USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Milford > History of Milford, Massachusetts, part 2 > Part 32
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GARDNER, ALEXANDER BROWN 8 (Samuel H.,7 Oliver C.,6 Latham,5 Alexan- der,4 Thomas,3 George,2 John1), b. Mil., Oct. 1, 1855; mr.'s maiden name, Lydia Paddock Brown; m. Fannie Young, dr. of William and Emily Ann (Attwood) Young, b. in Luton, Bedfordshire, Eng., Sept. 20, 1855; cer. Providence, R.I., Aug. 26, 1878, by Rev. Augustus W. Kingsley. Issue : - WILLIAM SAMUEL, b. Mil., Nov. 6, 1879.
ALFRED HERBERT, b. Mil., March 25, 1881.
Mr. Gardner is a spinning-ring turner at Hopedale. He and his young family start off in life under promising auspices.
We have a few other Gardners in Mil., but I have not been favored with their family records.
GASKILL. The Gaskills of this general vicinity are of English origin, and descendants of Edward, who had land grants in Salem as early as 1637. He had a son Samuel, who became interested in Quaker preaching, and got punished, under the laws of that day, for attending Quaker meetings. It was probably a great grandson of Edward, whose name was Samuel, that came to the South Parish of Mendon, now Blackstone, in 1736, and bought a large farm of Stephen Swett for £450. The links between Edward of Salem and this Samuel, also said to be of Salem, are left so obscure by the old genealogists, that I must not presume to guess them. It seems certain that our Samuel of So. Mendon must have been either gd. son or gt. gd. son of Edward. Samuel of Mendon had at least 2 sons; viz., Ebenezer and Benjamin. Ebenezer m. Hannah Gurley, and had George, David, Joseph, Peter, and Samuel; his drs. not reported. Samuel Gaskill, son of Ebenezer, m. Olive Cook for his 1st wf., and had in Mendon, -
HANNAH, who m. Willard Wilcox.
NAUM, who m. Sally South wick.
SARAH, who m. Robert Allen.
Our Mil. Gaskills are the offspring of Naum and Sally (Southwick) Gaskill. Naum and Sally's chn., all b. in Mendon : -
763
GASKILL FAMILIES.
JOHN SOUTHWICK, b. Dec. 12, 1807; m. Harriet E. Staples; she d. Sept. 3, 1874.
SAMUEL, b. Jan. 14, 1810; an exemplary bachelor, and res. Mil.
HANNAII, b. Sept. 9, 1811; m. - Sprague; now a wid."
OLIVE, b. June 10, 1813; m. Elkaneh Barrows. She d., a wid. July 12, 1881. MICAJAHI COLLINS, b. Sept. 26, 1816; in., 1st, Hannah M. Taft, April 7, 1842; 2d, Alzada Gould, Feb. 12, 1850.
MARY THURBER, b. Aug. 13, 1818; m. Willis Gould, April 6, 1845.
ALMIRA FAIRBANKS, b. June 8, 1821; m. Charles Fletcher, Dec. 8, 1844.
GILBERT, b. April 28, 1823; m., 1st, Olive W. Gould, Sept. 1, 1848; 2d, Ellen F. Wheelock, Feb. 18, 1855.
NAUM, Jun., b. April 18, 1825; m. Fanny Eliza Wheelock, July 4, 1850. RICHARD GEORGE, b. March 16, 1827; m., 1st., Caroline Rhoda Briggs, July 1, 1849; 2d., Serinda Brooks, May 2, 1875.
LEWIS BOYDEN, b. Jan. 4, 1829; in. Annie E. Jenckes, May 8, 1863. ALBERT WARREN, b. Dec. 28, 1831; m. Miranda Hill, March 25, 1857.
Of these 12 chn., Olive Barrows is the first to pass away. Naum Gaskill, the fr., d. in Mendon, May 4, 1860, a. 72 yrs. Mrs. Sally, his wid., d. April 10, 1875, in her 84th yr. I have given this family record because several of the chn. reside in Mil., and all are somewhat intimately associated with our inhab- itants by relationship and frequent intercourse.
GASKILL, SAMUEL, son of Naum and Sally (Southwick) Gaskill, b. in Men- don, Jan. 14, 1810, has been one of our respected citizens for many yrs. He is an exemplary, economical bachelor of 71 yrs. He is always indus- trious, prudent in his financial affairs, and now one of our largest land- holders. He has gradually absorbed into his possession several consider- able farms in So. Milford district, besides various sized parcels. I think he must own between 600 and 800 acres in all, though I do not pretend to have informed myself exactly. He dwells on the ancient Dea. Gideon Albee place, and owns much of the land in that vicinity.
