USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Ancient Middlesex with brief biographical sketches of the men who have served the country officially since its settlement > Part 7
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cold and silent peaks of distant ranges, some faithful hearts there were among that weeping company, whose visions tore aside those frowning battlements of ice and snow, peering beyond to catch a glimpse of God's eternal promise of living streams and pastures green, where the weary, storm-tossed soul may rest in everlasting peace.
Genealogy of Joseph Henry Read, of Westford.
(1) Esdras Reade, of Boston, supposed to be a son of Matthew and Alice (Ward) Reade, of England. Esdras was a man of importance and character. A tract of land situated at Muddy Brook, now Brookline, was granted to him by the town of Boston, and he also had a grant from the town of Salem, where he was living in 1631. From Salem he went to Wenham, and served as Representative to the General Court, 1648 to 1651. With Rev. John Fiske and six other members of his church, he moved to Chelmsford in 1655, subsequently (in 1661) returning to Boston, where he died in 1680, as may be seen on his tomb- stone in Copp's Hill burial ground.
(2) Obediah, his son, was married June 19, 1664, to Anna Swift.
(3) Thomas, son of Obediah and Anna, lived in Chelmsford. On February 2, 1:02, he bought land lying between Tadnoc and Stony Brooks.
(+) Thomas, son of Thomas, of Chelmsford, born July, 1665. Married Sarah Fletcher.
(5) Joseph, born June 4, 1716. Married Ruth Underwood. He represented Westford twenty successive years in the Legis- lature, and was commissioned a Deputy Sheriff under the Crown in 1246. He was a patriot, and is said to have been connected with the famous Boston Tea Party, although his name does not appear as an active participant on board the ships.
(6) Joshua. born December 1. 1737. Married May Spaulding.
(?) Zaccheus, born March 8, 1173. Married Mary Parker.
(8) Zaccheus, born January 27, 1796. Married Mary Hey- wood.
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HON. WILLIAM S. FROST, OF MARLBORO, County Commissioner, 1882-1893.
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(9) Joseph Henry, born August 5, 1835. Married Mary Ann Falls.
The descendants of Esdras were apparently the first settlers of Westford.
Hon. William Squire Frost,
William S. Frast
A resident of Marlboro, was born at Stukely, Province of Quebec, March 20, 1828, of New England parentage. His father, Aaron Frost, went to the provinces from Jaffrey, N. IL .. his mother. Rosetta Knowlton, from Templeton, Mass. When eight years of age, his parents moved to Lowell, Mass. and he was educated in the public schools of that city. At seventeen years of age, he commenced his apprenticeship to the trade of a mason, and worked at that business until 1882, the last thirty years as contractor and builder. In 1882, at a special election, he was elected to the Board of County Commissioners, to fill out the unexpired term of Harrison Harwood, deceased. He was re-elected for three full terms, making ten years and one month in all. September 16, 1862, he was mustered into the United States service as Second Lieutenant in Company I, Fifth Massa- chusetts Volunteers, for nine months, and served in North Caro- lina, taking part in the battles of Kingston, Whitehall, and Golds- boro. He came home with the regiment at expiration of term of service. On the nineteenth of July, 1861, was mustered into the United States service as First Lieutenant of Company I. Fifth regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers, for one hundred days, was stationed as Assistant Provost Marshal at Fort Mellenry. Balti- more, in charge of prisoners of all kinds,-rebels, deserters, bounty jumpers, etc. Came home with the regiment at the ex- piration of term of service ; was Chief Engineer of the Fire De- partment of Marlboro in 1859-60-61.
He has served on various important town committees, prin- cipal of which were remodeling and strengthening the Town Hall; Chairman of committee to investigate the introduction of
HON. ALPHONSO M. LUNT, OF CAMBRIDGE, County Commissioner, 1886-1889.
