52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2016 WEEK 20: JOHN GAY OF DEDHAM, MA.

Samuel Dana, my 7x great grandfather, married Abigail Gay. Her line goes back to immigrant
ancestor John Gay, my 9x great grandfather.

Distant cousin Frederick Lewis Gay wrote a Gay family genealogy which begins with this
short sketch of our mutual ancestor:

 1. John1 Gay emigrated to America about 1630. He settled first at Watertown, and was a grantee in the Great Dividends and in the Beaver Brook plowlands, owning altogether forty acres. He was admitted freeman May 6, 1635. With others of Watertown he was one of the founders of the plantation at Dedham, his name appearing on the petition for incorporation Sept. 6, 1636, and among the original proprietors of lands. He was one of the selectmen, 1654. He died March 4, 1688. Joanna, his wife, died Aug. 14, 1691. She is said in family tradition to have been widow Baldwicke before her marriage to John Gay. His will in the Suffolk records, dated Dec. 18, 1686, was proved Dec. 17, 1689, his wife Joanna and son John being the executors. His estate was valued in the inventory at £91 os. 8d. His children were:

2. i. Samuel, b. March 10, 1639; d. April 15, 1718. 

    ii. Hezekiah, b. July 3, 1640: d. Nov. 28, 1669. 

3. iii. Nathaniel, b. Jan. 11, 1643; d. Feb. 20, 1712.

    iv. Joanna, b. March 23, 1645; married, first, Nathaniel Whiting, Jr.; married, second, John Ware, of Wrentham, Jan. 1680.

4. v. Eliezer, b. June 25, 1647; d. April 13, 1726. (Wrongly called Ebenezer by Savage.) 

    vi. Abiel, b. April 23, 1649; married Daniel Hawes, Feb. 23, 1677. 

    vii. Judith (called Judah in her father's will), b. April 23, 1649 (twin) ;
    married John Fuller, Feb 8, 1672.

5. viii. John, b. May 6, 1651; d. Nov. 19, 1731.

6. ix. Jonathan, b. Aug. 1, 1653.

    x. Hannah, b. Oct. 16, 1656; d. Feb. 26, 1660. 
.
    xi. Elizabeth, date and place of birth unknown; married Richard Martin. 1660 (see Keg. ante, vol. xix. 168) ; not mentioned in her father's will. -page 3

John Gay of Dedham, Massachusetts: And Some of His Descendants  DAVID CLAPP & SON, PRINTERS. Boston, Ma. 1879


Since that was written it's been determined that John's wife Joanna was the widow of a John Borden
of Watertown, Ma. when she and John were married and that she had at least one child by him.

I'm descended from Nathaniel Gay, John's second son, and I'll discuss him in the next 52 Ancestors
entry.