Capt. John Gorham Notes

Desire Howland was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts, about 1625 or 1626, the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Tilley) Howland. Desire and her brother, John were listed with their parents in the Division of Cattle in Plymouth, 22 May 1627 (old style), 1 June 1627 (new style). John's birth date, 24, 2, 1627 (old style)[24 April 1627], was recorded by Judge Sewall who met John(2) Howland on the road and asked him when he was born. Therefore, Desire must have been the eldest child, born one year or eighteen months earlier than John. Desire died in Barnstable, Massachusetts, 13 October 1683.

Desire Howland married in Plymouth, about 1643 John Gorham, who was baptized in Benefield, Northamptonshire, England, 28 January 1620/1, the son of Ralph Gorham. Capt. John Gorham was buried in Swansea, Mass, 5 February 1675/6.

The Northamptonshire branch of the Gorhams are supposed to have descended from Sir Hugh de Gorham and his wife, Margaret, daughter of Sir William l'Angevin. Sir Hugh de Gorham, in 1281, possessed the manor of Churchfield in the parish of Oundle, and land in Benefield which had belonged to his wife's father. More than three hundred years later, the baptism of "John Gorram, son of Ralph Gorram" was entered in the Benefield register.

A John Gorham, perhaps this man, was a passenger on board the Philip, bound for North America, 20 June 1635, with Richard Morgan, master. A Ralph Gorham was greanted land in Plymouth 2 October 1637 for a house and garden. On 5 March 1637/8, he complained against Frances Sprague. A year later, "Ralph Gorham the older" was presented for breaking the peace. On 1 September 1640 he complained against Ralph Smith and on 2 March 1640/1 Smith complained against Ralph Gorham. On 5 April 1640 he sued Tristram Clark and John Crab for debt. he then disappeared from Plymouth records.

On 8 March 1648 Desire's father, John Howland, sold to his "son-in-law, John Gorum," half of the lands in Marshfield that he had bought from Governor William Bradford. In 1672, Desire's mother, Elizabeth Howland, "wife of Mr. John Howland, deceased, came into court at Plymouth and acknowledged that she freely gave and surrendered rights in the lands of her late husband lying in Namasket in the township of Middleboro to Mr. John Gorum of Barnstable."

The exact date of their marriage is not known but Desire was called "Desire Gorum" in her father's will dated 29 May 1672. Additional proof that Desire Howland married John Gorham was found in a land transaction dated 16 February 1673, in which "John Gorum Senr of Barnstable" sold to George Dawson, "now resident at Barnstable," land in Middleboro formerly belonging to John Howland and Elizabeth, his wife, and given to the said John Gorum before John Howland's death. the transaction was witnessed by Joseph Laythorpe and John Thompson, and acknowledged 24 February 1673 before Thomas Hinckley, Assistant. Desire, wife of John Gorum, gave her consent 30 April 1674.

John and Desire Gorham lived in Plymouth after the birth of their first child, Desire, 2 April 1644, and then moved to marshfield. Their great-grandson, Col. John Gorham, in his "Wast Book," recorded that "John Gorum, alias Gorham - which Son after Having Marryed With and Howland and Had Sevrall Children Went home to England and Returned Soone again to his family... Moved from Marshall to Barnstable and Settled there in ordr to begin to township Called Barnstable. Built Mills - tan fatts Etc."

John Gorham's name was on a list of men able to bear arms in Plymouth in 1643. He was chosen constable in Marshfield in 1648. He was made a freeman 4 June 1650 and in 1651 he became a member of the Grand Inquest of Plymouth Colony. He and his family moved to Yearmouth, Massachusetts, in 1652, and then went on to Barnstable where he owned a grist mill and a tannery. He was a surveyor of highways in 1654. As a captain in the militia in King Philip's War, he took part in the Narragansett fight in December 1675, where he was wounded "by having his powder horn Shot and Split against his side," He died of the resulting fever and was burned in Swansea 5 February 1676/7. His widow, Desire, survived him for more than five years, dying after her father, John Howland, but before her mother, Elizabeth Tilley. Desire was mentioned in her father's will in 1672, but not by her mother in 1686.

Desire's husband, Capt. John Gorham died intestate. On 7 March 1675, Mistress Desire Gorum (sic) and her sons, James Gorum and John Gorum, were named as administrators of the estate. The court appointed "Mr. Hinckley, Mr. Chipman and Mr. Huckins" to take care of the estate of the youngest children until they came of age. The inventory, amounting to L710-4-3, was taken 29 February 1675 and sworn to 7 March 1675. It included the dwelling house, barn, upland, meadow, tan vats, a baark mill, and two houses and tools "belonging to the taning." In the division of Capt. John Gorham's estate, dated Plymouth 7 March 1676/7, widow Desire Gorham received her dower thirds. Son Jomes received "the dwelling house he now lives in," with the barn and half of the upland. Son John Gorham received the tan vats, bark mill, tools, stock and the other half of the upland. Son Joseph was given forty acres of land next to Joseph Hallet's land, and some meadow. The rest of the estate was divided into five equal parts among the rest of children, who were named as Jabez, Mercy, Lydia, Hannah and Shubael Gorum. Shubael was allotted L50 for the costs of his education, in addition to receiving his share of the estate. Three married daughters, Desire, Temperance and Elizabeth, had already received L40 each. If there should be an overplus, the married daughters were to share equally with the other children, except that James, the eldest son, was to have a double share.

