USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Dover > Founders of the First parish, Dover, Massachusetts; with descriptions of all the houses now standing which were built before the revolution > Part 1
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.
Gc 974. 402 D751smf 1727473
M. L.
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01115 2128
E
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/foundersoffirstp00smit_0
THE FOUNDERS
of the
THE FIRST PARISH
DOVER, MASSACHUSETTS
With Descriptions of All the Houses Now Standing which were Built Before the Revolution .
By FRANK SMITH i Author of the History of Dover
Printed by the First Parish 1908
1727473
GOVERNOR WILLIAM SHIRLEY, UNDER WHOSE ADMINISTRATION THE FIRST PARISH WAS INCORPORATED.
-
Natick
Corner
Part of Needham
Fagar Hill
Part of Natick
22 23
charles River
6
15
19
32
Day's Bridge
29
21
26.
) 7
5.
31.
14
A
Meeting # House
24
1
.....
ver
25
charles R
Dover
Medfield
1
10
1. Samuel Metcalf
2. Joshua Ellis.
3 Hezekiah Allen, Je
4. Ebenezer Derrell.
Nice
est Roadto Boston ...
6. Jonathan Battle
7. Ralph Day
Walpole
8. John Draper.
9. Samuel Chickering.
23. John Bacon
10. Josiah Allis.
24 Joseph Draper
11. Jonathan Day.
25. Benjamin Ellis.
12 Nathaniel Wilson. Ezta Gayellis.
27. John Cheney.
14 Timothy 15. Thomas Battle.
28. John Chickering
16 Jonathan Bullard.
29. John Battle
17 Thomas Richards.
30 Josiah Richards.
18 Seth Mason.
31. Jonathan, Whiting
19. Joseph Chickering
20 Eliphalet Chickering.
32 Daniel Chickering
21 Jabez Wood.
33 John Griggs.
22 Oliver Bacon
Abraham Chamberlain.
REPRODUCTION OF THE MAP OF 1794, ON WHICH ARE LOCATED THE HOMES OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH.
----
North as the Needle
11
· 3
8
· 2
Dedham intersects theRiver
18
Main Road to Boston
27
17€
12 C
33
Part of Sherborn
District of Form: Bridge
DoverCorner
16
5. Thomas Merrifield.
Bubbling Brook
26. David Wight
* District of Dover
3º
The Founders of the First Parish
T HE founders of the Dover First Parish1 were a company of men who were descended from those who were identi- fied with the beginnings of American history,2 and who .. resisted what they believed to be tyranny in church and state. : For this cause they crossed stormy seas and established a gov- . ernment here in accordance with constitutional liberty. The . influence of a church covering more than a century and a ¿ half of active service cannot be measured, cannot be weighed. ... It is a silent influence which has left its imprint on the life . of the inhabitants, instructing the children, training the youth, :: enriching the lives of the people, and withal making the town a better place in which to dwell.
"The task of keeping and preserving our institutions," : said the Hon. George F. Hoar, "sometimes seems to me even : harder than that of establishing them. What the future may . have in store for our children we do not know. What luxury ¿ may tempt them, what irreligion or superstition may assail them, what new races may overflow them, we cannot tell. But I believe that the institutions our ancestors planted are to abide. Puritan faith, Saxon reverence for law, New Eng- land love of liberty, will leaven the whole lump. The church and the school and the town, which in their simplicity have outlasted so many thrones and kingdoms, will continue."
-
. The history of the church is the early history of the town.
1This parish was established November 18, 1748, having been previously for nearly twenty years a precinct in Dedham. While a precinct the residents were assigned by the General Court to the churches in Medfield, Natick, and Needham, where they worshipped and paid their ministerial tax. The first meeting-house was raised August 30, 1750, and dedicated in December, 1754, although not fully completed before 1760. The church connected with the parish was organized on Sunday, November 7, 1762.
2While the descent of Jabez Wood and John Griggs has not been traced, for lack of data, yet there is no reason to doubt that they too were of Puritan ancestry.
I
THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH.
On the earliest plan that has come down to us, that made in 1794, the "meeting house," as the accompanying map shows, was the only building designated. This building was the centre of all activities.
