Person Page - 5329

       Major John/2 Coggeshall Jr. was born circa 1620 in County Essex, England and emigrated to New England with his parents in 1632.¹ He married, as the 2d of his three wives, Dec 1655 at Providence, RI, Patience Throckmorton of Providence, daughter of John Throckmorton and Alice Staut.¹ He died at Newport 1 Oct 1708.¹ Buried in Coggeshall Cemetery.¹
     "Major John had a farm in the southern part of Newport, which his father had formerly held. He held many offices in the colony and was deputy governor, 1686 and 1689-90. He was several times treasurer and general assistant, and one of the petitioners to the new charter granted by Charles II in 1663. In May, 1684, two majors of militia were appointed, John Greene for the mainland and John Coggeshall for the island, hence his title. He was one of the five Rhode Island delegates to the first council held by Governor Andros. At the time of his death his holdings had increased to five hundred ten acres. A copy of his will will be found in the Appendix."¹

       Dea. John/1 Coggeshall was baptised 9 Dec 1601 at Halstead, Essex.¹ He married, in England, Mary (–?–).¹
     John Coggeshall emigrated to New England and settled at Boston, where he was chosen one of the town's two deputies to the General Court in 1634.² His open support for the "Antinomian cause" of Rev. John Wheelwright, and by extension Anne Hutchinson, "affirming that M^r Wheelewright is innocent, & that hee was psecuted for the truth," resulted in Coggeshall's dismissal from the Court on 2 Nov 1637.³ That same day, Wheelwright was disenfranchised and banished from the Bay Colony, and Coggeshall, "being convented for disturbing the publike peace, was disfranchized, & enjoyned not to speake any thing to disturbe the publike peace, vpon paine of banishment."⁴ John Coggeshall's name is found on a list of Boston men ordered by the Court, on the 20th of the same month, to surrender their weapons.⁵ 12 Mar 1637/38, Coggeshall was one of a group of men who, "haveing license to dep[ar]t, sumons is to go out for them to appear (if they bee not gone before) at the next Court, the third month, to answear such things as shalbee objected." In other words, Coggeshall was given notice that he had until the next court was convened to leave the colony, or face prosecution.⁶
     A mercer and merchant, he went south to become the first president of the incipient unified colony of Rhode Island, where he died at Newport 27 Nov 1647.¹ His wife died at Newport 8 Nov 1684.¹ See Coggeshall Family in America, 6-12.¹