The inventory of Desire's estate was dated 3 August 1683, more than two months before her death, 13 October 1683. On 5 March 1683/4, the Assistants of Plymouth Colony, Gov. Hinckley, Major Bradford, Deputy Gov. Mr. Freeman, Mr. Lothrop and Mr. Thacher, "with the mutual consent of the children then "appearing", named as James, John and Joseph Gorham, and with the consent of the sons-in-law, agreed that the eldest son James would receive a double share, according to custom, and the rest of the children, namely John, Joseph, Jabez, Shubael, Desire, Temperance, Elizabeth, deceased, mercy, Lydia and Hannah, should have an equal portion. As Elizabeth had died, they agreed that her children, not named, "should have an equal part that did belong to their mother."

DESIRE GORHAM, b. April 2, 1644, Plymouth MA; d. June 30, 1700, Yarmouth, Barnstable, MA; m. JOHN HAWES, October 7, 1661, Barnstable, Barnstable, MA.

TEMPERANCE GORHAM, b. May 5, 1646, Marshfield, Plymouth, MA; d. March 12, 1714/15; m. (1) THOMAS BAXTER; m. (2) EDWARD STURGIS, JR, 1663, Yarmouth, Barnstable, MA.

ELIZABETH GORHAM, b. April 2, 1648, Marshfield, Plymouth, MA; d. Bef March 5, 1683/84; m. JOSEPH HALLETT, 1667.

JAMES GORHAM, b. April 28, 1650, Marshfield, Plymouth, MA; d. 1707, Barnstable, Barnstable, MA; m. HANNAH HUCKINS, February 24, 1672/73, Barnstable, Barnstable, MA.

JOHN GORHAM, b. February 20, 1651/52, Marshfield, Plymouth, MA; d. July 9, 1726, Barnstable, Barnstable, MA; m. MARY OTIS, February 24, 1673/74, Barnstable, Barnstable, MA.

JOSEPH GORHAM, b. February 16, 1653/54, Yarmouth, Barnstable, MA; d. July 9, 1726, Yarmouth, Barnstable, MA; m. SARAH STURGIS, 1678, Yarmouth, Barnstable, MA.

JABEZ GORHAM, b. August 3, 1656, Barnstable, Barnstable, MA; d. 1725, Bristol, MA; m. HANNAH GREY.

MERCY GORHAM, b. January 20, 1657/58, Barnstable, Barnstable, MA; d. 1725; m. GEORGE DENISON.

LYDIA GORHAM, b. November 11, 1661, Barnstable, Barnstable, MA; d. August 2, 1744, Yarmouth, Barnstable, MA; m. JOHN THACHER, January 1, 1682/83, Yarmouth, Barnstable, MA.

HANNAH GORHAM, b. November 28, 1663, Barnstable, Barnstable, MA; d. August 16, 1751; m. JOSEPH WHELDON, December 22, 1732.

SHUBAEL GORHAM, b. October 21, 1667, Barnstable, Barnstable, MA; d. 1750, Barnstable, MA; m. PUELLA HUSSEY, May 16, 1695, Island of Nantucket, MA.

MEMOIRS OF THE
LEONARD, THOMPSON AND HASKELL
FAMILIES
With Their Collateral Families of
Alden, Andrews, Bell, Bourne, Brooks, Brown, Bryant,
Chipman, Cooke, Crossman, Goodell, Goodenough, Gotham,
Hall, Hathaway, Hicks, Hinckley, Hodges, Howland,
Jenny, Kingsley, Lincoln, Merrick, Otis, Packard, Paine,
Pearl, Phillips, Price, Smith, Sturtevant, Swift, Thomas,
Wadsworth, White, Wood and many others

By
CAROLINE LEONARD GOODENOUOH
Published By The Auther
1928

Of this book one thousand
copies have been printed of
which this is No. 33.....
COPYRIGHT 1928
AURSEY WARD GOODENOUGH
Printed at
THE ANTIOCH PRESS
Yellow Springs
Ohio

Elizabeth's daughter, Desire, married a tanner of Plymouth named John Gorham, the records concerning whom are both interesting and instructive. They show that he was a brave soldier in the Indian Wars, who died from exposure in the campaign away from home, but on one occasion he was fined by the Court forty shillings for visiting a certain woman named Blanche Hall at "an unseemly hour, that is in the middle of the night." For receiving his visit Blanche was fined fifty shillings, probably an instance of "the double standard" and because it was considered that "the female of the species is more deadly than the male."

John Gorham is recorded after his death as "an Exemplary Christian," so it seems that society forgave him for his indiscretion. Whether Blanche Hall was similarly forgiven deponent saith not. "I hae me doots."