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 72
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115
8. ASA5, b. Oct. 16, 1767; in town till 1802.
9. ABRAHAM5, b. June 13, 1770; m. Phebe Howard; res. Pn .; 9 chn .; d. Nov. 14, ISII.
[9.] CUTTING, ABRAHAM5, s. of Josiah and Lydia (Merriam) Cutting, m. Phebe, dau. of Nathan and Phebe (Lynde) Howard, May 8, 1794, and set. in Pn. near the line of W., where he spent in agricultural pursuits the brief yrs. of his uneventful life, dying Nov. 14, 1811, in the 42d yr. of his a. His w. survived him less than 2 yrs., her death, caused by a cancer, occurring Sept. 13, 1813, a. 42. Inasmuch as their chn. were well kn. in W., the rec. of them is given here:
IO. ABRAHAM6, b. May 2, 1795; m. (1) Emily Rawson, (2) -; res. Worc .; I chd. II. PHEBE6, b. May 1, 1797; m. Abijah Jones, Temp .; 5 chn .; d. April 1, 1872.
12. JONAS6, b. June 8, 1799; m. Elvira Jackson; res. W.
13. FLAVEL6, b. June 14, 1801; m. Lydia Mirick; res. W .; no chn .; physician.
14. ASA6, b. July 17, 1803; m. Lydia Miller; res. W.
15. N. HOWARD6, b. May 29, 1805; m. Mary R. Whitney; res. W. and Worc.
16. LEONARD6, b. Feb. 22, 1807; d. Feb. 17, 1808.
17. MARIANNE6, b. April 25, 1809; m. Chas. Harrington; res. Pn .; d. Jan. 2, 1833.
IS. LYDIA LYNDE6, b. Sept. 28, 1811; d. unm. Jan. 13, 1833.
[12.] CUTTING, JONAS6, s. of the last, m. Elvira, dau. of Oliver and Mary (Pierce) Jackson (pub. Nov. 3, 1822). He located on the corner of Main and Bacon Sts. in the central village, and there remained through life. He was a cabinet- maker of excellent repute, church pulpits being a specialty with him. (See p. 308.) Both himself and his w. were members in good standing of the Cong. Church, as all the Cuttings were. He d. March 4, 1866, a. 66; his wid., Elvira, d. Jan. 1, 1884, a. 81. They had a large fam .:
19. JONAS A.7, b. July 26, 1824; d. Feb. 26, 1826.
20. MARY A.7, b. April 17, 1826; d. March 3, 1828.
21. JONAS A.7, b. June 8, 1828; m. Ellen Maynard and Ellen Booth; res. Fg .; 4 chn.
22. MARY A.7, b. June 7, 1830; res. W .; unm.
23. JOHN F.7, b. Feb. 19, 1832; d. Sept. 25, 1832.
24. JOHN T.7, b. Aug. 18, 1833; res. Shawano, Wis .; unm.
25. HENRY J.7, b. Nov. 19, 1835; m. Mary Maynard; res. W .; 2 chn. (See p. 415.)
26. ELVIRA M.7, b. Oct. 29, 1838; res. Shawano, Wis .; unm.
27. ISAAC J.7, b. Oct. 2, 1841; m. Eugenie Wood; d. Oct. 31, 1865.
28. LYDIA A.7, b. Nov. 30, 1844; m. Geo. W. Gibbs; res. Shawano; 3 chn.
[14.] CUTTING, ASA6, bro. of the last, m. Lydia, dau. of Ezra and Lucy (Whitcomb) Miller, Oct. 3, 1825, and set. in W., where all his mature life was spent. He was a chairmaker, and a devoted supporter of the First Church; an anti-slavery man and friend of the temperance cause. He d. April 5, 1883, a. 79. His wid. is still 1. with her s., their only chd .:
29. LEONARD M.7, b. W., Feb. 19, 1827; m. Susan Henderson; res. Jerseyville, Ill .; 2 chn .; living.
601
THE CUTTING AND DAMON FAMILIES.
