USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Concord > Genealogies of some old families of Concord, Mass. and their descendants in part to the present generation, 1887 > Part 19
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CONANT.
LOT CONANT227, a great-grandson of the celebrated Roger Conant of Salem, Mass. He came to Concord soon after 1700. His son, Silas Conant, married Lois Potter567.
DAVIS.
DOLOR DAVIS253 came, it is probable, from Kent, England. He was in Cambridge, 1634 ; removed to Concord from Barn- stable in 1655. His wife was Margery Willard697, a sister of Lieut. Simon Willard698.
SAMUEL DAVIS259 settled in the part of Concord which was afterward set off as Bedford. He was a freeman, March 21, 1689-90. His son, Eleazer Davis248, married Eunice Potter549.
SIMON DAVIS272 married Hannah (Potter) Brown552. Hc was a grandson of Lient. Simon and Mary (Blood) Davis268.36.
FARRAR.
JOIN FARRAR2 7 and JJACOB FARRAR ?- " were proprictors in Lancaster, 1653.
GEORGE FARRAR295, son of Jacob Farrar of Lancaster. settled in Concord in 1692. He lived upon land then owned by his father, which land is still owned by his descendants, being now in the town of Lincoln. He married Mary How. Of their sons, George married Mary Barrett1, and Samuel married Lydia Barrett22.
DEA. SAMUEL FARRAR303 lived and died upon the home place in Lincoln. Was a selectman of Concord in 1754, and after the town of Lincoln was set off from Concord, he was town clerk and representative for many years of the new town. He was chairman of the first committee of corre- spondence, and of the Middlesex Convention of Aug. 30, 1774 ; also a member of the first Provincial Congress, which met Oct. 11, 1774. He took part in the "Concord fight," April 19, 1775, although being then sixty-six years of age. Ile was the youngest son of George Farrar, who settled in Concord, 1692, and succeeded him as deacon of the church. His wife was Lydia Barrett22.
JUDGE TIMOTHY FARRAR319 of New Ipswich, N. H., grad- nate of Harvard College, 1767. "He tanght school in Con- cord, Lincoln, and Framingham, then settling as a teacher in New Ipswich in 1770, also becoming a freeholder there in 1771. His farm and the school divided his attention till the War of the Revolution brought to him public trusts, 1774 to 1775. He was first selectman, and town clerk, Jan. 24, 1776. He was commissioned Justice to the Court of Common Pleas ; the youngest of the twenty-nine ap- pointed at that time. From April, 1778, to May 20, 1782, he was a member of the convention for framing a new constitution ; from 1779 he was one of the thirty-two coun- cillors till the new coustitution went into operation in June, 1784. Appointed March, 1791. to the bench of the Supreme Court. Appointed Chief Justice of that court. 1802, resigning in April, 1803, and accepting a reappoint- ment to Court of Common Pleas, continued until 1813. In 1816 he retired from the judiciary, after a continuous service of over forty years. During this time he had been Presidential elector four times, and iu 1804 was appointed a trustee of Dartmouth College, holding this otlice for more than twenty years. He was repeatedly nominated and urged to become a candidate for Congress, and for gov- ernor of New Hampshire. He lived to be one hundred and one years seven months and twelve days of age. outliving all his collegiate contemporaries, and all the ante-Revo- lutionary graduates of Harvard College. the one hundred and fifty-three officers of the civil list in 1776. and the thirty-two councillors of the Revolution."
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OLD FAMILIES, CONCORD, MASSACHUSETTS.
JONES.
JOHN JONES473 came from Cambridge to Concord about 1650. His eldest son, Samuel Jones, married Elizabeth Potter544.
MINOTT.
JAMES MINOTT501, a grandson of George Minott404, mar- ried Rebecca, daughter of Captain Timothy Wheeler628. He lived in Concord, practised medicine, was a captain, justice of peace, representative, and eminently a useful citizen. He had a family of ten children, some of whom by marriage became connected with the Adams, Barrett, Brooks, Brown, Prescott, Wheeler, and others of. the old families in Coneord.
DEA. GEORGE MINOTT530 of Concord. IIc married, sne- cessively, Rebecca Barrett1896, Elizabeth Barrett849, and Mrs. Lydia (Barrett) Mann1559. He commanded a company in the Revolution at the taking of Burgoyne, and at several other engagements. He was made a deacon of the church in 1779, and served in that office until his death.
POTTER.
