John was the son of Thomas Hartshorn & Susanna Buck. On September 22, 1709 in Rowley, Essex County, Massachsetts, he married Mary Leighton.
He Served in King Phillip's War; Capt Sills company, 1675 AND 1676. He was one of the last surviving veterans of King Phillips War. He also survived a French and Indian raid on Haverhill, Massachusetts, in 1708, in which his third wife, his son, and three grandsons were killed. He became a lieutenant in the militia and was active in the Indian Wars, serving under Capt. Sill, from 1675-76. He served in Queen Anne's War in the Massachusetts Militia.
John Hartshorn was a weaver from Haverhill, MA, a town about ten miles up on the Merrimack River. Boston's slate gravestones did not make it in to Haverhill. This left the town and its neighbor, the town of Bradford across the river without gravestones. Circa 1700 Mr. Hartshorn, at age fifty, decided to take on a second career. He started carving gravestones. He developed his own image, a mask-like face. Emanating out from the face were lines of many configurations. Later on he added large circles with geometric designs inside. What he created is called the Merrimac Valley Style. Hartshorn borrowed ideas from designs he found on Boston's gravestones. Those ideas he reworked into his own creations. He obviously had the ability to carve skull and wing designs but did not. Through various circumstances he moved a couple of times and ended up living in Connecticut where he continued to carve gravestones into his eighties. Many of his garvestones can be seen in MA. & CT. to this day.∼Born in Reading, Massachusetts, and an early settler of Haverhill, Massachusetts, John Hartshorn was a weaver, a tailor, and a clerk. He became a lieutenant in the militia and was active in the Indian Wars, serving under Capt. Sill, from 24 Aug 1676 and possibly after 23 September 1676. He served in Queen Anne's War in the Massachusetts Militia. In 1693, he was called son-in-law of John Brown and was spoken of later as "Lieut. Hartshorne". A step-brother of the carver Joseph Lamson, John at about the age of fifty began carving gravestones in Haverhill, where he was that town's first carver. His early stones all have elongated unframed faces in the top of the stone, with solid bars of varied design on either side of the face. The side border design is usually a series of crude bell-like shapes. About 1708 the faces become more round and are framed, and the bars become segmented and more delicate. The side borders also become more varied and lighter. Large circled rosettes then enter the top alongside the face and the segmented bars are pushed to the corners.
About 1723, Hartshorn went to Connecticut where his work is devoid of the rosettes and the face is decorated with either halo-like bars or "rabbit-ear" bars, for the most part.
His work is interesting in that it does not portray a death-head (skull with wings) but is simply a face or "soul-mask" and thus is not a copy of the traditional gravestone design of his day. His best work is found in Haverhill and Ipswich, Massachusetts, and in Lebanon, Connecticut.
On 5 December 1737, when he was 87 years old, he was one of the few soldiers of King Philip's War still alive when granted land in the Narragansett country. At this time, he and son Jonathan and grandson David were located in West Farms (later Franklin) but David's son John may have been granted land in Mansfield where he was located in 1757. In Norwich West Farms, Lt. John and David lived with Martha and Samuel Ladd.
[Ralph Tucker from Bulletin of the American Society of Gravestone Studies]
He Served in King Phillip's War; Capt Sills company, 1675 AND 1676. He was one of the last surviving veterans of King Phillips War. He also survived a French and Indian raid on Haverhill, Massachusetts, in 1708, in which his third wife, his son, and three grandsons were killed. He became a lieutenant in the militia and was active in the Indian Wars, serving under Capt. Sill, from 1675-76. He served in Queen Anne's War in the Massachusetts Militia.
John Hartshorn was a weaver from Haverhill, MA, a town about ten miles up on the Merrimack River. Boston's slate gravestones did not make it in to Haverhill. This left the town and its neighbor, the town of Bradford across the river without gravestones. Circa 1700 Mr. Hartshorn, at age fifty, decided to take on a second career. He started carving gravestones. He developed his own image, a mask-like face. Emanating out from the face were lines of many configurations. Later on he added large circles with geometric designs inside. What he created is called the Merrimac Valley Style. Hartshorn borrowed ideas from designs he found on Boston's gravestones. Those ideas he reworked into his own creations. He obviously had the ability to carve skull and wing designs but did not. Through various circumstances he moved a couple of times and ended up living in Connecticut where he continued to carve gravestones into his eighties. Many of his gravestones can be seen in MA. & CT. to this day.
