"1. Capt. John1 Floyd was born about 1636, judging from his testimony given as a witness in court at Salem in 1681 and from the age appearing on his gravestone at Lynn. He was living at Lynn in 1662 with wife Sarah Doolittle, daughter of John of Rumney Marsh, when his eldest child was born. From here he moved, about 1670, to Malden, settling at Black Ann's Corner, near the Rumney Marsh line. He was made freeman in 1674, and [He is not included in Paige's list of freeman sworn in 1774.] during the spring and early summer of 1676 served as lieutenant in Capt Henchman's company in King Philip’s War. About 1680 he moved to Rumney Marsh, where he lived for the remainder of his life, retaining, however, the Malden farm and sharing in the sixth division of the common lands of Malden as a freeholder of that town.
John Doolittle, his father-in-law, died 24 Sept. 1681, and made Capt. Floyd's children the residuary legatees of his large estate in Rumney Marsh, in his will mentioning Sarah Floyd, and making 'son-in-law John Floyd' sole executor.
Capt. Floyd was in Gov. Andros's expedition of 1688 against the Indians to the eastward, and in 1689 was in command of a military post on the Saco River. In 1690 he was made captain of a troop and stationed at Portsmouth, and for about three years after this he saw service against the Indians, taking part in the fight at Wheelwright's Pond, in the expedition of Sept. 1690, under Maj. Church, against the enemy around Casco, etc.
In 1692 he was arrested and imprisoned on the charge of practising witchcraft, and evidence was given against him in the trial of Abigail Faulkner at Salem, 11 Aug. of that year, but he appears to have escaped conviction.
He died at Rumney Marsh 1 Feb. 1701-2, and was buried at Lynn. His heirs drew up an agreement for the division of his estate, which included eight negroes and was partitioned between the widow Sarah, sons Hugh, John, Joseph, and Daniel, and sons-in-law Nathaniel Upham and John Hawks (Suffolk Probate, vol. 14, p. 400). Sarah, widow of Capt. John Floyd, died 16 June, 1717, aged 75, and was buried in the old Rumney Marsh burial-ground, now in Revere."
