Reverend John Lathrop @ Barnstable

Home of John Lathrop in Barnstable, now the Sturgis Library. The story about the burn mark in the bible is that the page was burned during the trip across the Atlantic on the Griffin in 1634. Rev John wrote in the missing text from memory.

John Lathrop is the 6th great-grandfather of Lewis Way (John Lothrop, Joseph Lathrop, Hope Lathrop, Rebeckah Lathrop, Sarah Lewis, Soloman Way, Edward Way, Hiram Way, Lewis Way).

John Lathrop (Lothrop) was baptized December 20, 1584 in St. Marys Church, Etton, Yorkshire, son of Thomas Lathropp and Mary Salte. He married 10 Oct 1610 to Hannah Howse, daughter of John Howse and Alice Lloyd. They had 8 children.


He graduated Queens College in Cambridge in 1609 with a Master of Arts degree. First ordained a Deacon by the Bishop of Lincoln, he became Curate of Bennington, Hertfordshire in 1607 and Curate of Parish Church at Egerton, Kent, England about 1611.

In 1623 he left Egerton and renounced his church orders, siding with the independents. He was called to succeed Rev. Henry Jacob as Pastor of the First Independent Church in Southwark, London in 1624. But trouble with the larger church awaited him, for in 1632 Bishop Laud's warrant officer invades the home where Rev. Lothrop and about 50 of his flock were secretly worshiping. He was taken to Clink Prison, Newgate, London, on 22 Apr 1632. He visited his dying wife, Hannah Howse, briefly in 1633. Early in 1634 all but Lothrop were released on bail; he, the leader of the Independent group, was deemed too dangerous to be set at liberty. On 24 Apr 1634, his petition for liberty to go into foreign exile was granted.

He arrived in the New World aboard the Griffin with six children and 32 members of his church, landing at Plymouth, Massacusetts on 18 Sep 1634. Among the other passengers were Anne Marbury and William Hutchinson.

On 19 Jan 1634 he was chosen Pastor and granted a farm in Scituate, Massachusetts.

On 1 Jan 1638, certain freemen of Scituate, including John Lothrop, complained to the Court that they were allotted such small portions of land that they could not subsist on them. The Court of Assistants granted them upland and a neck of land lying between the North and South Rivers, provided upon the condition that they make a township there and inhabit the said land, which became the town of Barnstable, on Cape Cod. He was granted a four acre lot in this town upon which he built a small house. A larger house was built in 1644. On 7 Mar 1654, his wife was granted letter of administration on the estate of Mr. John Lothrop, deceased.

The town of Barnstable—the Cape’s largest—comprises 60 square miles and seven villages (and a few hamlets): Barnstable (and Cummaquid), Centerville (and Craigville), Cotuit (and Santuit), Hyannis (and Hyannisport and West Hyannisport), Marstons Mills, Osterville (and Wianno) and West Barnstable. The founding of Barnstable is credited to Reverend John Lothrop, a persecuted English minister who had been imprisoned before sailing to Scituate and, five years later, migrating to Cape Cod with two dozen followers seeking a Puritan utopia. Barnstable was settled by farmers, drawn by its plentiful salt marsh hay, and farmers raised livestock, corn, rye, onions and flax. By the early 19th century, fishing, shipping and trading sustained the economy and, of 4,000 residents, 800 were shipmasters, (104 in Centerville alone).