USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Westminster > History of Westminster, Massachusetts (first named Narragansett no. 2) from the date of the original grant of the township to the present time, 1728-1893, with a biographic-genealogical register of its principal families > Part 106
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1 m. and went to Kingston, Canada.
26. STEARNS, THOMAS4, another s. of John3 and Abigail, was b. Watertown, Oct. 8, 1711. He came to Nar. No. 2, as is understood, in 1740, the 5th permanent settler in the place, and established himself on lot No. 42, the late Job Seaver farm, where he res. through life. He became one of the most active, influential, and honored citizens of the township, holding impor- tant public offices, and being elected Dea. of the church upon the death of Dea. Joseph Holden in 1768. He m. Aug. 9, 1744, Hannah Clarke of Newton, but had no chn. He d. April 2, 1785, a. 73. By will he gave his wid. £10 and the use, while she lived, of one-third of his real and personal estate, which was considerable for those days. He bequeathed £13 6s. "to the Church of Christ in W., on condition that Rev. Mr. Rice have the interest upon the same while he continued the minis- ter." The remainder was to go finally to his bros. and srs. who were living, and the heirs of those dec'd,-the bulk of his lands being assigned to his nephews, Phineas of Watertown, and James of Lunenburg, who were his executors. His wid., who evidently deemed them faithless to their trust, commenced suit against them for property in their possession in 1788, but with
881
THE STEARNS FAMILY.
what result does not appear. She became finally a public charge, giving up what little property she had to the town in 1794, and receiving support thereafter from the public treasury. She d. Aug. 11, 1799.
27. STEARNS, JOSIAH5, s. of Josiah4 of Watertown, who was bro. of John+ and Thomas+ above named, and Hannah (Ball) Stearns, was b. July 11, 1730, and m. in 1765, Abigail Emerson of Plum Island, opposite Newburyport. He bought lot No. 91, lying S E. of the Jackson, recently Lyman Allen, farm, Nov. 4, 1756, and subsequently became a permanent resident thereon. (See A. H. No. 36.) Later in life he was partially insane and had a guardian appointed. In 1773, on petition of his w. and the Selectmen, who certified to his recovery, the guardian was rem. Some yrs. after, he went to Wilmington, Vt., where he was afflicted with his old malady, and d. Jan. 31, 1802, a. 71. His wid., Abigail, d. in W., Sept., 1803. Chn .:
28. ABIGAIL6, b. Feb. 6, 1766; m. James Miller; res. Wilmington, Vt .; 7 chn.
29. SUSANNAH6, b. Feb. IS, 1768; unm .; insane after 15 yrs. of age.
30. ELIZABETH5, b. Aug. 1, 1770; m. John Whitney, etc .; 6 chn .; d. I83S.
31. JOSIAH6, b. May 25, 1773; m. Lucy Allen, Pn .; res. Wilmington; 9 chn.
32. DANIEL6, b. May 18, 1776; m. Elizabeth Heywood; res. W., etc.
[32.] STEARNS, DANIEL6, son of the last, m. Aug. 7, 1800, Elizabeth, dau. of Timothy and Patience (Stebbins) Heywood. He res. here some 4 or 5 yrs., when he followed other members of his family to Wilmington, Vt. Ab. the year 1814 he rem. to Brattleboro', thence, in 1818, to Gerry, Chatauqua Co., N. Y., and finally to Freeport, Ill., where himself and w. d. some 30 yrs. since. The common affliction of the family, insanity, char- acterized the last years of his life. Three chn. were b. here:
33. LOUISA7, b. Nov. 14, 1800.
34. PHINEAS7, b. Aug. 1, 1802; d. Sept., 1803.
35. MARY™, b. May 25, 1804; d. Aug., 1806.
After leaving W. they had Phineas7, Daniel M.7, Isaac N.7, Horatio N.7, and Mary, b. Wilmington, Vt .; Charles" and Elizabeth7, b. Brattleboro'; and Alvalina7, Elmira7, and William7, b. Gerry, N. Y. Two of these studied divinity and be- came ministers of the Methodist denomination.
