John Fairfield
Born: 1610
Loc: England
Died: 22 Dec 1646
Loc: Wenham, Essex Co. MA
Bur: Unknown

Also spelled: Faierfeild, Faierfield, Faierfild, Fairefield, Fayrefield
in Wenham, MA records
Father: Unknown
Mother: Unknown
Married: June 7, 1632
Elizabeth Knight, daughter of Walter Knight and Elizabeth
Children: Walter/John II/Benjamin
He was made Freeman on 13 May 1640.
The first Fairfield in Wenham was John who received a grant of land from the Town of Salem on December 23, 1639, which consisted of 80 acres for a farm and 10 acres for a meadow in the areas of Cherry Street and Topsfield Road. The grant was used as farmland until it became the home of John’s grandson, Deacon William.
Source: Wenham in Pictures and Prose
John and his wife Elizabeth Knight would have never lived on this land according to the above information. It is not known if they are buried in the Fairfield Family Burial Ground or at the old cemetery in Wenham.
FAIRFIELD BURIAL GROUND,
Town of Wenham, Mass.

Designated and Reserved by William Fairfield on Land Granted by Salem to His Grandfather, John Fairfield, in 1639.

"The Fairfield Burial Ground, off William Fairfield Drive, is the resting place for some of the Wenham’s earliest settlers. Already by 1860 the burial ground was long neglected and overgrown. Myron O. Allen, in his 1860 History of Wenham: Civil and Ecclesiastical, wrote:
John Fairfield Will
To god be the prayse, I John ffayrefeild being in perfect mimory though weake in Boddy doe make this my last will and Testament in manner and forme as followeth, first I commit my soul into the hands of my faythful Redeemer, through a liuely hope that when this frayle body of mine shall be laid in the dust I shall be preserved safe through his merrits and worthyness alone unto the great day of the resurrection at what time my soule and Boddy being reunited togither by the power of his grace and the efficac y of that his Alsufficyent mediation, I shall be glorifyed togither with him in his eternell kingdome: And as touc hinge the outwarde goods of this life which God of his good ness haue giv n me my Will and Pleasure is that they be dispposed in such sort as here followeth:
Imprimis I doe Give and Bequeath unto Elizabeth my beloued wife my pte of house and ground which I have in Coptner shipe with Joseph Batchelder to her and to her Heires for ever. Item: I doe giue unto my wife all my moueables withi n dores and without as namely my Cowes Cattle Swine Corne Housall Implyments and utensels Bed bedinge Linine Wooling e Brass Peuter mony Debts and whatsoever is mine eyther i n Possesion or accruinge or belonginge to me for her the sa id Elizabeth to have and injoy the same as her owne fee Simple to disposs of at her pleasure without Interruption or m olestation from any other, and also my will is that my said wife shall have the use and occupation of the house I now live in and the ground Appertayninge there unto and of my fear me had from Salem; until such time as Benjamen my youngest sonne shall Come to twenty yeeres of Age; and then m y minde and will is that this house and Land and my moveabl e Goods, then remaining, shall all be equally in the propor tion devided, betwine my wife, and three Children, soe man y of them as shall then survive. And further this is my will that my wife shall see the bringinge up of my Childre n Christian Like and Honestly and alsoe the due disposall o f them unto such honest occupations or lawefull Callings o r Conditions of life as she in her wisedome with the ad ice of the Supvisors of this my will shall esteem most me ete, this her said] care of them to extend towards my sai d Children untill my yongest son Benjamine Comes ot twent y yeeres of Age; And Likewise my will and pleasure is my sonne Walter shall rest himself satisyed with what I heere ha ve done as concerninge him and take it as my minde and advice that he would approve himselfe dutifull unto his Mother upon whose Curtisy he shall depend for ought elce he migh t expect: Alsoe my minde is my said wife shall make no estr ipp or wast of Timber fensings, and shall keepe my said hou ses in good and sufficient Reperrations and my ground sutab ly fenced and inclosed accordinge as she finds the same dur inge the said space of Tearme, and in Cause she shall dispo se her selfe in marryage that then she shall before the sol emninginge of the same enter into sufficyent bond and secur ity for the fulfullinge of this my will unto the Supvisors , further my minde and will is that my gunes and swordes: m y Chrildene shall have the use of them as need requre. Item : I give unto Mathew Edwards my Cossen Twenty Acres of upla nd lyinge within my fearme had from Salem wth two acres o f meddow to be laid out mos indifferently by my supvisors t o injoy it at one and twenty yeeres of Age. Item. I Constitute And ordayne Elizabeht my wife sole Executrix And my Lovinge and well approved friends Mr. Henery Bartholomew of Salem and Robertt Hawes of Salem these two Supvisars to thi s my last will and Testament."
John (his mark) Fairefild.
Wit: Jo. Fiske, William Fiske, Robert Hawes.
Sources: Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex Co., MA, edited by George Francis Dow, Vol. 1, pp. 116- 117; Court held at Salem, 6: 5: 1647:

Will of John Fairfiel d proved by Mr. Jno. Fisk, Wm. Fisk and Robt. Hawes.
Will dated 11: 10: 1646.

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