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 64
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[21.] BARNES, DAVID B., s. of Dea. Sewall and Mary (Bond) Barnes, m. Mary M., dau. of James and Mary (Miller) Heywood (pub. Oct. 27th) 1838. He built the ho. near his f.'s dwelling, now occupied by Henry Baker on the Fg. road, and made chairs in the shop a few rods above. His life was brief, terminating April 12, 1846, at the a. of 27. His wid. m. (2) Seth B. Hall, Fg., where she subsequently res. Date of her d., Jan. 5, 1858, a. 38. Chn. of David B. and Mary M .:
535
THE BARNES AND BARRELL FAMILIES.
35. HENRY, b. Dec. 25, 1839; d. Nov. 3, 1842.
36. JAMES H., b. Oct. 1, 1842; m. Helen L. Emerson; res. Vineland, N. J.
37. GEORGE M., b. April 4, 1844; d. Sept. 4, 1849.
38. DAVID B., b. April 6, 1846; m. L. H. Raymond; res. W.
[25.] BARNES, MERRICK, bro. of the last, m., Dec. 13, 1853, Harriet E., dau. of George and Louisa (Hoar) Harris; res. in W. He d. Oct. 13, 1868, a. 34. Only 4 chn. are noted in the rec. as follows :
39. Unnamed infant, b. July 1, 1857, It twins; d. early.
40. Unnamed infant, b. July 1, 1857, 5
41. STELLA LOUISA, b. Sept. 23, 1858. 42. FLORENCE EMMA, b. Aug. 14, 1861.
[38.] BARNES, DAVID B., s. of David B. and Mary M., m., Nov. 24, 1868, L. Hattie, dau. of Milton and Nancy (Barrett) Raymond, and set. in tn. He is a baker by trade and res. in the central village. His w., L. Hattie, d. March 29, 1891, a. 44. Chn .:
43. MARY L., b. Nov. 16, 1869.
44. JENNIE M., b. Dec. 15, 1874; d. May 30, 1880.
45. HENRY H., b. March 8, 1876.
46. BARNES, SILAS, was s. of Richard of Marlboro', a bro. of Francis (II) bef. named. He m. his cousin, Sukey (16), and 1. in a ho. erected by himself on the cross rd. leading from old red sc. ho. site to Curtis place, and elsewhere ab. tn. and in Gr. He d. at date unkn .; his wid. d. July 5, 1863, a. 80. They had 4 chn .:
47. SEWALL P., b. Oct. 6, 1807.
48. S. NEWELL, b. Dec. 18, 1813; m. Sally Brooks; res. W.
49. JOHN B., b. May 17, 1817; d. Aug. 23, 1818.
50. SABRA A., b. July 27, 1822; m. Dea. Amos Breck; res. Sterling; no chn .; living.
[48.] BARNES, SAMUEL NEWELL, s. of the last, m. Sarah, dau. of Asa and Sallie (Bulow) Brooks, and set. in a ho. built by himself on the old No. turnpike near the so-called Brooks Mill. He d. March 18, 1889, a. 75 ; his w. d. Nov. 3, 1877, a. 65. Chn .:
51. A. N. ALLEN, b. May, 14, 1837; res. at Worc .; unm.
52. GEO. W. E., b. Feb. 28, 1841; m. Sarah M. Kendall; res. Worc .; no chn .; 1.
53. MARY L. E., b. May 9, 1845; d., unm. March 23, 1891.
54. JOHN W. C., b. Aug. 9, 1847; m., and res. Clinton; living.
55. CHARLES A., b. Aug. 11, 1855; d. unm. March 20, 1891.
BARRELL.
Three bros., Wm.1, George1, and John Barrell1, came to N. E. in 1636, and set. in Boston and vicinity. Wm.1 d. in 1639, leaving a s. Wm.2, who, going to Scituate, m. wid. Lydia James, and set. at her home in S. W. part of the town, now Norwell. He had a s. Wm.3, b. 1683, whose s. James4, b. 1727, m. Deborah Bowker, from which union, as is sup., came the older branch of the family represented in W.
