Background
John Vassall was born in Stepney, Middlesex County, England. He was the son of William and Anne (King) Vassall and the grandson of John Vassall. His grandfather, probably a religious refugee from France, attained position and security in England, fitted out and commanded two ships against the Spanish Armada, and was later a member of the Virginia Company.
His uncle and his father, Samuel and William, were both interested in American colonization, Samuel as a merchant trading extensively with the colonies and as an incorporator of the first Massachusetts company and patentee of large tracts of land, and William as an assistant in the company and an actual settler. In June 1635, at the age of ten, John sailed from England with his father and mother and his five sisters. The family settled first at Roxbury in Massachusetts and the next year at Scituate in the colony of New Plymouth.
His father, by reason of his wealth and ability, became influential in both colonies and was involved in the effort to obtain more liberal qualifications for the electorate. In 1646, he returned to England. Two years later he went to Barbados, acquired extensive land holdings, and died there in 1655.
