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 67
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I. BOWERS, JAMES, ptge, etc., not fully established but prob. s. of Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Blood) Bowers of Groton, b. March 10, 1751, was in W. bef. the breaking out of the Rev. War, and served as "minute man" at the time of the "Lexington Alarm." He was at the battle of Bunker Hill under Capt. Bemis, and in 1777 enlisted for 3 yrs. in the Continental Army. He, however, was at home in Nov., 1779, when he bought at auction the John Bowen est., now Everettville, sold by order of the Provincial Congress, Mr. Bowen being a loyalist and an "absentee." Two yrs. later he sold to Joshua Everett and soon after purchased of Hananiah Rand lot No. 72, the buildings of which stood near the site of the old No. 3 Sc. ho. (See A. H. No. 97.) May 14, 1782, he m. Abigail, dau. of Seth Harring- ton, who bore him 2 sons. He became poor and in 1785 was confined in Worc. jail for debt. After his release he left tn.
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HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
and ere long d. His wid. m. (2) Capt. Samuel Sawin, a third w., pub. Jan. 14, 1810. Chn .:
2. JOHN, b. April 20, 1783; went to Schenectady, N. Y.
3. JAMES, went to Boston and learned printer's trade.
4. BOWERS, NEHEMIAH, ptge., etc., unascertained, came to W. ab. the same time as James did and was similarly connected with the opening battles of the Rev. He m. Sarah, dau. of Stephen and Abigail (Fiske) Sawin, in 1777, and res. in Rindge, N. H., where they had 8 chn. He d. in 1828, and she in 1856, at the a. of 99.
I. BOWMAN, WILLIAM, s. of Joseph and Phebe (Barnard) Bowman and bro. of Rev. Jonathan of Dorchester, was b. at Cambridge Farms (Lexington), Sept. 2, 1715. He came to Nar. No. 2 in 1742, bringing a letter of dismission from the Lexington chh., dated Sept. 26th of that yr., and located on lot No. 16 (the Geo. Miles place), which had been drawn by his f. in the first division of lands, and for the improving and settling of which the f., prob. only an occasional res. here, was paid a bounty of £29 10s. He remained in the township ab. 9 yrs., selling the est. Feb. 23, 1751, to Joshua Mosman and returning to his native tn., where he became a prominent and influential citizen. He had no fam. when here but m., May 5, 1753, Mary Reed, by whom he had 6 chn. He d. Oct. 12, 1793, a. 78. It was in connection with him that the affair with Indians narrated on page 99 occurred.
2. BOWMAN, WILLIAM, of whom little is kn., was taxed in tn. in 1770 and some yrs. afterward. He had a s. under age for whom he was assessed, and is sup. to have been the f. of Sally who was pub. to Capt. Wm. Mills, Jan. 31, 1785; of Rebecca, who m. Benjamin Bigelow in 1792; and of Rhoda, a school teacher for sev. terms, 1791-2, and the subsequent w. of Joshua Bigelow. All efforts to learn more of the fam. have failed.
BRADBURY.
This family can be traced back by an unbroken lineage to Robert Brad- bury, who lived in the eastern part of England during the first half of the fif- teenth century. From him descended, in regular succession, William, Robert, Matthew, Wymond, and Thomas, the immigrant ancestor of those bearing the name in New England. He came to these shores early in the history of the Mass. Colony, and settled at Colchester, now Salisbury, near Newburyport, where he had lands assigned him in 1639, and where he became a promi- nent and influential citizen. He served for some years as Secretary of the township, and was Deputy in the Colonial Legislature in 1656. He was one of the few in the place who were permitted to have the title "Mr." prefixed to his name, which then indicated "character and substance." He was b. in 1610 and d. 1695. His descendants in the line of the W. branch were William2 (1649-1678), Willliam3 (1672-1756), James4 (1701 --- ), Sanders5 (1737-1779), who was killed in the Revolution, and James6 (1748-1811), who m. Catherine Conant, and resided in Hollis, N. H.
