From THE BATES CENTENNIAL FARM OF ROCKTON, ILL.1857-1990 Probably born in Aberdeen, Scotland area about 1625. He was a soldier in the ill-fated Scottish army under aspiring King Charles 2 nd that was soundly defeated by Oliver Cromwell and his round heads in 1651 at the battle of Worchester.Two days after the battle the Council of War at London ordered that all officers and every 10 th private captured be put on trial for rebellion, an act typically resulting in being hung or worse. This still left thousands of soldiers to be disposed of but sending them back to Scotland to fight again was definitely out of the question. Colonists in America wanted cheap labor in the quarries, mines and sawmills so they wanted indentured young men. History showed that these men were treated well and allowed to work on the side to pay their owners what was owed and thereby bought their freedom. Three hundred of these prisoners, including John Mackholme, were marched to London and placed on the ship,John and Sarah ,which sailed on or about 8 December, 1651.Under the command of lumber dealer John Green the ship arrived in Boston before February 24, 1652. Even with the usual loss of 10 percent from scurvy, 272 Scots arrived. The authorities changed a lot of their names and Mackhole became MacCoone. He did not stay in servitude long because long because he married Deborah and had four daughters between 1659-1663. His second wife Sarah bore him two sons, John Jr. and Daniel. She probably died of childbirth when Daniel was born 18 Feb.1668 He soon remarried at about fifty years of age and had 8 children from 1671-1682 by Mary. From the very first John did not like the strict Puritan life and so became interested in R.I. His name was among the 76 men of R.I.who bought land from Sosoa, the Indian chief, at Westerly. Most of the buyers never saw the land but bought as a speculation. Westerly was incorperated in 1669 and John MacCoone was listed as a free inhabitant of this new township. He did not actually make his home in Westerly Town till about 1669. He did not stay in Westerly all the time because he continued to have children in Cambridge till 1675. Part of this was caused by the King Philip War against the Colonies in 1675-1678. The war was so bad that even Boston started a wall around the town. It was the bloodies war in the 17 th century in America and it is stated that one tenth of white males in New England were killed or wounded. Women and children on both sides were killed and Indian prisoners were sold as slaves to local planters and to buyers in the West Indies. By 1690, he was worn out by hard work and returned to Cambridge to live out his life with his daughters until dying in 1705. Meanwhile sons John Jr, and Daniel MacCoone married Westerly girls and drastically expanded his Fathers R.I. farming during the 18 th century.
Most of the information below from THE DESCENDANTS OF JOHN MACCOONE OF CAMBRIDGE MASS. AND WESTERLY R.I. compiled BY Maxine Phelps Lines of Mesa, Az LDS Film 1,597,907 pg 262 Picture of Thankful Coon------------------------------------------------------------- Research Files of Edwin Witter Coon/ MacCoone, A Scottish Prisoner and his Descendants. Our Scottish ancestor, John MacCoone, didn't have in mind coming to America at all. Along with most Scots, he chose to back King Charles in the English Civil War, opposing Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentary Puritans. On Sept. 3, 1651,Cromwell defeated the Royalists at Worchester, England, capturing several thousand Scots. Apperently our John MacCoone was among them, although some say that he was captured at the battle of Dunbar the year before. Many of the prisoners were banished to the colonies, there to be sold into servitude for six to eight years to pay for their passage and other expenses. The English considered this to be a humane and generous treatment for the unfortunate Scots, but it was still a sentence to slavery for several years. Few of them ever saw their families again Two weeks after the battle of Winchester 272 prisoners were consigned to the master of the ship JOHN AND SARAH probably arriving in Boston in May of 1652 where the men were disposed of by agent Thomas Kemble of Charlestown. Many of the Scottish prisoners went to the Saugus Iron Works at Lynn Mass. but we do not know if John MacCoone was among them. His presence is seen early on in the Cambridge records and there he stayed except for some trips to R.I. where he bought land later occupied by his sons. John must have done well for he was able to purchase land in Cambridge as early as 