John Lathrops Home in Barnstable, Which is now a Library with an addition on the back
A window inside the house where they met for church.
I told my
friend Jolene Alphin about a planned trip to Cape Cod. She said, “Oh, you need go to Barnstable and
see John Lathrop’s home and bible.” I
said, “I know about John Lathrop." I had listened to Susan Easton Black give a
lecture at Education Week and I have never forgotten it. John Lathrop was the 6th
great grandfather of Joseph Smith and a host of other religious and government
leaders are related to him. Lathrop was exiled to America
after years of abuse and time in the infamously horrible Clink prison. He was a beloved leader of a group if separatists who wanted
to follow their own religious dictates.
“Because of the Laudian
persecution (Laud, the bishop perpetuating the abuse), emigration to America
increased. It has been estimated that
between 1629 and 1640, twenty-one thousand people came to New England.” (p.
236)
“With the…deposing
of Laud, and the cessation of persecutions, immigration to America virtually
ceased. English hopes were once more
centered on the homeland. For the next
century and a half, immigration was minimal.
The growth of the colonies is attributed almost entirely to the early
migrations of 1629-1640. These were the
formidable men and women of conscience, Puritans, who in the words of Samuel E.
Morison, ‘hewed liberty, democracy, humanitarianism and
universal education out of the black forest of feudal Europe and the American
wilderness.” (p. 237)
Helene Holt fictionalized the life of John Lathrop up until the
time he came to America. She won first
prize from the Utah Arts Council with this story written in 1987. It is always
true of historical fiction that you have a clearer picture of the events when
they are humanized. There were parts
that bothered me. I didn’t like the
romance element between Lathrop’s daughter Jane and a cell mate of Lathrop. It added some interest but it was done in a
Harlequinish way. There were some other cultural things that I
thought could have been better researched.
Some of the personal stories had too much of a modern twist, including
some of the family interactions. I
wished that events could have had an indication of whether they were based on
fact or fictionalized by the author in the way of end notes. But on
the whole I enjoyed getting a picture in my mind of the terrible persecution and
abuse that was going on at this time in the name of Christ. Some of the dialogue between Lathrop and
Bishop Laud when Lathrop was defending his beliefs was excellent. I saw him as a man, like unto Stephen, who
was ready to die rather than recant. The
end of the book has some excellent historical information including an extensive
list of church leaders and dignitaries descended from Lathrop.
My good friend Jolene is a ninth great granddaughter and she let me read her book. Thank you Jolene.
My good friend Jolene is a ninth great granddaughter and she let me read her book. Thank you Jolene.
The actual bible that John repaired.
There is a lovely story in the Appendix about how a hole was burned in John’s bible either in prison or on the ship coming to America. Lathrop repaired the hole and filled in the missing words by heart. This bible is on display in his home in Barnstable. I can’t wait to see it.