Forbes, John (2)

Published: 10 Sep 2018, Updated: 23 Feb 2020
Researchers: Ray Dusek, Andrew Millard, Teresa Rust
Editors: Teresa Rust

IMPORTANT UPDATE! (July 2018)
According to, Christopher Gerrard, Pam Graves, Andrew Millard, Richard Annis, and Anwen Caffell, in, Lost Lives, New Voices: Unlocking the Stories of the Scottish Soldiers at the Battle of Dunbar 1650, (England: Oxbow Books, 2018), on page 253, John is categorized as:

Possible [that he is a Dunbar prisoner transported on the Unity]

Forbes/Furbush/Farbish/Furbish/Farsbush/Farbuish, John. Residences: Salem, Marblehead MA. Appears: 1669. B.c.1620. D.1701. Unmarried. [Exiles; DR]

For explanations of the category, abbreviations and references see List of Dunbar prisoners from Lost Lives, New Voices.

First Generation in the New World

1. JOHN¹ FORBES, was born in Scotland about 1628 and died at Marblehead, Massachusetts in 1701. Unmarried.

Biographical Notes:
From the Salem Quarterly Court Vol 4 1667-1671:
“George Darlin aged fifty years and John Farbish aged about forty years, deposed concerning the agreement, and that the fish was to be delivered “at weighing time” Sworn March 3, 1670 before William Hathorne.”

Sources and Notes:
Dr. Andrew Millard says, “According to Stackpole’s ‘Scotch Exiles’ typescript there were two men called John Furbush. One died in 1661 age 34, the other made a deposition in 1669 aged 49 and died childless in 1701, having lived in Salem and Marblehead, and left all his property to the children of Elias Hanly his old master.”

On 28 Oct 2018, Ray Dusek, wrote, “I got this information from the Forbes/Forbush Genealogy Book page 16 and 17. OTHER FORBUSHES There were other persons of this name in New England at an early day John Furbush a Scotchman was a resident of Salem and Marblehead and probably a mariner There is no evidence to show that he had any family and at his death 1701 he left his small estate to his landlord’s children This naturally substantiates the theory that he was a single man In 1661 John Furbush gave a deposition used in trials at Salem At that time he called himself near thirty four years of age In 1667 1668 and 1670 he called himself in each case about forty years of age In March 1689 90 in a tryal of John Aken for stealing from Tabitha dau of Walter Phillips of Salem 7 the evidence showed that Aken lent John Furbush whom he called his countryman 30s and in a deposition of Phillip Parson of Marblehead Parson said that John Ackin a Scotsman came to his house and tarried there two nights and spent 4s 8d in money and lent John Furbush 30s in Spanish and New England money and had lent some money to Benjamin Pickrin So it appears that John Furbush of Marblehead 1661 70 was a Scotchman and born about 1628 In the record of deeds of Essex County we find only a John Furbush who of Marblehead was buying and selling small pieces of land between 1671 and 1683 and that is all we find of the name of Furbush to 1714 In the Probate Records of Essex County Mass we find the first mention of a Furbush in 1700 when we find that a John Furbush of Marblehead made a will September 7 1700 which was presented to court April 8 1701 in which he gave to the children of his old landlord Elias Henly sen all his property consisting of personal estate amounting to 17 18s In the records of the church of Marblehead to 1715 there are no records of baptism marriages and deaths of Furbushes In the return to the Essex County court from 1664 to about 1700 of births marriages and deaths from the town

find only one of that surname that is a marriage in Andover viz Margaret nee John Maleoy April 12 1759 In the records of Salem there are no births marriages or deaths by the name Forbush or Furbush John Furbush died 1661 at thirty four See court hies at Salem Essex In 1663 John Furbush was a resident of Marblehead for that year he united other residents in a petition against imposts Thomas Forbush or Farbush and Forbes M it was written in the Boston was a resident of that city from and after 1665 He was elected wood by the Selectmen in 1675 77 30 81 8 8 1 5 6 He was a soldier in Phillip’s War in 1675 and pnvate under active service in Capt Mosley’s His wife’s name was Margaret and they had children born in Boston follows Richard born Mar 23 1666 Thomas b July 8 1670 Elizabeth b 17 1672 Martha b Aug 22 1673 and Deliverance b Dec 18 1677 At Dec 4 179 Mr Miles united in marriage John Barbee and Penelope both of that city.”