USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Grafton > History of Grafton, Worcester county, Massachusetts, from its early settlement by the Indians in 1647 to the present time, 1879. Including the genealogies of seventy-nine of the older families > Part 44
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33-3 LUKE LELAND, (Luke, Eleazer, Phineas, James, Ebenezer, Henry), b. 1820, m. Submit Buxton. Cb.,
1. FRANKLIN H., b. 1846.
34-1
CHARLES H. LELAND, (Joseph W., Luke, Eleazer, Phineas, James, Ebenezer, Henry), b. Ang. 27, 1845, m. Oct. 9, 1876, Abbie M. Smith, b. Sept. 5, 1852, s. p.
TIMOTHY E. LELAND, (Timothy, Moses, James, Ebenezer, Henry), b. 1821, m. Louisa W. Eddy.
LEATHE, (Lethe, etc.)
ROBERT LEATHE, (lineage not ascertained), m. Eunice -. Chil- dren,
1. RHODA, b. June 26, 1743. 2. SARAH, b. Nov. 27, 1746.
1 3. BENJAMIN, b. June 9, 1749, m. Sarah Stearnes.
4. EZRA, b. Sept. 29, 1751.
2
5. JABEZ, O. Nov. 19, 1752, m. Betty Hall.
3
6. ZEPHANIAH, b. May 16, 1754, m. Lucretia and Prudence Dodge.
7. AsA, b. Nov. 14, 1761, m. Sept. 6, 1786, Priscilla Rawson.
1-3 BENJAMIN LEATHE, (Robert), b. June 9, 1749, m. Sarah Stearnes, b. July 17, 1750, (dau. of Capt. John), d. Apr. 30, 1844. He d. Mar. 18, 1835. Children,
1. EUNICE, b. Jan. 27, 1772. 2. MATILDA, b. May 17, 1773.
3. ROBERT, b. Feb. 21, 1775; one of the most ingenious men and mechanics of the land.
4. BENJAMIN, b. Aug. 7, 1776, m. Azubah Singletery.
5. ZEPHANIAH, b. Mar. 2, 1778. 6. SARAH, b. Nov. 18, 1779.
7. SOLOMON, b. July 25, 1781, m. Sophia
8. POLLY, b. Sept. 17, 1783. 9. NANCY, b. Aug. 11, 1785.
11. OLIVER, b. Feb. 1, 1790, d. May 26, 1812.
4 5 10. CATHERINE, b. Oct. 2, 1787.
JABEZ LEATHE, (Robert), b. Nov. 19, 1752, m. Nov. 8, 1776,. Betty Hall. Children,
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FAMILY GENEALOGIES.
1. JESSE, b. July 25, 1780. 2. RHODA, b. Oct. 16, 1782.
3. MOSES, b. June 19, 1785.
3-6 ZEPHANIAH LEATHE, (Robert), b. May 16. 1754, m. Lucretia -; m. 2nd, May 1, 1800. Prudence Dodge. Children,
1. SOPHA, b. Feb. 25, 1781. 2. JOSHUA, b. June 18, 1782.
3. LUCRETIA, b. Sept. 9, 1784. 4. LEVINAH, b. Sept. 26, 1787.
5. FANNY, b. Jan. 10, 1789. 6. SYLVANUS B., b. Feb. 9, 1791.
7. GEORGE R., b. Apr. 28, 1793.
8. ORIGIN, b. June 2, 1795, d. July 17, 1796.
4-4 BENJAMIN LEATHE, (Benjamin, Robert), b. Aug. 7, 1776, in. Azubalı Singletery. Children,
1. MARY, b. Sept. 30, 1801. 2. JANE A., b Dec. 4, 1804, d. Dec. 4, 1828.
3. SARAH S., b. Feb. 23, 1807. 4. AZUBAH S., b. Apr. 30, 1809.
5. BENJAMIN C., b. Sept. 24, 1811, d. Mar. 6, 1822.
6. CERENA B., b. Aug. 12, 1814.
5-7 SOLOMON LEATHE, (Benjamin, Robert), b. July 25, 1781, m. Sophia . who d. Feb. 16, 1825. Children,
1 .. BETSEY T., b. July 26, 1805, d. Mar. 20, 1817.