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a system of water works into the town ; and one of a committee of five to superintend the building of the same. Chairman of committee to procure a suitable soldiers' monument ; two years Master of United Brethren Lodge, F. and A. M .; three years Commander of Post 43, G. A. R .: President of Fifth Regiment Veteran Association : a member of the Board of Assessors of Marlboro during the past seven years, of which he is Chairman at the present time.
Hon. Alphonso Moses Lunt.
Son of Dr. Moses Dole and Susan (Libby) Lunt. Born in South Berwick, Me., September 6. 1837, and now resides in Cam- bridge. After the customary training afforded in a district school, he went to Portland and learned the printing business, re- maining therein as a journeyman and proprietor both in Portland and Boston until August, 1862, when he enlisted as a private in Company F, Thirty-eighth Massachusetts Volunteers, in which he served during the remainder of the Civil War, being mustered out in July, 1865. His regiment was in Louisiana, and took part in the various engagements around Port Hudson. He was also in the Shenandoah Valley, and saw active service all along the line. At the battle of Opequan Creek. Va., September 19, 1864, Sergeant Lunt was in command of the color guard, and person- ally bore the national flag throughout the engagement. At one time the rebel line of battle, carrying several battle flags, were within talking distance, and although the whole of his color guard was swept away, and for a while he stood alone amid the dead and wounded, under a tremendous fire from ten times the number of the Union forces, still he remained where he had been placed by his colonel as steadily and bravely as though on parade. encouraging and begging the men not to fall back until victory finally resulted. During this stand of Sergeant Lunt, twenty- two bullets penetrated the flag, and the brass lance on the top of the staff was shot away. In 1891 he was awarded by the govern-
HON. SAMUEL O. UPHAM, OF WALTHAM, County Commissioner, 1889 -
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ment a "Medal of Honor," upon which is inscribed the following: "The Congress to Sergeant Alphonso M. Lunt, Company F, 35th Mass. Vol's, for most distinguished conduct at the battle of Opequan Creek, Va., Sep. 19th, 1864." He is a Past Com- mander of Post 57, G. A. R., and served as a member of the Board of County Commissioners from 1886 to 1889, since which time he has been connected with the revenue and postal depart- ment of the government.
Hon. Samuel Otis Upham.
ComMupham
Form Nopeame 1658 PEração Azpramo
Son of Otis and Mary (Sloan) Upham. Was born in Waltham January 21, 1824, where he still resides. He comes from the best Colonial stock of ancient Middlesex, being seventh in descent from John Upham (ancestor of all of the name), who came to Weymouth in 1635, finally settling in Malden, where he died in 1681. Lieutenant Phineas Upham, his son, the lineal ancestor of the subject of this sketch, was a man of commanding presence, being more than six feet in height, and possessing won- derful powers of physical endurance, as well as unflinching courage. He participated with the Fourth Massachusetts com- pany, Captain Johnson, in that memorable march to Narragan- sett through the blizzards and biting blasts of midwinter, to at- tack the "great swamp fort" of King Philip December 19, 1675, by which the power of this mighty chieftain was crushed forever. In this sanguinary conflict Captain Johnson was killed outright. and the leadership of his men devolved on Lieutenant Upham. who fought on until desperately wounded. The remnant of this-
HON. FRANCIS BIGELOW, OF NATICK, County Commissioner, 1893 - .
