USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Milford > History of Milford, Massachusetts, part 2 > Part 42
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IRA NEWMAN, b. Nov. 11, 1841.
IDE, KALLOCK, cabinet-maker; b. in Sharon, May 27, 1791; son of Benjamin and Mary (Kallock) Ide; m. Sarah Frost, dr. of Peter and Sarah (Eades) Frost, b. Sharon, Feb. 28, 1794; cer. Wrentham, March 31, 1812, by a Bap. clergyman; name forgotten. Their chn .:-
MARY, b. Wrentham, Sept. 4, 1815; d. July 24, 1836.
SARAH, b. Wrentham, April 17, 1817; d. July 18, 1831.
SUSAN, b. Wrentham, March 6, 1819; m., 1st, Mowry Colwell, Nov. 1, 1845; 2d, Ralph C. Hill, Feb. 17, 1857.
GEORGE, b. Wrentham, Dec. 7, 1822; m. Mary Gillpatrick, Nov. 15, 1845. IIe d. Oct. 11, 1847.
LAURA SOPHIA, b. Wrentham, Oct. 7, 1825; m. Samuel Jones Cheney, May 30, 1850. See Cheney.
There have been 5 gd. chn .; viz., -
GEORGE E., son of George, deceased, b. Bangor, Me .; and 4 chn. of Laura S., mentioned in her hus.'s family record, 2 of whom are deceased. Kallock Ide and family res. several yrs. in Wrentham, other several in Franklin, and latterly 15 yrs. in Mil., where he closed a useful and worthy life, Feb. 12, 1877, in the 86th yr. of his age. His venerable wid. still survives at the time of this writing.
IGOE, JAMES, tin and sheet-iron worker ; b. April 8, 1844, Co. Leitrim, Ireland; son of James and Celia (Cox) Igoe; m. Margaret, dr. of William and - (Gorman) Fitzgerald, b. 1843, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland; cer. No. Attleboro' Mass., date not given, by Rev. Father Gillett. Their chn. : - MARY ANN, b. Providence, R.I., Nov. 22, 1865.
JOHN FRANCIS, b. Hopedale, Dec. 13, 1868.
Mrs. Margaret d. Nov. 29, 1871. The hus. m., 2d, Ann, dr. of Bernard and Ellen (Torpy) Kelly, b. Co. Roscommon, Ireland, April 16, 1850; cer. Aug. 27, 1872, by Rev. Father Cuddihy. Res., 1st, Philadelphia (Pa.), next, Foxboro' (Mass.), and now for 12 yrs. in Hopedale. Executive business folks, and duly respected.
INGRAHAM, NATHANIEL, and wf. Sarah, came into town from Holl., May 9, 1786, bringing with them 2 chn. : -
SQUIRE and SARAH, birth-dates not found.
This family were among those warned out in 1791. No further traced. INMAN, FENNER M., son of Tourtellott and Achsa (Read) Inman, b. in North- bridge, May 16, 1819; m. Melissa Mowry, dr. of Stephen and Mary (Smith) Mowry, b. Johnson, R.I., May 2, 1825; cer. No. Scituate, R.I., March 4, 1846, by Rev. Charles P. Grosvenor. Issue : -
ASA FENNER, b. Northbridge, May 28, 1848; m. Alice B. Chapman, Nov. 29, 1871.
843
INMAN, JENKS, JENNISON.
STEPHEN MOWRY, b. Providence, R.I., June 14, 1850.
CLARA MARIA, b. Hopedale, Nov. 7, 1863; an élite graduate of our high school.
Mr. Inman and wf. came to Hopedale in 1853, and were more or less closely connected with the Community till 1857. They were actively useful in their respective spheres, of worthy intentions and benevolent sympathies. He was then, and still is, much interested in agriculture. Their son Asa F. grew up an intelligent and promising young man, and m. a no less intelligent and promising young woman for his wf. But their sun went down at noon. He lost his health in the drive of trade, went to Colorado for its recovery, prose- cuted the milk-producing business a while, but succumbed to consumption, and d. in or near Denver City, Jan. 1, 1877. His heroic wf. shared his labors and suf- ferings bravely, survived the wreck of her earthly hopes a few yrs., returned to the East with a broken constitution, and d. in the kind care of his parents, a victim to consumption, June 15, 1SS1. In the same kind care Mr. Tourtellott, fr. of Fenner M., passed his extreme old age, and d. March 17, 1878, a. 100 yrs. and 9 mos. Their homestead is on West St., and was formerly known as the Eli Chapin place.
