Individual Details

John SHAW

(Bef Abt 1597 - Aft 30 Jan 1663/64)

John Shaw was born in England before 1597 and emigrated to the Plymouth Colony, arriving in 1627. He married a woman named Alice. If she was the mother of his children, then the marriage occurred prior to 1622. If she was not, then the marriage occurred prior to 3 Nov 1653, when she is mentioned in a legal document.

His arrival in Plymouth was timely because he was the leader of his cohort in the 1627 division of the cattle. John was listed among the freemen of Plymouth in 1633, 1637, and 1639 and, in 1643, was included in the list of men able to bear arms. He held the office of highway surveyor twice.

He was a planter and educated barely enough to mark his mark on legal documents. However, he accumulated land and, from time to time, deeded it to his sons and his son-in-law, Stephen Bryant. He died intestate after giving away the remainder of his land (as well as giving directions for distributing other possessions) on 30 January 1663/4.

We know the names of his sons, John, James, and Jonathan, his daughter Abigail, his son-in-law Stephen Bryant, and his wife Alice because they appear in various legal documents.

Probably his most interesting affair was the building of a canal, described below.

* Based primarily on Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, 3 vols. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995), vol. 3, pp. 1659-1662; digital images, New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (http://www.americanancestors.org/ : accessed 30 July 2016

= = =

First Canal in America?

Well, technically, the first canal was a cul-de-sac dug in July 1631 to provide access to the village of Cambridge from the Charles River. It doesn’t exist any more. The first canal to connect two bodies of water was the Cutt dug in 1633 to provide access from Duxbury to Marshfield.

Thirteen years after the founding of Plymouth, the population had grown, and the sandy soil had proven so poor, that the neighboring towns of Duxbury and Marshfield were created. But there was a problem . . . Transporting goods by water to Marshfield required a sometimes perilous journey from Duxbury Bay around a ten mile spit of land into the main bay and then north for 20 or so miles to Green’s Harbour. A shorter route was needed.

About 1632 or 1633, a group of men, including John Shaw, entered into a covenant to build a canal. The route was to go up the headwaters of Duxbury Bay, through the newly dug canal, to a tributary of the Green Harbor River, proceeding downstream to Green’s Harbour.

Apparently, work proceeded slowly. The General Court threatened the party with 10 pounds in fines if the work was not completed by October 1. We don’t know when the canal was actually finished.

We must guess that the canal proved effective, though, because four years later, the General Court ordered the passage to be widened to 18 feet with a depth of six feet, permitting the passage of medium-sized ships and barges. This work was done with crews of ten men at a time. Principally, the Cutt was used for transport of salt hay.

Early in the 19th century, a new canal was constructed, but connected with the old one at the town line of Duxbury. A portion of the old canal, much narrowed by time, can still be seen at the corner of Canal and Bay Streets in Marshfield.

* Based primarily on Jonathan Shaw, "John Shaw of Plymouth Colony, Purchaser and Canal Builder," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 151 (1997), page images (http://www.americanancestors.org/databases/new-england-historical-and-genealogical-register/image/?pageName=259&volumeId=11639 : accessed 31 July 2016), pp. 259-260.

Events

Birth	Bef Abt 1597
Marriage	Bef 1622	Alice [UNKNOWN WIFE OF JOHN SHAW AND PRESUMED MOTHER OF CHILDREN]
Arrival	1627	Plymouth, Plymouth Colony
Miscellaneous	1627	was the leader of his cohort in the division of the cattle - Plymouth, Plymouth Colony
Miscellaneous	1633	was listed among freemen admitted before 1 Jan 1622/3 - Plymouth, Plymouth Colony
Miscellaneous	1633	was one of a group of men contracted to build a canal across the Duxbury barrier - Plymouth, Plymouth Colony
Miscellaneous	7 Mar 1636/37	was listed among freemen - Plymouth, Plymouth Colony
Miscellaneous	1639	was listed among freemen - Plymouth, Plymouth Colony
Miscellaneous	1643	was included in the list of men able to bear arms - Plymouth, Plymouth Colony
Election	7 Mar 1642/43	highway surveyor - Plymouth, Plymouth Colony
Election	5 Jun 1644	highway surveyor - Plymouth, Plymouth Colony
Miscellaneous	3 Nov 1653	accepted Benjamin Savory, age 9, on indenture - Plymouth, Plymouth Colony
Property	28 Dec 1653	land deeded to son Jonathan - Plymouth, Plymouth Colony
Miscellaneous	1658	was listed among the freemen - Plymouth, Plymouth Colony
Property	26 Mar 1658	land deeded to son Sergeant James Shaw and John Shaw - Plymouth, Plymouth Colony
Property	30 Jan 1663/64	land and other property deeded to son-in-law Stephen Bryant, daughter Abigail, son James, son Jonathan - Plymouth, Plymouth Colony
Death	Aft 30 Jan 1663/64	Plymouth, Plymouth Colony
Occupation		planter
Education		only enough to make his mark on deeds

Families

Spouse	Alice [UNKNOWN WIFE OF JOHN SHAW AND PRESUMED MOTHER OF CHILDREN] ( - )
Child	John SHAW Jr (1622 - 1658)
Child	Abigail SHAW (1624 - 1694)
Child	James SHAW (1626 - )
Child	Jonathan SHAW (1631 - )

Individual Details

John SHAW

Events

Families

Notes

Endnotes

Individual Details

John SHAW

Events

Families

Notes

Marriage

Endnotes