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 93
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I I 5. EVELINA9, b. Oct. 2, 1843; m. W. C. Foskett; res. W .; 4 chn .; living. 116. SARAH M.9, b. Sept. 16, 1848; d. Sept. 14, 1849.
117. EMMA E.9, b. Aug. 1, 1850; m. Frank M. Urban; res. W .; 2 chn.
118. JOEL H.9, b. July 3, 1852; m. Anna P. Merrifield; res. W., etc .; chn .; living.
119. FRANK A.9, b. Sept. 5, 1855; m. Jennie E. Merriam, etc .; res. W .; chn .; living. 120. SARAH E.9, b. Sept. 8, 1857; m. Fred B. Bolton.
121. CORA E.9, b. March 27, 1863; res. W. unm.
[100.] MERRIAM, ARTEMAS8, bro. of the last, has been for many years, and is still, one of the most successful, public- spirited, and generous business men of the town. (Sec Chap. XVI, p. 317.) He is interested in whatever concerns the com- mon well-being, is ready to "lend a hand " in every good word and work, and shares the respect and confidence of his fellow- townsfolk to an unusual extent. He has filled the office of Selectman at different dates, and was elected to represent his district in the Leg. of 1878. He m. June 8, 1841, Salome, dau. of Asa and Dolly (Whitney) Holden, and they have had the following chn .:
774
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
122. STILLMAN F.9, b. May 30, 1843; d. July 7, 1843.
123. LAURA9, b. July 24, 1844; d. Oct. 15, 1844.
124. MARY ELLA9, b. Feb. 28, 1846; m. Adin F. Baker; res. W.
125. IDA ELIZA9, b. Nov. 21, 1856; m. S. D. Simonds; res. W.
126. WILLIE9, b. Aug. 9, 1859; d. Aug. 13, 1859.
127. NELLIE9, b. Aug. 31, 1861; d. Sept. 4, 1861.
Franklin Merriam8 (96), the oldest s. of Dea. Joel7 and Polly, was b. March 5. 1810. " At the age of 14 he indulged a hope in Christ and soon was baptized into the Princeton Baptist Chh." Six yrs. later a great revival in his religious feelings prompted him to devote his life to the work of the Christian ministry. With no pecuniary resources save what he could acquire by his own efforts, he worked his way through a preparatory course of study at W. Academy, through Waterville, Me., Coll., graduating in 1837, and through Newton Theol. Sem., where he grad. in IS40, " with no bills unpaid."
In Oct. of the last-named year he was ordained and settled at E. Winthrop, Me., on a salary of $400, remaining there till 1847, when he rem. to Searsmont in the same State. He has 'since had pastorates at Exeter, New Boston, E. Jaffrey, Hanover, Danbury, Bow, and E. Weare, N. H., besides serving 3 yrs. as Agent of the Am. and For. Bible Society, and 2 yrs. as Agent for the Am. Bap. Miss. Union. He has held the office of Trustee of the Me. Bap. Assn., and of Secretary of the Me. Bap. Edl. Soc .; also that of Trustee of the N. H. Bap. Convention, and of Trustee of Colby Univ. for 25 yrs., to which institution he gave a scholarship in 1860. When in Hanover he was appointed a member of the Examining Com- mittee of Dartmouth Coll.
His is the record of a long, active, useful, exemplary, honorable life,- a life con- secrated to God and devoted to the service of mankind. To his faith he has added virtue and zeal in every good word and work. "He has never spent a cent for tobacco, intoxicating liquors, tea, or coffee for personal use," and has proved faithful in every post of duty to which he has been called and in all the relations of life. He is still living, bowed somewhat beneath the infirmities of age, but sharing the respect and honor of all who know him, as well as the love and grati- tude of those whom he has helped to a more Christian life, and awaiting in serene trust the summons that shall call him to the higher labors and more lasting rewards of the world unseen and immortal.
