John Clements, the son of Robert and Lydia (---) Clements, was baptized on 22 Oct. 1620 at Narborough, Leicester, England. He sailed to America with his father and siblings in 1642. In 1645 he was listed among 32 landowners of Haverhill.
He also held various public offices, including Town Constable, Clerk of Writts and Selectman in 1649, Commissioner to end small causes in 1652 and he succeeded his father as Deputy to the General Court of MA for Haverhill in 1654. John was also appointed Lieutenant of the Military Company in 1650.
He married Sarah Osgood on 1 June 1648. Four children were born to this union—Sarah, Lydia, Mary and Hannah.
Sometime after 1656, John returned to England. He apparently decided to join his brothers (Abraham and Daniel) in Ireland and asked his younger brother Robert to escort his family to Ireland. Robert set off for Ireland with his family and John’s family in the Spring of 1658. During the trip the ship was captured and they were taken captive by the Spanish. They were all able to escape except for one of John’s daughters. John was then reunited with his family and Robert returned to Haverhill in the Spring of 1659. Soon afterward, John and his family were shipwrecked and drowned.
Submitted by Dot Grieb