I. BARRELL, LUTHER5, sup. s. of the last named, came to tn. ab. 1803 and purchased part of lot No. 80, 2d Div., of John Maynard, with buildings and improvements. It was located
536
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
on Co. rd. to Ash. near the tn. line directly N. W. of farm lately owned by Albert Smith. (See A. H. No. 18.) He m. Abigail, dau. of Moses and Lydia (Leavitt) Humphrey of Hingham, and had 6 chn. He d. of apoplexy in 1806; his wid. d. March 23, 1853. Chn .:
2. LUTHER6, b. Nov. 14, 1792; m. Nancy Sampson; res. W.
3. ABIGAIL6; m. Abram Stone; res. Gr .; 5 chn.
4. NELSON6; m. - Jones; nothing further known.
5. FANNIE6; m. Joshua B. Burgess; res. W. and Ash .; 5 chn .; d. March 10, 1856.
6. JOHN6, b. 1805; m. Caroline Crosby; res. Ash .; 4 chn .; d. Aug. 22, 1841.
7. LYDIA6; d. yg.
[2.] BARRELL, LUTHER6, s. of the last, b. in Scituate, came to tn. when 10 yrs. of age; he m. Mary, dau. of Oliver and Abigail (Sawin) Sampson, March 23, 1815, and set. on the Stephen Marsh place adjoining that of his f.'s, where he spent his days. He was a worthy and highly esteemed citizen; a devoted Methodist in religion and a lay preacher of ability, serving often in that capacity at home and abroad to the satis- faction and edification of his hearers. He d. Feb. 27, 1854, a. 60. His wid. is 1. with her dau. Abbie, in Charlestown. Chn .:
8. LUTHER L.7, b. Dec. 18, 1815; m. Sarah A. Cutter; res. St. Louis, Mo .; several chn.
9. NANCY7, b. March 18, 1818; m. Danl. R. Kenney; res. Sandwich, N. H .; I chd .; d. May 16, 1853.
10. JOSEPH B.7, b. Dec. 28, 1822; m. Harriet E. May; res. W .; 6 chn .; d. Oct. 21, 188I.
Il. ABBY7, b. May 30, 1824; m. Albert Forbush; res. W. etc .; 2 chn.
12. MERRILL7, b. July 2, 1827; m. Corinda -; living St. Louis; 5 chn.
13. ELMIRA7, b. July 3, 1830; m. Joseph Pierce; res. W. and Fg .; 3 chn .; living. 14. JOHN W.7, b. Nov. 14, 1832; d. Aug. 4, 1836.
1 5. CHARLES W.7, b. Dec. 25, 1835; m. Abby E. Whitney; I chd .; d. Mar. 23, 1865.
16. THEODORE7, b. Jan. 17, 1840; m Mary Brown; res. Fg .; 2 chn .; living.
[IO.] BARRELL, JOSEPH BENSON7, s. of last, m. Harriet E., dau. of Sumner May of Ash., Nov. 4, 1845, and set. on the Abner Whitney (Borie) place above Scrabble Hollow. He d. Oct. 22, 1881, a. 58. His wid. res. at Ash. Chn .:
17. TYLER8, b. May 26, 1847; d. 1848.
IS. JOSEPH R.8, b. April 13, 1849; m. A. Rosetta Petts; res. Ash.
19. HERMANS, b. April 5, 1851; m. Leorina M. Hill; res. Iowa.
20. FRANK8, b. July 26, 1853; m. Nellie Whitney; res. Ash.
21. MINETTA E.8, b. Nov. 29, 1855; m. John H. Alcott; res. Waltham; d. July 19, 1882.
22. HATTIE F.8, b. March 8, 1857; m. Charles F. Wood; res. Ash.
23. BARRELL, WILLIAM6, s. of Wm.5 and Rebecca (Wilder) Barrell of Scituate and nephew of Luther5 (I), m. Deborah Chittenden (pub. Jan 6, 1802). He came to W. soon after, purchasing, April 15, 1805, lot No. 53, 3d Div., in extreme N. W. part of tn., of Isaac Miller and located upon it. In 1826 he with his est. was set off to Ash., of which tn. he was afterward a res. He d. in Ash. Oct. 5, 1850; his w., May 2, 1848. Chn .:
537
THE BARRON AND BARTLETT FAMILIES.
