General Notes

REFN: 1055AN
REFN: P1055
ORIGIN: Unknown
MIGRATION: 1633
FIRST RESIDENCE: Roxbury
REMOVES: Boston by 1637, Portsmouth 1638, Pettaquamscutt after 1665
CHURCH MEMBERSHIP: Admitted to Roxbury church as member #74, among those w
ho arrived in 1633 [ RChR 78].
FREEMAN: 5 November 1633 [ MBCR 1:368]. Freeman at organization of Portsmo
uth, RhoDe Island, 7 March 1637/8 [ RICR 1:52]. Admitted freeman at the es
tablishment of the joint government of Newport and Portsmouth, 12 March 16
39/40 [RICR 1:100]. In Portsmouth section of 1655 list of RhoDe Island fre
emen [RICR 1:300].
EDUCATION: The offices and committees to which he was elected or appoint
ed in RhoDe Island indicate considerable education.
OFFICES: Committee to lay out land at Portsmouth, 20 May 1638, 16 Novemb
er 1638, 2 January 1638/9, 30 April 1639 [RICR 1:55, 62, 64, 71].
Assistant for Portsmouth to RhoDe Island court, 12 March 1639/40, 16 Ma
rch 1640/1, 16 March 1641/2, 23 May 1650 [RICR 1:101, 110, 120, 220].
On 19 May 1657 "Mr. John Porter being chosen a commissioner by the to
wn of Portsmouth, he being sick, and not able to attend, his fine is by th
is Court remitted" [RICR 1:355]. Commissioner for Portsmouth to RhoDe Isla
nd court, 10 March 1657/8, 23 August 1659, 22 May 1660 [RICR 1:366, 419, 4
28]. On 18 May 1658 "Mr. John Porter and Mr. John Roome, chosen commission
ers for Portsmouth, they being by illness not able to attend that servic
e, their fines are remitted" [RICR 1:393-94]. Placed second in voting f
or Assistant from Portsmouth, 17 May 1659, 22 May 1660 [RICR 1:408, 427
]. Committee to "ripen the matter concerning the purchase made by the gent
lemen of the Bay, in Narragansett," 22 May 1660 [RICR 1:429-30]. Audit com
mittee, 21 May 1661 [RICR 1:442]. Committee to raise money for obtaining r
oyal charter, 21 May 1661 [RICR 1:444]. (Chosen by town of Portsmouth as c
ommissioner to RhoDe Island court, 16 May 1651, 16 April 1657, 2 March 165
7/8, 11 May 1658, 8 August 1659, 9 May 1660, 11 May 1661, 12 May 1662 [ Po
TR 49, 75, 83, 84, 90, 92, 104, 110].)
Grand jury, 13 March 1659/60 (foreman), 8 October 1661 [RITrials 1:6
0, 73; PoTR 108]. Jury, 8 June 1657 [PoTR 76]. Petit jury, 30 June 1657 (f
oreman), 13 March 1659/60 (foreman), 11 March 1661/2, 7 May 1666 [ RICT 1:
28, 61-63, 65-66, 79, 2:43].
Portsmouth selectman, 30 April 1[639], 2 June 1650, 5 June 1654, 2 Ju
ne 1656, 22 November 1658 (moderator), 21 December 1659 (moderator), 9 Ju
ly 1660 (moderator) [PoTR 3, 46, 63, 71, 88, 91, 94]. Committee to treat w
ith Newport men, 28 November 1643 [PoTR 24]. Committee to select town meet
ing days, 14 November 1644 [PoTR 30]. Committee to plead at the General Co
urt, 4 February 1646[/7] [PoTR 34]. Committee to answer Newport messenger
s, 6 July 1647 [PoTR 35]. Magistrate, 2 June 1649 [PoTR 42]. Committ
ee to dispose of Portsmouth land, 2 February 1651[/2] [PoTR 57]. Committ
ee to discuss the line with Newport, 2 February 1651[/2], 19 December 16
62 [PoTR 58, 115]. "Conservator of the peace," 1 April 1653 [PoTR 59]. Com
mittee to treat with Newport regarding a debt, 5 May 1655 [PoTR 67, 69]. C
ommittee to dispute town's right to Hogg Island [PoTR 80]. Deputy warde
n, 7 June 1658 [PoTR 85]. Committee to confirm every man's land, 8 Augu
st 1659 [PoTR 90]. Committee to settle the line with Newport, 5 January 16
60[/1] [PoTR 99].
On 17 March 1655/6 "Mr. Porter is freed from personal training, on
ly he is to pay sixteen shillings a year" [RICR 1:335].
ESTATE: Granted two hundred (or two hundred and forty) acres at Portsmout
h, 10 February 1639/40 [PoTR 9; RICR 1:73]. Granted five acres "next un
to the swamp down to the sea," 5 (or 15) October 1643 [PoTR 21; RICR 1:77
]. On 1 October 1661 a committee "set the true bounds between the la
nd of Mr. John Porter, & the land of Mr. Thomas Brownell" [PoTR 104-05].
On 6 October 1642 "John Porter of Portsmouth" sold to John Sandfo
rd of the same town "all my part of t