S
Suffolk, Groton Manor - Winthrop family
Church Yard of Adam Winthrop's Home Church: St. Bartholomew's
Adam Winthrop's Tomb, St. Bartholomew's Church, Groton, Suffolk, England
Adam Winthrop
Birth: October 9, 1498
Information on Adam Winthrop
Adam Winthrop (9 Oct 1498-9 Nov 1562) m.1527 Alice Hunne/Henry (d.1534) m.30 Jul 1534 Agnes Sharpe (c1516-13 May 1565) daughter of Robert Sharpe of Islington, Middlesex. She married secondly 1563 William Mildmay of Springfield, Essex. Adam came to London in 1515, was apprenticed to a clothworker and became a Freeman of the city in 1526. In 1544 he was granted the Manor of Groton, a church property seized by Henry VIII, and by 1548 had been granted a coat of arms. He was Master of the Clothworkers Company in 1551. from ancesrty.com
Adam Winthrop
1498-1504 , London and Suffolk England
Adam Winthrop, Gent, Lord of the Manor of Groton was born October 9, 1498 in Lavenham, County Suffolk, and died November 9, 1562 in Groton, County Suffolk, and buried in the chancel of St. Bartholomew's Church. He married (1) Alice Henny, of London November 16, 1527. She died January 25, 1532. He married Agnes Sharpe, of Islington, County Middlesex 1534 in England, daughter of Robert Sharpe, of Islington. She was born Abt. 1516, and died 1565. Adam Winthrop left his home at the age of seventeen and bound himself as an apprentice to Edward Altham in London for ten years. A clothier, Altham was elected to be Sheriff of London. After fulfilling his contract, Winthrop became a citizen of London in 1526. According to Mayo, he worked hard and advanced in the Clothworkers' Company of London, and by 1551, he was chosen a Master of the Company, although his progress was not without a few bumps in the road. In 1538, as one of the Stewards, he was chastised "for disobeying the wardens in the search because that he would not suffer them to carry the cloth out of his house." Noting drying that Winthrop may have been "a little too enterprising for his own immediate good," Mayo states in 1543, he served time in the Fleet Prison and could not get out until he paid 600 pounds into the royal coffers. "His offense was negotiating with foreigners contrary to an edict of the King of England, but we do not know the nature of the negotiations which proved to be so expensive."His offence could not have been too costly to him, however, because the very next year he purchased the Manor of Groton. With the purchase he became Lord of the Manor and Patron of the Church, for the property carried with it the right to name the local rector.Four years later Edward, VI granted him arms and the rank of Gentleman. The arms were confirmed to his son, John, in 1592. from ancestry.com
Adam Winthrop, Lord of the Manor of Groton
Descended from people who had first lived in England as far back as the Norman Conquest, the Winthrops first achieved real prominence through Adam Winthrop (1498-1562) who became lord of the Manor of Groton (Suffolk) and Patron of the Church under Henry VIII and was granted arms and the rank of Gentleman under Edward VI.
Adam Winthrop, Gent, Lord of the Manor of Groton was born October 9, 1498 in Lavenham, County Suffolk, and died November 9, 1562 in Groton, County Suffolk, and is buried in the chancel of St. Bartholomew's Church. He married (1) Alice Henny, of London November 16, 1527. She died January 25, 1532. He married (2) Agnes Sharpe, of Islington, County Middlesex 1534 in England, daughter of Robert Sharpe, of Islington. She was born Abt. 1516, and died 1565.
Adam Winthrop left his home at the age of seventeen and bound himself as an apprentice to Edward Altham in London for ten years. A clothier, Altham was elected to be Sheriff of London. After fulfilling his contract, Winthrop became a citizen of London in 1526.
According to Mayo, he worked hard and advanced in the Clothworkers' Company of London, and by 1551, he was chosen a Master of the Company, although his progress was not without a few bumps in the road. In 1538, as one of the Stewards, he was chastised "for disobeying the wardens in the search because that he would not suffer them to carry the cloth out of his house." Noting drying that Winthrop may have been "a little too enterprising for his own immediate good," Mayo states in 1543, he served time in the Fleet Prison and could not get out until he paid 600 pounds into the royal coffers. "His offense was negotiating with foreigners contrary to an edict of the King of England, but we do not know the nature of the negotiations which proved to be so expensive." His offence could not have been too costly to him, however, because the very next year he purchased the Manor of Groton. With the purchase he became Lord of the Manor and Patron of the Church, for the property carried with it the right to name the local rector.
