Job Lane - Source for parents?

It also looks like our source for the birthplace is Savage writing that Job "owned lands in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire." That doesn't necessarily mean he lived on those lands, of course, much less was born there. Do we have something firmer?

Looking into it.

I'm striking out with these questions, but I did find this interesting tidbit: he built the Malden meetinghouse!

"In the seventeenth century, the intrinsic quality of a completed object was judged according to standards of acceptability defined and reinforced by members of the craftsman's community. The measure of a master craftsman was his ability to make what was referred to as a workmanlike product, whether it was a house, a chest, or a pulpit. The word 'workmanlike' was used frequently in seventeenth-century contracts and meant having an acceptable degree of control over material through an acceptable degree of control over the process. For example, in a contract for the construction of the first King's Chapel in Boston, dated July 21, 1688, the building committee directed carpenters John Holebrook, Stephen French, and Jacob Nash to build the church 'of good sound timber well and workmanlike wrought.' Thirty years earlier, the town of Malden retained Job Lane to build its first meetinghouse. The contract uses language even more specific concerning the requisite control of material through regularized workmanship: 'The said Job Lane doth hereby covenant, promiss and agree to build, erect, and finish upp a good strong, Artifical meeting House, of Thirty-three foot Square, sixteen foot stud between joints, with dores, windows, pulpitt, seats, and all other things whatsoever in all respects belonging thereto.'" (St. George)

Lane also crafted a sounding board to cover the pulpit at Malden's first meetinghouse, which was apparently quite the big deal. The town of Malden signed a contract with him on 11 November 1658, calling for "the pulpitt and cover to be of wainscott to conteyne ffive or six persons."

Citation, when we're ready

St. George, Robert Blair. "Style and Structure in the Joinery of Dedham and Medfield, Massachusetts, 1635-1685." Winterthur Portfolio 13 (1979): 1–46. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1180600.

There is not a Birth record, and I haven’t yet looked much for genealogies other than the comprehensive Lane book:

L.P. Lane, "Lane Family in Rickmansworth, Engand and Vicinity; Postscript to Part I" in "Lane Genealogies", Vol III by J.Lane et al., compiled by James Fitts. The News Letter Press, New Hampshire US, 1902. p. 1-2 Archive.Org

But the property record establishes his origins pretty clearly. There is surviving correspondence with Jeremiah Gould regarding his property, for example:

https://archive.org/details/lanegenealogies03chap/page/n42/mode/1up...

The letter of Jeremiah Gould to Job Lane, 1654, says: "Your uncle Henry Lane is dead; there is 19 acres of poor land fallen unto his heir, and there is a scruple made whether you be he or no, because you have an elder brother and not known to be dead." — iV. E. Gen. Reg., 44: jgy.

And the issue is described here (with some errors)

Ref: Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County ... By Ellery Bicknell Crane, By Ellery Bicknell Crane Published 1907, The Lewis Publishing Company

http://homepages.rpi.edu/~holmes/Hobbies/Genealogy2/ps13/ps13_214.htm

LANE FAMILY. Job Lane, the immigrant ancestor of the Lane family of Ashburnham, to which Frederick Douglass Lane belongs, was born in Lancashire, England, in 1620, and came first to New England, where he settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1835. Twelve years later, having made a home in the wilderness, he returned to England to marry and to look after his property. He gave a power of attorney, November 20, 1047, to Mr. Lenthall. minister of Little Haunden, Bucks county, with reference to the lands at Rickmansworth in the same county, now or lately in possession of Henry or John Lane, but which should have descended to Job as the eldest son. Various letters relating to this English property of Job Lane are published in the Genealogical Register, Volume XI. The father of Job Lane was James Lane, of Great Misenden, Bucks county, where a number of the pioneer settlers of New England came from. Part of the property owned by Job Lane in England was from the estate of his second wife, whose brother, Boyes Rayner, was slain in battle in 1643 fighting under Cromwell. ….

And It looks like there’s a special collection at the Bedford Historical Society:

https://www.bedfordmahistory.org/Lane%20Family%20Papers/lane-bios.htm

When Job Lane (1) (1620-1697) purchased a substantial tract of land in Billerica from the heirs of Governor John Winthrop in 1664, the Lane family’s long involvement in the affairs of the area began. The Lane Family Papers – which contain the oldest documents held by the Bedford Historical Society – tell the story of this family. The papers of seven family members – the first Job Lane; his son Major John Lane; Deacon Job Lane (John’s son); Job Lane, the Deacon’s son; Samuel Lane; Captain James Lane; and David Woodward Lane – comprise the bulk of this collection. The first Job Lane divided his time between Malden and Billerica, but sufficiently developed his land in Billerica to be able to leave his son a dwelling house, outbuildings, and an orchard, as well as land, at his death in 1697. He was married twice, first to Sarah Boyce (often spelled Boyes or Boys in these documents), and then to Hannah Reyner. He had eight children, seven daughters and a son. The son, John Lane, was Job’s principal heir.

Job Lane (1) was a carpenter by trade and built bridges and houses in the Boston area. He also became the owner of land in England through his marriage to Hannah Reyner, and the rents from tenants on this land enabled Job to obtain goods from England, primarily fabric, that were in demand in the colonies.

Also see https://media.geni.com/p13/80/2e/2b/1f/53444859226541bd/james_lane_of_north_yarmouth_original.pdf?hash=90d6d84eb5737086caf0f35c4cd69159e73fb033315330059f06d8a68343fbcb.1731225599 re: origins.

Juicy story about his brother Edward Lane & his wife Anna Paige

https://nescbwi.wordpress.com/2012/07/04/the-write-sisters-women-of...

Private User - I find the case for origins compelling. And in fact, based on wills in each generation, the pedigree back to Robert Lane of Rickmansworth holds together.

Perhaps easiest to see from *Genealogical Gleanings in England, Volume 1. By Henry Fitz-Gilbert Waters. Page 474. GoogleBooks - the Will of Job’s uncle John Lane is on the page before.

Sounds great, Erica. I'm so appreciative of you, as always, going way above and beyond to help.