36. STEARNS, STEPHEN B.7, s. of Samuel6 and Polly (Bennett) Stearns, was b. in Fg., Nov. 2, 1805. He was a descendant of the immigrant Charles1 mentioned in the first paragraph relat- ing to the family, by the following line, -Shubael2 of Lynn, Samuel3, also of Lynn, Timothy4 of Wilmington and Leominster, Samuel5 of Leominster, Samuel6 of Fitchburg. He was a painter by trade and worked in town a few years, when he rem. to Con- cord, N. H., where he d. June 25, 1835, at the age of 29. He m. in 1833 (pub. Jan. 19), Mary, dau. of Asa and Lucena (Puf- fer) Merriam, who bore him one s. and d. Aug. 19, 1851, a. 45. The s. was:
37. CHARLES HUDSONS, b. June 12, 1833; m. twice and res. Worc .; I chd .; living.
56
882
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
I. STEDMAN, ISAAC, ptge., etc., not ascertained, though prob. a descendant of Isaac of Scituate, who went to Boston 1650 and d. 1678, was in Nar. No. 2 as early as 1743, when he signed a petition to the Gen. Ct. for an Act of Incorporation. On the 2Ist June, 1742, he bought of John Park, O. P., lot No. 35, now occupied by Mrs. Larrabee, on the road to Everettville, and lo- cated upon it. He came from Newton, where he had m. Hul- dah, dau. of Dea. Wm. and Sarah (Wood) Trowbridge, who bore him a large number of chn., few of whom lived to mature years. Mr. Stedman d. June 12, 1757, and his wid. m. (2) Dec. 26, 1769, Francis Wheeler of Concord, the last known of her. The chn. of Mr. and Mrs. Stedman were:
2. JONATHAN, b. July 30, 1738; m. Tabitha Hart; res. W.
3. ISAAC, b. May 10, 1740; d. infancy.
4. WILLIAM, b. Feb. 15, 1742; d. unm. July 7, 1764.
JOSHUA, b. Nov. 20, 1743; d. unm. Jan. 28, 1764.
5. 6. NATHANIEL, b. April 18, 1746; living 1764, but prob. d. soon after.
7. CALEB, b. Feb. 5, 1749; d. Dec. 15, 1756.
8. JAMES, b. Sept. 17, 1751; d. Sept. 28, 1751.
9. JAMES, b. Nov. 20, 1752; prob. m. Sarah - and soon d. (See below.)
IO. ISAAC, b. 1754; d. June 2, 1757.
II. SARAH, b. Jan. 30, 1756; d. Sept. 17; 1756.
[2.] STEDMAN, JONATHAN, S. of the last, m. Tabitha Hart of Lunenburg in 1761, and seems to have shared with his mother the occupancy of his father's estate, both prob. living in the same house. After his d., which occurred July 11, 1764, his interest was sold to Nathaniel Tottingham and his mother disposed of her share to Elisha Tottingham, bro. of Nathaniel. The wid. of Mr. Stedman m. (2) John Rand. The chn. of Jonathan and Tabitha were:
12. SARAH, b. June 31, 1762; m. David Wyman; res. W., etc .; sev. chn.
13. JONATHAN, b. Sept. 15, 1764; pub. Sybel Ray, but prob. d. before m.
[4.] STEDMAN, WILLIAM, bro. of Jonathan, bought July 17, 1762, lot No. 86 in the So. part of the town, and perhaps built a house upon it, the cellar of which may still be seen. (See A. H. No. 99). He never m. and d. ab. two years later, July 7, 1764. His property was divided between bros. James and Nath- aniel and mother Huldah. Prob. Nathaniel d., leaving James in possession of the real estate, a part of which he sold to Thomas Merriam, Dec. 27, 1773. Ten years later Sarah Sted- man sold the remainder to the same party, James, no doubt, having meanwhile d. Who this Sarah was cannot be definitely determined, being very likely wid. of James, though no record has been found of his m., but perhaps dau. of Jonathan, who was not yet m. to David Wyman. With the last transaction men- tioned the name disappears from the W. annals.
