John Pope (1716-1762) and Mercy Swift Pope (1719-1815) of Sandwich, Barnstable, Massachusetts

 

John Pope was born 23 November 1716 in Sandwich, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, the son of Seth and Hannah (Bourne) Pope. I wrote about Seth and Hannah here.

John married Mercy Swift in Sandwich on 25 October 1734, the daughter of Josiah and Experience (Nye) Swift. Mercy was born 19 April 1719 in Sandwich.  Mercy and John are my 7^th great grandparents on my grandfather Arthur Washburn Davis’ side of the family. They came from two influential families, with John's family owning significant land as well as mills. 

                                              Reproduction of the Dexter Mill which was owned by the Pope Family 

Mercy and John had five children born in, not surprisingly, Sandwich. Their births are recorded in Sandwich and Abigail and Hannah were baptized at First Parish Church.

Lois born 25 May 1738

Elisha born 1 November 1740

Lemuel born 23 April 1743

Hannah born 28 May 1745

Abigail born 28 July 1747

I descend from Abigail who married William Nye. I wrote about that couple here.

As the oldest son it would make sense that John inherited his father’s home (now at 10 Grove Street) and the family grist mill, fulling mill weave shop that his father owned. According to Sandwich Historical Society the house at 10 Grove Street stayed in the family until 1841. I have more research to do on this. 

                                                          Pope House at what is now 10 Grove Street, Sandwich

John died at Sandwich 8 Feb 1762 at age 45.  He is buried at Old Town Cemetery, Sandwich.

                                                                John Pope's gravestone source: Findagrave.com

I believe this is Mercy’s death record, Sandwich VRs from the First Church of Christ: widow Mercy Pope died 9 June 1813, age 96. It doesn’t accurately match up with her birth, but that seems fairly common in these early records.  If it is her death record, then it shows she never remarried. Representative Men and Old Families of Southeastern Massachusetts states Mercy died in 1815 but without a source.

 Sources:

Births, marriages, deaths all recorded Sandwich Vital Records. John Pope’s birth was originally 25 November 1717 but was altered to 1716.

Eben Swift, William Swift and Descendants to the Sixth Generation, Pamphlet No. 15, Library of Cape Cod History and Genealogy, 1923

RA Lovell, Sandwich, A Cape Cod Town, 1984

Franklin Leonard Pope, Genealogy of Thomas Pope of Plymouth, NEHGR vol 42, Jan. 1888

JH Beers & Co., Representative Men and Old Families of Southeastern Massachusetts: containing historical sketches of prominent and representative citizens and genealogical records of man of the old families, Vol. 3, 1912