Individual Details
John Hooker
(1631 - 1684)
From The Descendents of Rev Thomas Hooker
4 John Hooker (Thomas), son of Rev. Thomas Hooker andSusannah Hooker, of Hartford. Colony of Conn. He was the first son of Rev. Thomas Hooker, and undoubtedly the first son of the second marriage. He was probably Ixjrn in or about1626 but no record of his birth has ever been found. Mostprobably he was born at Chelinsford, Essex, Enj^land, wherehis father was at that time lecturer, and where he probablymarried his second wife Susannah. John Hooker caine withhis father to New Enp^land, but there is little known of his early life in the New Enc^land Colony. He was instructed andfitted for colle.q:e by his father, very probably assisted by Rev.Mr. Stone, and he returned to England to finish his educationby a collep^iate course when his father died and it is from his father's will, made but a few hours before his death, that the most that is known of the son John is learned. The will expressly intimates that John was not at that time of age, yet it also intimates that the question of marrying had been presented to his father, which would seem to suggest that he couldnot have been much under age. The will makes his receipt of a part of the estate contingent upon his pursuing his studies to completion and entering the ministry, which is strongly suggestive that a proposition that he should relinquish his studies andhis proposed entry into the minstry had been presented to his father. The will while making no objection to his seeking a wife in England, expressly forbids him to "Marry and Tarry"there, which also suggests that this plan of life had been presented to his father, and from these suggestive items of the will, we can weave a very plausible and a very probable story, yet there is no positive evidence than this will to prove it. It would seem most probable that Rev. Thomas Hookershould desire his son to pursue his studies at Emanuel Col- Second Generation lege Cambridge, the especial home of Puritanism, where he himself had been educated, but there is no evidence in the will, nor elsewhere so far as known, to indicate this preference, and in due time John Hooker became a student at Oxford, a strong Established Church precinct, and emphatically opposed to the liberalism of Cambridge. John Hooker completed his studies and entered the ministry, taking orders in the Established Church of England, thus obeying the letter but not the spirit of his father's will, and in like manner he avoided the injunction of his father forbidding him to marry and tarry in England, by not marrying, though he tarried there. John Hooker became a curate at Mazeworth, Bucks, and tradition says that he became very dissipated, yet his genial good fellow^ship won for him a place in the hearts of the people and probably shielded him from any disciplinary action on the part of those above him. When at last the aged vicar died there seems to have been a reluctance on the part of the patron of the Church to promote IMr. Hooker to the Vicarship. After some delay the Bishop col- lated John Hooker to the Vicarship, and here he remained until his death, apparently maintaining his reputation as a jovial, rollicking, sporting Parson. He died in 1684 and the record of his death, though very simple, seems to suggest a w-eird story of the end. He was found dead in his bed, and buried by his friends privately at midnight, and this private midnight burial seems to suggest a suicidal ending, and a secret burial to avoid the severe inflictions which the penal laws of England at that time prescribed for the bodies of suicides. With the death of Mr. Hooker that branch of the family came to an end, and only the son, Samuel Hooker, minister at Farmington, Colony of Conn., remained to perpetuate the name.
4 John Hooker (Thomas), son of Rev. Thomas Hooker andSusannah Hooker, of Hartford. Colony of Conn. He was the first son of Rev. Thomas Hooker, and undoubtedly the first son of the second marriage. He was probably Ixjrn in or about1626 but no record of his birth has ever been found. Mostprobably he was born at Chelinsford, Essex, Enj^land, wherehis father was at that time lecturer, and where he probablymarried his second wife Susannah. John Hooker caine withhis father to New Enp^land, but there is little known of his early life in the New Enc^land Colony. He was instructed andfitted for colle.q:e by his father, very probably assisted by Rev.Mr. Stone, and he returned to England to finish his educationby a collep^iate course when his father died and it is from his father's will, made but a few hours before his death, that the most that is known of the son John is learned. The will expressly intimates that John was not at that time of age, yet it also intimates that the question of marrying had been presented to his father, which would seem to suggest that he couldnot have been much under age. The will makes his receipt of a part of the estate contingent upon his pursuing his studies to completion and entering the ministry, which is strongly suggestive that a proposition that he should relinquish his studies andhis proposed entry into the minstry had been presented to his father. The will while making no objection to his seeking a wife in England, expressly forbids him to "Marry and Tarry"there, which also suggests that this plan of life had been presented to his father, and from these suggestive items of the will, we can weave a very plausible and a very probable story, yet there is no positive evidence than this will to prove it. It would seem most probable that Rev. Thomas Hookershould desire his son to pursue his studies at Emanuel Col- Second Generation lege Cambridge, the especial home of Puritanism, where he himself had been educated, but there is no evidence in the will, nor elsewhere so far as known, to indicate this preference, and in due time John Hooker became a student at Oxford, a strong Established Church precinct, and emphatically opposed to the liberalism of Cambridge. John Hooker completed his studies and entered the ministry, taking orders in the Established Church of England, thus obeying the letter but not the spirit of his father's will, and in like manner he avoided the injunction of his father forbidding him to marry and tarry in England, by not marrying, though he tarried there. John Hooker became a curate at Mazeworth, Bucks, and tradition says that he became very dissipated, yet his genial good fellow^ship won for him a place in the hearts of the people and probably shielded him from any disciplinary action on the part of those above him. When at last the aged vicar died there seems to have been a reluctance on the part of the patron of the Church to promote IMr. Hooker to the Vicarship. After some delay the Bishop col- lated John Hooker to the Vicarship, and here he remained until his death, apparently maintaining his reputation as a jovial, rollicking, sporting Parson. He died in 1684 and the record of his death, though very simple, seems to suggest a w-eird story of the end. He was found dead in his bed, and buried by his friends privately at midnight, and this private midnight burial seems to suggest a suicidal ending, and a secret burial to avoid the severe inflictions which the penal laws of England at that time prescribed for the bodies of suicides. With the death of Mr. Hooker that branch of the family came to an end, and only the son, Samuel Hooker, minister at Farmington, Colony of Conn., remained to perpetuate the name.
Events
| Birth | 1631 | Mazeworth, Buckinghamshire, England | |||
| Death | 1684 | Mazeworth, Buckinghamshire, England | |||
| Reference No | 4 |
Families
| Father | Rev Thomas Hooker (1586 - 1647) |
| Mother | Susannah Harkes Garbrand (1593 - 1676) |
| Sibling | Joanna Hooker (1622 - 1646) |
| Sibling | Mary Hooker (1624 - 1675) |
| Sibling | Anne Hooker (1625 - 1626) |
| Sibling | Sarah Hooker (1628 - 1629) |
| Sibling | Sarah Hooker (1629 - 1725) |
| Sibling | Rev Samuel Hooker (1633 - 1697) |