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 69
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2. WALTER S., b. Nov. 15, 1831 ; m. Mary L. Anderson; res. Hartford, Vt .; 2 chn .; 1.
3. Unnamed; d. infancy.
4. FRANK E., b. May 26, 1834; m. Sarah P. Kittredge; res. Clinton; 1 chd .; 1. MARTHA, b. Jan. 7, 1836; m. Albert Minott; res. W .; 4 chn .; living.
5.
6. MARY E., b. May 14, 1843; m. Ed. S. Kendall; res. W .; 2 chn .; living.
7. GEORGE W., b. May 13, 1845; m. Mary J. Merriam; res. Chelsea; I chd .; 1.
8. JOHN W., b. Nov. 24, 1847; m. Sarah Harrington; res. W., etc .; 4 chn .; 1. It is a fact worthy of note that Sarah P. Kittredge, wife of Frank E. Carr, now d., was gt .- gd.dau. of Heman Kendall, an early resident of the tn., through his s. Heman and gd.dau., Amanda M. Kendall, who m. James C. Kittredge and set. at Charlestown, where Sarah P. was b. Dec. 4, 1840.
[8.] CARR, JOHN W., s. of the last, m. Sarah, dau. of Daniel and Nancy (White) Harrington, Mar. 3, 1869, and set. on the former Nahum Barrell farm in the N.W. part of the town. He was an industrious, enterprising, prosperous farmer. But his prosperity received a sudden check by the explosion of a kerosene lantern in the barn filled with hay, where he was attending to the duties of his calling on the evening of Aug. 30, 1887, resulting in the entire destruction of all the buildings upon the estate. (See A. H. No. 17.) Since that unfortunate event, Mr. Carr has lived in So. Ash. His chn. are :
9. DANIEL W., b. June 3, 1870. 10. CLIFFORD H., b. Nov. S. 1871.
II. NATHANIEL R., b. Nov. 12, 1873. 12. ANNIE H. (adopted), b. Sept. 8, 1882.
577
THE CARTER FAMILY.
CARTER.
In the year 1610 a child was born in the County of Hertfordshire, Eng., who was known by the name of Thomas Carter1. Of studious tastes and quick to learn, he fitted for college at an early age, and entering Cambridge, grad. in 1630. Five years afterward he, with forty others, came to this country in the ship Planter, locating first at Dedham, but soon rem. to Watertown, becoming there an elder in the church. In 1642, upon the founding of a church in Woburn, he was called to be its minister, having prob. studied theology somewhat before leaving the old country. Accept- ing the invitation, he was ordained and inducted into the sacred office Oct. 22, 1742, by two laymen, who, placing their hands upon his head. said: " We ordain thee, Thomas Carter, to be pastor unto this Church of Christ." He served in the ministry until his death in 1684. Johnson, in his " Wonder- working Providence," calls him "a reverend godly man, apt to teach the sound and wholesome truths of Christ." His funeral expenses, paid by the town, were £4 19s. 6d., of which £2 9s., or nearly one-half, was for fourteen galls. of wine. His son Samuel2 grad. at Harvard and resided at Woburn some years, where, besides serving the public in several town offices, he taught a grammar school. He studied theology, and in 1692 was called to the pastorate of the church in Groton. He went thither very soon but d. in the autumn of the following year. Three of the sons of Rev. Samuel set. in Lanc., where they attained position and influence and became the progeni- tors of a numerous posterity, among whom have been many persons distin- guished for their high character, superior ability, and eminent usefulness in the community, church, and State.
One of these three sons, Thomas8, m. Ruth Phelps of Andover, and had John4, b. April 23, 1713, who was a prominent man in town affairs and some- what noted in the military annals of his time, being Capt. in the F. and I. War, and afterwards promoted to the dignity of Col. In the year 1761 he purchased of wid. Abigail Gill lot No. 87, in the extreme southerly part of W., beyond the present W. J. Black place, with buildings and appurtenances thereon, leaving it to his heirs at his death in 1766. It does not appear that Col. John Carter4 was ever a permanent resident in town, though it is to be inferred from the records that his son Thomas5, b. March 8, 1753, who m. Sally Clark in 1786, occupied the premises for a time. None of the chn. of the latter seem to have been b. here and most of his life was spent in his native place. He sold the estate in question in 1792 and d. Feb. 1, 1823, a. 69. His wid. d. May 1, 1845, a. 86.
