1638 John Briggs was listed in "A Catalogue of such [persons], who, by the Generall consent of the Company were admitted to be Inhabytants of the Island now called Aqueedneck, having submitted themselves to the Government that is or shall be established, according to the word of God therein." In the records of the town of Newport, this list is dated 1st of the 8th montn [August]. [1]
1673 At the trial of Thomas Cornell, son of Rebecca and Thomas Cornell, John Briggs testified that in a vision Rebecca referred to herself as John Briggs' sister.
1690 The will of John Briggs of Portsmouth, dated 19 Apr 1690 and proved 17 Nov 1690, mentions wife Content Briggs; sons Enoch Briggs, John Briggs eldest, Thomas Briggs, William Briggs, and Job Briggs; and daughters Susannah Northway and ____ Momony. [2]
Research Notes:
The wording of John Briggs' testimony in 1673 suggests that Rebecca, the widow of Thomas Cornell, may have been a sister or sister-in-in-law of John Briggs, but John may have meant that she was a "sister" (member) in the church.
A Henry Briggs of St James, Clerkenwell, in Middlesex had a daughter Rebecca and a man of the same name in the same parish later had a son John. [3] The baptism date of this Rebecca Briggs would make her about the right age to have been the wife of Thomas Cornell. The baptism date of this John Briggs would make him somewhat young, but not impossibly young, to have been the John Briggs of Newport and Portsmouth.
1600 "Rebecka daughter unto Henry Briggs was christened the xxv of october 1600" at St James, Clerkenwell, Middlesex, England. [4] [5]
1616/17 "Henry Briggs & Hellen Taylor were maried feb .27. 1616" at St James, Clerkenwell, Middlesex, England. [6] [7]
1618 "John son to Henry Briggs was xpned Apr. 8, Joice daughter to Henry Briggs was xpned eodem" at St James, Clerkenwell, Middlesex, England. [8] [9]
1620 "William sonn to Henry Briggs was buried the 16th of the same [May]" at St James Clerkenwell, Middlesex, England. [10]
1620 "3d December Joyce Daughter to Henry Briggs was buried" at St James Clerkenwell, Middlesex, England. [11]
1621 "Henry Briggs & Joane Wilkinson were marryed together the 21th daye" of November at St James, Clerkenwell, Middlesex, England. [12] [13]
1625 "August 14th ... Henry Briggs [was] buried" at St James Clerkenwell. [14]
Unsourced notes:
John came to New England in 1635 on the Blessing, living for a short time in Boston before coming to Rhode Island. He was a follower of Anne Hutchinson, who advocated a personal relationshiop with God in guiding one's own conduct, instead of reliance on the Church and State for guidance. The leaders of the Massachusetts Colony were so opposed to this teaching that it became unsafe for Mrs. Hutchinson's followers to remain there. Upon the advice of Roger Williams, John Briggs with some others fled from Massachusetts and purchased Aquidneck Island from the Indians.
John moved first to Newport, then to Portsmouth where he established a family home, living there until the death of his first wife, Sarah, in 1661.
1662 John Briggs purchased a share (140 acres) in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and soon after, married there, Constant (Mitchell) Fobes, Widow. He lived there only a short time, moving back to Portsmouth about the time of his daughter Susannah's marriage to William Palmer in 1663 and spent the remainder of his life there.
John Briggs was a prominent citizen and active in civic and political affairs. He served at various times as juryman, Assistant Commissioner and Deputy to the General Assembly. He died in Portsmouth between 19 April 1690 (date of his will) and 16 November 1690 (date of probate). All his children were by his first wife, Sarah.
Documents related to the Briggs family in Rhode Island have been reported [Nellie M. C. Beaman, "Abstracts of various RI towns," Rhode Island Genealogical Register, various volumes 2-8, (1980-1985)]
[1] John Russell Bartlett, Records of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in New England, Vol. 1, 1636-1663 (1856), 91, [InternetArchive].
[2] Samuel Briggs, The Archives of the Briggs Family (1880), 123, [GoogleBooks], [HathiTrust].
[3] Janet and Robert Wolfe, Genealogy Page for Henry Briggs, [JRWolfeGenealogy].
[4] London Metropolitan Archives, Composite Register: Baptisms Nov 1551 - Jan 1654, Marriages and Burials Nov 1551 - Oct 1577, P76/JS1, Item 001 (Baptisms 1561-1654, Composite 1551-1577), P76/JS1, Item 001, London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, image 52, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].
[5] London Metropolitan Archives, Saint James, Clerkenwell, Composite Register: Baptisms and Marriages Feb 1561 - Jun 1625, Burials Feb 1561 - Jun 1616, P76/JS1, Item 004, London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, image 71, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].
[6] London Metropolitan Archives, Saint James, Clerkenwell, Register of Marriages Feb 1587/8 - Jan 1653/4, P76/JS1, Item 002, London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, image 42, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].
[7] London Metropolitan Archives, Saint James, Clerkenwell, Composite Register: Baptisms and Marriages Feb 1561 - Jun 1625, Burials Feb 1561 - Jun 1616, P76/JS1, Item 004, London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, image 34, which reports the marriage as "Henry Briggs and Hellen Taylor wer maried the xxvijth daye" of February 1616, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].
[8] London Metropolitan Archives, Composite Register: Baptisms Nov 1551 - Jan 1654, Marriages and Burials Nov 1551 - Oct 1577, P76/JS1, Item 001 (Baptisms 1561-1654, Composite 1551-1577), P76/JS1, Item 001, London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, image 103, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].
[9] London Metropolitan Archives, Saint James, Clerkenwell, Composite Register: Baptisms and Marriages Feb 1561 - Jun 1625, Burials Feb 1561 - Jun 1616, P76/JS1, Item 004, London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, image 106, in this record the daughter's name is spelled Joyce, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].
[10] London Metropolitan Archives, Saint James, Clerkenwell, Composite register: marriages Jul 1668 - Jul 1670, burials Sep 1561 - Jan 1654, P76/JS1, Item 003, London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, image 169, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].
[11] London Metropolitan Archives, Saint James, Clerkenwell, Composite register: marriages Jul 1668 - Jul 1670, burials Sep 1561 - Jan 1654, P76/JS1, Item 003, London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, image 171, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].
[12] London Metropolitan Archives, Saint James, Clerkenwell, Composite Register: Baptisms and Marriages Feb 1561 - Jun 1625, Burials Feb 1561 - Jun 1616, P76/JS1, Item 004, London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, image 40, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].
[13] London Metropolitan Archives, Saint James, Clerkenwell, Register of Marriages Feb 1587/8 - Jan 1653/4, P76/JS1, Item 002, London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, image 50, which reports the marriage as "Henry Braggs et Joan Wilkinson were Marryed the 21th of November 1621", [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].
[14] London Metropolitan Archives, Saint James, Clerkenwell, Composite register: marriages Jul 1668 - Jul 1670, burials Sep 1561 - Jan 1654, P76/JS1, Item 003, London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, image 200, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].