He Served in King Phillip's War; Capt Sills company, 1675 AND 1676. He was one of the last surviving veterans of King Phillips War. He also survived a French and Indian raid on Haverhill, Massachusetts, in 1708, in which his third wife, his son, and three grandsons were killed. He became a lieutenant in the militia and was active in the Indian Wars, serving under Capt. Sill, from 1675-76. He served in Queen Anne's War in the Massachusetts Militia.
John Hartshorn was a weaver from Haverhill, MA, a town about ten miles up on the Merrimack River. Boston's slate gravestones did not make it in to Haverhill. This left the town and its neighbor, the town of Bradford across the river without gravestones. Circa 1700 Mr. Hartshorn, at age fifty, decided to take on a second career. He started carving gravestones. He developed his own image, a mask-like face. Emanating out from the face were lines of many configurations. Later on he added large circles with geometric designs inside. What he created is called the Merrimac Valley Style. Hartshorn borrowed ideas from designs he found on Boston's gravestones. Those ideas he reworked into his own creations. He obviously had the ability to carve skull and wing designs but did not. Through various circumstances he moved a couple of times and ended up living in Connecticut where he continued to carve gravestones into his eighties. Many of his garvestones can be seen in MA. & CT. to this day.∼Born in Reading, Massachusetts, and an early settler of Haverhill, Massachusetts, John Hartshorn was a weaver, a tailor, and a clerk. He became a lieutenant in the militia and was active in the Indian Wars, serving under Capt. Sill, from 24 Aug 1676 and possibly after 23 September 1676. He served in Queen Anne's War in the Massachusetts Militia. In 1693, he was called son-in-law of John Brown and was spoken of later as "Lieut. Hartshorne". A step-brother of the carver Joseph Lamson, John at about the age of fifty began carving gravestones in Haverhill, where he was that town's first carver. His early stones all have elongated unframed faces in the top of the stone, with solid bars of varied design on either side of the face. The side border design is usually a series of crude bell-like shapes. About 1708 the faces become more round and are framed, and the bars become segmented and more delicate. The side borders also become more varied and lighter. Large circled rosettes then enter the top alongside the face and the segmented bars are pushed to the corners.
About 1723, Hartshorn went to Connecticut where his work is devoid of the rosettes and the face is decorated with either halo-like bars or "rabbit-ear" bars, for the most part.
His work is interesting in that it does not portray a death-head (skull with wings) but is simply a face or "soul-mask" and thus is not a copy of the traditional gravestone design of his day. His best work is found in Haverhill and Ipswich, Massachusetts, and in Lebanon, Connecticut.
On 5 December 1737, when he was 87 years old, he was one of the few soldiers of King Philip's War still alive when granted land in the Narragansett country. At this time, he and son Jonathan and grandson David were located in West Farms (later Franklin) but David's son John may have been granted land in Mansfield where he was located in 1757. In Norwich West Farms, Lt. John and David lived with Martha and Samuel Ladd.
[Ralph Tucker from Bulletin of the American Society of Gravestone Studies]
He Served in King Phillip's War; Capt Sills company, 1675 AND 1676. He was one of the last surviving veterans of King Phillips War. He also survived a French and Indian raid on Haverhill, Massachusetts, in 1708, in which his third wife, his son, and three grandsons were killed. He became a lieutenant in the militia and was active in the Indian Wars, serving under Capt. Sill, from 1675-76. He served in Queen Anne's War in the Massachusetts Militia.
John Hartshorn was a weaver from Haverhill, MA, a town about ten miles up on the Merrimack River. Boston's slate gravestones did not make it in to Haverhill. This left the town and its neighbor, the town of Bradford across the river without gravestones. Circa 1700 Mr. Hartshorn, at age fifty, decided to take on a second career. He started carving gravestones. He developed his own image, a mask-like face. Emanating out from the face were lines of many configurations. Later on he added large circles with geometric designs inside. What he created is called the Merrimac Valley Style. Hartshorn borrowed ideas from designs he found on Boston's gravestones. Those ideas he reworked into his own creations. He obviously had the ability to carve skull and wing designs but did not. Through various circumstances he moved a couple of times and ended up living in Connecticut where he continued to carve gravestones into his eighties. Many of his gravestones can be seen in MA. & CT. to this day.