2. JAMES S., b. June 12, 1807.
3. LEVI L., b. June 15, 1809, m. Sept. 28, 1831, Frances Marble.
4. PERSIS S., b. Apr. 30, 1813, d. Oct. 23, 1817.
5. ABNER T., b. Apr. 8, 1816. 6. SALLY C., b. Aug. 10, 1819.
MCCLELLAN.
Several families of this name came to America, probably about the years 1690 to 1700; but their residence, connections and genealogy are not fully knowu. They were of Scottish origin. One family settled in Woodstock, Conn. Col. Hugh Mcclellan settled in Colrain. Rev. Daniel Mcclellan was born in Pennsylvania, but resided in Colrain in 1769. James McClellan came to New England in 1718, and settled in Worcester.
JAMES MCCLELLAN, (James), b. June 22, 1727, m. Feb. 2, 1758, Sarah Axtell (A), b. 1737, d. Sept. 2, 1805. He d. Sept. 11, 1794.
He purchased a farm in Sutton, where he always resided. This farm was owned by his son, Dea. James, and his grandson, Dea. John, until 1855, when he sold it to R. R. Dodge and removed to Saundersville. Children,
1. JAMES, b. Aug. 8, 1759, m. Beulah Bacon.
1 He had three other children who died in infancy.
1-1 JAMES MCCLELLAN, (James, James), b. Aug. 8, 1759, m. Nov., 1784, Beulah Bacon, b. 1764, d. Aug. 9, 1837. Deacon McClellan d. June 26, 1841.
He was for a number of years identified with the First Baptist Church, and was one of the principal members. Children,
1. BETSEY, b. 1785, m. Warren Marsh. Res. Sutton.
2. SARAH, b. 1787, m. Rev. Jouatban E. Forbush.
3. JAMES, b. Sept. 18, 1789, m. Fanny Fletcher. Res. Northbridge.
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HISTORY OF GRAFTON.
4. PATTY, b. 1791, d. Feb. 2, 1816.
5. NANCY, b. Jan. 13, 1794, m. Rev. Job Boomer. Res. Fall River.
6. MARY, b. 1796. 7. BEULAH, b. 1798, d. Nov. 22, 1815.
8. LUCY, b. Dec. 4, 1800.
19. JOHN, b. Dec. 8, 1806, m. Anna I. Daggett.
2
2-9
JOHN MCCLELLAN, (James, James, James), b. Dec. 8, 1806, m. Oct. 4, 1834, Anna I. Daggett, b. Nov. 24, 1811.
He resides in Saundersville, and is engaged in agriculture, having one of the finest farms in town. He is deacon of the First Baptist Church, and one of the most efficient members of that society. He has held the principal town offices, aud was representative in 1866. Chil- dren,
· 1. JAMES E., b. June 16, 1838, d. July 7, 1863. (See civil war history).
2. EMMA C., b. Jan. 21, 1841. A well known teacher; unm.
3. SARAH J., b. Apr. 14, 1843, unm. 4. MARY T., b. July 22, 1845, unm.
5. JOHN E., b. Sept. 5, 1847, m. Mary Bartshee. Res. Buffalo, Mo.
6. ARTHUR D., b. May 21, 1850. (Graduated Brown University).
7. LELIA A., b. Feb. 23, 1852, d. July 29, 1875.
8. FRANCIS A., b. Dec. 24, 1854. 9. JENNIE I., b. July 7, 1857.
MERRIAM. Tbis family came from Concord.
