John Cary was born in Bristol, England, about 1610 and he was the son of William Cary, who was Sheriff of Bristol in 1599.
A manuscript written by his grandson says that John Cary was sent by his father to France to perfect his education and that while absent his father died. On returning to Somersetshire he disagreed with his brothers about the settlement of his father’s estate and compromised by receiving one hundred pounds as his portion. He immediately sailed for America in 1634.
He taught the first class in Latin in the Colony. It is said that he taught Elder Brewster the Hebrew.
At the age of 25 he settled first in Duxbury, Massachusetts but he was one of the first to migrate to Bridgewater, the first interior settlement in the old colony. Of the 56 who had shares only a few ever settled upon them. John Cary did. - he was Clerk of the Plantation, which was a kind of land company and in 1650 it began to be settled. On 3 June 1656 the General Court incorporated Duxbury New Plantation as Bridgewater.
John was married in June of 1644 to ELIZABETH GODFREY, the daughter of Francis Godfrey of Duxbury & Bridgewater who was a carpenter, bridge builder. They had six sons and six daughters.
Their home was a quarter mile east of the meeting house in West Bridgewater. The first town clerk of Bridgewater, he served from 1656 to 1681, the year of his death.
John was intelligent, well educated and public spirited.
His grave cannot be located, but the marker erected on his homestead in West Bridgewater, just a few rods from the home where he lived, was placed proudly by his descendants in 1904 and is there to this day.
