John Balch (b. Abt. 1605, d. Bet. 15 May & 28 June 1648)
John Balch was born Abt. 1605 in Poss. Somersetshire, England204, and died Bet. 15 May & 28 June 1648 in Salem, MA204. He married Margery on Abt. 1629 in MA204.
Notes for John Balch:
Database: The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-33
JOHN BALCH
ORIGIN: Unknown MIGRATION: 1624 FIRST RESIDENCE: Cape Ann REMOVES: Salem 1626, Beverly
CHURCH MEMBERSHIP: In the list of Salem church members compiled in December 1636 [SChR 5]. FREEMAN: Requested 19 October 1630 and admitted 18 May 1631 [MBCR 1:80, 366]. EDUCATION: Signed his will. Inventory included "several books" valued at 12s. OFFICES: On jury for trial of Walter Palmer, 9 November 1630 [MBCR 1:81]. Essex jury, 3 October 1637, 26 December 1637, 25 December 1638, 6 July 1647 [EQC 1:6, 7, 10, 114; STR 1:149]. Essex grand jury, 27 December 1642, 31 December 1644 [EQC 1:44, 74; STR 1:133]. Salem selectman, 1637-41 [STR 1:34, 44, 50, 53, 54, 56, 57, 58, 61-65, 67, 68, 71, 72, 74, 76, 77, 79, 86, 87, 89, 97, 112]; committee to lay out land, 16 November 1635, 27 January 1636/7, 20 February 1636/7, 10 April 1637 [STR 1:10, 35, 38, 44]; assessor, 11 September 1637 [STR 1:57]; committee on fustian spinsters, 14 September 1640 [STR 1:106]; committee on bounds between Salem and Ipswich, 27 March 1643 [STR 1:119]; supervisor of highway repairs, 5 February 1643/4 [STR 1:125]; committee on bridge repairs, 17 May 1647 [STR 1:148]. ESTATE: Granted a farm of 200 acres on 25 January 1635/6 [STR 1:12, 19]. Granted one acre of marsh on 25 December 1637, with a household of six [STR 1:103]. Granted five acres of meadow "in some convenient place," 23 December 1638 [STR 1:96]. (This land was not included in the inventory of the estate of John Balch, and in 1680 a dispute arose over the ownership of the five acres [EQC 7:382, 388-91].) In his will, dated 15 May 1648 and probated 28 June 1648, John Balch of Salem bequeathed to wife Annis for life twenty acres of land with a newly-built room, part of the barn, and one-fourth of his household goods; to oldest son Benjamin Balch one-half of farm, one-fourth of household goods, and some cattle; to second son John Balch one-fourth of farm, one-fourth of household goods and some cattle; to youngest son Freeborn Balch one-fourth of farm, one-fourth of household goods and some cattle; son Benjamin and wife Annis to be executors, and friends John Porter and William Woodbury to be overseers; witnesses Peter Palfrey, Nicholas Patch and Jeffrey Massey. The inventory was taken by John Porter, Peter Palfrey, Nicholas Patch and Jeffrey Massey, and totalled £220 13s. 4d., of which £72 was real estate: dwelling house and barn, £16; and one farm of meadow and upland containing 210 acres, £56 [EPR 1:96-97; EQC 1:143-45; photograph in Balch Gen between pp. 4 & 5]. On 24 November 1657 the "illegal will of Agnis Baulch of Salem, deceased," was presented at Salem Quarterly Court, and Benjamin Balch was appointed administrator; several neighbors testified that Annis Balch's estate "would not pay Bengeman Ballch and his wife for their trouble, labor and charge"; the inventory, taken 25 November 1657, totalled £9 11s., against which Benjamin Balch entered charges of £18 12s., and on 29 June 1658 the entire estate of Annis Balch was given to Benjamin Balch [EPR 1:263-64].
