These research notes are provided as-is and contain supplementary working research.
Finding
Arrival window: 1636–early 1641
John Gurney arrived in New England between 1636 and early 1641, most likely in 1638–40. He was absent from the 1636 Weymouth property grants, received ordinary town land there later, and was living at Weymouth by 30 May / 2 June 1641.
Date: 1636–early 1641; most likely 1638–40
Why this conclusion
- Required by Analysis Passenger silence is expected in the 1639-41 Great-Migration tailThe timing reading uses the 1636–early-1641 plausible arrival range, with 1638–40 the best estimate, fixed in the arrival-chronology unit.
- Synthesized by Analysis Shared matching-criteria profile: tailor, wife Mary, three English-born children, birth c.1602–1608, gone from England by 1641The 1638-early-1641 arrival window bounds the 'gone from English records by c.1641' strand of the profile.
- Supported by Analysis Why the arrival range begins in 1636Explains why 1636 begins the plausible arrival range and why 1638–40 is the best estimate.
- Depends on Finding Earliest firm presence: Weymouth by 30 May/2 June 1641The arrival window rests on the 1641 presence datum.
- Supported by Evidence Nash (1885): John an original Weymouth grantee before 1643Original pre-1643 Weymouth grants bound arrival below.
- Supported by Finding Admitted Weymouth inhabitant (c. 1638/9-1642/4)John's original Weymouth grants support the arrival range by showing later residence there.
- Supported by Evidence Manuscript Land Grants book: John original grantee of 3 parcelsThe manuscript Land Grants book supports the arrival range by documenting John's original Weymouth grants.
Qualifications and conflicts
- Qualified by Negative result Absent from Weymouth's 1636 Fresh Pond great-lot rollJohn was absent from the 1636 Weymouth property grants. This sets the beginning of the plausible arrival range.
Related context
- Context from Published-source statement Anderson GMD (2025): arrival 1636, Boston/Braintree, origin UnknownAnderson gives 1636 as John's arrival year, which falls within the project's plausible range. His Boston attribution is explained by the separate Newgate-apprentice analysis, and his entry is a later published summary rather than primary evidence.
- Context from Analysis When the Jenner debt may have begunSlightly favors the earlier part of the probable arrival range but does not date arrival.
Sources
- Chamberlain, George Walter, and Channing Harris Cox, comps. History of Weymouth, Massachusetts. 4 vols. Published by the Weymouth Historical Society (Howard H. Joy, President), under direction of the town. Weymouth, Mass.: Weymouth Historical Society, 1923. Vol. 3 carries the Genealogy of Weymouth families (John Gurney Sr. and Richard Gurney entries)., vol. 3, p. 251
as early as 3 Feb. 1651-52; whether he ever resided in Weymouth is a matter of doubt
- Nash, Gilbert. Historical Sketch of the Town of Weymouth, Massachusetts, from 1622 to 1884. Weymouth, Massachusetts: Town of Weymouth, under the auspices of the Weymouth Historical Society, 1885. Printed by Alfred Mudge & Son, Boston., Appendix C, pp. 258, 278, 282
Topic file location: Colonial arrival chronology
Technical details
- Research item:
G13-RI-000006 - Graph revision:
381 - Machine-readable JSON:
/assets/g13-graph/findings/G13-RI-000006.json
This is one research item from the John Gurney research graph; the fuller narrative treatment is in the linked topic above and the research library.