
(from the Gallup genealogy, ed.
1893)
John Gollop, the ancestor of most of the families
of that name in this country, came to America from
the Parish of Mosterne, County Dorset, England, in
the year 1630.
He was
a son of John Gollop, who married (gnu) Crabbe, who was
son of Thomas and Agnes (Watkins) Gollop, of North
Bowood and Strode, and whose descendants still own
and occupy the manors of Strode.
He was
thirty-three years old at the time of the
visitation of Dorset, 1623.
He
married Christobel [Brushett], whose full name does not
appear, and careful research has failed to
discover it. [as of this writing in 1893.]
He
sailed from Plymouth, England, March 20, 1630, in
the ship Mary and John, arriving at
Nantasket, now Hull, May 30th. His wife and
children following in 1633.

He went
first to Dorchester, but was soon after a resident
of Boston. He was admitted to the First Church,
January 6, 1634. His wife, Christobel, June 22,
1634. He was made a freeman in April of same year.
"He was one of the earliest grantees of land
at the northerly part of the town, where he had a
wharf-right and house." The locality was
known by the name of Gallop's point, and was the
southeast part of the peninsula, at the north end
of the town.
We find
his name first in the town records in 1636, on
page 10 where occurs the following entry:
"Item: It is ordered that John Gallop shall
remove his payles at his yarde ende within 14
days, and to rainge them even with the comer of
his house, for the preserving of the way upon the
Sea Bancke." This was probably the origin of
Middle street, now known as Hanover street. ---
Extract from an article in Boston Transcript,
April,13, 1883, by James H. Stark.
He
owned Gallup's Island, where he had a snug farm,
with a meadow on Long Island, a sheep pasture on
Nix Mate, and a house in Boston.
He was
a skilful mariner, well acquainted with the harbor
around Boston, and in the habit of making frequent
trading expeditions along the coast in his own
vessels. One of these expeditions was made forever
memorable by the encounter of the murderers of his
friend, John Oldham. [See Appendix, p.G6, for a
full account of this first naval exploit off Block
Island, RI, July, 1636]
After
the settlement of Rhode Island and Connecticut,
his vessel furnished about the only means of
communication between the two colonies. At one
time there was considerable anxiety in the Rhode
Island colony, for John Gallup was delayed in his
trip. Soon after, Roger Williams writes Governor
Winthrop, beginning in this manner: ".God be
praised John Gallop has arrived."
He
achieved great distinction in September, 1633 by piloting
the Griffin, a ship of 300 tons, through a channel
he had newly found, when she had on board
the Rev. John Cotton, the Rev. Thos. Hooker, Rev.
Mr. Stone, and other fathers of New England among
her two hundred passengers. Besides these, it is
supposed that Mr. Gallop's wife and children were
on board.
He died
in Boston, January 11, 1650. His wife, Christobel, died in Boston, September 27, 1655. His will and that of his wife, gathered from Winthrop's History, are among the earliest on record, and may be found in the Appendix.
In this
connection, an extract from a letter written by
Governor Winthrop to the Rev. John White, of
England, referring to John of Masterne, will be
enjoyed:
"I have much difficultye to keepe John Gallop
here, by reason his wife will not come. I marvayle
at the woman's weaknesse. I pray, persuade and
further her coming by all means. If she will come
let her have the remainder of his wages; if not,
let it be bestowed to bring over his children, for
so he desired. It would be about, 40 losse to
him to come for her.
Your assured in the Lords worke,
J. WINTHROP,
MASSACHUSETTS, July 4, 1632."
Possibly, Governor Winthrop's pleasure, that the
"woman's weaknesse " had been overcome,
enabling her to join her husband, prompted the
gift of Gallop's Island in commemoration of the
successful piloting, by her happy husband, of the
ship which bore her and so many distinguished ones
safely into Boston Harbor.
Surely the evening of that eventful September day
found no happier man in the settlement than John
Gallop, whose stout heart had never, for a moment,
failed him or his friends in any of the stern
emergencies of those early days; yet had grown
weary enough in the prolonged waiting for wife and
children, by a lonely fireside, for which he had
little more courage than some descendants that
bear his name.
