Desire Howland

Abt 1625 - 1683  (58 years)

• Name	Desire Howland  [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
  Birth	Abt 1625	Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States   [1, 3, 5, 6]
  Gender	Female
  FSID	L5N1-9N2  [1]
  Burial	1683	Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States   [6]
  Death	13 Oct 1683	Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States   [1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
  Person ID	I12705	footsteps
  Last Modified	1 Jul 2025

  
  

  Father	John Howland,   b. Abt 1599, Huntingdonshire, England d. 23 Feb 1673, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States (Age 74 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Elizabeth Tilley,   b. Bef 30 Aug 1607, Bedfordshire, England d. 21 Dec 1687, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States (Age > 80 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Marriage	Abt 1623	Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States
  Family ID	F6999	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	John Gorham, Captain ,   b. Bef 28 Jan 1621, Northinghamshire, England d. Feb 1676, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States (Age > 55 years)
  Marriage	Abt 1643	Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States
  Children	+ 1. Joseph Gorham,   b. 16 Feb 1654, Yarmouth, Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States d. 9 Jul 1726, Yarmouth, Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States (Age 72 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural] + 2. Shubael Gorham,   b. 21 Oct 1667, Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States d. 7 Aug 1750, Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States (Age 82 years)  [Father: unknown]  [Mother: unknown]
  Family ID	F6906	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	1 Jul 2025

  
  

• Notes

  Howland's slave Totoo/Tata If anyone learns more about Totoo, enslaved by the Gorham's, send me a message. Totoo is identified as Mrs Gorham's slave in 3 sources (added to sources); as here from “Old Cape Cod: The Land, the Men, the Sea": "Old Totoo, slave to Mrs. Gorham, of Barnstable, survived her eight years and, dying, begged that he might be buried at his mistress's feet. In 1678, two Indians of Sandwich, convicted of stealing twenty five pounds, were sentenced to be sold, for the profit of their victims, somewhere in New England as 'perpetual slaves" (103-04). Desire Howland Gorham's inventory references a person named "tota" in her household: "beding & sheets that tota makes use of" (p 219). The index identifies Tota as an "indian" (p 279). If Totoo/Tota is enslaved in 1675-76, then s/he is almost surely 1 of the hundreds of Wampanoag the English sold into slavery at the end of Metacom's War (King Philip's War). Epitaph Desire Gorham's Epitaph per Page 1, front page of the Monday, July 28, 1913 edition of the Barnstable Patriot: "Let us walk in God's Acre, 'tis the hour of the gloaming, The sun has gone down in the luminous west, Here the forefathers and foremothers by steadfast hope strengthened Their life's fitful fever ended, were laid to their rest. Here lies Desire Howland, wife of Capt. John Gorham, Daughter of John Howland, Mayflower Pilgrim was he, In the shadow of the meeting-house, on Cobb's Hill, in old Barnstable, Overlooking the harbor and the far away sea. Earnest Christian, wise counsellor, true friend and kind neighbor, Like a queen she reigned over her little domain. The heart of her husband did safely trust in her, A myriad of descendants rise and bless her loved name. When old Totoo,her black slave, felt his last hours approaching, Would his house set in order, the death angel to meet, Expressed his fond wish, and his dearest ambition, To be laid, when he died, at his dead mistress' feet. Oh, happy the heart full of loyal affection, Love lightens its labors, makes each bitter draught sweet, And rich is the life, sure of one soul's pure devotion, Tho' it is but a slave's, laid, when dead, at her feet." Neponset, Mass. P T. C.

  
  

• Sources

  [S273] FamilySearch.org, FamilySearch FamilyTree, "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 07 March 2025, 19:56), entry for John Smith V (PID https://ark.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:G72P-5H4 ); contributed by various users. https://ark.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:G72P-5H4 [S273] FamilySearch.org, FamilySearch FamilyTree, Historical Society of Pennsylvania; Society of Mayflower Descendants in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll%3Fdbid=9273&h=2228&indiv=try [S288] FamilySearch.org, Find a Grave Index, "Find a Grave Index", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVVK-KN39 : Thu Apr 03 03:58:18 UTC 2025), Entry for Desire Howland Gorham. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVVK-KN39 [S290] FamilySearch.org, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q29G-PVHC : Fri Mar 08 12:49:45 UTC 2024), Entry for Desire Gorham, 13 Oct 1683. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q29G-PVHC [S293] FamilySearch.org, Community Trees, "Community Trees," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:2:QV7Q-N6C : accessed 2025-06-18), entry for Desire Howland, cites sources; "Mayflower Pilgrim Genealogies" file (2:2:2:MMXD-DP8), submitted 2020-02-24 by FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:2:QV7Q-N6C [S294] FamilySearch.org, Maine, Nathan Hale Cemetery Collection, ca. 1780-1980, "Maine, Nathan Hale Cemetery Collection, ca. 1780-1980", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVJ5-WDJ8 : Thu Mar 07 23:56:42 UTC 2024), Entry for Desire Howland Gorham, 1683. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVJ5-WDJ8 [S273] FamilySearch.org, FamilySearch FamilyTree, page 228, Winthrop-Babcock Genealogy, ancestry.com. http://trees.ancestryinstitution.com/tree/14220076/person/19225050097/photo/10fa38be-5f3c-4227-938c-ccfee4eb1f41?src=search