Pynchon, John

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John Pynchon (pĬn´chən), c.1626–1703, American colonist and merchant, b. England; son of William Pynchon. He emigrated to Massachusetts Bay colony with his father in 1630. When his father returned to England in 1652, young Pynchon acquired a profitable business and an influential position in Springfield. He established trading posts at Westfield, Northampton, Hadley, Hatfield, and Deerfield and held a number of public offices.

See J. C. Pynchon, Record of the Pynchon Family in England and America (1885; rev. by W. F. Adams, 1898).