Mr. Merriam m. in Sept., 1845, Eunice C. Ward of China, Me., who bore him 4 chn., one of whom d. in infancy. Of the 3 living, E. Franklin and George grad. at Colby Univ. and also at Newton Theol. Sem., and are engaged in the work of the Ministry,- the former in Boston and the other in Kansas. The third, Hattie W., is m. and res. at E. Weare, N. H., and with her the father is spending the last days of his earthly pilgrimage.
[105.] MERRIAM, ABNER HOLDEN8, s. of Nathan and Ruth, fitted for College at W. Academy and grad. at Amherst in the class of 1840. He soon after took charge of the institution in which he pursued his preparatory studies, then in a moribund condition, imparted new life to it, and made it one of the most prosperous schools of its kind in the Commonwealth. He was in that position about 7 yrs., when he left for Winchendon where he occupied a similar post of service. After a few more years spent in teaching, some portion of which time his fam. lived at Leom., he located on a small farm in Temp., where he has devoted himself mostly to agricultural pursuits, and where he still resides, much respected for his honesty of purpose, kindly spirit, and Christian life. He has been for many yrs. a Deacon of the Trinitarian Chh. in the town of his adoption. He m. April 14, 1842, Emily, dau. of Dea. Abel and Betsey (Fair- banks) Wood of Leom.,-the two being still spared to each other, sharing as they have a joint domestic companionship of more than half a century. Chn. :
Astunus Mariann
775
THE MERRIAM FAMILY.
128. CHARLES II.9, b. W., Aug. 16, 1845; m. Clara L. Mckinley; res. Gr .; 4 chn.
129. EMILY M.9, b. Leom., Aug. 27, 1847; m. Lewis W. Bryant; res. Temp .; 4 chn-
1 30. OLIVE E.9, b. Leom., April 17, 1849; m. Moses Leland; res. Gr .; 3 chn.
131. SUSAN A.9, b. Leom., Aug. 10, 1850; d. Aug. 10, 1852.
132. MARY A.9, b. Temp., Oct. 1, 1857; d. May 7, 1860.
[118.] MERRIAM, JOEL HARVEY9, s. of Joel8 and Elmina, res. in town some years after reaching maturity, being in trade with his younger bro. at the well-known Whitman store. He how- ever sold out ab. 1890 and rem. to Denver, Col. He m. (I) Ella M., dau. John and Eliza (Kendall) Persons of Windsor, Vt., Oct. 9, 1873. She d. without issue, and he m. (2) Dec. 25, 1878, wid. Anna P. Mansfield of So. Chelmsford. Chn. : 133. ETHELIO, b. Feb. 16, 1880. 134. HAROLD G.10, b. Sept. 26, 1883.
[119.] MERRIAM, FRANK A.9, bro. of the last, with whom he was associated in trade awhile, as just stated, is now carrying on a prosperous business by himself, enjoying a reasonable pro- portion of public patronage and the regard of the general com- munity. He is an active member of the Baptist Chh., in which he has held the office of Deacon since 1886. He also has been twice m. (1) to Jennie E., dau. of Reuben P. and Elizabeth (Brooks) Merriam, Oct. 26, 1876. She bore him 3 chn. and d. Jan. 15, 1888, a. 30. He m. (2) Ida E., dau. Charles and Martha A. Simonds, April 29, 1891. His chn. by Ist. w. are:
135. FRANK E.10, b. May 6, 1878. 136. GEORGE A.10, b. Aug. 21, 1882.
137. ROBERT J.19, b. Aug. 29, 1885.
I. MERRILL, NATHANIEL, ptge. unknown, from Pelham, N. H., bought lot No. 116, long known as the Ezra Wood place, near the R. R. Station, now owned by Melville H. Warner, March 28, 1759. He made the first improvements and built the first ho. on the premises, res. there some ten years, when he sold to Sebez Jackson of Newton. What became of him has not been learned. Chn. :
