Welcome To This Website
Fairbanks and Prescott Families in 17th Century New England
Jonathan and Grace Fairbanks
On May 20, 1617, Jonathan and Grace Fairbanks were married 400 years. They married in St. John’s the Baptist Church in the Parish of Halifax, West Riding, Yorkshire, England. You can see a certified copy of the Pursuant to their Marriage on the Fairbanks House Organization website, Curator Daniel Neff. Check this out at: http://fairbankshouse.org/about-history/400th-anniversary/
This website and blog are the culmination and continuation of over 22 years of research of our families’ genealogies and stories. As one of the many ninth generation descendants of Jonathan and Grace Fairbanks, it is believed that all Fairbanks in this country descended from Jonathan and Grace. This site will explore Colonial New England from the early 1600’s through the Fairbanks and Prescott families, and the families of their wives.
John and Mary (Gawkrogers-Platts) Prescott
John and Mary (Gawkrogers-Platts) Prescott are the maternal side of our family history. John came from Shevington, Lancashire, England. He and Mary were married, in Warley, Yorkshire, England. They lived in the Sowerby, Yorkshire, like the Fairbanks, before they sailed for New England. It is believed that Mary Gawkrogers-Platt was a relative of the Fairbanks.
The maternal side of a family genealogy and history is often over-looked. The maternal side represents at least half of our genetic makeup and over half of the moral and general education of the children. This blog post will reflect the Prescott heritage of our family. I will also present women’s issues as they relate to this time.
Jonas and Lydia (Prescott) Fairbanks
Jonas Fairbanks, son of Jonathan and Grace, married Lydia, the fourth daughter of John and Mary Prescott. These first blog posts will take you through the first two generations of the Fairbanks familyin New England. The Fairbanks helped found Dedham, Massachusetts. The Prescott’s founded Lancaster, Massachusetts.
The Fairbanks and the Prescott’s experiences will be the basis of the blog posts. However, influential brothers and sisters, friends, business partners, and people of the communities and colony will not be overlooked. You may find your families’ names in the posts even if you are not a descendant of Fairbanks family. It will talk about Governor John Winthrop, Reverend John Eliot, Reverend John Allin, Daniel Gookin, Steven Daye, to name a few well-known settlers in New England. Lesser know people will also be included. The Fairbanks and Prescott’s were intertwined with the communities for the well-being and survival of all.
I look forward to sharing my discoveries with you. Let us hear about your discoveries. You are welcome to contact us, leave a comment, or join us to receive notification of postings. Welcome! Enjoy the celebration of our past, while we share our future, based on the foundation of our forefathers.
Coming Up:
Have you wondered about where the Fairbanks came from in Enlgland? In the next post, we will look at the Fairbanks from Northern England. Following that you will enjoy actual pictures from the church where they were married or that their marriage was registered. This church may have been where some of the children were baptized.
