Most of the known Linnells in North America are descendants of Robert Linnell, who came to Scituate, Massachusetts from London, with his children from his first wife, Sarah who died in London. Robert arrived with his second wife Peninah Howse in 1638 seeking religious freedom, to rejoin their pastor, Rev. John Lothrop. One year later, Robert and his family moved to found the town of Barnstable on Cape Cod, along with their minister and other members of the congregation. For many generations, the Linnell family stayed on Cape Cod and prospered, until many Linnell families migrated to Maine, upstate New York, the Midwest, and ultimately all of America.