561
THE BRADBURY FAMILY.
I. BRADBURY, WILLIAM SANDERS7, was s. of the last named pair, b. in Hollis, Feb. 14, 1800. He m., Oct. 18, 1824, Eliza- beth, dau. of Daniel and Esther (Frothingham) Emerson, also a native of Hollis, b. July 29, 1800, and came soon after to W., locating at first in the extreme north part of the tn., a little eastward of the Samuel Cooper (now A. S. North) place, where he had a country store for sev. yrs. In 1829 he purchased of Samuel Sweetzer, Athol, the well-known stand so long occupied by him at the east end of the Central village. He was an active, public spirited, and much honored citizen of the tn. He was elected Representative to the General Court in 1845, in which capacity he took the initiative in securing the passage of an act making seduction a penal offence, for the protection of the young and unsuspecting against the wiles of the destroy- er. In 1847 he received a commission as Justice of the Peace, and in 1850 was appointed Trial Justice for the adjudication of minor offences against the good order of the community and the laws of the Commonwealth. For 3 yrs. he was Town Clerk, served on the Board of Selectmen and as a member of the School Committee I yr. each, and presided over a larger num- ber of town meetings than any other person. He was a de- voted member of the First Congregational Chh., in which he was also a dea., 1858-1866. An earnest and consistent friend of Temperance, he abandoned the traffic in intoxicating liquors upon espousing the cause, emptying a considerable amount he had on hand upon the ground in attestation of his fidelity to his newly avowed principles. (See Chap. XVIII.) Mr. and Mrs. Bradbury left town in 1866, spending the remainder of their mortal lives in different localities with their chn. He d. at Shrewsbury, June 9, 1881, a. 81 ; she d. Oct. 4, 1870, a. 70. Chn .:
2. ELIZABETH E.8, b. Aug. 8, 1826; m. (1) A. D. Nourse, (2) Geo. A. Gilmore, (3) I. H. Stearns.
3. WILLIAM F.8, b. May 17, 1829; m. Margaret Jones.
4. EDWARD E.8, b. Feb. 7, 1832; m. Jane S. Sykes.
5. CHARLES F.8, b. April 10, 1836; d. Dec. 9, 1854.
6. ESTHER C.8, b. June 24, 1839; m. Rev. Thos. K. Noble; res. Washington, D. C. 7. CHARLOTTE A.8, b. Nov. 24, 1844; m. (1) Edwin A. Eaton, (2) Herschell Main; res. Washington, D. C.
William Frothingham Bradbury. Few of the sons of W. have acquired greater distinction or done more to reflect dignity and honor upon the place of their birth than he whose name stands at the head of this paragraph. Having fitted for col- lege in the common schools and Academy here, he entered Amherst College in 1852, graduating four years later at the head of his class. By some singular good fortune he was at once invited to take charge of the department of mathematics and physics in the High School of the city of Cambridge. Accepting the invita- tion, he rose to the position of Hopkins classical master in 1864, and in 1881 to that of principal, which he continued to occupy till the establishing of the Latin School, when he was transferred to the head-mastership of that institution, at which post of service he still remains. Having made an enviable reputation for himself throughout the country as a most successful teacher, he is no less widely or favorably known as the author of a valuable and extensively used series of mathematical text books, some twenty in number, and of several educational papers relating chiefly to the spelling reform and the metric system of measure- ments, which have attracted the attention of educators throughout the land and
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562
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
won much commendation. Mr. Bradbury has been president of the Mid lesex Co. Teachers' Association and also of Mass. Teachers' Association. Of considerable musical talent, taste, and culture, he was for many years connected with the man- agement of the famous Handel and Haydn Society of Boston. He is not only a teacher and author, but a public spirited citizen, taking an active interest in munici- pal affairs, having served two years in the lower branch of the city government. He m. Aug. 27, 1857, Margaret, dau. of Abijah and Phebe (Cutting) Jones of Templeton. They have sev. chn., one of whom, Marion, graduated at Smith College, Northamp- ton, in 1886, and has been an efficient teacher in the Cambridge High School.
