I have located this reference to the origins of John Marsh of Salem. I haven't seen any corroborating information elsewhere, so don't know how reliable it is:
 
"John Marsh.... was the son of John and Grace Marsh, of Branktry. Essex county, England. His father was a clothier by trade, who died 1627 and whose will was proved May 29, 1627. His mother in whose will John was mentioned as 2 legatee, made her will January 29. 1657, and it was proved May 22, 1667. ......" Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worchester County vol2, Pg 212, 355.

See the Essex Co, England Heritage Page
 

Immigration: Between 1634 (oath of allegiance) - 1636 (Salem land record). Immigrated as a single man. Probably a young man in his twenty's, as he soon married and had children over the next 20 years. The History of Salem speculates he arrived on the Mary and John in 1634.

Spouse:  First spouse is not known. It is not known whether he married her in England or in America. He had his first three children from this woman. He married, second, Susanna, daughter of Rev Samuel Skelton, about 1646. She survived him and married second, Thomas Rix.

Occupation:  Cordwainer (shoemaker, worker in leather)

Residence:  Salem, Mass, "near the head of North Central Street, now in Peabody". I have also seen reference to life events of subsequent generations given as: Danvers.

Timeline:
 

1633/4, Mar 24 - An oath of allegiance to the crown, presumably taken just prior to his voyage, has been found in England which is thought to be him.

1636, Nov 2 - Received 20 acres of land in Salem, Mass

1636-7 - Married first, unknown wife.

1637 - First child, Zachary recorded in town records

1639 - Church member

1647(est) - Married, second, Susannah Skelton

1674, Mar 20 - Date of will

1674, Nov - Date of death

1674, Nov 26 - Will probated, inventory value of 135 pounds.

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 Notable Marsh Kin Page

"The Genealogy of John Marsh of Salem and his Descendants, 1635-1888", by Lucius B. and D. W. Marsh, 1888

History of Salem, by Perley

Donald Lines Jacobus in _The Granberry Family_(1945), pp. 274-276, reveals the arguments about Susanna Skelton not mothering the first three children of John Marsh, as has been shown in previous Marsh genealogies.

Other Marsh immigrants:
 

"Genealogy of theFamily of George Marsh, Who Came from England in 1635 and Settled in Hingham, MA" by E. J. Marsh, 1887.

"Marsh Genealogy; Giving Several Thousand Descendants of John Marsh of Hartford, CT, 1636-1895", by Dwight W. Marsh, 1895 This is NOT our John Marsh, but does mention some history of our John. (This book is on-line in genealogylibrary.com)

Susannah Skelton is NOT Mother of the First Three Children of John Marsh
 
Information provided by R. Ward: "John MARSH apparently had a first wife, of whom nothing is known except that she must have been mother of his first three children.  There is no indication in the parish register of Susanna's baptism that she wasn't an infant, so she was probably one.  Given the dates of her father's marriage and the baptism of his other children, this is the only reasonable interpretation.  That makes her too young to be the mother of the oldest children.  The gap in the dates of birth from 1641 to 1646 makes it most likely that John MARSH's first wife died in that timeframe and he married Susanna SKELTON as his second wife.  She would have been 21 at the birth of Elizabeth, which is reasonable."

This argument is presented by Donald Lines Jacobus in _The Granberry Family_ (1945), pp. 274-276.

Marsh, Zebediah - see research notes - The father of Lucretia Marsh is reported in the Local History of Marlborough, Vermont to be Zebediah Marsh. It is likely, but not proven, that this Zebediah Marsh is the Zebediah Marsh of Thompson, Windham Co, Conn.

Lucretia Marsh was born April 23, 1764, and married Deacon Nehemiah Fisher of Marlboro. They raised their family there. The following marriage record in Windham Co., Connecticut appears to be her parents: Zebediah Marsh & Mary Coats, July 27, 1758. The Marsh genealogy says Zebediah, son of Jonathan married "sister of Benjamin Coats, resided in New Fane, Vermont.". The History of Salem shows Zebediah, b 1635, as a son of Jonathan Marsh, but does not show a wife. The Will of Jonathan Mirsh (sic) of Killingly dated 21 May 1784, Recorded 7 Feb 1786 shows the name of Zebediah, as well a daughter: "Esther Coats". Looking for the "smoking gun" evidence to confirm that Mary Coats, wife of Nehemiah Fisher of Marlborough, Vermont, is the daughter of Zebediah Marsh of Killingly, Conn.

