"Medical Men of Milford", compiled by Morris W. Abbott. The Milford Medical Society, Milford, CT 1965.
The popular belief is that he came to Milford in 1639, with his wife Mary, as one of the first settlers. On the other hand, the records contain little or nothing to show that he was physically present in Milford that early, or at best show that he was here, then removed to Hartford, where he remained for some years.
He was allotted 3 roods (3/4 acre) of land, Lot No. 24, in 1639, bounded by the present Factory Lane, New Haven Ave., the harbor and the Wepawaug River. This was less than most settlers were given. He was appointed sealer of weights and measures, and was one of the "Court" or committee empowered to allot land to the settlers. It therefore seems that he must have been in Milford for a time.
But there are other and older records. He came from England to Boston in the ship "Defence" in 1635, when he was 29, with Ann, aged 25. Who was Ann? Possibly his wife, but, as she does not appear in the records again, it seems more likely that she was his younger sister.
He then settled in Roxbury, near Boston, and was made a "freeman" of that place at a General Court or assembly held in Boston 25 May 1636. In 1639, the same year he was granted land in Milford, he was alloted 5 1/2 acres at Roxbury and was a member of the church there. One authority says that two of his children were baptised in Roxbury, yet the existing vital records of that town show no Gunn births, baptisms, marriages or deaths, nor are there any in the "Report of the Record Commission, containing Roxbury Land and Church Records" (Boston 1881).
Savage, in his "Genealogical Dictionary" (1860) says that "after ten years he removed to Hartford (from Roxbury), there was a physician some time, and, after 1657, removed to Milford, where, by a heedless reading of the records, one might think he lived 18 years before".
Jasper Gunn's name comes into the records of Hartford several times. In 1648 he lost a damage suit in court, on 13 Sep 1649 Jasper Gunn "of Hartford" was excused from military service "during the time he attends the service of the mill", and again in 1657 "during his practise of phissicke". When the General Court at Hartford on 21 May 1657 licensed him to practise "phissicke", his place of residence was not mentioned. His name does not appear in the records of the New Haven Colony before 1661.
In the library of Trinity College, Hartford, is a small book, an almanac for the year 1652, in which Jasper Gunn kept some patients' and customers' accounts and a lot of medical notes, much of the last in shorthand. Along with charges for repairing brass kettles are charges for medicine and services. The shorthand served, no doubt, to protect the secrets of his trade.
Much of the writing is difficult for the modern reader, including the compiler, but one of the simpler accounts reads as follows, the figures being the charges in shillings and pence:
Mr. Wells, 32-00
for mend a ketle, 0-6
for his maide for 6 doses of El (Electuary?), 3-0
for on doss (i.e. 1 dose) of pills, 1-0
for 3 Journiees, 3-0
Reconed with Mr. Wells Apr: 4: 57: Due to me, 22-0
If the reader suffereth from a "Rhume" let him try the following do-it-thyself remedy, which appears in the almanac in Gunn's handwriting.
"To Draw Rhume back from ye Eyes. Rost an Eg hard: Lay it hot to the nape of the Neck."
This almanac contained many blank pages, and was used later by his son Abel, who was an early settler of Derby and helped survey land there, from whom the little book descended to Josiah Nettleton of Oxford (described as "a descendant of Dr. James Gunn of Derby, son of Dr. James Gunn of Hartford"), who gave it to Dr. Hosea Dutton (father of Milford's Dr. Thomas A. Dutton), who in his turn gave it in 1825 to Washington (now Trinity) College of Hartford. The accounts in the almanac contain no names of Milford people, which surely indicates tht he was in Hartford and not in Milford those years.
Jasper Gunn and his wife Mary were admitted to the church in Milford 25 Apr 1641 "having been dismissed by the church at Hertford". On the same page are recorded the baptisms of their children Mehetable and Abel on 2 May 1641 and 19 Jun 1643, respectively. Mary was later (date not given) "dismissed" to the church at Hatfield, MA., where Nathaniel Gunn had gone to live.
The Rev. Mr. Scranton's "Notes" say that in 1643 Jasper Gunn and others were appointed judges to be a court to divide the land and admit inhabitants into the plantation, and, further, that they (meaning the settler of Milford), "when they came over to this country, brought over a physcian (sic) with them, Mr. Jasper Gunn".
That he was a respected member of the church in Milford is evidenced by their making him a deacon in later years. The early records of New Haven Colony state that in October 1661 he acted as attorney for Mrs. Joanna Prudden in a matter having to do with a cow she was alleged to have taken unto herself without due process. As the record puts it, "Deacon Gunn of Milford ppounded (i.e., propounded) for Mrs. Pruden".
In 1663 he was a deputy (representative) to the General Court of New Haven Colony, from Milford.
No matter where he was living, the Town of Milford gave him land on several occasions, in 1639, 1643, 1646, 1649, 1659, 1660 and possibly other dates, in "the new meadow plain", "Dreadful Swamp meadow", "mill neck", "the Pond Shott", etc.
Savage could very well be right in his belief that Jasper Gunn did not come to Milford to live until 1657, but on the other hand it seems, in light of all the evidence, that he came to Milford from Roxbury, remained a few years, removed to Hartford (greener pastures?) and was induced about 1657 to return to Milford to stay. The people of Milford needed his services, we may be sure, and finally offered sufficient inducement to keep him there.
In the first volume of the land records of Milford (page 56) appears the following action by the General Court (i.e., town meeting):
"Item: Jasper Gunns land that was given to him by the town formerly being given upon this condition if he setle with us he desireing that now the expression might be soe to read. The town considering that he was come to us and had been with us some space of time and he also expressing himself that he had no thoughts to remove did grant his desire."
Punctuation is lacking and the wording not entirely clear, but it would seem to indicate that Gunn had been given land in the past on condition that he settle in Milford, but he had not done so, or had not stayed there. Now he wants to clear title to the land, having returned to Milford to stay, and the townfolk did confirm the gifts, but only after he assurred them that he had no idea of moving away.
Now for matters genealogical. It is not known where nor just when he was born or married. The church records and the Memorial Bridge stone agree that his wife was Mary, yet when he died he left a widow named Christian. Mary is thought to have gone to Hatfield, MA, but when and how did she leave the scene and Christian enter?
Jasper Gunn died in Milford 12 Jan 1670/71 (the new year began in March at that time).
** The above transcribed by Ken Gunn 6/26/96. Spelling copied as is from the text of the book. **