[15.] CUTTING, NATHAN HOWARD6, bro. of the last, m. Feb. II, 1830, Mary Reed, dau. of Nathan and Eunice (Puffer) Whit- ney; res. in the village till late in life, when he rem. to Worc., where he d. July 16, 1884, a. 79. His w. d. May 25, 1882, a. 76. While in W. he was associated with his bro. Jonas in the trade of cabinetmaking; in Worc. he succeeded his older bro., Abraham, in the manufacture of trusses. An excellent work- man and a worthy member of society, active in chh. affairs and interested in questions of religion, philanthropy, and reform, having an earnest sympathizer in his w., who was a most exem- plary Christian woman. Loving in life, and in death not long divided. Chn .:
30. FRANKLIN HOWARD7, b. Oct. 30, 1832; d. Nov. 6, 1835.
31. ANN MARIA7, b. Feb. 1, 1836; m. Jos. O. Adams; res. Worc .; no chn .; living.
32. SUSAN LOUISA7, b. Aug. 29, 1838; m. Edward Whitney; res. Worc .; 4 chn .; d. Jan. I, ISSo.
33. CHARLES HOWARD7, b. Sept. 1, 1841; d. Newburn, N. C., June 24, 1863. (See Page 41 5.)
34. WILLIAM JONES7, b. Nov. 12, 1845.
35. FRANK WHITNEY", b. Dec. 10, 1851; res. Worc .; unm .; clerk, Mechanics' Savings Bank.
DAMON.
The Damons of New England, with few, if any, exceptions, descended from three immigrant ancestors, who came hither at an early period of colonial history. John Damon was located at Scituate in 1628, a second John was in Reading a few years afterward, and Thomas in Sudbury at a later date. Whether or not they were in any way related, is as yet undetermined. It was from John of Reading that the W. branch sprang, and of him only, of the three, is further mention made in these pages.
Much doubt at present exists in regard to the English origin of this line of the family. The History of Reading states that John Damon of that town is reported to have come from Reading in the mother country, where an old parish registry records his birth as occurring June 25, 1620. But Mr. D. C. Eaton of New Haven, a descendant of a sister of his, who has given the matter much consideration, deems that view untenable on the ground that an error has been made in deciphering the partially illegible record re- ferred to. He has had an exact copy of that record made within a few years. and is fully persuaded thereby that it relates to the advent into the world, not of John Damon, but of John Cannon, thus invalidating the hypothesis named above,- a hypothesis assumed to be correct in the "Damon Memor- ial," and in other publications pertaining to the subject.
Moreover, it is probable that the name rarely, if ever, appeared in the old world in the same form in which it is generally found here. Various modes of spelling have characterized it there, such as Dammand, Damind, Damins, Damant, Damat, etc., as was the case in some of the early records here.
The first appearance of the immigrant ancestors of the Damons of W. in this country was in 1635, when, as the record states, " Abigail1, aged 35, formerly wife and widow of one Dammand and now the wife of John Eaton," came over to N. E. in the ship Elizabeth and Ann " with her children, Jane Dammand aged 9, Marie Eaton aged 4, and Thomas Eaton 1." "Her husband, John Eaton, and her son, John Dammand2, came aboard after the vessel left port or preceded them in another vessel." They settled first in Dedham, but John2, upon reaching his majority, established himself in that part of Lynn, afterwards set off to form Reading, of which township, incor- porated 1644. he was one of the first proprietors. He was an active, promi- nent man in the community, holding the office of Selectman for several years,
602
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
and becoming a Dea. in the church, which gave him a title by which he was subsequently known. He m. Abigail, dau. of Richard and Elizabeth Sher- man of Boston, and had a s. Samuel3, b. July 23, 1756, who was a soldier in the Narragansett War and whose heirs, thereby, had an original right in this place and drew, at the time of the first division of lands, lot No. 2. By his wife, Mary, he had with other chn. John4 and Ebenezer4, the latter representing the family in the transaction just alluded to. The former m. Rebecca, dau. of John and Sarah (Batchelder) Pratt, who bore him John5 and Timothy5, twins, in 1738 or 1739, the latter of whom was the W. settler, as indicated below.
