Word Celebrity Blog

(NOTE: According to Lucy Loomis, Library Director, of the Sturgis Library, that the 2 images of Rev. John Lothrop are not of the original John Lothrop but is that of a descendent of his by the same name.  

"the image of John Lothrop. It is indeed an image of a John Lothrop, except many generations descended from Rev. John. As far as we know there are no known images of our Rev. John."


John Lothrop


John Lothrop (Lathrop, Lothropp) was an English Anglican clergyman, who became a Congregationalist minister and emigrant to New England. He was one of the founders of Barnstable, Massachusetts.


























John Lothrop was born in December 1584, in Etton, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. He was baptized December 20, 1584. He attended Queens' College, Cambridge, where he enrolled in 1601, graduated with a BA in 1605, and with an Master of Arts degree in 1609.

He was married to Hannah House, in England, on October 10, 1610. They had eight children:

   1. Thomas Lothrop, baptized February 21, 1612 in Eastwell, Kent, England, by his grandfather Rev. John Howse, parson there. Record from Bishop's Transcript records at Canterbury.
   2. Jane Lothrop, born 29 September 1614 in Egerton, Kent, England
   3. Anne Lothrop, born May 1616 in Egerton, England
   4. John Lothrop, born February 1617/18 in Egerton, England
   5. Barbara Lothrop, born October 1619 in Egerton, England
   6. Samuel Lothrop, born 1622 in Egerton, England
   7. Captain Joseph Lothrop, born April 1624 in Eastwell, Kent, England
   8. Benjamin Lothrop, born December 1626 in Eastwell, Kent, England

Their daughter Jane Lothrop was married to the Mayflower passenger Samuel Fuller, son of Edward Fuller.


















After John Lothrop received his Master of Arts degree, He was admitted as the perpetual curate in charge of the Egerton Church in Kent, which was located four miles east of Eastwell and forty-eight miles southeast of London.

In 1623, he renounced his Anglican orders and even though it was illegal,,  John Lothrop joined the cause of the Independent churches.

John Lothrop gained prominence in 1624,  when he was called to replace Reverend Henry Jacob as the pastor of the First Independent Church in London, a congregation of sixty members.

A large reason for his separation was a dispute about whether authority of leadership came from God, to the church, to the minister or from God, to the people, to the minister.  In 1624, John Lothrop succeeded  Rev. Henry Jacob, the first minister of the Independent Church,  who resigned to leave for Virginia.  It was considered a nonconformist denomination and was founded secretly in Southwark, Surrey, England, in 1616.   Church historians sometimes call this church the Jacob-Lathrop-Jessey Church, named for its first three pastors, Henry Jacob, John Lothrop and Henry Jessey.





















As part of King Charles I's reform of the entire Church of England, it was illegal to conduct religious meetings held outside the Anglican jurisdiction. Eleven congregations in London were watched closely, as they did not conform to this decree; one of them was John Lothropp's group.

For being independent in thought John Lothrop was arrested April 22, 1632 during a scheduled worship at the house of  Humphrey Barnet, a brewer's clerk in Black Friars, London, the Archbishop Laud's warrant-officer seized forty-two men. Eighteen others escaped. The captured men were keptin jail, for months in the old "Clink" prison, in Newgate.

The men lingered there for months. In the Spring of 1634, all but Mr. Lothrop were released on bail; he, their leader, the chief offender, was deemed too dangerous to be set at liberty.























In 1633, during John Lothrop's inprisonment, the Independent Church broke into two factions. One group was led by John Spilsbury and they later joined the Baptists; the remainder continued to be loyal to John Lothrop In the meantime, his wife Hannah died and left John Lothrop with seven children.

At the time of Hannah Lothrop's death, the seven surviving Lothrop children ranged in ages from five to eighteen years. One source indicates that Lothrop's followers dressed the children in their best and presented them to Archbishop Laud, demanding to know who was to care for them.

John Lothrop was told that he would be pardoned upon acceptance of terms to leave England permanently with his family along with as many of his congregation members as he could take who would not accept the authority of the Church of England.

Rev. John Lothrop petitioned for liberty to go into foreign exile, and the petition was granted on April 24, 1634.  He was required to give a bond and his word that he would not "be present at any private conventicles [gatherings]."   He did, however, delay his departure long enough to reorganize the meetings of his congregation,  which was joined at this time of crisis by William Kiffin's group.

On June 12, 1634, order was given by the High Commission Court that "John Lothropp, of Lambeth Marsh, be attached if he appear not on the next court day."   When he did not appear, an order was given that John Lothrop was to be imprisoned again if he did not appear in court on June 19.  He did not appear, and another deadline,  October 9, passed.  Finally,  on February 19, 1635,  John Lothrop and his compatriot, Samuel Eaton, were ordered to be  taken into custody for contempt.  By then,  John Lothrop was in New England.

Rev. John Lothrop, accompanied by six of his seven living children, thirty-two members of his church, and many others, had sailed on the "Griffin" from London to Boston. 






















Leaving for America.


