Adam Winthrop, Sr. of Lavenham, Suffolk, England

Lavenham, England

This will probably be a fairly short post as there is not much known about Adam Winthrop, Sr. His parents are unknown, his date of birth and birthplace are unknown and his date of marriage is unknown. However, if you know anything about early American History then you know something of his great grandson, John Winthrop, Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. I am not related directly to John Winthrop but rather to his uncle William Winthrop, grandson of Adam Winthrop, Sr. Still, it's pretty cool to have the Winthrop's in my family tree.

what do we know

Symbols of Catholicism

What we know of Adam's story begins with his son, Adam, Jr. who was baptized in October of 1498 at the church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Lavenham, Suffolk, England. The discovery of America in 1492 was still a new and exciting thing, a novelty for most who heard the news. King Henry VII, father of the famous Henry VIII, was still on the throne and Catholicism was the dominant religion, period. A new land, a new king and a new religion would have a lasting impact on the Winthrop family.  

Adam and his wife, Jane Burton, had at least one child, Adam Jr., no other children either survived or were recorded, if they existed. Adam Sr. died sometime during the childhood of his son.  Jane Burton Winthrop, his widow, remarried to another Lavenham man.  He was John Ponder, and like her first husband he was a clothier, only more successful. 

Cloth manufacturing was the driving industry in Lavenham and the surrounding area in the county of Suffolk.  The year 1500 was probably close to the height of prosperity for the wool-cloth industry. Young Adam Jr. was in the right place at the right time and he made the most of it. 


Related Posts
William Winthrop of London


Sources:

Online History of Lavenham

Bremer, Francis, J, John Winthrop America's Forgotten Founding Father,