I. DAMON, TIMOTHY5, s. of John4 and Rebecca, came to this tn. soon after it was incorporated, prob. in 1761, inasmuch as on the 18th of Jan. of that year his bro., John, quitclaimed to him all right and title derived from their f. to lot No. 15, where his gd.s., Thomas Damon, now res. His w. was Abigail -, whom he m. ab. the time of his removal hither. She d. April 23, 1800, and he m. (2) Sarah Poole of Fg. (pub. March 7th), 1801. No rec. of his death has come to hand. Their chn. were :
2. TIMOTHY6, b. Oct. 27, 1762; m. Phebe Miller; res. W .; d. Jan. 17, 1820.
3. REBECCA6, b. Dec. 21, 1763; m. Zaccheus Nichols, Reading, Sept. 5, 1793.
4. ELIZABETH6, b. Aug. 15, 1766; d. Sept. 5, 1777, a. II.
5. JOHN6, b. June 15, 1768; m. Lucy Sawin; res. W .; d. Dec. 12, 1848.
6. ELIZABETH6, b. Oct. 12, 1771; d. unm. July II, ISII, a. 39.
7. WILLIAMS, b. Dec. 19, 1773; burned to death, 1781.
S. MOLLY6, b. March 20, 1776; d. Dec. 3, 1777.
9. THOMAS6, b. Sept. 20, 1778; nothing more known of him.
IO. POLLY6, b. Oct. 10, 1782; m. Joel Baker; res. W.
[2.] DAMON, TIMOTHY6, eldest s. of the last, m. Phebe, dau. of Dea. Joseph and Martha (Williams) Miller, 1789 (pub. Jan. 14), and set. on his f.'s est., which was divided between him and his bro. John. He d. Jan. 17, 1820, a. 57 ; his wid. d. April 26, 1826, a. 60. Chn .:
11. PHEBET, b. Nov. 15, 1790; m. Sylvester Manning; res. Thomaston, Me.
12. NANCY7, b. Dec. 17, 1792; m. Chas. Hoar; res. No. Braintree.
13. SARAH7, b. Oct. 16, 1794; m. Horatio Eager; res. W .; 4 chn .; d. Feb. 4, 1834.
14. REBECCA7, b. Feb. 20, 1797; m. Wm. Gregory; res. Camden, Me.
I 5. JOSEPH™, b. April 2, 1799; d. Sept. 8, 1800.
16. MARY7, b. July 7, ISO1; m. George Evans; res. Winch .; insane; d. July 16, 1886.
17. THOMAS7, b. July 24, 1803; in. five times; res. W.
IS. LUCINDA,7 b. Dec. 18, 1809; m. Jonas Whitney; res. W .; 2 chn .; d. April 10, I868.
[5.] DAMON, JOHN6, bro. of the last and sharer with him of their f.'s homestead, m. April 19, 1791, Lucy, dau. of Samuel and Martha (Miller) Sawin. Late in life he sold his farm to his oldest bro. and spent his last days with his s. John in Fitz- william, N. H. He d. Dec. 12, 1848, a. So; his wid., Lucy, d. Sept. 22, 1851, a. 72. Chn .:
19. Unnamed7, b. May 30, 1792; d. infancy.
20. LUCY™, b. April 26, 1793; d. Sept. 23, 1800, a. 7.
21. WILLIAM7, b. Aug. 8, 1795; d. Jan. 20, 1800, a. 5.
22. IRENE7, b. June 30, 1797; d. Jan. 13, 1800, a. 2 yrs., 6 months.
23. WILLIAM7, b. Oct. 15, 1800; m. Lucy Wetherbee and Adaline Calkins; res. Fg .; 9 chn .; dec'd.
24. JOHN7, b. Nov. 22, 1802; m. (1) Ruth Sawin and (2) Selina Parker; res. Fitzwilliam, N. H .; 3 chn .; d. Nov. 29, 1852.
*
603
THE DAMON FAMILY.
