Joseph Mayhew (1709/10 – 1782), eldest son of Deacon Simon and Ruth Mayhew, graduated from Harvard in 1730. His career included being a tutor of

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of t ...

at Harvard, a Preacher, and Chief Justice of

Dukes County, Massachusetts Dukes County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,600, making it the second-least populous county in Massachusetts. Its county seat is Edgartown. Dukes County comprises the Vine ...

. Joseph Mayhew was a lineal descendant of

Thomas Mayhew Governor Thomas Mayhew, the Elder (March 31, 1593 – March 25, 1682) established the first European settlement on Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and adjacent islands in 1642. He is one of the editors of the Bay Psalm Book, the first book published ...

, Governor of Martha's Vineyard. His father Simon Mayhew was the youngest brother of Rev.

Experience Mayhew Experience Mayhew (1673–1758) was a New England missionary to the Wampanoag Indians on Martha's Vineyard and adjacent islands. He is the author of Massachusett Psalter (a rare book like the Bay Psalm Book and Eliot Indian Bible). Experience was ...

, a noted preacher to the Indians in his day. Simon might not have sent Joseph to College if Harvard had not in 1723 forced an honorary M.A. on Uncle Experience Mayhew in recognition of his work as a missionary to the Indians. Joseph graduated at

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

1730 in the class with Chief Justice Peter Oliver and Hon. Stephen Minot. Mayhew had served as Tutor at Harvard since 1739 and Fellow of the Corporation since 1742. He administered John Adams' examination to Harvard, as described in a famous and charming passage in John Adams' diary and autobiography. He was first the Latin tutor of John Adams. Adams later took all of his courses under him. One of John Adams' favorite subjects with Mayhew was rhetoric. Joseph Mayhew resigned in July, 1755 and returned to Martha's Vineyard. He never married but was a leader of the patriots in the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

. He died in 1782 and is buried in Abel's Hill Cemetery on Martha's Vineyard near the grave of his uncle Experience Mayhew.

References

1782 deaths Harvard University alumni John Adams People from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts Year of birth uncertain People of colonial Massachusetts {{US-bio-stub