John Balch, of Salem

John Balch migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See Great Migration Begins, by R. C. Anderson, Vol. 1, p. 84)

John Balch, of Salem is not proven as a son of George Balch, Sr. and his wife Jane Balch.

Biography

John came with a company headed by Captain Robert Gorges, to settle the abandoned colony at Weymouth (formerly Wessegusset), which had been abandoned after an earlier settlement attempt by a group headed by a Mr. Weston. Weston's group abandoned in the spring of 1623. Gorges' company was the first direct group from Great Britain to form a nucleus for a permanent settlement in New England. The Plymouth Company and Weston were earlier, but the Plymouth Company came from Holland, and the Weston group did not stay. Gorges made an exploration north, and then returned to England, leaving the settlers to themselves.

In 1624, the colony moved to Cape Ann to establish a fishery. This plan failed, and in 1625, cattle were brought in from England. In September 1625, the colony moved again to Sagamoreship, a peninsula in Massachusetts. The first settlers there were Roger Conant; Peter Palfrey; William Allen; Richard Norman, Jr.; John Woodbury; Rev. John Lyford; Thomas Gray; Walter Knight; John Balch; Thomas Gardner; Richard Norman, Sr.; John Tilley; Capt. William Trask; and others. Four men -- John Woodbury, Peter Palfry, John Lyford, and John Balch -- who were obvious leaders of the colony, were known as "the Old Planters."

On September 6, 1628, John Endicott was assigned governor of the settlement, and in July 1629, the town was incorporated and named Salem, which is Hebrew for "peaceful." On May 16, 1631, John Balch and 18 others were pronounced free men, which is the first date that free men were made in America.

On November 25, 1635, John Balch was granted 200 acres in the Bass River District. In 1638, he [sic: his son] house built a two-story frame house, which is still standing and still occupied by his descendants. In 1629, he helped organize a church, and on August 6, 1629, a Congregational church was chartered, the first Congregational church completely formed and organized in America.

Family

John Balch's first wife was Margery or Margaret (unknown). It is unlikely she was the daughter of John Lovett and his wife Margery Lovett, as seen in some genealogies. Margery was born in England about 1603, and died in Beverly, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony, after December 1636 when she appears in the Salem Church list; and before 1648, when John Balch wrote his will, naming his wife "Annis."

They married by 1628, perhaps in Wessegussett.

The three children of John and Margaret Balch were:

1. Benjamin Balch, b abt 1629 (deposed 10 Apr 1706 age c77); m1 abt 1650 Sarah Gardner, dau of Thomas Gardner; she d at Beverly 5 Apr 1686; m2 Marblehead 5 Feb 1688/9 Abigail Clarke, who d at Beverly 1 Jan 1690; age abt 55; m3 Beverly 15 Mar 1691/2 Grace Mallett.
2. John Balch, b abt 1631; m Mary Conant, dau of Roger Conant; she m2 by 1663 William Dodge, son of William Dodge.
3. Freeborn Balch, b abt 1634 (deposed 19 Aug 1657 age 23); on 20 Jan 1658 Walter Price of Salem, exec'r and admin'r to Freeborn Balch, sold to Benjamin Balch of Salem at Bass River for L20 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.

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Notes

John Balch came from Somersetshire, England, with Captain Robert Georges in 1623, and died on his plantation in May or June, 1648. He and his wife Margery were enrolled among the first members of the Salem, Massachusetts, Congregational Church ; this church was the first fully formed and organized in America.

John Balch was once thought to be the builder of the John Balch House, but it is now believed the house was built by his son, Benjamin Balch.

Disputed origins

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Balch-6#Disputed_Origins

John Balch is the earliest known ancestor in this line, and despite much speculation, his origins remain uncertain. [1]

Born: About 1600. His exact date of birth and birth place remain unknown. Given the dates of his immigration in 1623 or 1624, and his marriage by 1628, he was likely born between 1595 and 1605. Anderson uses the date by about 1605, based on his marriage. [1] However, it would seem likely he was a born a bit before this date considering his immigration in 1623 and that he was one of three men chosen by Roger Conant to remain behind and establish the settlement of Naumkeag (now Salem, Massachusetts) in 1626.

