John Sweet, Jr. was born circa 1620 in Modbury, Devonshire, England to John Sweet (1579-1637) and Mary Periam (1581-1681) and died 27 February 1677 Warwick, Kent County, Rhode Island of unspecified causes. He married Elizabeth Jeffrey (1629-1684) 1650 in Warwick, Kent County, Rhode Island.
Biography
John Sweet and his siblings, JAMES and Meribah, came with their parents to America around 1630. Some authors indicate that they were born in Wales and came via England, but there is no confirmation of this.
He was recorded as an inhabitant of Warwick, RI on June 5, 1648, took the oath of a freeman in 1655, appointed commissioner in 1660, and in 1662 he was paid five pease at eight per penny, for killing a wolf.
On April 17, 1663, he sold his dwelling place and lot that he had bought from Henry Townsend for 45 pounds to Francis Darby of Warwick. On May 20, 1671, he took the oathe of allegiance. His grist mill at Potowomut was burned by the Indians during King Philip's War. On March 7, 1676, the Council at Hartford, voted that he and Samuel Eldred could haul ten bushels of Indian corn each to their distressed families. In 1677, his will was made in Newport naming his wife, Elizabeth and children: John, Daniel, James, Henry, Richard, Benjam, William, Jeremiah and a daughter.
Wife's Deposition
On Sept. 18, 1684, Elizabeth Wilson, who had married Samuel Wilson after John's death, aged 55 yrs. or thereabouts, deposed that "her first husband John Sweet, being a Warwick man, first built his dwelling house on Potowomut Neck and procured leave of the Narragansett sachems to set down his mill and dam in Potowomut River. She and her husband kept possession peaceably of said house and land and mill for several years until forced off by the late Indian war, and after the war was over she and her chldren returned and kept possession of the same place." (from Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island)
The children of John & Elizabeth Sweet (from "A Sweet Family History, p. 32):
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Rufus Sweet (1650-1732) | |||
| James Sweet (1652-1719) | |||
| Richard Sweet (1653-1744) | 9 November 1653 Warwick, Kent County, Rhode Island | 8 June 1744 East Greenwich, Kent County, Rhode Island | Mehitable Larkin (1650-1688) Priscilla Carpenter (1661-1739) |
| John Sweet (1654-1717) | |||
| Daniel Sweet (1657-1729 | |||
| Benjamin Sweet (1661-1753) | |||
| Henry Sweet (1662-1752) | 7 March 1662 Warwick, Kent County, Rhode Island | 2 May 1752 East Greenwich, Kent County, Rhode Island | Mary Andrews (1662-1752) |
| Elizabeth Sweet (1664-) | |||
| Jeremiah Sweet (1669-1760) | |||
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| John Sweet (1620-1677) | 1620 Modbury, Devonshire, England | 27 February 1677 Warwick, Kent County, Rhode Island | Elizabeth Jeffrey (1629-1684) |
| James Sweet (1622-1698) | |||
| Meribah Sweet (1632-) | |||
References