John Gifford
1708 - 1802 (94 years)-
Name John Gifford Born 7 Mar 1707/08 Dartmouth, Bristol Co., MA 
[1, 2] Gender Male Died 18 Dec 1802 Westport, Bristol Co., MA [1] Person ID I01748 Sorensen-Remington Family Tree Last Modified 7 Aug 2018
Father Jeremiah Gifford, b. Abt 1681, Dartmouth, Bristol Co., MA , d. Abt 1770, Dartmouth, Bristol Co., MA (Age ~ 89 years) Mother Mary Wright, b. Between 1680 and 1685, d. Aft 14 Apr 1760 (Age ~ 80 years) Married Abt 1703 Plymouth, MA Family ID F00576 Group Sheet | Family Chart
Family Comfort Hart, b. 4 Apr 1710, Tiverton or Little Compton, RI , d. Bef 19 Dec 1788 (Age < 78 years) Married Aft 24 May 1730 Little Compton, RI Notes - John Gifford & Comfort Hart filed a marriage intention on 24 May 1730 at Little Compton. They may have been married in May or June.
Children 1. Mary Gifford, b. Abt 1731, d. 14 Dec 1798 (Age ~ 67 years) 2. Ephram Gifford, b. 18 Nov 1733, d. Bef 19 Dec 1788 (Age < 55 years) 3. Elizabeth Gifford, b. Abt 1734, d. Bef 19 Dec 1788 (Age ~ 54 years) 4. Lydia Gifford, b. Abt 1738, d. Bef 14 Dec 1788 (Age ~ 50 years) 5. Judith Gifford, b. Abt 1743, d. Bef 19 Dec 1788 (Age ~ 45 years) Last Modified 7 Aug 2018 Family ID F00572 Group Sheet | Family Chart
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Notes - Little Compton vital records suggest, by the placement of names and dates, that John Gifford b. 1705 d. Dec 1802 is a son of Christopher Gifford. However, Christopher does not name John as a son in his will, dated 5 Oct 1746. He does name all his (other) children, so perhaps John is not his son, as some genealogies show him to be.
I have placed him in the family of Jeremiah Gifford, as the Mayflower Descendants book indicates. This needs more research.
Some genealogies show John as having a second wife named Bathsheba who may have been the mother of one or more of his children.
The will of John Gifford, blacksmith, of Little Compton, was dated 19 Dec 1788, and proved 5 Jan 1803 at Little Compton. It mentions his son Ephraim, deceased, and four children of Ephraim: Jonathan, William, Lydia, & Esther; it also mentions by name four daughters: Judith Gifford, deceased, and her three children Ephraim, Zilla, & Judith, children of son-in-law Joseph Gifford; Elizabeth Manchester, deceased, and her five children -- Zebedee, Jabez (Isaac?), Elizabeth Burden, Judith, & Phebe; Mary Read, deceased, and her daughter Mary Taber; Lydia Manchester, deceased, and her daughter Rhoda; and possibly an unnamed daughter who would have been mother of grandson John Gibbs who is also mentioned.
John died in his 95th year.
Our possible ancestor is John's daughter Lydia, mother of Rhoda Manchester.
- Little Compton vital records suggest, by the placement of names and dates, that John Gifford b. 1705 d. Dec 1802 is a son of Christopher Gifford. However, Christopher does not name John as a son in his will, dated 5 Oct 1746. He does name all his (other) children, so perhaps John is not his son, as some genealogies show him to be.
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