I. STEVENS, EPHRAIM, lineage, etc., not ascertained. Ac- cording to Report of Legislative Com. made July, 1751, he was
883
THE STEVENS, STOCKWELL, AND STONE FAMILIES.
in possession of lot No. 101, now the homestead of Wm. II. Benjamin in the E. part of the town. Where he was from, how long he remained here, and whither he went cannot be stated. It is presumed, however, that he was s. of Ebenezer of Water- town, who drew the lot originally upon the right of Ephraim Cutter of the same place, a Nar. soldier. In 1760 the estate was sold to Joseph Bailey, who conveyed it the following year to Timothy Hoar of Concord, and his s. Timothy subsequently lived upon it.
2. STEVENS, HENRY, presumed to be bro. of the preceding and s. of Ebenezer of Watertown, was located in 1751 on lot No. 1 12 at the head of the Narrows, then owned by David Dunster, having 12 acres of cleared land and running the mill built on the premises by Wm. Brattle. Seven years later he pur- chased the farm and three-fourths of the mill, the other fourth being the property of Abner Holden. He d. not long afterward and his wid., whose name was Abigail -, m. (2) Elijah Gibbs, the administrator of the estate. Chn .:
3. ABIGAIL, b. Jan. 28, 1755; m. John Bemis; res. Vt.
4. HENRY, b. Feb. 22, 1757; nothing further learned.
1. STOCKWELL, GEORGE HENRY, s. of George and Sabra, was b. at Royalston, Oct. 11, 1845. He m. Abigail E. Bouche of Ravenna, O., Sept. 16, 1868, and after living a few years in Winch., where his first chd. was b., came to W., his present place of residence. Chn .:
2. GEORGE A., b. June 3, 1870. 3. WILLIAM H., b. Jan. 1, 1872.
4. ADDIE A., b. Dec. 21, 1875; d. April 19, 1886.
5. EVA G., b. April 4, 1878; d. Feb. 12, 1883.
6. CHESTER G., b. Oct. 22, 1881; d. March 29, 1883.
7. LEON L., b. Oct. 14, 1883. 8. EARL C., b. April 19, 1886.
9. GRACE L., b. Feb. 12, 1889. IO. ROY W.
I. STONE, ABRAHAM, untraced, was a res. here for some years, being first taxed 1768. He was musically inclined, being chosen a " Modulator of the tunes" in the meetinghouse by his fellow-citizens. He was pub. to Mary Osgood of Lanc., Feb. 4, 1772, but nothing more is known of them, except that they had one son :
2. ABRAM, b. July 2, 1774.
3. STONE, JESSE, untraced, came into town from Marlboro', N. H., ab. 1816, when he bought of Reuben Bond the fulling mill near the outlet of the town meadows (C. S. Merriam reser- voir), and land, house, and cooper-shop connected therewith, and carried on business there some four years, then disposed of the property to Elias Evans and left for parts unknown. The name of his w. was Lucy. They had 3 chn., perhaps more after leaving here.
4. SAMUEL, b. Township No. 4, May 28, 1813.
5. SHERMAN, b. Marlboro', Sept. 23, 181 5.
6. CYRUS, b. W., Aug. 3, 1817.
884
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
STRONG.
Samuel Strong1 was b. in Eng. ab. 1605, and sailed for this country in the Mary and John, 1630, becoming the progenitor of a numerous posterity, some members of which have attained distinction in political, judicial, and ecclesiastical circles, and enjoyed a well-earned reputation. He was some- what of a wandering star, locating first at Dorchester, and going thence successively to Hingham, Taunton, Windsor, Conn., and finally to Northamp- ton, where his migrations came to an end. A s. Samuel2, who res. at N .. was f. of Nehemiah3, a set. in Amherst. Among the chn. of the latter was Simeon4, who distinguished himself both in the law and in the gospel, gain- ing eminence and fame as a preacher and jurist, and receiving for his supe- rior ability and learning the honorary title of LL. D.
