Monument Monday - John Catlin

John Catlin was born 1643 in Connecticut, son of John Catlin and Isabelle Ward. He married Mary Baldwin in Sept. 1662, and they had several children including our ancestor, Mary Catlin. John died in the Deerfield Massachusetts Massacre on 24 Feb 1704.


This monument, erected in his honor in 1911, is located on the corner of Broad and Commerce Streets in Newark, NJ., and reads:

On this Site
John Catlin
Newark's first schoolmaster
opened his School in 1676, holding
it in his home as was the custom
in those days. By vote of the
town's men he was engaged to
"Do his faithful honest and true endeavour
to teach the children or servants of those
as have subscribed...English and also
arethmetick...as much as they are capable
to learn and he capable to teach them."

He was a man of mark in the
community, serving as town's attorney
and later as town's man.
In 1683 he became one of the early
permanent settlers of Deerfield, Mass.
where his services gained for him
the honorable title of "Mr."
He was killed Feb. 29, 1704, in the
defence of his home against an
attack of French and Indians.

He was a guide of youth
and a leader of men

Erected by the Newark Schoolmen's Club
Newark Day, Nov. 6, 1911