John Mayo

The immigrant minister, in New England by about 1638. He was perhaps the John Mayo baptized at Farthinghoe, Northamptonshire, in 1597, and the "Mayo, John, of Northants, pleb. Magdalen Hall, matric. 28 April, 1615, aged 17" of Foster's Alumni Oxonienses, who took no degree. His father may have been John Mayo of Thorpe Mandeville, whose will of 18 Jan 1629/30 leaves "to my sonne Mr. John Mayo . . . a coffer of ash standing over the Kichin," the "Mr." perhaps because the son was already a minister; and he is said to have lived at North Newington as chaplain to William Fiennes, Viscount Saye and Sele (WikiTree, Mayo-13, citing Nickerson, NEHGR 95, and The Diary of Robert Woodford 1637-1641, p. 138 n.183).

He was minister at Barnstable and then Eastham. At Barnstable's thanksgiving in December 1639 the congregation "divided into three companies to feast together, some at Mr. Hull's, some at Mr. Mayo's, some at Brother Lombard's, Senior" (Lothrop's church record, quoted in Hawes pp. 28-29). The Mr. Hull was the Rev. Joseph Hull, who had brought the Holbrooks over in 1635.

He was ordained the first pastor of the Second (North) Church in Boston on 9 Nov 1655. On 21 Aug 1662 the church voted that "Mr. Mayo should have ... sixty-five pounds" a year and 20s weekly from the contribution (Robbins, History of the Second Church, pp. 9, 11-12n). On 27 May 1664 he and Richard Mather ordained Increase Mather, who wrote of "my father and Mr. Mayo imposing hands upon me" (Robbins pp. 21-22). On 12 Mar 1672/3 he sold his Boston house to Abraham Gording for £210 (Suffolk Deeds 9:39, via WikiTree).

Old age had caught up with him. In 1672, Increase Mather wrote in the church record, "Mr. Mayo, the Pastor, likewise grew very infirm, insomuch as the congregation was not able to hear and be edified." On 15 April 1673 he "removed his person and goods also, from Boston to reside with his daughter in Barnstable where (and at Yarmouth) he hath since lived a private life, not being able through infirmities of old age to attend to the work of the ministry" (Hawes pp. 28-29). The church kept paying him "up to the time of his death," and Mather wrote that "he was a blessing to his people" (Robbins pp. 10-11).

King Philip's War. He lived out the war at Yarmouth. The town's first levy "went to Mount Hope ... and took their first march June 24" 1675, and its list of "Horses lost" includes "Mr. Thornton, Benj. Ryder, Jona. Smith, Paul Sears, Jno. Crowell, Mr. Mayo"; in the town's rate "towards the charge of the late war," made on 29 Apr 1676, "Mr. Mayo" was charged £2 4s 3d, beside Jeremiah Howes and "Mrs. Prence" (Freeman, History of Cape Cod 2:193n, 195, quoting the town records). The horse was probably the old minister's, and the share of the cost his. A few weeks later he was dead: "The — day of May 1676, he departed this life at Yarmouth" (the Second Church record, HCC 2:358-359).

He left no will. His inventory of 1 June 1676 came to £111 4s., beginning "Impr : in silver 35 00 00." The estate went to "the three surviving Children of the said Mr Mayo," and the agreement was signed by "John Mayo," by "Joseph howes," and by Thomas Huckins "In the behalfe of hannah Bacon." Nathaniel Mayo, who married Hannah Prence, was also his son, the uncle of Daniel Mayo (b. 1664).

Open questions

• The mother of his son John: a Leiden marriage of 21 Mar 1618, "Jan Meyer" to "Timmosijn Breyck"; Margaret Soden, Swalcliffe, 1619; or the widow Tamasin, perhaps the widow of William Lumpkin.
• His English origin: Nickerson (NEHGR 95:39-49, 100-108; 103:32-42) and Chauncey Mayo (1927).
• The day he left Boston: 15 April 1673 (Hawes) or "the 5th mo. 1673" (HCC 2:358), in the Second Church record.