Four years later Edward, VI granted him arms and the rank of Gentleman. The arms were confirmed to his son, John, in 1592.
Found on ancstry.com
Suffolk, Groton Manor - Winthrop family
Church Yard of Adam Winthrop's Home Church: St. Bartholomew's
Adam Winthrop's Tomb, St. Bartholomew's Church, Groton, Suffolk, England Headstone Details
Cemetery name: St. Bartholomew's Church Yard
Name on headstone: Adam Winthrop Sr, Adam Winthrop Jr, Anne his wife, and Others
Cemetery name: St. Bartholomew's Church Yard
Name on headstone: Adam Winthrop Sr, Adam Winthrop Jr, Anne his wife, and Others
Inscription on Tomb
In the adjoining Chancel was buried Adam Winthrop Esq. who died in 1562 aged 64 Master of the Clothmakers Company of London First Lord of this Manor and Patron of this Church after the Reformation And in this tomb On which the original inscription is nearly defaced Adam Winthrop Esq who died in 1623 aged 75 Also Lord of this Manor and Anne his wife Parents of Govenor John Winthrop of Massachusetts Near this spot were interred others of the Family
In the adjoining Chancel was buried Adam Winthrop Esq. who died in 1562 aged 64 Master of the Clothmakers Company of London First Lord of this Manor and Patron of this Church after the Reformation And in this tomb On which the original inscription is nearly defaced Adam Winthrop Esq who died in 1623 aged 75 Also Lord of this Manor and Anne his wife Parents of Govenor John Winthrop of Massachusetts Near this spot were interred others of the Family
Adam WinthropBirth: October 9, 1498
Location: Saint Bartholomews Groton, England
ADAM WINTHROP-GROTON MANOR
Information on Adam Winthrop
Adam Winthrop (9 Oct 1498-9 Nov 1562) m.1527 Alice Hunne/Henry (d.1534) m.30 Jul 1534 Agnes Sharpe (c1516-13 May 1565) daughter of Robert Sharpe of Islington, Middlesex. She married secondly 1563 William Mildmay of Springfield, Essex. Adam came to London in 1515, was apprenticed to a clothworker and became a Freeman of the city in 1526. In 1544 he was granted the Manor of Groton, a church property seized by Henry VIII, and by 1548 had been granted a coat of arms. He was Master of the Clothworkers Company in 1551. from ancesrty.com
Adam Winthrop
1498-1504 , London and Suffolk England
Adam Winthrop, Gent, Lord of the Manor of Groton was born October 9, 1498 in Lavenham, County Suffolk, and died November 9, 1562 in Groton, County Suffolk, and buried in the chancel of St. Bartholomew's Church. He married (1) Alice Henny, of London November 16, 1527. She died January 25, 1532. He married Agnes Sharpe, of Islington, County Middlesex 1534 in England, daughter of Robert Sharpe, of Islington. She was born Abt. 1516, and died 1565. Adam Winthrop left his home at the age of seventeen and bound himself as an apprentice to Edward Altham in London for ten years. A clothier, Altham was elected to be Sheriff of London. After fulfilling his contract, Winthrop became a citizen of London in 1526. According to Mayo, he worked hard and advanced in the Clothworkers' Company of London, and by 1551, he was chosen a Master of the Company, although his progress was not without a few bumps in the road. In 1538, as one of the Stewards, he was chastised "for disobeying the wardens in the search because that he would not suffer them to carry the cloth out of his house." Noting drying that Winthrop may have been "a little too enterprising for his own immediate good," Mayo states in 1543, he served time in the Fleet Prison and could not get out until he paid 600 pounds into the royal coffers. "His offense was negotiating with foreigners contrary to an edict of the King of England, but we do not know the nature of the negotiations which proved to be so expensive."His offence could not have been too costly to him, however, because the very next year he purchased the Manor of Groton. With the purchase he became Lord of the Manor and Patron of the Church, for the property carried with it the right to name the local rector.Four years later Edward, VI granted him arms and the rank of Gentleman. The arms were confirmed to his son, John, in 1592. from ancestry.com
Adam Winthrop, Lord of the Manor of Groton
Descended from people who had first lived in England as far back as the Norman Conquest, the Winthrops first achieved real prominence through Adam Winthrop (1498-1562) who became lord of the Manor of Groton (Suffolk) and Patron of the Church under Henry VIII and was granted arms and the rank of Gentleman under Edward VI.
