John Green of Preston, Connecticut

John Green of Preston was born May 12, 1701. He was the second child and eldest son of William Green and his wife, whose name is unknown. Although John's birth was recorded in Stonington town records along with his siblings [1], there is no evidence that his father actually lived in Stonington. The earliest record for William Green in Preston is a land deed, dated January 16, 1709/10. Thus, it can be safely said that while the older children of William Green may not have been born in New London County, they were raised there from a young age.

On June 2, 1724, at the age of 23, John Green married Mary Rich, the daughter of Nicholas and the late [2] Abigail (Green) Rich, who came to Preston from Essex County, Massachusetts. It's possible that John's father, William Green, was related to Mary's mother Abigail (Green) Rich [3] of Salem, Massachusetts. John and Mary's only child, John Green, Jr. was born September 16, 1725 in Preston.

It's almost certain that Nicholas Rich, Mary's father, had died by October 21, 1726, because on this date, John and Mary Green, along with Samuel Rich, David Rich, Jonathan Rich, Timothy and Abigail Jerome, and James and Sarah Tyler [4] sold a fifty-acre tract of land that Nicholas Rich had originally purchased from John Ames in 1716. The purchaser of the tract was Thomas Rose, Jr. of Preston.

By February 28, 1728/9, Mary (Rich) Green had died, because on this date, John Green took for his second wife, Elizabeth ______ [5]. John and his new wife had eight more children, born in steady succession:

John's father, William Green, died February 3, 1767. Although the exact age of William Green is not known, longevity appears to have been a trait of the Green males. William Green was referred to as "old William Green" in the records of the Second Church of Preston (later known as First Congregational Church of Griswold). William was probably around 93 years old at the time of his death. William's bequest to John was five shillings, which, "with what I have already given him in Land and other Ways is the Whole of his Double Portion".

The Greens must have lived in a more remote part of northern Preston, probably close to the area where Green cemetery is located, near Spy Hill and Hopeville. In his will, John Green bequeathed a lot of land he owned in Stick Meadow and a wooded lot on Stone Hill.

The only truly personal record I have found for Elizabeth, wife of John Green, comes from the records of the Second Church of Preston, meeting of Dec. 9, 1772:

Elizabeth Green must have died some time between December 1772 and July 1791, because she was not mentioned in John's will.

John Green died August 13, 1791 at 90 years of age. His will, written July 10, 1791 and proved September 9, 1791, mentioned his eldest son, John Green; the heirs of his son, William Green (deceased); his sons Winter Green; Christopher Green; and David Green; his daughter Mary Olin, wife of Philip Olin; the heirs of his daughter Betty Bennett (deceased); his grandson Charles Green, son of his son Winter; daughter Amie Green (unmarried), to whom he bequeathed the remainder of his personal estate "for her kindness, & extraordinary attention to me"; and his great-granddaughter, Levina Brand. David Green was named executor of John Green's estate. It is possible that John was buried in the Green Cemetery in Griswold, as there are unmarked field stones in this cemetery. His son, David Green, who lived to be 95 years of age, is buried in Green Cemetery in Griswold, as are many of John and William Green's descendants. [7]

[1] From the appearance of the original record, my guess is that the births of William Green's children were recorded in Stonington all at the same time, probably after the birth of Ann, who was born 1704/5. The record entries both before and after the Green record were several years later -- 1716-1719. (Stonington Records of Town Meetings, Land Records, Records of Earmarks, Births, Marriages, Deaths 1664-1765, Volume 1, p. 116).

[2] In Preston land records, the wife of Nicholas Rich was Grace, who is believed to be his second wife, the widow Grace Lewis of Malden, Massachusetts, whom Nicholas Rich married in Lancaster, Maassachusetts in 1713. On October 24, 1716, Nicholas Rich purchased a fifty-acre tract of land in Preston from John Ames of Preston. That same day, Nicholas Rich deeded one-half of this fifty-acre tract to his wife, Grace, for "Love and Goodwill". (Preston Deeds, Volume 3, pp. 152-153). On March 2, 1719/20, Grace Rich freely gave up her title and interest to this land. (Preston Deeds, Volume 4, p.40). On October 21, 1726 (6 ½ years later), the heirs of Nicholas Rich sold the entire fifty acres tract to Thomas Rose, Jr. of Preston. (Preston Deeds, Volume 4, pp. 331-332).

[3] The relationship between William Green of Preston, Connecticut and Abigail (Green) Rich of Salem, Massachusetts is unproven, although the two families were certainly connected through the marriage of John Green to Mary Rich. Aside from having the same surname, the similarity in names of William Green's children and those of Abigail (Green) Rich's parents -- John and Mary Green of Salem -- appears significant. William Green named his oldest seven children Elizabeth, John, William, Jabez, Ann, Sarah, and Mary. The names Elizabeth, John, William, Sarah, and Mary appear among the names of the Greens of Salem. William Green of Preston's two youngest children were named Abigail and Timothy. These children may have been named for Timothy and Abigail (Rich) Jerome -- Abigail (Green) Rich's daughter and her husband.

[4] Mary (Rich) Green, Samuel Rich, David Rich, Abigail (Rich) Jerome, and Sarah (Rich) Tyler were all children of Nicholas and Abigail (Green) Rich.

[5] Elizabeth Green's maiden name is unknown because the part of the page bearing her name was torn from the Preston record book.

[6] Records of the Church of Christ in the North Society in Preston, page 106. The church was also known as the Second Church of Preston, and later as the First Congregational Church of Preston.

[7] The location of the Green Cemetery is southwest of the intersection of Hopeville-Stone Hill Road and Roode Road in what is now Jewett City. (The original description from the Hale Collection gives the cemetery location as near the William Briggs farm, near the road from Hopeville to Stone Hill, east of the intersection with Roode Road). This may also be part of the original Green tract.