This band of Christians, when they left for New England, were filled with confidence that they could create a new world.  They believed that God would bless their efforts with prosperity.  They intended to apply their doctrine, that each person is responsible for his or her own salvation, directly to their experience in the new land.  They defined social good in terms of the free individual: individual effort  plus public service,  equals private profit.

New England offered a rare opportunity to show that Zion could be built by a group of people who shared the same orthodoxy. As John Winthrop, governor of Massachusetts, declared: "Wee shall be as a Citty upon a Hill, the eies of all people are uppon us; soe that if wee shall deale falsely with our god in this worke wee have undertake and soe cause him to withdrawe his present help from us, wee shall be made a story and by-word through the world." 


























The Lothrop group sailed on the "Griffin" from London, England to Boston, New England. 























While on their journey across the sea, John Lothrop was reading his Bible one night, and he fell asleep.  The hot tallow of the candle that he was using to read, burned holes in a few of the pages.




















He later patched the holes with paper and  then hand wrote from his  memory, the missing verses.  That same  1606 Bible became part of the display in the "Sturgis Library" in Barnstable, Massachusetts.

John Lothrop and his group,  on the "Griffin" arrived in the Boston, Massachusetts harbor, on September 18, 1634.


The State Papers in the new Record Office, Fetter Lane, London, have preserved some of the Star Chamber records of John Lothrop's days.of imprisonment.





















Governor John Winthrop


Governor John Winthrop recorded that the ship "Griffin" arrived on September 18. 1634. The record found on page 71 of Governor Winthrop's Journal, quotes John Lothrop, a freeman, rejoicing in finding a "church without a bishop,"... "and a state without a king."

John Lothrop married again, to Ann Hammond (1616–1687) shortly after his arrival, in 1635.  They had five children.

   9. Elizabeth Lothrop, born in Scituate, MA
  10. Barnabas Lothrop, born June 1636 in Barnstable, MA
  11. Abigail Lothrop, born 2 November 1639 in Barnstable, MA
  12. Bathsheba Lothrop, born February 1640 or 41 in Scituate, MA
  13. Captain John Lothrop, born 9 February 1643 or 44 in Barnstable, MA

Historian Amos Otis, studied in depth the life of John Lothrop, has given valuable insights into the integrity and characteristics of the minister at Barnstable: "Mr. Lothrop was as distinguished for his worldly wisdom as for his piety. He was a good businessman, and so were all of his sons. Where every one of the family pitched his tent, that spot became the center of business, and land in its vicinity appreciated in value. It is men that make a place, and to Mr Lothrop in early times,  Barnstable was more indebted than to any other family... Whatever exceptions we may take to Mr. Lothrop's theological opinions, all must admit that he was a good and true man, an independent thinker, and a man who held opinions in advance of his times. Even in Massachusetts, a half century has not elapsed since his opinions of religious toleration have been adopted by legislature."



















John Lothropp was not a member of the Boston Puritans, and he did not remain in Boston with them. He, with 34 families from Kent, England, settled in Scituate on September 27, 1634.

"John Lothrop did not stay in Boston long. Within days, he and his group relocated to Scituate where they "joynedin covenaunt together" along with nine others who preceded them to form the "church of Christ collected att Scituate." (Huntington, 1884, page 27)

At the time, Scituate was a village with nine small houses.  Prior to Lothrop's arrival, worship meetings at Scituate were held at the home of James Cudworth,  who had the largest home in town .  On Jan 29, 1635, a worship meeting was held at John Lothrop's house.  At that meeting,  by the votes of the members present,  John Lothrop was formally chosen as the minister of Scituate.


































Sciate Harbor Today.


























Plaque marking the First Church Location.


The Congregation at Scituate was not a success.  There dissent on the issue of baptism as well as other unspecified grievances due to theological differences among the residents of Scituate. John Lothrop led his followers out of the congregation.  It was writtin that there was a shortage of good grazing land and fodder for their cattle, which was also a problem.

The issue of baptismcaused the church in Scituate to split in 1638.

John Lothrop petitioned Governor Thomas Prence in Plymouth for a "place for the transplanting of us, to the end that God might have more glory and wee more comfort." (Otis, 1888 p198)





















"Mr. Lothrop and a large company arrived in Barnstable, October 11, 1639 O.S., bringing with them the crops which they had raised in Scituate."  (Otis, 1888 p198)





















Within three years they had built homes for all the families and then Rev. John Lothrop's group began construction on a larger sturdier meeting house by Coggin's Pond (or Cooper's Pond), which was completed in 1644.


















Constructed in 1644 for the Reverend John Lothrop, one of the founders of Barnstable, this house forms the original part of the Sturgis Library in Barnstable, Massachusetts, the oldest Library building in the United States.  The building is also one of the oldest houses remaining on Cape Cod.

Since Reverend Lothrop used the front room of the house for public worship,  another distinction of the Sturgis Library is that it is the oldest structure still standing in America where religious services were regularly held.  This room, is now called "The Lothrop room." Its beamed ceiling and pumpkin-colored wide-board floors, retain the early character of authentic Cape Cod homes.





