" When the Indians were yet beating the old Hassanamesit hills for game, and their wigwams marked the course of the trout-breeding stream, the Merriams, among other pioneer whites, had begun the culti- vation of that portion of the towu to this day passing as the 'Mer- riam District.' While portions of the original homestead have passed into other hands, its fairest acres are still in the possession of the lin- eal descendants of Dea. Joseph. For four generations, beginning with the Joseph Merriam, the first settler, the first born was a boy, and. named Joseph. Of these, in pious as well as hereditary descent, three have been honored officers in the old parish church of the town. The last surviving of the Josephs lives upon, and works his farm, within hailing distance of his ancestors' hearthstone. A simple mode of life, combined with industry and piety, has given unusual longevity to his family. Some seven years ago, the third iu descent from the original Joseph was buried at the ripe age of ninety-eight years. His widow survives him, in full enjoyment of her mental and most of her bodily powers. The house in which she resides is some 130 years old, origi- nally a story and a half high, running back with a long roof to a low studded kitchen. In 1763 it was raised to two stories, in which shape it now stands. One hundred and fourteen years ago the mother of the aged Joseph alluded to was married in the front room of this house. The air of quiet conservatism that throws a very halo about the home- stead, is illustrated by the fact that the mirror which the bright-eyed bride of 1762 bung upon the wall of the room in which she was mar- ried, hangs still upon the same spot, and by the same nail, as faithful now as then, a reflector of beauty and monitor of pride."
JOSEPH MERRIAM, (Joseph, Joseph), b. in Concord, 1709, m. 1733, Ruth Hunt, b. May 13, 1714, d. Aug. 17, 1749; m. 2nd, Dec. 26, 1754, Hannah (Paul) Wadsworth (W), b. 1717, d. Aug. 30, 1794. He d. May 5, 1797.
He was the first Merriam to actually settle within the limits of this town. Coming from Concord as a pioneer, he took possession of the
533
FAMILY GENEALOGIES.
land purchased for him by his father, and slept the first night of his stay in the cleft of a rock, still pointed out on the old ancestral farin. This was then a part of the howling wilderness, and tradition still nar- rates concerning his manly and venturesome effort in redneing the forest to fields of fertility and smiling peace.
Dea. Joseph Merriam sustained an unblemished character, was in office of deacon for fifty-five years, and was the last of the original settlers to die. Children,
1 1. JOSEPH, b. Sept. 19, 1734, m. Sally Wadsworth.
2. RUTH, b. Aug. 29, 1736, d. Sept. 18, 1740.
3. HANNAH, b. Apr. 17, 1738, m. Jonathan Gront; rev. to Westborough.
4. MARY, b. Aug. 8, 1740, d. Sept. 19, 1740.
5. RUTH, b. Oct. 13, 1741, m. - - Harrington.
6. MARY, b. Oct. 5, 1743, m. Perley Batcheller (B).
2 7. TIMOTHY, b. Dec. 20, 1746, m. Sally Putnam.
8. ELIZABETH, b. Jan. 16, 1747, m. Abner Stow (S).
9. LUCY, b. Dec. 30, 1755, m. Andrew Adams (A).
10. ANNA, b. July 24, 1758, d. Nov. 28, 1758.
1-1 | JOSEPH MERRIAM, (Joseph, Joseph, Joseph), b. Sept. . 19, 1734, m. 1762, Sally Wadsworth (W), b. 1742, d. Dec. 25, 1828. He d. July 2, 1814.
He was a hale old man of nearly eighty years, when he met with a sudden and fatal accident. He was driving home from mill, and sitting on the front seat of his butcher-cart. While coming down a steep hill, near Peter Hunt's, the harness broke, the "tackling" gave way, his horse fell, and he was precipitated to the ground, striking upon his fore- head or temple. The blow rendered him nuconscious, and death ensned before he could be carried home. A pile of stones by the road-side marked the scene for several years, and was very impressive to every passer-by. He was deacon of the Congregational Church. Chii- dren,
1. HANNAH P., b. Aug. 14, 1765, d. 1792.
2. SARAH, b. Sept. 21, 1767, mn. James Whipple (W).
3 3. JOSEPH, b. Jnne 7, 1771, m. Sally Wetherbee and Sally Leland.
4. JOHN, b. May 27, 1775, d. Sept. 10, 1777.
5. JOHN H., b. Ang. 4, 1777, d. Oct., 1811.
He commanded the schooner Elizabeth City, and was cast away in a gale of wind, bound to Charleston, S. C., from the West Indies, about October 1, 1811, when near the Island of Nassau, New Providence, one of the Bahamas.
6. ELIZABETH, b. Apr. 25, 1782, m. Elijah Case and Charles Prentice (P). 7. LUCY, b. Dec. 22, 1786, m. William E. Green.
William Elijah Green was a great-grandson of Capt. Samnel Green, one of the founders of Leicester. He was a grandson of Rev. Thomas Green, of Leicester. Of this ancestor, Prof. Samuel S. Green, of Brown University, writes as follows in his genealogical sketch of the descendants of Thomas Green[e], of Malden, Mass. :
" Thomas acquired a knowledge of medicine and surgery from two surgeons of the English Buccaneers, who boarded with his father for many years; they having come in and surrendered themselves under an offer of pardon from the English government to such as should sur- render themselves within a specified time. These surgeons instructed Thomas in what they knew of those sciences, and gave himn a few medi- cal books. With this preparation, added to a vigorous intellect and un-
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HISTORY OF GRAFTON.
common practical wisdom, he was enabled to enter upon and pursue the practice of medicine with great success. His practice extended to various parts of the province, and even to Rhode Island and Connecti- cut. He was not more eminent as a physician than as a divine. Having embraced the sentiments of the Baptists, he organized a church and society of that denomination in South Leicester, and was ordained their pastor in 1736. He supplied their pulpit many years; he disseminated his principles through a wide circle. and his church became large and flourishing. He gave a house and a farm for a parsonage, a lot of land for the meeting-house, and for a burial-ground."
They had one child, Lucy Merriam Green, for many years an expe- rienced and successful educator and proprietor of a young ladies' board- ing school, at No. I Fifth Avenue, New York city. She cherished the declining years of her Uncle Joseph with a daughter's tenderness and devotion.
TIMOTHY MERRIAM, (Joseph, Joseph, Joseph), b. Dec. 20, 1746, in. June 21, 1775. Sally Putnam (P), b. Aug. 14, 1753, d. July 30, 1835. He d. Dec. 11, 1829. Children,
1. ELIZABETH, b. Dec. 10, 1776, d. June 19, 1782.
2. PRISCILLA, b. Mar. 12, 1779, m. Joseph Prentice.
3.' SALLY P., b. Apr. 29, 1781, m. Tarrant P. Merriam.
4. TIMOTHY, b. Sept. 27, 1783, m. Sally Adams and Lucy March.
55. TARRANT, b. May 31, 1786, m. Anna Kimball.
6. POLLY C., b. Mar. 18, 1789, m. Nathaniel Adams.
7. BETSEY, b. Apr. 18, 1791, m. Dea. Tyrus March.
8. BEULA P., b. May 24, 1794.
9. JOSEPH, h. Oct. 15, 1797, m. Emeline Bidwell.
He graduated at Brown University in 1819, and at Andover Theologi- cal Seminary in 1822. Licensed to preach and ordained the same year, and installed pastor of the Congregational Church in Randolph, Portage County, Ohio, January 7th, 1824, the pastorate continuing unto the present time, for fifty-five years. Though his physical strength is not adequate to supplying the desk statedly on the Sabbath, it is sufficient for conducting exercises on funeral occasions, church meetings, and the administering the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. He was married January 25th, 1826, in Madison, Ohio, to Miss Emeline Bidwell, for- merly of Farmington, Conn., who is still living, at the age of nearly 79 years, and in the bouse which they first occupied, bis age being 81 years ; becoming the parents of five children, two of whom have deceased. Three survive, and reside in Ohio.
3-3 JOSEPH MERRIAM, (Joseph, Joseph, Joseph), b. June 7, 1771, m. Aug. 28, 1794, Sally Wetherbee, b. Sept. 10, 1773, d. Oct. 26, 1810; m. 2nd, Mar. 1, 1812, Sally Leland (L), b. Dec. 17, 1784. He d. June 30, 1869.
He also, like his father and grandfather, was deacon in the Congrega- tional Church, which office he held many years, until his death. He was also familiarly known as " major," which rank he held in the old- time militia service on "training day." He had also been a master- mason for a number of years. His funeral was attended at the Congre- gational Church, the services being conducted by his long-time pastor and friend, the Rev. Thomas C. Biscoe, then of Uxbridge. Children,
1. SALLY, b. Feb. 21, 1795, m. Ephraim McNamara.
6 2. JOSEPH, b. Sept. 18, 1796, m. Mary C. Warrin.