2. ANA, b. Feb. 4, 1760 ?. 3. JOHN, b. Sept. 5, 1763.
4. BENJAMIN, b. Aug. 2, 1767.
5. JOSEPH, b. July 17, 1769.
I. METCALF, JOSEPH, S. of Ezekiel S. and Eunice (Brooks) Metcalf of Ash., was b. Jan. 21, 1786. He m. Lucy, dau. of John and Lucy Adams of W., Feb. 8, 1814, and first set. in Pn. They remained there but a few yrs., coming to this town ab. 1818 and purchasing in 1824 the Adams homestead near the Gr. line, which they occupied until far advanced in age. He d. Oct. 29, 1864, and she, April 23, 1873. They had :
2. LASYLVIA, b. Pn., Ang. 13, 1815; m. Joseph Powers; res. Gr .; no chn .; d. Sept. 10, 1844.
3. MARY J., b. W., July 19, 1820; m. Marcius A. Gates; res. Gr .; no chn .; d. Jan. 27, 1882.
776
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
MILES.
It is stated that the first baptisms registered in the first chh. of Boston were those of "Joy and Recompense, daughters of brother John Miles." Whether or not this was the same John1 who was a blacksmith by trade and set. in Concord, 1635, does not appear. The latter was admitted "freeman" in 1638, and became a large landholder and a substantial citizen of the town. He had 2 sons, John2 and Samuel2, both of whom have been represented in W. somewhat largely and creditably, though their descendants have now mostly disappeared. The former m. Mary Prescott and, with other chn., had a s. John8, who m. Elizabeth (or Rebecca) Brooks, three of whose sons, John4, Noah4, and Abner4, were early and permanent residents here. A dau. m. Obadiah Kendall, and was in town for a short time. John3, the f., owned considerable land in the place, and supplied two of his sons with farms, as will duly appear.
I. MILES, JOHN4, s. of John3 and Elizabeth (?) of Concord, was b. Feb. 20, 1726-7. He was established on lot No. 57, the Jotham Keyes place (see A. H. No. So), then owned by his f., in 1751. Three years later he came into full possession of the same, and there he lived and d. He was a prominent man in the settlement, holding the office of Standing Committeeman and Assessor of the Propriety, and of Selectman after incorpora- tion. He was active in military affairs, and received a com- mission which entitled him to the familiar name of "Lieut. Miles." Some two yrs. after coming here he m. Martha, dau. of Dea. Russell of Littleton, and wid. of Jacob Warren, who had lived on lot No. 59 near by. (See A. H. No. 96.) He was a surveyor, and assisted in laying out the 3d Div. lots in the township, 1757. He d. April 30, 1808, a. SI. His wid. d. the 26th of the following Nov., a. 83. Chn. :
2. JOHN5, b. June 18, 1754; d. July 7, 1764.
3. LEVI5, b. Nov. 18, 1756; wounded in Battle of Bennington, and d. 1780.
4. MARTHA5, b. June 25, 1759; m. John Dexter; res. Leom., etc.
5. ABIGAIL.5, b. July 4, 1763; m. Asa Brooks; res. Concord; d. 1795.
6. JOHN5, b. Nov. 3, 1765; m. Mary Denny; res. Grafton; to chn .; d. March 20, 1849.
7. ISAAC5, b. June 28, 1768; m. Susan Tuttle; res. W., etc .; chn .; d. 1826.
8. THOMAS5, b. Aug. 19, 1772; m. Ruth Brooks; res. W., etc .; chn.
John Miles5 (6) was of scholastic and religious turn of mind, fitting for College and graduating at Brown Univ. in 1794. He studied theology under Rev. Dr. Sanger of Bridgewater, and was ordained Minister of the town of Grafton, Oct. 12, 1796, Rev. Asaph Rice of W. preaching the sermon. He continued in the pastorate till Oct., 1825, removing to Shrewsbury the following year, purchasing there a farm and living upon it till his death, March 20, 1849, at the age of 83.
