USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Gardner > History of Gardner, Massachusetts : from its earliest settlement to 1860 > Part 2
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Eaton, John, from Needham, located as a farmer in the north part of the town, where now resides his son, John Eaton. He was a soldier in the taking of Burgoyne's army. He m. Mary Larkin ; their ch. were :- 1. Lucy, m. Mr. Boyden ; they had one child whose name was Mary Ann. 2. Josiah, m. Mary Weston ; whose ch. were :- Merrick, Mary Ann, Josiah, Otis, Danford, George, Nancy and Charles. 3. Mary, m. Isaac Williams ; whose ch. were :- Mary, Charles and Calvin. 4. John, m. Betsy Esty ; whose ch. were :- George, Warren, Franklin, Eliza, John, Amasa, Mary, Maria and Oliver. 5. Nancy. 6. Peter, m. Catha- rine Coolidge ; whose ch. were :- Mary Ann and Charles. His second wife was Mrs. Knowlton. Mr. Eaton d. in 1827, ae. 81.
Eaton, Ebenezer, from Needham, was a farmer in the south part of the town. He m. Joanna Hutchinson ; their ch. were :- Ebenezer, Jonas and Sarah. His second wife was Mrs. Richardson ; whose ch were :- Betsy, George and Clarissa.
Eaton, Jonathan, (brother to the two last mentioned,) was a farmer, living in the west part of the town. He m. Bulah Ward; their ch. were :- 1. Bulah. 2. Jonathan, d. 3. Joseph, d. 4. Benjamin, d. 5. Jonathan, m. Miss Lane. 6. Rebecca. Mr. Eaton d. in 1819.
Edgell, Joseph, from Westminster, was a farmer, living near the west village, where Charles Stacy now resides. He m. Dorcas -; whose ch. were :- Charles, Nancy, Joseph, d., Rebecca, Joseph and Kendall. He moved back to West- minster many years ago.
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FAMILY HISTORY.
Edgell, Benjamin, from Westminster, was a farmer and cooper, in the south part of the town, living where Joseph Metcalf now resides. He m. Priscilla Graves; their ch. were :- 1. Susan. 2. Benjamin, m. Mary Ann Dollonson. 3. Catharine. 4. Priscilla, m. Newell Brown; whose ch. were :- Charles, Sarah and Henry. 5. Mary, m. Luther Alden ; whose ch. were :- Luther and Silas. 6. Farewell, m. Mary Ann Sawin ; whose ch. were :- Emily, d., Elvira C. and Emily Janette, d. His second wife was Mary Ann Minott ; they had one child whose name was George. 7. Lonisa. 8. Lucy, m. Aseph Wood; whose ch. were :- Pru- cius M., d., Prucius M., Amanda, Theophilus, d., Luey Au- gusta, Theophilus and Adelia. His second wife was Abby H. Pierce ; they had one child whose name was Eliza H. 9. Abigail, m. Edward L. Turner; whose ch. were :- Francis E., d., Martha P., Edward S., Frank H. and Harriet A. 10. Martha, m. Jonas Pierce ; whose ch. were :- Calvin and Catharine, d. His second wife was Mrs. Nichols ; they had one child whose name was Erastus N. Mr. Edgell d. in 1817, ae. 46.
Fisher, Gideon, was one of the first inhabitants of the town, living in the north part: was a great help to the place in clearing it of wild animals. He m. Mrs. Rebecca Hutchins ; they had one child whose name was William. Mr. F. sold in a few years and left the place.
Foster, David, from Reading, was a farmer and carpenter. He was engaged in the Revolutionary war nine months, and was the last man who fled from the enemy at the battle of Bunker hill. He m. Betsy Minott; their ch were :- 1. Betsy, d. 2. Susanna. 3. David, d. 4. David. 5. Betsy. Mr. Foster d. in 1815, ae. 70.
3*
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FAMILY HISTORY.
Foster, Samuel, from Reading, lived in the west part of the town. He m. Elizabeth Boyden; their ch. were :- 1. Lizzie. 2. Samuel, m. Mary Payson ; they had one child whose name was Joseph Payson. His second wife was Mary Persons. 3. Dolly, m. Mr. French. 4. Peter. 5. Jesse. 6. Assenath. 7. Jonah. 8. Rufus.