Edward Emerson Bradbury also fitted for college in his native town, and entering Amherst with his brother William, attained to scarcely less distinction in the class of 1856, receiving in token of his scholarship the appointment of salutatorian in the assignment of parts at the time of graduation. It was "a remarkable in- stance," said the Journal of Education, " of two brothers taking the highest honors of one college class." He was for some years employed in teaching in a private school of high rank at Brooklyn, L. I., and later, 1887-9, was sub-master in the Cam- bridge High School. More recently he has been engaged in mercantile business at Providence, R. I., where he now resides. He m. Nov. 26, 1856, Jane S. Sykes, by whom he has had sev. chn. One of these, Alice E., is also a graduate of Smith College, in the class of 1886.
I. BRAINARD, JAMES H., ancestors unkn., was a practicing physician in tn. during the twenties. He m. Susan, dau. of Samuel and Lucy (Mirick) Richardson of Pn., Nov. 2, 1820, by whom he had 4 chn. He went from here to China, Me., where his w., Susan, d. Nov. 20, 1830. He m. again and had other chn. but no account of them has come to hand. Those by his first w., part of whom were b. here at unkn. dates, were :
2. Unnamed; d. March 15, 1822, a. 10 mos. 3. JAMES; m. a Hale of Pn .; res. Fg. 4. WILLIAM R .; also m. a Pn. Hale; res. Fg.
5. SUSAN ANN; m. - Brooks; res. Boston.
I. BRESNAHAN, JOHN, b. Ireland, m. Mary McCarty and located in W. ab. 1850. After res. elsewhere some yrs. he pur- chased and set. upon the Daniel Miles farm in east part of the tn. He d. in consequence of a fall from his wagon many yrs. since, and his w. d. June 15, 1891, a. 73. Chn .:
2. PATRICK, b. bef. coming here; unm .; lives on the Miles place.
3. MARY, b. Aug. 2, 1855; m. Lawrence Colbert; res. Fg.
4. MARGARET, b. March 21, 1859; unm .; res. with her bro.
1. BRIDGE, SAMUEL L., s. of William and Annis (Knight) Bridge, was b. Swanzey, N. H., Nov. 15, 1816. His gd.f. was Dea. Samuel Bridge, a prominent citizen of Worc., who d. Aug. 7, 1799. Prob. a descendant of John, who came from Essex Co., Eng., with Hooker and set. in Cambridge as early as 1632. He was Dea., Selectman, Representative to the General Court, etc. His s. Matthew had Matthew, who went to Lexington, the f. of Samuel, who had a s. Samuel b. Jan. 6, 1735, possibly Dea. Samuel of Worc. Samuel L. came to W. when a young man, and m. July 16, 1840, Elizabeth, dau. of James and Eunice (Hyde) Sawin, and located first on the easterly Hub. road in the south part of the tn., but rem. many yrs. since to the Capt. Samuel Sawin place, where he and his w. still res. Chn .:
2. LUCY L., b. Nov. 19, 1861; m. J. E. Story; res. So. W.
3. LOWENZA S., b. June 29, 1863; unm .; res. W.
563
THE BRIGDEN AND BROOKS FAMILIES.
BRIGDEN.
Among the passengers in the ship Hercules, which came to the port of Boston in early New England days, was Thomas Brigden1, who settled in Charlestown, where his descendants for several generations continued to reside. He had a son Thomas2, and by him a grandson Michael3, whose family was represented in the early history of W., attaining sufficient promin- ence to merit a notice in this work.
