 Upon the death of his uncle in 1669, who died without male heir, John inherited the whole of his estate, becoming the 2nd Lord of Pelham Manor, and sailed to New York, arriving in 1670, with a letter proving his claim from Lord Brereton to Governor John Winthrop of Connecticut.Pell sold his uncle's lands in Fairfield, and settled in the Manor.He was appointed the first Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in 1688, and the first member of the New York General Assembly for Westchester in 1691, serving until 1695.