Fairbanks, Levi, from Harvard, was a farmer in the east part of the town, where his son, Levi Fairbanks, now resides. He m. Eunice Randall ; their ch. were :- 1. Levi, m. Miss Anderson ; whose ch. were :- Phebe, Walter, Mary and Stephen. His second wife was Mrs. Pierce. 2. Jabez, m. Abigail Seaver; whose ch. were :- Abigail and Louisa. His second wife was Nancy Temple; they had one child whose name was Sardis. 3. Ephraim, m. Susan Weston ; whose ch. were :- Nelson, Elisha and Stephen. 4. Joseph, m. Ruth Jaquith ; whose ch. were :- Harriet Newell, Ruth Jaquith, Joseph and Alonzo. 5. Eunice, m. Stephen Wes- ton ; whose ch. were :- Adaline, Stephen, Maria and Mary. 6. Lydia, m. Arba Brooks; whose ch. were :- Eunice and William. 7. Stephen, d. 8. Luke. Mr. Fairbanks d. in the year 1845, ac. 90. His wife d. in the year 1851, ae. 92.
Fairbanks, Noah, from Harvard, was a farmer in the west village, living where Lewis H. Graham now resides. He m. Hannah Whitcomb ; their ch. were :- 1. Emory, m. Eunice Heywood ; whose ch. were :- Emory H., Francis J., James H., Elizabeth E., Joseph W., Susan A., Lucy Ann and Laura. 2. Noah. 3. Sewell, m. Susan Heywood; whose ch. were :- James H. and Sewell W. 4. Aseph, m. Han- nah Whitcomb ; whose ch. were :- Aseph Waldo, Joel Whitcomb and Martha Malvina. 5. Sophronia, m. Lewis H. Graham; whose ch. were :- Lucy Jane, Henry Lewis,
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FAMILY HISTORY.
Mary Louisa and Lucius Fairbanks. 6. Hannah. 7. Lucy, m. Joseph Barker ; whose ch. were :- Mary Lemira, Eliza Adaline and Martha Maria. 8. Joel, m. Esther Leland. Mr. Fairbanks d. in 1852, ae. 80.
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Fenno, William, from Boston, was a farmer, living in the east part of the town; the place is now owned by Hosea Hadley. He m. Rachel Ray ; they had one child whose name was Mary ; who m. Abel Wood; their ch. were :- Ly- man T., Hiram, Sophia, Dolly, Hannah, Cynthia, Joel and William. His second wife was Lydia Ray; whose ch. were :- 1. William, m. Mary Corey; whose ch. were :- Samuel Farrar, Lucy Corey, Elmira, William Wood, Steph- en, Mary, Lucinda and Frances Ann. 2. Asa, m. Grata Wheeler ; whose ch. were :-- David Dickerson, William Stone, Mary Emily, Jonas Wheeler, Ray, Elmira, Harriet and Joel. 3. Joel, m. Sarah Corey ; whose ch. were :-- Sarah Clarinda, Hezekiah Corey, Willard Jefts, Charles Al- exander and Joel Carmillus. 4. Elmira, m. Joseph Carter ; whose ch. were :- Mary Elizabeth, Adalaide and Eveline. 5. Lucinda, m. Washington Nichols ; whose ch. were :- Eliza Jane, George Burknap and Charles Monroe. 6. Ly- man, m. Mary Miller ; whose ch. were :- Jane Maria, Ella Isadore, George Henry and Hattie Augusta. Mr. Fenno d. in 1822.
Green, Israel, the fourth inhabitant of the town, lived one and one-half miles north-west from its center. He had four sons, who were mighty huntsmen, and were noted for killing bears. The sons all enlisted in the Revolutionary war ; only one of them ever returned. He had one dau. who m. Josiah Baldwin. Mr. Green removed to Westminster be- fore his death.
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FAMILY HISTORY.
