John Ogden (colonist)

John Ogden (19 September 1609 – 30 May 1682), known as "The Pilgrim", was an early settler in New England, originally on Long Island, and an original patentee of the Elizabethtown Purchase, "the first English settlement in the Colony of New Jersey."[1]

Early life

John Ogden was born in England on 19 September 1609, and emigrated to New England in 1641. His parentage and town of birth are unknown. Previous histories showing that he was born in Hampshire are unfounded and were the result of a fraudulent genealogy created by Gustave Anjou in the early 1900s. Almost all the John Ogdens of his time were born in the north of England, especially Lancashire.[2]

British America

After arriving in the American Colony around 1640, he moved to Stamford, Connecticut, then called Rippowam, where he constructed a dam and grist mill. In 1642, he built "the first permanent stone church in Fort Amsterdam," a Dutch settlement at the southern tip of what is now Manhattan Island. In 1644 he relocated to Long Island, where "he established the first commercial whaling enterprise in America."[3]

In 1665, he became a patentee of the Elizabethtown Purchase in present-day Elizabeth, New Jersey, where he lived until his death in 1682.[4]

Personal life

While still in England, Ogden was married to Jane Bond (1616–1682) on May 8, 1637.[5] Together, the couple had six children:[6]

  • John Ogden Jr. (1638–1702)
  • David Ogden (1639–1692)
  • Jonathan Ogden (1639–1732)
  • Joseph Ogden (1642–before 1690)
  • Benjamin Ogden (1654–1722)
  • Mary Ogden (dates unknown).[7]

Ogden died in Elizabeth, New Jersey on 30 May 1682. He is buried in what is now the First Presbyterian Churchyard in Elizabeth.[8]

Legacy and descendants

A 1907 book The Ogden family in America, Elizabethtown branch, and their English ancestry; John Ogden, the Pilgrim, and his descendants, 1640-1906 by William Ogden Wheeler, is very full and accurate for events after their arrival in America, quoting many original documents, but has the fraudulent genealogy mentioned above.[6]

No less than eight of his descendants with the surname Ogden appear in the Dictionary of American Biography, besides many with other surnames. His descendants include Abraham Ogden, Samuel Ogden, David A. Ogden, Peter Skene Ogden, William Butler Ogden, Aaron Ogden, and Robert N. Ogden Jr..[9].

References
  1. William Ogden Wheeler, The Ogden family in America, Elizabethtown branch, and their English ancestry; John Ogden, the Pilgrim, and his descendants, 1640-1906
  2. Harpster, Jack (2015). John Ogden, The Pilgrim (1609-1682) - A Man of More than Ordinary mark. American History Press. ISBN 978-1939995131. Retrieved Sep 5, 2017.
  3. William Ogden Wheeler, op. cit.
  4. William Ogden Wheeler, op. cit.
  5. Khavkine, Richard (Feb 21, 2013). "'Priceless' 17th century Bible comes home to Elizabeth". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved Sep 5, 2017.
  6. Wheeler, William Ogden; Van Alstyne, Lawrence; Ogden, Charles Burr (1907). The Ogden family in America, Elizabethtown branch, and their English ancestry; John Ogden, the Pilgrim, and his descendants, 1640-1906. Philadelphia, Printed for private circulation by J.B. Lippincott company. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  7. Dunham, Lester Robert; Ogden, Evelyn Hunt. "John Ogden". Descendants of Founders of New Jersey. Retrieved Sep 5, 2017.
  8. John Ogden, the Pilgrim
  9. Wheeler, op. cit.
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