John Jenney

M, #13873, b. 21 December 1596, d. 25 May 1644
Father*Henry Jenney Jenne1 b. 3 Jul 1560, d. 9 Feb 1620
Mother*Mary Smythe1
ChartsBentley (maternal side) - Phoebe Meredith Frey
Note*  Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-33 JOHN JENNY ORIGIN: Leiden, Holland MIGRATION: 1623 in Little James FIRST RESIDENCE: Plymouth OCCUPATION: Brewer. Miller. (On 5 March 1638/9 'Mr. John Jenney [was]presented for not grinding corn serviceable, but to great loss & damage,both in not grinding it well, as also causing men to stay long before itcan be ground, except his servant be fed ... and also for not keeping hisstampers going, which is much to the detriment of all' [PCR 1:118]. On 20August 1644 'Mrs. Jenney, upon the presentment against her, promiseth toamend the grinding at the mill, and to keep the mortars clean, and bagsof corn from spoiling and loosing' [PCR 2:76].) CHURCH MEMBERSHIP: 'As for the Dutch, it was usual for our members thatunderstood the language and lived in or occasionally came over to Leyden,to communicate with them, as one John Jenny, a brewer, long did, his wifeand family, &c. and without any offense to the church' [Young's PilgrimFathers 392, citing Winslow; see also MD 27:63 (which has 'London'instead of 'Leyden')]. FREEMAN: In the '1633' Plymouth list of freemen, among those made freebefore 1 January 1632/3 [PCR 1:3]. In list of 7 March 1636/7 [PCR 1:52].In Plymouth section of 1639 Plymouth Colony list of freemen, among theAssistants (annotated 'dead') [PCR 8:173]. EDUCATION: The inventory of John Jenny included a 'small globe,' 2s. 6d.,and a Bible and other books, Ð1 1s. The inventory of Sarah Jenny included'a John Jenneysalme booke 1s.,' 'Cartwright on the Remise 6s.,' 'Downham's Workes6s.,' 'four old bookes 6d.,' 'Mr. Ainsworth on Genesis & Exodus 2s. 6d.'and 'a great Bible & a small one 11s.,' and she made her mark to herwill. OFFICES: Plymouth Assistant, 1637, 1638, 1639, 1640 [PCR 1:48, 79, 116,140]. Deputy for Plymouth to General Court, 1 June 1641 [PCR 2:16].Committee to assess colony, 2 January 1633/4, 2 March 1635/6 [PCR 1:26,38]. Committee to lay out highways, 1 October 1634 [PCR 1:31]. Committeeto control wages and prices, 5 January 1635/6 [PCR 1:36]. Coroner's juryon body of John Deacon, 2 March 1635/6 [PCR 1:39]. Committee on reunitingPlymouth and Duxbury, 14 March 1635/6 [PCR 1:41]. Committee on revisinglaws, 4 October 1636 [PCR 1:44]. Committee to apportion haygrounds, 20March 1636/7 [PCR 1:55]. Committee to survey meadows, 5 May 1640 [PCR1:152]. Committee on providing soldiers against the Indians, 27 September1642 [PCR 2:45]. In Plymouth section of 1643 Plymouth Colony list of men able to beararms [PCR 8:188]. ESTATE: In the 1623 Plymouth land division 'John Jenings' was grantedfive acres as a 1623 arrival [PCR 12:5]. In the 1627 Plymouth cattledivision 'John Jene ... his wife Sarah Jene' and Samuell, Abigall andSara Jene were the first five persons in the twelfth company [PCR 12:13]. John Jenney was assessed Ð1 16s. in the 25 March 1633 Plymouth taxlist, and Ð1 7s. in the list of 27 March 1634 [PCR 1:9, 27]. John Jennywas a Purchaser [PCR 2:179]. 'Mrs. Jennings' received one share in theDartmouth lands [MD 4:187]. Assigned as hayground for the year 'the grounds from Joh. Wynslowdownward to Mr. Allerton's house, or the creek there,' 14 March 1635/6[PCR 1:40]. On 20 March 1636/7 assigned hayground 'where he had the lastyear, and to edge more upon the sedgy place, that there may be hay alsogot there for the team of the town' [PCR 1:56]. In 1635 'Mr. John Jeney' sold to George Watson 'the dwelling house &garden with all the appurtenances thereunto belonging, which wassometimes Richard Maisterson's' [PCR 12:51]. On 6 January 1636/7 it is 'agreed that the six acres of the lands ofJohn Jenney, and the two acres of Mrs. Fuller, lying at Strawberry Hill,enclosed by Mr. Raph Smyth, shall be yielded up unto them this year, thatthey may improve them to the setting of corn; provided that the said JohnJenney shall erect a dwelling house near or upon the said six acres,which are to belong unto the said house as long as it shall be adwelling' [PCR 1:50]. On 5 March 1637/8 'one hundred and fifty acres of lands are grantedunto Mr. John Jenney, lying on the east side of the Six Mile Brook, inthe way to Namascutt, to be a farm belonging to the town of Plymouth, andto be called by the name of Lakenhame. And whereas there was not enoughfound on the east side of the said brook, the Court granted unto him acertain neck which is bounded as followeth, viz: by Lakenham Brook on theone side, and with a swamp on the other side, with a