JENKS, DARIUS BALLOU, a descendant of Joseph, the immigrant ancestor of a numerous American posterity, who came from Eng. 1645, or before, and set. in Lynn; through the lineage of Joseph, jun., b. in Eng., who set. in Pawtucket, R.I., and built the first house there; son of David and Clarissa (Ballou) Jenks, b. in Smithfield, R.I., Feb. 16, 1830; m., 1st, Maria L. Jones, dr. of Alden and Angelina (Parkhurst) Jones, b. Mil., Aug. 25, 1831; cer. Mil., May 17, 1853, by Rev. Henry A. Eaton. Issue : -
ELSIE A., b. Mil., March 5, 1854; m., name not given, Oct. 21, 1874.
EDGAR H., b. Mil., Jan. 24, 1856; m., neither name nor date given.
MARIA L., b. Mil., April 5, 1860; d. Sept. 19, 1860.
Mrs. Maria d. June 29, 1860. The hus. m., 2d, Louisa J. Hawes, dr. of Charles and Susan (Guild) Hawes, b. Wrentham, Feb. 25, 1833; cer. Mil., Nov. 18, 1861, by Rev. George Hill. No chn. reported.
Grandchild : -
EDITH M. JENKS, dr. of Edgar H. and wf., b. Feb. 19, 1877.
Worthy family, in good social standing. Mr. J. has long and continuously res. in Mil., mostly engaged in the hardware business ; at first, for several yrs., in co. with the late Herman H. Bowers at 77 Main St., and, since his decease, as sole proprietor of the same establishment. He is an honorable dealer with his many customers, and a respected citizen.
JENNISON, Dr. WILLIAM, son of Rev. William Jennison and Abigail, his wf.,
b. in Salem, 1732; studied med. with Dr. Stanton Prentice, an uncle by mge., in Lancaster, and prob. commenced practice in Weston, whence he was recd. by letter into our Cong. ch., Sept. 10, 1757. Meantime he had come to Mendon, and m. Mary Staples, dr. of Abraham and Abigail Staples, b. in Mendon, Oct. 16, 1735; cer. April 24, 1754. Issue :-
MARY, b. Oct. 13, 1755.
WILLIAM, b. Aug. 4, 1757.
SAMUEL, b. May 26, 1759.
TIMOTHY LINDALL, b. July 15, 1761.
ABIGAIL, b. Oct. 31, 1763; d. at the age of 2 yrs.
EBENEZER, b. March 27, 1767.
JOHN FLAVEL, d. in early infancy.
844
BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
1
NATHANIEL, b. July 30, 1772.
ABIGAIL LINDALL, b. Jan. 20, 1776.
Both parents were devoted ch. members, and had all their chn. baptized at the customary age. What became of those that grew up, I am not informed. The doctor was a great trader, as well as somewhat of a physician. He bought of Joshua Chapin the now Obed Daniels place, March 29, 1757. There he kept an inn, and perhaps a store, for several yrs. He was Precinct clerk two yrs., - from 1759 to 1761. A few yrs. later he presented the congregation with a pulpit Bible, which troubled the prejudices of some so much, that Rev. Mr. Frost had to suspend reading it in public. See what is told of this matter toward the close of Chap. V. He seems to have been a man of great energy, activity, and influence. He was prominent during the Revolutionary war, was a member of the Provincial Congress from Mendon, gave a field-piece to the town, served on important committees, and distinguished himself by ardent zeal in the common cause. But somehow he became unsettled in business, moved to Douglas, then to Sudbury, and finally to Brookfield, where he was thrown from his horse, fatally injured, and d. May 8, 1798, a. 66 yrs. Mrs. Mary, his wid., long survived hini, and d. in Cambridge, May 3, 1822, a. about 90 yrs.
JOHNSON. Our oldest Johnsons are traceable to John and Sarah of Men- don, who appear first on the records of that town as parents in 1733. Our oldest man of this name was Joseph, prob. a gd. son of the above-named John; but the records are so full of breaks and obvious omissions, that I cannot be certain who his fr. was. I incline to think he may have been the Joseph who m. Jemima Baxter in 1754. I will assume this, and proceed.
