USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of Boston and eastern Massachusetts > Part 75
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(For early generations see Matthias Farnsworth I.)
FARNSWORTH (III) Amos Farns-
worth, son of Benja- min and Mary (Pres- cott ) Farnsworth, born Groton, November 27, 1704, and was drowned December 5, 1775. He built the house and lived on the place that was subsequently occupied by his son, Major Amos Farnsworth, on the road leading from Groton Centre to Page's bridge, about two miles from the old Groton meeting-house. A very tall man, six feet four inches high, and of striking appearance, he possessed an excellent education for his time and was also a man of great energy. Induced by the excellent chances afforded by the opening of the great territory after the conquest of Canada, and having a large family to support, he went to Nova Scotia, leaving his family in Groton, with the exception possibly of one or more sons. There he engaged in surveying and secured from the British government a grant of land in Gran- ville near Annapolis. He erected buildings, and was prepared to remove his family, plac- ing agents in charge while he returned for them to Groton. While he was absent his agents made such representations to the gov- ernment officials of Nova Scotia that the title to the lands was transferred to them. Arriv- ing with his family he found himself crowd- ed out of his house, whereupon he petitioned the government, then in Halifax, (a copy of which petition in his own handwriting is still
preserved) and had the matter been pursued he probably would have been reinstated, but with his family there he found it impossible to wait for justice and returned to Groton in 1774.
The revolutionary war soon followed, in which he took great interest, but on December 5, 1775, he and his youngest son, Benjamin, were both drowned by the upsetting of a boat in the Nashua river. His wife died in 1810. He married, November 20, 1735, Lydia, born June 26, 1716, daughter of John and Sarah (Prescott) Longley, and cousin of Amos. John Longley, July 27, 1694, when eleven years old, had seen his father and mother and all the remainder of the family, except two sisters, murdered by the Indians in their attack on Groton. He and his sis- ters were taken to Canada and turned over to the French, with whom he remained a prisoner for five years, then was redeemed from captivity by his relatives. According to tradition he had become so accustomed to the savage life of his captors, by residence among them, that he was unwilling to return and force had to be used to compel him to leave them. However that may have been, after his return, which was at the age of sixteeen, he became one of the most prominent and well-to-do citizens of the town. He served in many offices of honor and trust and for several years was town clerk. The children of Amos and Lydia (Longley) Farnsworth were: Sarah, Rachel, Lydia, Susanna, Lucy, Amos, Jonas, Mary and Amos (2d).
(IV) Jonas Farnsworth, son of Amos and Lydia (Longley) Farnsworth, born Groton, August 18, 1748, died July 16, 1805. He went with his father into Nova Scotia and was liv- ing there when the revolutionary war broke out, and at which time he had a wife and one child. It soon became apparent that either he must take part with England in the ap- proaching struggle or return to Groton and join his fortunes with the revolting colonies. He promptly chose the latter course, but he had much difficulty in following it and his family endured great suffering in so doing. He arrived in April, 1776, at the paternal homestead and built a house about a quarter of a mile southerly from where his father lived. He married, in 1774, Jane Delap, daughter of James and Mary (Kelley) Delap, . of Granville, Nova Scotia, who with their family emigrated into that province from Massachusetts. His wife survived him many years and died May 20, 1826. Their children
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were: Nancy, Jane, Sally, Benjamin, Jonas, Hannah, Amos, Thomas, James Delap and Catherine Otis.