I. BRIGDEN, MICHAEL4, s. of the last named, was b. in Charlestown, July 1I, 1698. He m. (1) Winifred Sprague, May 20, 1720, and had by her 10 chn. b. bef. 1739, in which yr., May 2Ist, the mother d. On the 17th of April, 1742, he m. (2) Elizabeth (Abbot), the wid. of John Gill and mother of Moses Gill, afterwards acting Gov. of Mass. By her he had 4 more chn., two of whom d. in infancy. In the report made to the General Court in 1751 it was stated that ho. lots Nos. 70 and 71 in the south part of the township, now owned mostly by Dr. Liverpool, were the property of "Micall Brigden," who had " built a good house there," and who, though not yet a resident, was "coming soon." These lots he had bought more than a dozen yrs. bef. and had made considerable improvements upon them. It does not appear that Mr. Brigden ever became a per- manent inhabitant of the place, perhaps only a summer res., caring for and cultivating his farm, which he sold in 1761 to Joseph Hosley. He, no doubt, belonged to one of the first families of Charlestown, where he occupied positions of dignity and responsibility in the tn. and was a dea. of the chh. He d. Aug. 18, 1767, a. 69; his w., Elizabeth (Abbot), d. July 3, 1787. 2. BRIGDEN, THOMAS5, s. of Michael and Elizabeth (Abbot) Brigden, was b. April 14(?), 1745. According to W. rec. he m. (1), Aug. 2, 1769, Sarah, dau. of Rev. Elisha Marsh, and the next year purchased the Marsh farm on Meetinghouse Hill, where he subsequently 1. His w. seems to have d. very soon, inasmuch as he m. (2) Rebecca White, Feb. 14, 1771. He is believed to have had a store on his premises, and also a potash manufactory. He was evidently a man of affairs-a man of ability, enterprise, character, and influence. He was the first magistrate in tn. and held the office of Assessor in 1771-1773, and of Selectman the last 2 yrs. He d. at Cambridge, March 17, 1774, his w. Rebecca having preceded him to the un- seen land by a few months. By his will. dated Feb. 26th, he gave farm and interest in potash works to his half-bro., Moses Gill (afterwards Gov.), and the remainder to his mother, Eliza- beth Brigden of Boston. No chn.
BROOKS.
The families of this name in W., however distinct they may have seemed to be, are all traceable to a common ancestor, Capt. Thomas Brooks1, who came from London, Eng., in the early days of the Mass. Colony, and set. in Watertown, being made freeman in 1636. He soon, however, went to Con-
564
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
cord, where his descendants are still to be found, and whence some of them eventually removed to this place. His wife's name was Grace, who bore him, with other chn., Joshua2, known as Dea. Joshua, whose son Daniel3 m. Anne Merriam, a distant relative of those bearing that name, who, at a later day, located in the south part of this town. Daniel8 and Anne (Merriam) Brooks had John4, b. Feb. 12, 1701-2, who m. Lydia -, and lived in that part of Concord which was set off to form Acton in 1735.
I. BROOKS, JOHN5, s. of John and Lydia, was b. in Concord Dec. 17, 1728. It is not known when he first came to this place, but he was rep. as a permanent settler in 1751. He m. Eunice, dau. of Andrew and Elizabeth Darby, being pub. Jan. 9, 1754. He was then located on lot No. 43, lying S. E. of that on which the dwelling of Geo. W. Whitney now stands. (See A. H. No. 38.) He was there but a few yrs., removing thence to lot No. 4, bounding S. W. on Main St., between Bacon St. and the Estey est., which he bought of Thomas Conant Jan. 1, 1759. Twelve yrs. later, April 9, 1771, he ex- changed lands with Dr. Zachariah Harvey and rem. to his new possessions near Bean Porridge Hill, res. in the ho. located where Samuel Fiske now 1. He was succeeded by his s., Ezra, well remembered by the older inhabitants. He d. Sept. I, 1784, a. 55; his w., Eunice, d. Aug., 1817, a. 83. Their chn. were :