JOHNSON, JOSEPH3 (Joseph,2 John1), b. prob. about 1760; m., 1st, Hannah Albee, ptge. and birth-date not ascertained; cer in Mil., Dec. 12, 1782, by Rev. A. Frost. They dwelt for some yrs. in the north-west corner of the town, near the skirts of Upton. Their chn. : -
ELEAZER, b. April 14, 1784; m. Sarah Williams, Aug. 9, 1807.
LOVELL, b. Jan. 24, 1786; d. May 3, 1802.
ALVAN, b. May 8, 1788; m. Alice B. Thurber, Dec. 28, 1834.
I infer, though I have found no record of it, that Mrs. Hannah d. not far from 1790; for the hus. was m., 2d, in 1794, to " Mrs. Lucy Hayward, jun." So it is put down in the recorded "intentions." The cer. and particulars I do not find on our records. Prob. it was performed out of town. Their chn. :-
EZRA, b. Sept. 11, 1795; d. Nov. 21, 1798.
THOMPSON, b. April 20, 1797; m. Aurilla Butler, 1832.
I remember Mr. J. as a laboring man, in humble circumstances, much crippled by some long-standing ailment in one knee. He d. Aug. 2, 1826, fall- ing from a load of hay, and breaking his neck. Mrs. Lucy, his wid., d. March 21, 1832.
JOHNSON, ELEAZER 4 (Joseph,3 Joseph,2 John 1), b. April 14, 1784; m. Sarah
Williams, ptge., etc., not ascertained; cer. Aug. 9, 1807, by Rev. D. Long. Their chn. : -
LEMUEL, birth-date not found ; d. July 6, 1811.
CALEB BARNUM, b. Aug. 3, 1811.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, b. May 20, 1813; m. Diana Smith, Oct. 17, 1833.
ORREN DATUS, b. Dec. 12, 1814.
ADIN PARKER, b. Aug. 11, 1816.
JULIUS LORIEL, b. Aug. 18, 1818.
845
JOHNSON FAMILIES.
ELEAZER ALBEE, b. July 28, 1821.
No further traced.
JOHNSON, THOMPSON 4 (Joseph,3 Joseph,2 John1), b. April 20, 1797; m. Au- rilla Butler, ptge., etc., not ascertained, nor precise date of cer., nor where or by whom; but, from publishment of intentions, it must have taken place prob. March, 1832. Their chn. :-
GEORGIANNA WILLIS, b. Nov. 28, 1832.
NEWELL CLARK, b. Sept. 17, 1834.
LUCY MANDANA, b. Sept. 13, 1836.
HULDAH LUCENA, b. April 23, 1838.
NANCY CYRENE, b. Nov. 4, 1841.
No further traced.
JOHNSON, LEVI4 (Baxter,3 Stephen,2 John 1), b. Mendon, Oct. 7, 1791; long a famous and most expert stage-driver, of whom many stirring anecdotes might be told; mr.'s maiden name Eunice Keith; m. Martha Wilbur ; cer. Mendon, May 26, 1819, by Rev. Simeon Doggett. Their chn. :-
CHARLES C., b. Aug. 18, 1820; m. Jemima W. Whitney, Sept. 22, 1842. CAROLINE P., b. May 11, 1822; m. Reuel Dunbar ; she d. 1880.
NANCY WILBER, b. May 29, 1824; m. Asa Pond; she d. 1849.
ELIZA F., b. March 2, 1826; m. Lorenzo Gould, March 8, 1846.
LYDIA RUSSELL, b. Jan. 29, 1828; m. Winthrop H. Ring; res. Mil.
SOPHIA GODFREY, b. Feb. 9, 1838; m. George H. Green ; she d. 20 yrs. ago.
The hus. and fr. d. in Mil., Oct. 12, 1849. Mrs. Martha, a woman of great mental independence and executive physical energy, d. Sept. 4, 1876, a. 89 yrs. 3 mos., having lived 27 yrs. in widowhood.