John was the son of Thomas Hartshorn & Susanna Buck. On September 22, 1709 in Rowley, Essex County, Massachsetts, he married Mary Leighton.
He Served in King Phillip's War; Capt Sills company, 1675 AND 1676. He was one of the last surviving veterans of King Phillips War. He also survived a French and Indian raid on Haverhill, Massachusetts, in 1708, in which his third wife, his son, and three grandsons were killed. He became a lieutenant in the militia and was active in the Indian Wars, serving under Capt. Sill, from 1675-76. He served in Queen Anne's War in the Massachusetts Militia.
John Hartshorn was a weaver from Haverhill, MA, a town about ten miles up on the Merrimack River. Boston's slate gravestones did not make it in to Haverhill. This left the town and its neighbor, the town of Bradford across the river without gravestones. Circa 1700 Mr. Hartshorn, at age fifty, decided to take on a second career. He started carving gravestones. He developed his own image, a mask-like face. Emanating out from the face were lines of many configurations. Later on he added large circles with geometric designs inside. What he created is called the Merrimac Valley Style. Hartshorn borrowed ideas from designs he found on Boston's gravestones. Those ideas he reworked into his own creations. He obviously had the ability to carve skull and wing designs but did not. Through various circumstances he moved a couple of times and ended up living in Connecticut where he continued to carve gravestones into his eighties. Many of his garvestones can be seen in MA. & CT. to this day.∼Born in Reading, Massachusetts, and an early settler of Haverhill, Massachusetts, John Hartshorn was a weaver, a tailor, and a clerk. He became a lieutenant in the militia and was active in the Indian Wars, serving under Capt. Sill, from 24 Aug 1676 and possibly after 23 September 1676. He served in Queen Anne's War in the Massachusetts Militia. In 1693, he was called son-in-law of John Brown and was spoken of later as "Lieut. Hartshorne". A step-brother of the carver Joseph Lamson, John at about the age of fifty began carving gravestones in Haverhill, where he was that town's first carver. His early stones all have elongated unframed faces in the top of the stone, with solid bars of varied design on either side of the face. The side border design is usually a series of crude bell-like shapes. About 1708 the faces become more round and are framed, and the bars become segmented and more delicate. The side borders also become more varied and lighter. Large circled rosettes then enter the top alongside the face and the segmented bars are pushed to the corners.
About 1723, Hartshorn went to Connecticut where his work is devoid of the rosettes and the face is decorated with either halo-like bars or "rabbit-ear" bars, for the most part.
His work is interesting in that it does not portray a death-head (skull with wings) but is simply a face or "soul-mask" and thus is not a copy of the traditional gravestone design of his day. His best work is found in Haverhill and Ipswich, Massachusetts, and in Lebanon, Connecticut.
On 5 December 1737, when he was 87 years old, he was one of the few soldiers of King Philip's War still alive when granted land in the Narragansett country. At this time, he and son Jonathan and grandson David were located in West Farms (later Franklin) but David's son John may have been granted land in Mansfield where he was located in 1757. In Norwich West Farms, Lt. John and David lived with Martha and Samuel Ladd.
[Ralph Tucker from Bulletin of the American Society of Gravestone Studies]
He Served in King Phillip's War; Capt Sills company, 1675 AND 1676. He was one of the last surviving veterans of King Phillips War. He also survived a French and Indian raid on Haverhill, Massachusetts, in 1708, in which his third wife, his son, and three grandsons were killed. He became a lieutenant in the militia and was active in the Indian Wars, serving under Capt. Sill, from 1675-76. He served in Queen Anne's War in the Massachusetts Militia.
John Hartshorn was a weaver from Haverhill, MA, a town about ten miles up on the Merrimack River. Boston's slate gravestones did not make it in to Haverhill. This left the town and its neighbor, the town of Bradford across the river without gravestones. Circa 1700 Mr. Hartshorn, at age fifty, decided to take on a second career. He started carving gravestones. He developed his own image, a mask-like face. Emanating out from the face were lines of many configurations. Later on he added large circles with geometric designs inside. What he created is called the Merrimac Valley Style. Hartshorn borrowed ideas from designs he found on Boston's gravestones. Those ideas he reworked into his own creations. He obviously had the ability to carve skull and wing designs but did not. Through various circumstances he moved a couple of times and ended up living in Connecticut where he continued to carve gravestones into his eighties. Many of his gravestones can be seen in MA. & CT. to this day.