2. JOHN6, b. June 7, 1756; m. and res. Temp. and Winch.
3. LEV16, b. July 24, 1758; m. Betsey Flint; res. Temp. and Winch.
4. ASA6, b. April 30, 1761; m. Rebecca Sawyer and Abigail Mills; res. Halifax, Vt.
5. SAMUEL6, b. July 3, 1763; m. Huldah Miles and Betsey Kemp; res. W.
6. HANNAH6, b. May 17, 1766; m. Jabez Sawyer; res. Fg .; d. Dec. 15, 1846.
7. EZRA6, b. April 16, 1768; m. Rebecca Temple and wid. Elizabeth Bush; 1. W.
8. LYDIA6, b. July 18, 1772; m. Jesse Brown; res. Pn. and Vt.
[5.] BROOKS, SAMUEL6, m. (1) Huldah, dau. of Noah and Huldah (Hosmer) Miles, and set. on lot No. 79, 3d Div., which he bought of Benjamin Barnard in 1798 and which was after- ward occupied by his sons Samuel and Ivers successively. His w., Huldah, d. July 14, 1794, a. 27, and he m. (2) Betsey, dau. of Samuel Kemp of Groton. He d. April 13, 1810, a. 46; Betsey, his wid., d. Jan., 1837, a. 61. Chn .:
9. EUNICE7, b. Aug. 25, 1791; m. Joseph Perry; res. W.
IO. OLIVER7, b. Oct. 5, 1793; d. young.
11. SAMUEL7, b. July 26, 1802; m. Hannah S. Davis; res. Ash .; 3 chn .; d. Dec. 28, 1864.
12. SALLY7, b. July 26, 1804; m. Benjamin Howe; res. W.
13. IVERS7, b. June 27, 1806; m. wid. Hannah S. Brooks; res. W.
[7.] BROOKS, EZRA6, bro. of the last, m. (1), April 18, 1799, Rebecca, dau. of Jonathan and Rebecca Temple, and succeeded to his f.'s est. His w. d. Nov. 24, 1825, a. 47, and he m. (2) wid. Elizabeth Bush of Bolton, Dec. 29, 1827. He had a large fam., most of whom d. early in life leaving no issue, as the rec. shows. He d. Sept. 14, 1843, a. 75 ; his wid. d. Sept. 17, 1868, a. 95. Chn .:
14. REBECCA7, b. Jan. 23, 1800; m. Levi Graves; res. W.
15. EZRA7, b. Aug. 22. 1801; d. Feb. 21, 1823.
565
THE BROOKS FAMILY.
16. ELMIRA™, b. Aug. 28, 1803; d. unm. Feb. 16, 1833.
17. JOHN7, b. Dec. 6, 1805; d. Sept. 23, 1828.
18. CHARLES7, b. June 4, 1809; d. Sept. 3, 1813.
19. ASA7, b. June 27, 1812; m. Sarah A. Mason; d. Feb. 28, 1855.
20. ELIZABETH7, b. April 12, 1815. 21. NANCY7, b. June 22, 1817; d. June 18, 1837.
22. CAROLINE7, b. Jan. 20, 1820; d. Jan. 16, 1838.
[13.] BROOKS, IVERS7, s. of Samuel and Betsey (Kemp) Brooks, m. Hannah S. (Davis) Brooks, wid. of his bro. Samuel, Dec. 9, 1865, remaining on the est. formerly belonging to his f. He was a shoemaker by trade, and a man of wide reading and of more than average general intelligence and intellectual ability. He erected a sawmill on his est. and for a while got out chair stock, but afterwards rented the establishment, which was destroyed by fire in 1857. Mr. Brooks is said to have owned the first fireproof safe in tn. He sold his interest in the paternal homestead Dec., 1860, removing to So. Gr., where he d. in 1891 ; his w. d. June 8, 1885, a. 80. No issue.