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heroic band bore him from the field, and finally, after terrible pri- vations, he arrived at his home only to lie down and die. To this brave man, and such as he, are we indebted for our priceless legacies of liberty and happiness. Samuel O. Upham attended the common schools of his native town, and at an early age worked in the cotton mills of that place. In due time he was ap- prenticed to a hatter, serving his full time, afterwards work- ing at his trade in Boston, Portland, New York, and elsewhere. Early in life he was interested in politics, and became a warm ad- herent of his friend and fellow-townsman. Hon. Nathaniel P. Banks, entering into the various political contests of his chief with all the fire and energy of an ardent and impulsive nature. Ilis sincerity and sterling qualities have attracted a wide circle of acquaintances whose friendship and confidence is unlimited, as evidenced in the universal success which has attended his politi- cal career for more than half a century. The people of Waltham chose him several times upon the Board of Selectmen, and he served them many years as town Moderator. In 1855 he was elected to the House of Representatives, serving again in 1887- 1888, when he was Dean of the House. He was Messenger of the Governor and Council from 1858 to 1861. From 1861 to 1865 he was in the Boston Custom House, and Postmaster of the city of Waltham from 1869 to 1886. Since the formation of the Republican party, he has been an ardent, firm, and consistent supporter of its policy. He is a Past Master of Monitor Lodge. A. F. and A. M., and a member of the Royal Arch Chapter at Waltham. He is now serving his sixth term upon the Board of County Commissioners, having been first elected in 1889.
Hon. Francis Bigelow.
Francia Dipatrão
Son of Charles and Rebecca (Babcock) Bigelow. Born in Sherborn April 21, 1840; now resides in Natick. His opportuni- ties for schooling, like those of most country boys, were brief, as
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he was apprenticed to a carpenter at the age of fourteen. On completing his term of service, he worked a while at his trade, then drove a stage, afterwards ran an express, and finally became a successful shoe manufacturer in Natick, from which he retired with a competency some years ago. His sound judgment and business ability are fully recognized by the people of Natick and vicinity, as well as by those of the County of Middlesex. He has served many years on the Board of Water and Sewer Commis- sioners of the town of Natick, and is a valuable member of the Board of Trustees of the savings bank in that town. He was a member of the House of Representatives in 1829 and 1880, and of the Senate in 1885 and 1886. He has been a member of the Board of County Commissioners since 1893. Francis Bigelow is a descendant in the seventh generation from John Biglo and Mary Warren, whose marriage in 164? was the first one recorded in Watertown. John Biglo was a surveyor of highways in said town from 1652 to 1660, and a Selectman in 1665-70-77. He is mentioned in the early records as John Biglo, John Biggalough, John Bigolo, and John Bigulah, according to the orthography of the clerk who happened to be the recording officer.
This confusion doubtless arose from the fact that the origi- nal John was an illiterate blacksmith, who probably could neither read or write, as he always made his mark to documents requiring his signature, and quite likely could not spell his name twice alike; however, his oldest son, John, adopted the name of Bigelow, and it has clung to the family ever since. John Biglo served in King Philip's War, and is the common ancestor of the American family bearing the name of Bigelow, among whom there have been and still are men highly distinguished in theology, the law, medicine, literature, politics, science, and art. By his wife Mary he had thirteen children. He died July 14. 1103, at Watertown, aged eighty-six. His estate inventoried €62: 12s., quite a sum for those days. Among the funeral ex- penses paid by his estate was a bill for "twenty gallons of wine, with allspice and sugar, and two men and horses to carry the wine to the funeral"! Mary Warren was born in England, and "ame to this country with her father, as some assert, in Governor Winthrop's party in 1630. Her father's name was John Warren,
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and he was recorded with one hundred and eighteen other in- habitants of Watertown as a Freeman in 1631. He was made a surveyor of highways in 1635, and Selectman from 1636 to 1640. Why he came to America and brought his daughter into this wil- derness is not apparent, but one thing seems to be estab- lished : that he was a lineal descendant from "William the Con- queror," King of England. Among those who fought at the battle of Hastings, October 14, 1066, which gave the control of England to William, Duke of Normandy, was one William de Warren, a Norman baron, whose services were so highly valued by "The Conqueror" that he gave him the hand of "Gundred" and two hundred and ninety-eight English manors, with lavishi titles. Through "Burke's Peerage," and equally valuable authorities, there seems to be no difficulty in tracing the blood of William and Gundred through twenty generations to that humble Puritan maiden, Mary Warren. United to that sturdy blacksmith, she has transmitted, considerably diluted in the strug- gles of more than eight centuries, a dash of the best blood of the royal lines of England, Germany, France, and Italy! Strange as it may seem, this is not an idle tale, but a truthful incident in genealogical research. It is introduced here solely as an episode of interest not only to the subject of this sketch and his relatives and friends, but to all who inherit the name of Bigelow from John Biglo, of Watertown, also to such as claim the name of Warren and carry a fraction of the blood of kings and queens as it coursed through the veins of the original John Warren, the father of Mary. To the casual observer, it points to the oft- repeated maxim that "blood will tell," and thus it happens that this combination of the fiery Italian, the mercurial Frenchman, the phlegmatic Gerinan, the Norwegian Corsair, and the sturdy Norman, with the plain and unpretentious Puritan, has produced the highest type of the liberty-loving, God-fearing, American citizen.
