Rev John Lothrop



My 9th Great Grandfather

Rev. John Lothrop, my 9^th great grandfather was born in England in 1854 to a prestigious family.  He was educated at Oxford and then Cambridge University. Upon graduation he was ordained a Deacon in the Church of England.

Years later his views began to shift toward Protestant views. During the 17^th Century it was crime to practice anything but the Church of England. This put himself at odds with the King on the topic of religious freedom.  This put Lothrop subject to severe punishment.

He was arrested and imprisoned in 1632 under terrible conditions and treatment. Two years later he was released on the condition he remove himself to the New World. He set sail on the Griffin along with 30 of his followers, arriving in Boston in 1634.

During the voyage, while at evening devotions, the Reverend Lothrop spilled hot candle wax on the open book which burned through several pages, causing holes about the size of a shilling.  Before landing, he carefully repaired most of the damaged paper and filled in the missing text from memory. A few of the holes in the pages remain."  The Bible is on display at the Sturgis Library in Barnstable, MA