24. WILLIAM6, b. July 7, 1803; d. unm., Ash., Feb. 7, 1850.
25. MARIA6, b. Nov. 12, 1804; m. Nathan Wood; res. W. and Ash .; 3 chn .; d. April 8, 1850.
26. NAHUM6, b. April 9, 1807; m. Martha A. Hinds; res. W.
27. BETSEY6, b. March 6, 1810; d. unm., May 6, 1847.
28. Lucy6, b. Jan. 10, 1812; d. April 9, 1814.
29. JAMES6, b. June 11, 1817; m. wid. Abbie Smith.
[26.] BARRELL, NAHUM6, s. of the last, m. Martha A., dau. of Francis and Persis (Hemenway) Hinds, a native of Greenwich, Mass., Dec. 3, 1835, locating on the Stephen Holden farm in the N. W. part of the tn., the modern buildings upon which, erected by Mr. B., were burned Aug. 30, 1887. (See A. H. No. 17.) He d. in tn. Dec. 30, 1874, a. 67. His wid. is 1. Chn .:
30. LUCY7, b. Aug. 4, 1840; m. Geo. Dalrymple and H. E. Smith.
31. RUANY7, b. Nov. 7, 1842; m. Charles W. Whitney; res. Ash.
32. WILLIAM7, b. Oct. 5, 1850; d. April 23, 1864.
I. BARRON, WILLIAM B.3, s. of William2 and Cynthia (Met- calf) Barron, was b. Keene, N. H., April 24, 1820. His gd.f., also named William1, came from Ireland with two bros., and go- ing directly to N. H. set. near the city named. One of the bros. located in Concord (now Carlisle) and had a dau. Elizabeth, who m. Dea. David Whitney of W. William3 m., Oct. 5, 1847, Phebe D., dau. of Aaron and Susannah Estey of Roxbury, N. H., and after res. in Fg. awhile came to W. in 1859, establishing himself near the R. R. station, where he still lives. He is a carpenter and builder by trade, and an intelligent, active, public-spirited citizen. Chn .:
2. CHARLES+, b. Sept. 6, 1848; m. Sarah T. Holman; res. So. Gr .; no chn. reported.
3. ALBERT H.4, b. Oct. 29, 1850; m. Emma E. Bruce; res. So. Gr .; I chd.
4. CLARA M.4, b. April 19, 1853; m. Arthur W. Brown; res. So. Gr .; d. Oct. 13, 1879.
5. FLORENCE A.4, b. March 3, 1855; m. Edward B. Lynde; res. W.
6. ALDEN R.+, b. Aug. 26, 1858; d. Sept. 6, 1860.
7. WILLIS C +, b. Feb. 16, 1867; d. Oct. 21, 1868.
S. CARLOS E.4, b. Feb. 11, 1869; a clerk in W.
I. BARTLETT, DANIEL, was s. of Nathaniel and Dorothy (Harwood) Bartlett of Brookfield, b. Dec. 21, 1755. All efforts to trace his lineage have proved unavailing. He studied medi- cine and came to W. to engage in the practice of his profession, prob. in 1780, being first taxed the following yr. There is quite an incongruity in the authorities respecting his connubial relations. The W. rec. have it that he was pub. to Martha Butler of Lanc. Feb. 16, 1783. Those of the latter tn. make no mention of the matter. The history of Brookfield states that he m. Han- nah Woodbury of that place Dec. 11, 1786. This declaration might in no wise conflict with the former, as implying the d. of his first w., except that the W. rec. further say that in 1791 Daniel Bartlett and w., Martha, were warned out of tn., which leads one to infer that the Brookfield History is in error. His w., whoever she was, name not given, d. in 1796, and he m. (2),
538
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
according to Pn. rec., wid. Abigail Harrington of that place, Jan. 14, 1797. He was a man of great physical stature and commanding proportions. His practice was not large, but he supplemented it by having a store for the sale of drugs, N. E. rum, and W. I. goods. He d. Dec. 25, 1819, a. 64. His wid., who was insane in her last yrs., d. March 20, 1830. He had no chn. but adopted three of those of his bro. Eli, who had 10, to wit :
