen to serve as a deputy at a meeting in Newport. John Sheldon’s date of death in 1708 has been determined from Town of Providence records which show that on March 20, 1708 he delivered a deed to his son, Nehemiah, and from Town of Providence records of testimony on September 20, 1708 by Liddea Smith and on October 2, 1708 by Sarah Arnold that his son, Timothy, was born in legitimate time after his marriage to Joanne Vincent. The Sheldon Family Association
records indicate he died September 21, 1708 but do not show when or how that specific date was determined. While it appears quite probable that he died in September, that he died on 21st day seems open to question.

There are a number of credible theories and opinions about John Sheldon’s ancestry. Perhaps the most prominent theory is the one which claims him to be the nephew, John, of Gilbert Sheldon the Archbishop of Canterbury. This theory is also the most likely to be incorrect. Another theory suggests John Sheldon came secretly to America to avoid capture for complicity in the plot against King Charles I who was beheaded in 1649. The restoration of King Charles II was finalized in 1660. Certain proofs of ancestry and/or lineage are uncontestable, others are sometimes controversial, and some are threads of evidence or circumstantial deductions acceptable only to those who wish to believe them. Incontestable proof of John Sheldon’s ancestry has not been found.

Entries in the Early Records of the Town of Providence which mention or concern John Sheldon are identified and quoted below.
[299]
Liddea Smith of full Age Engaged according to law Testefieth & saith, That of her owne Certain knowledge, That Timothy Sheldon was ye Eldest sonn of Joane Sheldon, wife of John Sheldon of Providence, & ye deponant saw the sd John Sheldon | & Joane
Sheldon | Married, & that ye said Timothy Sheldon was borne in Legall time after their Marriage, & further Saith not :
Taken upon Engagement this 20th of September: 1708, Coram me
Simon Smith Justice./

Recorded January ye 15th 1708/9: signed Tho: Olney CIerk. /

Sarah Arnold widdow of mr Stephen Arnold of Pautuxett (deceased &c |) of full age, Engaged according to law, Testefieth & saith,
That of her Owne Certaine knowledge, That Timothy Sheldon was ye Eldest Son of Joane Sheldon wife of
[300]
John Sheldon of Providence; And ye sd deponant saw the sd John Sheldon & Joane Sheldon married; And that ye sd Timothy Sheldon was borne in legall time after their Marriage; & further saith not./
Taken upon Engagement this 2nd day of October 1708: Coram me
Simon Smith Justice./

Recorded January ye 15th 1708/9 signed Tho: Olney Clerk./

Timothy Sheldon ye Son of John Sheldon, (& Joan his wife) Was borne at Providence March ye 29th day 1661:/ Mrtha Sheldon ye Daughter of Timothy Sheldon (& Sarah his Wife)
was borne at Providence, the 5th day of May Anno 1687./ Timothy Sheldon ye Son of Timothy Sheldon (& Sarah his Wife) was borne at Providence the first day of March Anno: 1689./
Daniell Sheldon ye Son of Timothy Sheldon (& Sarah his Wife) was borne at Providence ye 29th day of January Anno 1691./ Mary Sheldon ye daughter of Timothy Sheldon (& Sarah his wife) was borne at Providence
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Willliam Carpenter being the son and heir of Richard Carpenter of Amesbury , for a few years after his settlement at Pawtuxet he caused the following statement to be placed upon the town records: ” I William Carpenter of Pautuxet…., not upon any sudden notice but upon serious and deliberate consideration have freely given and made over unto my sister ffridgswith Vincent my dwelling house and allwhat land belongeth to me adjoining to the said house which said house i8s standing inthe tow of Amesbury in Wiltshire and in a street commonl called ffrogg lane, my sister being an inhabitant of the said town, the which house did in the original belong to my father Richard Carpenter now deceased, but fell to my right as I was son and heir unto my said father Richard Carpenter…..Dated Dec. 14, 1671,and signed William Carpenter [seal].Recorded at Providence, in Book of Deeds,page 449. Witnessed by Timothy, Silas, Benjamin,and William Carpenter, Jr. ” p. 9

Bio Note 2.
The First Baptist church in America was constituted at Providence between August 3, 1638 and March 15, 1639. Its founders were: Roger Wiliams, Ezekiel Holyman, William Arnold, William Harris, Stukeley Westcott, John Green Richard Waterman, Thomas James, William Carpenter, Francis Weston and Thomas Olney, (these persons being the same persons named inthe Initial Deed, lacking names of Robert coles and John Throckmorton.) p. 16 p. 17 says William Carpenter was a preacher in England and in America performed the marriage of a daughter. P. 20 has the will of William Carpenter. Wm Carpenter gave his home in England to Fridgeswith Carpenter Vincent, mother of Joan Vincent who married John.

Bio Note 3 Interesting note: John Throckmorton is 4 lots down from Carpenters in the early Providence Map. In England the Sheldon Family Association had tea with the current Lady Throckmorton and she showed us the Sheldon arms in a stained glass window in in the castle.

