USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > West Boylston > Historical memorandum and genealogical register of the town of West Boylston, Massachusetts, from its early settlement to 1858; together with miscellaneous items and incidents > Part 8
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Benjamin Franklin was married to Lois, eldest daughter of Thaddeus Nichols, of Holden, December 10, 1822, when they took possessien of the house built, and formerly occupied by his grandfather, Thomas Keyes, which has been their dwellingplace ever since. She was born July, 17, 1797. They are profesors of religion, having connected themselves with the christian church several years previous to their marriage.
Betsey resided with her parents during the whole period of her life, and died of consumption, in the forty-third year of her age, having been a professor of religion more than twenty years.
Thomas was a son of more than ordinary promise, pos- sessed of an amiable disposition, endowed with talents end capacities of a peculiar character, thereby fitting him for
extensive usefulness in the world. He was married to Eveline, daughter of Dea Artemas Murdock, of West Boylston, April 13, 1827, with whom he lived only eighteen months, when she suddenly died, September 24, 1828, in the twenty-fifth year of her age. He survived his lamented wife about three years, when he was attacked with a fever, which, eventually, terminated his life. He and his wife were each examplary professors of religion, and died in anticipation of future blessedness.
¿ Benjamin F. Keyes and wife, have lived in the marriage state thirty-four years, having had eight children, six sons and two daughters, four of whom have died, and four now living.
Their first child was born Oct. 9, 1823, and lived two days and died.
Jonathan Mason, their second child, was born Aug. 13, 1825.
Their third child was born Jan. 9, 1827, and died the same day.
Eveline Murdock, their fourth child, was born July 1, 1828, and died Oct. 25, 1829.
Thomas Nichols, their fifth child, was born March 18, 1830.
William Wirt, their sixth child, was born Jan 29, 1832.
Lydia Eveline, their seventh child, was born July 15, 1835.
John Quincy, their last child, was born Oct. 13, 1837, and died Feb. 20, 1838.
Jonathan Mason Keyes was married to Esther Damon, of Kirby, Vt., March 20, 1849. They reside in West Boylston, and have had one child, named George Harvey, born Sept. 28, 1850.
Thomas Nichols Keyes was married to Thankful, eldest daughter of Jerry and Lucy Smith, of Marathon, N. Y., Dec. 4, 1856. They also, reside in West Boylston.
Thomas Keyes, who was the father of the late Thomas Keyes, was the third son of Dea. Jonathan Keyes, of Shrewsbury, now Boylston, was born Jan. 4, 1738, and
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died Dec. 21, 1812, in the seventy-fifth year of his age. During his childhood and minority, he was instructed by his parents, in the doctrines and principles of the Puritans, and taught carefully to observe their habits and customs. The parental instruction thus early received, was tena- ciously regarded, and the general course of his after life was in accordance therewith. Although he never made a public profession of religion, he always manifested a proper regard for divine institutions, and performed many of the practical duties, regarded as particularly incumbent on christian professors.
He was a patriot and true friend of his country, and at the commencement, and during the progress of the Ameri- can revolution, he was active in devising plans, and assist- ing in the execution thereof, for the benefit and advantage of the cause of the country in her struggle for liberty and independence.
He was married to Mary, daughter of Isaac Temple, of Shrewsbury, April 25, 1765, when they went to West- minster and settled on a farm given him by his father, as a remuneration for three years faithful service after he was twenty-one years of age. Here he resided until 1767, when he sold out and removed to Shrewsbury, now West Boylston, where he purchased a farm, on which he resided through life. His wife was a laborious, enterprising woman, and a valuable house-keeper. She was a professor of religion, and it is confidently believed that she lived and died a consistent, humble christian. She was born March 9, 1741, and died January 21, 1800, aged 59. They had seven children, five sons and two daughters, viz. : Lucy, born August 18, 1765, died April 4, 1776, aged 11 years ; Thomas, born January 20, 1767, died June 25, 1856, aged 89 years ; Asa, born Sep. 21, 1768, died Dec. 27, 1850, aged 82 years ; Francis, born Apr. 15, 1771, died Apr. 18, 1851, aged 80 years; Luther, born Sep. 21, 1772, died, Nov. 5, 1773, aged 1 year ; Lucy, born July 27, 1778, is yet living, being in her seventy-ninth year. Luther, born May 8, 1781, died Aug. 26, 1826, aged 45 years.