I. STRONG, SOLOMON5, s. of Judge Simeon4, was b. at Am- herst, March 2, 1780. Inheriting something of his father's characteristics, he fitted for and graduated at Amherst College, choosing the law for a profession. Going through the requisite course of study, he commenced practice at Athol soon after at- taining his majority. He came from that town to W., prob. in 1805, purchasing Oct. 15 of that year the place now owned by F. A. Merriam in the central village, the then recent homestead of Dr. Asa Miles, deceased. He was the first man in town edu- cated to the legal profession, though others before him had acted as counsel and magistrate to a limited extent. He proved to be a very useful and influential citizen, securing the regard and confidence of the people at large, who not only lent him their patronage, but crowned him with many public honors. He served continuously on the Board of Sch. Com. while he res. here, was Selectman several years, and frequently presided at town meetings. He was elected Senator for Worc. Co. in the years 1812 and 1813, and was chosen to represent his district in the lower house of Congress in 1815. Not long after this he rem. to Leom., where his remaining life was spent. He was appointed Associate Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in 1818, a position held by him 25 years. His d. occurred in 1850. He m. Nov. 20, 1803, Sally, dau. of Joseph and Persis (Miles) Sweetser of Athol, and had, while in W., one dau. :
2. ADELIA, b. Feb. 28, 1812; m. Wm. M. Rogers, minister of Townsend, and after- wards of the Central Church, Boston.
TAFT.
The first appearance of this family on the soil of N. E., so far as is known, was ab. 1678, when Robert Taft1, who sometimes spelled his name Taffe, owned a house at Monotoquid (Braintree). The following year he purchased lands on the easterly borders of Nipmuc pond, Mendon, upon which he and his w., Sarah, soon located. They were among the first settlers of the town after its destruction during King Philip's war, July, 1675. He had five sons, all of whom set. on his own lands near at hand. Robert2, however, after some years rem. to that part of the town afterwards set off to form Uxbridge, where he was active in public affairs and a leader in whatever pertained to the general prosperity and welfare. He had 11 chn., one of whom, Gideon3, was f. of an early settler in this town.
885
THE TAFT, TARBELL, AND TAYLOR FAMILIES.
I. TAFT, ASA4, s. of Gideon3, was b. in 1746 and m. Molly
- , prob. in 1768. On the 23d of Nov. that year he bought lot No. 34, 2d Div., now owned, in part at least, and represented by Fred Graham. The house, built prob. by Asa Norcross, of whom he made the purchase, was located in the open field some ten or twelve rods S. E. of the present one, on the opposite side of the Gr. road. He d. Dec. 10, 1802, a. 56, leaving a large family, as follows :
2. ELIZABETH5, b. Aug. 21, 1769; m. Laban Gates; res. Gilsum, N. H .; sev. chn.
3. NATHAN5, b. June 23, 1771; m. Betsey Bolton and set. Nelson, N. H .; 5 chn.
4. MARVIN5, b. May 22, 1773; pub. Polly Taylor, 1798.
5. MOLLY5, b. July 21, 1775; m. Chester Noah, Wilmington, Vt.
6. RHODAS, b. March 11, 1778; in town many years.
7. TIMOTHY5, b. July 28, 17So; moved Utica, N. Y .; 2 chn.
S. CHLOE5, b. April 18, 1783; nothing known.
9. LEVI5, b. Jan. 19, 1786; res. W., etc .; unm.
10. SALLY5, b. March 26, 1791; a tailoress; res. Wendell.
I. TARBELL, ZACHARIAH5, s. of Eleazer4 and Elizabeth (Brown) Tarbell of Groton, m. Mary, dau. of Moses and Mary (Bellows) Gould of Lunenburg, March 27, 1752, and set. in Nar. No. 2, but at what point has not been learned. He was a de- scendant of Thomas1 of Watertown, 1656, through Thomas2 and Thomas3, and the f. of 7 chn .:
2. MOLLY6, b. May 1, 1753; d. infancy. 3. ZACHARIAH6, b. Nov. 9, 1754.
4. ELIZABETH6, b. Dec. 5, 1755- 5. MOLLY6, b. March 19, 1758 ?.
6. SYBIL6, b. March 9, 1759. 7 . SARAH6, b. Sept. 20, 1760.
8. BETIIIA6, bap. Sept. 30, 1764.
TAYLOR. Several families of this name were in these parts at an early period, two at least some years before the District of W. was incorpo- rated, but the lineage of none of them has been traced, and it is not known that they were in any way related to each other. The registry here given begins with the first on the territory.
