John Pike (settler)

John Pike (1613-1688/1689) was a founder of Woodbridge, New Jersey and a judge and politician of the early colony of New Jersey.

Pike was born in Wiltshire, England. He came to America with his parents, John Pike (1572-1654) and Dorothy Day, first settling in Newbury, Massachusetts.

In 1665, acting on the invitation of Governor Philip Carteret, a number of Newbury residents formed a corporation to settle in Woodbridge, named after Rev. John Woodbridge, a Newbury clergyman.cite book
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=FsYMAAAAYAAJ
title=A Sketch of the History of Newbury, Newburyport, and West Newbury, from 1635 to 1845
author=Joshua Coffin
year=1845
location=Boston
publisher=Samuel Gardner Drake & Co.] Pike, one of the original nine "associates" (and thereby granted some 300 acres, much more than other freeholders), was "the prominent man of the town" in its early years. He was President of Woodbridge, and in 1671 was appointed to the Governor's Council. After 1675, he was Captain of the militia, and afterward known as Capt. Pike. He was chosen to represent the township in the colonial General Assembly three times: 1692-3, 1696, and 1697-8.cite book
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=rxPcnAAegXMC
title=Contributions to the Early History of Perth Amboy and Adjoining Country
author=William Adee Whitehead
year=1856
publisher=D. Appleton & Co.
location=Perth Amboy, New Jersey]

In 1684, together with his son John, he was convicted of possession of stolen goods, a felony. After his death, the New Jersey assembly passed an act clearing his name, as well as one allowing his family to sue for defamation.

Personal life

Pike married Elizabeth Fitz Randolph in 1685, although he already had several grown children: John (1634-1714), Thomas, Joseph, Hannah, Ruth, and three others who predeceased him.

Pike is an ancestor of Zebulon Montgomery Pike (1779-1813) explorer and army general, after whom Pikes Peak is named.

References