Adam Winthrop, Gent, Lord of the Manor of Groton was born October 9, 1498 in Lavenham, County Suffolk, and died November 9, 1562 in Groton, County Suffolk, and is buried in the chancel of St. Bartholomew's Church. He married (1) Alice Henny, of London November 16, 1527. She died January 25, 1532. He married (2) Agnes Sharpe, of Islington, County Middlesex 1534 in England, daughter of Robert Sharpe, of Islington. She was born Abt. 1516, and died 1565.
Adam Winthrop left his home at the age of seventeen and bound himself as an apprentice to Edward Altham in London for ten years. A clothier, Altham was elected to be Sheriff of London. After fulfilling his contract, Winthrop became a citizen of London in 1526.
According to Mayo, he worked hard and advanced in the Clothworkers' Company of London, and by 1551, he was chosen a Master of the Company, although his progress was not without a few bumps in the road. In 1538, as one of the Stewards, he was chastised "for disobeying the wardens in the search because that he would not suffer them to carry the cloth out of his house." Noting drying that Winthrop may have been "a little too enterprising for his own immediate good," Mayo states in 1543, he served time in the Fleet Prison and could not get out until he paid 600 pounds into the royal coffers. "His offense was negotiating with foreigners contrary to an edict of the King of England, but we do not know the nature of the negotiations which proved to be so expensive." His offence could not have been too costly to him, however, because the very next year he purchased the Manor of Groton. With the purchase he became Lord of the Manor and Patron of the Church, for the property carried with it the right to name the local rector.
Four years later Edward, VI granted him arms and the rank of Gentleman. The arms were confirmed to his son, John, in 1592.
Found on ancstry.com
Miscellaneous Facts and Information about Adam Winthrop
1498-1562 , England
[Brøderbund WFT Vol. 2, Ed. 1, Tree #0470, Date of Import: Sep 26, 1999]
Adam Winthrop 1498-1562Adam left Lavenham circa 1515 and went to London to apprentice to clothworker Edward Altham. Adam became a citizen of London on 9 Sep 1526 (Winthrop Papers 1:2-3; Boyer 1975). In 1537 he was chosen as a steward of the Clothworkers' Company of London; in 1544 he was quarter-warden, in 1545 an upper-warden, and in 1551 he was made a Master of the Company. During this rise in importance, Adam spent some time in 1543 in Fleet Prison (Winthrop Papers 1:3) for violating the King's edict against negotiating with foreigners. England was concerned about protecting its lucrative wool trade and Adam evidently overstepped the bounds laid out for doing business. He was released from prison upon payment of a fine of L600.
In 1544 Adam bought the manor of Groton in Suffolk, only a few miles from Lavenham. The manor had been appropriated from the Abbey of Bury St. Emund's by King Henry VIII when he broke England's religious ties with Rome. For a payment of L408:18:3 to the King, Adam became "Lord of the Manor, and Patron of the Church". In 1548 King Edward VI granted him arms and the rank of gentleman (Winthrop Papers 1:4). His arms were as follows: d'argent three Chevrons Gules, Crenel or, over all a Lion rampant Sables armed &c langued Azure. And for his Creast or Cognizance a Hare pper running on a mount vert sett upon a helmet in a wreathe of his coullors with mantells & tassels.