1. TAYLOR, JAMES, is sup. to have been the s. of Thomas of Sudbury, inasmuch as he occupied and improved lot No. 98 in the easterly part of the town, which was drawn by the latter in the first division of lands. The site of the house may be dis- cerned in an open pasture lying N. E. of the late Thomas Mer- riam residence. (See A. H. No. 43.) Though an inhabitant here for forty years, no definite record of his family has been found. He became poor in his advanced years, and the town assumed the responsibility of caring for him and his family, he giving up what property he had, mostly real estate, in consider- ation thereof. He d. March 23, 1792, a. 72, leaving a wid., Sarah, who d. Jan. 19, 1810, a. 90. Chn., so far as known:
2. RUTH, b. 1755; d. March 7, 1826, a. 71.
3. REBECCA, b. 1772; d. March 15, 1855, a. 82.
4. SARAH; d. in 1791. 5. JOSEPH, b. after 1775.
6. TAYLOR, EBENEZER, was in the township 1751, located on lot No. 49, the Morse place near No. Common, where he had
886
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
cleared 4 acres of land and built a house. He is thought to have been s. of Wm. of Marlboro', b. in 1702; William of Marlboro' being the sup. s. of Wm. of Concord. He m. Jan. 1, 1723, Mary Banister of M., who bore him 6 chn. and d. Aug., 1736. The following year he m. Beulah -, and had 3 more by her. He was here nearly 20 years, returning then to Shy., whence he came. Of his 9 chn., two sons res. here, as noted below, one dau., Sarah, m. Jonathan Keyes of Boylston, and one, Beulah, m. Elisha Jackson of Gardner.
7. TAYLOR, FORTUNATUS, S. of Ebenezer and Mary, was b. in Shy., Feb. 18, 1729. He bought the lot occupied by his f., April 2, 1753, but remained in possession only 3 years, selling to his brother Asa, who permanently located upon it. It does not appear that he had a family here.
S. TAYLOR, AsA, bro. of the preceding, was b. Nov. 12, 1733. He came to this town at the time he purchased the farm, and in 1768 m. Sarah Williams, perhaps sr. of Isaac, named else- where. He d. 1803, a. 70. She d. Dec. 18, 1822. Their chn. were:
9. JOHN W., b. Dec. 9, 1769; m. Hannah Ball; set. Wilmington, Vt .; living 1809.
IO. LUCRETIA, b. Oct. 12, 1771; m. Gideon Alexander, New Ipswich, N. H., 1791.
II. CHARLES, b. Aug. 29, 1773; unm .; lived on father's place; d. Feb. 18, 1826.
12. MARY, b. Feb. 18, 1776; m. - Nash; res. Leyden; sev. chn.
13. EBENEZER, b. March 5, 1778; d. Nov. S, ISO1.
14. ASA, b. March II, 1781; m. Alma Otis; res. Lenox, N. Y.
15. TAYLOR, SAMUEL, ptge., etc., unknown, was b. Reading, 1757. He went from his native place to Hillsborough, N. H., whence ab. 1780 he came to WV. and m. Prudence, dau. Jonas and Mary Winship, pub. Nov. 20, 1781. He purchased a small farm in Whitman River valley, on which he subsequently lived. (See A. H. No. 23.) He d. Jan. 12, 1802, a. 45, and his wid., Prudence, d. Jan. 23, 1813, a. 58. Chn .:
16. SAMUEL. b. Jan. 3, 1783; unm .; killed in felling a tree. Dec. 25, 1810.
17. PRUDENCE, b. March 3, 1786; m. James Bruce; res. W .; 9 chn.
IS. ABIGAIL, b. Dec. 17, 1789; m. Nathaniel Cutter; res. Ash., etc .; 4 chn .; d. Aug. 22, 1862.