The more permanent family in town bearing the name of Carter descend- ed from Rev. Samuel2 through his son Samuel3, who m. Dorothy Wilder and had Oliver4, b. 1715. Oliver4 m. Beulah Wilder and set. in Leom. His house was one of the first eight built in that town. His s. Ephraim5 was a highly respected citizen, and Deacon of the First Church for forty-two years. He d. May 7, 1817.
I. CARTER, ASAPH6, s. of the last named and his wife Joanna (Wheelock) Carter, was b. Sept. 12, 1779. He m. Ruth Drake and settled first in his native town, where all his chn. were b., but rem. to W. ab. 1830, locating on a part of the Jonathan Brown estate and remaining there till his d. Dec. 24, 1852, at the age of 73. His wife d. April 5, 1875, a. 90. Their chn., most of whom came to W. with their parents, were :
2. ALMIRA7, b. Oct. 16, 1804; m. Peter Joslin; res. Leom .; 6 chn .; d. July 15, 1883.
3. LUKE W.7, b. Sept. 14, 1806; m. Abigail F. Priest; res. W., etc .; 12 chn .; d. March 24, IS79.
4. CATHARINE D.7, b. Dec. 15, ISOS; m. Zopher Sargent; res. Lanc .; 2 chn .; now living. [July 4, ISS4.
5. ASAPH R.", b. Dec. S, 1811; m. Elizabeth Viles; res. Waltham; no chn .; d.
37
578
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
6. EDWARD R.7, b. Aug. 25, 1813; m. Mary Baker; res. W., etc .; d. May 22, 1888.
7. RUFUS™, b. June 9, 1817; m. Loenza H. B. Flint; res. Fg. and Worc .; 3 chn .; living.
S. LAURA L.7, b. Jan. 19, 1820; m. Albert Merriam; res. Gr .; 2 chn .; d. March 17, 1852.
9. THOMAS A.7, b. Aug. 5, 1823; m. Louisa Damon; res. W .; no chn .; d. Jan. 16, ISS7.
10. SARAH AF, b. April 10, 1825; m. Lysander A. Howard and Jona. Burgess; res. Temp. and Fg.
[3] CARTER, LUKE WHEELOCK7, S. of the last, m. Dec. 7, 1837, Abigail F. Priest. He lived for a few years in W. and then rem. to Lcom., in which town he d. March 24, 1879, a. 72. Chn. b. here :
11. MARY J.8, b. July 2, 1838. 12. SOLON F.8, b. Oct. 14, 1840; d. Nov. 4, 1842. Nine more were b. in Leom.
13. SOLON H.8, b. Nov. 13, 1842.
[6.] CARTER, EDWARD RUSSELL, bro. of the last, m. Mary, dau. Nathan and Sally (Miles) Baker, Sept. 30, 1834. A quiet, unassuming, but eminently worthy, man, of exemplary habits and much interested in Anti-Slavery, Temperance, and other reforms. He lived on the place occupied by his father, and d. May 22, 1888, a. 74. His wife still survives him. Chn .:
14. MARY L.8, b. Aug. 10, 1835; d. infancy.
15. EDWARD R.8, b. Nov. 26, 1836; m. Susan M. White; res. W .; no chn .; living.
16. STILLMAN M.8, b. Oct. 24, 1839; m. Sarah M. Henderson; res. West.
17. CARTER, OLIVER8, s. of Samuel? and Dilly (Merriam) Carter of Berlin, was b. April 9, 1810. He was a descendant of Rev. Thomas Carter1 of Woburn through Rev. Samuel2, Samuel3, Samuel4, Stanton5, Daniel6, and Samuel. Ab. the year 1846 he bought the gristmill property at Wachusettville and after running it a few years re-sold it to Mr. Wyman and moved to Lancaster, where he d. Jan. 31, 1871. He m. (1) Polly Warner April 30, 1834, who bore him two chn. and d. Feb. 28, 1842, and (2) Mary S. Barnes, Feb. 8, 1849, by whom he had four more. Not being b. in W. and not residing here permanently their names are not given.
