The earliest information concerning John Hoyt, which has yet been obtained, is that he was one of the original settlers of Salisbury, Mass. His age at that time can not be accurately determined, but, from the fact that he had at least two children born previous to 1639, it seems probable that he was born about 1610-15. He was chosen selectman, March, 1681-2, and moderator of town-meeting, April, 1687 (the same year he died), hence he could not have been very aged and infirm at that time. Whether he came directly from England, or had previously lived in other towns in America, is uncertain. His name does not appear among the passengers on any of the early emigrant ships of which we have seen any record, and is not found on any of the lists of freemen contained in the Massachusetts Records. He may have come into the country when a minor. It is, perhaps, possible that he may have been either a son or brother of the Simon Hoyt who was in Dorchester quite early, and who "took the oath of freemen" in 1631; but there seems to be nothing to warrant our assuming the probability of any relationship between them. The name Simon does not occur among John's descendants for over a century. There was a John Hoyt in Connecticut as early as 1650, and, as Simon removed to Windsor, Ct., it is quite probable that John was his son; if so, John of Salisbury, Mass., could not be. Simon was some years older than John of Salisbury, and it hardly seems probable they were brothers. [It has been proven through DNA testing that Simon and John Hoyt are not related.]

....being one of the pioneers in the settlement of both Salisbury and Amesbury, he must have shared largely in the trials and privations incident to those early times. As he early removed to the west side of the Powow River, we find him selling his dwelling house on the east side to Wm. Holdred in September, 1647. His name appears on the original articles of agreement* between Salisbury and Salisbury New-town in 1654; and he was one of the seventeen original "comenors" of the new town whose names were recorded, March 19, 1654-5. In the divisions of land he received several lots, in the "Great Swamp," "on the River," at "Lion's Mouth," and in other parts of the town. One of these contained two hundred acres, and was styled his "great division." The boundaries of these lots are preserved on the Amesbury records, but they are stated in such a manner as to be of little use at the present day, most of the bounds being white oaks, black oaks, "hamlocks," "pichpines," maples, and the like. "Goodman Hoyet" was one of these who were chosen to lay out land in "Lion's Mouth," etc., February, 1661. John Hoyt is also frequently mentioned on the old Amesbury records as prudentialman, selectman, constable, jury-man, moderator, etc. It was customary in those days for the minority on any question in town affairs to enter their "contrary desent' upon the town books: his name appears in this way with sufficient frequency to show that his opinion did not always coincide with that of the majority. In several instances he entered his "contrary desent" alone, one of them being on the question of his serving as selectman in 1682. Of course he was a member of the church, as no others were then allowed to hold office, or even vote. He had a seat assigned him in the meeting-house, July 9, 1667. We have seen the name spelled Hoit once, and Hoyet, Hoyett, and Hayt a few times, on the earliest of the Amesbury records; but Hoyt was the most common orthography, and after the first few years it was almost invariably so written.

.....John Hoyt was a Sergeant of the Salisbury Military Company, and was frequestnly called "Sargent Hoyt." From the Massachusetts Records, we learn that in May, 1658, the General Court answered the "request of Sarjant Hoyte & Sarjt. Stephens, that Phillip Challice might be confirmed leiutenant to ye ffoote company in Salisbury," by referring " the determination thereof to ye next County Court of the county." "Sargent John Hoyt" was freed by the Salisbury Court, 9/2/1667, 'from all traynings, allowing to ye Millitary company of Salisbury: tenn groats p annum." "John Hoyt senior" was also one of "the Commissioned and other officers of the Militia in the County of Norfolk," who signed a petition to the General Court in May, 1671, complaining of Capt. Pike's appointment over them the year previous as Sergeant Major.

He had two wives, both named Frances. He probably married his first wife about 1635, though we have found no record of it. She died Feb. 23, 1642-3, and he married his second wife in 1643 or '44. His second wife survived him, and was living in 1697. The town records of Amesbury state that "Sargent John Hoyt sen. died on ye 28th day & was buried on ye 29 day of Feb. An. Dom. 1687-88." The county records at Salem state that he died on the 29th of February, but the town records are probably correct. His eldest son, John, had the homestead, paying his step-mother a certain sum annually but his grandson Joseph received the deed of it, on the same condition, in 1689. There are quite a number of deeds on record from John Hoyt to his sons, John and Thomas, especially the former, his eldest son, and it would seem that he deeded most of his property to his children during his lifetime. If he died possessed of any estate, it must have been disposed of before an administrator was appointed,-- nearly ten years after his death. His sons were both dead at that time, and the husband of his oldest daughter was appointed to settle the estate.