(1)  John North sailed from London at the age of 20 in the Susan and Ellen and landed at Boston April 16, 1635. Among his fellow voyagers were many of the founders of the sturdy New England families so intimately connected with the development of the colonies and the United States. The ships lists were often headed with the words: "The men have taken the oath of allegiance and supremacie," or they swear "that they are no Subsedy men." This is explained by the fact that King James issued a proclamation that no person take passage in any ship to America (being subsidy men or their value) without license from his Majesty's Commissioners for the plantations, nor any under the degree of subsidy men, without a certificate that they have taken the oath of allegiance and supremacy, and a testimony from the ministers of the parish of their conformity to the orders and discipline of the Church of England.
Gov. John Winthrop in his "History of New England," under date of April 16, 1635, says: "A bark of forty tons arrived, set forth with twenty servants, by Sir Richard Saltonstall, to go plant at Connecticut."
        Perhaps reports of trouble with the Indians in Connecticut deterred the party from proceeding thither, and under the guidance of Richard Saltonstall, son of Sir Richard Saltonstall, some turned their steps towards Ipswich,1 Mass., which was founded in 1634. On the list of proprietors there in 1637 appear the names of both Richard Saltonstall and "John Northe." The next year there is entered in the town records the following transaction:
        Granted to John North in the year 1637, three acres of Land, lying near the Reedy marsh, bounded by a planting lott of William English on the Northwest, and having three acres of the lyke ground formerly granted to Isaac Perkins, on the south east, to enjoy the sayd Land, his heirs and assigns forever. Entered 7th month, 1638 into the Town book folio 15.
        Memorand, that whereas John North was lately possessed of three acres of planting ground, lying near the Reedy marsh, having a plant lott of William English on the Northwest, and three acres of the lyke planting ground formerly granted to Isaac Perkins now in possession of John Warner on the South east, now the said John North hath for a certain sum of money to him in hand payde sould unto forenamed John Warener all the sayd three acres of Land together with all his interest and claim unto the sayd Land with all the fencing timber and all the other apurtenances to the sayd Lands, and the sayd John Warener, to enjoy the sayd Land, to him, his heirs and assigns forever. Entered by their joynt order, the 13th of December, 1638.
        On July 7, 1646, John North sold a house and lot on the south side of the river to Robert Kinsman. Perhaps this was preparatory to his removal to Connecticut, for at that time there began a considerable migration westward from the settlements around Boston. One of these was the church party of the Rev. Thomas Hooker, which made its way through the wilderness in 1635-6 and founded the town of Hartford. Of this colony Farmington was the first offshoot, and was settled in 1640. This territory now includes the following towns: Southington, which was the first to be detached as a separate township in 1779; nearly the whole of New Britain and Berlin, 1785; Bristol, 1785; Burlington, 1806; Avon, 1830; Plainville, 1869; and parts of Wolcott, Harwinton and Bloomfield, formerly Wintonbury Parish.
        After his sale of land in Ipswich we have no further record of John North until 1652, when his name appears in the Hartford County court records. He had evidently kept in mind the original objective of the Susan and Ellen's party to settle in Connecticut. There is no record that he ever lived in Hartford city, as did most of the early settlers of Farmington.
        Under entry of January, 1653, in the Farmington land records (Vol. II, pp. 12) are described several pieces of land belonging to John North. One piece of eight acres in the Little Meadow was bought of Nicholas Marson. In that month John North bought of John Steele, original owner, a house and lot of threequarters of an acre, situated on the east side of the north end of the main street, now occupied by two houses, one recently owned by Sarah Shield, the other by Dorothy Palmer. In the same year he had a daughter baptized there. Trumbull's "Memorial History of Hartford County" gives a map of Farmington showing the location of John North's lot and those of his sons, John and Samuel. These three were among the eighty-four men between whom the unoccupied lands of the ancient town were divided in 1672. All those included in this list were known as original proprietors of the town.
        John North and his wife were members of the Farmington Church, which she joined in 1656. He was made freeman of Connecticut, May 21, 1657.
        John North's name appears as witness on the will of Elizabeth, widow of William Smith, dated "Nouvember 15th, 1676." In the year 1684 he had, according to the original act of division, an estate of 157 pounds.
        There is a mystery surrounding John North's marriage. Did he marry twice? There is no authentic record. He was married before leaving Ipswich, for his first child was born there in 1641. But the vital records of that town contain no births or marriages of any Norths or Birds. Most records state that his wife was Hannah Bird, daughter of Thomas Bird.
        In the distribution of the latter's estate, August-September, 1662, portions were set to Mary Northe and to Hannah Scott, again mentioned March 3, 1663, as good wife Northe and Hannah Scott. From this statement is probably drawn the conclusion in the "Goodwin and Morgan Ancestral Lines," by F. F. Starr, that Mary Bird was John North's second wife, and that Hannah was probably the first wife of Edmund Scott. Savage does not give the name of Edmund Scott's first wife and says his second wife was Elizabeth, widow of Thomas Upson. John North's oldest daughter was named Mary. None bore the name Hannah, but both names occur among his granddaughters.
        No satisfactory explanation being obtainable from this meagre information, it perhaps strengthens the reliability of the various old family records, which state that Hannah Bird was John North's wife.
        It is interesting to conjecture when and where the Norths and the Birds came in contact with each other. From Mr. Starr's book we learn that the first record of Thomas Bird in America was in 1639, when he bought land in that part of Boston later set apart as Braintree, and that by May 1644, he was in Hartford, and shortly afterward removed to Farmington, where he bought land.
        But the present compiler believes that the Thomas Bird who was granted in April 1639, a house and lot in Ipswich, and six acres of planting land in "Reedy marsh," according to the Ipswich town records, was this same Thomas Bird, and that he probably went to Braintree later in the same year. His stay in Ipswich therefore probably covers the period when the two families were in contact. But there is always the interesting possibility that the families may have known each other in England, as previously suggested by the fact that early in the seventeenth century there were families of Norths and Birds in Yorkshire, whence both may have come.
        John North died early in 1691-2, aged 76 years. Though he is supposed to have been buried in Farmington, his grave cannot be found. His will was taken 12 February 1692, by John Thompson, Sr., and John Orton. The Hartford Co. Court, sitting 3 March 1691/1692, ordered distribution as follows:

