John Doane - Life in New England

Life in New England

He arrived in Plymouth between 1628 and 1632 on an unknown ship. In 1632/33 he was an Assistant Governor.

Per the records of the time, John Doane had a business connection with Mr. John Atwood, who was an Assistant in 1638, and on April 8, 1633 John Doane sold the indenture of Walter Harris - who had bound himself to serve Mr. Atwood of London under command of Mr. John Doane of New Plymouth - to Henry Howland. And on December 30, 1636, John Atwood, late of London, bought John Doane's half-interest in a house and land near Plain Dealing that they had jointly owned.

Records show that on January 2, 1632/33 Governor Bradford, Captain Standish, John Alden, John Howland, Stephen Hopkins, Samuel Fuller, Sr., and John Doane and other notables were ordered by the court to assess taxes on the colonists payable in grain or the equivalent.

1633 was the first year that the records show all seven governmental Assistants. Edward Winslow as governor and the Assistants were William Bradford, Myles Standish, John Howland, John Alden, John Doane, Stephen Hopkins and William Gilson.

John Doane, who became a deacon in the Plymouth Church, was probably a Separatist, for church membership and Separatism went hand in hand.

On January 2, 1633/34 tax rates were again assessed by the new governor, Thomas Prence, and William Bradford, Captain Standish, John Howland, Stephen Hopkins, John Doane and others associated with colony government. Eighty individuals to be taxed were listed.

Nathaniel Morton wrote that John Cooke, Mr. John Doane and Mr. William Paddy were deacons under Reverend John Reyner, and John Dunham became a deacon later. John Doane was at least a deacon as early as January 2, 1633/34 when he resigned his office as Assistant (governor) because of his deaconship.

On January 1633/34 he was "freed from office" so that he could devote his full-time to church functions.

Per records of the time, Martha Harding died before October 28, 1633 with John Doane presenting her inventory and also was administrator on behalf of her son. She died without a will, leaving one son in the custody of Mr. John Doane and it has been thought she may have Doane's sister.

As early as January 5, 1635/36, John Doane, John Winslow, his brother Kenelm Winslow and others were chosen to assist the governor and council to set rates on goods to be sold and wages to be paid to laborers. The court not only regulated prices, but sometimes quality.

In 1636 Eleanor Billington was fined and sentenced to sit in the stocks and be whipped for slandering John Doane. The Billingtons were Mayflower passengers and had been a troublesome family in the colony since 1620, with her husband John Billington being hanged for murder in 1630.

In October 1636 the General Court appointed William Brewster, John Doane and others as a special committee to join with the governor and Assistants in reviewing all laws and to make commendations for changes at the next court meeting. This committee was one of various committees upon which John Doane served.

In the 1640s (undated) records list freemen residing in the area of Nauset on Cape Cod planning to establish a town separate from the control of Plymouth. These freemen included Governor Thomas Prence, Edward Bangs and John Doane, among other notables. John Doane was one of the men appointed to buy land at Nauset from the Indians and later became one of the first settlers there. On March 3, 1644/45 the General Court granted to the Plymouth Church "or those that goe to dwell at Nosett," all the land between sea and sea "from the Purchasors bounds at Naumskeckett to the Hering Brooke at Billingsgate." The court on June 2, 1646 ordered that "Nawsett" be made a township and Samuel Hicks was appointed as constable. (Samuel Hicks was married to John Doane's daughter Lydia.) On June 7, 1651 the court ordered the name of the town of Nauset to be changed to Eastham.

John Doane was very active in colonial government, serving on numerous committees and as a deputy to the Court for Eastham.

Doane was usually given the honoric title of "Mr.", a mark of the gentry, and in one document he referred to himself as "Gent., Tayler".

In other documents John Doane commonly identified himself as "husbandman" or "Yeoman", but in a 1681 deed of land to his daughter Abigail, he listed himself as a "tailor".