[19.] BROOKS, ASA7, s. of Ezra and Rebecca (Temple) Brooks, m. Sarah A. Mason of Pn., Sept. 28, 1841. He was a carpenter by trade and carried on quite a business in tn. for some yrs. He built for himself the ho. on Bacon St., now owned by John Harrington, where he res. during the latter portion of his life. He d. Feb. 28, 1855, a. 42. His wid. m. a second time. Chn .:
23. ELLEN ELIZA8, b. June 23, 1842; m. Jefferson Eaton; res. Worc.
24. CAROLINE8, b. Aug 17, 1848.
25. BROOKS, ISAAC5, b. at Acton at an unkn. date, was s. of Jonas4, s. of Joseph3, whose f. was Dea. Joshua2 bef. mentioned, making Isaac second cousin of John (1), the first of the name in tn. He left his native place for Lanc., coming thence to W. prob. in 1769, when he bought lot No. 41, 2d Div., in the extreme north part of the tn. adjoining the Laws property, upon which he set. and spent his days. (See A. H. No. 2.) His w. was Ruth Herrick of Reading, whom he m. ab. 1774. The dates of the d. of Mr. and Mrs. Brooks have not been ascertained. Chn .:
26. SAMUEL6, b. Dec. 12, 1775; m. Miriam Wilder; res. W.
27. ISAAC6, b. Sept. 20, 1778; d. April 13, 1780.
28. RUTH6, b. May 20, 1781; unm .; d. insane.
29. ELIAS6, b. Jan. 9, 1785; set. in Vt.
30. DEBORAH6, b. Feb. 18, 1789; m. Ephraim Flint; res. W. and Winch.
[26.] BROOKS, SAMUEL6, s. of Isaac5 and Ruth, settled on a part of his father's farm. He built a house with a shop near by in which he carried on with much success the business of cabinetmaking, taking many boys as apprentices to the trade. The remnants of his dwelling and appurte- nances may still be seen. He m. Miriam Wilder of Ashby (pub. March 23, 1801), and had three sons :
31. SAMUEL.7, b. May 12, 1802; d. Sept. 22, 1805.
32. ISAAC7, b. Aug. 18, 1804; d. Sept. 29, 1805.
33. SAMUEL7, b. Sept. 6, 1806; m. Rebecca E. Wilder; res. W. and Ash.
566
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
[33.] BROOKS, SAMUEL", s. of the last, had his name changed to Ira by Act of the Legislature of 1829. He built a mill on the main stream of the most northerly valley in town, Phillips' Brook, and carried on there various kinds of manufacturing. He is said to have made the first turned bed-posts produced in this section of the country. He m. July 15, 1830, Rebecca E. Wilder of Ashby, but did not remain long here, removing to Ashburnham ab. 1835, where he spent his remaining days. He had 6 chn., two of whom were b. in W.
34. EMERSON8, b. Sept. 27, 1831; m. Mada Townsend; res. Burke, Vt.
35. AUSTIN8, b. March 6, 1833; m. Mary J. Willard; res. Ash .; 6 chn.
36. BROOKS, SIMEON5, bro. of Isaac5 (25), appears to have come to Ash. at an early date, and settled on the place now and for many years owned by Elijah Gross in the south village. He had a sawmill and was engaged in the manufacture of lumber. In 1792 he entered into partnership with Ephraim Robbins of W. and purchased the old Brattle mill at the head of the Narrows, carrying on business there for two years, when he sold out and presumably returned to A. July 20, 1780, he m. Lucy, dau. Wm. and Hannah Whitcomb of Ash., by whom he had 7 chn., most of whom were b. in that town. They were :
