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John MacCoone (1630 - October 8, 1705) also spelledphonetically asMcCoon orMcCoone was aScottishRoyalistsoldier during theAnglo-Scottish war, aScottish colonist, and one of the original 24 founders ofWesterly, Rhode Island on May 13, 1669.[1][2] Following his arrival to the American colonies, MacCoone later became a juror and member of the General Court of Rhode Island (later theRhode Island General Assembly).[3][4] John MacCoone was married to Deborah Bush (1635-1664) of the famousBush family, a political family of the United States.
Member of theRhode Island General Assembly John MacCoone (John McCoon) | |
|---|---|
 The ScottishCovenanter Flag. | |
| Born | c.1630 |
| Died | October 8, 1705 |
| Allegiance |  Scotland |
| Years of service | 1650-1650 |
| Known for | FoundingWesterly, Rhode Island |
| Battles / wars | |
| Spouses |
|
John MacCoone (Anglicizedphonetically asMcCoon orMacCoon) was born around 1630 nearAberdeen in theKingdom of Scotland.[5] Not much is known about John's life before the Anglo-Scottish war except for the fact that he was part of theCovenanters movement which supported thePresbyterianChurch of Scotland.
MacCoone took part in the Anglo-Scottish war, a continuation of theWars of the Three Kingdoms againstOliver Cromwell. MacCoone was part of the 22,000-man army underDavid Leslie, 1st Lord Newark which marched towards theFirth of Forth and fought in the ensuingBattle of Dunbar on September 3, 1650. John MacCoone, along with 10,000 other Scots were captured asprisoners of war.[6] Following the Scottish defeat by Cromwell'sNew Model Army, there were roughly 4,000 deaths, 10,000 prisoners, and 4,000 men who escaped.[7][8][9] Cromwell's government was presented with an immediate dilemma, holding 10,000+ Scottish prisoners would be costly, however, letting them go could prove to be very dangerous and had the possibility of seeing a continued rebellion orguerrilla war against theParliamentarians, hence, the deportation of Scots was one of the only "reasonable" option for Cromwell's government.[7][8][9][10]
The English shipUnity which was based out ofCambridge, Massachusetts transported 150 prisoners of war from Scotland to theMassachusetts Bay Colony.[10] As a penalty for being captured and taking part in the Anglo-Scottish War, John and others were forcefullydeported and confined aboard the English shipUnity asindentured servants for 6-8 years.[1][2][10][11] According to the Scottish Prisoner of War Society (SPOWS), MacCoone is listed as prisoner #57 on the George Sawin Stewart document for Scottish prisoners of war who had been captured at the Battle of Dunbar.[12] MacCoone and 149 other Scottish prisoners arrived inCharlestown, Boston in December 1650 and immediately began their terms ofindentured servitude.[2] The length of servitude varied, but the typical term of indentured servitude was between 6 to 8 years, averaging around 7.[9] Many of the Scottish prisoners aboard theUnity ended up working as servants for theSaugus Iron Works inSaugus, Massachusetts.[7] During this time MacCoone married a woman named Deborah Bush (1635-1664) on November 8, 1656, almost five years after his arrival.[13] The bookLost Lives, New Voices: Unlocking the Stories of the Scottish Soldiers at the Battle of Dunbar 1650 lists John MacCoone as still living inCambridge, Massachusetts in 1656.[14][15]
Following his term of indentured servitude MacCoone was given 5acres of land in Cambridge[16] and later laid claim to lands in theColony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations near thePawcatuck River. John is listed as one of the original 24 settlers andfreeman of the settlement ofWesterly on May 13, 1669. A full list of the first original settlers of Westerly include the following men:[17]
John periodically served as a colonialjuror for theGeneral Court of Rhode Island, later called the Rhode Island General Assembly as well as the town court of Westerly.[3] The bookA dictionary of Scottish emigrants to the U.S.A. by Donald Whyte lists John as a member of the Rhode Island General Court, specifically of Westerly bedsides being a colonial juror for civil court hearings.[4][18][19]
John had two wives, Sarah Wood (c.1668) and Deborah Bush (1635-1664) of theBush family. Between his two wives he had a total of 6 children.[20] John is listed as dying on October 8, 1705, according to hiswill and testament andprobate records fromMiddlesex County, Massachusetts.[19]