GASKILL, NAUM, a younger bro. of the above, res. on the plain in So. Mil. He was b. in Mendon, April 18, 1825. He m. Fanny Eliza Wheelock, dr. of Simeon and Diana (Albee) Wheelock, b. Mendon, 1834; cer. at Hope- dale, July 4, 1850, by the writer. Their chn. : -
AUBERN, b. Nov. 18, 1852.
ROSABELLE, b. Dec. 11, 1854; m. Lewis Bates, Mendon, Oct. 25, 1871.
WILFRED, b. Dec. 31, 1856.
FRANK, b. Jan. 5, 1860.
JESSE, b. Jan. 14, 1862.
JENNIE ELLIOT, b. Feb. 7, 1865.
HANNAH SPRAGUE, b. Sept. 11, 1871.
FREDDIE, b. Oct. 31, 1872.
Mr. Gaskill has res. in town ever since 1851; for some yrs. with his bro. R. G. Gaskill, as joint owner of what is now called the Spindleville place, and latterly near the junction of Plain St. with the old turnpike.
GASKILL, RICHARD GEORGE, of the same parentage, b. March 16, 1827; m.,
1st, Caroline Rhoda Briggs, dr. of Elkaneh and Asenath (Gale) Briggs, b. So.
Orange, Aug. 9, 1834; cer. July 1, 1849, by Rev. H. B. Fisk. Their chn .:- CAROLINE DIANA, b. Feb. 11, 1852; m. Francis S. Collins, Feb. 19, 1871. SALLY SOUTHWICK, b. Aug. 22, 1854; d. March 7, 1858.
RICHARD GEORGE, Jun., b. March 15, 1857; spindle-maker at Spindleville.
764
BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
OHN SOUTHWICK, b. July 16, 1859; d. May 24, 1874.
Mr. Gaskill must have dwelt in town over 20 yrs. He res. on the Samuel Warfield farm, now owned by his bro. Samuel, and has charge of it. He is a sturdy, hard-working, executive farmer. He has 4 grandchn. by his dr. Caro- line Diana Collins and husband, who now res. in Chicago, Ill .; viz. : -
SALLY SOUTHWICK, b. Mil., Sept., 1871.
ANNIE, b. Mil., June, 1874. GRACIE, b. Mil., March 15, 1876.
FRANKIE, b. Chicago, May, 1878.
Separation by divorce from Mrs. Caroline having taken place, the hus. m., 2d, Serinda Brooks, dr. of David and Mary (Powell) Brooks, b. St. Albans, Vt., Sept. 19, 1840; cer. May 2, 1875, by Rev. Mr. Townsend. No chn.
GASKILL, LEWIS BOYDEN, of the same ptge., b. Jan. 4, 1829; m. Annie E. Jenckes, dr. of Ezra and Julia A. (Swan) Jenckes, b. Mendon, Feb. 9, 1844; cer. in Woonsocket, R.I., May 8, 1863, by Rev. Jolın Boyden. No chn.
They own and reside on the most ancient civilized spot in our town, where Benjamin Alby built the first "corn-mill" in all these parts, more than 210 yrs. ago. In connection with this famous mill-seat, I suppose Mr. Gaskill pos- sesses a respectable farm. I presume he and his family endeavor to honor an honorable homestead.
GASSETT, WILLIAM G., and Marcia, are credited with, -
FRANCIS EUGENE, b. March 27, 1842; d. Oct. 7 ensuing.
GASSETT, ELISHA N., and Matilda, are credited with, -
SMITH D., b. March 11, 1839.
LAVIRA N., b. Sept. 7, 1841.
GASSETT, WILLIAM G., Jun., at E. E. Cook's stable, and EDWARD, butcher, res. in town.
GAY, JASON, ptge. and ancestry untraced; b. about the yr. 1800; m. Betsey Barber, youngest dr. of Hamlet and Rhoda (Ware Clark) Barber, b. prob. in Holl., Nov. 24, 1800; cer. prob. in Holl., 1821, precise date and partic- ulars not ascertained. He was a boot and shoe maker. They set., lived, and d. in Mil. Their chn. :-
GEORGE, b. Oct. 23, 1822; d. Aug. 10, 1873.