25. BENJAMIN F.7, b. July 21, 1805; unm .; d. 1841.
26. GEORGE W.7, b. May 25, 1807; m. Clarissa Gibbs; res. Fg .; 3 chn .; dec'd.
27. LUCY7, b. Feb. 9, ISTO; unm .; d. Fitzwilliam, N. H., April 22, 1856. a. 46.
28. FRENET, b. May 19, 1812; d. young.
29. CHARLES7, b. Oct. 9, 1814; m. (1) Cynthia Lawrence, (2) Chloe Taft; 2 chn .; d. July 25, 1860.
[17.] DAMON, THOMAS7, S. of Timothy and Phebe (Miller) Damon, succeeded to the est. of his f. and is still 1. on the orig- inal Damon homestead in the enjoyment of a fair degree of health and strength at the advanced a. of 89 yrs. He is a man of character and good standing in the community, and one of the oldest and most devoted members of the First Cong. Chh. He m. (1) Laura, dau. of Zeeb and Sarah (Cowee) Green, some- time a resident of W., Jan. 5, 1826, who d. Nov. 5, 1831, a. 31 ; (2) Martha, dau. of Thaddeus and Rebecca Bond, June 5, 1835, who d. Aug. 13, 1869, a. 60; (3) Sarah A. Hardy of Worc., a native of Hollis, N. H., April 17, 1872, who d. April 4, 1879, a. 63 ; (4) wid. Louisa Dalrymple, dau. of John and Mary (Mos- man) Miles of Gr., Nov. 25, 1879, who d. April 29, 1885, a. 74; (5) Jane Elvira, dau. of Israel P. and Nancy (Hoar) Shedd of Oakham. She is a most devoted and praiseworthy worker in the local branch of the W. C. T. U. Mr. Damon has had 4 chn., two by each of his first two wives :
30. HORACE G.8, b. March 28, 1827; m. Emily A. Newton; res. W., etc.
31. NELSON8, b. Nov. 17, 1829; d. July 1, 1850.
32. LAURA G.8, b. Aug. 24, 1836; m. Edwin L. Burnham; res. W .; 4 chn.
33. CHARLES T.", b. June 8, 1841; twice m .; res. W. and Fram .; 7 chn.
[30.] DAMON, HORACE G.8, m. Emily A. Newton of Temp. ab. 1850, and res. in tn. for a few yrs., but rem. to Rochester, Minn., and thence to Carthage, Mo., where he remained some 25 yrs. He is at present l. in Sentinel, A. T. He had 2 chn. b. W. and 3 in Minn., the latter of whom d. in infancy. Those native to this tn. were :
34. NELSON L.9, b. Sept. 15, 1852; m. and has I son; res. Carthage, Mo.
35. DAVID T.9, b. Feb. 28, 1854; m. and res. at Sentinel, Arizona.
[33.] DAMON, CHARLES T.8, s. of Thomas and Martha (Bond) Damon. Like his several ancestors in tn., he followed the plough for many yrs., but subsequently engaged in the baking business, sometimes as sole proprietor and sometimes as co- partner with his bro .- in-law, E. L. Burnham. A few yrs. since he rem. to Fram., where he has been a dealer in flour and grain. He m. (1) Abbie E., dau. of Aaron and Abigail (Bou- telle) Wood, Feb. 4, 1863. She d. Jan. 15, 1868, a. 26, and he m. (2) Oct. 18, 1871, Emma E., dau. of Merrill and Sarah E. (Gibbs) Wheeler of Rutland. Chn .:
36. EDWARD C.9, b. June 27, 1864; unm .; res. W. on the old Damon estate.
37. HORACE E.9, b. March 5, 1866; d. June 29, 1867.
38. ABBIE W.9, b. Jan. 15, 1868; d. April 8, 1871.
39. ALICE B.9, b. Jan. 5, 1874.
40. HERBERT W.9, b. Sept. 4, 1875.
41. CLARENCE N.º, b. Oct. 14. 1879; d. Oct. 7, 1883.
42. EDITH S.9, b. Aug. 14, 1884.
604
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
I. DARLING, ELIJAH, ptge., etc., untraced, b. Keene, N. H., at an unkn. date. Studied medicine and practiced awhile in his native tn. In 1824 he m. Miss Kimball of Haverhill, and soon after established himself in W. as the successor of Dr. Silas Pearson. Was a member of Sch. Committee 1826. From here he went to Fg., where he bought out a practice and remained a few yrs., going thence to Dover, N. H., where he d. in mid-life not long after. He was an eccentric character, with tenden- cies to insanity, which developed in his chn. A dau. committed suicide, and a son was an inmate of the hospital at So. Boston. His wid. was 1. a few yrs. since. Though much broken in body and mind she recalled, when the writer visited her in Boston, many pleasant memories of her residence here.
