John Faunce ca 1608 to 29 Nov 1653 of Plymouth, Mass. (Part 2)

One of my favorite things to do is discovering the location of ancestors’ homes. When I visit these locations I feel such a strong connection to the past that makes me nearly giddy. It can’t be matched by researching names and dates.  I have read that my 10th great-grandfather John Faunce and his wife Patience (Morton) lived at Eel River in Plymouth. I drive by Eel River frequently so I know it is nearly four miles long—I wanted to get more exactly location or John’s homestead.

I knew that John lived at Eel River from this land transaction: On 1 Nov 1647 George Bonum sold to John Faunce "that lot of land that lyeth next me at the Eel River with the housing and fencings thereabouts"; Manasseh and Jane Kempton witnessed the deed [Mayflower Descendant 10:17-18, citing PCLR 2:1:161]. That he lived there is also mentioned in a variety of historical and genealogical books and periodicals. 

View from Eel River Bridge, River Street

I hit a dead end, however, in pinpointing a more exact location. So I then started doing some collateral research.

John died on 29 November 1653, at just age 45. His widow Patience remarried, so she wouldn’t have stayed in the family homestead. I then looked more closely at his children. I descend through his daughters Mercy as well as Priscilla, and it is unlikely they would have inherited their father’s land.

I knew John’s eldest son was Thomas. He served as Town Clerk, was the church’s Ruling Elder, and lived to nearly 100. In 1741, at age 95, he was brought from his Eel River home to the waterfront where he told the story of Plymouth Rock, pointing out the boulder at the waterfront and identifying Mary Chilton (another direct ancestor of mine) as the first to step upon it. He said his father, John Faunce, had shown him the rock and told him the story, as did several Mayflower passengers. Personally I don’t believe the story of Plymouth Rock but I certainly love what it represents!

I looked at John’s probate record and found that on 29 Oct 1668 "Thomas Faunce appeared in the Court and being of full age was taken notice of by the Court, and owned and acknowledged to be the right heir apparent to the lands of John Faunce, Seni(o)r, sometimes of Plymouth, in New England, deceased" (PCR 5:6). The long delay between John’s death and Thomas claiming his right to his father’s estate was because he was just six or so when his father died. 

So it seems Thomas would have inherited the family homestead! I then started looking at him more closely. I was fortunate to come across an article at Pilgrim Hall Museum that stated John’s son Thomas Faunce lived on the west side of River Street, near Eel River bridge. There is now a house located at the spot on the corner of Langford Road and River Street. [Victoria B. Engstrom, Eel River Valley, Pilgrim Society Notes, Series One, Number 23, 1976]

Eureka! I don’t know the author’s source for this information but it is good enough for me as it aligns with everything else I have read.

Corner of River Street and Langford Road

It’s a lovely area and at its higher elevations one can see Plymouth Bay. Before so many homes were built in the area, it must have been an easy walk down to what is now Plymouth Beach and the Bay beyond. Langford Road is just a stone's throw from Eel River Bridge. It's just down the road from Plimoth Plantation/Plimoth Patuxet and three miles from Burial Hill in downtown Plymouth.

House currently on the corner of River and Langford

Years ago I wrote a sketch on John Faunce which can be seen here.