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The Great John Coe
Mystery
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Vital Statistics |
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| Birth Date | Birthplace | Comments | |
| 1620 1625 |
Boxford, Suffolk, England | Both John Coes (cousins) were born in the same town five years apart | |
| Date(s) of Marriage(s) | Spouse(s) | Place(s) of Marriage(s) | Comments |
| 1647 c. 1653 |
Hannah Sherwood Hannah (Barrett) Jenner |
Greenwich, CT Newtown, NY |
Both John Coes married a "Hannah", so both wives became Hannah Coe. |
| Date of Death | Place of Death | Burial Site | Cause of Death/Comments |
| Father | Spouse(s) | Children | Birth Date |
| John Coe (father of "1620" John Coe) | |||
| Robert Coe (father of "1625" John Coe) | |||
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Mother |
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| Unknown (wife of John Coe (the senior) | |||
| Mary (Crabbe) Coe (wife of Robert Coe) | |||
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Biographical Information |
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| One of the great mysteries of the Jenner lineage is
which "John Coe" became Hannah's second husband. There were two John Coes active in
the settlement of the Connecticut and New York (originally New
Amsterdam) colonies in the mid-17th century. Further complicating
the research, the New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut colonies all
laid claim to much of the same territory at the time of John and
Hannah's marriage, so the same town could be variously listed as being
in New York or Connecticut. For example, Newtown, NY, Newtown, CT,
Newtown, MA, and Newton, CT all appear to be the same town! The
choice of designation being determined by the loyalties of the author of
the records involved. As a result, by 1655 we have two couples, both named John and Hannah Coe, living within 20 miles of one another and both prominent in the settlement of the New York and Connecticut colonies. As a result, much was written about the exploits of the two couples -- and most of what is recorded merely adds to the confusion between them! From what has been determined so far, little was done to unravel this mystery until interest in genealogy sparked research in the late 20th century. Now, descendents of both the Coe and Jenner families are working together to sort it out -- but, so far, with only limited success. So, who were the two John Coes? One was Capt. John Coe, born 1625 in Boxford, Suffolk, England, son of Robert Coe, a founder of Newtown, NY. The other was the Captain's cousin, John Coe, Jr. born 1620 in Boxford, Suffolk, England, son of John Coe, Sr. (Robert's brother), an early settler of Greenwich, CT and later one of the founders of Rye, NY. Either of these is a plausible choice as Hannah's second husband. Both would have been living in the general vicinity of her brother Samuel at the time of her arrival in America, as Newtown, Rye, and other towns that feature prominently in the lives of both John Coes all lie along a 20 mile stretch of the western shoreline of Long Island Sound. Complicating the investigation, both Johns married a Hannah: one married Hannah Sherwood; the other the widow, Hannah (Barrett) Jenner. The majority of genealogical web sites favor Capt. John Coe as Hannah's second husband. The Hinman Family Genealogy lists Capt. John Coe as the second husband of the widow Jenner. In addition, the Jenner family Bible that was passed down to Samuel Jenner III and his descendents contains a statement that the widow Jenner subsequently married Capt. John Coe. Another factor arguing in Capt. John Coe's favor is the fact that the other John Coe (1620) was a close friend, business partner, and next-door neighbor of Thomas Sherwood, who was likely related to Hannah Sherwood. However, Carl Robert Coe, who has done some of the most extensive research on the Coe family, is convinced that John Coe (1620) -- not Capt. John Coe -- was the widow Jenner's second husband. He, too, has uncovered an extensive amount of circumstantial evidence to support his case. Until we can obtain either documentation of at least one of the marriages (Coe/Jenner or Coe/Sherwood) that clearly identifies the groom or compelling evidence for one or the other John Coe, we will leave the mystery of Hannah (Barrett) Jenner's second husband unresolved. |
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