In addition to Groton, Adam kept a home in London, in the parish of St. Peter's upon Cornhill (Register of St. Peter's Cornhill, 3:5). Adam made his will 20 Sep 1562, calling himself "of Groton, gentleman, late clothworker of London" (Frost 1927). In his will he mentioned, among others, his wife Agnes and son Adam; the mansion house at Groton was given to his oldest son John. He died at Groton in 1562 and was buried in the chancel of the church there. A monumental brass in the chancel reads as follows (Frost 1927): "Here lyeth Mr. Adam Winthrop Lorde and patron of Groton, which Departed owt of this worlde this IX day of November in the year of oure Lorde God mccccclxij.
__________________________________________________________________________________ ______________
S.R. Durand:"[The Grandfather of Anne and Governor John Winthrop] Adam Winthrop was born October 9, 1498. He was a clothworker in London, and in 1551, was Master of the Company of Clothworkers. He married first November 16, 1527, Alice Henry, and they had four children before her death. He married second in 1534, Agnes, daughter of Robert Sharpe of Islington, and they had eight children. In 1554, he retired and bought the Manor at Groton in Suffolk. He died November 9, 1562. His widow married William Mildmay of Springfield Barnes. She died May 13, 1565."
__________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________Master of Clothworkers
1498-1562 , England
[Brøderbund WFT Vol. 2, Ed. 1, Tree #0470, Date of Import: Sep 26, 1999]
Adam Winthrop 1498-1562Adam left Lavenham circa 1515 and went to London to apprentice to clothworker Edward Altham. Adam became a citizen of London on 9 Sep 1526 (Winthrop Papers 1:2-3; Boyer 1975). In 1537 he was chosen as a steward of the Clothworkers' Company of London; in 1544 he was quarter-warden, in 1545 an upper-warden, and in 1551 he was made a Master of the Company. During this rise in importance, Adam spent some time in 1543 in Fleet Prison (Winthrop Papers 1:3) for violating the King's edict against negotiating with foreigners. England was concerned about protecting its lucrative wool trade and Adam evidently overstepped the bounds laid out for doing business. He was released from prison upon payment of a fine of L600.
In 1544 Adam bought the manor of Groton in Suffolk, only a few miles from Lavenham. The manor had been appropriated from the Abbey of Bury St. Emund's by King Henry VIII when he broke England's religious ties with Rome. For a payment of L408:18:3 to the King, Adam became "Lord of the Manor, and Patron of the Church". In 1548 King Edward VI granted him arms and the rank of gentleman (Winthrop Papers 1:4). His arms were as follows: d'argent three Chevrons Gules, Crenel or, over all a Lion rampant Sables armed &c langued Azure. And for his Creast or Cognizance a Hare pper running on a mount vert sett upon a helmet in a wreathe of his coullors with mantells & tassels.
In addition to Groton, Adam kept a home in London, in the parish of St. Peter's upon Cornhill (Register of St. Peter's Cornhill, 3:5). Adam made his will 20 Sep 1562, calling himself "of Groton, gentleman, late clothworker of London" (Frost 1927). In his will he mentioned, among others, his wife Agnes and son Adam; the mansion house at Groton was given to his oldest son John. He died at Groton in 1562 and was buried in the chancel of the church there. A monumental brass in the chancel reads as follows (Frost 1927): "Here lyeth Mr. Adam Winthrop Lorde and patron of Groton, which Departed owt of this worlde this IX day of November in the year of oure Lorde God mccccclxij.
__________________________________________________________________________________ ______________
S.R. Durand:"[The Grandfather of Anne and Governor John Winthrop] Adam Winthrop was born October 9, 1498. He was a clothworker in London, and in 1551, was Master of the Company of Clothworkers. He married first November 16, 1527, Alice Henry, and they had four children before her death. He married second in 1534, Agnes, daughter of Robert Sharpe of Islington, and they had eight children. In 1554, he retired and bought the Manor at Groton in Suffolk. He died November 9, 1562. His widow married William Mildmay of Springfield Barnes. She died May 13, 1565."
