464. John VALENTINE II
(192)
(81) was born in 1669 in England. LDSFamily Search Ancestral File
has birth date of 28 Dec 1670 at Bencliffe Hall, Eccles, Lancaster, England.
He died on 1 Feb 1723/24 in Boston, Suffolk Co., MA. He was buried on 4 Feb
1724 in King's Chapel, Boston, MA. IMMIGRANT - "The next mention of a
Valentine in the records is that of the appointment of John(2) to the position
of Notary Public June 3, 1698. In those days Notaries Public and Justices of
the Peace were offices which held much more distinction and authority than they
do today. John(2) was a lawyer and his career in public service grew. A document
verified by him in 1706 shows him to be 'Notary and Tabellion Public for Massachusetts
Bay.' A tabellion was an official scrivener or scribe, essentially the same
as a notary. He was reappointed Notary Public Oct. 24, 1712 and Dec. 10, 1715.
On April 16, 1718 he was appointed Justice of the Peace and in November of that
year he is mentioned in Judge Samuel Sewall's diary as 'Our new Attorney General.'
The Boston News-Letter in July 1720 stated that he took the required oaths as
His Majesty's Advocate General for the Provinces of Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire
and the Colony of Rhode Island, a position he held until his death in 1724.
Another aspect of John's life is shown by his donation of £10 for the building
of a gallery, a new pulpit and the 'adorning' of King's Chapel in 1718. This
was one-thirtieth of the total cost of these things. No doubt he supported his
church before and after this event also. Still another part of his life was
political and apparently he was quite outspoken in town meetings, loyal to the
government and, in the words of a Judge Washburn, 'an agreeable speaker.' However,
to the townspeople as a whole he may have appeared haughty and not in tune with
the growing dissatisfaction with crown rule." (Bonnie Hubbard)
On Saturday, 1 Feb 1724, John was found in the loft of his home. He had hung
himself with his sash. According to Bonnie Hubbard, "No clue has ever been
found as to why John Valentine took his life... It appears to have been a sudden
and irrevocable impulse. His will had been written about two years earlier and
in it he leaves first his soul to God, his body to the earth, 'hoping through
the merits of Christ Jesus, my blessed Lord and Saviour, to obtain the forgiveness
of all my sins.' He then mentions the members of his immediate family as well
as his sister Elizabeth and appoints his 'good friend and kinsman James Bowdoin'
to be executor. He also provides for 'my honored mother' if she survives him.
The estate was quite a large one, valued at about £4200 sterling. There
was the equivalent of about $900 in cash in the house and a collection of household
silver plate estimated to be worth £323 sterling. Three slaves and several
houses in good parts of the town also indicate that he was very well-to-do. ...
It is apparent also that he must have served well and honorably in the many offices
to which he was appointed. He was buried at King's Chapel on February 4, 1724."
He was married to Mary LYNDE on 16 Apr 1702 in Boston, Suffolk Co., MA.
465. Mary LYNDE
(192)(81) was born on 16 Nov
1680 in Boston, Suffolk Co., MA. Bonnie Hubbard has birthdate of "abt 1682."
She died on 26 Mar 1732 in (prob) MA. She was buried in Salem, Essex, MA.
(81) Buried in Lynde Family Tomb. Was the
only child of Samuel & Mary to live to maturity Children were:
232 i.
Samuel VALENTINE.
ii.
Elizabeth VALENTINE(590). Marrried
in 1724.