Update of the Genealogy of the New England Carpenter family Origin by Raymond George Carpenter, Genealogist, The Carpenter and Related Family Association… Edited by Terry Lee Carpenter.. P. 128 of Terry Carpenters’ news letter has the Carpenter Arms and says there is a will in the Carpenter Museum in Rehoboth, MA for William Carpenter “the only one ever found in England that agrees with all the proven facts about the American Carpenter Family…”

Sheldon Family Association members visited Amesbury in 1993 and location of ffrogg lane which is now a cow path. The church there is very beautiful and the ancient baptismal font is still there. Rose Sheldon Newton SFA Genealogist 2006.

Bio Note: 4 Eugene Cole Zubrinsky NEGHR Vol 159, Jan 2005, p. 43-99 on p. 65 footnote 49 states: In 1671 William 1 Carpenter of Providence gave the Amesbury messuage he had inherited from his father, Richard Carpenter, to his only known sibling, Frideswide (variant spellings) , wife of Nicholas (not Thomas) Vincent; she lived at Amesbury from at least 1635 until her death in 1680 (Early Records of Providence [note 12], 5:323, transcribed from Third Book of the Town of Providence, 463 [sic, 477:DHL 0,915,084 ]; Amesbury Parish Register, vol 1 unpaged [baptisms, 1635,1638], vol. 2 unpaged[burials] [FHL 1,279,337, items 25,26]; see also Daniel Carpenter, Carpenter Family at Providence [note 9] , 9-10 [citing Providence Book of Deeds, 449 (sic; actually an imperfect extract from Providence Third Book, 477), 321n)

In a letter of March 9, 2007 Kenneth W. Sheldon states John & Joan married 24 Mar 1660 Providence.. I have asked for source citation on this before adding..
Rose S. Newton SFA Genealogist.

Bio Note 5 : Sheldon Family Association long believed that Fridgeswith Carpenter married Thomas Vincent and Joan Vincent who married John Sheldon in Providence, was their daughter, however further documentation has been found as stated in that states Nicholas Vincent married Firdgeswith, not Thomas. In SFA Publication No. 40 pg 4 Shirley Sheldon Rider and Rose Sheldon Newton state “Joanna Vincent and her brother William came to Providence about 1660..”
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Note from descendant Janet E. Thompson doing DAR research in June 2009. Janet writes to the librarian in the trim room of the Blanding Library in Rehoboth, MA. “I just received a 153 page book written by John R. Carpenter from California who came to Rehoboth and left it for me. It is really excellent and up to date. Titled “Carpenters’ Encyclopedia of reliable scholarship concerning early generations of the Carmpenter families of Rehoboth, Massachusetts, and Providence, RI and their ancestors. “by Eugene Cole Zubrinsky 2009” al rights reserved. As to Friedswide (pronounced Friddusweed) found in Amesbury and providence records as Frittisweed, Fridzweed, Fridgesweet and Fridget- never Fridgesdwith, as per Carpenter (1901) buried Amesbury) m. NICHOLAS VINCENT bur July 17 1671 (AMPARRReg 1:n.p, 2n.p. PrTR 5:323-24 Carpenter (1901) mistakenly gives Nichola’s forename as Thomas)

Frideswide’s daughter, Joan, married at Providence on our about 26 Mar 1660 John Sheldon (PrTR4:112-113, 5:49, 229-300 RIVR 2:1) Providence):167,190; Austin 176:77 Sheldon Gen1. Joan’s brother bp Amesbury, 17 Jun 1638, m. at Providence, 31 May 1670 as his first wife, his cousin Priscilla Carpeter, daughter of his mother’s brother William 1 of Providence (AMParReg1:n [.;PrtR 1:82-83,5:292, 21:86; RIVR 2:1 (Providence); 37.

Exerpt from this and other books in S0008 File from Janet Thompson, Like the ones I passed on the 1993 England trip plus the new one above. . Rose Sheldon Newton Jan 26, 2010
————-
Eugene Cole Zubrinsky prepared revised articles in 2009 for “Carpenters’ Encylopedia of Carpenters 2008 Update”. At the end of each article he has “Key to Source Notes” . I’ll see if I can find the anwers to your questions before I close this letter.
I ordered my copy from John R. Carpenter last July after he sent one(plus a CD) for our genealogy room.

PrTR = “The Early Records of the Town of Providence”
RIVR2 = Rhode Island Vital Records
AMParReg = Parish Registers of Amesbury, Wiltshire
I hope this will be helpful. 1-26-2010

Sincerely, Ruthanna C. Davis, Genealogy Librarian, Trim Room,Blanding Public Library
124 Bay State Road, Rehoboth, MA 02769, Ruthanna Davis

———-
Joanna’s mother burial:
22 Nov. 1680 Frideswide Carpenter buried Amesbury http://members.cox.net/jrcrin001/carplink.htm

Noteworthy: S5266x2224 Georgia Ann Sheldon Newman who joined Sheldon Family Association at Reunion 2012 files descendancy to John 8 and Joanna from hand written notes in her family back to John which she quotes . “Pearls work goes from John 8 born 1630 in England down to Asa Lord Sheldon b. 1781 Providence, RI” 7 Nov 2012

Rose Sheldon Newton SFA Genealogist

1. Sheldon Family Assocation Genealogy Records and Files.
2. Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Islandby John Osborne Austin, pub. J. Munsell, Albany, NY, 1887.