I presently show the following children and grandchildren of John Marsh, which is not a complete listing:
 
 
 1   John Marsh 1612 - 1674
..  +Unknown First Wife 1612 - 1642

.............. 2   Zachary Marsh 1637 - 1693
..................  +Mary Silsbee 1644 - 1695
............................... 3   John Marsh 1665 -
............................... 3   Mary Marsh 1666 -
...................................  +Ebenezer Cutler 1666 -
............................... 3   Zachery Marsh 1668 - 1694
............................... 3   Elizabeth Marsh 1670 -
...................................  +Samuel King 1670 -
............................... 3   Jonathan Marsh 1672 - 1750
...................................  +Mary Very 1669 -
...............................  *2nd Wife of Jonathan Marsh:
...................................  +Hannah Buffington 1690 -
............................... 3   Ebenezer Marsh 1674 -
............................... 3   Ezekiel Marsh 1676 -
...................................  +Rebecca Gould 1676 -
............................... 3   Abigail Marsh 1680 - 1767
............................... 3   Benjamin Marsh 1687 -
...................................  +Hannah King 1681 -

.............. 2   John Marsh 1639 - 1668
..................  +Sarah Young 1639 -

.............. 2   Ruth Marsh 1641 -

  *2nd Wife of John Marsh:
..  +Susanna Skelton 1625 - 1685

.............. 2   Elizabeth Marsh 1646 - 1704
..................  +John Benson 1646 -

.............. 2   Ezekiel Marsh 1648 -

.............. 2   Bethiah Marsh 1650 - 1723
..................  +Jonathan Silsbee 1650 - 1714
............................... 3   Sarah Silsbee 1674 - 1713
...................................  +George Lilly 1667 - 1719
............................... 3   Silsbee 1677 - 1677
............................... 3   Jonathan Silsbee 1678 - 1751
...................................  +Elizabeth Collins 1678 -
...............................  *2nd Wife of Jonathan Silsbee:
...................................  +Lydia Allen 1678 -
............................... 3   Bethia Silsbee 1680 - 1681
............................... 3   Elizabeth Silsbee 1685 - 1727
...................................  +Joseph Woodward 1688 - 1727
............................... 3   Hannah Silsbee 1687 - 1748
...................................  +Samuel Abbe 1687 -
............................... 3   Susannah Silsbee 1683 -
...................................  +Joseph Geer 1664 - 1743

.............. 2   Samuel Marsh 1652 - 1693
..................  +Priscilla Tompkins 1652 -

.............. 2   Susanna Marsh 1654 -
..................  +Joseph Silsbee 1654 -

.............. 2   Mary Marsh 1656 -
..................  +Nathaneil Felton 1656 -

.............. 2   Jacob Marsh 1658 -

.............. 2   Benjamin Marsh 1661 - 1690
 

 
 1   John Marsh 1612 - 1674
....  +Unknown First Wife 1612 - 1642
.... 2   Zachary Marsh 1637 - 1693
..........  +Mary Silsbee 1644 - 1695
........... 3   Jonathan Marsh 1672 - 1750
.................  +Mary Very 1669 -
.................. 4   Jonathan Marsh 1699 -
........................  +Esther Osborn 1705 -
........................ 5   Zebediah Marsh 1734 -
..............................  +Mary Coats 1740 -
............................... 6   Lucretia Marsh 1764 - 1851
.....................................  +Nehemiah Fisher, Deacon 1764 - 1846
...................................... 7   Nehemiah Willis Fisher 1805 - 1859
............................................  +Abigail Whitney Bruce 1806 - 1884
............................................ 8   Eleanor Serepta Fisher 1843 - 1924
..................................................  +Henry Gilbert Baldwin 1836 - 1894
................................................... 9   Arthur Willis Baldwin 1876 - 1961
.........................................................  +Inez Evangeline Hallock 1886 - 1976

Related Links:

 See on-line Marsh cousins at the Cuzzins Page.

 See material on Samuel Skelton, father of Susannah Skelton, second wife of John Marsh (not an ancestor of mine.)

Marsh GenForum

One branch of the next generation from the immigrant follows at the Sillsbee Page.

The Essex County GenWeb Page is chock full of good information.

Here is a web page for a Marsh researcher in England. No relation that I know of, but thought I'd list it.

Killingly, Conn History Page. One of the stopovers for a couple of generations for our branch.
 

History of Killingly, Conn

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