(V) Rev. James Delap Farnsworth, son of Jonas and Jane (Delap) Farnsworth, was born in Groton, September 11, 1793. He fitted for college at the Groton Academy, entered Har- vard in 1814 and graduated there A. B., 1818; A. M. and B. D., 1821, having studied theology in the Cambridge Divinity School. He was or- dained as an orthodox Congregational clergy- man over the church at Orford, New Hamp- shire, January 21, 1823. He was afterward successively minister of churches of that de- nomination in Paxton, Boxboro, North Chel- sea and Bridgewater, all in Massachusetts; and he was, in the year 1853, chaplain to the senate of Massachusetts; and at the time of his death was pastor of the church in Scotland parish (Congregational), Bridgewater, Massa- chusetts. He died November 12, 1854, very suddenly, on a Sunday morning while sitting at his study table looking over a sermon which he was about to preach. He had preached on the Sabbath before from the text, "It is finish- ed," and had made preparation to preach that day from the words, "Follow thou me." He was a man of great liberality and kindness of heart and led, rather than drove, his people. He was a corresponding member of the New England Historic and Genealogical Society, having been elected May 23, 1846, and was a subscriber to the Register from commence- ment. He made large collection of material for the genealogies of the families with which he was connected, the largest relating to the Farnsworths. Rev. James Delap Farnsworth married, November 1, 1825, Rebecca Miller Thayer Fogg, of Braintree, Massachusetts, daughter of Dr. Daniel Fogg, a native of New Hampshire. He died while walking in his garden, 1830. She died April 25. 1873. Six children were born of this marriage, the first four in Orford, New Hampshire, the others in Paxton, Masachusetts. They were Charles Edward, Susan Thayer, Edward Miller, Re- becca Miller, Charlotte Jane and Elizabeth Fogg.
(VI) Edward Miller Farnsworth, son of Rev. James Delap and Rebecca Miller Thayer (Fogg) Farnsworth, born Orford, New Hampshire, September 13, 1829, died Brook- line, Massachusetts, October 8, 1897. He married, June 4, 1855, Charlotte Frances Pinkham, daughter of Vincent Pinkham, of Chelsea, Massachusetts (see Pinkham family). Of this marriage five children were born: I.
Edward Miller, born May 28, 1856, married, December 1, 1878, Esther Crafts Morse, daughter of John C. and Joanna Paige (Em- mons) Morse, and had three children, Edward Miller, born Brookline, April 18, 1882, Esther Morse, born October 15, 1885, and Edith. 2. James Delap, born May 25, 1859. married, September 25, 1884, Caroline A. Bird, of Re- vere, Massachusetts, and has one son, Charles Edward. born Revere, May 11, 1889. For many years he was with Kidder, Peabody & Company, bankers in Boston, and later was a bond broker on his own account in that city. 3. Emma Josephine, born June 13, 1861, mar- ried, 1884, Charles C. Hoyt, of Boston, and had three children-Mary W., born November 9. 1885, died November 21, 1894: Richard Farnsworth, born July 3, 1888; Kathryn, born December 17, 1889. 4. Vincent. born October 5. 1866. 5. Sewall Bradbury, born October 18, 1869, unmarried.
(VII) Vincent Farnsworth, third son and fourth child of Edward Miller and Charlotte F. ( Pinkham) Farnsworth, was born in Bos- ton, October 5, 1866. He was educated in Boston schools, and when a young man enter- ed the employ of Kidder. Peabody & Company, bankers, with which firm he has been con- nected in various capacities for the last quarter century and is at present filling a position of trust and responsibility with that well known establishment. He made his home in Revere for about twenty years, and has been promi- nent in the civil and social life of that town. For four years past he served as a member of the school committee, in 1906 and 1908 as its chairman, but resigned in the latter year and removed to Winchester, Massachusetts, where he intends to reside permanently. He is a prominent Mason, a member of Star of Bethle- hem Lodge, F. and A. M. of Chelsea ; She- kinah Chapter. R. A. M. and Palestine Com- mandery, K. T. Mr. Farnsworth married, October 3, 1889, Alice Russell Fenno, born December 2. 1868, daughter of Charles F. and Emma C. (Tucker) Fenno. Three chil- dren have been born of this marriage: I. Emma Fenno, July 2, 1891. 2. Harold Vin- cent, October 5, 1894. 3. Vincent Jr., April II, 190I.
(I) Richard Pinkham, of PINKHAM Dover Neck, New Hamp- shire, 1640, perhaps earlier, was one of the signers of what is called in his- tory "Dover's Magna Charta," and of which Rev. Dr. Quint says "it antedated in practice
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by one hundred thirty-six years the principles announced in the Declaration of Independence of 1776." Richard Pinkham was one of the conspicuous figures in the early history of Dover and indeed of New Hampshire, and for more extended mention of him and his part in the making of that history reference is had to another account elsewhere in other annals. He is believed to have died about 1647-48, and was survived by his wife Julia, who was still alive in 1688. According to the statements of con- temporary writers Richard and Julia had at least three sons, Richard. John and Thomas, and if they had other children the records make no mention of their names.