LUKE POTTER536, born in England about 1608, was among the original settlers of Concord, taking up land in the sonth quarter. His house-lot consisted of six and one half acres on both sides of Heywood Street (then known as "Potter's Lane "). His wife Mary died in 1644 ; he married a second time the same year, Mary, daughter of Walter Edmunds. He was one of the first deacons of the church, and took an active part in the affairs of the town, during the fifty years succeeding its settlement. It is only by his son Judah, who married Grace Brooks103, that the name Potter is perpetu- ated in the records of Concord. Of his other children, Mary married Humphrey Barrett, Jr.4, Dorothy married Noah Brooks102, Elizabeth married Samuel Jones474, and son Sam- nel married Mary Wright, and was killed by the Indians in the "Sudbury fight "; he died without issue. Luke Potter died in 1697.
PRESCOTT.
JONATHAN PRESCOTT1578 was the ancestor of the Concord branch of this distinguished family.
COL. CHARLES PRESCOTT596, who married Elizabeth Bar- rett16, was born in 1711, and died in 1779. IIe was a select- man in Concord six years, and represented the town nine years in the General Court. Also a colonel of militia, serving three years in the War of the Revolution. He was
at times a justice of the peace, and always an influential and highly honored citizen, holding many important trusts.
RUSSELL.
JAMES RUSSELL562, a son of James and Susanna (Farrar) Russell of Concord, and great-grandson of Benjamin Rus- sell, who came to Concord in 1860 (he being a son of William Russell, who settled in Cambridge in 1640), built a house in the south part of the town. which is still stand- ing; that location is now in the town of Carlisle. James Russell married Lydia Potter-562.
WILLARD.
MAJOR SIMON WILLARD698 was one of the distinguished leaders in the first settlement of the town of Concord. He came from Kent, England, and was associated with the Rev. Peter Bulkelcy in the first purchase of the land from the natives.
BALL.
REV. GEORGE S. BALL760 of Upton, Mass., a Unitarian minister, born in Leominster, Mass., graduated at Meadville Theological School in 1847. He was ordained over the society at Ware, remaining until 1849 ; in 1850, at Upton, Mass. ; and next as associate pastor with Dr. Kendall at Plymouth, Mass .. returning in 1856 to Upton. Chosen representative from Upton and Northbridge in 1861, he resigned from this office to serve as chaplain in the 21st Regiment. After the war he was again a representative, also a State senator. He was a member of the commis- sion to revise the Constitution in 1852.
BARRETT.
PROF. ALBERT TENNISON BARRETT2959 of Winchester, Tenn., a graduate of University of Rochester, 1869, receiv- ing the highest award then given at the University, viz., the first prize, " Davis Gold Medal." Since 1871, he has been Professor of Mathematics in Mary Sharp College at Win- chester, the eldest college for women in America, requir- ing a long course of Latin, Greek, and higher mathematics to obtain a diploma. He received the degree of LL. D. from the Southwestern Baptist University at Jackson, Tenn.
AMOS BARRETT2812, of Kingsville, Ohio, was born in Paris, Oneida Co., N. Y. His parents removed the winter after his birth to Pomfret, N. Y., near his paternal grandparents' residence. At the age of fourteen he was removed with his parents to Kingsville, Ohio, and lived in that place until his death. In 1827 he married Annis M. Brown, of Fredo- nia, N. Y. They raised a family of six sons and four dangh-
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Amos Barrett.
OLD FAMILIES, CONCORD, MASSACHUSETTS.
ters, all of whom are now living, excepting two daughters who died in childhood. His early life was devoted princi- pally to farming ; later in life he engaged in manufacturing, trading, and fire insurance. He never lost sight of the fact that a thorough education was the greatest boon that he could bestow npou his children, and to this eud he worked with all his ability, with the prayerful and devoted co-opera- tion of his wife. He joined the Baptist Church while young, and always remained a devoted and consistent member, hold- ing the office of deacon for many years. He was strictly a temperate man, never using liquor or tobacco in any form, an honest and an upright citizen, beloved and respected by all his acquaintance. In 1877 he celebrated his golden wedding, at the residence of his son, Rev. A. J. Barrett, D. D., of Rochester, N. Y., at which time he sang in a clear voice to his faithful wife a song composed for the occasion by C. W. Haywood, of Cleveland, Ohio, the musie written by his son, Clinton S. Barrett ; a part of this song is ap- pended to this sketch. Amos Barrett died at his residence in Kingsville in 1886.
I.
Just fifty years ago, wife, You were my blooming bride; I led you to the altar, wife, My heart aglow with pride; I thought you fairer than the dawn. And purer than the snow; But you, somehow, are dearer now Than fifty years ago.
II.
Since fifty years ago, wife, Within our humble home What changes have we seen, wife! What sunshine and what gloom! But still, through all the varying scenes Of gladness and of woe, Your love shone bright, with calmer light Than fifty years ago.
v.