Green, Nathan, from Leicester, was a farmer, living in the north-easterly part of the town ; he abstained from all spir- ituous liquors, and in that respect was almost an exception in those days. About the year 1820 his house was struck with lightning ; Mr. Green and his wife felt the shock. It affected him like a stick of wood coming with force against his lower limbs. It stunned Mrs. Green. They heard no report, though it sounded to others like the firing of a gun; there was no rain; the hemisphere was diversified with light and brassy clouds ; there appeared a black cloud in the center, "like a man's hand," from which it was supposed that the electrical fluid proceeded. The carpenter who repaired the house found it considerably shattered and thought there was not a nail but what was either drawn out, or started. He m. a French lady, Margaret, dau. of John D. Jersey, from the Island of Journsey. They had no children. Nathan Green, (a nephew of his,) lived with them from a child, to whom he gave his property ; he m Fanny Bicknell; they had one child whose name was Charles. Mr. Green d. in 1822, ae. 71.
Glazier, John, came from Shrewsbury in 1773 ; he owned a good farm in the center of the town, and kept a public house; was an honest, upright man, anxious to promote the welfare and prosperity of the town; he gave them the use of his house to hold their meetings in, until the meeting- house was built ; it is the place that Asa Richardson now owns, and is supposed to be the oldest house in town He m. Sarah, dau. of Isaac Temple, of Shrewsbury ; their ch. were :- 1. Smyrna, m. Bridget Foster ; whose ch. were :-- Bridget and Abram Foster. When Smyrna was about four years old he fell into a well and climbed out alone. When he was a young man he was very fond of a gun ; he shot at
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FAMILY HISTORY.
a hawk when flying high in the air, and brought it to the ground. At another time he shot at a flock of wild geese and killed two of them with a single ball as they were swim- ming in the pond. He obtained a good common education from his own industry, as schools were scarce in those days. He is now living, and the oldest person in town. His age is 92. 2. Lewis, m. Betsy Coolidge ; whose ch. were :-- John Coolidge and Sarah Temple. His second wife was Lucy Keyes ; whose ch. were :- Betsy Coolidge, Thomas Edwin, Mary Ann, d., Smyrna Sylvester and Lewis Lysander, (twins,) d., Lucy Ann and Mary Keyes. 3. Ruth, m. Jona- than Prescott; whose ch. were :- Jonathan, Bushrod Washington, Elizabeth, William, Sarah, George and Ruth Ann. Mr. Prescott was the first merchant in Gardner ; he built the house and lived where Francis Richardson, Esq. now resides : after living in town a few years he removed to Boston, where he was appointed constable, which office he held during life. He d. in 1852, ae. 92. 4. Elizabeth. 5. Sarah, d. in 1786, at the age of 1 year, and was the first one interred in the burying ground. Mr. Glazier d. in 1826, ae. 87.
Goodale, Peter, from West Boylston, was a farmer, re- siding on the place now occupied by Charles Green. He was a good townsman while he stayed, which was but a short time, when he sold and went back to West Boylston. He m. Abigail, dau. of Benjamin Hinds ; whose ch. were :- Elizabeth, Benjamin, Jason, Peter, Aseph and Junia.
Greenwood, Jonathan, from Sherburne, was a farmer, and kept a public house in the south part of the town, where his son, Walter Greenwood, now resides. He m. Sybil Hol- brook ; their ch. were :- 1. Alvin, m. Mary Childs ; whose
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FAMILY HISTORY.
ch. were :- Sophia, d., Sophia, Maria, Calvin S., Alvin Mon- roe, James Holbrook, Charles, William and Mary. 2. Sybil, d. 3. Jonathan, m. Phebe Temple; whose ch. were :- Walter, Louisa, Thomas, Betsy, Mason and Joel. 4. Walter, m. Rebecca Wright; whose ch. were :- Aaron, Emily, Martha, Rebecca, Edward W., George, Judson and Thomas. 5. Sybil, m. William Whitney ; whose ch. were :- Sybil and Betsy. 6. Leonora, m. George W. Cowee; whose ch. were :- Sybil C., George Leander, Alvin G., Aaron, Mary M. and Adaline. His second wife was Sarah Wilcox ; whose ch. were :- Frank, d., and Fred (twins,) Frank, Ellen E. and Hattie J. Mr. Greenwood d. in 1821, ae. 66.
Greenwood, Aaron, from Sherburne, was a farmer, in the south-west part of the town, where his grandson, Aaron L. Greenwood, now resides. He was three years in the Revo- lutionary war, and received a pension a number of years. He m. Anna Learned; their ch. were :- 1. Charles, m. Betsy Temple ; whose ch. were :- Aaron L., Francis T., Betsy, Edward and Asa Temple. 2. Anna. Mr. Green- wood d. in 1824, ae. 68.