(II) John Pinkham, son of Richard and Julia Pinkham, born about 1644, died August 27, 1724. He was first taxed at Dover Neck in 1665, and it is said that "he first assumed the care of his father, legally, and took pos- session of the homestead in 1671, just before the time it became necessary to build garri- sons and carry guns to meetings." He was a man of energy and divided a large estate in lands among his children. He married Rose Otis, daughter of Richard Otis, of Cocheco, a man of prominence and an officer of the colony whose name appears frequently on the records during the period of his active life. Rose Otis was one of the occupants of the Otis garrison house at the time when it was captured by the Indians, and after the peace of Casco, 1699, she and others of the family returned to their former home. John and Rose (Otis) Pinkham had at least nine chil- dren: Richard, Thomas, Amos, Otis, Solo- mon, James Rose, Elizabeth and Sarah.
(III) Thomas Pinkham, son of John and Rose (Otis) Pinkham, sold land in Dover to his brother James in 1714, and in the next year received a gift of lands from his father. Little else is known of him and his children appear to have scattered and settled in other parts of the colonies. He married, December 2, 1700, Mercy ( written Marcy ) Allen, and their children so far as known were: Sarah, Joseph, Mary, Richard, Ebenezer, Benjamin and Martha. Of these children Ebenezer, Benjamin and Martha went to Maine, the first mentioned settling in Harps- well, and the others in Boothbay. Joseph re- moved from Dover to Madbury, New Hamp- shire.
(IV) Richard Pinkham, son of Thomas and Mercy ( Allen) Pinkham, was born about 1710, and received a deed of land in 1763, from his father, "being 20 acres in the first division of the common land." The baptismal name of
his wife is supposed to have been Abigail, as is inferred from her name signed to a deed in 1748; but her family name does not appear, nor the names of their children.
(V) Thomas Pinkham, son of Richard and Abigail Pinkham, born Dover, October 8, 1756, died New Durham, New Hampshire, 1830. He married, July 16, 1782, Bridget Berry, born Rochester, New Hampshire, Sep- tember 15, 1761, died Chelsea, Massachusetts, February 8, 1846. The records of this family in the Bible of Thomas Pinkham close with this inscription: "Be grateful to thy father, for he gave thee life; and to thy mother, for she sustained thee." Thomas and Bridget Pinkham had nine children: I. Jonathan, born Milton, New Hampshire, July 26, 1784. 2. Stephen, born Milton, October 8, 1786. 3. Mary, born Milton, March 9, 1788, married Surpelus Davis and removed to North Chelsea, Massachusetts. Children : Charles, Emily, Calvin, Thomas, Mary, Delphine and John Davis. 4. Ephraim, born Milton, February 24, 1790, died July 18, 1847 : married, Decem- ber 19, 1823, Sarah, who died in November, 1880. 5. Isaac, born Milton, May 1, 1792, died March (or November) 9, 1855; married, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, November 6, 1824, Lydia Tripp, of Sanford, Maine, born August 9, 1805, died August 5, 1879. Isaac was an old-time stage driver between Salem and Haverhill, Massachusetts. 6. Thomas, born Milton, May 31, 1794. 7. Vincent. 8. Reuben, born May 22, 1799. 9. Willard, born Lebanon, New Hampshire, April 19, 1804, married, September 9, 1824, Eliza Runnells.