Admns. to Thomas North. This Court distributeth the Estate as followeth:
To Thomas North                        69    16    00
" Joseph North                            24    18    00
" Mary Searles                            27    18    00
" Sarah Woodruff & children        31    08    00
Ensign Thomas Hart and Mr. Thos. Bull to Dist. to legatees.

        This present writing witnesseth an agreement between Thomas North and Joseph North, both of Farmington, upon some  difference yt was between us, the aforesaid Thomas and Joseph North, respecting the division of our honored Father John North desc'd Estate, as it was distributed at the honored court held at Hartford the first Thursday of this present March. That we may enjoy what by the Holy Providence of God is left us in peace and quietness and love and a blessing therewith, and for our better satisfaction, we do agree as followeth: Thomas relinquisheth his right to a dubbel portion out of his father's estate, and as to the personal property we doe hereby agree that Thomas North shall have themm all except Mary (???) part and portion, and a great kettel of three pounds and ten shillings worth, which we doe agree ye Joseph North shall have that, and also ye great porridg pot.

        Signed, sealed and acknowledged at Hartford, May 13, 1692, before mee JOHN ALLYN,  Ass't.

                                                            THOMAS NORTH.
                                                            JOSEPH NORTH.

                    Witness: THOMAS BULL, JONATHON SMITH.

The original copy of the receipt of John North's daughter Mary and son-in-law John Searles for their portion of the father's estate reads as follows:

        Now all people to whom this present wrighting may come thee twentey fouerth day of march in the yer of our lord one thousand six hundred nintey two that I John Searles and Maray Searles of Northampton in the countey of Springfeld and the coloney of the Matechusets in new england doe her by acknowledg that wee have Reseved of the estate of our honoured father John North of Farmington deseased wee say wee have Reseved the full and all our wholl proprtion dead or dus bee long to us from our Honnored father John North deseased according to the acts and settlement of the Honnor countey court of Hartford march the 3 (1692) and all so wee do further owne and acknowlig that wee have also reseved our full and wholl and all our proportion of that estat that doth be long to us as leagetes to the estat of the above sayed father John North deseased according to the court acte we say we have reseved all the above saied leagecis of our Loveing Brothers Thomas North and Joseph North administrators to the estat of our Honnored father John North deseased and we do her by fully freely and absolutly for ever acquit and discharge the sayed Thomas North and Joseph North as administrators to the above sayed estat of our Honnored father John North deseased from all chalenges claimes Rightes or titles to said estate or anay part thare of as Leagetes in witteness whare of I John Searls have signed Sealed and delivered this wrighting with my owne hand in the day and yer above said.