I. DAVIS, EZEKIEL, from Acton, was taxed in 1763. Little is kn. of him or his fam., except that the name of his w. was Joanna and that she bore him I s .:
2. EZEKIEL, b. Aug. 17, 1763.
3. DAVIS, BENJAMIN, came from Holden in 1818, and having purchased the brick house and appurtenances at the east end of the village, of Seth Wellington, opened it anew to the public and for 5 yrs. kept it as a country inn. He sold out in 1823 to Levi Graves and left tn. He is said to have m. Mary Estabrook of Athol, by whom he had I chd. while here :
4. FREDERICK AUGUSTUS, b. July 27, 1821.
5. DAVIS, JOEL, ptge., etc., unknown, from Temp., bought the Taylor farm beyond No. Common, Sept. 22, 1828, and res. there most of his remaining earthly days. His reason became unbalanced toward the last, and a guardian was app. to care for his property, by the Prob. Ct. The place was sold to James Morse, Sept. 29, 1836. His w. Polly d. May II, 1833, a. 59, and was commended in the Mass. Spy as "a woman of superior character." He d. by his own hand, Feb. 24, 1837. No chn. fd.
6. DAVIS, GEORGE M., s. of Silas and Emily Davis, was b. Sept. 19, 1839, at Grafton, Vt. Coming to Fg., he m there Aug. 27, 1872, Elizabeth, dau. of Stephen and Julia Smith, and, after res. in Leom. awhile, rem. to this town, May 1, 1875, locating upon the Graves farm, So. W. Chn .:
7. ALFRED M., b. Aug. 29, 1875. 8. JULIA L., b. Oct. 10, 1882.
1. DAWLEY, CHARLES C., b. Willington, Conn., March 8, 1847, m. Nov. 26, 1868, Emma L., dau. of John Dale of Rutland and gd. dau. of Joseph, sometime of W. He first located at Brim- field, where his oldest chd. was b., but rem. to this town in 1870, and set up blacksmithing at the So. village. His w. d. March 31, 1890, a. 41. Chn .:
2. ALICE E., b. Jan. 10, 1870. 3. ALBERT D., b. Feb. 4, 1873.
4. CHARLES BERNAM, b. June 10, 1877. 5. GEORGE LEONARD, b. Jan. 31, 1879.
605
THE DAY, DEAN, AND DERBY FAMILIES.
DAY, MICHAEL, said to have been the first Irishman who set. permanently in W., came here ab. 1843, and res. a few yrs. on the place now owned by L. M. Bassett, in south part. Later he set. on the Dr. White farm in No-town. He was killed by the falling of a tree, Aug. 3, 1869. His w. was Bridget, sr. of Hugh Carey. No chn.
DEAN.
Walter Dean1 from Chard, Somersetshire, Eng., migrated to this country bef. 1636, when he was living at Dorchester, but rem. thence to Taunton in 1638. He was a tanner by trade, and a man of the public, serving as Selectman sev. years and as Deputy in the Colonial Legislature. By his w., Eleanor Strong, he had 6 chn., of whom Ezra2 was the f. of Seth*, whose s. Paul4 rem. to Hardwick ab. 1745. The latter m. Mary Whitcomb and had Seth5, who went to Brandon, Vt., and m. Molly Bicknell, June 3, 1782. Of this union was :
DEAN, PAUL6, b. March 28, 1783. Of deeply religious nature, and strongly influenced by the larger hopes of the Gospel of Christ, he resolved to devote himself to the Christian Ministry, under the auspices of the Universalist denomination then just starting into life. Fitting himself for and entering the work, he preached at Montpelier, Vt., and New Hartford, N. Y., going thence to Boston in 1813, and remaining ab. 30 yrs., becoming one of the most able and accomplished pulpit orators of his time. Outgrowing the narrow theories of the early leaders of the body to which he belonged, he separated himself from it and assisted in organizing the "Restorationist Association," which, however, had but a brief existence. After its dissolution, he affiliated with the Unitarians, in whose fellowship his last years were spent. He came to W. during his transition period, taking up his abode here and supplying the pulpit for the Universalists in 1843 and 1844, and going hence to Easton, where he was Pastor of the First Church and society 5 yrs. In 1850 he rem. to Fram., dying there Oct. 1, 1860, a. 78. In addition to Mr. Dean's labors as a religious teacher and champion of the nobler faith, he devoted much time and effort to Free Masonry, in whose councils he rose to eminence and honor. A lodge of the Order in Easton bears his name and perpetuates his memory. He was the author of several works of a controversially religious and devotional character, and for some years one of the leading editors of the Independent Messenger, a weekly journal devoted to the interests of the Restorationist denomination. The wid. of Mr. Dean d. at Boston; Jan. 29, 1879, a. 93. They had sev. chn., but as none of them were b. or were much known here, no effort has been made to tabulate them or detail their history.