2. DOROTHY, b. May 30, 1782; d. unm. W., Nov. 18, 1819, a. 37.
3. LUCY, b. Jan. 14, 1791; d. unm. W., 1807, a. 16.
4. ACHSAH, b. Feb. 25, 1793; m. Oliver Estey; res. W .; I chd .; d. Jan. 15, 1824.
I. BATES, EMORY, S. of Asa and Azuba, was b. Phillipston Feb. 11, 1804. He was pub. to Mary R., dau. of Asa and Sally (Puffer) Bigelow, July 15, 1828, and having m. her, res. in W. for ab. half a dozen yrs., having charge of the hotel in the central village. He then went back to his native place and spent the remainder of his life in farming. He d. in April, 1881, a. 77; his w., Mary, d. in May, 1886, a. 75. He had a fam. of 12 chn., only 4 of whom were b. in this tn. Of the others, Herbert H., b. 1851, graduated at the State Normal School in Westfield and became a very successful teacher in Royalston, Canton, and Cambridge. He was Supt. of Schools in Canton I yr. and for 8 yrs. has been at the head of the Training School for teachers in Camb. The chn. of Emory and Mary R. Bates, natives of W., were:
2. MARY L., b. 1830; m. Warren P. Gibbs; res. Athol, sev. chn .; living.
3. ASA B., b. 1832; m. Sarah Richardson; res. W. and Phn .; sev. chn .; living. 4. SALLIE S., b. 1834. 5. EMORY, b. 1835; d. infancy.
[3.] BATES, ASA B., s. of the last, m. Sarah Richardson, and 1. in tn. some time, then rem. to Phillipston, where he still res. While here the following chn. had a place in the rec .:
6. CLARENCE WALTER, b. Jan. 8, 1856. 7. EUNICE ABBY, b. June 11, 1859.
S. JOHN A., b. Aug. 20, 1861. 9. SARAH LIZZIE, b. Sept. 3, 1867.
BATHRICK, STEPHEN, ptge., etc., untraced, m. Martha K., dau. of Samuel and Eunice (Mosman) Garfield, 1833, and res. many yrs. near the S. E. sc. ho., where he carried on the black- smithing business. He was a religious enthusiast, but his zeal was not always according to knowledge. He d. April 21, 1853, a. 81, which would place his b. ab. 1782. Date of d. of w. unkn. No chn.
1. BATTLES, THOMAS WILLARD, S. of Nathan and Sally Battles of Fg. was b. April 16, 1816. He was the oldest of three bros., who set. in this tn. and spent their days here. Their f. was s. of John, who rem. from Scituate to Fg. before the close of the last century, and Hannah, b. Nov. 25, 1796. The ancestry of John has not been ascertained. The subject of this notice m., April 13, 1848, Eliza H., dau. of Maj. Nathan
539
THE BATTLES AND BEAMAN FAMILIES.
and Polly (Clark) Raymond, and set. at length on the home- stead of his w.'s f., where his s. Alton now res. He d. Oct. 30, 1891, a. 75; his w. d. Dec. 5, 1886, a 67. Chn .:
2. MERRIAN, b. Mar. 6, 1850; d. Dec. 24, 1853.
3. ALTON, b. Apr. 6, 1853; m. Emma E. Cummings; res. W.
4. LEWIS, b. Feb., 1857.
[3.] BATTLES, ALTON, S. of the last, m. Emma E., dau. of Nathan and Mary Cummings of Lyndeboro', N. H., Dec. 25, 1882, and remains on the est. owned by his f. They have 2 chn .: 5. LULU MARIA, b. July 10, 1884. 6. -, b. Jan. 25, 1888.
7. BATTLES, BENJAMIN F., bro. Thos. W. (1), was b. Fg. Feb. 27, 1819, and has been a citizen of W. for many yrs. The rec., the only available source of information in regard to his fam., state that he m. Aurilla -, by whom he had 4 chn. It is presumed that there were others, but all efforts to ascertain if such were the case have proved fruitless. Only the following have been found :
S. CORA J., b. Feb. 13, 1877. 9. EMMA S., b. Dec. 8, 1878.
IO. ALFRED F., b. March 5, ISSI. II. - , b. Ang. 31, 1883.
12. BATTLES, ALFRED, bro. of the last, a chairmaker by trade, was b. Feb. 14, 1825 ; he m., Dec. 8, 1847, Lydia, dau. of Edward W. and Lydia (Hoar) Kendall, by whom he had 3 chn. He d. Sept. 19, 1853, a 28. Chn .:
13. ELVA MARIA, b. Feb. 3, 1849; d. Jan. 23, 1850.
14. GEORGE A., b. Dec. 8, 1850; m. Mary Jane Clark; res. W.
15. FRANK H., b. Jan. 25, 1853; m. Sarah E. Merriam; res. W .; no chn.
[14.] BATTLES, GEORGE A., s. of the last, m. Mary Jane, dau. of Simeon and Mary (Morse) Clark of Pn., Oct. 23, 1879. He is a chairmaker, and has had 5 chn .:
16. GRACE GERTRUDE, b. Sept. 10, 1880; d. Dec. 11, 1883.
17. MARY ALICE, b. May 11, 1882. 18. ALFRED JUSTIN, b. July 3, 1884.
19. EDNA LOUISE, b. Sept. 11, 1886. 20. MAUD E., b. Jan. 3, 1889.
BEAMAN.
This name, spelled Beman by all the earlier generations and in all the earlier records, was introduced into this country by Gamaliel1, who came from England in 1635, when 12 years of age, in the ship "Elizabeth and Ann," and located in Dorchester, where he m. Sarah Clark and had 6 chn., b. 1649-1658. In the latter year he was accepted as a citizen of Lanc., rem. thither in 1659, and had 3 other chn. At the time of the Indian Massacre, in 1676, when the town was abandoned, he ret. to D., where he soon after d.
The oldest s. of Gamaliel1 was John2, who, upon the resettlement of Lanc. built a house on his f.'s lands at Wataquadock (Bolton), and took up his abode there. One of his sons, Gamaliel3, was the first settler of Chocksett (Sterling). Another, John3, who remained on the paternal estate, had Jabez4, b. 1705, who went to Shrewsbury, now W. Boylston, in 1746. He was a man of substance, character, and good standing. He owned sev. 2d Div. lots in Nar. No. 2, which were distributed among his chn. after his d. in 1757. By his w., Dinah (Moore), Jabez4 had Ephraim5, who m. Tamer How in 1764.
540
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
I. BEAMAN, SILAS6, s. of the last named, was b. April 7, 1765, and coming to W. when ab. 21 yrs. of a., m. Persis, oldest dau. of Rev. Asaph Rice, Aug. 24, 1786. He was a large man physically, weighing in his prime over 300 lbs. He possessed superior skill and efficiency as a school teacher and was an ex- perienced land surveyor. He was employed by the authorities to survey the tn. in 1795, agreeably to a law recently enacted, -a plan of the same made by him being still preserved in the archives of the State. It appears from the rec. that he purchased land at the N. E. corner of the Common, May 2, 1793, upon which he erected the old brick building now dis- placed by the dwelling of Geo. S. Ham. No doubt he had a store there, as he took out a license ab. the date named for the retailing of spirituous liquors. He returned to Boylston, where he d., prob. in 1811, the inventory of his est. being filed at the Probate Court April 16th of that yr. Date of w.'s d. unknown. They had 2 chn., Betsey and Patty, b. bef. 1791, and prob. others at a later date.
2. BEAMAN, GAMALIEL SAWYER6, s. of Gideon5 and Dolly (Wilder) Beaman of Sterling, was b. Dec. 8, 1808. His f., one of 17 chn., was s. of Phineas4, who was himself s. of Gamaliel3, before spoken of as the first inhabitant of Sterling. Gama- liel S. m. Phebe D., dau. of Daniel and Phebe (Mosman) Gates, and 1. many yrs. on the John Brooks place at the foot of B. P. Hill. He d. July 20, 1883, a. 74. Chn .:
3. LAURA M.7, b. Mar. 13, 1839; m. C. C. Knowlton; res. Ayer; 2 chn .; living.
4. PHINEAS W.7, b. Jan. 10, 1842; d. Sept. 16, 1845.
5. WALDO S.7, b. Sept. 4, 1852; m. M. P. Stearns; res. Boston; 2 chn. An artist of considerable skill; his work, which has been somewhat varied and extensive, having received favorable mention by critics and con- noisseurs. He has a studio in Boston.
6. BEAMAN, JOSEPH, ptge, etc., unascertained, but said to have come from Lunenburg, was in tn. as early as 1794, in which yr., March LIth, he m. Annis, dau. of Wm. and Abigail (Annis) Bemis, and res. with her f. till his d. in 1801. He and his w, Annis, administered on the est. and remained on the farm until 1816, when they sold to Maj. Nathan Raymond, whose gd.s., Alton Battles, is now in possession of the same. Mr. B. was a blacksmith by trade and in the later yrs. of his life had a shop on No. Common, where he res. He d. in Sept., 1821, a. 52. Most of the fam. who survived him rem. to Ant- werp, N. Y. Chn .:
7. JOSEPH, b. Feb. 5, 1795; res. W .; d. Aug. 28, 1838.
8. DAVID, b. Oct. 21, 1796; res. Antwerp. 9. ANNIS, b. Oct. 5, 1798.
IO. IRA, b. June 27, ISoo; m. Keziah Colburn; res. Ant .; d. 1858.
II. ABIGAIL, b. May 19, ISo2; d. Sept., 1805.
12. EZRA B., b. March 20, 1804; res Ant. 13. SOPHRONIA, b. Dec. 13, 1805.
14. POLLY, b. April 1, 1810; d. July 24, 1813. I 5. HIRAM, b. July 1, 1812.
16. ABIGAIL P., b. May 14, 1815. 17. SARAH (Anna?), b. July 28, 1820.
18. BEAMAN, SAMUEL B., a native of Pn., took charge of the hotel at the Center some 20 yrs. ago. His stay in tn. was brief.
541
THE BEARD, BELKNAP, AND BELLOWS FAMILIES.
He was a Capt. of Co. K, 53d Regt., M. V., for a time during the war of the Rebellion. He d. Pn. Sept. 5, 1887.
I. BEARD, JOSEPH, s. of Andrew and Elizabeth (Nichols) Beard, was b. in Reading, 1748. His f. rem. ab. 1772 to W., settling in the S. W. part of the tn. near the present village of So. Gardner, where he d. in 1831. The s. soon after m. Susan- nah Hartshorn of Lunenburg, and on May 19, 1777, bought lot 41, 3d Div., located on the back rd. to Gr. near the former Elisha Pierce place, and set. upon it. Little is known of this fam. In 1804 Joseph and Susannah sold the farm to sons, Joseph and Cleveland, and they in turn the following yr. to Elisha Pierce, at which date the entire fam. disappears from the tn.'s annals and from the knowledge of the writer. The chn. were :
2. JOSEPH C., b. Sept. 23, 1775. 3. SUSANNAH, b. April 6, 1777.
4. LEAFE, b. Dec. 27, 1779; d. yg. 5. NANCY, b. Sept. 16, 1781.
6. CLEVELAND, b. Apr. 25, 1782; d. May 13. CLEVELAND, b. May 15, 1784.
8. HANNAH T., b. Jan. 30, 1787.
9. HETTY, b. Nov. 18. 1789. 10. JOHN N., b. Sept. 1, 1791.
Of the above chn., Nancy was pub. to Moses Gage, Hub., July 19, 1800, and Susannah to Joseph Davenport, Jan. 9, 1803.
BELKNAP, JOSEPH, s. of Jedediah and Deborah (Streeter) Bel- knap, was bap. Fram. May 21, 1750; he m. Olive -, and 1. awhile in Pn., whence he came to W. in 1781 and bought 50 a. of land with ho., etc., upon it in the neighborhood of the home- stead of the late S. Newell Barnes. The exact location is not kn. He was a shoemaker by trade as well as farmer. He was in tn. but a few yrs., selling his est., Sept. 6, 1788, and disap- pearing from view. No chn. recorded.
BELLOWS.
John Bellows1, the progenitor of a family which has contributed some emi- nent names to American history in the several departments of law, medicine, theology, literature, and military achievement, was born in the old country five years after the landing at Plymouth, and came hither in the ship Hope- well, landing on these shores April 1, 1635. A bright, promising lad. he in due time took up the study of medicine as a prerequisite to a useful and honorable profession in life. Making his way, after a time, to Marlboro', a newly settled frontier township of the Mass. Colony. he attained there considerable distinction in his chosen calling and in social life. On the 9th of May, 1665, he m. Mary, dau. of John and Mary Wood. of the same place. Among the children born of this union was Benjamin2, who m. Dorcas (Cut- ter), the widow of Henry Willard of Lancaster (Bolton), and who, after residing in that town a few years, finally located permanently at Lunen- burg as one of its first and most prominent inhabitants.