1665. The name MacCoone , which his descendants ultimately changed to Coon, appears to derive from the Gaelic MacEoghain," son of Ewen " Dr. Maynard H. Mires, who researched the Scottish origins, believes that John was born in Aberdenshire. The name has many variations. Dr. Mires describes the events surrounding the battle as follows. Young Prince Charles came from France to claim his inheritance as rightful monarch, " Bonnie Prince Charles ."But he found himself in an odd situation. While acknowledged as king by the Scots, he was allowed no authority in affairs. His greatest obstacle was his religion, for the covenantors and the clergy were fanatic about subordination of the throne to their religious beliefs. David Leslie, an experienced officer, was given command of the army, and formed a proper defense against Cromwell, entrenching between Edinburgh and Leith, and took care to remove from the country around anything that would be a subsistence of the English army. However, Leslie was under the constant survelliance of the clergy, the army was purged of all who were not Presbyterians, thus eliminating many of the experienced soldiers who had come to support their king. Cromwell advanced upon the Scot's camp, and did his best to bring Lesie out to battle. The prudent Scot, however, knew that he was outnumbered and that his army was less disciplined than the English, so he kept within his fortifications. The Scots were in high morale. Prince Charles visited camp. and after participation in some skirmishes, became a great favorite. Army, now rid off all '[ NON-BELIEVERS )", it must be composed entirely of saints and could not be beaten. Cromwell had outrun his supply line, not expecting a long campaign. He withdrew to Dunbar and Leslie followed him. Cromwell was reduced to extremities. He was considering withdrawing and breaking through with his cavalry to the sea. But the madness of the Scottish clergy saved him. They believed that Cromwell would be delivered into their hands. Against Leslie's judgement they forced an attack. Cromwell, through his spy-glass, saw them coming, and said " without the help of revelations, the lord has delivered them into my hands " He immediately attacked. The Scotts, while excellent individual fighters, knew nothing of mass discipline, and though they twice outnumbered the English, were soon put to flight and pursued with great slaughter. The only serious resistance came from one regiment of Highlanders. About 3,000 Scots were slain and 9,000 were taken prisoner. Cromwell pressed on and took Edinburgh and Leith. The remnant of the Scottish army fled to Stirling. With winter coming and Cromwell's illness all military activities ended for the year. John MacCoone married first in November 1656 to Deborah Bush who died in Cambridge in 1664/5. He married again shortly thereafter to Sarah Wood. Deborah Bush might have been the daughter of Randall Bush who came to Cambridge in 1641. Sarah Wood may have been the sister of Richard Wood of Cambridge, definitely not his daughter, By Deborah Bush, John had four children and by Sarah Wood two., among them John Jr. was our ancestor. Sarah died, possibly of childbirth, which was common and John married a third wife, Mary, and had a child by her in January 1669, possibly as many as eight children altogether so he must have 14 children altogether. One of the most interesting things about John MacCoone is his apparent simultaneous appearance in Cambridge Mass, and Rhode Island. One might conclude that there were two John MacCoones. However I carefully tracked the events in which John had to be in Cambridge, for example the conception of his children and his known presence in R.I. or at Oyster Bay, Long Island, and there are no conflicts. One can imagine John;s interest in establishing his family in Rhode Island. He certainly did not feel at home in the Puritan theology of Massachuetts, while Rhode Island was the permissive colony. So we find him taking the oath in Westerly on 16 March 1661 and among those agreeing to buy land in Westerly, founding it on 22 March 1661. In 1669 he was called an " inhabitant of Westerly"{ but I do not believe that he lived there. He took the oath again in Rhode Island in 1671 and appears to be at Oyster Bay, L.I. in 1671. Still he was seen living in Cambridge or East Cambridge as seen in the records in 1673, 1676, 1678, and in 1683 was given 6 more acres of land in a dividing of land, implying that he was an established resident of th Cambridge area., In 1688 he appears on the tax roles of Cambridge, and the census along with his son, John