John Eliot (1605 - 1690), born in Widford, Hertfordshire, [[England]] in 1604, was the younger son of Bennett Eliot, a wealthy landowner. At the age of only fifteen he entered Jesus College at Cambridge University, where he soon was recognized as a brilliant linguist and classical scholar. | John Eliot (1605 - 1690), born in Widford, Hertfordshire, [[England]] in 1604, was the younger son of Bennett Eliot, a wealthy landowner. At the age of only fifteen he entered Jesus College at Cambridge University, where he soon was recognized as a brilliant linguist and classical scholar. |