Major John Whipple (1657-1722)

John Whipple followed his father into military service, serving first as Cornet in 1689, possibly commanding an expedition to Quebec. In 1706, as Captain Whipple, he commanded troops in the Haverhill, Massachusetts, area in response to an “Indian alarm.” Later, he earned the rank of Major.

Major Whipple married Katherine Layton in 1681. Their children included Martha, who married Rev. Richard Brown Jr. of Newbury; Katherine (1685-1702); Elizabeth, who died in 1688, and another Elizabeth who died in 1695-6; Mary (1684-1734), who married Benjamin Crocker; Sarah (1692-1713); Susanna (1696-?); who married Rev. John Rogers of Kittery; and Mercy, who was born 1697-8.

Major Whipple, his wife, numerous children, “Negro man, and Hannah, the slave woman,” took up residence in the Whipple family home in 1683. Major Whipple expanded the structure significantly, essentially establishing the “footprint” of the house as it exists today with its sloping back and additional rooms. His barn held a good number of horses, cows, and oxen; it is presumed he also owned a carriage house to house his “calesh and tackling,” the earliest form of two-wheeled carriages that only the most wealthy could afford.

Little is known about Major Whipple’s later years. In 1722, Major Whipple “went to bed well at Night & was found dead in the morning” at the age of 65. In his will, he left his house, homestead, buildings, furniture, and his “Negro Man & Two Cowes” to his daughter Mary Crocker who immediately took up residence in the Whipple House. Major Whipple gave his “Negroe Woman Hannah” to his daughter Susanna Rogers. These were just some of the “items” he disbursed. Major Whipple died a very rich man, as the inventory of his estate attests.

Source: Thomas Franklin Waters, The John Whipple House in Ipswich, Mass. and the People who have Owned and Lived in It (Ipswich Historical Society,1915).