IS. CARTER, ISRAEL N., s. of William and Catharine (McIntire) of Fitchburg, and also a descendant of Rev. Thomas1 through Rev. Samuel2, Thomas3, Thomas4, John5, William6, was b. 1814. His gt .- gd .- father, Thomas4, went from Lanc. to Lun. and was known as "Cornet Carter," a title derived from a military office held under the King. He m. Elizabeth, dau. of Edward R. and Elizabeth J. Willard, Boston, and after residing in Fg. awhile came to W. ab. 1860 and set. on the Thomas Laws place in the extreme north part of the town, where he res. till his d., Sept. 21, 1890. Chn .:
19. MARY E.8, b. Fg. Jan. 21, 1843.
20. EDWARD F.8, b. Oct. 7, 1848; m. Carrie E. Stearns; res. Fg.
21. CARTER, WILLIAM H., son of Ezra C. and Eunice (Dean) Carter, was b. Derby, Vt., March 21, 1840, lineage not traced.
579
THE CAVENDAR, CHASE, AND CHENEY FAMILIES.
He is a farmer, owning and occupying a portion of the George Miles estate, half a mile S. W. of the Central Village, which he purchased some twenty years since. On the 4th of Dec., 1873, he m. Ellen R., dau. of Asa and Sally M. (Derby) Dike, by whom he has had two chn .:
22. ETHEL M, b, Oct. 18, 1874. 23. CONRAD C., b. Oct. 2, 1881.
I. CAVENDAR, WIDOW GRACE, dau. of Joseph Viles who came from Brattleboro', Vt., ab. 1772 and purchased a part of the present cemetery lot-4 acres with house and barn-of Paul Gibbs. She prob. was his housekeeper, and a few years afterward come into the possession of the estate, for which she was taxed till 1786, when her name disappears from the Assessors' lists. Whether she d. ab. that date or moved to some other locality has not been determined. She had one child, to wit :
2. CAVENDAR, WILLIAM, son of the last, a lad twelve years of age when his mother first moved into W. His father's name is not known. He was taxed in 1783 and three years afterward, when all traces of him disappeared.
I. CHASE, RUFUS P., a native of Newburyport, ptge., etc., unknown, came to W. from Grafton ab. 1834 and set up the boot and shoe making business at the center. He remained in town some 17 yrs. and is pleasantly remembered by those who knew him. He rem. to Fg. and afterwards to Wilton, N. H., where he d. in 1876. His w. was Emily Peck of Claremont, N. H. They had 4 chn .:
2. HELEN M., b. April 17, 1831; m. Thos. S. Hathaway; res. Elmira, N. Y .; no chn .; d. May 3, 1890.
3. WALTER P., b. Oct. 14, 1835; m. Sarah Mayer; res. Elmira; 2 chn .; living.
4. MARION R., b. 1839; d. Sept. 18. 1840.
5. FREDERICK M., b. Oct. 12, 1841; m. Caroline E. Wilson; res. Barnard, Vt .; 5 chn.
I. CHENEY, WALLACE, s. of Wales and Nancy (Mayo) Cheney, was b. Orange, July 3, 1832. Coming to W., he m. Sept. 19, 1858, Catharine, dau. of Luke and Catharine (Fowle) Minott. He began here as clerk in a store and for many years was associated in trade with Samuel G. Kendall, after whose d., in 1885, he sold to the present occupant, Geo. W. Bruce, and rem. to Framingham where he now res. A man of genial spirit and pleasing address, he served the public acceptably both in his regular calling and as Postmaster-a position held by him, 1875-1885. Chn .:
