Rev. Col. John Hancock Sr. (March 1, 1671[1] – December 6, 1752[2]) was a colonial American clergyman, soldier, planter, politician, and paternal grandfather of American politician John Hancock.[3]
John Hancock Sr. | |
|---|---|
 portrait by John Smibert | |
| Born | March 1, 1671 Cambridge, Massachusetts, British America |
| Died | December 6, 1752 (aged 81) Lexington, Massachusetts, British America |
| Resting place | Old Burying Ground, Lexington, Massachusetts, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Clergyman, Soldier, Planter, Politician |
| Title | Colonel |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Clark |
| Children | John Hancock Jr. Thomas Hancock |
| Relatives | John Hancock (grandson) |
Hancock graduated from Harvard College in 1689 and was ordained that year. He taught at the Grammar School at Cambridge, Massachusetts starting in 1691. In 1692 he was engaged as the preacher at Medford, Massachusetts, where he lived and served until November 1693.[4] He was invited to preach at Lexington, Massachusetts in 1697, and remained the pastor there for 55 years, until his death in 1752.[5]
His sons:
- Col. John Hancock Jr. (1702–1744), was also a minister and was father of the politician John Hancock.
- Thomas Hancock (1703–1764) was a merchant in Boston who built the Hancock–Clarke House for his father.
He is buried at the Old Burying Ground in Lexington, Massachusetts.
References
edit- ^ New England Historic Genealogical Society (1877) The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, p. 330. Heritage Books, ISBN 978-0-7884-0240-1
- ^ Green, Samuel Abbott (1899). Groton historical series: A collection of papers relating to the history of the town of Groton, Massachusetts. via Princeton University
- ^ Brown, John Howard (1900). Lamb's biographical dictionary of the United States. James H. Lamb Co.
- ^ John H. Hooper (1906). Proceedings of the Celebration of the Two Hundred and Seventy-fifth Anniversary of the Settlement of Medford, Massachusetts, June, Nineteen Hundred and Five: Prefaced by a Brief History of the Town and City from the Day of Settlement. Executive Committee. p. 62. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
- ^ Lexington Historical Society (Mass.) (1891). Lexington: A Handbook of Its Points of Interest, Historical and Picturesque. W.B. Clarke & Company. p. 7.