Sturgis Library, Route. 6A, Barnstable, Massachusetts.














































This original 1644 building, is now part of the Sturgis Library in Barnstable, Massachusetts. It is one of John Lothrop's original homes and meeting houses.  It is also the oldest building housing a public library in America.

Reverand John Lothrop was a firm believer in free will. He tolerated difference of opinion, an attitude not common in his time. He even admitted to Christian fellowship the persecuted Anabaptists.  In his opinion their method of baptism by immersion was unnecessarily thorough,  but if they chose such doctrine they were welcome to their belief and to a warm fellowship in his church.   He took no stock in creeds or particularized confessions of faith,  for they seemed to him narrow.   He substituted the whole Bible for them and gladly admitted to membership in his church anyone who confessed faith in God and who promised to do his best in keeping the Ten Commandments.  No applicant for membership, was compelled to sign a creed or a confession of faith.




















During Reverend John Lothrop's fourteen years as the minister in Barnstable, no civil authority of any kind was needed to restrain crime.


























West Parish Meetinghouse, 2049 Meetinghouse Way (Rt. 149), West Barnstable.





















Inside View from the back of the Meeting Room.
























John Lathrop left this world at Barnstable on November 8, 1653.


























His burial was at Lothrop Hill Cemetery, Barnstable, Barnstable County, Massachusetts.




















Looking out over Cemetery Hill.



John Lothrop left a will which had not been signed; and on March 7, 1653 or 16544, legal administration was granted on his estate to Mrs. Ann  Lothrop  The will mentioned his wife; oldest son Thomas to have a house in Barnstable;  son John in England and son Benjamin in Barnstable each to have a cow and 5 pounds; daughters Jane and Barbara had had their portions;  to the rest of the children "both mine and my wife's" each a cow;  to each of them one book;  the rest of his library to be sold and the proceeds divided.

His wife Ann Lothrop  died on February 25, 1686 or 1688 in Barnstable, Barnstable County., Massachusetts.


























Rev. John Lothrop Marker - East Parish Church.



John Lothrop has been ranked as one of the four most prominent colonial ministers in America. 

His spiritual and political strength not only was emulated by his sons and daughters,  but it has also been demonstrated in the lives of thousands of his descendants, in the last four centuries  They have included presidents of the United States,  a prime minister of Canada,  authors, performers,  financiers,  politicians,  and  key leaders among the diverse religious groups that cover our continent.



























It might be possible, as some think, that John Lathrop's fame has not lasted much beyond his life, but, his many descendants continue to influence the world to this day.  John Lothropp's direct descendants in America number more than 80,000.  Here is a sample of some of those:

    * Old West gunfighter and lawman Wild Bill Hickock
    * Revolutionary War figure Benedict Arnold
    * Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

    * Mormon prophet Joseph Smith
    * Secretary of State John Foster Dulles
    * CIA Director Allen Welsh Dulles
     * Artist Lewis Comfort Tiffany
    * Physician, author Benjamin Spock

    * Presidents of the United States:
          o Millard Fillmore
          o Ulysses S. Grant
          o Franklin D. Roosevelt
          o George W. Bush
          o George Bush
    * Candidates for National Office:
          o US Senator Adlai Stevenson
    * State governors:
          o Thomas E. Dewey
          o William W. Kitchin
    * Educator, president of Yale University, and American diplomat Kingman Brewster, Jr..
    * Historian, College Administrator, and the president of Harvard University, Catherine Drew Gilpin Faust
    * Wife of the founder of Stanford University Jane Stanford
    * Author and doctor Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. and his son, US Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell  Holmes, Jr.
    * Founder of General foods Marjorie Merriweather Post
    * Founder of Fuller Brush Company Alfred Carl Fuller
    * Founder of University of Chicago Law School, Founder of the Harvard Law Review, and Royall
       Professor of Law at  Harvard University Law School, Joseph Henry Beale
    * Financier John Pierpont Morgan
    * Music Therapist Aimee Lathrop
    * Detroit rapper Sean Strnad, whose stage name is "Pick Up"
    * Writer Cynthia Rouse, Alexandra Rouse, Tony Rouse, and many other Mitchell relatives.
    * The Allred family, including actor Corbin Allred
       and polygamist sect leaders and brothers, Rulon C. Allred and Owen A. Allred
    * Actors, Dina Merrill, Shirley Temple, and Brooke Shields.


No amount nor severity of persecution,  that his enemies could inflict upon him, could cause John Lothrop  to faulter in his convictions.  He submitted to loss of his property, to imprisonment of his body, and to separation from his family and friends for years, rather than to agree to the form of worship that the English monarchy attempted to force upon him.  He remained faithful to his call and to his flock.   He was just a man called John, that God greatly blessed and blessed his new country to which he came.


"He was a man of humble and broken heart spirit, lively in dispensation of the Word of God, studious of peace, furnished with godly contentment, willing to spend and be spent for the cause of the church of Christ." (Huntington, 1884, p33)