Mr. Miles belonged to the liberal wing of Orthodox ministers of his day, but maintained friendly professional relations with the more rigid and dogmatic clergy- men of the neighborhood. His salary never amounted to 3300, yet his house had open doors and he dispensed a generous hospitality. He was enabled to do this by the products of a small farm of 16 acres which he found time to till, with the occasional aid of his parishioners, "in a skilful and exemplary manner," and by the donations of the housewives of the town, who brought offerings of cloth and yarn now and then to the parsonage. His w. was Mary, dau. of Col. Samuel Denny of Leicester, whom he m. May 1, 1798. Of this union there were b. 7 chn., one of whom, Henry Adolphus, was for many years a Unitarian clergyman in Lowell, and afterwards Secretary of the Am. Unit. Assn., and subsequently a temporary supply in several parishes. He is now living at Hingham, Mass., at the advanced age of 86 years.
777
THE MILES FAMILY.
[7.] MILES, ISAAC5, s. of John4 and Martha, was an enterpris- ing, active citizen of W. for many years. He bought the brick ho. on the east side of the Common in 1799, where he run a store ab. 4 yrs. In 1804 he was in company with Rufus Dodd at the well-known Bradbury Corner. Later he built the brick ho. nearly opposite, now owned by E. L. Burnham, and very likely engaged in trade there till 1816, when he sold to Seth Wellington, his s .- in-law, and rem. first to Waltham, and thence to Stow, where he d. in 1826. He m. Susannah Tuttle of Lit- tleton, and had a large family, of the members of which little is known, the W. records being meager in details concerning them, as is also information derived from other sources. The w. d. Boston, 18II. Chn. :
9. ISAAC6, b. April, 1796; d. Jan. 19, 1800.
IO. SUBMIT T.6, b. March IS, 1798; d. Jan. 7, 1800.
II. SUBMIT R.6, b. Feb. 13, ISoo; d. Nov. 19, 1800.
12. ISAAC6, b. Sept. 7, ISO1.
13. J. HANNIBAL6, b. Aug. 2, 1803.
14. NATHAN6.
15. SUSAN6.
16. LOUISA6; m. Seth Wellington. 17. AUGUSTUS6
18. THEODORE6.
20. LEVI6.
19. THEOPHILUS6.
[8.] MILES, THOMAS5, bro. of the last, m. Ruth Brooks, Concord, March 11, 1794. He seems to have set. on the home place for a while, but soon after his f.'s death sold to Salmon Leland, and went into the hotel business on the turnpike in the edge of Fg. The estate, upon his petition, was set off by the Leg. to W. in 1813. A few yrs. later he was owner and man- ager of the sawmill at the head of the Narrows. Disposing of his interest there, he rem. to Waltham, where, it is supposed, both he and his w. d., but at an unkn. date. Chn. b. W. were:
21. NABBY6, b. Jan. 23, 1796; m. Abel Carpenter; res. Leyden; d. July 13, 1822.
22. RUTH6, b. Jan. 25. 1798.
23. PAMELA6, b. May 11, ISoo; m. Daniel Stowell, Northampton.
24. LEVIS, b. April 5, 1802; m. Mary A. Hayward, Concord; 3 chn.
25. JOHN D.6, b. Jan. 14, 1805. 26. SOPHRONA6, b. March 12, 1807.
27. CATHARINES, b. Nov. 13, ISI0; d. Jan. 24, 1832.
28. MILES, NOAH4, another s. of John3 and Elizabeth (?) of Concord, b. April 29, 1730, came to W. ab. the same time his bro. did and located upon the adjoining lot, No. 36, where wid. Julia A. Foster and her s., Judson, now reside, receiving a gift deed of the property from his f., Nov. 5, 1754. He had prob. built a house there at an earlier date, as he was in accredited possession in 1751. He was very active in public affairs, both civil and military, and was undoubtedly one of the foremost citi- zens of his time. He served many years on the Board of Select- men, and was sent as Delegate to a convention at Concord in 1779, called to deliberate and take action upon the state of the country. He rose to a Captaincy in the Militia of the Mass. Colony before the opening of the Rev., and led a company of minute men to Concord and Camb. upon getting tidings of the affair of April 19, 1775. He m., 1750, Huldah Hosmer of Con.
