John ASHCRAFT

                   BIRTH:
    The Ashcraft Family Martha Ashcraft Neal Gateway Press, Inc Baltimore 1994

MARRIAGE:
    The Ashcraft Family Martha Ashcraft Neal Gateway Press, Inc Baltimore 1994 pg 8

DEATH:
    The Ashcraft Family Martha Ashcraft Neal Gateway Press, Inc Baltimore 1994 pg 8

    BIRTH: Maybe Barbados

    BIOGRAPHY: John Ashcroft (1) settled in Stonington, CT, as early as 1662.  In
    1664 he  was arraigned with John Carr in New London for "various misdemeanors,
    endeavoring to entice women from their husbands, concealing themselves in 
    houses, writing letters which had been intercepted, etc.  They were fined  and
    the wives of several men solemnly warned and ordered to take care."  (History
    of New London, CT by Francis Manwaring Caulkins, 1862, p. 249)

    HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF STONINGTON county of new London, Connecticut, By 
    Richard Anson Wheeler pages 21, 22, 23

    King Philip's emissaries visited the remnant of the Pequot Indians, and 
    besought them to join in the grand plan of exterminating the English. They 
    were partially successful at first in their endeavors, but the influence  of
    Chesebrough, Stanton, Denison, Gallup and others prevailed with the  Pequots
    and they remained friendly with the English and rendered them most  important
    services when the war actually commenced.  They participated in  the great
    swamp-fight in Kingston, R.I., which took place Dec 19, 1675.  (if the first
    john was in this war he would have been about 73 years old,  as the ship's
    list said he was 33 when he came over to America, this is  why I believe the
    Indian fighter was john jr.) Capt. James Avery, of New  London, commanded the
    Pequots and Mohegans, who, urged on by Oneko, fought  with unyielding
    determination. Capt. John Gallup was among the slain, but  how many of lesser
    grade, and of the rank and file of out town, were  killed and wounded can not
    now be ascertained.  Almost all of the  able-bodied men of Stonington were
    engaged in the Indian Wars of their  time.  Capt. George Denison raised and
    mustered into service from the  colony a large force of English and Indians. 
    He was provost-marshal for  New London County and Rhode Island. He had a
    stockade fort just west of  his dwelling-house in Stonington, where his
    soldiers encamped previous to  their forays into the Indian territory.  During
    the year 1676, Capt.  Denison organized three expeditions, which pursued with
    unrelenting  vengeance the shattered remnants of King Philip's forces.   It
    was during  the third of these expeditions, which began March 28, 1676, and
    ended  April 10, 1676, that the brave Narragansett chieftain, Canonchet, was 
    taken prisoner.  He was brought to Stonington, where a council of war was 
    held at Anguilla, near the present residence of Gideon P. Chesebrough.  He 
    refused to negotiate for peace, or for the cessation of hostilities on any 
    terms, so the council decided that he must die, and when told of his fate, 
    replied "That he liked it well, and should die before his heart had grown 
    soft, or he had said anything unworthy of himself."  He was executed after 
    the Indian mode, being shot by Oneko and two Pequot sachems, the nearest  to
    his own rank among his conquerors.  This was done by his captors  without
    consulting, or advice from any one superior to them in authority.  No list or
    roll of the Stonington men who participated in the early Indian  wars has been
    preserved.  The nearest approach to which my be found in  "list of the English
    volunteers in the late Narragansett war," as prepared  by a committee for that
    purpose in order to secure a grant of land for  their services, as follows:
    Capt. George Denison, sergt. john frink, Capt.  john stanton, Capt. Samuel
    mason, rev. James noyes, lieut. Thomas miner,  Samuel youmans, john fish,
    George Denison, jr., William Denison, Nathaniel  beebe, henry stevens, Edmund
    fanning, Thomas wheeler, gershom palmer,  Samuel stantion, Daniel stanton,
    manasseth miner, Joseph stanton, James  York, henry beneath, Capt. James
    pendleton, Robert holmes, Thomas bell,  henry elliott, Isaac wheeler, john
    gallup, Nathaniel chesebrough, ephraim  miner, Joseph miner, Samuel miner,
    [john ashcroft,] Edmund fanning, jr.,  john Denison, William billings and
    Samuel fish.

    HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF STONINGTON On page 708  in Appendix A LIST OF 
    STONINGTON MEN WHO SERVED IN THE COLONIAL INDIAN WARS OF NEW ENGLAND.