Common Errors to Avoid

• Incorrect Origins: William F. Balch in an 1855 NEHGR article put forth his belief that John Balch came from Bridgewater, Somerset; and, furthermore he was likely the son of a George Balch born in 1536. [2] There is no evidence to support this.
• LNAB of Wife: She is sometimes said to be Margaret Lovell (or Lovett) – a John Balch married Margaret Lovell on 12 September 1625 at St. Cuthbert’s parish in Wells, co. Somerset. Certainly, this is a possible match as the timing and names are correct; however, there remains no direct connection between any John Balch in England and John Balch the immigrant.

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References

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Balch_House "John Balch, born 1579 in Bridgewater, Somersetshire, England. Landed at Cape Ann 1623. Built Balch house at Beverly, Mass. 1639."
2. https://www.historicbeverly.net/visit/our-locations/balch-house/
3. Torrey, Clarence Almon, New England Marriages Prior to 1700, (Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., Inc., 1985). Pg. 35.
4. http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=trees4u&i... (dead link)
5. WikiTree contributors, "Margery (Unknown) Balch (1603-aft.1636)," WikiTree: The Free Family Tree, (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Unknown-354751 : accessed 14 January 2025). cites
   1. Galusha B. Balch, Genealogy of the Balch Family in America, Eben Putnam: Salem, 1897, page 6.
   2. Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins, Boston, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995, Vol I A-F, pages 84-86. < Ancestry.com >
   3. Ferris, Mary Walton. Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines, vol 1. (1943): 69-82. < Ancestry.com >
6. WikiTree contributors, "John Balch (abt.1600-bef.1648)," WikiTree: The Free Family Tree, (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Balch-6 : accessed 14 January 2025).
   1. Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration Begins, vol. I A-F, (Boston: NEHGS, 1995): 84-86. AmericanAncestors.org LINK
   2. Balch, Thomas Willing . Balch Genealogica. (1907): 88. Archive.org LINK
   3. Banks, Charles E . The Planters of the Commonwealth in Massachusetts, 1620-1640, (1930): 58. Ancestry.com LINK
   4. Beverly Historical Society Website. < Our History >
   5. Essex County Commisioners. The Probate Records of Essex County, Massachusetts, vol. 1: 1635-1664. (Salem, 1916):95-96. Books.google.som LINK
   6. Essex County Courts. Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts, vol. IV: 1667-1671. (Salem, 1914): 224. Books.google.com
   7. Ferris, Mary Walton. Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines, vol 1. (1943): 69-82. Ancestry.com Link.
   8. Balch, Galusha B. Genealogy of the Balch Family in America, (Salem: Eben Putnam, 1897). Archive.org LINK
   9. Hubbard, Rev. William. A General History of New England. (1815): 106-108 Books.google.com LINK
   10. Lapham, Alice. The Old Planters of Beverly Massachusetts and the Thousand Acre Grant of 1635. (Carlisle, MA: Beverly Historical Society, 1930). Books.google.com LINK
   11. New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 9 no. 3 (July 1855): 233-238. History of the Balche Family, by William F. Balch. Books,google.com LINK
   12. Rose-Troup, Frances. John White, The Patriarch of Dorchester and The Founder of Massachusetts, 1575-1648. (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1930). Page 81-93.
   13. Young, Alexander. Chronicles of the First Planters of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay (Charles C. Little and James Brown, Boston, 1846) Page 26: see footnote #2
   14. The Old Planters of Beverly article Courtesy of The Beverly Historical Society wayback machine archive
   15. The Old Planters of Beverly Massachusetts and the Thousand Acre Grant of 1635 Book for purchase