CHARLES, b. Oct. 7, 1824; d. July 30, 1825.
SARAH MARIA, b. Dec. 20, 1826; m. William L. F. Hatch, Nov. 10, 1846. CHARLES, b. June 15, 1829; m. Helen Ann Rockwood, May 7, 1856.
HANNAH, b. Nov. 1, 1831; m. Giles A. Egan, Nov. 12, 1849; burnt to death, Feb. 22, 1851.
PATIENCE ALMIRA, b. July 20, 1835. Well-disposed, hard-working people. He d. Aug. 31, 1868. Mrs. Betsey, his wid., d. Oct. 19, 1877.
GAY, CHARLES, son of Jason and Betsey (Barber) Gay, b. Mil., June 15, 1829; boot-cutter; m. Helen Ann Rockwood, dr. of Lewis Leander and Mary Ann (Morse) Rockwood, b. Upton, July 13, 1834; cer. in Mil., May 7, 1856, by Rev. James R. Johnson. Issue : -
LEANDER ROCKWOOD, b. Mil., May 13, 1862; d. March 17, 1864.
INEZ LINETTA, b. Mil., April 25, 1867.
Moral repute and social standing good.
GAY, EMILY, dr. of Jotham and Lydia (Richards) Gay, b. Dedham, July 10, 1818; homœopathic physician; has always lived a single woman; became a member of the Hopedale Community in 1842, and withdrew in 1862; has
765
GAY AND GIBBS.
res. many yrs. at Hopedale, and still does. She has carnestly endeavored to make herself useful in her vocation, and rendered many good services to suffering humanity. She has survived much sickness and adversity, but still bears up hopefully for this life and the spiritual one of eternity.
GAY, Rev. GEORGE, ptge. and ancestry not ascertained ; b. in Chelsea, Feb. 9, 1814; was at one time a minister of thic Universalist denomination in the State of Maine; m. Lydia Godfrey, b. in Steuben, Mc., April 28, 1821; pre- cise date and circumstances of inge. not ascertained. Their chn. : -
GEORGE GODFREY, b. Steuben, Me., May 25, 1843; supposed to have d. in a rebel prison.
MARIANNA, b. Steuben, Mc., Sept. 7, 1845; present locality not ascertained. HATTIE SHAW, b. Steuben, Me., March 21, 1848; present locality not ascer- tained.
CHARLES MILLIKEN, b. Steuben, Me., Aug. 21, 1851; present locality not ascertained.
EDDIE, b. Steuben, Me., May 27, 1853; present locality not ascertained.
This family canie to res. at Hopedale in 1853. The parents were members of the Community for a few yrs., but resigned in 1859. They now res. in the vicinity of Boston. They have suffered seriously from complicated domestic adversities, but at last advices were struggling, with various success, to tran- scend their misfortunes.
GAY, THOMAS R., son of Amos B. and Loamie (Herrick) Gay, b. Franklin, March 7, 1823; m. Ellen Hoyt, dr. of Moses and Lydia Cluf Hoyt, b. Enfield, N.H., Feb. 5, 1822; cer. in Valley Falls, R.I., Oct. 10, 1847, by Rev. Mr. Preston. Their chn .: -
CHARLES EDWARD, b. Valley Falls, R.I., Sept. 6, 1848; m. Matilda Wilkes. GEORGE EDGAR, b. Wrentham, Aug. 20, 1849; d. Mil., Jan. 15, 1873.
RUTLEDGE, b. Wrentham, Nov. 29, 1852; d. Jan. 15, 1854.
WESLEY M., b. Wrentham, Sept. 1, 1857; m. Sarah Jane Allen, Oct. 25, 1879.
Industrious, hard-working, well-disposed people. Mr. G. has res. in town mostly for 20 yrs. He is chiefly known in his vocation of teamster, in which he renders faithful service. His son Wesley follows the same calling. He and wf. dwell with his parents. They have 1 child, -
GEORGE RUTLEDGE, b. Aug. 20, 1880.
GAY, CHARLOTTE B., dr. of Amos B. and Loamie (Herrick) Gay, b. Frank- lin, Dec. 11, 1809; always a single woman; eminently useful as a tailoress, nurse, and housekeeper, and of exemplary moral worth in all situations of life. Presided many yrs., and till lately, as housekeeper in the family of Stephen Albec, at Hopedale.
GIBBS. Few of this name have dwelt within our territorial limits.
GIBBS, JAMES 4 (Jonathan,3 Matthew,2 Matthew 1), b. in Framingham, May 28, 1726; m. Martha Newton, and had several chn., but none of them b. here, I think. He joined our Cong. ch. Dcc. 2, 1744, but was soon dismissed to Sturbridge ch., whither he removed,
GIBBS, JOSEPH, Jun.4 (Joseph,3 Matthew,2 Matthew1), of the same Framing- ham lineage, seems to have united with the ch. here in 1764. I am in doubt who he was, and what became of him. The records are obscurc and confused. I therefore drop him, as I find him, in uncertainty.
GIBBS, Lieut. JOSEPH5 (Jacob,4 Isaac,3 John,2 Matthew 1), bap. 1727; II. Elizabeth Palmer, in Cambridge, Sept. 11, 1749. Their chu :- MARY, b. Fram., Feb. 28, 1750; untraced.
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BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
-
ELIZABETH, b. Framn., July 14, 1752; m. Jacob Hayward, Oct. 29, 1772.
JOHN BUTTERFIELD, b. Fram., May 7, 1754; prob. d. young.
MARTHA, b. Fram., Jan. 22, 1756; untraced.
SARAH, b. Fram., Nov. 7, 1759; untraced.
PELATIAH, b. Holl., date not found; m. Anna Littlefield, Feb. 25, 1779.
BETHIAH, b. Holl., Aug. 10, 1762; m. Col. Benjamin Godfrey, Dec. 31, 1778.
HANNAH, b. Holl., bap. June 16, 1765; prob. d. young.
ABIGAIL, b. Holl., Dec. 30, 1764; m. Timothy Fisher, jun., Dedham, Nov. 26, 1789.
I infer that Lieut. Joseph came first from Fram. to that part of Holl. which rendered it convenient for his family to attend public worship at our then Precinct meeting-house ; for several of the younger chn. seem to have been bap. here. Just when he took up his res. on our side of the line, is not apparent, but prob. in 1769; as I find deeds which show that he then purchased a home- stead at the south end of Rocky Woods, on Sherborn road, adjacent to the Daniell place. Most of that homestead he bought of Dr. William Jennison, and a minor portion of Oliver Daniell, comprising in all over 100 acs. Jenni- son's deed is dated March 9, 1769, and Daniell's April 19, 1769. There was then a considerable-sized old-fashioned dwelling-house on the place, with conven- iences for a grocery store, and several outbuildings. There Lieut. Joseph, after taking possession, is said to have opened a larger store of groceries and desirable varieties than had ever before been kept in the Precinct. If so, the establish- ment must have been of brief duration. But there, I presume, he dwelt down to the time of his death in 1805. He and his wf. Elizabeth were recd. into the Mil. ch., by letters commendatory, in 1772. Mrs. Elizabeth d., date not found; the hus. m., 2d, Rebecca Albee, wid. of Seth Albee; cer. Aug. 27, 1778, by Rev. A. Frost, she being a member of the Cong. ch. Issue :-
JACOB, b. date not found; d. in early infancy.
BENJAMIN, b. Dec. 25, 1783; m., 1st, Clarinda Jones, 1805; 2d, Pedee Thayer, 1821.
Mrs. Rebecca d. July 30, 1798; the hus. m., 3d, Dorcas Thayer of Hop., Nov., 1799. No chn. She d. Sept. 26, 1804. Lieut. Joseph himself d. Nov. 11, 1805. He seems to have been a man of considerable note and influence in his day. His habitation became desolate in the course of a few yrs., and was finally demolished. Its cellar-hole remains were long known to the last generation, and a few of the still living, by clusters of the Balm of Gilead tree. It is noticed as No. 4, among my "Abandoned Home-Sites." See Chap. XV. A curious little incident is told in connection with the occasion of Rev. Mr. Long's ordination, May 20, 1801. Lieut. Joseph hospitably invited home to sup with him a goodly company of friends. Just as they were getting seated at table, they espied a rattlesnake crawling slowly along an open cross-beam, almost directly over their heads. They vacated their seats in haste. The master of the house promptly despatched his unwelcome guest, and his hospitality was duly enjoyed. Rocky Woods was a favorite haunt of rattlesnakes in former times, and even down to a recent period.
GIBBS, BENJAMIN 6 (Lieut. Joseph,5 Jacob,4 Isaac,3 John,2 Matthew 1), b. in
Mil., Dec. 25, 1783; m., 1st, Clarinda Jones, dr. of Capt. Ezekiel and Mary (Wight) Jones, b. in Mil., April 13, 1786; cer. Nov. 24, 1805, by Rev. David Long. Mrs. Clarinda d. childless, Nov. 11, 1820; the hus. m., 2d, Experi- ence alias Pedee Thayer, dr. of Jotham and Bathshebah (Wheelock) Thayer b. July 20, 1786; cer. June 3, 1821, by Rev. D. Long. Their chn. :-
767
GIBBS, GIBSON, GILMORE.
CLARINDA, b. Mil., March 15, 1822; m. Elihu Veber, Feb. 22, 1844; 4 chn. NAMELESS INFT., b. Mil., date not found ; d. April 13, 1823.
CLARK J., b. Mil., Feb. 6, 1825; m. Almira Kent, April 2, 1848; 2 clin.
CHARLES, b. N. Y. State, Jan. 11, 1828; d. July 16, 1849.
HIRAM IIUNT, b. N. Y. State; Oct. 5, 1829; m. Betsey Wilkinson, Oct. 17, 1851; 1 son.
LEONARD, b. N. Y. State, Oct. 28, 1831; m. Elizabeth Johnson, June 16, 1856; 1 son.
FARNUM, b. N. Royalton, O., March 1, 1835; m. Calista Garlock, Nov. 6, 1856; 5 chn.
ALEXANDER W., b. N. Royalton, O., Jan. 9, 1844; m. Alice P. Green, Feb. 6, 1867; 5 chn.
Mr. Gibbs and wives held a respectable social standing here and elsewhere. He was a skilful, neat, and executive cabinet-maker. He dwelt on E. Main St., where Charles T. Eames afterwards had his domicile and shop. Mr. G., 2d wf., and 2 chn., left Mil. in June, 1825, to find a home in western New York. I forget the name of the town. Thence the family removed, in Oct., 1835, to No. Royalton, O. There (perhaps before) the parents, and most if not all their chn., became devotedly attached to the Christian ch. called "Disciples," or sometimes Campbellites. Farnum Gibbs is a successful minister of that denomi- nation, as well as farmer. All the surviving members of the family are in com- fortable circumstances. The gd. chn. number 18, and the gt. gd. ch. 14. The fr. d. Jan. 27, 1851; the mr. and wid. d. Nov. 9, 1876. Hiram H. d. April 25, 1871. Leonard d. Feb. 17, 1857.
GIBSON, THADDEUS, pedigree untraced ; appears to have m. Elizabeth Sumner, dr. of James Sumner, Esq., date and particulars not ascertained. All I learn about them is from the record of persons warned out of town in 1791 : " Thaddeus Gibson, wife Elizabeth, and two children, Lewis and Mary, from Hampshire State, came here Jan. 10, 1782; taken in by James Sum- ner." Whither they went, or what became of them, I learn nothing.
GIBSON, JOHN, pedigree untraced; m. Sarah A. Cushman, dr. of Matthew S. and Cynthia Cushman; cer. in Mil., Dec. 21, 1826, by the writer. I can give no account of their issue. They left town, she long ago d., and the hus. m. again. He res. a while since once more among us, and told me some of his experiences in life; but my recollection does not serve me well enough to state particulars.
We have had a few other Gibsons here for longer or shorter periods, and some yet in town ; but they have reported to me no family records.
GILMAN, SILENUS C., son of Jehiel and Polly (Bliss) Gilman, b. in East Calais, Vt., July 25, 1818, foreman of boot-factory; m., 1st, Sarah Ann Perry, dr. of Josiah W. and Anna (Corbett) Perry, b. Mil., 1822; cer. at Hopedale, April 28, 1846, by the writer. Issue :-
ELLA FRANCENA, b. Mil., July 29, 1849; m. Paran C. H. Belcher, Sept. 8, 1869.
MARY LOUISA, b. Mil., June 15, 1852; m. Frederick P. Ham, May 22, 1872.
Mrs. Sarah Ann departed this life Nov. 22, 1854. Mr. G. m., 2d, Priscilla Bingham Fisk, dr. of Bingham and Lydia Smith (Avery) Fisk, b. in Chaplin, Windham County, Ct., March 1, 1831; cer. in Mil., April 22, 1856, by Rev. J. R. Johnson. Issue :
FRANK FISK, b. Mil., Oct. 30, 1860.