In the years to come many persons will visit this parish to see where their ancestors, the founders of the following American families, set up their homes, namely: Henry Wil- son, James Draper, Andrew Dewing, Thomas Battle, and Nathaniel Chickering, all of whom had original settlements within the present bounds of Dover. This little book will enable all such, as well as the descendants of the founders of the parish, to locate the early homes of their ancestors.
SAMUEL METCALF, who headed the petition made to the General Court March 30, 1748, asking for the incorporation of what is now the First Parish of Dover, was born in Med- way, Jan. 31, 1714-15. He was a son of Samuel and Mehit- able Metcalf, and was descended in the fifth generation from Michael Metcalf, a dornick weaver who fled to this country from persecution, and was admitted to the Dedham settle- ment in 1637. Samuel Metcalf settled the estate on Farm Street now owned by Benjamin C. Dorr, in 1742. He was a prominent citizen, a member of the first board of precinct officers, and one of the committee appointed in 1749 to build the first meeting-house. He had a wife Sybil. Children: Samuel, Nathan, Lois, Mary, Sybil, Mehitable, Olive, Bulah. The date of his death is unrecorded; administration was granted on his estate in 1772.
JOSHUA ELLIS was born Dec. 31, 1703, on the Ellis home- stead on Haven Street, in a house which stood on the north side of the street, (Wotton farm), the site of which can still be seen. He was the son of Eleazer and Mehitable (Thurs- ton) Ellis, and was descended in the fourth generation from Samuel Ellis, who emigrated to America about 1635. Joshua Ellis had land from his father's estate and built a house on the farm of the late Mrs. Cordelia Wotton on Haven Street in 1732. He was a deacon in the Needham First Parish Church, and a prominent man in the Dover parish; being a member of the first precinct committee and moderator and clerk of the first parish meeting. He donated in 1763 land for the First Parish schoolhouse, which was located on the present grounds of the First Parish near the railway station. He was for several winters the master of the Springfield Par-
2
.
-
THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH.
ish School. He is believed to have also given the site1 of the first meeting-house. He had a wife Elizabeth. Children : Ebenezer, Elizabeth, Betty. Abigail, Meletiah, Mehitable,2 Caleb, Rebecca, Joshua, Mercy, Mary, Rebecca. He died in 1783 and is buried in Dover.
HEZEKIAH ALLEN, Jr., was born on the Pegan Hill farm (now owned by Robert S. Minot) on Pegan Street, April 15, 1724. He was the son of Hezekiah and Mary (Draper) Allen and was descended in the fourth generation from James Allen who settled in Dedham in 1635, and was later one of the founders of Medfield. Hezekiah Allen. Jr., had land from his father's estate on Farm Street, (now a part of the Dorr farm) on which he built a house in 1749 ; his barn stood on the oppo- site side of the road near a well, which still exists, on the es- tate of Mrs. Charles Higbee. Mr. Allen was elected to many offices of trust and honor and served on many committees. He He taught the parish school in the winter of 1772-3.
was a member of the committee appointed in 1767 to "seat the meeting-house." He marched at the Lexington Alarm, April 19, 1775. Mr. Allen married in 1745 Jemima, daugli- ter of Timothy and Jemima ( Ware) Kingsbury of Needham; married secondly in 1757, Mary, daughter of William and Hannah (Chenery) Peters of Medfield. Children: Timothy, Jemima. Rachel, Susa. Hezekiah, Calla, Zilla, Hezekiah Pe- ters, Perez, William Pitt, Hitta, Calvin, Polly, Patty, Morrill. He died July 12, 1798, and is buried in Dover.
EBENEZER NEWELL was born in Needham Jan. 4, 1711- 12, and was the son of Josiah and Hannah (Fisher) Newell. He was descended in the fourth generation from Abraham Newell, who settled in Roxbury in 1634. Ebenezer Newell lived for many years on the Joshua L. Woodward farm on Straw- berry Hill, which he purchased in 1748. In 1769 he sold the farm to Jabez Baker and returned to Needham. He was by tradition the landlord of the parish tavern and the proprietor of the village store. If so it was probably during Col. Daniel Whiting's absence in the Continental Army, 1775-1781. He
1The first meeting-house stood where the Evangelical Congrega- tional Chapel now stands.