Gates, Simon, moved from Westminster to Gardner with- out changing his residence ; the town line crossing his farm, he had a right to belong to the town he chose, and being a just man, decided to come to Gardner, because he thought it his duty to go where he could do the most good. He had a good farm on what is called Beech hill, where his grand- son, Horace Gates, now lives, and was one of the principal men in building up the town. He m. Susanna Reed; their ch. were :- 1. Nathan, m. Abigail Knowlton ; whose ch. were :- Nathan, Jeremiah, d., Abel, Aseph, Luke, d., Abi-
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FAMILY HISTORY.
gail, Luther, Amos, Susannah, an infant dau., d., Lucinda, Clarissa, Jeremiah Knowlton, James Eliot and Benjamin Addison. 2. Simon, m. Sarah Taylor ; whose ch. were :- Louisa, Simon Hazeltine, Horace, Dennis, Mary and Dolly. 3. Daniel, m. Phebe Mosman; whose ch. were :- Daniel Merrick, Sophronia, Leonard Mosman, Lucy, Phebe, Char- lotte and Solomon Keyes. 4. Reuben, m. -; their ch. were :- Samantha Keyes, Anna Mosman, Ezekiel, Dar- win and Bial. 5. Ezekiel. 6. Elizabeth, d. 7. Elizabeth. Mr. Gates d. in 1803, ae. 63.
Holland, Joseph, from Boylston, was one of the first set- tlers in Gardner, his place is the one now owned by Capt. Joel Cowee. After living in town a few years he sold to Mr. Glazier and went north. At this time Mr. Heywood and Mr. Glazier owned about 300 acres of land in the center of the town. Mr. Holland m. Elizabeth Gleason ; whose ch. were :- Joseph, James, Ruth and Ephraim.
Heywood, Seth, (son of Phineas Heywood, and grandson of Dea. John Heywood, of Concord.) who came from Sterling to Gardner, was one of the first settlers in town ; had a good farm in the center of the town; he was also a blacksmith. He was a man of superior mind, and had a remarkable memo- ry ; being a great reader, he was able to relate a history of almost any book then known. He was a valuable member of society, and was greatly beloved by all who knew him. He was Lieutenant in the army at Cambridge nine months. He m. Martha, dau. of Isaac Temple of Shrewsbury ; their ch. were :- 1. Betsy. 2. John, m. Mary Hutchins ; whose ch. were :-- Mary, John and Betsy Lavette. 3. Sarah, m. Samuel Edgell ; whose ch. were :- Betsy, Sarah, William, Mary, Lucinda and Samuel. 4. Ann, m. William Whit-
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FAMILY HISTORY.
ney : whose ch. were :- William. Seth, Joseph, Althina, Anna. Hollis. Amasa and Lucy. (twins.) Mr. Whitney d. in 1846. ae. S1 : his wife died so soon after, that their fu- Derals were attended together. Her age was 76. 5. Mary, m. Joseph Borden. M. D .; whose ch. were :- Mary, Wyat Clark. Lucy. Ebenezer. Fredrick and Joseph. After resid- ing in Gardner a few years, Dr. Borden left for Tamworth, N. H .. where he became an eminent physician ; but was suddenly cut off in the midst of life, by a fall from his horse. 6. Benjamin. m. Mary Whitney: whose ch. were :- Levi, Benjamin Franklin. Walter, William, Seth and Charles. 7. Martha. m. Samuel Sawin ; whose ch. were :- Samuel Wes- ton. Eliza Adaline, John Harrison and Levi Heywood. 8. Seth. 9. Lucy. m. Gardner Pollard : whose ch. were :- Lucy. Martha. Levi. Seth. Elmira. Nancy and Gardner. 10. Levi. m. Nancy Healy ; whose ch. were :- John Healy# and Benjamin Seth. He graduated at Dartmouth College in 1808. Commenced the study of law. with Hon. Nathaniel Paine. of Worcester, and finished with Hon. Elijah Mills, of Northampton : admitted to the bar in 1811, and com- menced practice in Worcester the same year. In Oct., 1818, he removed to Pickneyville, Louisiana, where he engaged in teaching school. Having kept an office in New York for a short period. he became Principal of the Academy in Hackensack. New Jersey. He again resumed practice in the city of New York, where he died in 1832, ae. 49. Mr. Heywood d. in 1817, ae. 89.