__________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________Master of Clothworkers
rumbleshipsleyoriginally submitted this to Hardy Family Tree on 28 Nov 2008
Adam Winthrop (1498-1562), Master of the Clothworkers. Groton, in Suffolk, having purchased the former monastic manor in 1544 and taken up residence there in around 1552 . The elder Adam Winthrop died in 1562 and his widow, young Adam's mother, married William Mildmay
Adam Winthrop (1498-1562), Master of the Clothworkers. Groton, in Suffolk, having purchased the former monastic manor in 1544 and taken up residence there in around 1552 . The elder Adam Winthrop died in 1562 and his widow, young Adam's mother, married William Mildmay
Found on Ancestry .com
Winthrop House
Winthrop History
John Winthrop
Descended from people who had first lived in England as far back as the Norman Conquest, the Winthrops first achieved real prominence through Adam Winthrop (Sr.) (1498-1562) who became lord of the Manor of Groton (Suffolk) and Patron of the Chuch under Henry VIII and was granted arms and the rank of Gentleman under Edward VI. The house name commemorates two of Adam Winthrop's descendants. John Winthrop (1588-1649), the grandson of Adam Winthrop, sold his home for reasons of conscience at the age of forty-one, left a relatively settled way of life and sailed for the unknown wilderness of New England. This first John Winthrop came to the New World in 1630 to serve as the leader of the Massachusetts Bay Company and served as the first Governer of the Massachusetts Bay Colony for over sixteen years. The second John Winthrop (A.B. 1732), a descendent of Governer Winthrop, was the Hollis Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy from the age of 24 until his death at age 65. Highly regarded as the first American astronomer, Winthrop served as the President of Harvard from 1773-1774. Portraits of the two can be seen hanging in the Winthrop House Library, and another portrait of Governor Winthrop hangs in the Dining Hall. The House crest is the Winthrop family coat of arms, a lion on a shield with three chevrons in the background.
The Architecture
Today, John Winthrop House consists of two buildings, Gore Hall and Standish Hall. Originally, the buildings were established in 1914 as separate freshman dormitories, and at this time, the current Library served as the Dining Room for Standich residents. The Architects for the houses, Coolidge, Shepley and Rutan, used more opulent English precedents for architectural accent when desiging the houses. For instance, Gore Hall was based on Sir christopher Wren's late-seventeenth-century garden facade of Hampton Court. Two gates connect Gore and Standish Hall. In the front entrance is the Winthrop Gate, which has the Winthrop family coat of arms welded prominently in the front. Facing the Charles River is the Fly Club Gate. Construction of the Fly Club Gate began in 1914 with a grant provided by the club's membership. Built on a more human scale than some of the other river gates, the gentle inward curve of this English Baroque gate conveys a sense of friendly beckoning. Its size and form mimic the Winthrop Gate, executed in the same year. In the Fly Club Gate, the judicious use of brick and picturesque wrought-iron detailing render the entrance less forbidding than, for example, the massive stone entrance and wrought-iron gate at Dunster House. The symbol of the Fly Club, the panther, is centered within the once polychromed ironwork above the entry. Inscribed below the symbol is the dedication: "For Friendships Made in College the Fly Club in Gratitude has Built this Gate."
The House System
The original construction of the freshman river halls, Standish and Gore, was intended to combat growing social and class schisms in the student community of Harvard. Lowell, the University President, hoped to create a sense of solidarity in students through concentrated housing. Any exaggerated social importance which the clubs might have assumed would be reduced, and any prestige attached to the Gold Coastseriously weakened. The new freshmen halls however, were only part of a plan that had long been in Lowell's mind: the house system.The two halls were unified as John Winthrop House under the implementation of the House system and through a generous gift to the college by Edward S. Harkness (Yale 1897), heir to a Standard Oil fortune. Harkness was long interested in education and supporting the creation of a house system similar to that of Oxford colleges. When Yale stalled in its efforts to enact a new housing plan Harkness could fund, Harkness turned to President Lowell. When Lowell described his plan, Harkness offered a gift of $11 million to fund seven new residential houses. The final arrangement of the River Houses then incorporated the earlier freshman dorms, creating Winthrop House from Standish and Gore Halls.