(VI) Vincent Pinkham, son of Thomas and Bridget (Berry) Pinkham, born Milton, New Hampshire, October 14, 1796, died North Chelsea, Massachusetts, May 23, 1855. He married, December 24, 1829, North Chelsea, Lois Low, born Chelsea, August 29, 1807, died April 29, 1894, daughter of James and Thirza Low. They had twelve children, all born in North Chelsea: 1. James Low, Janu- ary 14, 1831, lives in Cliftondale, Massachu- setts ; married, September 26, 1852, Caroline A. Bennett, and had Elizabeth Low, born East Boston, October 24, 1853, died Woburn, Feb- ruary 3, 1891 ; married Charles F. Hayes, born February 22, 1856, son of Solon K. and Clara S. (Brown) Hayes (child: Lois Low, born Woburn, March 9, 1880). 2. Charlotte Fran- ces, May 28, 1832. 3. Henry Vincent, Decem- ber II, 1833, died February 1, 1897; was a Boston merchant ; married (first), December, 1855, Susan W. Hastings, died September 16,
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1862 (children: Sarah Louise, born Decem- ber 2, 1856, married, July 17, 1900, Richard Wood Cone, born Westbrook, Connecticut, October 4, 1839 (teacher of voice culture. Bos- ton), son of Eugene and Abigail (Kirtland) Cone; Grace Withington, January 7, 1860) ; married second, June 13, 1864, Elizabeth J. Poore, of Lynn. 4. Augusta Louise, Decem- ber 23, 1835, died March 9, 1862. 5. Emma Josephine, June 9, 1837, died December, 1861. 6. Edward Everett, September 7, 1838, died September, 1855. 7. Adelia Maria, November 8, 1840, died September, 1895. 8. Willie, Sep- tember 9, 1842, died September 9, 1843. 9. Theodore, April 27, 1844, died May 23, 1905; married, June 24, 1874, Alice E. Shedd, born August 27, 1889 (children: Edith Virginia, born June 21, 1875; Vincent, born Revere, February 24, 1879). 10. Herbert Lewis, Au- gust 29, 1846. 11. Howard Dwight. January 4, 1849, farmer at Marysville, Kansas ; married Elizabeth Carolen, born Marysville, December 4, 1862. 12. Edward Vincent, November 25, 1856, married (first), Emma Frances Fowett, died Woburn, December 16, 1886; married (second), January 28, 1889, Mary Elizabeth Lewis, born Brookfield, Missouri, January 31, 1868 (children : James Albert, born St. Louis, December 22, 1891 ; Caroline Alice, born Rox- bury, Massachusetts, October 29, 1894; Char- lotte Frances, born Malden, March 28, 1896; Helen Louise, born July 3, 1899).
(VII) Charlotte Frances Pinkham, daugh- ter of Vincent and Lois (Low) Pinkham, born May 28, 1832. lives now in Brookline, Massa- chusetts. She married, June 4, 1855. Edward Miller Farnsworth (see Farnsworth family).
(For ancestry see Roger Conant 1).
(IV) John Conant, son of John CONANT Conant, born July 7, 1686, in Beverly, baptized August 15, following. He was a farmer and weaver. He was admitted to the First Church at Beverly, August 6, 1704, and chosen deacon February 23, 1723. About 1732 he built a house on the north side of Dodge street in Beverly near his father's house. This house was taken down in 1884. He had a fulling mill where he worked at his trade. He owned houses in Marblehead, which he sold to Jona- than Conant, currier. His will, dated May 28, 1754, proved May 26. 1755. He left a legacy to the second parish of Beverly, to which other sums were added in 1760, and a silver tankard for communion service purchased. The in- ventory of his estate amounted to over six i-26
hundred twenty-eight pounds. He married
(first), January 30, 1713-14, Martha Dodge, daughter of Richard and Mary (Eaton) Dodge, of Wenham, and granddaughter of Richard Dodge, the immigrant. She was ad- mitted to the First Church August 8, 1714, and died October 5, 1721. He married (second), June 2, 1722, Mary (Lovett) Cressy, widow of John Cressy. She died 1766. Children of first wife: I. Samuel, born December 29, 1713-14, died January 29, 1715. 2. Martha, born April 22, 1716. 3. John, born March 6, 1717-18, mentioned below. 4. Bethiah, born January 29, 1719-20, married Dodge. Children of second wife: 5. Elizabeth, born May 6, 1723. 6. Sarah, born July 20, 1725, married - Waldron. 7. Mary, born Au-
gust 31, 1727, married Baker. 8. Sam- uel, born April 14, 1730. 9. Benjamin, born April 9, 1732, died May 16, 1737. 10. Lot, born October 2, 1735.
