Person:John Gard (2)

6. John Gard of New London and Stonington, Connecticut was undoubtedly born before 1650, else he would not have been called "Old John Gard" in 1712. According to James Savage in his Genealogical Dictionary of New England (GDNE), John Gard removed from Rhode Island to New London in 1667, his presence in New London that year being confirmed by the New London 1667 Rate List [HNL, p. 146]. On 26 Feb. 1670/71 he signed a release of Thomas Bayley's debts [New London Deeds (NLD) Vol. 4, p. 1]. A few years later, on 7 Dec. 1678, William Thorne and his wife Lydia (daughter of William Redfin and widow of Thomas Bayley) sold land on the east side of the Great River (now the Thames River) to John Gard [NLD, Vol. 5, p. 36]. Four days later John Gard sold this land to John Lawton [NLD, Vol. 5, p.37 and p. 96]. For some reason the same deed was re-recorded on 14 Jan. 1713/14 [NLD, Vol. 6II, p. 32]. After 1678, there are no records of John or any other Gards in New London or Stonington for two decades. It is probable that John Gard lived elsewhere during this period. In the late 17th century New London was a major seaport, with ships engaged in coastal and Caribbean trade. The Stanton family of New London, for example, owned several ships and was heavily engaged in trade with the English colonies in the Caribbean. Thomas Stanton's son Daniel even moved to Barbados, where he acted as the family's agent, dying there in 1687. In fact, "With the island of Barbadoes the commercial relations were more intimate than with any other distant port" [HNL, p. 234]. Another example illustrative of the connections between these two places is that of Christopher Christophers, who brought his family from Barbados to New London prior to 1667 [GDNE, p. 383]. Based on the known connections between New London and Barbados, it seems likely that John Gard of New London is the same man who appears in Barbados in April 1679. As mentioned above, William Gard of Boston was in Barbados in March and July 1679, so it seems plausible that the John Gard who was in Barbados between the dates of William Gard's two known voyages there was related to him. In addition to evidence of a connection with William Gard, John Gard's visit to Barbados produced the only known record in which his wife's name appears. On 9 April 1679 at Christ Church Parish in Barbados, John Gard and Isabel (or Isabella) his wife had a daughter named Elizabeth baptized [Hotten, p. 491; Barbados Records, Baptisms 1637-1800, by Joanne McRee Saunders, 1984, p. 273 ]. In Hotten's version of this record John Gard is called "Peregrine" Gard, a translation of the Latin term "peregrinus", meaning pilgrim or traveler; his wife is called Isabell. In Saunders' version he is simply John Gard and his wife is Isabella. This is the only mention of John Gard found in any of the published records of Barbados, confirming his transient status. Thus it is highly likely that the John Gard in this Barbados record is the same John Gard who was living in New London, Connecticut earlier in the 1670's. Note that on 28 July 1699 an Elizabeth Gard married William Howard at East Greenwich, Rhode Island. It would not be unreasonable to believe that she was the same Elizabeth Gard who was baptized in 1679 in Barbados. Wherever John Gard may have traveled in the 1680's and 1690's, it is apparent that he returned to Connecticut some time before 1699. In that year one Joseph Gard had two children baptized in Stonington. This Joseph Gard was baptized there as an adult in October 1707 and the following month one Daniel Gard was baptized there, also as an adult. Based on these baptisms, in conjunction with Joseph Gard's naming a son Daniel, it is almost certain that Joseph and Daniel were brothers. That John Gard was their father is even more certain because in 1712 "Old John Gard" was named as the father of Daniel Gard of Stonington [GDNE].nd Isabel/Isabella Gard:th, baptized at Christ Church Parish, Barbados 9 April 1679; probably married William Howard at East Greenwich, Rhode Island 28 July 1699.ied Jonathan Ginings 25 Dec. 1701 at Windham, Connecticut.. (Probably) Sarah, born about 1690; married Samuel Backus 2 Dec. 1719 (Year shown as 1712 in the Barbour Collection records) at Windham, Connecticut.