778
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
cord, and d. Oct. 21, 1811, a. SI. She d. March 10, 1809, a. 80. Chn. :
29. NOAH5, b. Dec. 22, 1751; m. and lived at Temple, N. H. (See below.)
30. STEPHEN5, b. Sept. 26, 1754; m. Sarah Hoar; res. W.
31. JOEL5, b. Nov. 29, 1756; m. Mary Estabrook; res. Fitzwilliam, N. H .; 9 chn .; d. Dec. 25, 1843. [14, 1781.
32. EPHRAIM5, b. Dec. 6, 1759; m. Zeruiah Rugg; res. Royalton, Vt .; d. March
33. OLIVER5, b. Aug. 28, 1762; res. Royalton, Vt.
34. ASAHEL5, b. 1763; m. Mary Tenney; res. W., etc .; soon disappeared.
35. HULDAIIS, b. 1767; m. Samuel Brooks; res. W .; 2 chn .; d. July 14, 1794.
Noah Miles5 (29), the oldest of the chn. of Noah+ and Huldah, was a grad. of Dartmouth Coll. in the class of 1780. He then pursued a course of theological study, and was ordained to the work of the Christian ministry and installed pastor of the church in Temple, N. H., Oct. 2, 1782. He remained in that town, dis- charging the duties of the sacred office almost half a century, or until his death in 1831. He was deemed a moderate Calvinist in doctrine, an able preacher, a de- voted pastor, and a useful citizen. Social in his tastes, and something of a wit withal, he was as genial out of the pulpit as he was devout and earnest in it. Many anecdotes are told of his spontaneous pleasantry and ready repartee. He had 7 chn., one of whom, Solomon P., grad. at Harvard Coll., 1819, and became a physician of eminence.
[30.] MILES, STEPHEN5, bro. of the last, succeeded to his f.'s home estate and good reputation. He was highly esteemed and honored with repeated tokens of the confidence of his neigh- bors and townsfolk. He served as Assessor several years, held the office of Treasurer 20 years, and was Dea. of the chh. from 1797 until his death. He m. Sarah, dau. of Daniel and Rebecca (Brooks) Hoar, Jan. 4, 1781. He d. Aug. 10, 1812, a. 57. She d. Feb. 24, 1813, a. 63. They had but I chd., a dau., and with him the Noah Miles branch of the fam. became extinct in town, his bros. all res. elsewhere. The one dau. was:
36. SARAH6, b. Feb. 11, 1787; m. Nathan Baker; res. W .; 6 chn .; d. Oct. 15, 1857.
37. MILES, ABNER4, a younger bro. of John4 and Noah4, date of birth unkn., was pub. to Margaret, dau. of Jonathan and Jemima (Bright) Trowbridge of Newton, in July, 1769, and set. on a part of lot No. 23, 2d Div., which he had bought the pre- vious Jan. of Ephraim Hall. The site of the dwelling house can still be recognized, some 70 or So rods west of the residence of the late Levi Jackson, Sen. (See A. H. No. 30.) He went into the army, where he contracted the smallpox, of which he d. after returning home, July 23, 1778. His lone grave is in a pasture belonging to the estate. His wid. d. May 9, 1823, a. 76. Chn. :
38. JEMIMA5, b. Sept. 29, 1770; m. Enoch Brown, Oct. 13, 1803; res. Watertown.
39 MEHITABEL5, b. March 28, 1773; d. unm. in W., 1837. [3, 1855. 40. ELIZABETH5, b. Aug. II, 1775; m. Eleazer Drury; res. W .; 6 chn .; d. Dec.