(V) John Conant, son of John Conant, born March 6, 1717-18. He lived on Dodge street, and was a farmer and deacon of the church. He was a man of great piety. It is related that while getting a load of hay in one Saturday night, he was unable to get the hay into the barn before the sun had set. He un- yoked his oxen, therefore, and left the load in the field until Monday. He died in 1780, and his son John was appointed administrator of his estate. He married, July, 1739, Mary Meacham, daughter of James and Elizabeth (Cue) Meacham. Children : I. Mary, born July 18, 1740, married Perkins. 2. John, born June 23. 1743, mentioned below. 3. Elizabeth, born February 29, 1745, died un- married. 4. Martha, baptized October 2, 1747, died unmarried, of a cancer. 5. Bethiah, bap- tized November 26, 1752, died unmarried.
(\1) John Conant, son of John Conant, was born June 23, baptized June 26, 1743, in Beverly. He lived on the homestead in Bev- erly. He was in the revolution, and marched to Lexington on the alarm in Captain Peter Shaw's company. In 1778 he was in Captain Francis Brown's company in service at Rhode Island. He died June 20, 1809. He mar- ried, January 14, 1764, Emma Thorndyke, daughter of Herbert Thorndyke. She died July 25, 1824. Children: I. Sally, born No- vember 10, 1765, died unmarried July 20, 1850. 2. Martha, born September 8, 1767, died un- married. 3. Emma, born May 4, 1769, died August 14, 1770. 4. John, born March 1I, 1771, mentioned below. 5. Emma, born Janu- ary 3. 1773, died April, 1773. 6. Herbert,
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born October 6, 1774, died October 6, 1787. 7. Emma, born May 2, 1776. 8. Mary, born February 28, 1778, married Jonathan Foster. 9. Ezra, born February 28, 1780. 10. Nicho- las, born November 17, 1783, died October 6, 1795.
(VII) John Conant, son of John Conant, was born in Beverly, March II, 1771. He was a farmer and shoemaker. He was major of the militia, and served as representative to the general court from Beverly two years. He removed from Beverly to Topsfield, and after- ward returned to Beverly and bought a farm on Conant street, where he died March 30, 1859. He married (first), September 2, 1792, Sarah W. Fisk, born in Topsfield, 1773, died February 25, 1830, daughter of Benjamin Fisk. He married (second), in Beverly, Octo- ber, 1831, Rebecca Baker, died May 1, 1883, daughter of Cornelius Baker. Children, all by first wife, born in Topsfield: I. John, born October 5, 1793, mentioned below. 2. Sarah, born October 5, 1796. 3. Harriet, born June, 1799. 4. Benjamin, born 1802, married, Octo- ber 15, 1835, Sophia Silver ; sea captain ; died July 17, 1839, in Madagascar. 5. Irene, born 1808, died July 20, 1822.
(VIII) John Conant, son of John Conant, was born in Topsfield, Massachusetts, Octo- ber 5, 1793. He was a shoemaker and farmer. He married, in Topsfield, October 5, 1816, Ruth Standley, born February 18, 1798, daugh- ter of Wells and Ruth (Baker) Standley. Children : I. John, born January 17, 1818. 2. Ruth, born February 2, 1822, married Moses Cheever, of Brimfield. 3. Irene, born July 14, 1825. 4. Benjamin, born April 26, 1828, died May 24, 1829. 5. Wells Standley, born June 22, 1833, married Jane Spencer. 6. Sarah, died in infancy. 7. Benjamin, born December 29, 1835, mentioned below. 8. Henry, born October 16, 1841, married, October 4, 1864, Hannah W. Cressy.