Jr. About this time John Jr. became a resident of Westerly, R.I. appearing there in 1692, which was his home thereafter, John Sr, died in 1705 in East Cambridge ---------------------------------------------------------------- Records from Church of Christ Cambridge Mass Will was written in 1697 filed 4 May 1705 Registered 1705 East Cambridge Middlesex Mass ----------------------------------------------------------------- The compiler says that the name of this line was spelled in many different ways, Maccoone, Macoon, Coon, McCoon ect. The records are as good as the compiler could make out. Others have reached other conclusions. The dates are in question and even there is a question if he had two or three wives. ------------------------------------------------------- He served in the Scottish army under David Leslie and was defeated by Cromwell 1n 1650. As a prisoner he was sent to the colonies arriving in Cambridge Mass. on the ship, John and Sarah, 11 Nov. 1651. He took the Oath of Allegiance 18 May, 1669. ----------------------------------------------------------------- At the present time Laurance McCoon, who has made an intensive compilation of the McCoon family and living in Scotland ( 1966 - 1969 ) searching for the parentage of John Maccoone of Cambridge, Mass. and Westerly, R.I. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FROM REPRESENTATIVE MEN AND OLD FAMILIES OF RHODE ISLAND- VOLUME 1 JOHN Maccoone was listed as an inhabitant of Westerly. R.I. in 1669 ----------------------------------------------------------------. References Cambridge, Mass. Vital records History of Cambridge, Mass. I.R. P.701 N.E.G.R. Vol. 14, P. 168 Hartford Times 19 Oct. 1941 N.Y. G.S pg 19-23. Vol.5 Powers - Bank Ancestry Pg. 129 Oyster Bay Town Records vol. 5 Pg 133 and 177 Westerly R.I. Births and Marriages by Besman RESEARCH OF HENRY B. HUFF from the NYG8 records Vol.105 Research of Vera Robinson Beasman, R.I. Register Vol 6 No 4 p 239 Research of Edwin Witter Letter from Rosemary Canfield The Augastin ( 1974 ) Maynard M. Myres P 825-828 Mass. Marriages before 1800 Wright Family of Oyster Bay- H.D. Perrins P. 140 Scottish Prisoners deported to N.E. by Cromwell by E.E. Banks Probable Origin of the Maccoone familys-Rosemary Canfield Washington County births from probate records by Besman vol.4.92 Vital records of R.I. by Austin Westerly and Hopkinton R.I. vital records Genealogy Dictionary by Savage General guide to early American settlers ny Whittmore Wills registered in East Cambridge-Codicil added in 1705 ----------------------------------------------------------- from a letter written by Warren Patten Coon to his Aunt Mary. John Maccoone did not come to America by his own wishes. In the Battle of the Raoe ( sp ) of Dunbar in Sept 1650 the Scottish Army was defeated by the English under Cromwell. About 4000 were killed and about 10,000 were captured. Many of the captured because of the rebellion were sent to America. Among those who came to Mass. was John Maccoone who settled at Cambridge in 1651 ----------------------------------------------------------------- His will was written 8 Oct. 1705 Codicil 4 May 1705, registered CAMBRIDGE, Middlesex, Mass ---------------------------------------------------------------- In the Scottish Genealogical Helper by Maynard H Mires regarding the Scottish Civil War,- There is a book called THE DICTIONARY OF SCOTTISH IMMIGRANTS TO THE U.S.A. BY THE MAGMA CARTE BOOK CO. It relates that after Cromwell captured the 9,000 Scots, he did not know what to do with them as they would be a bigger problem so he shipped a number to America. Among them was Combs.Ecooin, Meeckome, John Mackholme, Bridish prisoner, Transported to Massachusetts November 1651 on board the John and Sarah. This reference went on to say that he married Deborah Bush 8 Nov 1656 and Sarah Woods 14 June 1665 and listed names and dates for 14 children as the MacCoone records show. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Notes made by Edwin D. Witter- The name Coon has various spelling which as made research hard. Spellings as MacCoone, MacCune, MacCunn, Mackewne,M'Koon, MacEwan,,Meckone,Mackeon,,MacKewn, MacKeowan, MacKoun, Maccune, Magoun, MaCooin. Meeckome. Meecomb, Combs ----------------------------------------------------------------T the male line at a Westerly-Stonington left the area shortly after the Revolutionary War and moved to New York State. The Coons and many of the intermarried families were Seventh Day Baptists. both in Rhode Island and New York ----------------------------------------------------------------- RECORD OF EVENTS CONCERNING JOHN MACCOONE.