41. TROWBRIDGE5, b. Sept. 21, 1777; taxed here 1800, but nothing further known.
42. MILES, REUBEN3, was s. of Samuel2, who m. Sarah Fos- ter of Littleton, and therefore cousin of John3, the f. of John4, Noah4, and Abner4, already mentioned. He was b. in Concord, Dec. 12, 1723, and seems to have come to Nar. No. 2 quite as early as his distant kinsmen, purchasing lot No. 14, on which a house had already been built, May 4, 1749. Said lot
779
THE MILES FAMILY.
was situated S. E. of, and contiguous to, the one in possession of the Damon family for five generations, and the general loca- tion of the farm buildings are still pointed out. (See A. H. No. 66.) He bought, 1754, lot No. 16, lately the home farm of his gd.s., George Miles, and set. upon it. He was a somewhat notable man in town, of "property and standing." Was Se- lectman, possessed large landed interests, owned a slave, and had money to be taxed. He m. Anna, dau. of Zephaniah and Mary (Heywood) Rice of Worc., cousin of Timothy Heywood, spoken of elsewhere, prob. in 1754. He d. Feb. 20 (say rec- ords), 5 (says tombstone), 1780, a. 56. Anna, who survived him, d. May 5, 1798, a. 68. Chn. :
43. NATHAN+, b. Jan. 25, 1755; m. Susannah Brown; res. W. and N. Y.
44. REUBEN+, b. Nov. 12, 1756; d. in army at Watertown, Sept. 15, 1775.
45. ANNA4, b. July 4, 1758; m. Thomas Knower; res. W .; 7 chn .; d. Oct. 7, 1849. 46. JONAS+, b. July 11, 1760; m. Rachel Bancroft; res. W.
47. ASA1, b. June 11, 1762; m. Elizabeth C. Rice; res. W.
48. SALLY4, b. May 23, 1764; m. James White; res. W .; sev. chn .; d. 1806.
49. LUCY+, b. May 13, 1766; m. Andrew Whitney; res. Pn .; sev. chn.
50. PERSIS+, b. Feb. 20, 1769; { S m. Joseph Sweetzer; res. Athol; sev. chn.
51. MARY4, b. Feb. 20, 1769; S twins; { d. July 30 (say records), May 30 (says tombstone), 1785.
[43.] MILES, NATHAN4, s. of the last, m. Susannah Brown (pub. March, 1777), and set. in tn. for a few yrs., rem., it is said, to Auburn, N. Y., and thence to Jamestown, where all traces of him are lost. While res. here they had 3 chn .:
52. SUSANNAH5, b. Aug. 9, 1778.
53. SALLY5, b. Aug. 26, 1781.
54. REUBEN5, b. June 30, 1784.
[46.]. MILES, JONAS4, bro. of the last, came into possession of the extensive landed estate of his father, and prob. built upon it the present commodious dwelling house occupied by Wm. H. Carter. He was a public-spirited and highly useful citizen, esteemed for his many excellent traits of character, and honored with positions of responsibility and influence. He was appointed Coroner in 1800, the first in town - a position which he continued to hold through life. He was pub. to Rachel, dau. of Edmund Bancroft of Pepperell, Nov. 18, 1796, and in due time m. her. He passed to the land of the hereafter July 14, 1827, a. 67, and his wid., Rachel, followed him Jan. 26, 1853, a. 83. Chn. :