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Thomas was married to Lydia Harthan, of Boylston, in May 1791, and resided on the homestead with his father, assisting in the management of the farm, receiving a share of the produce in return for his services.
Asa, was married to Sarah Thurston, of Westborough, May 31, 1798, when they went to Sterling, and settled on a farm which he had previously purchased, where they resided so long as they lived. She died suddenly, Feb. 26, 1807, in the forty-first year of her age, leaving him with four young children to lament her early departure.
She was a woman possessing good capacities, always pleasant and cheerful, combining the varions qualifications necessary to render her a useful and valuable housekeeper. He was again married to Tamer Eager, of Sterling, May 31, 1808, who survived him, and died Dec. 29, 1854, aged 81 years.
He possessed a kind, benevolent disposition, frequently furnishing assistance to the unfortunate aud destitute. He and his wife, who survived him, were professors of religion, possessing those christian hopes, which apparent- ly, fully sustained them in the final issue, when called to take their departure from this world to their final abode.
He had five children, two sons and three daughters, viz. : Asa, born February 4, 1800, died Aug. 31, 1803 ; Sarah, born July 15, 1801, died Dec. 12, 1830 ; Mary, who was the wife of Simeon Patridge, of Boylston, was born April 25, 1803, died April 18, 1836; Asa, was born Sept. 17, 1805, and resides on the homestead. Lucy, wife of Wel- come Johnson, of Nahant, was born January, 25, 1807.
Francis, was married to Thankful Fairbank, of Sterling, May 2, 1805, resided in Boylston until Dec. 1807, when they removed to Cincinnatus, now Marathon, N. Y., where she died suddenly, Nov. 21, 1814, aged forty-one years. He was again married in August 1816, to Lydia Surdam, from Salisbury, Ct., who survived him, and died April 21, 1853, aged 82 years.
He had three children, viz. : Persis, born April 9, 1806, the wife of Ira Surdam, of Hector, Pa .; Thankful,
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born May 22, 1809, the wife of Jonathan Nichols, of Sterling, Mass. ; Lucy, born Nov. 21, 1811, the wife of Jerry Smith, of Marathon, N. Y.
In 1841, he removed to Hector, Pa., where he resided until his decease in 1851.
Lucy, the youngest daughter of Thomas and Mary Keyes, was married to Lewis Glazier, of Gardner, Janua- ry 15, 1805, are yet living. having been connected in the marriage state almost fifty-two years.
They have had seven children, three sons and four daughters, viz. : Betsey Coolidge, wife of Harvey Bancroft, of Ashburnham, born Nov. 17, 1805; Thomas Edwin, born March 1807, resides with his parents in Gardner ; Mary Ann, born May 1812, died Jan. 8, 1813 ; Smyrna Sylvester and Lewis Lysander, born Dee. 2, 1813, and died on the 23d of the same month ; Lucy Ann, born Oct. 1816, died Feb. 15, 1838; Mary Keyes, born June 3, 1818.
The parents have long been professors of religion, and have been permitted to see all their children, who have lived to mature age, follow their example.
Luther was married to Lydia Parker, of Concord, May 8, 1803, and settled in Hubbardston, and afterwards removed to Cincinnatus, N. Y. where he resided until his decease. His wife died March 3, 1816, aged 37 years. He was again married to Mary Benedict, who still sur- vives. He had five children, viz. ; Breighton, who died after arriving at mature age ; Sumner and Grosvenor, now living, and two others, who died in infancy.
Dea. Jonathan Keyes was the second son of Dea. Thomas Keyes, of Marlborough, was born November 19, 1702, and died June 25, 1778, in the seventy-sixth year of his age. In 1727, he was married to Patience, daugh- ter of Joseph Morse, of Marlborough, and settled in Shrewsbury, now Boylston, on a lot of new land, which he had purchased a year or two previons, on which he had made preparations for a future residence, and on which they resided during the whole period of their life.