2. LOUIS K., b. Oct. 30, 1859; d. Aug. 6, 1885. A young man of much promise. 3. FANNIE S., b. Jan. 1, 1870.
I. CHESMORE, REUBEN G., s. of Daniel and Polly (Gibson) Chesmore, was b. in Hopkinton, Vt., date unreported. He m.
580
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
Nov. 14, 1835, Elizabeth, dau. Abiel and Mary (Jenkins) Upton of Andover and came to W. the following Sept., locating on the Martin place, in the extreme No. part of the town. Mrs. C. d. Dec. 14, 1880, and he went to St. Joseph, Mo., in 1884, where he now res. with his only son. They had 2 chn .:
2. ANNA U., b. W .; m. Geo. H. Litchfield; res. Fg .; 2 chn. now in Fg .; d. Aug., 1881.
3. ALFRED M., b. W .; m. L. E. Brown and res. St. Joseph; S chn. He is a mer- chant, dealing in agricultural implements and supplies.
CHILD.
Two brothers, William1 and Ephraim Child1, came to N. E. as early as 1634 and set. in Watertown. They are sup. to have been natives of Nayland, Suffolk Co., Eng., but their parentage is not known. The first named had a son John2, the f. of Daniels, who m. Beriah Bemis and was the head of a large family, two of whom were res. of W .. or its antecedent, Nar. No. 2, as stated below.
I. CHILD, JOSHUA4, was the s. of the last-named, b. Water- town, March 21, 1716-7. On the 9th of Feb., 1736-7, he pur- chased house lot No. 23, where Ephraim Lufkin now res., but did not take possession of it as an occupant till some five or six years afterward. He m. April 30, 1741, Grace Bemis, his cousin, by whom he had eight children, but it does not appear from the W. records that any of them were b. here. Possibly his w. was never a permanent resident, though he was paid a bounty for improving and settling his lot. He himself did not remain many years, but sold his estate Oct. 14, 1748, to his sister, "Susannah Child of Waltham, spinster," and soon after located in Lincoln, where he and his wife subsequently d.
2. CHILD, SUSANNAH4, sister of the last, was b. March 6, 1704-5, and succeeded by purchase as just stated to the owner- ship of lot No. 23. She lived in the house, built no doubt by her brother, at the northeastern extremity of the estate, near the line of the original Main street of the township as laid out by the Proprietors' committee in 1734. Some tokens of the site may still be recognized. (See A. H. No. 82.) In 1755 she sold the southern portion of the farm to Seth Herrington, her brother-in-law. She seems to have been a woman on her own account, living unmarried by herself and managing her own affairs. She was last taxed in 1783 and prob. d. during that or in the first months of the following year, a. ab. 78.
3. CHILD, DAVID5, s. of David4 and Grace (Brown) Child of Shy., and nephew of Joshua (1), was b. ab. 1745. He is first taxed in W. in 1770, and was m. to Lydia, dau. Thomas Stearns, of Lunenburg, prob. in 1774. Where he first lived does not appear, but he bought the westerly part of second division lot No. 118, in the Whitman River valley, April 1, 1783, upon which he located and spent the remainder of his days. It was the place now owned by Hugh Carey. He was a man of ability and good standing in town, holding the office of Assessor in 1789
581
THE CHILDS, CHURCH, AND CLARK FAMILIES.
and several subsequent years. He d. March 17, 1812, a. 67. His wife d. March 13, 1814, a. 62. Chn .:
4. SARAH6, b. Feb. 24, 1775; d. Oct. 17, 1785.
5. SUSANNAII6, b. Jan. 17, 1777; m. Luther Pratt, Reading, Vt.
6. THOMAS6, b. April 30, 1779; m. Lydia Adams; res. Enosburg, Vt .; 10 chn.
7. LYDIA6, b. March 14, 1781; d. Aug. 27, 1783.
8. JOHN6, b. March 20, 1783; d. unm.
9. SARAH6, twins, [ b. Dec. 17, 1785; m. Solomon Proctor.
IO. LYDIAG. 1 b. Dec. 17, 1785; d. unm.