2Mehitable Ellis has the distinction of being the first woman to teach a winter school in Dedham, as Miss Mary Green has the dis- tinction of being the first woman to teach a school in Dedham. Both taught the Dover parish school.
3
-
THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH.
.
married Oct. 7, 1735, Elizabeth, daughter of John and Abi- gail Bullard; married secondly in 1753 Elizabeth, daughter of Hezekiah and Mary (Draper) Allen. Children: Ebenezer, Hannah, Theodore, Elizabeth, Susanna, Mehitable, Reuben, Mary, Abigail, Olive, Lois, Rebecca, Hannah. He died in Needham Oct. 18, 1796, and is buried in that town.
THOMAS MERRIFIELD was an early resident in the Springfield Parish, but the date of his settlement here is un- known. He is believed to have been descended in the fourth generation from Henry Merrifield who was living in Dor- chester in 1641. The house of Thomas Merrifield, with that of his son Timothy, are the only houses in Dover that have not been definitely located from the first settlement of the town in 1640. He had a house lot of one acre somewhere on the Draper estate on Main Street, near Pegan Street. (John A. Knowles estate). He had a wife, Mary. Children: Sarah, Timothy, Asaph, Phebe, Hannah, Simeon, Abraham, Mabel. The family disappeared from the parish before the Revolu- tion.
JONATHAN BATTLE was born on the Jonathan Battle farm (George H. Thompson's), at the corner of Main and Haven Streets May 30, 1724. He was a son of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Barber) Battle, and was descended in the fourth generation from Thomas Battle, the emigrant, who lived on the Clay Brook road, having acquired the little farm of An- drew Dewing. The cellar hole of his house can still be seen on the west side of Trout Brook, near the picnic grounds of the late Benjamin N. Sawin. Mr. Battle was a farmer. He mar- ried Jan. 2, 1754, Love, daughter of Mark and Tabitha (Mel- len) Whitney. Child: Timothy. He made a will May 4, 1758, which was probated in 1759. In this will he makes a bequest to his wife as follows: "My will is that my wife have a Negro Boy which I have of about three years and seven months old; one cow, etc." Jonathan Battle is buried in Dover.
RALPH DAY was born on the Day farm on Dedham Street, foot of Strawberry Hill Street, on June 19, 1717. He was the son of Ralph and Mary (Onion) Day, and was descended in the fourth generation from Ralph Day, the emi- grant, who was admitted a freeman in Dedham January I, 1645. Ralph Day lived on the homestead. (The late Daniel
4
THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH.
F. Mann farm). He was a prominent citizen and served the parish on many committees. He marched at the Lexington Alarm. During the period of the Revolution he represented Dedham in many important affairs. He was a delegate ap- pointed by the town to attend the convention held at Wood- ward's Tavern in Dedham, September 6, 1774. This was the convention which three days later at Milton passed the cele- brated Suffolk Resolves which have been called the spark which kindled the Revolution. When on the first Sunday in November, 1762, the church of the First Parish was organized Ralph Day was chosen a deacon1, an office which he held dur- ing the remainder of his life. He married, Apr. 26, 1739, Mary, daughter of Eleazer and Mary (Crosby) Ellis. Chil- dren: Martha, Ralph, Mary, John, Mercy, Ralph. He died in Dover, where he is buried.
JOHN DRAPER was born on his grandfather's farm, the original James Draper place on Farm Street, Feb. 20, 1690. He was the son of John and Abigail ( Mason) Draper, and was descended in the third generation from James Draper, the Puritan, who came with his wife Miriam to America about 1650, and six years later took up his residence in the west part of Dover. John Draper was a farmer, and settled the farm owned by the late William Whiting on Springdale Ave- nue. He built his house there in 1724, in which year he mar- ried Maria, daughter of Thomas and Abigail Hall of Dedham. Children : John, Mary, Thomas, Moses, Jonathan, Maria, Su- sanna, Abigail, Joseph. He died April 13, 1766, and is buried in Dover.
.