No two design plans were alike for the new houses. Exteriors and interiors bespoke elegance. "One ought to eat only venison, drink only champagne in the...dining room," wrote undergraduate columnist George Homans '32 of the new houses. The seven Houses' titles evoked Harvard History. Dunster, Eliot, Kirkland and Leverett bore the names of former presidents. Adams, Lowell and John Winthrop honored families long-involved with the College. When the houses were finally opened, nearly 90% of the student body elected to live in them. The House system was widely hailed as a forward step in American education.
Gore and Standish Halls
Standish Hall honors Captian Miles Standish (c. 1584-1656), a professional soldier and one of the minority of non-Pilgrims on the Mayflower. Mrs. Russel Sage, one of his descendants, donated the funds for this building as a freshman hall. Gore Hall, regarded by many as one of Harvard's "handsomest" buildings, celebrates Christopher Gore (A.B. 1776), a Harvard Fellow, Massachusets Governer, and Senator. Christopher Gore was born in Boston in 1758, the tenth of thirteen children of Francis and John Gore. Christopher served in the Continental Army as a clerk with the artillery regiment of his brother-in-law Thomas Craft. After the war, Christopher Gore pursued law. Gore was unquestionably bright and ambitious, but several factors helped the young lawyer's practice to flourish. Many of Boston's older lawyers were Tories, and by leaving the country, they left their clients to the younger generation. The Revolutionary War increased the city's wealth and also the demand for services such as Gore could provide. Christopher Gore's political career began in 1788 when he was elected to represent Boston at the Philadelphia constitution to ratify the new United States Constitution. A year later, George Washington apointed Gore as the first United States Attorney for Massachusetts. President Washington again appointed Gore to a diplonatic position in 1796. The Gores travelled to England and remained there for eight years while Christopher served on the Jay Commission that negotiated merchantile claims for American ships seixed or destroyed during the war with Britain. Gore also spent two months as charge d'affaires in London after his good friend Rufus King resigned from his post and before James Monroe, the new ambassador, arrived.
Famous Residents
Three of the Kennedy brothers, John, Joseph and Edward, lived in Winthrop House. President Kennedy's college suite is now furnished as a memorial and administered by the Institute of Politics to guests.
found on ancestry.com
Winthrop History
John Winthrop
Descended from people who had first lived in England as far back as the Norman Conquest, the Winthrops first achieved real prominence through Adam Winthrop (Sr.) (1498-1562) who became lord of the Manor of Groton (Suffolk) and Patron of the Chuch under Henry VIII and was granted arms and the rank of Gentleman under Edward VI. The house name commemorates two of Adam Winthrop's descendants. John Winthrop (1588-1649), the grandson of Adam Winthrop, sold his home for reasons of conscience at the age of forty-one, left a relatively settled way of life and sailed for the unknown wilderness of New England. This first John Winthrop came to the New World in 1630 to serve as the leader of the Massachusetts Bay Company and served as the first Governer of the Massachusetts Bay Colony for over sixteen years. The second John Winthrop (A.B. 1732), a descendent of Governer Winthrop, was the Hollis Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy from the age of 24 until his death at age 65. Highly regarded as the first American astronomer, Winthrop served as the President of Harvard from 1773-1774. Portraits of the two can be seen hanging in the Winthrop House Library, and another portrait of Governor Winthrop hangs in the Dining Hall. The House crest is the Winthrop family coat of arms, a lion on a shield with three chevrons in the background.
The Architecture
Today, John Winthrop House consists of two buildings, Gore Hall and Standish Hall. Originally, the buildings were established in 1914 as separate freshman dormitories, and at this time, the current Library served as the Dining Room for Standich residents. The Architects for the houses, Coolidge, Shepley and Rutan, used more opulent English precedents for architectural accent when desiging the houses. For instance, Gore Hall was based on Sir christopher Wren's late-seventeenth-century garden facade of Hampton Court. Two gates connect Gore and Standish Hall. In the front entrance is the Winthrop Gate, which has the Winthrop family coat of arms welded prominently in the front. Facing the Charles River is the Fly Club Gate. Construction of the Fly Club Gate began in 1914 with a grant provided by the club's membership. Built on a more human scale than some of the other river gates, the gentle inward curve of this English Baroque gate conveys a sense of friendly beckoning. Its size and form mimic the Winthrop Gate, executed in the same year. In the Fly Club Gate, the judicious use of brick and picturesque wrought-iron detailing render the entrance less forbidding than, for example, the massive stone entrance and wrought-iron gate at Dunster House. The symbol of the Fly Club, the panther, is centered within the once polychromed ironwork above the entry. Inscribed below the symbol is the dedication: "For Friendships Made in College the Fly Club in Gratitude has Built this Gate."