55. ANNA5, b. Oct. 21, 1797; d. Aug. 26, 1800.
56. GEORGE5, b. Feb. 28, 1800; m. Lucinda B. Jones; res. W.
57. ANN ELIZAS, b. Nov. 23, ISO1; d. unm. Dec. 21, 1868.
58. JONAS B.5, b. Oct. 12, 1804; d. Oct. 3, 1805.
59. MARY5, b. Nov. 8, 1806; d. Dec. 17, 1832, unm.
60. EDMUND B.5, b. Nov. 28, 1808; d. Aug. 16, 1810.
61. AMANDA5, b. July 16, 1811; m. Elijah L. Smith; res. Hadley; 6 chn .; d. March 12, 1858.
[47.] MILES, ASA4, bro. of the last, studied medicine and was a practicing physician in his native town till his decease. He lived at first on his father's original homestead, but, in 1804, bought of Joseph Darby the Whitman place in the vil-
780
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
lage, now owned by F. A. Merriam. He, however, occupied it but a short time, being cut down by death in April, 1805. He had two wives. The first was Elizabeth Clough, dau. of Rev. Asaph and Thankful (Clough) Rice, who d. Aug. 10, 1796, a. 24; and the second was Ruth Henshaw of Leicester, m. Feb. 14, 1804, who survived him and m. (2) Rev. Ezekiel Bascom of Phillipston. He had but one chd .:
62. CLOUGH R.5, b. May 31, 1796. He grad. at Harv. Coll. in 1817, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1825, and settled in his profession at Milbury.
[56.] MILES, GEORGE5, s. of Jonas+ and Rachel, succeeded to his f.'s est. and general standing in the community. He was a successful farmer and an active participant in public affairs. Greatly interested in questions of reform, he provoked much criticism and lost caste somewhat by his radical anti-slavery opinions, action, and associations. He left the chh. on account of what he deemed its guilty complicity with manstealing, and ignored political action under a confessedly proslavery constitu- tion. He n. in 1829 Lucinda B. Jones of Temp., a worthy companion and helpmeet, who sympathized fully with him in his reformatory principles and shared cheerfully with him the obloquy he incurred by his outspoken avowal and consistent support of them in good conscience toward God and man. As advancing age and its attendant decline of health and strength came on, Mr. Miles disposed of his large farm and other prop- erty in town, removing with his family to Natick, where the last years of life was spent. He was thrown from his carriage and instantly killed at Marlboro', as he was on his way to W., June 10, 1872, a. 72. His wid. survived him ab. five and one- half yrs., passing on to the reunion of the eternal world, Jan. 19, 1878, a. 72. Chn .:
63. GEORGE S.6, b. Oct. 13, 1830; m. Martha D. Warren; res. Jerseyville, Ill .; 6 chn .; d. Feb. 7, 1893. [3 chn .; living.
64. MARY J.6, b. Nov. 25, 1831; m. Alvah W. Godding; res. Providence, R. I .; 65. AMANDA6, b. Feb. 16, 1833; became an artist of repute; d. unm. Sept. 2, 18SS.
The Miles family now represented in W. has an ancestral origin in N. E. entirely different from that to which those of the same name outlined on the few preceding pages have been traced. Forty years after the arrival of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, and thirty years after the founding of the Puritan Colony on the borders of Mass. Bay, one Rev. John Myles was Pastor of a Baptist church in Wales. Whether or not he had ever been brought in con- tact with Roger Williams does not appear, but he certainly had much of the spirit - much of that conscientious loyalty to the principles of religious lib- erty - which has made the name of that great preacher and reformer illus- trious and immortal. When, in 1662, under the sanction of the returned Stuart monarch, Charles H., the " Act of Uniformity " was passed by Par- liament, he was compelled to abandon both his living and the kingdom, and, with some of his own people, and multitudes besides, seek a refuge from persecution on these shores. He landed at Weymouth, but was not allowed to preach in that settlement, and so withdrew to Swansea, on the borders of the Providence plantation, and there gathered a small church, to which he ministered through life. "The principles of this church were of the
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THE MILES FAMILY.
most liberal sort, and their declarations of faith were as broad as those of Roger Williams " himself.
This Rev. John Myles1 had as. Samuel2, who for forty years was Rector of King's Chapel, Boston, while it was yet under Episcopalian rule, and who, no doubt, did much to prepare the way for that larger freedom which wases- poused and proclaimed by those worshiping there at a later date, and which has been maintained to the present time. He had also another s., whose name has not come to hand,-an early settler, it is understood, of Pomfret, Conn. The last was f. of Daniel3, whose s. Daniel+ located at Pe- tersham and d. there early in 1777, his will being probated April 9. By his w., Abigail, he had four sons and four daus. Among the former was Joab5, who m. and had chn. in P., but the name of his w. is unk.
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