John Doane

John Doane (c.1590 - 1685/6) was a politician. He arrived in Plymouth Colony on an unknown ship sometime between 1628 and 1632. During his long life he is considered a person of note in Plymouth Colony serving in many government capacities associated with the colony government, such as government committees and deputy for Plymouth as well as Assistant Governor in 1632/33. He left government service for a time in the 1630s to serve as deacon in the Plymouth Church.

John Doane stated he was born in England and in his 1678 will he stated he was age about eighty-eight years of age making his birth year being about 1590. Nothing else is known of his English ancestry. There is no record of John Doane being in Leiden, Holland, although he was a Plymouth church deacon.

In 1632/33 he was Assistant Governor.

Records show that on January 2, 1632/33 Governor Bradford, Captain Standish, John Alden, John Howland, Stephen Hopkins, Samuel Fuller, Sr., and John Doane and other notables were ordered by the court to assess taxes on the colonists payable in grain or the equivalent.

1633 was the first year that the records show all seven governmental Assistants. Edward Winslow as governor and the Assistants were William Bradford, Myles Standish, John Howland, John Alden, John Doane, Stephen Hopkins and William Gilson.

On April 8, 1633 John Doane sold the indenture of Walter Harris - who had bound himself to serve Mr. Atwood of London under command of Mr. John Doane of New Plymouth - to Henry Howland.

On January 2, 1633/34 tax rates were again assessed by the new governor, Thomas Prence, and William Bradford, Captain Standish, John Howland, Stephen Hopkins, John Doane and others associated with colony government. Eighty individuals to be taxed were listed.

Nathaniel Morton wrote that John Cooke, Mr. John Doane and Mr. William Paddy were deacons under Reverend John Reyner, and John Dunham became a deacon later. John Doane was at least a deacon as early as January 2, 1633/34 when he resigned his office as Assistant (governor) because of his deaconship.

In January 1633/34 he was "freed from office" so that he could devote his full-time to church functions.

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