SAMUEL CHICKERING was born on the Chickering settlement on Dedham Island, Feb. 14, 1689. He was the son of Nathaniel and Lydia ( Fisher) Chickering, and was de- scended in the fifth generation from Stephen Chickering, who died in England in 1576. Samuel Chickering was a farmer as well as cordwainer and settled in 1720 the Powisset farm on Powisset Street, owned by the late Bernard Post. He served on important committees of the parish. When in order to aid the organization of the First Parish Church, the town of Dedham in 1748, granted 18 acres of land on Wal- pole Street, several individuals added to this grant, making a total of nearly 28 acres, which is still the Parish "wood lot." Mr. Chickering's contribution was laid out on the orig- 1See Appendix.
5
THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH.
inal right of Jeremiah Fisher. He married in 1720, Mary, daughter of Henry and Mary (Allen) Harding of Medfield. Children : Samuel, Samuel, Mary, Abigail, Henry, Sarah, De- sire. The date of his death is not recorded. Administration. was granted on his estate July 2, 1779. He is buried in Dover.
JOSIAH ELLIS was born on the Ellis homestead on Haven Street Sept. 13, 1691. He was the son of Eleazer and Mehitable (Thurston) Ellis, and was descended in the fourth generation from Samuel Ellis, the emigrant. Josiah Ellis settled the George D. Hall farm on Walpole Street in 1728. He had a wife, Dorcas. Children: Priscilla, Elizabeth, Kezia, Josiah, Mary, Estha, Dorcas. He died June 1, 1751, and is buried in Dover.
JONATHAN DAY was born on the Day homestead on Dedham Street Dec. 22, 1719-20. He was a son of Ralph and Martha (Battie) Day, and was descended in the fourth generation from Ralph Day who was an early settler in Ded- ham. Jonathan Day settled in 1743 the farm on Dedham Street now owned by George D. Burrage. He was a promi- nent citizen, and a member of the committee chosen in 1749 to prepare timber for a meeting-house. He was called to Boston Aug. 30, 1774, to serve as a grand juror, but like other patriots of the times, refused to serve in open court. He took part at the Lexington Alarm. He married, July 7, 1743, Hannah, daughter of Ebenezer and Abigail (Allen) Battle, who died in 1775; married secondly, 1780, Lydia, daughter of Thomas and Lydia Metcalf of Medway, who died Feb. 25, 1781 ; married thirdly, Prudence, daughter of Eben- ezer Draper and widow (1) of Capt. Ebenezer Battle and (2) of Joshua Whiting of Dedham. Children: Jonathan, Hannah, Ebenezer, Thomas, Sarah, David, Rebecca, Olive, Jabez. He sold his farm in Dover in 1779 and moved to Oxford, Mass., where he died Jan. 4, 1802.
NATHANIEL WILSON was born on the Wilson home- stead on Wilsondale Street Jan. 18, 1698-9. He was the son of Ephraim and Rebecca Wilson and was descended in the third generation from Henry Wilson who came to America from Kent, England, and settled on this farm, in 1640. When the First Parish was organized in 1748, Nathaniel Wilson added 15 rods of land to the grant made by the town of Ded-
6
9
THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH.
ham to the Dover Congregational Church, which was laid out on the original right of his ancestor, Henry Wilson. Mr. Wilson lived on the homestead and married, in 1733, Lydia, daughter of Nathaniel and Lydia Richards, who died Oct. 7, 1740; married secondly, 1745, Mrs. Hannah Haslop. Chil- dren : Rachel, Rebecca, Ephraim. His will was probated Apr. 24, 1787, but his death is not recorded.
EZRA GAY, son of Stephen and Sarah Gay, was born in Dedham Feb. 19, 1721, being descended in the fifth genera- tion from John Gay, who emigrated to America about 1630 and subsequently settled in Dedham. Ezra Gay marched at the Alarm at Bunker Hill June 17, 1775, also served at Ticon- deroga in 1776. He married, in 1753, Elizabeth Fisher, who died (it is believed without issue) in 1776. Mr. Gay is be- lieved to have lived on Strawberry Hill.
TIMOTHY ELLIS was born Sept. 14, 1724, on his father's farm on Dedham Street (the Rev. Benjamin Caryl place, where he settled in 1718.) He was the son of Eleazer, Jr., and Mary (Crosby) Ellis, and was descended in the fifth generation from Samuel Ellis, who emigrated to America about 1635. He had a wife, Elizabeth. Children: Timothy, Caleb, Benjamin, Joshua, Elizabeth, Julietta, Eleazer. The date of his death is unknown.