BIRTH: By about 1605 based on estimated date of marriage. DEATH: Salem between 15 May 1648 (date of will) and 28 June 1648 (probate of will). MARRIAGE: (1) By 1636 (and by about 1629 if she was the mother of all his children) Margery _____; she was in the list of Salem church members compiled in December 1636 [SChR 6]. (2) Annis _____, named in John Balch's will of 15 May 1648; she died before 24 November 1657, when her illegal will was presented at court. (On 29 June 1680, Benjamin Balch describes Annis Balch, deceased, as his mother-in-law, and calls himself her legal heir [EQC 7:388].) CHILDREN:
With first wife
i BENJAMIN, b. about 1629 (deposed 10 April 1706 aged about 77 [Dawes-Gates 1:74, citing Perley 1:254, citing ELR 20:12]); m. (1) about 1650 Sarah Gardner, daughter of THOMAS GARDNER, and she d. at Beverly 5 April 1686; m. (2) Marblehead 5 February 1688/9 Abigail Clarke, who d. at Beverly 1 January 1690, aged about 55 years; m. (3) Beverly 15 March 1691/2 Grace Mallett.
ii JOHN, b. say 1631; m. Mary Conant, daughter of ROGER CONANT; she m. (2) by 1663 William Dodge, son of WILLIAM DODGE.
iii FREEBORN, b. about 1634 (deposed 19 August 1657 aged 23 years [NHPP 40:134]); on 20 January 1658 Walter Price of Salem, executor and administrator to Freeborn Balch, sold to Benjamin Balch of Salem at Bass River, for £20 and half of five acres of upland and marsh in Planter's Marsh formerly belonging to John Balch, "all that part of the farm lying at Bass River which John Balch deceased hath given by will unto Freeborn Balch," unless "the abovesaid Freeborn Balch appear to be alive" [ELR 1:82].
COMMENTS: Various sources give one or another parish in Somersetshire as the place of origin of John Balch, but these are unsupported by evidence and are little more than guesses [EIHC 1:151, 66:319-20]. Balch was certainly one of the men sent over by the Dorchester Company in the early 1620s to settle a fishing colony in New England, and so he is properly known as one of the Old Planters; the best account of this group of men remains Frances Rose-Troup, John White, the Patriarch of Dorchester [Dorset] and The Founder of Massachusetts ... (New York 1930).
BIBLIOGRAPHIC NOTE: The standard treatment of this family is Galusha B. Balch, Genealogy of the Balch Families of America (Salem 1897), cited above as Balch Gen. A more modern treatment of John Balch and of his son Benjamin is given in Dawes-Gates 1:69-82.
The Will of John Balch The last will & testament of John Balch, of Salem, bearing date the 15th day of May, 1648. I, John Balch sick in bodie but in pfect memorrie doe make this my last will & testament in manner & forme following my debts paid & funeral expences discharged those goods God hath gyven me it is my will to dispose of them as Followeth. Imprimis I gyve unto Annis Balch my loving wife the Room newlie Built with twelve Akers of land of wch 4 akers to be in tilt and 4 akers of meadowe with some pt of the barne to lay in her fruits & halfe of the great fruit trees for & during the life of said Annis. Item I gyve unto my said wife the best bed with all Convenient furniture there unto belonging & one fourth pt of all my household goods except the rest of my bedding & also 2 Cowes by name Reddie & Cherie & one yearling heaffer. Further my will is that soe long as my said wife shall live my said sonnes shall sowe or plant 2 Akers of aforesaid 4 akers for my said wife for the term of 7 years and after that our sonne Benjamin shall doe all him sefe. Item I gyve and bequeath to Benjamin Balch my eldest sonne one half of my farm to him and his heirs forever as alsoe two yoke of oxen 1 cowe one third of my young cattle & of the mare Colt with one fourth pt of my household goods & halfe of the great fruit trees & after the decease of my said wife my will is that the said Benjamin shall have them all with those he hath planted himself. Item my will is that all my Corne growing upon the ground shall be equallie Divided into 4 equall pts among my wife and children. Item I gyve unto John Balch my second sonne one fourth of my farme and one yoke of oxen one third of my young cattle & mare Colt one fourth of my household goods & half of the young aple trees undispost of and one cow. Item I gyve to ffree born Balch my youngest sonne one fourth pt of my ffarme one yoke of oxen & one Cow I bred up for him one third of the young cattle & one third of the mare & one fourth of my household goods & half the young Aple trees betwixt him & his brother John equallie to be divided & further my last will & testament & my loving friends John Proctor & william Woodberrie shall be overseers of the same in witness hereof I have hereunto put my hand the day and year above written. John Balch
Benjamin's inventory of his father's estate amounted to L220 s13 d 4.
Ref: Genealogy of the Balch Family
More About John Balch and Margery: Single: Abt. 1629, MA.204
Children of John Balch and Margery are:
+Benjamin Balch, b. Abt. 1629, of Marblehead, Essex, MA205, d. Aft. 1715, Salem, MA206.
John Balch (b. Abt. 1605, d. Bet. 15 May & 28 June 1648)
Notes for John Balch: