John Ogden (19 September 1609 – 30 May 1682), known as "The Pilgrim", was an early settler in
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
, originally on
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
, and an original
patentee
This is a list of legal terms relating to patents. A patent is not a right to practice or use the invention, but a territorial right to exclude others from commercially exploiting the invention, granted to an inventor or his successor in rights i ...
of the
Elizabethtown Purchase, "the first English settlement in the
Colony of New Jersey
The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1783. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherland but came under English rule after th ...
."
Early life
John Ogden was born in England on 19 September 1609, and emigrated to New England in 1641. His parentage and town of birth are unknown. Previous histories showing that he was born in
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
are unfounded and were the result of a fraudulent genealogy created by
Gustave Anjou in the early 1900s. Almost all the John Ogdens of his time were born in the north of England, especially
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
.
British America
After arriving in the American Colony around 1640, he moved to
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...
, then called Rippowam, where he constructed a dam and
grist mill
A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...
. In 1642, he built "the first permanent stone church in
Fort Amsterdam
Fort Amsterdam was a fort on the southern tip of Manhattan at the confluence of the Hudson and East rivers. It was the administrative headquarters for the Dutch and then English/British rule of the colony of New Netherland and subsequently the ...
," a
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
settlement at the southern tip of what is now
Manhattan Island
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
. In 1644 he relocated to Long Island, where "he established the first commercial whaling enterprise in America."
[William Ogden Wheeler, op. cit.]
In 1665, he became a patentee of the Elizabethtown Purchase in present-day
, where he lived until his death in 1682.
Personal life
While still in England, Ogden was married to Jane Bond (1616–1682) on May 8, 1637. Together, the couple had six children:
* John Ogden Jr. (1638–1702)
* David Ogden (1639–1692)
* Jonathan Ogden (1639–1732)
* Joseph Ogden (1642–before 1690)
* Benjamin Ogden (1654–1722)
* Mary Ogden (dates unknown).
Ogden died in
on 30 May 1682. He is buried in what is now the First Presbyterian Churchyard in Elizabeth.
Legacy and descendants
A 1907 book ''The Ogden family in America, Elizabethtown branch, and their English ancestry; John Ogden, the Pilgrim, and his descendants, 1640-1906'' by William Ogden Wheeler, is very full and accurate for events after their arrival in America, quoting many original documents, but has the fraudulent genealogy mentioned above.
No less than eight of his descendants with the surname Ogden appear in the
Dictionary of American Biography
The ''Dictionary of American Biography'' was published in New York City by Charles Scribner's Sons under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS).
History
The dictionary was first proposed to the Council in 1920 by h ...
, besides many with other surnames. Two members of the Ogden family appears as millionaires in the American Millionaire Registry of 1892, making them billionaires in 2022 money.
His descendants include :
[Wheeler, op. cit.]
*
Abraham Ogden
Abraham Ogden (December 30, 1743 – January 31, 1798) was an American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey from 1791 to 1798 and negotiated the Treaty of New York (1796).
Early life
Ogden was bor ...
(1743-1798), Colonel, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, negotiator of the
Treaty of New York (1796)
*
Samuel Ogden
Colonel Samuel Ogden (December 9, 1746 — December 1, 1810) was a colonial businessman in New Jersey who had an iron works. He fought on the winning side during the American Revolutionary War. Afterward, he became a developer and land speculator f ...
(1746-1810), Entrepreneur, brother-in-law of Founding Father
Gouverneur Morris
Gouverneur Morris ( ; January 31, 1752 – November 6, 1816) was an American statesman, a Founding Father of the United States, and a signatory to the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution. He wrote the Preamble to the U ...
*
Aaron Ogden
Aaron Ogden (December 3, 1756April 19, 1839) was an American soldier, lawyer, United States Senator and the fifth governor of New Jersey. Ogden is perhaps best known today as the complainant in '' Gibbons v. Ogden'' which destroyed the monopoly ...
(1756-1839), United States
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
and 5th
Governor of New Jersey
The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...
*
David A. Ogden
David Aaron Ogden (January 10, 1770 – June 9, 1829) was a U.S. Representative from New York and a member of the prominent Ogden family.
Early life
Born in Morristown in the Province of New Jersey, he was the son of Sarah Frances (Ludlow) ...
(1770-1829), died in Montreal, Entrepreneur and politician, partner of Founding Father
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795.
Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...
*
Peter Skene Ogden
Peter Skene Ogden (alternately Skeene, Skein, or Skeen; baptised 12 February 1790 – 27 September 1854) was a British-Canadian fur trader and an early explorer of what is now British Columbia and the Western United States. During his many expedi ...
(1790-1854), born in Quebec, Canada, was a British-Canadian fur trader, under the company of
John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor (born Johann Jakob Astor; July 17, 1763 – March 29, 1848) was a German-American businessman, merchant, real estate mogul, and investor who made his fortune mainly in a fur trade monopoly, by smuggling opium into China, and ...
*
William Butler Ogden
William Butler Ogden (June 15, 1805 – August 3, 1877) was an American politician and railroad executive who served as the first Mayor of Chicago. He was referred to as "the Astor of Chicago." He was, at one time, the city's richest citizen ...
(1805-1877), 1st
Mayor of Chicago
The mayor of Chicago is the chief executive of city government in Chicago, Illinois, the third-largest city in the United States. The mayor is responsible for the administration and management of various city departments, submits proposals and r ...
, was one of the richest man in Chicago
*
Robert N. Ogden Jr. (1839-1905), Lieutenant Colonel, father-in-law of the Mayor of Chicago
Carter Harrison Jr.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ogden, John
1609 births
1682 deaths
People of colonial New Jersey