19. AARON. b. March 24, 1793; m. Lois Train; res. W.
[19.] TAYLOR, AARON, m. Lois, dau. Elisha and Lois Train, April 17, 1814. He lived in small house, perhaps built by him, near the river, below the Cowee (I. N. Smith) place. He d. Sept. 2, 1834, a. 41. His wid., Lois, d. Feb. 5, 1840, a. 45. Chn. :
20. BETSEY, b. Dec. 2, 1814; m. Jonathan M. Jackson.
21. SUSAN, b. July 16, 1819; d. May 6, 1849.
22. ABIGAIL P., b. Feb. 7, 1822; no record found.
23. SAMUEL A., b. March 23, 1827; m. Juli. A. Davis; res. Ash .; 3 chn .; d. July 6, 1869.
24. TAYLOR, SAMUEL, said to have been from Stow, was warned out of town in 1791. He is sup. to have been a s. of Samuel, his name having in the records the suffix Jr. attached to it. He prob. m. Elizabeth, dau. of Zaccheus and Elizabeth
887
THE TAYLOR AND TEMPLE FAMILIES.
(Lyon) Bemis, to whom he was published Feb. 13, 1794. It is presumed that it was his w. and chd. who d. in 1803, and that he finally settled in Fg.
25. TAYLOR, JOSEPH, from Stow, sup. bro. of the last, came to town ab. 1787, and purchased the Dr. Harvey mill on the Whitman River, a mile above the R. R. station, with house and lands connected therewith. Little has been learned of him or his family, though he res. here many years. Himself, w. Lydia, and 4 chn. were warned out of town in 1791. It was prob. his w. who d. 1805, but whose name and age are not recorded.
26. TAYLOR, JOSEPH, S. of the last, was pub. to Polly Man- ning (?) of Winchendon, July 11, 1794. He prob. lived with, and perhaps succeeded, his father at the mill place above-named, though it appears to have been owned by his bro. Wm. in 1810. What became of the family is not known. Only 3 chn. recorded : 27. LYCINDA, b. Feb. 28, 1795. 28. POLLY, b. June 25, 1796.
29. ELIZABETH, b. Jan. 25, 1798.
24. TAYLOR, EZRA, ptge., etc., unascertained, but said to have been from Southboro', was in town as early as 1794. Aug. 29, 1797, he was m. to Rachel Tottingham, and in Jan. of the fol- lowing year, 1798, bought of Josiah Brown the so-called Red Mill site with land adjoining, on which there was prob. a small house, located on the corner of Bacon and Eliot sts. He gave a bond to David Wyman not to start a "fulling mill" on the premises. He, however, built a gristmill, in which he carried on quite a business for many years. He did not prosper finan- cially, and the property was sold to Arna Bacon, Aug. 14, 1816. He went to Utica, N. Y., and thence to N. Y. City, where he d. March, 1824. Chn .:
25. CHARLES, b. April 18, 1798; m. Betsey Knapp; res. N. Y. City; no chn .; d. March 17, 1862.
26. STEPHEN, b. Sept. 6, 1800; a prominent citizen of Gr .; d. unm.
27. EZRA, b. Feb. 13, 1803; m. and res. Manchester, N. H .; d. Jan. 25, 1871.
28. ADOLPHUS; m. Lucretia Knapp and had 3 chn .; dec'd.
29. HARRIET; m. Geo. Mclaughlin; res. Jersey City; 3 chn .; d. Nov. 30, 1870.
30. MARY; m. Charles F. Waldbury; res. Gr .; 4 chn .; d. Jan. 6, 1867.
31. SUSAN; lived in W. and d. unm.
TEMPLE.
This name has long been known in the old country, and has given to the English Calendar some of its most illustrious characters, among which earls, knights, noble lords and ladies, shine conspicuous. Sir Richard Grenville, the younger Wm. Pitt, and Lord Palmerston once Premier of the realm, were of the number. The first of the family in N. E. was Robert Temple1, who set. in Saco. Me., and was slain by the Indians at the time of the de- struction of the town in 1676. His s. Richard2 established himself at Read- ing, where Thomas8 was b. in 1710. The latter m. Sarah Parker and went to Framingham, whence his descendants scattered far and wide throughout the land.