JOHNSON, WILLIAM (colored), familiarly called "Black Billy," ptge. not ascertained ; was some time of Mil., but later dwelt in E. Mendon, in the neighborhood of So. Mil .; m. Sarah Brown in 1828; where and by whom the cer. was performed not ascertained. Mrs. Sarah was a bright, neat, polite woman, much employed in respectable families on festive occasions as a semi-mistress of ceremonies and head female waiter. I do not remem- ber whether they had any chn., but think they had none. Both have gone the way of all the earth some yrs. since.
JOHNSON, Rev. GORDON, of Granby, Ct. ; m. Elizabeth Rawson, dr. of Dea. Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Nelson) Rawson, b. in our then Precinct, Feb. 9, 1775; cer. Jan. 29, 1804, by Rev. D. Long. They had 1 child recorded here, -
EMMONS, b. Dec. 30, 1804; d. in early infancy.
Also -
JOSEPH RAWSON, b. somewhere in Ct .; birth-date not found; became Cong. clergyman.
The mr. d. Sept. 11, 1806.
JOHNSON, DANIEL, son of Clark and Patty (Goulding) Johnson, b. in Worces- ter, May 12, 1813; farmer; m. Lovilla B. Clark, dr. of Dr. Lyman S. Clark, b. Marion, N.Y., 1818; cer. in Mendon, 1840, by Warren Rawson, Esq. No chn. She d. Nov. 26, 1857.
JOHNSON, NATHAN, son of Clark and Patty (Goulding) Johnson, b. Worces- ter, Aug. 23, 1817; boot-bottomer; m. Sylvia Bennett, dr. of Nathaniel and Prudence (White) Bennett, b. Mil., Sept. 16, 1827; cer. at Hopedale, Nov. 18, 1846, by the writer. Their chn. : -
ELVIRA JOSEPHINE, b. Sept. 1, 1847; m. Benjamin F. Warfield, Blackstone, Nov. 12, 1865.
846
BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
GEORGE WILLIS N., b. March 2, 1849; d. Dec. 20, 1851.
SARAH ADELINE, b. Jan. 20, 1851; m. Ransom J. Clark, Mil., Jan. 27, 1869; 1 child.
NATHAN CLARK, b. Nov. 27, 1852; d. Sept. 2, 1854.
WILLARD J., b. July 4, 1855; d. June 14, 1864.
SYLVIA ETTA, b. Feb. 1, 1858.
Grandchn. - Cora E., Frank Webster, Eva F., Edward Everett; all chin. of Benjamin F. and Elvira J. Warfield, Blackstone. Lilla Josephine, dr. of Ran- som J. and Sarah A. Clark, Mil.
Honest, industrious, worthy people.
JOHNSON, CHARLES C.5 (Levi,4 Baxter,3 Stephen,2 John 1), b. Mendon, Aug. 18, 1820; mr.'s maiden name Martha Wilbur; foreman in boot-manufactory ; m. Jemima W. Whitney, dr. of Moses and Susan (Hall) Whitney, b. Upton, Nov. 10, 1820; cer. Up., Sept. 22, 1842, by Rev. Benjamin Wood. Their chn. :-
WALTER E., b. March 8, 1844; m., name not given, Oct. 10, 1867; he d. April 6, 1877.
ARTHUR C., b. Nov. 13, 1849.
ALBERT L., b. Sept. 26, 1851; d. Dec. 10, same yr.
DELIA M., b. May 11, 1856.
NELLIE L., b. May 29, 1859.
WILLARD, b. Feb. 4, 1863; d. Nov. 4, same yr. Grandchn., the chn. of Walter E. and wf .:-
Clara A., b. July 6, 1868.
Charles E., b. Jan. 20, 1871.
William H., b. July 11, 1873.
Albert A., b. Feb. 15, 1875.
Charles C. Johnson is an energetic and executive business man, an inde- pendent, reformatory thinker and actor on all subjects, an upright citizen, and the head of a worthy family.