I. BELLOWS, BENJAMIN3, s. of Benjamin and Dorcas (Cutter) Bellows, was b. May 26, 1712; he m. (1) Oct. 7, 1735, Abigail, dau. of John and Abigail (Fiske) Stearns, the sr. of John and Thomas Stearns of Narragansett No. 2. He came early into possession of lot No. 78, half a mile south of Knower Corner
542
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
on the central Hub. rd., where he built a ho. and made improve- ments and where he prob. res. some yrs. (See A. H. No. 78.) He also owned the Jonathan Sawyer homestead, now Porter Page's, in the north part of the tn., with buildings upon it, 1745-57. In the report made to the General Court July, 1751, on the condition of the "plantation," he is named as having been an actual resident, though not then there, and in 1752 he was paid a bounty for having taken up, improved, and located upon the lot mentioned, agreeably to vote of the proprietors passed some yrs. bef. He was, moreover, one of the early pro- prietors of Walpole, N. H., presiding at a meeting held by them in March, 1752, and in the following yr. removing thither with his fam., one of the first permanent settlers, and virtually
the founder of the tn. His name is perpetuated in the falls of the Conn. River near by and the village adjacent thereto, which are called "Bellows Falls." Abigail, his w., the mother of 5 chn., d. Nov. 8, 1757, and is said to have been the first tenant of Walpole burying ground. Mr. B. m. (2) wid. Mary (Hubbard) Jenneson of Lunenburg, who also had 5 chn. He d. July 10, 1777, a. 65. Only the rec. of the chn. who res. in tn. is given in this connection.
2. ABIGAIL4, b. Dec. 21, 1736; d. young.
3. PETER+, b. Jan. 6, 1739; m. Mary Chase and had 7 chn.
4. BENJAMIN+, b. Oct. 6, 1740; m. Phebe Strong; 3 chn.
5. JOHN+, b. Nov. 3, 1742; m. Rebecca Hubbard; 4 chn.
6. JOSEPH+, b. June 6, 1744; m. Lois Whitney; 14 chn.
The names of the others, b. in Walpole, were: Abigail, Theodore, Mary, Thomas, and Josiah.
Benjamin Bellows+ (4), one of the sons of Benjamin and Abigail, was a Col. in the Rev. War, and distinguished himself for his personal bravery and military achieve- ments.
Joseph Bellows4 (6), another of those sons, was the f. of John Bellows, and through him gd. f. of Chief Justice Henry A. Bellows of Concord, N. H., and Rev. Henry W. Bellows, D. D., of New York City-a distinguished divine, philanthropist, orator, and patriot of his generation, and the president of the "Sanitary Commis- sion" in the time of the Rebellion.
BEMIS.
According to the best information obtainable at this writing (1892), the families of this name formerly residing in W. descended from Joseph Bemis1, who was born in Eng., 1619, and who, coming to this country, ap- peared as a resident of Watertown as early as 1640. He was, evidently, a man of ability, moral worth, and religious spirit, as only such were eligible to office in those days-an honor repeatedly conferred upon him. He had a family of 9 chn., among whom was Joseph2, b. Dec. 12, 1651, of whom noth- ing further is positively known. The first of the name in W. (Narragansett No. 2), spoken of below, in 1740 disposed of all right and title "to the property of my honored father and mother, Joseph and Anna Bemis" to "my bro. Joseph and sister Mary of Cambridge." This proves that the Nar. set. was the son of Joseph, but whether of the one b. 1651 or of another bearing the same name b. ab. 1675, which is possible, has not been determined. In- asmuch, however, as the records furnish no data upon which the supposition of an intervening generation can be based, it is assumed in this sketch that there was none, and the lineage is given accordingly. The immigrant an- cestor of the W. families, Joseph1, d. Aug. 7, 1684. In 1700 his s., Joseph2,
543
THIE BEMIS FAMILY.
was aided by a contribution, "having had his substance consumed by fire." With this preliminary statement, it is in order to proceed to the first of the name in this locality.
I. BEMIS, PHILIP3, s. of Joseph2 and Anna Bemis of Cam- bridge, was b. at an unkn. date ab. the yr. 1700. He m., Nov. 21, 1723, Elizabeth Lawrence, by whom he had 6 chn. b. bef. coming to Narragansett No. 2, which event took place in the spring of 1738, he being the third permanent settler in the town- ship. In his fam. was a little waif or orphaned boy, 3 or 4 yrs. of a., Daniel Munjoy by name, of whom fuller mention will be made in proper place and time. He located on lot 66, recently the Henry Perkins place, lying north of where Geo. Harris now res. (See A. H. No. 60.) Beyond these facts little has been learned of him. He seems to have been a substantial, respecta- ble citizen, though not active bef. the public, and not wearing the honors of any important official position. But he reared a tam. of excellent repute, several members of which gained both place and distinction in civil, military, and religious affairs. The date of his d. has not been ascertained, but he is kn. to have been J. in 1782. The time of the demise of his w. is equally undetermined. Their chn. were :
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