John Cole Jewett was born in Ipswich in 1743. He married Elizabeth Smith, daughter of Moses and Elizabeth (Wallis) Smith of Ipswich. Cole was a private in the Revolution and marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775, serving 4 days. His wife died June 9, 1805, aged 65 years. He died in Ipswich, Jan. 6, 1811. They had a daughter, Elizabeth, born in 1770, who married Joseph Lane, Jr., of Gloucester in 1792.
John Cole Jewett bought the High Street estate of Josiah Martin in 1767, when he was mentioned in a deed of an abutter. This is the first registered deed, and stylistic evidence indicates that the present house was built shortly before the 1813 transfer. This is one of the oldest capes in Ipswich, a wing was added in 1974.
Jewett’s heirs sold the property in 1813 to David Lord. Phillip Lord owned in 1830, and apparently sold it back to members of the Jewett family. The owner of this house in the 1832 Philander Map of Ipswich is Nathan Jewett, with Moses Jewett at the present 89 High Street location and Sewell P. Jewett at #87.
The Jewett and Cole families date to the early years of Ipswich. Deacon Maximilian and Joseph Jewett were among the settlers of Rowley, Massachusetts, in 1639. Robert Coles was one of the twelve men who accompanied John Winthrop Jr. in the expedition to found Ipswich in 1633. Many members of the family settled in Ipswich Village and this area of High Street. The owner of this house in the 1832 Philander Map of Ipswich is Nathan Jewett, with Moses Jewett at the present 89 High Street location and Sewell P. Jewett at #87.
Sources:
- MACRIS
- The Hammatt Papers
- Ipswich in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
- History and genealogy of the Jewetts of America
- Mass. Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution, Vol. VIII
- Partial List of Historic Houses in Ipswich, by Sue Nelson for the Ipswich Historical Commission (PDF download).