THOMAS BATTLE was born on the Jonathan Battle homestead on Main Street (George H. Thompson's farm), Jan. 5, 1725. He was the son of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Barber) Battle, and was descended in the fourth generation from Thomas Battle. He married, Oct. 9, 1750, Deborah Dunton of Dedham. Children: Bula, Elizabeth. He settled first in Natick, then in Boston, and later in Dublin, N. H.
JONATHAN BULLARD was born, June 13, 1703. on the homestead on County Street, which was settled by his father in 1701. He was the son of John and Abigail (War- ren) Bullard and was descended in the fourth generation from John Bullard who was one of the original signers of the Ded- ham Compact. He took the freeman's oath in Dedham in 1640, and later joined the Medfield enterprise. Jonathan Bul- lard's house was located north of his father's on County Street (Charles J. Bradbury farm), and has long since been re- moved. He married in 1748 Anna Perkins. Children: Jo-
7
THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH.
siah, Asa, Anna. He sold his farm in 1762 and moved from the parish.
THOMAS RICHARDS was born in Dedham Oct. 3, 1718. He was the son of Edward and Sarah (Wheeler) Richards and was descended in the fourth generation from Edward Richards who arrived in America in 1632 and settled in Ded- ham in 1636-7. Mr. Richards settled the farm on Strawberry Hill Street, now owned by Richard W. Hale, in 1748. He married, Nov. 17, 1748, Rebecca, daughter of Nathaniel and Joanna (Ellis) Whiting, who died in 1779; married secondly, 1783, Nancy Swift. Children: Richard, Rebecca, Edward, Catherine, Olive, Chloe. He died Mar. 8, 1791, and is buried in Dover.
SETH MASON was born on the Mason homestead (Philip Gardner estate) on Farm Street, Feb. 19, 1701. He was the son of John and Elizabeth Mason, and was descended in the third generation from John Mason of Dedham. Seth Mason was a farmer and inherited the homestead, which was one of the early settled farms in Dover. He married, June 27, 1734, Rebecca Andrews. Children: Seth, John, Judith, Re- becca, Phebe, Mehitable, Seth, Moses, Simeon. He died in 1756, and is buried in Dover.
JOSEPH CHICKERING was born on the Chickering homestead on Haven Street May 5, 1717. He was the son of Nathaniel and Mary (Thorp) Chickering, and was de- scended in the third generation from Nathaniel Chickering. He had a farm from his father's estate which was a part of the original Chickering homestead, on which he built a house in 1747. His house is still standing on what is known as the Glassett place. He was a prominent citizen and a member of the first precinct committee. He married, Feb. 7, 1743-4, Rebecca Newell. Children: Experience, Rebecca, Joseph, Joseph, Jabez, Deborah. He died Nov. 28, 1754, and is bur- ied in Dover.
ELIPHALET CHICKERING was born on the Chickering homestead on Haven Street November 24, 1707. He was the son of Nathaniel and Mary (Thorp) Chickering, and was de- scended in the third generation from Nathaniel Chickering. His estate consisted of fifty-five acres and included the farms of Allen F. Smith and Eben Higgins. His house was located
8
THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH.
on the Higgins farm. He sold one-half interest in his farm in 1758, exempting the burying ground and his smith's shop, and has not since been traced.
JABEZ WOOD appeared in Dedham about the time of the organization of the parish. He married Hannah, widow of Caleb Ellis, and lived on the original Ellis homestead on Haven Street. He died May 3, 1752, and is buried in Dover.
OLIVER BACON was born on the John Bacon home- stead (Benjamin N. Sawin and E. T. Phipps farms) on the Clay Brook road Oct. 19, 1724. He was the son of John and Abigail Bacon and was descended in the fourth generation from Michael Bacon who settled in Dedham in 1640. Oliver Bacon married, Oct. 12, 1749, Sarah Hawes of Needham and later, with several other residents of the parish, settled in Natick.