Just fifty years ago, wife, With faith in God's good-will, We took each other's hand, wife. To climb life's rugged hill; Now we'll go down the other side, With feeble steps and slow, While faith's bright star beams brighter far Than fifty years ago.
AMOS BARRETT, 1563 of Concord, Mass., was at the " Cou- eord fight," in the ranks; he was afterwards a captain of militia in Concord. He moved after his marriage to Union, Maine, becoming one of the first settlers of that town.
REV. AMOS JUDSON BARRETT2952, a graduate of the Uni- versity of Rochester, N. Y., and has received the degrees of A. B., A. M., and D. D. He taught school in Nunda and Little Falls, N. Y., Kingsville, Ohio, and then in Roch-
ester, N. Y. He is now the pastor of the Lake Avenue Bap- tist Church, Rochester, N. Y.
ASA BARRETTA47 was born in Bolton, Mass. ; removed to Lancaster, and for many years was associated with Ephraim Fuller in the manufacture of wire. He afterward moved to Baltimore, Md. He held a captain's commission in the mili- tia of Massachusetts, and was drafted in the War of 1812. An active and useful citizen, who lived to the age of ninety- one.
DR. BENJAMIN BARRETT2594, of Northampton, Mass., a graduate of Harvard College, 1819, of Medical School, 1822. Afterwards he studied medicine with Drs. Warren and Jackson, beginning the practice at Northampton in 1823, and continuing until 1846. He was a member of the State Legislature, 1842 to 1844, and after this elected to the State Senate.
BENJAMIN BARRETT2646 served in the Revolutionary War, fought in the battles of Bennington and Cross Plains.
HON. CHARLES BARRETT1048, of Grafton, Vt., is a grad- uate of Dartmouth, class 1852. He has represented his town in the General Assembly, 1861-62 and 1876-79; sena- tor from Windham County, 1864 to 1869, and again, 1877 to 1882.
COL. CHARLES BARRETT1174, of Ashburnham, Mass. At the age of twenty-one he settled in Ashburnham, after com- pleting his apprenticeship at the blacksmith trade in 1809. when there were but eleven dwelling houses in the village. He built a shop, and a dwelling in which he resided for twenty-nine years. In 1835, he built the house where his son, Col. George Barrett, now resides. He early in life identified himself with all the societies and organizations for the material and moral interests of the town. In 1824 he was elected colonel of the Ninth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Militia. He was for many years a selectman and assessor, and in 1827 and 1834 was representative to the General Court. He was one of the principal promoters in building the Congregational church in Ashburnham, and was often chosen to fill various parish offices. After he was sey- enty years old he canvassed the town ou foot to obtain sub- seriptions to defray parish expenses. He placed himself on the side of total abstinence as early as 1827 or 1828. and proved by his example that a man could perform a hard day's labor without alcoholie stimulants. He was a man of good morals and strict honesty, and set an example by his pure life worthy of imitation. Abont 1835 he gave up his bnsi- ness of blacksmithing, and was engaged as a contractor and builder, acquiring interests in many of the enterprises of the place, and for many years was proprietor of a grain mill. Col. Charles Barrett during his long life was always pleas- ant, courteous, and gentlemanly in his intercourse with his
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OLD FAMILIES, CONCORD, MASSACHUSETTS.
neighbors, possessed of an unselfish nature, a warm heart, and kindly feeling toward his fellow-men. Col. Barrett was a member of the Masonic order for some seventy years. When a young man he had his life insured for $1000, and when ninety-six years old, having outlived the limit of his policy, the company paid him the amount of his insur- ance.