The House System
The original construction of the freshman river halls, Standish and Gore, was intended to combat growing social and class schisms in the student community of Harvard. Lowell, the University President, hoped to create a sense of solidarity in students through concentrated housing. Any exaggerated social importance which the clubs might have assumed would be reduced, and any prestige attached to the Gold Coastseriously weakened. The new freshmen halls however, were only part of a plan that had long been in Lowell's mind: the house system.The two halls were unified as John Winthrop House under the implementation of the House system and through a generous gift to the college by Edward S. Harkness (Yale 1897), heir to a Standard Oil fortune. Harkness was long interested in education and supporting the creation of a house system similar to that of Oxford colleges. When Yale stalled in its efforts to enact a new housing plan Harkness could fund, Harkness turned to President Lowell. When Lowell described his plan, Harkness offered a gift of $11 million to fund seven new residential houses. The final arrangement of the River Houses then incorporated the earlier freshman dorms, creating Winthrop House from Standish and Gore Halls.
No two design plans were alike for the new houses. Exteriors and interiors bespoke elegance. "One ought to eat only venison, drink only champagne in the...dining room," wrote undergraduate columnist George Homans '32 of the new houses. The seven Houses' titles evoked Harvard History. Dunster, Eliot, Kirkland and Leverett bore the names of former presidents. Adams, Lowell and John Winthrop honored families long-involved with the College. When the houses were finally opened, nearly 90% of the student body elected to live in them. The House system was widely hailed as a forward step in American education.
Gore and Standish Halls
Standish Hall honors Captian Miles Standish (c. 1584-1656), a professional soldier and one of the minority of non-Pilgrims on the Mayflower. Mrs. Russel Sage, one of his descendants, donated the funds for this building as a freshman hall. Gore Hall, regarded by many as one of Harvard's "handsomest" buildings, celebrates Christopher Gore (A.B. 1776), a Harvard Fellow, Massachusets Governer, and Senator. Christopher Gore was born in Boston in 1758, the tenth of thirteen children of Francis and John Gore. Christopher served in the Continental Army as a clerk with the artillery regiment of his brother-in-law Thomas Craft. After the war, Christopher Gore pursued law. Gore was unquestionably bright and ambitious, but several factors helped the young lawyer's practice to flourish. Many of Boston's older lawyers were Tories, and by leaving the country, they left their clients to the younger generation. The Revolutionary War increased the city's wealth and also the demand for services such as Gore could provide. Christopher Gore's political career began in 1788 when he was elected to represent Boston at the Philadelphia constitution to ratify the new United States Constitution. A year later, George Washington apointed Gore as the first United States Attorney for Massachusetts. President Washington again appointed Gore to a diplonatic position in 1796. The Gores travelled to England and remained there for eight years while Christopher served on the Jay Commission that negotiated merchantile claims for American ships seixed or destroyed during the war with Britain. Gore also spent two months as charge d'affaires in London after his good friend Rufus King resigned from his post and before James Monroe, the new ambassador, arrived.
Famous Residents
Three of the Kennedy brothers, John, Joseph and Edward, lived in Winthrop House. President Kennedy's college suite is now furnished as a memorial and administered by the Institute of Politics to guests.
found on ancestry.com
Adam early history
Adam was apprenticed to a clothier in London about 1515. By 1537 he was Steward of the Clothworkers’ Company and later fined and imprisoned for either illegally importing wool or religious reform. He became quite wealthy and became the owner of the Manor of Groton
found on ancestry.com
Adam was apprenticed to a clothier in London about 1515. By 1537 he was Steward of the Clothworkers’ Company and later fined and imprisoned for either illegally importing wool or religious reform. He became quite wealthy and became the owner of the Manor of Groton
found on ancestry.com
