John Landers (sometimes spelled Launders) was born 2 January 1653/4 at Sandwich on Cape Cod, the son of Thomas Landers. [Sandwich Vital Records in the Mayflower Descendant, 14:168] His mother was Jane Kerby/Kirby. John is my 8th great-grandfather on my grandfather Arthur Washburn Ellis Davis’ side of the family.
In 1672 John Launders turned in two dozen blackbirds’ heads to receive a bounty, indicating he was a good marksman as a teen. [Brownson & McLean]
John’s mother Jane was a Quaker, as was his brother Richard, but I haven’t found an indication of John practicing the religion.
John married, probably at Sandwich, Rachel Freeman about 1686, based on the birthdate of their first child. “Rachell Ffreemand” was born 4 September 165[9?]* at Sandwich, the daughter of Edmund Freeman. [Sandwich VR in MD 14:110] Rachel’s mother was Edmund’s second wife Margaret Perry. That Rachel married John is shown in the 9 June 1705 distribution of Edmund Freeman’s estate: John Launders and Rachel his wife received £1 6s. Some of Rachel’s siblings/half-siblings received far more money—Edmund £15, Ezra Perry and his wife Rebekah £12 14s 6p—so perhaps Rachel had been gifted something while her father was living. [Barnstable County Probate Records 2:190]
Rachel’s father Edmund 2 Freeman was 22 and John’s father Thomas 1 Landers was 15 when they came to New England in 1635 on the same ship and were both first at Saugus and then were neighbors in Sandwich. Rachel’s sisters Deborah and Sarah also married sons of Thomas Landers. [Brownson & McLean]
Rachel and John had six children born Sandwich [Sandwich VR in MD 29:32]:
- Alice born 15 April 1687; married 18 Nov 1714 John Hathaway, son of John & Joanna (Pope) Hathaway of Dartmouth.
- Richard born 6 March 1688/9; no death record found—evidently died intestate and perhaps unmarried.
- Deborah born 19 Oct 1691; died unmarried in 1769 ae 78.
- John born 9 April 1694; married Content Nye 4 June 1719; died Sandwich 4 March 1737/8.
- Margaret born 30 August 1697; died unmarried 1770 age 73.
- Ebenezer born 13 March 1699/1700; married Temperance Tobey 19 Dec 1721; removed to Bridgewater.
I descend from their son John whom i wrote about here.
A map of East Sandwich depicting homestead locations in 1667 shows John’s father Thomas Landers living on what is now Ploughed Neck Road, off Old County Road, next to Edmund Freeman Jr and land owned by John Freeman, sons of Edmund 1. [Lovell] John’s father did not leave a will but it seems likely that John inherited or was deeded his father’s land.
In 1733, John signed a receipt for his share, £5, of his sister, Sarah Landers' estate which he received from his brother Joseph Landers who was administrator of her estate. [Barnstable Co. Probate Records 4-5:173]
“John Landers sen” died Sandwich on 15 April 1737. [Sandwich Vital Records in MD 29:28] He was 83 years of age, quite a long life for that era.
No probate of John’s estate is found. It is probable he distributed his real estate by deed as was frequently done in that time, but no proof exists because of the 1827 fire that destroyed most of the Barnstable County land records
John’s son John died 4 March 1737/8 which has caused confusion in keeping their identities distinct.
I have not found a death record for Rachel—I only know she died after the 9 June 1705 distribution. There is commonly an unsourced death date of 7 October 1709 shown for her online.
*The last digit in Rachel’s birth year has been marked over and is practically illegible. Savage in his Genealogical Dictionary and Freeman’s History of Cape Cod, both give the year as 1659 which is a good fit among her siblings’ birth dates.
Sources:
Maclean McLean, The American Genealogist, “Mr. Edmond 2 Freeman of Sandwich Mass and His Family,” 40:103 (1964)
Lydia (Phinney) Brownson & Maclean McLean, NEHGS Register, “Thomas 1 Landers of Sandwich,” 124: 45 (January 1970)
R.A. Lovell, Jr., Sandwich A Cape Cod Town, 1984
Torrey’s New England Marriages Prior to 1700
Frederick Freeman, Freeman Genealogy, 1875