4
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1
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Joseph Meriam fa
Ileliotype Printing Co., Boston.
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FAMILY GENEALOGIES.
13. HANNAH P., b. Aug. 28, 1798, m. Joseph Batcheller.
4. JOHN H., b. Dec. 27, 1800, m. Sally Goddard.
7 9 5. CHARLES, b. Feb. 8, 1807, m. Caroline Parker.
6. CHARLOTTE, b. Feb. 8, 1807, m. Joseph Leland (L).
10 7. DAVID E., b. July 28, 1814, in. Jane Trask, Sarah J. Smith and Sarah L. Mann. Res. Leicester.
" Mrs. Sally (Leland) Merriam is in full possession of almost all her physical powers, and in a remarkable possession of her mental faculties. Ninety-four years embraces a large area of history, and gives oppor- tunity for a varied reminiscence. With this venerable lady these years have been passed almost entirely in the quiet surroundings of the rural home and amid hier friends. She taught her first school in this town, in 1806, her last in 1812, when she was married to Dea. Joseph Merriam. Out of her many pupils one only is supposed to be living. She has con- tinued to reside in the town in which she was born through all these long years, with the exception of a brief absence upon one occasion of a few months. And to-day, as upon the day when a youthful bride she was brought to her present home, she looks out upon the same quiet valley and wooded hillsides as sixty-six years ago. To the lovers of the antique this home presents some rare attractions. Without obtrud- ing upon the privacy of home, a few of these curiosities may be men- tioned : The table is garnished with dishes and wares varying from 60 to 116 years old. There is still retained in the family a three-cor- nered hat worn by the father of Deacon Merriam, who, bad he lived, would have been more than 140 years old. A pair of saddle-bags, long used by the same gentleman, in which, it is handed down, he used to take the wine and bread to the meeting-house at the centre of the town upon communion Sabbaths, he himself being an officer of the church. There are carpets still in use, bright and good for years of wear yet, which were woven under the care of this venerable lady, the warp and woof having been dyed by herself fifty-seven years since. When she was a babe the surrender of Cornwallis must still have been the topic of common conversation around the wide-mouthed fire-places of those early homes. But a few months only before her birth the revolutionary forces had been disbanded, Washington issued his farewell orders, and took his leave of the army. When a girl of five years the first congress under the constitution was assembled, with George Washington as president, and so the period covered by this life embraces the entire constitutional history of the Union."
4-4 TIMOTHY MERRIAM, (Timothy, Joseph, Joseph, Joseph), b. Sept. 27, 1783, m. Sally Adams ; m. 2nd, Lucy March. Children,
1. TIMOTHY H., b. Apr. 10, 1810, m. Susan Johnson, and left one son, Frank H.
2. SARAH A., b. Jan. 7, 1813, m. Dea. Benjamin Nurse.
5-5 |TARRANT MERRIAM, (Timothy, Joseph, Joseph, Joseph), b. May 31, 1786, m. Anna Kimball (K), b. 1789, d. July 3, 1851. Children,
8 I. NOAH K., b. May 18, 1811, m. Harriet Harlow.
2. MARY A., b. July 17, 1812, m. John M. Leland (L).
3. ELIZABETH W., b. Jan. 10, 1816, m. Samuel C. Flagg (F).
4. SARAH P., b. Dec. 29, 1817, m. William Morton.
5. CAROLINE E., m. Jonathan B. Sibley (S).
6. HANNAH A., m. William Thompson.
7. JOSEPH A., m. Ruth Pecker. 8. JOHN Q., m. Maria Barrett.
9. FRANCIS E., d. unm.
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HISTORY OF GRAFTON.
6-2 | JOSEPH MERRIAM, (Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, Joseph), b. Sept. 18, 1796, m. April 27, 1825, Mary C. Warren (W), b. March 16, 1799. He has the " butteris" which was used by his great-grandfather when he shod the first horse in Hassanamisco.
