John Field

Citations

1. [S108] Field Genealogy, page 134.
2. [S1181] Osgood Field, Correspondence: Letter of Osgood Field dated: 24 March 1875, Savage says that John Field was son of the first Robert, and that he removed to Boundbrook, New Jersey. In the pedigree in Foster's book he appears as grandson of the latter and son of Anthony. I have seen no conclusive evidence of either statement, but the dates are more consistent with the latter theory.
   Putting aside as too vague an undated paper-apparently a list of persons taking the oath of allegiance-the following are the earliest documents in the neighborhood of New York, in which I find a John Field mentioned ; but I am unable. to say if they all refer to the same individual.
   One of the name received from Gov. Andros, a Patent for land on Delaware Bay called " Field's Hope." My copy is without date; but as Andros' term extended only from 1674 to 1681, this can he fixed approximately.
   John Field's estate with others at Flushing was valued in 1683 and he is also named in the Patent of that town of 1685.
   In a document dated 1686 John Field of East Hampton is mentioned, and finally an old Bible which was formerly in possession of the Honorable Peter D. Vroom of Trenton, N. J., contains an account of three or four generations of Fields, commencing, " Jeremiah Field the son of John Field and Margaret his wife was born May 17, 1689."
   if we assume that John Field came of age shortly before the date of the earliest of these documents, he must have been born so long after Robert and Anthony, sons of the emigrant, as to render it improbable, although not impossible, that he was their brother.
   As he resided at Flushing, it is unlikely that he was a son of Robert the second, who removed to 'Newtown in or about 1670; besides the four sons of the latter, to whom he deeded land in 1690, together with their eldest brother Robert, were probably all his male offspring.
   In support of the theory that he was a son of Anthony, I would remark that we knew that Benjamin was not the only son of the latter, for in a letter of Hannah Bowne, whom he married in 1691, he is described as "youngest son." pages 194-195 - The dates would accord well, as Anthony is shown by the deed given to have been of age in 1653, and his brother Robert's eldest son, of the same name, had apparently attained his majority before July 9, 1679, for on that day William Graves in his will names "my loving friends Mr. Robert Field Sen. and Left. Gershain Moore both of New Towne," overseers and executors of it.
   Whether John Field of Flushing removed to New Jersey or not, I am unable to say; but apparently he left Long Island or was dead in 1689, for his name does not appear as a witness among the existing records of marriages in the family, which commence at that date.