JOHN BACON was born in the Springfield Parish Jan. 31, 1693. He was the son of John and Lydia (Dewing) Bacon, and was descended in the third generation from Michael Bacon. John Bacon attended church at Natick, but did not oppose, like his brother Michael, the organization of the Springfield Parish. Michael Bacon, whose farm adjoined that of his brother's, (Charles M. Beldon's place), very strenuously opposed the organization of the Dover Parish. He attended church at Natick, and for this reason remon- strated against forming the parish before the General Court. John Bacon was a farmer and lived on the E. T. Phipps farm, on the Clay Brook road. He married, first, Elizabeth-and secondly Lydia. Children : Rebecca, Oliver, Elizabeth, John, Richard, Jeremiah, Hannah, Joseph, Mary, Abigail. He died Nov. 3, 1749, and is buried in Dover.
JOSEPH DRAPER was born June 3, 1699, on the orig- inal Draper homestead, which extended from Natick to the Medfield line, the house being located on the extreme south- erly part of the farm. Joseph Draper was the son of John and Abigail (Mason) Draper, and was descended in the third generation from James Draper who came to America in 1650 and first settled in West Roxbury. About 1656 he settled in that part of Dedham which is now Dover, where he lived for many years. John Draper built in 1725 on the farm of the late William Slavin (Charles A. Knowles estate) on Farm
9
1
THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH.
Street. It is believed that the house now standing is the one built by Mr. Draper. He served on important committees ; was one of the committee appointed to erect the first meeting- house, and was also a member of the first precinct committee. He married, Jan. 27, 1725, Deborah, daughter of Samuel and Deborah (Lovell) Ellis. Children: Deborah, Hannah, Olive, Joseph, James, Sarah. He is buried in Dover, but the date of his death is unrecorded. The original James Draper estate included the farm of the late G. D. Everett.
BENJAMIN ELLIS was born on the Ellis homestead on Haven Street, Nov. 14, 1699. He was the son of Eleazer and Mehitable (Thurston) Ellis, and was descended in the fourth generation from Samuel Ellis, who came to America in 1635. Benjamin Ellis settled in 1727 the farm of the late Thomas Coughlan on Walpole Street. Mr. Ellis did import- ant committee work in the parish. He married, Jan. 28, 1728, Eleanor Cook of Needham. Children: Eleanor, Ben- jamin, Robert. He died Mar. 31, 1750, and is buried in Dover.
DAVID WIGHT was born on his father's farm on Ded- ham Street (opposite the house of Edmund K. Dandrow) Mar. 28, 1718. He was the son of David and Sarah (Day) Wight and was descended in the fourth generation from Thomas Wight who first appeared in Watertown in 1635 and settled in Dedham in 1637. David Wight, Jr., married, Oct. 27, 1745, Sarah Scott of Wrentham. Children: David, John, Esther. Mr. Wight lived on the homestead on Dedham Street, where he died Apr. 1, 1752, and is buried in Dover.
JOHN CHENEY was born in Newton Jan. 10, 1704. He was the son of John and Elizabeth Cheney and was descended in the fourth generation from John Cheney who settled in Roxbury in 1635, and the next year moved to Newbury. John Cheney was a farmer and lived on the Mrs. Mary Skimmings place on Main Street on which he settled in 1735. The first mention of the building of a road in the Springfield Parish was made in the vote of the parish in 1762 "to pay Hezekiah Allen his charge for building a road from the burying place past the meeting-house to the house of John Cheney." He sold his place in 1762 to Jesse Knapp, and moved from town. He married, Apr. 24, 1729, Lydia, daughter of William and Sarah Burrage. Children: Lydia, John. He died Jan. 19, 1789, but the place of his burial is unknown.
IO
.
THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH.
JOHN CHICKERING was born on the Chickering home- stead on Haven Street, August 23, 1715. He was the son of Nathaniel and Deborah (Wight) Chickering and was de- scended in the third generation from Nathaniel Chickering. He settled in 1767 the farm of the late Patrick Slavin on Farm Street. He had a wife, Mary ; married secondly, Jan. 9, 1766, Elizabeth Gay. Mrs. Chickering taught the parish school in 1772. Children: John, Samuel, Abigail, Timothy, Samuel, Molly, Oliver, Abner. His grandson Jonas Chick- ering was the original manufacturer of the celebrated Chick- ering pianoforte, a piano which is known today in two hemi- spheres. He is buried in Dover, but the date of his death is not recorded. His will was probated Jan. 10, 1774.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.