JOHNSON, Col. LEWIS, b. in Bristol, Ct., March 29, 1799; youngest of seven
bros. and srs., chn. of Chandler and Elizabeth (Lewis) Johnson, whose names were Raphael, Betsey, Chelsea, Laura, Phebe, Josiah, and Lewis. William Godfrey, always enterprising and public spirited, became acquainted with Mr. Johnson out South, a young tinsmith, took a liking to him, and persuaded him to try his fortune in Mil. He did so, commencing his busi- ness in one of Godfrey's shops, just north of Water St. corner. This was in May, 1820. There he was our first dealer in stoves, tin-ware, etc. He had fair success, but in 1825 removed to Woonsocket, R.I., and established his business-the first of his line-in that place. He prospered there, built the Social Hotel, on the site of the present Monument House, and at the end of two yrs. sold his interests to William J. Holder. He then returned to Mil., erected an ample establishment on the then open ground just below where the Alhambra now stands, and successfully pursued his calling down to the time of his sudden death, Feb. 13, 1849. He was a man of bland and courteous manners, commendable public spirit, upright morals, and goodly esteem among his fellow-citizens. He was fond of martial history, exploits, and display. When the Independent Light Infantry Co. of Mil. was organized, in 1826, he was elected its first capt., and thence rose, in rapid succession, to be col. of the regt. to which it belonged. He was m. to Miss Sally Godfrey Parkhurst, dr. of John and Lucy (Jones) Parkhurst,
847
JOHNSON FAMILIES.
Mil., Sept. 1, 1824, by Rev. D. Long, who also rendered the same service at the marriage of the bride's parents, and afterwards at that of her eldest dr. The col.'s wid. still survives, at this writing, in a green old age. Their chn. were, -
LUCY ELIZABETH, b. June 21, 1825; m. Samuel Walker, Mil.
NAPOLEON BONAPARTE, b. July 27, 1828; cashier Home Nl. Bank, Mil.
JOHN PARKHURST, b. July 12, 1831; d. young.
GEORGE HOLDER, b. Nov. 28, 1834; d. at the age of 19 mos.
SOPHIA PARSONS, b. May 19, 1838; d. July 1, 1864.
WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, b. April 10, 1840; slain battle Gettysburg, July 2, 1863. See " War-Record."
ABBOTT LAWRENCE, b. Aug. 9, 1842; d. Aug. 9, 1843.
GEORGE ABBOTT, b. May 17, 1845; d. June 23, 1848.
JOHNSON, NAPOLEON B.3 (Col. Lewis,2 Chandler 1), cashier the Home Na- tional Bank, Mil .; b., as above stated, July 27, 1828; m. Mary Tufts Stone, Athol, dr. of Nathan and Nancy (Willard) Stone. She was b. July 18, 1829; and their mge. was solemnized in Warwick, Oct. 20, 1853, by Edwin Stone, Esq. Their chn. : -
MARY ELEANOR, b. in Mil., Oct. 26, 1857; student Framingham Normal School.
SARAH LEE, b. in Mil., April 12, 1861; d. March 7, 1863.
LEWIS JEROME, b. in Mil., Sept. 24, 1867; student in high school, assists in bank.
BESSIE HELEN, b. in Mil., Sept. 11, 1872.
Excellent family, of high moral tone, and good standing in community.
JOHNSON, GEORGE WILLOUGHBY, is one of our present most enterprising boot and shoe manufacturers, and head of the firm Johnson, Rust, & Co. He is a gentleman of robust physique, energetic temperament, genial address, and generous public spirit. He facetiously credits his stately presence, and fondness for the leather business, to his ancestry, which, perhaps, no one will dispute after understanding the prominent facts. His gt. gt. gd. parents were Stephen and Jemima (Taft) Johnson of Mendon. His gt. gd. parents were Stephen and Hannah (Baxter) Johnson, also of Mendon. His gt. gd. mother became a wf. at the age of 15 yrs., and then weighed 256 lbs., being tall, and in all respects well proportioned. She bore fifteen chn., and still retained precisely the same weight as at mge. Her hus. carried on the tanning business in the Seth Davenport neighborhood, and was a large landholder in that frontier vicinity. He was a lieut. in the Revolutionary war, and won the reputation of having been a brave soldier. One generation farther back gives John and Sarah Johnson as the parents of the first Stephen; but we will start our tabulations with, -
JOHNSON, WILDER 4 (Stephen,3 Stephen,2 John 1), b. in Mendon, March 3, 1768-69; a tanner by trade, who honored leather; m. Thirza Benson, b. Mendon, 1773; cer. there, Nov. 26, 1792, by Benjamin Read, Esq. They set. in Upton, and their chn. were, -
DULCENA, b. April 22, 1793; in. William Rice, 1823. She d. April, 1863. SYLVIA, b. Sept. 30, 1795; d. July, 1799.