small brook in it'[PCR 1:77]. As part of a grant to Gabriell Fallowell, 'the residue of the landsreserved for the mill, whereof the five or six acres aforesaid is a part,is, with Mr. Jenny's consent, granted to Gabriell Fallowell; and Mr.Jenney hath other lands granted to him in lieu thereof at Lakenhame' [PCR1:82]. On 29 August 1638 'Web Adey' sold to 'Mr. John Jenney all that hishouse and garden place adjoining situate in Plymouth together with thethree acres of lands in the new field thereunto belonging' [PCR 1:35]. On24 January 1638[/9] 'Mr. John Jenney' sold to John Howland 'all that hishouse, barns & outhouses at Rockey Nook together with all the landsthereunto belonging laid forth for the said Mr. Jenney's shares with thatwhich was Phillip Delanoy's allowed him for want of measure and the fiveacres of meadow adjoining,' receiving as partial compensation 'threeacres of lands of the said John Howland lying at Caughtaughcanteist Hill'[PCR 12:41, 42]. On 10 June 1639 'Richard Cluffe of Plymouth, tailor,'sold to 'Mr. John Jenney of the same ... all that his house & garden withthe fence about the same all that the said Richard Cluff bought ofSamuell Eddy' [PCR 12:44]. On 16 September 1641 'Mr. John Jenney is granted as much more uplandas will make his farm at Lakenhame two hundred acres, and when that isused, then to have more added to it, in lieu of some land he hath yieldedup at the town to Gabriell Fallowell' [PCR 2:26]. In his will, dated 28 December 1643 and proved 5 June 1644, JohnJenney of New Plymouth bequeathed to 'my eldest son Samuell Jenney' adouble portion of all his lands; to 'Sarah my loving wife' for life 'mydwelling house and mill adjacent with all the lands thereunto belonging';and to the rest 'of my said children John, Abigall, Sarah and Susann' asingle portion; 'whereas Abigail my eldest daughter had somewhat givenher by her grandmother and Henry Wood of Plymouth aforesaid is a suitorto her in way of marriage my will is that if she the said Abigaile willdwell one full year with Mr. Charles Chauncey of Scittuate before hermarriage ... that then my said daughter Abigall have two of my cows andmy full consent to marry with the said Henry Wood' [MD 6:169-70, citingPCPR 1:50]. The inventory of the estate of 'Mr. John Jenney' was taken 25 May 1644and totalled Ð108 3s. 3d., real estate not included; a list of debts owedby the estate was appended [MD 6:171-74, citing PCPR 1:50-52]. In her will, dated 4 April 1654 and proved 5 March 1655/6, 'Mrs. SarahJeney of Plymouth being sick and weak in body' bequeathed thinking it'good to dispose of some small things that is my own proper goods leavingmy husband's will to take place' to 'my daughter Pope' a bed andhousehold goods and 'further I bequeath to my daughter Sarah Pope all mywearing clothes to dispose of them to my daughter Abigaill Wood and to mygrandchild Sarah Wood for their use as they have need excepting two of mypetticoats which have not been worn which I give to my daughter SarahPope for her pains'; to 'my son Samuell Jeney and to my daughter AbigaillWood my mare equally to be divided between them'; to 'my son BenjaminBartlett all my ... cattle ... in the hands of Josepth Warren at the EelRiver'; 'my sheep be kept together till my legacies be paid'; to 'theteacher Mr. John Reyner one ewe lamb'; to 'the Elder Mr. Thomas Cushmanone ewe lamb and the Bible which was my daughter Susanna's'; to 'myloving friend Goodwife Clarke' one ewe lamb; 'also I give one ewe lamb toThomas Southworth.' In a codicil dated 18 August 1655 she bequeathed'that which is my own since the death of my husband I give to my twodaughters and the children of my son Samuel, excepting what I give asfolloweth, one colt I give to the three daughters of my children viz.Sarah Wood, Susanna Pope and Sarah Jeney if she come hither to abide, orelse not to have any part of this colt or anything else of my estate';'if my son Samuel take away his children that are now here with me, thenmy will is that none of them shall have anything of mine ... but it shallbe reserved for the two boys if they do well when they come to age'; 'Igive unto Benjamine Bartlett only the starred cow which is at ThomasPope's recalling whatsoever else is mentioned in my former will'; to 'mydaughter Sarah Pope' household goods'; 'my loving friends Capt. Standish,Elder Cushman, Thomas Clarke and Thomas Pope' overseers [MD 8:171-72,citing PCPR 2:1:17-18]. The inventory of the estate of 'Mrs. Sarah Jeney' was taken 18February 1655[/6] and totalled Ð248 5s. 8d., including Ð131 in realestate: 'the land & meadow at Lakenham,' Ð7; 'all the land at StrawberryHill and meadow at the Salthouse Beach,' Ð14; 'the Purchasers' land,'Ð10; and 'the mill with the land belonging to it and dwelling house,'Ð100 [MD 8:173-75, citing PCPR 2:1:18-21]. BIRTH: By about 1589 based on date of marriage; said to be from Norwichin England in his marriage record. DEATH: Plymouth between 28 December 1643 (date of will) and 25 May 1644(date of inventory). MARRIAGE: Leiden 1 November 1614 [NS] Sarah Cary, of Monk's Soham,Suffolk [Leiden 135]; she died at Plymouth between 18 August 1655(codicil to will) and 5 March 1665/6 (probate of will). CHILDREN: i SAMUEL, b. Leiden about 1616 ('my eldest son' [father's will],apprenticed for four years in 1633, so perhaps twenty-one in 1637); m.