DERBY.
In 1677 one John Darby1, as the name was generally spelled until a recent date, and correspondingly pronounced-a custom recognized and conformed
606
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
to in these pages,- was a fisherman of Marblehead, where he owned a cot- tage and a small lot of land. For lack of evidence to the contrary, it may be presumed that he was b. in England, and came to this country in his early manhood to seek his fortune amid the novelties and wonders of the new world. Possibly he was the bro. of Roger Darby, known to be a native of Topsham, Devonshire, who landed at Boston, July 18, 1671, and set. at Salem, and from whom descended the celebrated surgeon and oculist, Dr. Derby, of the present day. By his w., Alice -. John Darby1 had 5 chn., the second of whom, John2, was b. Oct. 8, 1681. This John Darby2, who in his "will," 1747, spelt his name Darbie, m. Deborah, dau. of Roger Conant, and located first at Beverly, but went thence to Ipswich ab. 1720, and from there in 1731 to Concord, where he d. March 7. 1753.
I. DARBY, ANDREW3, the first of the name in W., was s. of John2 and Deborah, b. in Beverly, Jan. 26, 1706-7. He was to begin with a weaver by trade, as was his f. before him. In 1733, he purchased land in Concord, "New Grant," now Acton, and, after the incorporation of that town in 1735, took an active part in public affairs, proving himself to be a man of ability, charac- ter, and influence. He served the public as Assessor 3 yrs., Selectman 4 yrs., and Constable-an officer of much more dig- nity and importance in those days than now - 1 yr. He disposed of his Acton estate in 1746, and 2 yrs. later, May 10, 1748, purchased lot No. 22, in Narragansett, with house and gristmill upon it, located at the outlet of W. Pond, of Seth Walker, and there he set. and ever afterward lived. His occu- pation conferred upon him the familiar title of " Miller Darby," by which he was designated in all the country round about. He soon won the respect and confidence of the people at large, and was elected to numerous positions of honor and trust. He filled the office of Proprietors' Clerk, 1750-1754, and was for some yrs. both Assessor and member of the Standing Com- mittee before the incorporation of the township. He was one of the first Assessors of the district of W., and also a Select- man, occupying those posts of service 7 and 4 yrs. respectively. He, moreover, was active and influential in the affairs of the church, as elsewhere noted. He acquired considerable property, and in his day was undoubtedly one of the town's most substan- tial and trustworthy citizens. On his tombstone in the old cemetery is this inscription :
" ANDREW DARBY, DIED MAR. 23, 1783, A. 76.
" HE WAS A LOVER OF GOD'S WORD AND WORSHIP, CONSTANT IN HIS AT- TENDANCE AT HIS HOUSE OF PRAYER, AND NOW RESTS FROM HIS LABORS AND THE REWARD OF HIS WORKS DO FOLLOW."
He m., 1728, Elizabeth Patch, incidents of ptge. and b. unknown, and had 9 chn., all b. in Concord and Acton, most of whom set. in W. and vicinity and were represented subsequently in many of the families of the place, their descendants still being found here. The d. of his wid., Elizabeth (Patch) Darby, occured in the year 1800, month and day not ascertained. Chn .:
2. ELIZABETH4, b. March 13, 1728-9; m. Abner Holden; res. W .; d. Nov. 13, 1812. 3. SARAH4, b. Jan., 1730-1; d. infancy.
607
THE DERBY FAMILY.
4. SARAH+, b. March 14, 1732-3; m. Isaac Hubbard; res. Concord.
5. EUNICE+, b. Feb. 28, 1734-5; twins; I m. Josiah Jackson; d. Feb. 4, 1823.
S m. John Brooks; res. W .; d. 1817.
