Cotton, John, 1712-1789

John Cotton (1712-1789) was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts on April 5, 1712 to Judge Josiah and Hannah (Sturtevant) Cotton. He was their oldest son. Cotton attended Harvard College, receiving an A.B. in 1730 and an A.M. in 1733. He was a succesful student and served as schoolmaster at several schools, including Billingsgate, Rochester, and Middleborough, following completion of his undergraduate work. He first preached in 1732, and after preaching in numerous locations he became minister at Halifax, Massachusetts in 1735. Cotton married his second cousin, Hannah Sturtevant, in 1746; they would have eleven children together. He served as pastor of Halifax until 1755, when he was forced to resign due to his failing voice. He then moved, with his family, to Plymouth, where he replaced his deceased father as Registrar of Deeds, as well as becoming town treasurer and assessor in Plymouth. In 1762 he was appointed justice of the peace. John Cotton died in Plymouth on November 4, 1789.

Minister in Halifax, Mass.; Registrar of Deeds in Plymouth County, Mass. Born (Apr. 5, 1712) and died (Nov. 4, 1789) in Plymouth. Graduated from Harvard in 1730. First preached in Plymouth in 1732, after which he served as supply preacher in Manomet and Wareham. In 1735, he was asked to serve as minister in Halifax, which had been established in 1734 from parts of Middleborough, Pembroke, and Plympton. A New Light Congregationalist in the ferment of the Great Awakening; an outspoken anti-Arminian. Left his pastorate in Halifax in 1755 and returned to Plymouth, where he.

(Cont.) succeeded his father (Josiah) as Registrar of Deeds. Active in church and civic life in Plymouth. A Whig and rebel sympathizer during the Revolution.