He Served in King Phillip's War; Capt Sills company, 1675 AND 1676. He was one of the last surviving veterans of King Phillips War. He also survived a French and Indian raid on Haverhill, Massachusetts, in 1708, in which his third wife, his son, and three grandsons were killed. He became a lieutenant in the militia and was active in the Indian Wars, serving under Capt. Sill, from 1675-76. He served in Queen Anne's War in the Massachusetts Militia.
John Hartshorn was a weaver from Haverhill, MA, a town about ten miles up on the Merrimack River. Boston's slate gravestones did not make it in to Haverhill. This left the town and its neighbor, the town of Bradford across the river without gravestones. Circa 1700 Mr. Hartshorn, at age fifty, decided to take on a second career. He started carving gravestones. He developed his own image, a mask-like face. Emanating out from the face were lines of many configurations. Later on he added large circles with geometric designs inside. What he created is called the Merrimac Valley Style. Hartshorn borrowed ideas from designs he found on Boston's gravestones. Those ideas he reworked into his own creations. He obviously had the ability to carve skull and wing designs but did not. Through various circumstances he moved a couple of times and ended up living in Connecticut where he continued to carve gravestones into his eighties. Many of his garvestones can be seen in MA. & CT. to this day.∼Born in Reading, Massachusetts, and an early settler of Haverhill, Massachusetts, John Hartshorn was a weaver, a tailor, and a clerk. He became a lieutenant in the militia and was active in the Indian Wars, serving under Capt. Sill, from 24 Aug 1676 and possibly after 23 September 1676. He served in Queen Anne's War in the Massachusetts Militia. In 1693, he was called son-in-law of John Brown and was spoken of later as "Lieut. Hartshorne". A step-brother of the carver Joseph Lamson, John at about the age of fifty began carving gravestones in Haverhill, where he was that town's first carver. His early stones all have elongated unframed faces in the top of the stone, with solid bars of varied design on either side of the face. The side border design is usually a series of crude bell-like shapes. About 1708 the faces become more round and are framed, and the bars become segmented and more delicate. The side borders also become more varied and lighter. Large circled rosettes then enter the top alongside the face and the segmented bars are pushed to the corners.
About 1723, Hartshorn went to Connecticut where his work is devoid of the rosettes and the face is decorated with either halo-like bars or "rabbit-ear" bars, for the most part.
His work is interesting in that it does not portray a death-head (skull with wings) but is simply a face or "soul-mask" and thus is not a copy of the traditional gravestone design of his day. His best work is found in Haverhill and Ipswich, Massachusetts, and in Lebanon, Connecticut.
On 5 December 1737, when he was 87 years old, he was one of the few soldiers of King Philip's War still alive when granted land in the Narragansett country. At this time, he and son Jonathan and grandson David were located in West Farms (later Franklin) but David's son John may have been granted land in Mansfield where he was located in 1757. In Norwich West Farms, Lt. John and David lived with Martha and Samuel Ladd.
[Ralph Tucker from Bulletin of the American Society of Gravestone Studies]
He Served in King Phillip's War; Capt Sills company, 1675 AND 1676. He was one of the last surviving veterans of King Phillips War. He also survived a French and Indian raid on Haverhill, Massachusetts, in 1708, in which his third wife, his son, and three grandsons were killed. He became a lieutenant in the militia and was active in the Indian Wars, serving under Capt. Sill, from 1675-76. He served in Queen Anne's War in the Massachusetts Militia.
John Hartshorn was a weaver from Haverhill, MA, a town about ten miles up on the Merrimack River. Boston's slate gravestones did not make it in to Haverhill. This left the town and its neighbor, the town of Bradford across the river without gravestones. Circa 1700 Mr. Hartshorn, at age fifty, decided to take on a second career. He started carving gravestones. He developed his own image, a mask-like face. Emanating out from the face were lines of many configurations. Later on he added large circles with geometric designs inside. What he created is called the Merrimac Valley Style. Hartshorn borrowed ideas from designs he found on Boston's gravestones. Those ideas he reworked into his own creations. He obviously had the ability to carve skull and wing designs but did not. Through various circumstances he moved a couple of times and ended up living in Connecticut where he continued to carve gravestones into his eighties. Many of his gravestones can be seen in MA. & CT. to this day.
Inscription
Death date should be after 7 Dec 1737. No substantiation for the date of 30 Jun 1737.