HON. LEVI S. GOULD, OF MELROSE, County Commissioner, 1897 --. Chairman, 1897
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Hon. Levi Swanton Gould, Chairman, January, 1897, to date.
Son of Dr. Levi and Elizabeth Webb ( Whitmore) Gould. Born in Dixmont, Me., March 22, 1834. Was educated in Wil- mington and North Malden, now Melrose, where he has resided since childhood. Learned the shoemaker's trade, and worked at the bench in early life, but subsequently became an accountant, and finally for many years was a furniture manufacturer and dealer in Boston, from which business he retired in 1889. He was a Selectman of Melrose in 1869, and Chairman of the Board from 1884 to 1892. From 1865 to 1899 (thirty-five years) he served as town moderator continuously, to which office he was elected one hundred and eight times, which, with one hundred and seven adjournments, made two hundred and fifteen meetings over which he was called upon to preside during the life of the town, and when it became a city in 1900, he was elected the first Mayor. He was a member of the House of Representatives in 1868 and 1869. He has been upon the Board of County Com- missioners since 1897, serving as its Chairman during the entire period. He is President of the Melrose Co-operative Bank, and a director of the Melrose National Bank. He was President of the New England Furniture Exchange in 1883 and 1884, and of the Furniture Club of Boston in 1886. He is a member of the Massachusetts Society of Colonial Wars, the Society Sons of the American Revolution, W. P. M. of Wyoming Lodge, A. F. and A. M., an officer of Waverly R. A. Chapter, and a member of Hugh de Payne's Commandery, and of the Scottish Rites. He is Past Chancellor of Fordell Lodge, K. of P., and is con- nected with many other societies and organizations.
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He is a descendant from John Gould, the first settler of Charlestown End. now Stoneham (1635), and Francis Whitmore, often mentioned as an officer and otherwise of the town of Cam- bridge (1636), whose grave stone is in the old cemetery in Med- ford square. Both were troopers in King Philip's War, John Gould bearing arms until after seventy-two years of age .* Jacob Gould, great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, with two of his sons, were minutemen of Stoneham, and all three were in the Concord fight. They went from the old homestead at the head of Spot Pond, the land surrounding the same, now owned by the Commonwealth, having been in the family during many generations. The locality was first mentioned by Governor Winthrop, he having visited it in 1632. Tradition has it that one of the Goulds rode without saddle or bridle a favorite white mare into the trenches at Bunker Hill. Before the firing began. he turned the faithful beast loose, and she trotted safely back to her barn in Stoneham. It is also said that he wore on that day an old-fashioned shaggy beaver, of which he was very proud. It was lost in the rush of the retreat. Being railed by his com- panions, he returned over the ground, found the hat, and bore it away in triumph, but riddled with bullets. His ancestors were among the earliest settlers of ancient Middlesex, and were rep- resented in every war of the Colonial and Revolutionary period. Mary Lane, daughter of Major John Lane, of Billerica (who fought in King Philip's, King William's, and Queen Anne's Wars), a direct ancestor of the subject of this sketch (through John Whitmore, 2d, her husband), on the occasion of an Indian raid while her father was away, shot the last savage killed in Bil- lerica. She lived to be ninety-seven years of age. Her mother was Susannah, a daughter of Captain John Whipple, a noted military man of Ipswich. Job Lane, father of Major John, was one of the earliest settlers of Malden. He fought in King Philip's War. He was a carpenter, and is said to have built one of the first buildings for Harvard College : also the great bridge across the Concord at Billerica. He bought the Governor
* " June 20, 1682, John Gould of Stoneham aged about 73 years is "released from all ordinary traynings."- See Fol. 46, Court Records Middlesex County.