6. MARY+, b. Feb. 28, 1734-5; S
7. NATHAN, b. Aug. 2, 1737; m. Abigail Pierce; res. W.
8. ANDREW4, b. Nov. 19, 1739; m. Elizabeth Sawin; res. W.
9. JOHN4, b. July 4, 1742; m. Hannah Garey (Gerry); res. W.
10. RUTIN4, b. Ang. 20, 1745; d. bef. 1779; prob. unm.
[7.] DARBY, NATHAN4, oldest s. of the last, m. March 30, 1762, Abigail, dau. of Jonas and Abigail (Comee) Pierce of Lexington, whose bros., Nathan and John, were early settlers here. He bought, Nov. 16, 1759, of John Estabrook, lot No. 100, 2d Div. (the Joshua Moore place), near the Winchendon road, and located upon it as its original occupant. The date of his decease has not been ascertained but he survived his w. a few years, she dying Jan. 1, 1818. Their chn. were :
II. JONAS5, b. March 22, 1763; no record.
12. ABIGAIL5, b. Nov. 26, 1764; prob. d. young.
13. RUTH5, b. Oct. 30, 1766; d. Nov. 20, 1766.
14. ANNIS5, b. Dec. 19, 1768; no record found.
16. 15. LUCYs, b. May 9, 1770; m. Paul Bailey; res. Stg : 5 chn .; d. Nov. 15, 1800. EZRA5, b. June 24, 1772; d. infancy.
17. RHODA5, b. Jan. 5, 1774; m. Jarvis Pierce; res. W., etc.
18. EZRA5, b. June 24, 1776; m. Ruth Puffer; res. W .; 9 chn .; d. April 2, 1823.
19. JOEL5, b. June 19, 1778; m. Sukey Haynes; res. W., etc .; sev. chn .; d. Jan. 17, 1860.
20. ABRAHAM5, b. Aug. 30, 1780.
21. POLLY5, b. Oct. 12, 1782; m. Asa Nichols and Samuel Clark; res. Gr. and W .; 5 chn .; d. Ang. 14, 1871.
22. LEVIS, b. March 17, 1786; m. Sally Stratton; res. Waterbury, Vt .; II chn., one of whom was Philander Derby of Gr .; d. Sept. 12, 1873.
[8.] DARBY, ANDREW4, bro. of Nathan, m. Elizabeth, dau. of Stephen and Abigail (Fiske) Sawin, in 1763, and set. in the south part of the town on a section of the Gov. Belcher farm, where his gd. dau. Susan now res. He d. 1806, a. 66, and his wid. m. Nathl. Woodward as a second wife. She d. Feb. 3, 1845, a. 93. Chn .:
23. ABIJAH5, b. April 17, 1765; m. Lovisa Wilder; res. W., etc .; 9 chn.
24. ISAAC5, b. Dec. 24, 1766; m. Sally E. Hart; res. Lanc., N. H .; to chn .; d. 1859.
25. ASAPH5, b. June 12, 1769; d. unm. Nov. 25, 1797.
26. MOSES5, b. May 9, 1772; d. the following day.
27. AARON5, b May 9, 1772; m. Susannah Wood; res. W.
28. MARY5, b. March 5, 1775; d. Sept. 14, 1777.
29. POLLY5, b. Dec. 4, 1778; d. 1785.
30. MOSES5, b. April 3, 1782; m. Lois Gilbert; res. W. and Burlington, Vt .; 2 chn .; d. 1805.
31. ELIZABETH5, b. Feb. 8, 1787; d. Feb. 10, 1787.
[9.] DARBY, JOHN4, bro. of Nathan4 and Andrew4, m. Hannah Garey (Gerry) of Sterling, May 1, 1766, and succeeded his f. in the ownership of lot No. 22, the late John K. Learned place, and in the occupation of miller. He d. March 23, 1818, a. 75. His w. is supposed to have d. bef. 1796. Chn .:
32. WILLIAM5, b. March 27, 1768; d. unm. Sept. 25, 1797.
33. RUTH5, b. March 11, 1770; m. Ezra Calef and Ezekiel Kendall; d. Dec. 21, 1846 ?.
608
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
34. JOHN5. b. June 28, 1772; m. Betsey Ross; res. W .; d. Feb. 11, 1827.
35. JOSEPH5, b. Jan. 3, 1775; m. Lovisa Calef; res. W., etc.
36. ABEL5, b. Dec. 20, 1777; m. Mary Howard; res. W., etc.
37. HANNAH5, b. Nov. 17, 1781; m. Wm. Bemis; 11 chn .; d. Aug. 12, 1861.
38. ANDREW5, b. July 15, 1785; m. Lorinda -; res. W., etc.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.