Hill. Marvrick. from Medway, was a farmer, residing in the north part of the town. His place was adjoining the Green
* Graduated at Harvard College, was ordained at Worcester. as a Unitarian Minister in le., and settled soon after in Louisville, Kentucky, where he still resides.
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FAMILY HISTORY.
place. He m. Abigail Moulton : their ch. were :- 1. Moses. m. Lucy Adams ; whose ch. were :- Elizabeth Clark. James Marvrick. Thomas Adams. Lucy, Cyrus. Clement. Hannah Adams, d., Moses, Isaac Watts. Hannah Adams. Millie, Sophia and Harriet Binam. (twins.) 2. Jesse. m. Keziah Brick : whose ch. were :- Keziah. Abigail. Gilbert. Sarah. Julia. Heman, Jesse and Mercy. 3. Bezaleel. m. Hannah Baker ; whose ch. were :- Nancy, Caleb. Hannah, Lucy Orinda. Bezaleel. Amza. Moses. Abigail Marvrick. Silas Baker and Lydia. 4. Nathaniel. m. Annis Whitcomb : whose ch. were :- Tamar. d .. Lucinda. Mary. Elizabeth, d .. Annis. Ebenezer. d .. Nathaniel. d., Mercy. d., Tamar and Linda. 5. Mary. 6. Mercy. 7. Sylvenus. m. Charlotte Bacon : they had one child whose name was Sylvenus. Mrs. Hill d. in the year 1807. ae. 93. Many years ago. while they were having their garden plowed. Mr. Hill told his boys to be careful of a little apple-tree fof about two years growth.) as their mother was expecting to live to eat the fruit of it : she did live to see it bear thirty bushels of apples in a year. The day she was ninety years old. she committed to memory a hymn of Dr. Watts , with as much ease and accuracy as in early life. Spinning linen was her employment the last years of her life ; she spun the warp for a web of thirty vards after she was ninety-three years old.
Hadley. Joseph. was one of the early settlers. residing as a farmer in the north part of the town. His ch. were :- Mehitable. Stephen and Nathan. There are none of his posterity now resident in town. and little can be learned with regard to them.
Hinds, Daniel, from West Boylston. was a farmer. living in the south part of the town. He m. Sarah Holbrook :
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FAMILY HISTORY.
whose ch. were :- Sarah, James, Benjamin, Daniel and Milton. He moved back to West Boylston.
Howe, Ebenezer, from Templeton, located as a farmer about a mile north of the center of Gardner. The place is now owned by Peter Eaton. He m. Elizabeth Deland ; their ch. were :- 1. Tameson. 2. Perley, m. Jane T. Belcher; whose ch. were :- Betsy Deland, Sarah, Eli, Frances M., Ebenezer, Perley, Lydia, Jane R. and Emily Augusta. 3. Ezekiel, m. Susanna Payson; whose ch. were :- Ezekiel, Franklin, Joseph Payson, Samuel Stillman, Stowell, Mary Payson, Susan, George, David Monroe and Betsy. 4. Sarah, m. Silas Wood ; whose ch. were :- Amos and Phebe. 5. Betsy, m. John Miller ; whose ch. were :- Ebenezer, Eliza, Benjamin, Maria, Amos and Betsy. 6. Benjamin, m. Kesiah Hill; whose ch. were :- Benjamin, Amos, Sarah, Ebenezer Deland, Simeon, Mary Ann, Lucy and 'Harrison. 7. Amos, whose birth was the first in town after its incorporation ; it occurred June 17th, 1785; he d. in 1805, ae. 20. His second wife was Mercy Hill. Mr. Howe d. in 1808, ae. 62.
Haynes, Reuben, from Sudbury, was a farmer, in the north part of the town; his land joined Winchendon. He was chosen Lieutenant of the first militia company formed in Gardner ; was a soldier in the Revolutionary war three years, and sergeant part of the time; he received $120 an- nually for some years as a pensioner. He m. Susanna Wil- lis ; their ch. were :- 1. Susanna. 2. Ezra Willis, m. Mar- tha Stone ; whose ch. were :- Reuben, Mary and Martha Willis. Her second husband was Elisha Coolidge ; whose ch. were :- Wesley and Charles. 3. Sarah, m. Jonathan Temple ; whose ch. were :- Jerusha, Jonathan, and Willis.
