ELEVENTH GENERATION

1898. Capt. John GORHAM (476) (726)(81) was born about Jan 1620 in Benefield, Northamptonshire, England. He was christened on 28 Jan 1620 in Benefield, Northamptonshire, England.(81) Bonnie Hubbard has year as 1621. He died on 5 Feb 1675 in Swansea, Bristol Co., MA. He was buried on 5 Feb 1675 in Swansea, Bristol Co., MA. IMMIGRANT - Name spelled "Gorum" in some early records. Notes from "John Howland of the Mayflower, Vol. 1: 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. [Collectanea 5:342-43]. A John Gorham, perhaps this man, was a passenger on board the Philip, bound for North America, June 20, 1635, with Richard Morgan, master [Otis, Barnstable Families 1:407]. On March 8,1648 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 [Shurtleff, Plymouth Colony Records 12: Deeds. In 1672, Desire's mother, Elizabeth Howland, "wife of Mr. John Howland, deceased, came into court 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" [Thomas A. Weston, History of the Town of Middleboro (Boston and New York 1906), 547]. John and Desire Gorham lived in Plymouth after the birth of their first child, Desire, April 2, 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 an Howland and Had Sevrall Children Went home to England and Returned Soone again to his family. . . . Moved From Marshfield to Barnstable and Settled there in Ordr to begin a township Called Barnstable. Built Mills - tan fatts &c" [MD 5:177]. 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 June 4, 1650 and in 1651 he became a member of the Grand Inquest of Plymouth Colony. He and his family moved to Yarmouth, Massachusetts, in 1652, and then went on to Barnstable where he owned a grist mill and a tannery. He was, together with Sergt. Ryder a deputy to meet others from the several towns "to treat and conclude on military affairs." He was a surveyor of highways in 1654. The family homestead was built in the year 1670 was still in existence in 1921, at Barnstable. As a captain in the militia in King Philip's War, he took part in the Narragansett Swamp fight in December 1675. He commanded the 2nd Company of Plymouth, Volunteers. This was the last and greatest battle between the English and the Indians in New England and resulted in virtually wiping out the Indians there. He was wounded "by having his powder horn Shot and Split against his side." He died of the resulting fever and was buried in Swansea February 5, 1676/7 [MD 5:179; see Gorham MS 1:2-9 for a long list of activities and court actions]. His widow, Desire, survived him for more than five years. John died intestate. On March 7, 1675, Mistress Desire Gorum (sic) and her sons, James Gorum and John Gorum, were named 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 L710-43, was taken February 29, 1675 and sworn to March 7, 1675. It included the dwelling house, barn, upland, meadow, tan vats, a bark mill, and two houses and tools 'belonging to the taning.' In the division of Capt. John Gorham's estate, dated Plymouth March 7, 1676/7, widow Desire Gorham received her dower thirds. Son James 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 the 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. [MD 5:153-58: Plymouth Colony Records, Wills 3:1:162-64 (John Gorham).
He was married to Desire** HOWLAND about 1643.

1899. Desire** HOWLAND(576) (476)(726) was born in 1625 in Plymouth, Plymouth Co., MA. She died on 13 Oct 1683 in Barnstable, Cape Cod, MA. "COLLAPSED PEDIGREE" - FIRST BORN OF MAYFLOWER PASSENGERS JOHN HOWLAND AND ELIZABETH TILLEY AND SISTER OF NINTH BORN, RUTH HOWLAND. (FOR DESIRE'S SIBLINGS & ANCESTORS SEE RUTH HOWLAND'S ANCESTORS ELSEWHERE IN THIS MATERIAL.)
THERE ARE 2 LINES CONNECTING OUR FAMILY WITH THE MAYFLOWER; ONE BEING THE ALLERTON/CUSHMAN/BIRCH/WHEELER LINE WHICH INCLUDES AN EARLY CONNECTION WITH THE HOWLAND LINE THROUGH DESIRE'S SISTER RUTH, THE OTHER BEING THE HOWLAND/GORHAM/HAWES/CLAGHORN/VALENTINE/CUSHMAN/BIRCH/WHEELER LINE.
Married John Gorham, c1643. Notes from "John Howland of the Mayflower, Vol. 1: John and Desire Gorham lived in Plymouth after the birth of their first child, Desire, April 2, 1644, and then moved to Marshfield, Yarmouth, and Barnstable. John died February 1676/7 and she 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 [MD 2:70-77; 3:54-56]. Desire's husband John died intestate. On March 7, 1675, Mistress Desire Gorum (sic) and her sons, James Gorum and John Gorum, were named 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 L710-43, was taken February 29, 1675 and sworn to March 7, 1675. It included the dwelling house, barn, upland, meadow, tan vats, a bark mill, and two houses and tools 'belonging to the taning.' In the division of Capt. John Gorham's estate, dated Plymouth March 7, 1676/7, widow Desire Gorham received her dower thirds. [MD 5:153-58: Plymouth Colony Records, Wills 3:1:162-64 (John Gorham). The inventory of Desire's estate was dated August 3, 1683, more than two months before her death, October 13, 1683. On March 5, 1683/4, the Assistants of Plymouth Colony, Gov. Hincley, 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 that 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" [MD 4:217-20: Records of the Colony of New Plymouth 6:124 (Desire Gorham).
Children were:

child949 i. Desire GORHAM.
child ii. Temperance GORHAM was born in 1644 in MA. She died in 1714 in MA.
child iii. Elizabeth GORHAM was born in 1648 in MA. She died in 1683.
child iv. James GORHAM was born in 1650 in MA. He died in 1707 in MA.
child v. Lt.Col. John GORHAM was born in 1651 in MA. He died in 1716 in MA.
child vi. Ensign Joseph GORHAM was born in 1653 in MA. He died in 1726 in MA.
child vii. Jabez GORHAM was born in 1656 in MA. He died in 1724 in RI.
child viii. Mercy GORHAM was born in 1658 in MA. She died in 1725 in CT.
child ix. Lydia GORHAM was born in 1661 in MA. She died in 1744 in MA.
child x. Hannah GORHAM was born in 1663 in MA.
child xi. Shubael GORHAM was born in 1667 in MA. He died in 1748 in MA.

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