=Cambridge, Mass. 1658 c, 31 Nov, Hannah conceived 1660 c. Jan. Deborah conceived. 1661 16 March took oath at Westerly. 1661 22 March agreed to buy Westerly 1662 11 September bought 25 acres .1663 c. 15 March Sarah conceived. 1663 July 19 wife Deborah admitted to church 1665 20 Feb. in land registry 1666 11 April received land 1666 1 April sold 15 acres 1666/7 28 Feb. bought 6 acres 1667 c 18 May Daniel conceived 1667/8 14 March bought 6 acres 1668 c 17 April Elizabeth conceived 1669 18 May was inhabitant of Westerly 1669 10 Sept. sold 2 acres 1670 8 Dec. received land. 1671 c 20 March Margaret conceived 1673 21 March Peter conceived 1673 26 Nov 2 acres sold 1674/5 conceived Samuel conceived 1676/7 William conceived 1676 10 April 2 acres sold 1676 13 April 34 acres bought 178/9 Isabel conceived 1680 26 June ordered to fix fence 1680/1 Mercy conceived 1683 Given 6 acres in division 1787 Oyster Bay John Sr. Bay witness 1688 August poll tax on estate 1688 John Jr. in census 1688 " personal and Estate " list with son John, no real estate John Sr 1692 John Jr. in R.I. 1697 John Jr. jury man 1701 John Jr. Fence Viewer 1705 9 Oct died in Cambridge
1697 11 Dec wrote will. ---------------------------------------------------------------- From The Compendium of American Genealogy - Vol V1 by Fred Virkus John ( Maccoone ) Coon from Scotland. A founder of Cambridge Mass. abt 1651; at Westerly, R.I. 1669: Took oath of allegiance, 1669: Juryman , 1681, 1709: m 2 nd. 1665, Sarah Wood. ----------------------------------------------------------------- From the Records of the Colony of Rhode Island In 1671 he signed a legal document saying that he was loyal to his Magesty and this Colony. ----------------------------------------------------------------- From The Macoone and Coon Families of Westerly and Hopkinton by Chas. W. Farnham. As above he repeated most of the important things about John MacCoone but there is some new materials. ---------------------------------------------------------------- From detailed family history John McCoun owned 5 acres of land in Cambridge in 1665 -From the Register Record of the Town of Cambridge and in 1683 he owned 6 acres there. He left a will in Cambridge dated 11 December 1697. He signed legal documents with a mark. ----------------------------------------------------------------- From loose papers in Hopkinton Library in Hopkinton, R.I. 11 Dec 1697 John MacCoun, dwelling in Cambridge, wrote his will, leaving his whole estate both real and personal in the hands of his wife Mary for three years after his death for the bring up of his two youngest children. The distribution after three years was specified for wife, Mary, All my children both by my first and second wife, my daughter Deborah, my eldest son John. Either of my sons that are grown up and live in New England should have first right to buy his land. on 4 May 1705 he added to his will increasing his wife's share. 22 Mar 1661- A group of men entered into an agreement of purchase of Westerly. Most of the men were residents of what now in Newport Co. R.I.though many are known to have been earlier in Plymouth and Mass. Colonies.Among the purchasers was John Macoone. 26 June 1680 - at Westerly he was ordered to remove a fence that he had placed on town lands. There is a lot more information on John MacCoone listed in these pages in my files. ---------------------------------------------------------------- From A SHORT HISTORY OF THE COON FAMILY OF AMERICA - M.H.MIRES M.D. The materials in the article merely verifies some of above information. ----------------------------------------------------------------- From Charles W. Farnham John MacCoone living to Westerly 18 May 1669 He took the Oath of Allegiance 17 Sept 1679 He was living on the south side of the river in Cambridge, Mass in tax records of Aug. 1688 The record of his children by two or three wives is correct as far as it goes ?? In the History of Cambridge Pg 701 there is a reference to Sarah, Widow of Richard Wood, selling her husband's real estete to John Macoone on 17 Jan 1669. Farbham suspects that Sarah, second wife of John was the daughter of Richard and Sarah but her birth certificate was not found. ---------------------------------------------------------------- From GENEALOGICAL DICTIONARY OF RHODE ISLAND by John O. Austin Westerly, R.I. By one account he came from Aberdeenshire, Scotland. 1669-18 May His name was in a list of inhabitants. 1679- 17 Feb. He took oath of allegiance 1681- Juryman. ----------------------------------------------------------------