Mr. G. has long res. in town, is executive in the despatch of business, is an
768
BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
orderly and trusted citizen, and a respected member of society. His wives and children have held a like reputable social standing. There has been but one gd. child as yet reported; viz., George Paran Belcher, b. July 21, 1870, who d. in early infancy.
GILLMAN, WILLIAM CONNER, son of Herbert and Wilhelmina Martha (Con- ner) Gillman, b. in Bandon Coof, Cork County, Ireland, Dec. 20, 1842; m. Arabella Wharton, dr. of John and Hannah (Coston) Wharton, b. Enfield, Me., Nov. 6, 1844; cer. in Hopedale, Oct. 13, 1867, by the writer. One foster dr., -
HATTIE E. GILLMAN, b. in Veazie, Me., Feb. 22, 1865.
Intelligent and excellent people. Mr. G. has long been the executive, faithful, and trusted foreman of Johnson, Rust, & Co.'s extensive boot and shoe manufactory.
GILLMAN, JOSEPH, bro. of the preceding, b. in Ireland, 1844; m. Mary Edna Bragg, dr. of Willard and Mary (Claflin) Bragg, b. Oct. 7, 1847; cer. at Hopedale, Oct. 15, 1867, by the writer. No chn. reported to me. Of good repute. Found in Directory of 1878, but not in that of 1880.
GILLMAN, JOSEPH COGHLIN, son of Herbert and Bridget Sophia (Coghlin) Gillman, b. in Ireland, 1819; watchman; m. Jane E. Hunt, dr. of Lowell and Emily (Bragg) Hunt, b. in Mil., 1832; cer. at Hopedale, July 1, 1869, by the writer. No chn. reported to me. Worthy people. Mrs. Jane d. June 19, 1879.
GILLMAN, HERBERT, noted in Directory of 1SSO as farmer, house Grant St. GILLMAN, HERBERT, Jun., noted in Directory of 1880 as boot and shoe manu- facturer (firm of Gillman & Raftery), South Bow, house Exchange.
GILLMAN, THOMAS G., boot-click, bds. H. Gillman's, Grant St.
There are several Gillmans in town whose family records I hoped to have obtained, but am disappointed.
GLEASON, ZELOTES, son of Abel and Catherine (Lincoln) Gleason, b. West- moreland, N.H., Dec. 18, 1809; came to Mil. about the yr. 1843; carriage- dealer and farmer; m. Sarah Adelaide Scott, dr. of Rila and Sarah S. (Paine) Scott, b. Hillsboro', N.H., July 13, 1829; cer. Mil., Dec. 20, 1855, by Rev. James R. Johnson. Their chn. : -
MALVINA FRANCES, b. March 16, 1857 ; public-school teacher.
ALBERT, b. Oct. 10, 1862.
Mr. Gleason and family res. on Congress St. He d., after a long and wasting illness, June 23, 1876. His surviving wid. and chn. occupy the same res. still, filling up life with exemplary usefulness.
GLEASON, LYMAN, bro. of the above, b. in Westmoreland, N.H., March 7, 1819; boot-finisher: came to Mil. in 1844; m. Selina A. Rockwood, dr. of Perley and Prudence (Ward) Rockwood, b. in Upton, March 21, 1830; cer. in Upton, Nov. 27, 1848, by Rev. Mr. Tenney. No issue reported.
GLEASON, DE WITT CLINTON, also son of Abel and Catherine (Lincoln) Gleason, b. Westmoreland, N.H., 1818; m., 2d, Hopestill Corbett (Perry) Holbrook, dr. of Josiah and Anna (Corbett) Perry, and wid. of Benjamin Holbrook, b. Mil., Oct. 4, 1833; cer. in Pearl St. Universalist ch., March 10, 1867, by the writer. Issue : -
PERRY, b. May 23, 1873.
Mr. Gleason came into town many yrs. ago, and was first engaged in the lumber business. He afterwards went into the boot-business, and was, at the time of his 2d mge., a boot-manufacturer in Hartford, Ct. If I am not mis- taken, he remains so still. Enterprising and worthy people.
769
GODFREY FAMILIES.
There are several other Gleasons in town, unreported to me, but whose names appear in our successive directories.