HOLLIS, b. April 7, 1798; m. Eveline W. Cook. He d. Dec., 1871.
SYLVIA, again, b. Nov. 10, 1800; m. Elmer Cobb, Mil., 1820. She d. Aug., 1879.
LORING, b. March 28, 1803; m. Mary A. Wood, 1831; she survives. He d. Aug. 11, 1880.
848
BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
AMANDA, b. March 5, 1806; m. Ebenezer Gore, Dec. 19, 1849.
RUFUS A., b. May 1, 1809; Unitarian clergyman. He d. Sept., 1860. ELMIRA, b. Feb. 14, 1811; d. young.
HENRY DEXTER, b. Jan. 14, 1817; an honored official in Upton, -3 yrs. rep. to Gen. Court, 15 yrs. assessor and school-committee man, dep. assessor and collector of int. rev., etc. He d. Dec., 1871. The mr., Mrs. Thirza, d. in Up., Oct., 1843; the fr., Dec., 1845.
JOHNSON, LORING 5 (Wilder,4 Stephen,3 Stephen,2 John 1), b. March 28, 1803, in New Hampshire, where his parents res. for a short time; for 20 yrs. a boot and shoe merchant in Charleston, S.C., and since then a solid farmer in Upton; m. Mary Ann Wood, dr. of Jonathan and Sarah Wood, b. Sept. 17, 1810; cer. Sept. 6, 1831, by Rev. Benjamin Wood, long their Congl. pastor. I will note here the interesting fact, that her mr., the venerable Mrs. Sarah Wood, still survives in remarkable vigor, at the age of over 91 yrs. Chn. of Loring and Mary A. (Wood) Johnson :-.
GEORGE WILLOUGHBY, b. Oct. 6, 1832; our Mil. enterprising boot and shoe manufacturer.
SARAH THIRZA, b. Nov. 18, 1843; m. Willard S. Wood, Dec., 1862. Mr. Loring Johnson d. Aug. 11, 1880.
JOHNSON, GEORGE WILLOUGHBY 6 (Loring,5 Wilder,4 Stephen,3 Stephen,2 John1), b. in Up., Oct. 6, 1832; m. Charlotte Parkhurst of Mil. She was the dr. of Nelson and Hannah (Jayne) Parkhurst, b. May 18, 1837. They were m. Mil., Oct. 21, 1857; cer. by Rev. James R. Johnson. They have res. partly in Boston, but chiefly in Mil. Their chn. are, -
MAUDE LAURA, b. Boston, Nov. 25, 1866.
MARY JOSEPHINE, b. Boston, Jan. 28, 1878.
Mr. Johnson had the honor of being a delegate to the famous convention, held at Chicago in June, 1880, by the Republican party, for the nomination of a presidental candidate, and rejoiced in the success of his great favorite, Gen. Garfield. He now deeply laments his untimely death.
JONES. This name has been conspicuous on our records from the first settlements on our territory downward. Eld. John Jones, previously of Men- don town, became possessed of ten or twelve acres of the farm in the Dale as early as 1699 or 1700. There his own pious and stalwart hands felled the sturdy forest, and hewed him out a clearing, which gradually broadened into one of the noblest farms east of Neck Hill. I have already spoken biographically of this eminent pioneer, in Chap. III., and have materials for an interesting enlargement. But I will restrict myself to the more important genealogical facts of his family record.
I think Savage, and others, warrant me in stating, that his gd. fr., Thomas Jones, a tailor, was a native of Caversham, Oxfordshire, Eng .; that he came with his wf. Ann and oldest chn., on board ship "Confidence," to Hingham, in 1638; and that, later in life, he set. in Hull. The chn. of Thomas and Ann Jones were probably Joseph, Benjamin, Abraham, Robert, and others. Their son Abraham, by wf. Sarah, had Benjamin, Thomas, Abraham, Joseph, John, Ephraim, and a dr. not named. The fr. was made freeman in Hull, 1673, and elected rep. to Gen. Court, 1689. The date of his death not ascertained, but that of his will was Jan. 8, 1717.
