In 1645, John's name appears as one of the 54 original proprietors of the grant of land afterwards known as Bridgewater. In 1656 he was one of two surveyors for the town. In 1657 he took the freeman's oath. He was one of the fourteen men whose allotment of land was in the eastern part of the grant. He was one of the first military officers and was appointed an Ensign, 27 September 1664. In May 1676, during King Philip's War, Ensign John Howard, with twenty others, fought with some Indians and took seventeen of them alive with much plunder, and all returned without serious injury. On 5 June 1678, he was deputy to the General Court of Massachusetts; he was appointed selectman of his town on the same date. In 1683 he, with Thomas Hayward, was a representative to the General Court. On 2 October 1689 he was promoted and received his commission as a lieutenant. He was a carpenter by trade. He spelled his name Haward, and so did many of his descendants until after 1700. He married Martha, daughter of Thomas Hayward, one of the original proprietors of Bridgewater, who came on the ship Hercules in 1635 from Sandwich, Kent County, England, with five children and three brothers.
John Howard built his home near the first meeting house. It stood directly north of the corner of Howard and River Sts. His was the first public house in Bridgewater, as he was licensed to keep an ordinary, or tavern, in 1670, at his place. The house and tavern were owned and managed by his descendants for a period of 151 years. John Howard opened the tavern in 1670 and kept it for 30 years until his death in 1700. His oldest son, John then became proprietor, conducting it 26 years until his death in 1726. His son, Maj. Edward, was proprietor from that date until 1771, for 45 years. His son, Col. Edward, owned and conducted the house for 38 years, from 1771 to 1809 when he died. Then his widow and son, Capt. Benjamin Beal Howard, kept the house open 12 years, until 1821. The house was taken down in 1838. Without a doubt, one of the early distinguished guests of the tavern was Mary (Chilton) Winslow, the first lady who came on shore from the Mayflower, who was the grandmother of the wife of the second proprietor, John. An occasional guest was John Reed, D.D., who was a member of Congress during Washington's administration.
Lt. John Howard died in 1700. His property was appraised in October the next year. It consisted of about 450 acres of land and his estate was valued at about 840 pounds.
Children of John and Martha Howard:
- John
- James
- Jonathan
- Elizabeth; married Edward Fobes
- Sarah; married Zacheus Packard
- Bethiah; married Henry Kingman
- Ephraim, born 1667
London, Aug.
16, 1652.
Loving Son --
Having a fitt opportunity by a friend to send to you, I could not, out of my motherly care to you and your brother, do less than write these few lines to you to certify you that both I and your sister are in good health, praysed be God, and that I earnestly desire to hear from you both, how you do and how and in what condition you are both. Your sister desires to be remembered to you both, and she and I have sent you some small tokens of our love for you. I have sent George 3 bands and a handkerchief, and an handkerchief to yourself, and I have sent you a shilling to you to pay for writing a letter, if by long silence you have forgott. I wonder, son, you should so forgott your mother, whose welfare she tended more than anything in the world. Your sister hath sent you a boom of your father's to you and a bible to George. did we conceive you were alive, we would have sent you better tokens. Child, with my blessing to you both, desire to hear from you and whether you ever intend for England, and how your cousing Sarah doth, with my daily prayer to the Lord for you, I rest.
- Your Loving Mother,
Mary Hayward
this: --
In case he be dead, to George Hayward in New England
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