Children,
1. JOSEPH AUGUSTUS, b. July 28, 1826, d. in Shasta, Cal., Dec. 16, 1849. He was one of the " Argonauts of '49." Sailing to California in Feb., '49, around Cape Horn, he went at once to work in the mines, but was soon attacked by a fever which proved fatal. Tidings of his death did not reach his far distant home till June, '50 thereafter. He is reported as having been a most genial comrade and faithful friend.
2. JOHN WARREN, b. Jan. 2, 1833, m. Sarah Duprea, res. in Worcester. 3. HENRY EDWIN, b. Dec. 10, 1837, ni. Octavia Hunt, res. in Gardiner, Me
7-4
JOHN H. MERRIAM, (Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, Joseph), b. Dec. 27, 1800, m. Jan. 4, 1826, Sally Goddard (G), b. Nov. 29, 1801.
Children,
1. MARTHA ANN., b. 1826, unm.
2. JOHN GODDARD, b. July 25, 1831, d. unm.
3. GEORGE E., b. 1833, m. and res. in South Framingham.
4. MARY, m. Chauncy L. Mitchell.
John G. was a cavalry officer in the Union Army during the rebellion. He was fatally wounded and died in Washington, D. C. His remains were brought home by his father, who was with him during his closing hours. His comrades bear fitting and praiseworthy testimony to his heroism in battle and generous nature always.
George was also a soldier, but in the infantry service. Returning from the war, he has resided near his parents.
9-5
CHARLES MERRIAM, (Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, Joseph), b. Feb. 8, 1807, m. Dec. 17, 1835, Caroline Parker, dau. of Rev. J. Parker, of Southborough.
After serving his father faithfully through a long series of years, from the time, he was twenty-one years of age, and having greatly improved the paternal estate, he removed to Worcester, in April, 1853. Its educational advantages were excellent for his children, while he himself turned his attention to real estate and building. Children, b. in Grafton,
1. CHARLES J., b. Nov. 12, 1836.
Charles J. was mustered into the United States service, July 12, 1861, as a private soldier, iu the Grafton Co. (G), 15th Regiment, Massa- chusetts Volunteers. Served faithfully through the " peninsular" campaign, with MeClellan, and returned to Maryland, where, at the battle of Antietam, Sept. 17, 1862, he was instantly killed. He was never on the sick list nor on furlough, always in good health, and gave his country hearty and continuous service. At Ball's Bluff, Oct. 21, 1861, he saved his life by swimming the Potomac back to Maryland, and from this his first fight to his last he never received so much as a scratch, although constantly exposed to the enemy's bullets in half a dozen battles. Many interesting letters of his from the seat of war, appeared in the Worcester Spy. He left a widow and two children.
His own commander, Capt. Forehand, writes in lines of tender sympathy :-
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FAMILY GENEALOGIES.
" He fell doing his duty as a brave soldier."
Rest, oli rest! dear son and brother, Rest !- thy weary march 18 o'er- Rest and slumber in the ground, Soon the trump of Gud shall sound .- Worcester Daily Spy.
2. ANNA PARKER, b. Sept. 22, 1839.
Anna was educated in Worcester and New York city. Became a teacher in the Freedmen's Schools in 1863, in North Carolina during the war, and subsequently in Georgia. In 1873, married Mr. Lyman E. Brooks, of Columbus, Ga., where they now reside. Has three children. 3. LUCIUS P., b. Nov. 22, 1846.
Lucius resided with his parents in Worcester, and attended the public schools. From February, 1864, to June, 1866, he was a civilian clerk in the quartermaster's department United States army, and stationed at Newbern, N. C. He returned north and resumed his preparatory studies at Monson Academy, entering Amherst College in 1869, and graduating in class of 1873. Was teacher two years at Norwich Free Academy, Connecticut, till the summer of 1875; then one year in the Springfield Collegiate Institute, Massachusetts; theu teacher for two years in the English and Classical School of Messrs. Mowry & Goff, Providence, R. 1., and has now begun his second year as principal of the High School at Lonsdale, R. 1. In 1877 he received the degree of A. M. from Amherst College. Is married and has two children.