    There are a total of 60 listed  John Ashcraft being #41.

    KING PHILIP'S WAR----VOLUNTOWN, CONNECTICUT

    From the old Proprietors' Record Book at Voluntown, the author, secured  two
    lists of the grantees or "Volunteers."  The first list was made in the  order
    of the enrollment of the names, and was copied for Hon. Richard A,  Wheeler, of
    Stonington, in 1860, by Elisha Potter, then Town Clerk of  Voluntown, and
    published by him some years ago, in the Narragansett  Historical Register.

    In the Enrollment List.  December 23, 1860 A list of the Names of the  English
    Volunteers in the late Narraganset War, [Indian War in state of  Rhode Island]
    as followth # 81  Ashcraft, John   (dec'd) The other list  is that of the
    "Cedar Swamp Lots," so called. This list was copied for me  by the Town Clerk,
    Mr. Charles E. Maine, of Voluntown, and I am assured  that it is correct.

    The restrictions of the Connecticut grant to "English" volunteers shut out 
    the Indians, who formed a large contingent of their forces, and also the 
    white men, who were pressed into the service.  In Massachusetts, thirty  years
    later, all who had any hand in the Narraganset campaign, both from 
    Massachusetts and Plymouth, whether volunteers or "impressed," were made 
    grantees.  Connecticut's volunteers, in 1701, were found to be about one 
    hundred and eighty.

    List of Volunteers who Drew "Cedar Swamp" Lots. #3  Ashcroft, John

    History of New London County Connecticut 1882 by D. Hamilton Hurd

    Almost all of the able-bodied men of Stoningto were engaged in the Indian 
    wars of their time.  Capt. George Denison raised and mustered into the 
    service of the colony a large force of English and Indians.  He was 
    provost-marshal for New London County and Rhode Island.  He had a stockade 
    fort just west of his dwelling-house in Stonington, where his soldiers 
    encamped previous to their forays into the Indian territory.  During the  year
    1676, Capt. Dension organized three expeditions, who pursued with  unrelenting
    vengeance the shattered remnants of King Philip's forces.  It  was during the
    third of these expeditions--which began March 28, 1676, and  ended April 10,
    1776--that the brave Narragansett chieftain, Canonchet,  was taken prisoner. 
    He was brought to Stonington, where a council of war  was held at Auguilla,
    near the present residence of Gideon P. Chesebrough.  He refused to negotiate
    for peace, or for the cessation of hostilities on  any terms, so the council
    decided that he must die, and when told of his  fate, replied "that he liked
    it well, and should die before had grown  soft, or he had said anything
    unworthy of himself."  He was executed after  the Indian mode, being shot by
    Oneko and two Pequot sachems, the nearest  to his own rank among his
    conquerors.  This was done by his captors  without consulting or advice from
    any one superior to them in authority.

    No list or roll of the Stonington men who participated in the early Indian 
    wars has been preserved.  The nearest approach to which may be found in "a 
    list of the English volunteers in the late Narragansett War," as prepared  by
    a committee for that purpose in order to secure a grant of land for  their
    services, as follows:  Capt. George Denison, Sergt. John Frink,  Capt. John
    Stantion, Capt. Samuel Mason, Rev. James Noyes, Lieut. Thomas  Miner, Samuel
    Youmans, John Fish, George Denison Jr., William Dension,  Nathaniel Beebe,
    Henry Stevens, Edmund Fanning, Thomas Fanning, John  Bennet, William Bennett,
    Ezekiel Main, William Wheeler, Gershom Palmer,  Samuel Stanton, Daniel
    Stanton, Manasseth Miner, Joseph Stanton, James  York, Henry Bennett, Capt.
    James Pendleton, Robert Holmes, Thomas Bell,  Henry Elliott, Isaac Wheeler,
    John Gallup, Nathaniel Chesebrough, Ephriam  Miner, Joseph Miner, Samuel
    Miner, John Ashcraft, Edmund Fanning, Jr.,  John Denison, William Billings,
    and Samuel Fish.

    After the close of King Philip's War nothing occurred to interrupt the 
    progress of the settlement.  Some matters, however, connected with the 
    contests between the colonies of Connecticut and Rhode Island, relative to 
    the boundary line between them, lingered to make trouble for the adjoining 
    towns of Stonington and Westerly.

    After Hannah became widow, s