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One of the first things done after clearing and preparing a suitable piece of land, was the setting out of an orchard, some of the trees of which are yet standing, and in a pro- ductive condition.
The first dwelling house erected on this farm, was des- troyed by fire, when another was erected, which is now standing, and in good condition. having been built more than one hundred years ago.
They had eleven children, six living to mature age and five dying young, as follows : Jonathan, born January 21, 1728, died when about 60 years of age; Miriam, born Oct. 27, 1729, died young ; Dinah, born August 22, 1731, died 1733; Timothy, born 1733, died 1810; Miriam, born Dec. 14, 1735, was the wife of Artemas Maynard, died when about 80 years of age; Thomas. born Dec. 24, 1737, (Jan. 4, 1738, N. S.), diel 1812; Benja- min, born Jan. 29, 1740. died when about 65 years of age ; Asa, born 1742, died 1745; Catherine, and Dinah, born August 15, 1743, died in infancy; Catharine, born Oct. 9, 1747, was the wife of Warren Smith, and lived to be nearly 100 years of age. Patience. the wife of Dea. Keyes died after an illness of only two days continuance, May 1, 1776, in the seventy-first year of her age.
They early made a profession of religion, and lived and died exemplary christians.
Dea. Thomas Keyes, was born Feb. 8, 1674, was the son of Elias Keyes, of Sudbury, was married to Elisabeth, daughter of John Howe, Jr., of Marlborough, Jan. 23, 1698. She was grand daughter of John and Mary Howe, who were the first white settlers in Marlborough. Dea. Keyes died Aug. 25, 1742, aged 68 years Elizabeth, his wife, died Aug. 18, 1764, aged 90 years.
Dea. Keyes and wife, when married, settled on a new farm in the east part of Marlborough, on which they resided during their life time, and which is still in the possession of one of their lineal descendants.
They had five children, four sons and one daughter, as follows: David, born Oct. 30, 1699, killed suddenly by
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accident when twenty one years of age; Jonathan, born Nov. 19, 1702, settled in Shrewsbury, now Boylston, where he died suddenly of apoplexy, in 1778 ; Cyprian, born Sep. 15, 1706, settled in Shrewsbury, near his brother Jonathan, where he died June, 18, 1802, in the ninety-sixth year of his age ; Dinah, born March 4, 1710, was married to John Weeks in 1731, when they settled on the homestead with her father, where they resided during their lifetime ; Thomas, born Sept. 29, 1713, and died young.
Elias Keyes, was probably the son of Robert Keyes, and settled in Sudbury, where he was married to Sarah Blanford, Sep. 11, 1665. Robert Keyes, is supposed to have been one of the early emigrants to New England, and was in Watertown in.1633, which is the most that can be ascertained respecting him.
Elizabeth Howe, afterwards the wife of Dea. Thomas, Keyes, while on a visit to her sister, who had been mar- ried to Peter Joslyn, and settled in Lancaster, on the 18th of July, 1692, was taken captive by the Indians, and carried to Canada, where she remained in captivity about four years, when she was redeemed by the government and returned home, to the great joy and comfort of her friends and relatives, and especially of him to whom she was afterwards married, and to whom she was engaged previous to her captivity.
While with the Indians, she endured much unavoida- ble hardship and suffering, but was always treated humanely, and received as good fare from them as they enjoyed themselves. During her captivity, she acquired many of the habits and usages of the Indians, which she retained for a time after her return, but they gradually wore off and disappeared.
John Howe, grandfather of Elisabeth Howe, settled in Marlborough, in 1655. He lived in peace with the Indi- ans, who regarded him as their superior, believing him to be an honest man, and their true and faithful friend. The following incident is related : two Indians disputed about
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an article, both claiming to be the rightful owner thereof. The case was submitted to Mr. Howe for decision. After patiently hearing the parties, he divided the thing in dispute, giving half to each of the claimants. Both par- ties extolled the equity of the judge, and cheerfully acqui- esced in the decision.
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Historical memorandum and genealogical r
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