Person:John Lightfoot (1)

Watchers
John Lightfoot, I
b.9 Apr 1596
m. Abt 1595
  1. Anna Lightfoot1596 -
  2. John Lightfoot, I1596 - 1648
  3. Sara LightfootAbt 1600 -
  4. Martha Lightfoot1602 -
  5. Rose Lightfoot1604 -
  6. Richard Lightfoot, II1608 -
  7. Jane Lightfoot1612 -
  8. Samuel LightfootAbt 1620 -
m. 16 Jan 1620
  1. John Lightfoot, II1622 - 1686
  2. Francis LightfootAbt 1623 -
  3. George LightfootAbt 1627 -
  4. Edmund LightfootAbt 1629 -
  5. Willliam LightfootAbt 1630 -
  6. Robert LightfootAbt 1634 -
  7. Mary LightfootAbt 1636 -
  8. Jane LightfootAbt 1638 -
  9. Richard LightfootAbt 1640 -
  10. Rebecca LightfootAbt 1642 -
  11. Phillip LightfootAbt 1643 -
Facts and Events
Name[1] John Lightfoot, I
Gender Male
Birth? 9 Apr 1596
Alt Birth? 9 Apr 1598 London, England
Education? 5 May 1615 matriculated from Lincoln College, Oxford
Education? 1617 at Grays Inn || Grays Inn was a prestigious Court Law School.
Occupation? 30 Jun 1617 Englanda Barrister-at-law of Northampton County at Grays Inn
Marriage 16 Jan 1620 St. Dunstan, Stepney, London, Englandto Elizabeth Phillips
Death? 1648 London, England

_P_CCINFO 1-21528


From Colonial Families of the Southern States of America, A History and Genealogy of Colonial Families who settled in the Colonies Prior to the Revolution, by Stella Pickett Hardy, Second Ed., Baltimore, Southern Book Co.,1958

John, the eldest son of the Rev. Richard and Jane Lightfoot, was admitted to Lincoln College at Oxford, May 5, 1615 (age 17 years) and was subsequently admitted to Gray's Inn, Middlesex [a prestigious Court Law School] in June 1617. After completing his studies and apprentice there, he was appointed a Fellow and Barrister of Gray's Inn, married Elizabeth Phillips (c1620), and took up residence at P.G.C. Fairfax, 3Somerset House in London, where he practiced law until his death. It is likely that all or most of his children were born there (in London). According to his will, he was an extensive landholder and left a considerable amount of property to his mother, who survived him, his wife's family, his brothers and sisters, and his own large family of 13 children. To each of his sons he left a "Ring of Seal with other property. He ordered his books and manuscripts to be sold and the money divided among his children. The eldest son (and our ancestor) John II and his younger brother Phillip migrated with their families to America c1670, long after the death of John Sr. In the case of the older brother this is somewhat odd given his status as first-born and heir. But he was apparently a seagoing adventurer whose exploits are only hinted at in the family records. The fourth son, William, appears to have followed in his father's footsteps also graduating from Gray's Inn in 1653 and pursuing a career as a barrister in England where he and his brother Robert secured and extended the family fortune. The descendants of brothers John and Phillip would eventually comprise the "Lightfoots of Virginia" whose family members served honorably in the State Legislature, the Church and the Militia. They frequently intermarried with the famous "Lee Family of Virginia" one such union produced Francis Lightfoot Lee, a member of the Continental Congress from Virginia and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Of the two sons who emigrated to The Colonies, Philip was by far the financially successful, building a mercantile empire that was subsequently taken over and further expanded by his son Philip who was also known as Philip of Sandy Point "The Merchant Prince".

References
  1. Gretchen Bellman. Lightfoot GED Bellman: Mayes-Klein. (Gencircles.com, Downloaded September 21, 2004).