John Ellinwood

John was a son of Ralph Ellinwood and Ellen (Lynn), "of Bas river," recorded among their children in the Essex County register (record).

King Philip's War. His war was the Eastern one. Late in the war, at seventeen, he was "Imprest & sent to ye Eastward as a souldier in ye Countrey service against ye Indian Enemy," perhaps in the Essex levy of 11 Oct 1676, "Of seventy soldiers, as the quota of Essex, for an expedition to the eastward" (Felt, p. 147). He served in the town of Wells "vnder ye Comand of Capt Frost & Leiut Sweat": Charles Frost of Kittery, captain of the Yorkshire companies, and Lt. Benjamin Swett of Hampton, who "commanded the Garrison" at Wells in April 1677 (Hubbard, 2:231-232; Soldiers in King Philip's War, pp. 320, 343-345). That spring the Indians struck Wells again and again, on 6, 12 and 29 April and 23 May 1677 (Hubbard 2:230-233), and in one of those fights, probably, John was "sorely wounded in my right hand my fore finger being shott away & ye rest of my hand so greiuously shattered & Torn & bones broaken" that it was "almost altogether vseless." With him at Wells were Thomas Parlor, who had been on Maj. Samuel Appleton's roll for the Narragansett campaign (Bodge pp. 155, 157), and Samuel Collins (History of Beverly, p. 174). Swett was made captain on 22 June and was killed at Black Point a week later.

He may have been at the Narragansett fort too, at sixteen, beside his brother Ralph, as the History of Beverly has it (pp. 28-29). His right in the Narragansett township No. 3 was drawn by Andrew Dodge: "John Elinwood ... Andrew Dodge ... Now Thomas Clark's, July 17, 1739" (Bodge p. 423).

He married Elizabeth Rowlison of Salisbury at Marblehead in 1684/5, probably the sister of his brother Ralph's second wife. Their children were John (2 Mar 1685/6), Elizabeth (2 Feb 1693/4) and David (baptized 16 Aug 1696, seven months after Elizabeth was admitted to the church). Elizabeth very probably died between August 1696 and March 1698, and on 30 Mar 1698 he married Sarah Morrell (record). By Sarah he had Sarah (4 May 1699), Mehetabel and Peter (both baptized 11 Oct 1702), Anah (24 Jan 1704) and James (22 Sept 1706) (record; record).

A quarter of a century after the war the hand still told. In February 1700/1 he petitioned the General Court (Mass. Archives 70:503), dating his service "in ye latter End of ye first Indian Warr viz about ye yeare of Our Lord God 1676," with "6 Children" to provide for and a hand "almost altogether vseless." Below it Thomas Parlor and Samuel Collins certified the wound, "Thomas [his mark] Parlor" and "Samll Collins," and Roger Hascoll endorsed it that in 1680 he had heard Henry Herrick, constable of Beverly, say he had paid the petitioner forty shillings out of a country rate. On 11 Mar 1700/1 the Court granted him £5 for his present relief and £3 a year for life (Acts and Resolves, 7:270-271, 657).

Open questions

• Elizabeth's death, between August 1696 and March 1698, and a record naming the John who married Sarah Morrell as this John.
• The date of his wound: the Wells garrison rolls and Swett's and Frost's accounts for 1677 (Mass. Archives vol. 69), and the original petition (70:503-506).
• Who Andrew Dodge was to him, and who Samuel Collins was.