(1) after 1637 Susanna Wood [NEHGR 69:188-89; TAG 35:70-72]; m. (2) by1657 Anne Lettice (eldest child b. Plymouth 22 November 1657 [TAG 35:72];in his will of 1678 Thomas Lettice of Plymouth bequeathed to 'my threedaughters,' one of whom was 'Anne the wife of Samuel Jenney' [MD 14:64,citing PCPR 4:2:11]). ii Child, bur. Leiden 1618 [Dexter 619]. iii ABIGAIL, b. say 1621 ('eldest daughter' in father's will); m.Plymouth 28 April 1644 Henry Wood [PCR 2:79]. iv Son, b. 1623 aboard Little James; d. before the 1627 Plymouthcattle division. v SARAH, b. say 1625; m. Plymouth 29 May 1646 THOMAS POPE [PCR2:98]. vi JOHN, b. by 1627 (in 1643 list of men able to bear arms [PCR8:188]; named in father's will but not in mother's will; no furtherrecord. vii SUSANNA, b. say 1634; m. by 1654 Benjamin Bartlett, son ofROBERT BARTLETT. COMMENTS: Emmanuel Altham, master of the Little James, writing inSeptember 1623 to his brother Sir Edward Altham, told of 'one goodwifeJennings [who] was brought abed of a son aboard our ship and was verywell' [Three Visitors 24]. (Since Samuel Jenny was apprenticed in 1633for a term of four years, and since he volunteered for service in thePequot War in 1637, he could not have been the son born aboard ship in1623.) Nathaniel Morton, in reporting the arrival of the Little James, notedthat one of 'the principal passengers that came in her was Mr. JohnJenny, who was a godly, though otherwise a plain man, yet singular forpublicness of spirit, setting himself to seek and promote the common goodof the plantation of New Plimouth; who spent not only his part of thisship (being part owner thereof) in the general concernment of theplantation, but also afterwards was always a leading man in promoting thegeneral interest of this colony. He lived many years in New England, andfell asleep in the Lord, anno 1644' [Morton 66]. On 25 July 1633 'John Smith hath covenanted to serve John Jenny thefull term of seven years, after the manner of an apprentice' [PCR 1:16].On 1 January 1633/4 'Tho[mas] Higgens, having lived an extravagant life,was placed with John Jenny for eight years, to serve him as anapprentice' [PCR 1:21]. On 26 August 1636 'Edw[ard] Holman complaining of Joh. Jenny to theGovernor & Assistants, for that the said John would not make payment fora piece he, the said Edw[ard], lost in his service; but the thing beingheard, the said John was acquitted' [PCR 1:43]. John Jenney seems to have had a brief feud with Samuel Chandler. On 20May 1637 Jenney complained 'against Samuell Chaundler, in an action uponthe case to the damage of Ð20, whereupon a parcel of beaver of thedefendants was arrested aboard the said Mr. Jenney's bark' [PCR 7:6]. On2 June 1640 'Samuell Chaundler complains against John Jenney, gent., inan action of trespass upon the case, to the damage of Ð40,' and the juryfound for Chandler [PCR 7:15-16]. In 1642 and 1643 he had a dispute withJoseph Ramsden [PCR 2:38-39, 57, 7:33-34]. On 4 September 1638 'Mr. John Jenney presented for digging down thehighway before his mill, to the endangering of man and beast' [PCR 1:98]. On 24 January 1641/2 'Mr. John Jenney' purchased a one-sixteenth sharein a bark of 40 or 50 tons soon to be built [PCR 2:31]. BIBILIOGRAPHIC NOTE: A brief account of John Jenny was published by MaryLovering Holman in 1919 [Scott Gen 286-88]. A more comprehensivetreatment may be found in the manuscript collections of Bertha WinifredClark at the New England Historic Genealogical Society.1 
Birth*21 December 1596 He was born on 21 December 1596 at Norwich, Norfolk, England.1 
Marriage*1 November 1614 He married Sarah Cary, daughter of John Cary and Elizabeth Godfrey, on 1 November 1614 at Leyden, Holland.1 
Death*25 May 1644 John Jenney died on 25 May 1644 at Ply Mouth, Massachusetts, at age 47.1 

Family

Sarah Cary b. 1590, d. Feb 1655
Child
Last Edited14 Jan 2004

Citations

  1. [S170] Gedcom file by Debora J Krauss Franklin (see her record for more).