Our Eld. John 3 was the fifth son, and, according to the inscription on his gravestone, must have been b. about 1669 or 1670. He m. a wf., Sarah, not far from 1693. Their chn. were, -
849
ELDER JOHN JONES.
SARAH, b. in Hull, 1694; m. Daniel Corbett, Dec. 4, 1717. BRIDGET, b. in Hull, 1696; m. James Wood, May 17, 1716.
MERCY, b. in Hull, 1697; m. John Thwing, about 1718 or 1719. JOHN, Jun., b. in Hull, 1699; set. in Bellingham ; d. prob. Sandisfield. NATHANIEL, b. in Hull, March 31, 1702; set., lived, and d. here. LYDIA, b. in the Dale, Sept. 17, 1705; m. Jonathan Whitney, Jan. 26, 1726. ABRAHAM, b. in the Dale, July 2, 1708; res. here ; became dea. and eld.
JOSEPH, b. in the Dale, Dec. 27, 1709; res. always on the Jones homestead.
It appears, from Mendon records, that Eld. John paid a ministerial tax there as early as 1691, but none afterward till 1704. This renders it doubtful whether he removed his family from Hull to Mendon until after 1700, though he must have owned real estate there before 1691, and was probably a transient res., going back and forth to Hull. The following recorded votes show that Mendon citizens thought well of him, and were disposed to favor his interests. "March 1, 1703. At a general Town-meeting it passed by vote that John Jones of Hull might lay down and leave his home lot, and twelve acres of his Dubling lot joining together, which lays between the ministry's and Robert Taft's land, for the Town's use, and take it elsewhere if he see cause." Also: "Whereas at a general Town-meeting, the 4th of May, 1674, it was voted that all the land lying between Mill River and Muddy Brook should be for perpetual common, if John Jones of Hull shall see cause to take up 20 acres of the land, exchanged with said town, upon said neck of land near Seth Chapin's, so as not to in- commode the road, provided he improves it for his house lot, it is in like manner granted to him, the former vote notwithstanding." These votes suggest three prob. facts : 1, That Jones's home and family were yet in Hull. 2, That he himself was in Mendon much of his time preparing his new home in the Dale. 3, That Neck Hill, as it came to be called, derived its name from belonging to the tract of land between Muddy Brook and Mill River reserved in the vote of 1674 for perpetual common, and which, in the vote of 1703, was styled "said neck of land."
We may confidently conclude that Eld. Jones got possession of his first land in the Dale early in 1700, and commenced clearing a spot for a dwelling- house; that he then built himself a rude, strong barrack, and, later, a small framed house; that meantime he obtained new grants of land adjacent to his first; and that some time during 1703 or 1704 he brought his family from Hull to their new home. Thenceforth he prospered greatly, both in temporal and spiritual affairs. All his chn., sooner or later, became ch. members. He was chosen ruling eld. of the First Church of Mendon in 1736, and, as I have else- [ where told, in 1741 to the same dignity in the Second, or Easterly Precinct Ch. He became a large land-holder, and otherwise rich; married off his drs. and sons influentially, and endowed them liberally with either lands or goods. He made gift deeds of land to John, jun., Nathaniel, Abraham, and Joseph, retain- ing the latter as his partner on the homestead. His will bears date Dec. 11, 1749. It specifies, with proper references and provisions, his wf. Sarah; sons John, jun., Nathaniel, Abraham, and Joseph; his dr. Sarah, wf. of Eld. Daniel Corbett; dr. Mercy, wf. of John Thwing; dr. Lydia, wf. of Jonathan Whitney ; and S gd. chn., the chn. of his deceased dr., Bridget Wood, viz., Sarah, Mary, Martha, Mercy, John, Asa, Nathan, and Bridget Wood. He gave his large Bible to John, jun., which, if I could have seen, would have saved me days of anxious research. It ordained his two sons-in-law, Corbett and Whitney, exr's. The witnesses were Rev. Amariah Frost, Simeon Littlefield, and Mary Jones,
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BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
the latter prob. his son Joseph's wf. It was proved April 24, 1753, before which time not only the testator, but his wf. Sarah, and son-in-law Corbett, had gone the way of all the earth. His wf. d. March 3, 1750, in her 83d yr. He d. March 28, 1753, in his 84th yr. So say their gravestones, from which it would appear that she was somewhat the oldest.
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