1 min
John Webster was one of the first settlers and founders of the State of Connecticut. In addition to being the 8th great-grandfather of my great-grandmother, Mary (Harvey) Reese Gaul (click here to learn more about John Webster and his genealogy), he was also an ancestor of three U.S. Presidents, including Rutherford B. Hayes, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush. A few of his other notable descendants include Johnny Carson (the celebrity, 1925-2005), Emily Dickinson (the poet, 1830-1886), Katherine Hepburn (the actress, 1907-2003), and Janis Joplin (the singer, 1943-1970).
He died in 1665 and rests in Old Hadley Cemetery in Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts. A memorial erected in his honor, shown below, is engraved as follows:
Sources:
History and genealogy of the Gov. John Webster family of Connecticut, by William H. Webster [Link]
List of colonial governors of Connecticut. (2017, December 22). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Connecticut
John Webster (governor). (2017, December 22). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Webster_(governor)