John Dane

Biography

About 1587–1658

John Dane was an English tailor who later settled in Massachusetts. His son’s memoir recalls a demanding father and a household in which religious instruction, discipline, and work were closely linked. In one remembered incident, the boy found gold hidden in the lining of a customer's breeches while working at the shopboard; after struggling with whether to keep it, he gave it to his father, who returned it to the customer.

John’s obligations extended beyond his immediate household. A Bishop’s Stortford historical account cites his 1630 conveyance of a piece of ground and a share in a well in consideration of parish expenditure supporting Margaret Bowyer, described as his mother-in-law.

After migration and the death of his first wife, John married Annis, widow of William Chandler. In 1649 he petitioned for the Chandler house and lands, explaining that he had paid debts and brought up the children. The General Court granted the request. His later deed provided for Annis to possess the property after his death, with conditions protecting a £10 payment to his heirs and adjusting the arrangement if the couple had children together.

John’s will, made in September 1658, distributed land, livestock, bedding, household utensils, and his Bible among his children, and made Annis executrix. He died at Roxbury, now part of Boston, Massachusetts, that month. The surviving records portray a man whose trade and successive family responsibilities were inseparable from his arrangements for property and inheritance.