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Winthrop farm of about 1,500 acres in Billerica (now Bedford), and it was upon this estate that his son, Major John, lived and died. The mother of Major John was Anna, daughter of Rev. John Rayner, pastor of the first church in Plymouth, 1636 to 1654. Through Deacon John Whitmore, of Medford, son of Francis the first (who served with Major Swayne against the Saco Indians), and Rachel (Poulter), who was a daughter of Francis Eliot, of Braintree (now Quincy), he is descended from Bennett Eliot, of Nazing, County of Essex, Eng., who was the father of Rev. John Eliot, the distinguished "Apostle of the Indians." The mother of Rachel Eliot was Mary, daughter of Martin Saunders, who came over in the "Planter" in 1635. He was one of the earliest settlers of Braintree : one of the Selectmen, and the first innholder.
Francis Eliot died January 12, 1692. About 1650 he be- came a teacher among the Praying Indians, under his elder brother, the "Apostle."
Through Dorcas Belcher, wife of Daniel Gould, he is de- scended from Jeremiah Belcher of Ipswich, 1635. Through his grandmother, Hannah Hill, whose grandfather, James, married Lois Upham, he is descended from Lieutenant Phineas Upham, of Malden, who was wounded in the "Great Swamp" fight at Narragansett against King Philip.
Homestead of Jacob Gould at Spot Pond, Stoneham. Built about 1700. From this house he and his two sons went to the Lexington fight, April, 19, 1775.
HON. WILLIAM PYNCHON, OF ROXBURY AND SPRINGFIELD, Colonial Treasurer, 1632-1634.
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Treasurers of the "Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England." These Officers probably performed the duties of County Treasurers Previous to 1654.
George Harwood, of London, May 13, 1629.
He never came to New England.
Samuel Aldersey, of London, December 1, 1629.
Hle was also elected as an Assistant, in London, October 20, 1629, but there is no evidence that he ever came over.
Hon. William Pynchon, of Roxbury, August 7, 1632.
William Bychom
He came over with Winthrop, and was an Assistant from 1630 to 1636 and from 1646 to 1650. In 1636 he led a colony to Springfield and governed the same as magistrate until 1652. In 1650 he wrote a book concerning "justification," which the apostle Eliot denounced as heretical. Its teachings were discussed by the General Court, the book condemned and ordered to be burned. Pynchon returned to England, where he died, at Wrais- burg, October 29, 1662, aged seventy-two years.
GOV. WILLIAM CODDINGTON, OF BOSTON, AND IN 1637 OF RHODE ISLAND. Colonial Treasurer, 1634-1636.
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Gov. William Coddington, of Boston, May 18, 1634.
Cording ton
He came with Winthrop, and was an Assistant from 1630 to 1636. He emigrated to Rhode Island in 1637, where he was active in the development of that colony, of which he was Gov- ernor, "on consent of the governed." as he was pleased to term it, from 1640 to 1641. As might be supposed, considering his sur- roundings, he became a Quaker towards the last of his career. Died November 1, 1618, aged seventy-seven years.
Hon. Richard Dummer, of Roxbury, May 26, 1636.
Rici truer. 169%.