GODFREY. Col. Benjamin Godfrey and his descendants have been con- spicuous in town for their pecuniary, civic, and social standing. I have tried in vain to trace Col. Benjamin's pedigree. All I can learn of his origin is, that he came into our Precinct, from East Greenwich. R.I., his birthplace, between 1770 and 1775; that he came penniless, with only a few articles of wearing apparel in his handkerchief; and that then he was first employed by some one in the Bear-hill district. He could, at that time, have been only between 16 and 20 yrs. of age, - some say only 16. He was full of inborn enterprise and business tact, by force of which he soon rose into business distinction. He had a great aptitude for trade, and turned every exchange to profit. He was m. in 1778; and in 1785 we find him the owner of the Eli Chapin farm, now occu- pied by F. M. Inman. Thenceforth all kinds of real and personal estate passed through his hands with celerity, or remained in them to his advantage. Before 1797 he had planted himself firmly in the Centre, as merchant and innholder. There, for a time, nearly all the farming produce of Mil. and its adjacent vicinity passed through his hands, mostly to a ready market in Providence, R.I. In return, he supplied the home-market with an abundant variety of out- side necessaries, conveniences, and luxuries. At his zenith he had absorbed into his possession a large landed estate, much of it in and near the Centre. Meantime he rose to be lieut .- col. commandant in the militia, and was honored with responsible town offices. I now proceed to his family record : -
GODFREY, Col. BENJAMIN, ptge. untraced, except that his mr.'s name was
Sarah, who lived with him an aged wid. many yrs., and d. April 26, 1813, a. 85 yrs. ; b. in East Greenwich, R.I., about 1755; m. Bethiah Gibbs, dr. of Lieut. Joseph and Elizabeth Gibbs, b. in Holliston, Aug. 10, 1762; cer. in our Precinct, Dec. 31, 1778, by Rev. A. Frost. Their chn. : -
BETSEY, b. May 19, 1779; m. Seth Davenport, April 29, 1797.
SALLY, b. March 3, 1781 ; m. Willis Bronson, Dec. 20, 1801.
JOHN, b. March 13, 1783; d. March 15, 1784.
SOPHIA, b. April 28, 1784; m. Benjamin Davenport, Nov. 3, 1805.
BENJAMIN, Jun., b. April 18, 1786; d. Nov. 3, 1806, a. 20 yrs.
WILLIAM, b. Feb. 10, 1788; m. Nancy Stearns, Nov. 30, 1809.
HOPESTILL, b. Feb. 13, 1790; m. Dr. Jeremy Stimpson, Sept. 7, 1808.
MARY MELLEN, b. Oct. 29, 1792; d. March 16, 1816, a. 24 yrs.
SAMUEL WARREN, b. Nov. 23, 1795; d. July 9, 1817, a. 22 yrs.
CHARLOTTE FROST, b. June 23, 1798; m. Charles Leland, Philadelphia, Nov. 27, 1823.
Mrs. Bethiah joined the Cong. ch. in 1800. The col. does not seem to have made any profession of religion, but gave liberal countenance and support to the standing ch. and ministry, which is commonly accepted in such cases as the next best thing. Mrs. Bethiah d. Dec. 13, 1804. The hus. m., 2d, Cathe- rine Fuller of Needham, in the spring of 1806. They had 1 dr. : -
SARAH F., b. June 21, 1810; m. Nathan T. Chapin, 1845. She had a brief m. life.
Col. Benjamin d. Oct. 9, 1822. Mrs. Catherine d. Sept. 21, 1840.
GODFREY, WILLIAM2 (Col. Benjamin 1), b. Feb. 10, 1788; m. Nancy, dr. of David and Joanna (Adams) Stearns, b. March 1, 1791; cer. Nov. 30, 1809, by Rev. D. Long. Their chn .: -
HARRIET BETINAII, b. Aug. 13, 1810; in. John Erskine, Sept. 20, 1830.
770
BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER. -
DAVID STEARNS, b. Nov. 13, 1811; m. Elizabeth A. Carshore, Sept. 12, 1836.
BENJAMIN DAVENPORT, b. Jan. 19, 1813; m. Ann Eliza Roberts, Feb. 17, 1842.
WILLIAM, Jun., b. Dec. 27, 1814; d. 1824.
MARY, b. Oct. 20, 1816; m. Dr. James Fiske, May 17, 1837.
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