Avery, John

honorific(s): Deacon
Other names: Captain; Lieutenant
Birth: October 26, 1705 in Groton, CT
Death: March 11, 1789 in Preston, CT
Faith

Congregationalist

Nationality

Anglo-American

Occupation

Deacon

Marital status

Avery married Anne Stanton on February 19, 1732 in Stonington. They had eight children: John, Abigail, Amos, Anna, Margaret, Isaac, Jonas, and Hannah. Anne died on Oct. 6, 1750. After Anne's death, he married Rachel Parish, who died on Aug. 6, 1755. He then married Phebe Burrows More in 1756, and they had one child together named Phebe.

Biography

John Avery was born in 1705 in Groton, Connecticut. Avery was chosen to serve as deacon for a Congregationalist church in Preston, Connecticut, and was ordained on August 16, 1747. A study by Avery's ancestors indicates that he was once imprisoned for refusing to pay dues to Connecticut colony's state-sponsored Congregationalist church. He felt his imprisonment was noble, given his aversion to centralized church power. Avery was named lieutenant and then captain of the Preston trainband, the local militia, in 1739 and 1741, respectively. He resigned in 1750. In 1743, Avery was named deputy to the general court. Occom lodged at the home of Avery at least three times when passing through New London. Avery died in 1789 in Preston, Connecticut, and in his will, Avery granted his slave freedom and financial support. Joanna Brooks confuses Deacon John Avery with his son of the same name, who was a clockmaker and silversmith in Preston, Connecticut born in 1732.

Sources

Avery, Elroy McKendree and Catharine Hitchcock Tilden Avery. The Groton Avery Clan, Vol. I. Cleveland, 1912. Web.; Occom, Samson. The Collected Writings of Samson Occom, Mohegan. Ed. Joanna Brooks. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2006. Print.