All over America today live the descendats of the fathers and mothers of the ship christened Mary & John.
Their sons and daughters have written their names on the pages of American History.
They have filled the pulpits of famous churches;
They have sat on judges benches, and in the seats of Congress;
They have occupied Governors Mansions and even the White House.
Some fought at Lixington, and wintered with Washington at Valley Forge.
They joined in the trek to the West, and one followed Brigham Young in to Utah.
One marched with Sherman as he burned and pillaged his way through Georgia, and perhaps one fough on the other side with Lee.
They learned strange names like Saint Mehiel, Chateau Thierry, The Argonne Forest and Sedan. Perhaps one lies in Flanders Field.
My 6th Great Grandfather, Jonathan Gillett was a passenger on the Mary & John; He arrived here in New England on 20 March 1630, one of a group of one hundred and forty men and women who set sail from Plymouth, England.
Source 1. In Search Of The Families Of The Mary & John Vol. 4.
Source 2. Gillett Genealogy.
Source 3. Vital Records of Windsor Conn. Vol 1.
Source 4. Film: 0002917: Lists birth of children.
Source 5. The American Genealogist; vol. 55, no. 3; pg: 170-173
Source 6. The Great Migration Begins; Book: 974. W2H
Source 7. Will of Jonathan Gillett Dated 8 Aug 1677 & proved 6 Sep 1677
Jonathan Gillett Sen. of Windsor, being at present very ill and under distemper of body above ordinary named my wife sole executrix and my son Josiah Gillett to take care for the improvement of his mothers estate, she to have the use of both my houselots, my one and that which was my brother Nathan Gilletts, which are both nine acres, also at the upper end of the first meadow or that which is Timothy Phelpes, and all that remains of that to me I set out three acres to my son John, after my decease my son Josiasto assist his mother, and after her death he shall enjoy for his own my now dwelling house and all the appurtenances with it, with five acres of houselands & all other parcels of land, as are expressed to be his mothers for her use whilst she lives, only excepting the house & four acres of the houseland to it, which my son Jeremy shall possess for his own after my wifes decease and the six acres in the second meadow I set out to him, he is to possess for his own at the present, thirdly, my will is that if the Lord should take me and my wife both of us away by death within four years after the date hereof, my son Josiah shall pay some legacies, as to his brother Jonathan Gillett and a gun, and to his brothe Cornelius Gillett, to my daughter, Peter Brownes wife, and to my daughter, Samuel fyllyes wife, and to the two children which I have taken that were my son Josephs deceased, as the little son Jonathan and the girl. My son Jonathan is to have the other twenty acres of woodland joining to the twenty acres expressed to my wife. He is to have his twenty acres next to Thomas Barber, ten acres of it I give him, the other ten he hath bought. Also, Jonathan and Cornelius my sons are to have my eleven acres without the west bounds of Windsor, betwixt them, after my decease.And my son John gillett to have six acres of the other parces without the bounds at present, and Jeremie to have the remainder of it.
The inventory of Jonathan Gillett Senior who died the 23 day of this August was taken 31 August 1677 & totaled 273, 10s., including real estate valued at 188; his dwelling & barn house land, five acres; His dwelling house that was his brother Nathans & four acres of houseland,; the first meadow, near four acres; The second meadow eight acres; twenty acres of woodland, six acres of upland and without the west bounds of Windsor common land fifteen
acres;
More that a generation later, on 25 Aug 1719, Jonathan Filley Josiah Filley, John Filley, Thomas Gillett & Joseph Gillett petitioned the probate court that their grandfather, Jonathan Gillit late of Windsor had left uun-administered estate and they requested that someone be appointed to administer the property;
Johnathan was no doubt born before the institution of their father as Rector Chaffcomme on 4 Feb 1609l10 and baptized at some other parish.
He is The progenitor of the Windsor, Ct Branch of the Gillette Family. He belonged, with his brother, Nathan, to the company of about 140 Puritans that was formed in the counties of Devonshire, Dorsetshire & Somersetshire, England. They sailed to New England on the Mary & John March 20 1630 and arrived at Nantasket, Massachusetts on 30 May 1630 & settled at Dorchester, Massachusetts. Jonathan was made a freeman there on May 6, 1635.
Jonathan returned to England for a short time, where he married Mary Dolbiar and together, they sailed back to New England. Some sources say he was accompanied by his brother, Nathan in 1630, but the latter may have come on the second trip.
Jonathan was made Freeman in 1635;
On 17 April, 1635, he was granted permission to fence in a half-acre about his house, leaving sufficient highway and four more acres against Fox Point (Dorchester.)
From birth recoreds of his children we find his family moved to Windsor, Connecticut about 1636 where he had a lot granted to him-seventeen rods wide, near Mr Warehams and across the Poquonnoc road from Alexander Alvord of the same company.
In 1671 he was granted 40 acres in Simsbury, Conn. for his service in the Pequot Indian War of 1637.
In 1665, he was constable in Windsor and from 1660, he served on the jury for 17 years.
He and his wife, Mary are included in the Matthew Grants Church list, 37 years after the settlement of 21 members who were in Dorcchester and came to Windsor with Mr. Wareham.