Born in 1599 at Bishopstoke, Hants. He came on the "Whale" May 24, 1632, and built a mill in Roxbury in 1633. He was an Assistant from 1633 to 1636, and Representative from 1640 to '45 and in 1642. With Thomas Dudley and Simon Brad- street he held the position of a magistrate of the Inferior Court. held at Ipswich and Newbury. He moved from Roxbury, and spent the balance of his life in Newbury within the Parish of Byfield, where he had an extensive plantation finely stocked, and was rated as the richest man in the colony. lle fell from Puritan grace, however, being a follower of Ann Hutchinson. Judge Jeremiah Dummer, a silversmith of Boston, who sat on the bench until 1:15, was his son. His grandson, William Dummer, Act- ing Governor of the colony, a son of Jeremiah, was the founder of "Duminer Academy," of Byfield, distinguished as the earliest institution of its class in this Commonwealth. Another grand- son, Samuel, was Sheriff of Middlesex County : still another was Jeremiah, one of the most brilliant men of his day. He died December 14, 1679, aged eighty years.
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Gov. Richard Bellingham, of Boston, May 17, 1637.
Richard Bellingham
He came over in 1634, and became very prominent in public affairs. His mansion was situated on Tremont street, nearly opposite the northerly end of Kings Chapel burying ground. He was Deputy Governor in 1635, and in a heated campaign was elected Governor in 1641 by a majority of six votes over John Winthrop. He was re-elected in 1654 and again in 1665. In 1664 he was Major-General. He appears to have served thirteen years as Deputy Governor and ten years as Governor, dying in the latter office December 2, 1672, aged eighty years.
Captain William Tyng, of Boston, May 13, 1640.
asom Deyngre
Came on the ship Nicholas in 1638. He was a very promi- nent and wealthy merchant of Boston, whose mansion house and gardens occupied the present site of Adams Square, and its imme- diate vicinity. He was Selectman from 1639 to 1644 and Repre- sentative in 1639-40-41-42-43 and '47. He was again elected to represent the town of Braintree in 1649-50 and '51. He died January 18, 1652.
Hon. Richard Russell, of Charlestown, November 13, 1644.
Riskand Russell.
He was born in Hereford, England, in 1611, and came over in 1640. Like his predecessor in office he became a very success- ful merchant, whose position and character was of the highest order. He was First Lieutenant of A. H. A. Company, Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1647-48-54-56 and '58, and an Assistant from 1659 to 1676. He died May 15, 1677, aged sixty-six years.
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TREASURERS OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY SINCE 1654.
Hon. Thomas Danforth, of Cambridge, 1654 to 1657 (3 years).
He was one of the wealthiest and most influential men in the colony. His official career, which was varied and covered many years, is detailed among the "Clerks of Court." He was a co- worker with the "Apostle" Eliot among the Indians.
Edward Goffe, of Cambridge, 1657 to 1658 (1 year).
Seffe 165%.
He landed in America in 1635, having been shipwrecked in a previous voyage in 1634. He settled in Cambridge, where he became wealthy and influential. His estate was a fine one of about thirty acres in the heart of the town. Between 1636 and 1655 he was Selectman sixteen years. He was Representative in 1646-47-48-49 and 50. He died in the office of Treasurer Octo- ber 26, 1658.
John Stedman, of Cambridge, 1658 to 1683 (25 years).
John for 1648- man
Born in England in 1601. He came over in 1638 as steward to Rev. Jose Glover, who died during the passage. After serv- ing a while with the widow Glover, who afterwards married Henry Dunster, the first president of Harvard College, he established himself in business on the present corner of Mount Auburn street and Brattle square. Having been granted by the town a monopoly in the sale of furs, he prospered greatly for half a cen- tury and became wealthy. He was Selectman sixteen years, be- tween 1640 and 1676, and was an Ensign in 1645. He lived to the ripe old age of ninety-two years, dying December 16, 1693, honored and respected.
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