II. JONAS6, b. May 4, 1788; res. W. and Reading, Vt .; insane; d. unm. Jan. 20, 1819.
12. ANNA6, b. July 20, 1790; m. (1) Jonas Ward, and res. W .; (2) America Amsden.
Of the above named, Thomas (6), who settled at Enosburg, Vt., was a man of character and influence-a Justice of the Peace and Rep. in the State Legislature six years. He had Io chn., two of his sons entering the legal profession, while two of his dau. m. physicians. Anna (12,) the youngest of the family, m. (1) Jonas, son of John and Copia (Rice) Ward in 1815, and lived on her father's place. After birth of three children her husband d. and she m. (2) America Amsden, removing to Cleveland, O., where she had sev. other chn. Some years ago she went to Vermont to res. with one of her sons. She celebrated the centennial of her birth July 20, 1890, but has since died.
13. CHILD, JOSEPH, ptge., etc., undetermined. He m. (1)
Rachel - , ab. 1786, and had 4 chn., when she d. and he m. (2) Beulah -, ab. 1799, who bore him 4 more. Their names and dates of b. were :
14. EPHRAIM, b. April 24, 1787. 1 5. BETSEY, b. Oct. 6, 1791 (?).
16. ASAPH, b. April 15, 1792. 17. RACHEL, b. Nov. 14, 1793-
18. LOVETT, b. March 5, 1800. 19. LUCY, b. June 29, 1801.
20. ISRAEL, b. July 16, 1803. 21. HOLLIS, b. March 21, 1805.
CHILDS, JAMES M., was s. of - and Mercy (Baker) Childs, b. Dorchester, March, 1827. He m. July 20, 1853, at Milford, Lucy, dau. of Sewall and Esther (Boyes) Worster, and sub- sequently set. in this town, first upon the Dike place, near the No. 3 Sc. Ho., but later on the Ezra Miller place, half a mile nearer the center. He d. June 17, 1892, a. 65, leaving a will in which he bequeathed one half of what should remain of his estate, after the death of his wid. and her aged mother, to the town, for the proper care of his burial lot, and for other cemetery uses.
CHURCH, JOSHUA, of Lancaster, ancestry, etc., unknown, m. Annis Johnson, Nov. 19, 1728. In 1743 he bought lot No. 74, on which the No. 3 Sc. Ho. now stands, and made the first improvements upon it. He retained possession till May 31, 1751, when he sold to Nicholas Dike of Lunenburg. He had 8 chn., most of whom were b. in Lanc.
I. CLARK, JAMES, b., ptge., ancestry, unknown, with w. Sarah and 3 chn., came from Weston, 1766, and were received into the household of Elijah Gibbs, as reported to the Selectmen. He soon became a holder of R. E. and was taxed accordingly.
582
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
Nothing has been learned of the family after its disappearance from the records in 1779. 7' chn. were b. here, making 10 in all :
2. SILAS, b. April 25, 1768.
4. JAMES, b. Jan. 14, 1772.
6. SAMUEL, b. June 29, 1776.
8. JOSIAH L., b. June 15, 1779.
3 . ELIZABETH, b March 15, 1770.
5. JOHN, b. Feb. 7, 1774.
7. JOSIAH, b. March -, 1777 ?; d. inf.
9. CLARK, SAMUEL, ptge., etc., untraced, was b. Boston, May 25, 1780. His f. was a silversmith, who setting sail for Spain, was never heard of more. His mother was buried in the famous Copp's Hill cemetery. A sr. m. - Othman and had a s. Edward, a noted Methodist clergyman of 40 yrs. ago. Mr. C. m. (I) Dorcas, dau. of Aaron and Dorcas (Winship) Bolton (pub. May 15, 1806). She d.' July 19, 1829, a. 50, and he m. (2) Polly, wid. of Asa Nichols of Gr., the dau. of Nathan Darby (pub. June 26, 1830). He d. July 14, 1868, a. 88. His wid. d. Aug. 14, 1871, a. 88. Little has been learned of their family save what appears in the following table of chn .:
IO. SUSANNAH, b. July 6, 1807. II. AARON B., b. Dec. 1, 1809; d. Oct. 16, 1834.
12. JOSEPH, b. Aug. 20, 181I. 13. Unnamed, b. June 1, 1813; d. infancy.
14. SAMUEL H., b. Dec. 24, 1816; d. Sept. 12, 1817.
15. DORCAS, b. Nov. 10, 1819; d. May 12, 1835.
16. CLARK, JAMES M., s. of Phineas and Rebecca, was b. at Pittsford, Vt., in 1826. He came to W. in his early manhood and m. (1) Mary A., dau. of Edmund and Mary (Derby) Nichols, Nov. 25, 1847. He worked at chairmaking and was an active citizen of the town, holding the office of Selectman in 1866 and 1867. His wife Mary d. without issue, March 12, 1858, and he m. (2) her sr. Lucy, Jan. 22, 1859, by whom he had 2 chn. She d. Aug. 29, 1869, and in 1870 he rem. to Jamestown, N. Y. After a few years he went to New Castle, Pa., where he m. (3) Wilder, who also bore him 2 chn. He d. ab. 1888, a. 62. Chn. b. W .:
FLORENCE M., b. Sept. 3, 1862; m. Lewis Travers; res. Two Rivers, Wis .; I chd. ALICE N., b. June 14, 1865; res. Two Rivers, Wis., unm.
I. COBB, SAMUEL, descent untraced, came to W. early in the century, and March 23, 1806, was pub. to Lucinda, dau. of Dr. Abishai and Abial (Slone) Shumway. He first worked at carpentering, but afterward engaged in trade for a few yrs. with his bro. (?) David in the Shumway store, which stood where the Baptist church now is. What became of him is not known. His w. d. 1818, a. 33. Chd .:
2. MELECINDA, b. Jan. 30, 1808; in. (1) Charles Sawyer, (2) Reuben Fisher; had chn.
3. COBB, DAVID, possibly bro. of the last and partner in trade as stated. Dissolving the partnership, he bought, in 1815, an interest in the Bradbury store, then run by Zadoc Sawyer, but two years later disposed of the same. He rem. to West-
583
THE COLBURN AND CONANT FAMILIES.
moreland, N. H., where all trace of him is lost. By his w. Esther he had :
4. LORENZO, b. Nov. 3, 1816.
I. COLBURN, JOSIAH, S. of Nathaniel and Tabitha (Headley), was b. Leominster, Jan. 23, 1754, and m. Joanna, dau. Joshua Wood, Dec. 18, 1777. Ab. 1782 he came to W. and located as the first settler on the farm recently known as the Amos P. Spalding place, adjoining Gr. When that town was incorpor- ated, his estate was included in its territory, but he was permit- ted to remain here by signifying his wish, in a document still extant, to the Gen. Ct. In 1798 he sold his house and a small lot of land to John Dunn, the principal part of it having been previously disposed of to Jacob Jewett and Edward Wilkins of Marlboro'. He went to Rindge, N. H., where he d. in 1835, a. 81. His w. d. 1832. Chn .:
2. JOSIAH, b. June 19, 1779; m. Olive Pollard; res. Boston and St Louis.
3. ELIZA, b. Jan. 25, 1781; m. John Bancroft and - Gray; res. Rindge; 7 chn.
4. JOSHUA, b. Feb. 28, 1783; m. Eunice Jones; res. Boston; d. 1874
5. NANCY, b. Feb. 2. 1785; d. infancy. 6. ASA, b. July 21, 1786.
7. CALEB, b. Sept. 5, 1788. 8. NANCY, b. 1790; m. John Streetor.
9. LUKE, b. Jan. 6, 1794; d. unm. June 2, 1816.
IO. FANNY, b. Dec. 28, 1798.
CONANT.
