On this day in 1718, Capt. John Higginson Jr. passed away at the age of 42. His marker, and that of his first wife Hannah, are located just inside the Liberty Street entrance to the cemetery. Though referred to as ‘Junior’ on his headstone, John was truly the third generation of John Higginsons in Salem, and is referred to as “John Higginson 3d” in some records. Because three generations of men were living in Salem at the same time, it can be somewhat challenging to distinguish which John Higginson is being discussed in source materials, and this is reflected most prominently when identifying who was involved in what during the Salem Witch Trials.
John III’s grandfather was the Reverend John Higginson, born in 1616 in the parish of Claybrooke, in Leicestershire, England, and came to North America in 1629 when he was almost 13. His father, Reverend Francis Higginson, helped establish the first church and settlements in both Salem and as part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, before passing away in 1630. The elder John would eventually grow up to become a chaplain, teacher and minister in Saybrook, Hartford and Guilford, Connecticut, respectively, and married Sarah, the daughter of Henry Whitfield. When their family planned to move back to England in 1659, the ship they boarded took a turn to Salem due to poor weather conditions, and John was subsequently offered to pastor the same church his father helped found. His home stood on the same site as the Salem Witch Museum does today, and the Reverend lived in and served Salem Town as pastor until his death in late 1708 at the age of 93, upon which he was buried as part of the Bradstreet tomb here at Charter. Reverend Higginson would observe and aid in questioning a couple of the accused during the Witch Trials, and his own daughter, Ann Dolliver, would come under suspicion of witchcraft as well.
John III’s father was referred to as Colonel John Higginson, born in 1646 in Guilford, CT and came with the rest of his family to Salem where his father was installed as pastor. He married Sarah Savage in 1672, and together had nine children, including John III. Their family home stood on the current location of the Hawthorne Hotel. Colonel John served as part of numerous public offices here in Salem, including Justice of the Peace for Essex County in 1692, when he would directly take part in some of the examinations for those accused of witchcraft. This distinguishes his part in the Witch Trials from that of his father the Reverend. Colonel John would die in 1719 at the age of 73, and his burial details are currently unknown.
John III was born on August 20th, 1675, and was married to Hannah Gardner on September 11th, 1695. Together they had six children, three of whom died in their infancy. When Hannah died in 1713, John married Margaret Mitchell in 1714, and together they had four children, three of which died in infancy. Margaret died in March of 1736, and at least four of John’s children are buried at Charter Street. John followed in the footsteps of his father by serving multiple roles in Salem: merchant, register of probate, selectman, and was made a lieutenant in 1697. His remarkability is in his family line, a primary example of generational impact and influence in Salem’s early colonial history, and one that can easily be identified and acknowledged at Charter Street Cemetery.