(IX) Benjamin Conant, son of John Conant, born at Beverly, Massachusetts, De- cember 29, 1835, died December 31, 1905. He was educated there in the district schools. He worked on a farm in his youth and learned the trade of shoemaker, following his trade until he was twenty-three years old. He then engaged in farming at Danvers and Salem, and had a flourishing dairy business. He finally bought the old "Porter" homestead at Topsfield. The house is over one hundred and fifty years old, of colonial architecture, spacious and inviting. It contains fourteen large rooms. Besides the dwelling or mansion
house are the milk house, ice house, carriage houses, tool house, wood house and the barns, with one hundred and sixty acres of land. He carried on general farming, having an ex- cellent dairy of thirty or more cows. In poli- tics Mr. Conant was a Republican, in religion a Unitarian. His business sagacity, and pru- dent, economical methods of farming explain the success that attended his farming, the very appearance of his place, its neatness and artis- tic attractiveness indicating the characteristics of the owner. He was a steady, useful, upright, honorable citizen whose worth was appreciated by his neighbors.
He married (first), 1857, Josephine B. Wil- son, born at North Beverly, died at Topsfield. He married (second), June 18, 1873, Margaret Starrett, born Nova Scotia, daughter of Fran- cis and Deborah (Manning) Starrett. Chil- dren, born at Topsfield: 1. Frederick Wells, born January, 1859, died April 19, 1908; (Easter Sunday) ; married June, 1883, Vir- ginia L. Garrett; have one child, Florence Josephine, married George Fellows; children : Clara Winifred and Virginia Conant. 2. Arthur Henry, born June, 1862, married Sarah L. Garrett, sister of Frederick W. Conant's wife; child, Henry Wilson. 3. Clarence Les- lie, born February, 1864, married Mary W. Dodge; child, Helen J. 4. Albert Stanley, born August, 1867, married Harriet E. Day ; children of Albert S .: Harold and Harriet, twins. 5. Josephine B., born July 23, 1871, resides at home unmarried. Children of sec- ond wife: 6. Frank Stanford, born Septem- ber, 1874, unmarried. 7. Ruth Cheever, born January, 1876, died February 27, 1901 ; mar- ried G. B. Howe, June 27, 1900. 8. Clarissa, born November 14, 1877, unmarried. 9. Ben- jamin Victor, born July, 1878, married Nellie B. Gilland; no children.
(I) John Meshech Grover, GROVER immigrant ancestor of this family, was born in England, May 29, 1781. He was educated and learned his trade there, and in 1803 came to Nova Scotia and settled, following the occupations of fishing and farming for the remainder of his life. He died in 1838. He married, in Nova Scotia, Rhoda Mckinley, who is be- lieved to be of the same ancestry as the late President McKinley. Three brothers came to America, and the late president's line is de- scended from another brother. Rhoda Mc- Kinley's father was when a boy taken cap- tive by the British during the revolution and
Las. J. Grower
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imprisoned in Maryland or Pennsylvania, where he almost starved to death. Among the children of Mr. and Mrs. Grover were Jasper, who was living in 1902, at Cole Harbor, Nova Scotia, died 1906; and James Jacobs, mentioned below.
(II) James Jacobs Grover, son of John Meshech Grover (I), was born in Guysboro, Nova Scotia, April 19, 1825. He received a common school education, and served seven years apprenticeship at shoemaking, at four- teen to twenty-one years, which occupation he followed five years before coming to Lynn. In 1851 he removed to Lynn, Massachusetts, where he was employed for a time, and in 1865 engaged in the manufacture of boots and shoes, shortly afterward forming a partnership with Stephen Oliver, Jr., under the firm name of J. J. Grover, manufacturing shoes for ladies. At the expiration of a year the firm name be- came French, Grover & Company, Henry W. French and George D. Whittle having been admitted to partnership. This firm was dis- solved within a year, and the name again be- came J. J. Grover, his father-in-law, Simon Brown, being his special partner until 1868, and from that date until his death continued alone and was very successful. He was one of the pioneer shoe manufacturers of Lynn, and as a consequence was one of the oldest at his death. He was a man of great enter- prise, indomitable industry, high character and sound judgment, which qualities assured his constant success, and combined with his great heart and genial manners, entitled him to the respect, confidence and love in which he was held by his fellow-citizens and by all who knew him. He was a member of Golden Fleece Lodge of Free Masons, and an active and faithful member of the Washington Street Baptist Church, on the standing committee of which he served many years.
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