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FAMILY HISTORY.
4. Israel, d. 5. Eunice. 6. Reuben, d. 7. Ruth. 8. Re- becca. 9. Jerusha. 10. Asenath. Capt. Haynes d. in 1841, ac. 86.
Jackson, Elisha, from Westminster, was the first inhabitant in Gardner. He was a man of stability and force of char- acter accompanied with sagacity ; was a farmer, and kept a public house in the south part of the town where D. W. McFarland now resides. He m. Bulah Taylor ; their ch. were :- 1. Jemima, m. Ebenezer Keyes ; whose ch. were :- Ebenezer, Elisha, Solomon, Lorenzo and Jemima. 2. Lucy, m. Aaron Wood ; whose ch. were :- Lucy, Sarah and Aaron. His second wife was Bethia Beard; whose ch. were :- Moses, Cyrena, Asaph, Amanda, Emeline, Theophilus P.," and Abel S. 3. Bulah, m. Jonathan Brown ; whose ch. were :- Jonathan, John, Charles, d., Elisha, Charles, Sarah, d., Sarah, Benjamin Babbitt, Lucy and Nancy. 4. Ruth, m. Nahum Wood ; whose ch. were :- Louisa, Ruth, Catharine, Albert and Nahum Howard. 5. Elisha, m. Relief Beard ; whose ch. were : - Phebe, Lucy, Elisha Stowell, Sophronia and Samantha, (twins,) Joseph Loring, Charles Weston, Elvira and Leonard Franklin. 6. Josiah, m. Arathusa
* Ile had the misfortune to lose his father when a child, and, with his brothers, had to struggle with all the difficulties incident to a state of orphan- age. In early life he had laid the foundation of a character for integrity and business talents seldom exceeded ; and obtained an education superior to most of the young men at that time. It may be said in all his various transactions, he was high-minded and honorable, commanding the respect of a numerous acquaintance ; his judgment was sound, active, and enterprising ; being pos- sessed of a candid and liberal mind, he saw things in their true and just rela- tions, receiving the universal confidence of the community in which he lived. As a merchant he was courteous and affable, public-spirited and honorable. He was not long destined to follow in the path that opened to him so brightly ; after disease had marked him for a prey, he visited a foreign clime, (Cuba) in hopes of recovery but of no avail : in his sickness he enjoyed the hopes and consolatious of the gospel. He died soon after his return home, ae. 29.
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FAMILY HISTORY.
Bacon ; whose ch. were :- Christiana Bacon, Arathusa Caro- line, Josiah Alexander, Abigail Sanger and Eliza Adaline. 7. Ebenezer, m. Susanna Foster. 8. Abigail, m. Timothy Taft ; whose ch. were :- Lucy and Lucinda, (twins,) Proc- tor, Abigail and Roena. 9. Abel, m. Betsy Foster ; whose ch. were :- David Foster, Elizabeth, Susan, Harriet and Abel. Mr. Jackson d. in 1814, ae. 77.
Kendall, Benjamin, from Sherburne, was a farmer, in the south part of the town, dwelling where Walter Greenwood now resides. He m. Keziah Twichell ; their ch. were :- 1. Aseph, m. Eunice Case ; whose ch were :- William, Mary, Benjamin, James, Aseph, Timothy, Bethia and Daniel. His second wife was Hannah Batchelder ; whose ch. were :- Jane and Charles. 2. Rebecca, d. 3. Jonathan, m. Mary Nichols ; whose ch. were :- Aseph, Hubbard, Moses, Eunice, Orrison, Edmund, Cruso, Rebecca, Mary, Fanny and Har- rison. 4. Rebecca. 5. Martin, m. Prudence Kendall ; whose ch. were :- Isaac, Mary, Alvin, Annis, David, Ada- line, Bartlett Stoddard, Benjamin and Martin. 6. Anna, m. Marshall Stoddard ; whose ch. were :- Marshall, Anna, Jane and Benjamin. 7. Miriam, m. Bartlett Stoddard ; whose ch. were :- Bartlett and Nancy Keziah, d. 8. Keziah. Mr. Kendall d. in 1841, ae. 96.