Children of John North:

1. John, born November 1641, probably at Ipswich, Massachusetts, died 6 August 1682 in Wethersfield, Hartford Co., Connecticut
2. Samuel, a twin, born 1643, probably at Ipswich, Massachusetts, died 14 December 1682 at Farmington, Connecticut
3. Mary, a twin, born 1643 probably at Ipswich, Massachusetts, died 5 November 1726; married 10 or 30 March 1675, widower John Searles, son of John and Sarah (Baldwin) Searles.
4. James, born 1647, died 25 july 1689 in Northampton, Massachusetts
5. Thomas, mentioned below
6. Sarah, baptized 18 December 1653 at Farmington, Connecticut, died about January 1691/1692; married widower Matthew Woodruff, Jr., brother of Hannah Woodruff who married Capt. Richard Seymour and whose son married Hannah North, daughter of Thomas North.  Her estate was inventoried 2 February 1691/1692 in the same month as that of her father and in less than two months after that of her husband.
7. Nathaniel, born and baptized 29 June 1656/1657 at Farmington, Connecticut. He was a soldier in King Philip's War and had a soldier's grant.  He probably died without heirs and is not mentioned in his father's will;  however, he may be the father of the Capt. Nathaniel North, born May 1686/1687 who married in 1709 Thankful Wright, and of Joseph North who was baptized 18 May 1689 and married 24 October 1717 Esther Brown
8. Lydia, born and baptized 9 May 1658 at Farmington, Connecticut, probably died unmarried
9. Joseph, baptized 18 March 1659 at Farmington, Connecticut, died about Jan 1730/1731; married before 3 January 1686/1687 Martha Porter, born 1666, died 11 July 1749, daughter of John Porter and Sarah Hart. Joseph North had his father's house in Farmington, and having no children, made his nephew Joseph Woodruff, his heir.

        (2)  Thomas North, was born in 1649, and died at Northington, now Avon, in 1712, aged 63. He married in 1669, Hannah Newell, born in 1656, baptized 14 April 1658, and died 4 November 1757. If her dates are correctly given she was married at the age of 13, was the mother of two sons at 17, and lived to be 101. She and her husband were both members of the church.
        After his marriage and the birth of two sons, Thomas North enlisted under Captain Henchman in King Philip's War. He was stationed with Connecticut troops in the vicinity of Boston in 1675, and was with the garrison at Hadley, Mass., in the summer of 1676. ("Soldiers in King Philip's War.") He was made freeman there Feb. 8, 1678, and received a grant of land for his military services in or near Northington, now Avon, where he and Joseph Woodford were pioneer settlers. There he lived on the east side of the river near the old Marshall's tavern, "under the mountain" and north of the Hartford and Albany turnpike. He was a magistrate of the colony of Connecticut.
        The General Assembly and Court of Election sitting at Hartford acted as follows:

April 6, 1713: "This Court appointed Hannah North of Farmington, guardian to her 2 daughters, Lydia and Sarah, both minors, above 14 years, and also allow the said Hannah North to be guardian to her son Ebenezer North, 14 years of age. Joseph North, a minor, chose Thomas North to be his guardian. Recog. œ100."

April 6, 1713-4: Inventory œ39-12-07 taken by Samuel Newell and Joseph North. "Thomas North, Adms., exhibits now an account of his Admns. Order to dist. the estate.
To Jane North widow relict            9    12    03
To Thomas North, eldest son        [broken page]
To Nathaniel, Joseph, Ebenezer, Hannah, Mary, Rebekah, Lydia and Sarah North, to each of them
                                                 2    02    08
and appoint John Stanly, Samuel Newell and Joseph North of Farmington, dist."

May 13, 1714: "Upon the petition of Hannah North and Thomas North, administrators of the estate of Thomas North of Farmington, deceased: This Assembly empowers the said administrators to make and execute a deed of 3 acres of land to the heirs of Joseph Bird, deceased, pursuant to a bargain between the said Thomas North, deceased, and him, the said Joseph Bird, deceased."

1. John, died 2 February 1709/1710; married 19 March 1707/1708 Jane Stebbins of Wethersfield, Connecticut
2. Thomas, born 1673, died 2 March 1724/1725
3. Hannah; married 10 May 1706, Samuel, son of Capt. Richard Seymour and Hannah Woodruff of Great Swamp Village. They were members of the original church in Kensington.
4. Nathaniel, born 1688, died 5 April 1777
5. Mary; married 1709 William Eno
6. Joseph, a twin, baptized 31 December 1693, died 20 March 1781
7. Rebecca, a twin, baptized 31 December 1693; married 27 January 1713, Joseph Phelps, Jr., of Turkey Hill.
8. Lydia, baptized March 1696, died 8 August 1736; married 6 December 1714 Samuel Humphrey of Simsbury.
9. Sarah, a twin, baptized 1696, was a minor over 14 in 1713 when her father's estate was settled.
10. Ebenezer, born 1703, died 5 August 1789.