This name is a very ancient one and presumably of Celtic origin. A family bearing it lived in Devonshire in 1327, from which, it is prob., the Am. Conants descended, their immigrant progenitor, Roger Conant1. coming from E. Budleigh in the same Co. He was s. of Richard and Agnes Clark, and was bap. April 9, 1592. Being an enthusiastic Puritan, he migrated to Plymouth in 1623, in order that he might the better enjoy his faith and pro- mote its interests. He was one of the party who soon after went to Nan- tasket (Hull) to make a settlement. Ab. this time the Dorchester Co., an association of gentlemen organized for the purpose of carrying on the fish- ing business along the shores of the new world, resolved upon establishing a colony on ,Cape Ann, and hearing of Mr. Conant as "a pious, sober, prudent gentleman," appointed him manager of the undertaking-a position he was pleased to accept. He accordingly transferred his residence to the other side of Mass. Bay and entered upon the duties assigned him. The enterprise proving unsuccessful as a business venture, was ere long aban- doned, but Conant and a few others determined upon forming a colony by themselves and remaining in possession of the territory. They soon, how- ever, removed to Naumkeag (Salem), deeming the location more desirable for a permanent home. Meanwhile the English corporation, which had obtained control of all the lands in that section of the country from the Crown. regardless of the agreement made with the Dorchester Co., under which Conant and his associates claimed the right of occupancy, sold the entire tract lying between the Merrimack and Charles rivers to John Endi- cott and five others, who organized under the name of "the Colony of Mass. Bay," with Matthew Craddock as Gov. In 1628 Endicott and 100 com- panions came over to establish a plantation. Upon arriving, they found Conant and his men in possession of the locality they designed to occupy, and there seemed likely to be a collision between the two parties concerned. But mutual statements and explanations were made, friendly counsels pre- vailed, and no serious consequences ensued: Conant and his coadjutors
584
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
consenting to unite with the new-comers in the spirit of friendly co-opera- tion and harmony,-the place being thenceforward called Salem, the city of peace.
The following year a reinforcement of 400 others-men, women, and children - with large numbers of horses, cattle, sheep, tools, etc., arrived, and in 1630, 1000 more with supplies in still greater abundance, in charge of John Winthrop, who had superseded Craddock as Gov. of the Corpora- tion and who had been authorized to assume control of operations in place of Endicott, the hitherto local and temporary manager. In this way was established the colony which became, 150 yrs. later, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, of which colony Roger Conant was the forerunner and in a certain sense the first Gov.
Before leaving the old country Mr. Conant m. Sarah Horton, of whom was b., prob. at Nantasket in 1624, a s. to whom was given the name of Lot2. He m. Elizabeth, dau. of Rev. Mr. Walton of Camb., Eng., and had Roger3, b. March 10, 1668-9, who in turn m. Mary Raymond and became the f. of a large fam. Residing till 1720 in Beverly, whither his gd.f. after a few yrs. had gone, he then rem. to Concord, from which place two of his sons came to W. at an early day in its history, as below noted.
I. CONANT, EBENEZER4, s. of Roger3 and Mary (Raymond) Conant, was b. at Beverly, Dec. 30, 1698. In company with his bro. Thomas he purchased, July 10, 1750, lots Nos. 113 and 114, comprising what has more recently been known as the home- stead of Daniel Foskett, Jr., on the road to Everettville, and lands lying between that and Wachusett Lake. He prob. took up his abode there soon after, inasmuch as on the Ist of July the following year he had "cleared four acres, raised a house and had his family" with him. In Dec., 1752, he sold his right in the lots indicated to his bro., and subsequently moved to Ash., where some of his family became prominent in public affairs and where he d. Oct. 24, 1784, at the a. of 85. His w., Ruth (Pierce) Conant, whom he m. ab. 1733, d. 13 yrs. later, Nov. 19, 1797. Chn .:
2. MARY5, b. Conc. Feb. 17, 1734; m. - Fuller, Fg.
3. LYDIA5, b. Conc. Aug. 12, 1737; no rec. found; prob. d. infancy.
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