Kneeland, Timothy, from Harvard, was the third inhabi- tant of the town ; (Samuel Cook was the second inhabitant of Gardner, and lived where Aaron L. Greenwood now resides ; nothing more can be ascertained concerning him, as he moved from town in the early part of its history.) He located about one and one-half miles west of the center of the town, (which was then Winchendon,) was a carpenter, had a good education and was much employed in town affairs. He was
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FAMILY HISTORY.
a soldier in the Revolutionary war three years and three months. There are none of his descendants now residing in Gardner. Soon after they came here, (while they went by marked trees,) Mrs. Kneeland visited at Mr. Bancroft's, one of the neighbors ; on her return home she lost the path and wandered several miles until she came to Otter river, and not knowing where she was, called loudly for help; having a child with her, they sat down on a log to rest, and being warm, she took off her bonnet ; hearing a crackling of something coming towards her and thinking it must be a bear or a wolf, she sereamed, when her own dog barked in an- swer : she always called that the most joyful moment of her life ; when she got her child asleep she arose and told the dog to go home. She forgot her bonnet and never found it afterwards, or knew the place where the dog found her. Be- fore the incorporation of the town they attended meeting in Templeton ; at one time, the snow being deep, they put on rackets and walked four miles to meeting, carrying a child to be baptized. Mrs. Kneeland was a very enterprising wo- man, as the following anecdote will show : One night after her family had retired to rest she had ten yards to weave to complete the web ; the cloth belonged to a lady in Temple- ton, and being in want of the pay she labored through the night and finished the web at the dawn of day. He m. Maria Stone ; their ch. were :- 1. Maria, m. Josiah Nichols ; whose ch. were :- Andrew, Sarah, David, Levi, Sabria and Fanny. 2. Oliver, m. Betsy Baldwin ; whose ch. were :- Israel, Lucy, Silas, Esther, Betsy, Levi, Abner and Edward. 3. John, m. Mary Johnson ; whose ch. were :-- Mary Cyn- thia, Electa, Lucy, Bial, Arza, Eliza and John W. 4. Mi- riam. 5. Asa, m. Hannah Cheney ; whose ch. were :- John, Phyland, Hannah G., Dulcena, Asa, Maria, Abner, Leonard,
4*
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FAMILY HISTORY.
Sarah, Gardner and Averill. 6. Abner, m. Waity Orms- bee ; whose ch were :- Waitstill, Sophronia and John S. His second wife was Lucinda Mason; whose ch were :- Lucinda and Abner O. His third wife was Mrs. Osburn. His fourth wife was a lady from Boston. Abner Kneeland, whose fame reached almost every country, was brought up in the good old-fashioned ways of our ancestors. Being naturally of a strong mind, he, with but little assistance, gained a good education, and was employed in the capacity of a school-teacher for some time. In 1802 he published a spelling-book of 200 pages, entitled the "American Definition Spelling Book." He was engaged as a merchant for a time, but adhering to the principle of justice and honesty, depend- ing upon prosperity for a living, the tide of fortune rolled the wrong way, and he gave up the business for the carpen- ter's trade; saying, the only way to be rich, is to be con- tented with what you have ; thus making the beggar as rich as the king could possibly be on his throne. In 1805 he was ordained as a Baptist minister in Langdon, N. H., and - for several years was a member of that denomination. Af- terwards he was a preacher of universal salvation for some years. Subsequently he became a deist, and was for many years the editor of the Boston Investigator. He d. in 1844, ae. 70. 7. Lucy, m. Paul Stearns; whose ch. were :- Timothy Kneeland, Lucy, Thomas, John Milton, (who is a Counsellor and Attorney at law, in Williamsburg, N. Y.,) Sarah, Benjamin Franklin, (a merchant in Felchville, Vt.,) and George Washington, (twins,) (is a minister and physi- cian in New Bedford, Mass.,) Paul W. and Honestus. 8. Sarah, m. Mr. Phinney. 9. Edward, d. 10. Silas, m. Martha Laws ; whose ch. were :- Lucy, Maria, Martha, Ira, Joel, Nancy, Abel L. M., George W. S. and Mary. Mr. Kneeland d. in 1818, ae. 81.
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