James Avery

James Avery, also referred to as Captain James Avery (1620 – April 18, 1700), was a Cornish-American landowner, legislator, and a military captain in King Philip's War. He is commonly known to be the founder of a clan or family, commonly known as the "Groton Avery's". Although he was born in Cornwall in 1620, he grew up and lived in the Massachusetts Bay for the majority of his life. Biography Captain James Avery was born on 1620 in the county of Cornwall, and was the son of Christopher Avery. In 1630 or 1631, he sailed with his father to America, and resided with him in Gloucester, Massachusetts for several years. James was the only child of Christopher and Margery Avery, having no biological or adopted siblings. James Avery was an early land owner at Gloucester. He went to Pequot, now New London, Connecticut, and purchased land there, returned to Gloucester, sold his possessions to his father in 1651, and returned back to New London in the March of that year. In the New London Book of Grants, is a record of the various parcels given to James Avery. At the same time, he was given sixteen acres of upland, and in 1661, he received twenty acres of upland. Two years later, he sold his land in the first division to Mr. Blinman. Later that year, he was granted a farm in South Gorton but he continued to live with his family on the west side of the great river. In 1653, he secured another farm, one of the "Pocketannock grants", further up the river in what is now the town of Ledyard. About 1656 he built and occupied "The Hive of the Averys".