CHARLES BARRETT1559, of New Ipswich, N. H., " from his youth possessed an enterprising spirit, and while a young man, in connection with his brother, built the grist and saw mills in what is now Mason Village, N. II. In 1764 he came to New Ipswich, N. H. At the commencement of the Rey- olution, Mr. Barrett, by energy and industry, had made him- self one of the most prominent men of the town ; but, like several of our leading men, he had strong doubts of the measures then adopted by the ardent Whigs. Having always been accustomed to state his opinion boldly and fear- lessly, he often became involved in controversies with many of the patriot party, and a large part of the people branded him as an enemy of his country ; and at one time party feel- ing ran so high that his principles were discussed in town meeting. The people soon found that honest opinions, how- ever strongly expressed, should not be punished ; aud as the honesty of Mr. Barrett's principles had never been questioned, he soon acquiesced in the measures of the new government, and paid his full share towards carrying on the war; he re- gained his popularity and the confidence of his townsmen. He was elected a delegate to the convention to ratify the Constitution of the United States, and was afterwards a mem- ber of the Senate ; he served as councillor for one or more terms ; was chosen representative, annually, for fourteen years, which, more than anything else, shows the confidence of his townsmen. Soon after the Revolution he obtained the grant of a township of land in Lincoln County, Maine, which was for a long time called Barrett's town ; afterwards incor- porated, and named Hope. Here he spent much of his time, and was the means of inducing many persons to emigrate there from this and the neighboring towns, to whom he freely distributed lands. In 1790 he was engaged with J. Jameson in erecting extensive mills on the falls of Georgis River. He also projected an extensive course of improvements of this river, so as to enable loaded boats to reach this township from ti le water. He built upon the river the first series of locks constructed in New England, and probably in this coun- try. . . . He had an interest in the glass-house on the Mountain, and was one of the subscribers to the Academy, and made to it a donation of a tract of wild land in Camden, Maine, which was afterwards sold by him as agent of the in- stitution. He may be said to be the father of the cotton manufacture in the place, as Mr. Robbins, a practical ma- chinist, came here at his suggestion, and they, in connection with Benjamin Champney, erected the first cotton mill in the State. Though Mr. Barrett had received but a very or- dinary education, he possessed a very strong mind, and had
informed himself so as to couverse well on almost any sub- ject."-From Kidder's History of New Ipswich, N. II.
CHARLES BARRETT1714, of New Ipswich, N. H., graduated at Dartmouth College, 1794; " began a business life as a co- partner with Samuel Appleton. Mr. Appleton left the busi- ness for a wider field in Boston. In a few years after, he was followed by Mr. Barrett, whose ample means and busi- ness habits brought him an esteemed circle of acquaintance and friends. Here he pursued an extensive commercial trade through the trying times which our commerce passed, in that era of non-intercourse, embargo, and war, with varied success, till 1814, when he returned, with his family, to his native town, to enjoy once more the retirement of his beautiful mansion, which he had erected during the time of his former residence. In 1819, Mr. Barrett was induced to purchase an interest in the old cotton factory. Being asso- ciated with several gentlemen, he procured an act of incor- poration, under the title of the " Water Loom Factory Company." Here they erected a large building. This prom- ising to be a good investment, two other companies were formed, of which Mr. Barrett was the head and principal manager. These establishments were built near the High Bridge and at Mason Village, with which he was connected during his life. Mr. Barrett's life was an active one; like his father, he disliked to see an idle man. He was the principal in establishing the bank, and it was mainly from his exertions that the Unitarian church was erected, as also many other public improvements. He was elected to fill various town offices, and for many years was the town's rep- reseutative in the General Court."- From Kidder's History New Ipswich, N. Il.
CHARLES BARRETT1722 was born in Boston, Mass. At the age of five he had a severe illness; the medieine given to him destroyed his hearing. He was educated at the asylum for deaf-inutes at Hartford, Conn. In 1852, when the " New England Gallaudet Association of Deaf-Mutes " was formed, Mr. Barrett was chosen its treasurer; which office he con- tinued to hold, by repeated election, until his death. He was of a particularly sunny and genial temperament. uni- formly lively and happy ; honest and upright in his dealings, he won the confidence and esteem of all. He was married to Abby Beals Harrt of Boston. She was remarkable for her great fidelity and charming manner of interpreting the conversation of those about them to her husband. Her father, Edmund Harrt, was the builder of the frigate "Consti- tution "; he also designed and superintended the building of the "Boston" frigate, 1799. Mr. Barrett was for a short time engaged in business in New Ipswich, N. H., whither his parents had removed, occupying a brick house in Bank Village, erected for him by his father at the time of his mar- riage. At the death of his mother, he came into possession of the Barrett homestead at New Ipswich, and occupied that until 1848, when he sold it to his brother George, and
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Charles Barrett
OLD FAMILIES, CONCORD, MASSACHUSETTS.
removed to Boston. The following beautiful tribute was paid to his memory, at the time of his death, 1862 : "To all who were permitted to know him, his short and comparatively uneventful life suggests many sweet and beautiful mem- ories, - memories of gracious, kindly intercourse, of serene cheerfulness, of Christian content. Kind and courteous to all, conscientious in the discharge of his duties, it was in the sacred circle of home that the purity and beauty of his character shone with the brightest and clearest light. He was indeed the sunshine of that home, gladdening all who entered it, lavishing warmth and light with an unconscious bounty that was its chiefest charm. Nature had been so bountiful to him in the rich gifts of the heart and soul, that one scarcely remembered his privations. The closed ave- nues shut out much that might have pained his childlike gentleness of heart and tarnished his rare purity of soul ; while in the sweet and sacred silence his spirit grew like a white flower in the deep, quiet woods, reaching towards the great source of light and life. The flower has withered and fallen to the earth, but the mortal germ within still lives to bloom and flourish in the new world and the new life."