I. TEMPLE, JONATHAN4, s. of Thomas3 and Sarah, was b. at Fram., Feb. 17, 1752. He m., ab. 1777, Rebecca How, and after
888
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
res. for a brief season at different places, came to W. in 1784, and purchased lot No. 85, afterwards the Asa Merriam place, in the So. part of the town, upon which he located and spent his remaining earthly days. A spring on the premises still perpet- uates his name in the neighborhood. He d. March 4, 1796, and his wid. m. (2) Stephen Calef, whom she took to her home as well as to her heart. The date of her d. has not been found. The chn., with a single exception, set. in neighboring towns, as the table appended shows. They were:
2. REBECCA5, b. June 4, 1778; m. Ezra Brooks; res. W .; S chn.
3. ELIZABETH5, b. Feb. 22, 1780; m. Calvin Bush, etc .; res. Bolton; sev. chn.
4. JONATHAN5, b. March 30, 1782; m. Sally Haynes; res. Hub.
5. JOEL5, b. April 22, 1784; m. Hannah Hager; res. Rutland.
6. THOMAS5, b. April 30, 1787; m. Nancy Greenwood, etc .; res. Hub .; 6 chn .; d. . Aug. 1, 1857.
7. PHEBE5, b. April 5, 1789; no record found.
S. ASA5, b. April 18, 1792; no record found.
I. THURSTON, MOSES, S. of Moses and Hannah (Sewall) Thurs- ton of Hollis, N. H., was b. July 9, 1746, and came to W. about the time of attaining his majority. He is sup. to have been a descendant of Daniel Thurston, who left the old world for N. E. as early as 1638, and set. at Newbury. April 21, 1768, he m. Esther, dau. Eliezer and Mary (Fiske) Bigelow. Some years later he bought lands on Ash. road, upon which he built for a perma- nent home the house now owned by John Lynde. He was an enterprising, public spirited, and trustworthy citizen, and in a few years rose to prominence and distinction in the community. He was a hatter by trade and carried on a prosperous business in that line of manufacture. He held the office of Selectman and other positions of responsibility, was Deacon of the church, and a devoted, conscientious Christian. He passed to the higher life June 29, 1809, a. 62. His wid. followed him thither Oct. 24, 1831, a. 88. Their chn. were:
2. LYDIA, b. April 4, 1769; m. Enoch Carlton; res. Camb., Vt .; 4 chn.
3. GILMAN, b. Feb. 15, 1771; m. Azubah Gillett; res. W.
4. SARAII, b. June 10, 1773; m. John P. Wiswall.
5. MARY, b. June 9, 1775; m. David Chadwick; res. Camb., Vt.
6. HANNAII, b. June 3, 1777; m. Peter Chadwick; res. Camb., Vt.
7. MOSES, b. June 18, 1780; m. Hannah Bolton; res. W., etc.
8. ESTHER, b. Aug. 17, 1782; m. Francis Wetherbee and Rufus Thornton; many chn.
9. LUCY, b. Oct. 12, 1784; m. Luther Wetherbee; res. W., etc .; sev. chn.
IO. NANCY, b. Jan. IS, 1787; d. March 1, 1796.
II. CATHARINE, b. Dec. 6, 1789; m. James Tottingham; no chn.
[3] THURSTON, GILMAN, S. of the last, m. Feb. 6, 1798, Azubah Gillett of Lanc. On the 7th of March, 1807, he pur- chased the Jarvis Pierce estate at the W. end of the village, where he ever after resided. He followed his father's occupa- tion, his hat manufactory being well remembered by the writer and others of his generation. He had a large family, mostly daus., somewhat noted for their personal charms and many ac-
889
THE THURSTON AND TITUS FAMILIES.
complishments. Mr. Thurston d. June IS, 1858, a. 87. His w., Azubah, d. March 10, 1849. Chn .:
12. MIRIAM W., b. Nov. 24, 1798; d. Aug. S, ISOo.
13. MARY A. W., b. March 2, 1801; d. Dec. 19, 1869, unm .; res. W.
14. NANCY M., b. May 4, 1803; m. Orange Green; res. Ga .; I chd.
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