On the
frontier, men live in heart to heart contact with
one another, the interests of one are the
interests of all.
Governor Winthrop and family devoutly shared his
joy; the arrival of the Governor's family, and the
great rejoicing upon that event, when amid the
resounding welcome of artillery, "the judges
of the court and most of the people of the town
went to salute them," occurred but two years
before, and doubtless there were many friends to
heartily greet the good wife, the only daughter,
and three brave lads of John Gallop. Among them
all none nearer than the friend, John Mason, with
him in the military school in Holland, companion
through the voyage on the "Mary and
John," and ever after these two were as close
friends as peculiar associations and strong
natures could make them.
The
doubting heart of Christobel, for whom the home in
the wilderness and the uncertainties of the voyage
seems to have had no attraction, must have been
cheered by the warmth of her welcome to the new
land, and the kindly and hospitable efforts in her
behalf which surely followed, and one can readily
believe that in time her steadfast heart became
almost as firmly attached to their new home and
country as it had before been to dear old EngIand,
never forgotten in the new attachment.
She
evidently took kindly to no new ways without ample
time for consideration of their merits. Her
husband always preceded her; she did not become a
member of the First Church until six months after
his admission to the same. But that the
"heart of her husband did safely trust in her
even to the end, " is assured by the
peculiarly respectful, considerate, and
affectionate terms and provisions of his will;
testifying to his confidence in her excellent
judgment when her decisions were reached - and one
time more he went before her, taking leave for the
Better Country, some six years before the time of
her departure therefor.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
[Gathered from Winthrop's and
Trumbull's Histories.]
In the
beginning of 1630 a church was gathered at
Plymouth, England, of persons who intended to come
to North America in order to enjoy civil and
religious privileges. Some time before the 20th of
March just as they were about to embark for New
England, upon a day of solemn fasting and prayer,
they were formed into a Congregational church at
the new hospital at Plymouth. They then made
choice of Rev. John Warham and Rev. John Maverick
to be their pastor and teacher. They were ordained
or re-installed to the care of this particular
church. The famous Mr. White of Dorchester,
preached on this occasion. Mr. Warham had been a
noted minister in Exeter, the capital of the
county of Devonshire. -They sailed from Plymouth,
England, on the 20th of March, 1630, in the Mary
and John, a ship of 400 tons which had on board
140 persons and arrived at Nantasket, (now Hull)
Mass., on the 30th of May. The next day Captain
Squeb, the master of the vessel, put them and
their goods on shore and left them to shift for
themselves notwithstanding his engagement to bring
them up the Charles river. (The captain was
afterwards obliged to pay damages for this
conduct. ) But by the assistance of some of the
old planters they obtained a boat and proceeded up
the Charles river to the place since called
Watertown. Here they landed their goods and
erected a shelter to cover them, but as they had
many cattle and found a neck of land at Mattapan,
affording good accommodations for them they all
removed to this place and began a settlement there
in the early part of June. They named the place
Dorchester because many of them came from a town
of that name in England. They were chiefly from
the counties of Devonshire, Dorsetshire and
Somershire. They were a very godly and religious
people and many of them, persons of note and
figure, being dignified with the title of Mr.,
which few in those days were. Some of the
principal men were Mr. Rosseter, Mr. Ludlow, Mr.
Glover, Mr. Wolcott, Mr. Gallop and others. It
seems that many of these people were trading men
and at first designed Dorchester for a place of
commerce, but the channel being poor and the
landing difficult, and Boston and Charlestown
harbor far from commodious, they desisted from
that design and many of them moved afterwards to
Boston and other places.
In the
summer of 1635, Rev. John Warham removed with his
congregation to Windsor, Conn., and began the
settlement of that town.
Rev.
Ebenezer Rosseter, great grandson of Mr. Edward
Rosseter, who came to Dorchester with Mr. Warham,
was ordained over First Congregational church at
Stonington in 1722, and continued there till his
death in 1762.
Matthew
Grant, the ancestor of General U. S. Grant, was
also a passenger on the Mary and John,
and removed with Mr. Warham to Windsor, Conn.
(Along with Rev. Warham there were two other
ministers who came over in the Mary and John
in 1630, Rev. John Wilson and Rev. George
Phillips)
***