37. Lucy6, b. Oct. 17, 1781; m. Jonas Holden; res. W.
38 ASA6, b. June 26, 1784; m. wid. Higginbotham; res. W., etc.
39. SIMEON6, b. July 19, 1786. 40. LYDIA6, b. Oct. 22, 1788.
41. POLLY6, b. April 10, 1795.
42. STILLMAN6, b. Oct. 18, 1796; m. twice; res. W.
43. SILAS", b. Dec. 3, 1798; d. Jan. 16, 1801.
[38.] BROOKS, ASA6, s. of the last, came from Newton in 1814 and bought the Sawyer Mill property on Whitman's River, where he subsequently res., running a saw- and gristmill and having for some yrs. a country store. He m. wid. Sally (Bulow) Higginbotham, an English woman, bef. coming here and had 3 chn. He d. May 3, 1852, a. 67. His wid., Sally, d. Sept. 17, 1868, a. 95. Chn .:
44. ASA7, b. unknown; went West and mysteriously disappeared.
45. SARAH7, b. unknown; m. S. Newell Barnes; res. W.
46. ELIZABETH, b. unknown; m. Franklin Goodwin; res. W.
[42.] BROOKS, STILLMAN6, bro. of the last, m. (I) Eunice Lewis, April 20, 1830; (2) wid. Margaret P. Chase, Aug. 14, 1842, and had 7 chn. He first settled on the place recently occupied by Samuel M. Brown, opp. his bro. Asa, but subsequently rem. to the Central village, where he had a livery stable and for many years ran an express to the R. R. station. He res. in the San- derson ho., which stood on the site of the present res. of D. W. Hill. His first w. d. Dec. 25, 1841, a. 40. His second w. d. Sept. 30, 1872, a. 66. He d. Aug. 29, 1882, at the age of 85. Chn .:
567
THE BROWN FAMILY.
47. ALFRED L.7, b. Feb. 8, 1831; d. July 8, 1832.
48. EDWIN F.7, b. June 8, 1833; m. Ellen E. Kendall; res. W., etc. [bellion.)
49. ALFRED L.7, b. July 18, 1836; m. Louisa Kendall; chn. (See Chap. on Re-
50. ALBERT E.7, b July 18, 1836; d. unm. June 2, 1861. (See Chap. on Rebellion.)
51. ABBIE M.7, b. Sept. 29, 1838; m. Joel Pratt; res. Leom.
52. GEORGE S.7, b. Sept. 26, 1840; m. Mary A. Cutler; res. W., etc.
53. CHARLES D.7, b. May 17, 1843; m. twice; res. Brat. and Boston; I chd .; living.
BROWN. This name, a very common one in New England, has been variously represented in this town from an early period in its history. But it has been found impossible not only to trace any one family to its ori- ginal progenitor in this country, but also to connect the different families with each other to any very great extent. No doubt there were several Browns who came from beyond the sea within fifty years of the settlement at Plymouth and located at different points, becoming the heads of distinct lines of descendants, which have intermingled with the advance of time, and to such an extent in many cases as to render extremely difficult, if not to defy, all attempts to classify and arrange them in proper genealogical order. This must account in a large measure for the more or less fragmentary and heterogeneous form in which the record of the Browns of W., as given below, appears. That record begins with the first permanent family of the name here, and follows it through the successive generations to the present day, before proceeding to chronicle what pertains to others of a more broken and transitory character.
I. BROWN, JONATHAN, was s. of Jonathan and Mehitable (Hay) Brown of Reading, and a descendant, doubtless, of Nicholas, the immigrant, who was s. of Edward of Inkburrow, Worcestershire, Eng., and who set. first in Lynn and afterwards in Reading, the place of Jonathan's birth. The maternal grand- father of the W. settler was James Hay, an original proprietor of No. 2, drawing, in the first division of lands, lot No. 106, lying between the paper mills at Wachusettville and the res. of the late Edward R. Carter. It is quite likely that Mr. Brown first located upon this lot, occupying a house built some years before by Benjamin Gould. (See A. H. No. 57.) He was first taxed in 1764, and in 1769 a public school was kept in his house. Jan. 3, 1771, he purchased of Joseph Lynde of Charles- town, lot No. 105, lying directly south of the Hay lot, which was long known as the Brown estate, more recently in pos- session of Asaph Carter and his son, Edward R., recently deceased. On his way from Reading to W., Mr. Brown seems to have sojourned awhile in Leom., where he m. Huldah Hawkes. He d. March 14, 1820, a. 80. She d. Jan. 1, 1818, a. 75. Chn .:
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