John Thorndike (settler) facts for kids
John Thorndike (born around 1611) was one of the early people who helped start the Massachusetts Bay Colony in America. He came from England and played a part in the early days of this new settlement.
John Thorndike's Life
John Thorndike was a farmer and took care of cows in a place called Great Carlton, Lincolnshire, England. He and his wife, Elizabeth Stratton, might have sailed to America on a ship called the Arbella in 1630. Other records suggest John came in 1632, and Elizabeth arrived in 1635 with her family.
The Thorndikes made their home near Ipswich. They had seven children. One of their daughters was Elizabeth Thorndike, who later married a man named John Proctor.
John Thorndike was buried on November 3, 1668. His burial place is special: the East Cloister of Westminster Abbey in England. He was buried next to his brother, Herbert Thorndike. Herbert was a important person at Westminster Abbey, known as a Canon. He also wrote parts of a very old book called a Polyglot and studied Hebrew at Cambridge University.
Thorndike Family Connections
John and Elizabeth Thorndike have many family members living today. Most of them live in the United States. However, parts of their family tree also reach into Canada, Germany, and Argentina.
Some well-known people who are descendants of John and Elizabeth Thorndike include:
- Robert Thorndike, who started the town of Rockport, Maine
- Ashley Horace Thorndike
- Augustus Thorndike
- Edward Thorndike
- Israel Thorndike
- Lynn Thorndike
- Robert L. Thorndike
- Robert M. Thorndike
- Stephen Thorndike
- Joseph J. Thorndike
- John Thorndike (American writer)
- William Endicott
- George Thorndike Angell
- C. Allen Thorndike Rice
- Guillermo Thorndike
- Felipe Thorndike
- Abiel Abbot Low
- Seth Low
- Micaela Cousiño y Quiñones de León
- John Kerry