CAPT. CHARLES BARRETT2352, of New York, engaged at the age of fourteen as a sailor, continuing upon the sea for nine years until 1844. He graduated at Yale College, 1852 ; after this taking a three years' course at Union Theological Semi- nary. From 1855 to 1876 he was a ship-master in the India, China, and Pacific trades. He was in the fleet at the taking of Fort Fisher, as a delegate of the Christian Commission, the only man serving therein without pay. He is now con- ducting a Christian mission in the city of New York.
CLARENCE TYNAN BARRETT2323 entered the service of the United States on the 2d of August, 1862, as second lieu- tenant of the One Hundred and Fifty-sixth New York Volun- teers ; promoted to adjutant, rank of first lieutenant, Jan. 31, 1863, and to aide-de-camp, rauk of captain, May 27, 1864, for gallant and meritorious service during the can- paign against the city of Mobile and its defence ; promoted Nov. 26, 1865, to brevet major. He resigned from the ser- viee, and now resides at West New Brighton, N. Y.
CAPT. CLINTON SAMUEL BARRETT2955, of Chattanooga, Tenn., was educated principally at the Academy, Kingsville, Ohio ; subsequently a student in Nunda, N. Y., Literary In- stitution, in which institution he was promoted to the fac- ulty. Capt. Barrett served in the army, Company II, Fif- teenth Missouri Volunteers, then joining the United States Military Telegraph Corps, remaining until the close of the war. Is now travelling passenger agent for the St. Louis, Missouri and Southern Railroad, and also general land agent for the Fort Smith and Little Rock Railroad.
DANIEL BARRETT1568 settled in Camden, Me., about 1792, where he purchased of Win. Molineaux on Beauchamp Neek,
built a house, and afterwards married. He was of a retiring disposition, and seldom allowed himself to be put forward for any public place. He was noted for his upright char- acter, sound judgment, exactness, energy, and industry. He was a class leader in the Methodist Episcopal church for many years, or until his death. He was largely interested in farming, stock raising, and the manufacture of lime, own- ing several lime-kilns and wharves, and also in ship-building, building and owning several vessels, among which was the brig " Eagle." His greatest undertaking was the building of a turnpike around Mount Beatter, one that will remain a mon- ument to his industry and perseveranec, as he has expressed it in one of his deeds, "as long as oaks grow and water runs." Ile obtained a charter, June 23, 1802, of the Geu- eral Court of Massachusetts, which was entitled " An Act authorizing Daniel Barrett to make a Turnpike Road over Megantehook Mountain, in the town of Camden, in the county of Lincoln." This roadway he kept in repair and collected the tolls until 1834, when he sold it to the towns of Camden and Lincolnville.
EZRA BARRETT1179, born in Ashby, Mass., settled after his marriage in Warren, N. II. He was for many years a deacon in the Congregational church. He was greatly es- teemed for his thorough Christian and business integrity. dignified and gentlemanly deportment. He was extensively engaged in the manufacture of various farming implements for the New England market, in use at the time, he having invented the Concord seythe snaith, and also a lathe for turn- ing wood by a pattern. He was much interested in comnon schools, and in improving the construction of their houses. He published a singing book for Sunday-school use. His wife was Rhoda Johnson, a daughter of Col. Reuben and Rhoda Johnson. He died in 1843.
EDWARD HARRIS BARRETT1259, of Minneapolis, Minn., set- tled in Springfield, Ill., and lived there until 1854. when he removed with his wife and three sons to Minnesota Territory. IIe built the first log-cabin on the prairie west from Winona. then a town of three buildings, -a frame hotel, a log-cabin serving as a dwelling, a store and post-office (the mail being often carried in the postmaster's hat), and an unenclosed warehouse. The Indians had been taken from that part of the prairie the previous year. Mr. Barrett's cabin was, like all others in the new country, nightly filled with Eastern travellers, curious to see the wonders of the far-famed Ter- ritory. During the prevalence of cholera in the spring of 1855, a large colony of Dunkards emigrated from Indiana. and many died on the way and after reaching Minnesota, be- fore they could provide comfortable shelter. Four of a fam- ily, with six children, died at Mr. Barrett's in four days. The funeral, the first public religious service held in town, was at the cabin, and was succeeded by a weekly Sunday school. organized and conducted by Mr. Barrett, and Sunday services by the pastor of the colony and varions preachers of any
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