John Sherburne (August 13, 1615 – 1698) was an emigrant from England to

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

. He arrived at

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on ...

, on June 12, 1632 aboard the ''"James''" with his brother Henry Sherburne. They were early New England pioneers, penniless despite aristocratic connections in England, and rose to considerable wealth in colonial New Hampshire.

John Samuel Sherburne John Samuel Sherburne (1757 – August 2, 1830) was a United States representative from New Hampshire and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire. Education and career Born in 1757, ...

, (1757 – August 2, 1830), a prominent colonial and early American politician in New England, was Sherburne's descendant, as was John Sherburne Sleeper (1794–1878).

Background

John and Henry, the family's founders in the New World, were

lineal descendant A lineal or direct descendant, in legal usage, is a blood relative in a person's direct line of descent – the children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc. In a legal procedure sense, lineal descent refers to the acquisition of estate ...

s of the Sherburne family of England (their ancestors could trace their lineage to

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

). These Sherburnes built

Stonyhurst Stonyhurst is a rural estate owned by the Society of Jesus near Clitheroe in Lancashire, England. It is centred on Stonyhurst College, occupying the great house, its preparatory school Stonyhurst Saint Mary's Hall and the parish church, St ...

Hall in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

but Stonyhurst was lost to the family when the elder branch became extinct in 1717. By then the New England Sherburnes -- descended from a younger son -- were already in New Hampshire.

is now

Stonyhurst College Stonyhurst College or Stonyhurst is a co-educational Catholic Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing education for boarding school, boarding and day school, day pupils, adhering to the Society of Jesus, Jesuit tradition. It is ...

. In addition to their Continental aristocratic connections, the Sherburnes of Stonyhurst and New England were among England's oldest families, their ancestors the Mittons on pre-Stonyhurst lands having been mentioned in the Doomsday Book. After Sherburne's great grandfather left Stonyhurst for

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, where he dwelled in Beam Hall, now a student house at

Merton College Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor ...

, his father Joseph moved to

Odiham Odiham () is a large historic village and civil parish in the Hart district of Hampshire, England. It is twinned with Sourdeval in the Manche Department of France. The 2011 population was 4,406. The parish in 1851 had an area of 7,354 acres ...

, where John and his brother Henry were born. Following their father's death, financial setbacks, and with limited prospects in England, the brothers decided to try their lot in America.

Legacy

Sherburne was with his brother Henry the progenitor of the New England Sherburne family, which made many contributions to the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

and subsequent republic."Some Descendants of Henry and John Sherburne of Portsmouth, New Hampshire" (Boston, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Sherburne, Edward Raymond, 1904) One of the earliest Sherburne family homes (built 1695-1703) still stands, and is preserved at

Strawbery Banke Strawbery Banke is an outdoor history museum located in the South End historic district of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It is the oldest neighborhood in New Hampshire to be settled by Europeans, and the earliest neighborhood remaining in the pre ...

Museum in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherburne, John 1615 births 1693 deaths People from colonial New Hampshire