10-7 DAVID E. MERRIAM, (Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, Joseph), b. July 28, 1814, m. Jane Trask, Sarah J. Smith and Sarah L. Mann. Res. in Leicester. He was first employed as clerk in the freight office of the Boston and Worcester Railroad, at the New England Village; was later transferred to a similar position at Boston. He entered the employ of the Leicester Bank as teller, was promoted to the cashiership, and now holds that responsible position.
8-1 NOAH K. MERRIAM, (Tarrant, Timothy, Joseph, Joseph, Joseph), b. May 18, 18II, m. Nov. 11, 1834, Harriet Harlow, b. Aug. 14, 1808. Res. in New England Village. Children,
1. HENRY H., b. Mar. 1, 1841, m. Mahalah Harlow. Res. in Worcester. (See college graduates).
2. HARRIET A., b. Sept. 22, 1843, m. Lyman Walker. Res. in Boylston.
MILES, (Myles).
JOHN MILES was one of the earliest settlers in the town of Concord. He was there as early as 1637, and perhaps before. He was admitted a freeman of Massachusetts colony, December 14, 1638. It is not known in what year he came over to this country, nor from what part of Eng- land he emigrated. He was a blacksmith as well as a farmer, and had a respectable education. He was one of the largest of the original pro- prietors of the town of Concord, owning 459 acres of land. He was twice married. His first wife died leaving one daughter. His second wife was Susannah Redit; she was the widow of Johu Redit, Jr., of Marlborough, who died 1676, supposed to have been killed by the Indians. He was far advanced in life when he married the second time. The name was originally spelled Myles. He was probably eighty years of age at his death, August 28, 1693.
REV. JOHN MILES, (John, John, John, John), b. Nov. 3, 1765, m. May 1, 1798, Mary Denny, of Leicester, b. Aug. 21, 1773. (See sketch of his life in Church History). Children,
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HISTORY OF GRAFTON.
1. MARY D., b. June 25, 1799, m. Rev. Seth Alden.
2. JOHN R., b. Sept. 23, 1801, d. Dec. 17, 1819.
3. SAMUEL D., b. Sept. 5, 1803, d. Jan. 18, 1804.
4. SAMUEL D., b. June 19. 1805, d. Nov. 27, 1805.
5. MARTHA E., b. Feb. 17, 1808, d. Mar. 16, 1808.
6. HENRY A., b. May 30, 1809, m. Augusta H. Moore and Elizabeth S. Wright.
7. SARAH H., b. Apr. 27, 1811, m. John C. Mason, of Worcester.
8. CHARLES E., b. June 11, 1813, m. Catherine S. Denny.
9. ELIZABETH D., b. Apr. 30, 1815, m. Aug., 1840, George Allen, Jr., son of Rev. George Allen, of Worcester, d. Dec. 29, 1841. Her child, Elizabeth, b. Aug., 1841, d. July 4, 1853.
10. AUGUSTA S., b. Feb. 12, 1819, m. Mar. 1, 1854, Isaac R. Noyes, of Morristown, N. J.
REV. HENRY A. MILES, D. D., (John, John, John, John, John), b. May 30, 1809, m. May 28, 1833, Augusta H. Moore, b. Nov. 2, 1811, d. 1868; m. 2nd, 1871, Elizabeth T. Wright.
He was fitted for college in part at Leicester Academy; graduated at Brown University in 1829, from which college he received the houorary degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1850. He graduated from the Divinity School of Harvard University in 1832. He was ordained to the Chris- tian ministry over a religious society in Hallowell, Me., in December, 1832. He resigned this situation to become secretary of the American Unitarian Association, in 1853, which office he held for six years. Since then he has visited Europe four times, spending there six or seven years. He has preached eight years in Longwood, Mass .. and three years in Hingham, where he is still pastor of the New North Church, residing with his only surviving child, the wife of Henry L. Fearing. He has published several books, the titles of which are as follows :-
Lowell as it was and as it is, in 1845; The Gospel Narratives, in 1848, of which 10,000 copies have been printed; The Altar at Home, compilation of prayers ; A Selection of Channing's Thoughts; a volume of sermons called Words of a Friend; Picture Writing in the Bible; The Birth of Jesus. In addition to these a dozen occasional sermons, and articles in the Religious Magazine, Christian Examiner and North American Re- view have been printed. Children,
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