USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Concord > History of the town of Concord, Middlesex County, Massachusetts : from its earliest settlement to 1832; and of the adjoining towns, Bedford, Acton, Lincoln, and Carlisle; containing various notices of county and state history not before published. > Part 35
USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Concord > History of the town of Concord, Middlesex County, Massachusetts : from its earliest settlement to 1832 : and of the adjoining towns, Bedford, Acton, Lincoln, and Carlisle > Part 35
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says the record, a post then of distinction, he petitioned, at the age of 65, to be excused from the office. He d. June 30, 1698, a. 82 ; Sarah Bateman, his first wife, d. 1664 ; his second wife was Jane Goodnow of Sudbury. Children, all by his first wife, Mary, William, John, m. Sarah Blood and removed to Stow, Samuel, Edward, Joseph, killed in Sudbury fight, Sarah, married a Barrett, and Mary.
Samuel, the fourth child, m. Elizabeth Blood 1677, and had Elizabeth, Samuel, who removed to Charlestown, William, Sarah, Abigail, and Dea. Jonathan, who m. Elizabeth Wooley 1717, and d. March 23, 1767, a. 77; and " was followed to the grave," says his monument, " by his widow, and thirteen well-instructed chil- dren." Their names were Samuel; Joseph, Daniel, Jonathan, Nathan, John (see below), Ephraim, Willard, Mary, Abigail, Elizabeth, Rachel, Lois, and Sarah, who died young.
Major JOHN BUTTRICK was one of the officers in command on the 19th of April, 1775, and his name will be handed down to posterity with distinguished honor for the noble stand he took, and the bravery he manifested, in leading a gallant band of militiamen on to meet the invading enemy at the North Bridge, and for beginning the first forcible resistance to British arms. He then returned the fire by commanding his own company to fire, saying, " Fire, fellow-soldiers, for God's sake, fire !" and discharged his own gun the same instant. (See page 100 and onward). - He was buried with military honors. The following epitaph is en- graved on his monument :
In memory of COLONEL JOHN BUTTRICK, who commanded the militia companies which made the first attack upon The British Troops, at Concord North Bridge, on 19th of April, 1775. Having, with patriotic firmness, shared in the dangers which led to American Independence, He lived to enjoy the blessings of it, and died May 16, 1791, aged 60 years. Having laid down the sword with honor, he resumed the plough with industry ; by the latter to maintain what the former had won. The virtues of the parent, citizen, and Christian adorned his life,, and his worth was acknowledged by the grief and respect of all ranks at his death.
BULKELEY. See notices of this family in pages 157 - 162, and 240 - 242.
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BURGESS. Thomas Burgess was in Concord in 1666, but removed to Groton.
BUSS. William Buss came here before 1639; lived where Elijah Wood now lives ; was a lieutenant ; bought the mill on Mill-brook 1668. His brother lived in Tunbridge, Eng. He d. Jan. 31, 1698; first wife, Ann, d. 1674; second wife (widow Dorcas Jones), 1709. Children, Hannah, m. William Wheeler ; Richard, Ann, Nathaniel, and Joseph, who m. Elizabeth Jones 1671, and had several children.
CHANDLER. John Chandler here in 1640, at which time he had a daughter born and was admitted freeman. Roger Chand- ler, and twenty others of Plymouth Colony, had a grant of four hundred acres of land in Concord in 1658; was employed by Do- lor Davis to build a house ; m. Mary Simonds 1671 ; d. 1717 ; she 1728 ; left several children, of whom Samuel m. Dorcas Buss 1695 ; d. 1745; and had Joseph, Samuel, John, Huldah, Rebec- ca, Elizabeth, and James, who was father of Dea. Joseph C.
CHEEVER. Daniel Cheever, probably descended from Dan- iel of Cambridge, was here from about 1710.
CLARK. Samuel Clark came here before 1686, probably the son of Jonas C. of Cambridge. He d. Jan. 30, 1730 ; his wife Ruth 1722 : children, John, William, Susannah, Hannah, Benja- min, and Arthur ; of whom Benjamin was father of Benjamin, who d. Feb. 11, 1809, a. 91, whose wife (Rebecca Flagg), d. Oct. 4, 1805, a. 83.
CONANT. Lot Conant, probably a great-grandson of the celebrated Roger C. of Salem, came into this town in the early part of last century ; d. Sept. 20, 1767, a. 90. His son Andrew had by his wife Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Andrew, Lydia, Nathan, and Ezra, who was drowned 1806 ; his wife d. May 23, 182S, a. 95. Andrew was father to Andrew, Eli, Silas, Abel, and Nathan, and two daughters.
COMY. Daniel Comy here in 1664, d. March 31, 1676.
COOKSEY. William Cooksey was here in 1666; and in 1700 was the only poor person then maintained by the town.
COSLIN. William Coslin was here in 1642, removed with Rev. Mr. Jones.
COTTON. John Cotton had Deliverance and Thankful, twin children, b. here in 1679. Little else is on record concerning him.
DAKIN. Thomas Dakin, the common ancestor, was here be- fore 1650; d. Oct. 21, 1708. His first wife d. 1659 ; second
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wife (widow Susan Stratton), 1698 ; had John, m. Sarah Wood- house, Sarah, Simon, d. Jan. 11, 1739, a. 76; and Joseph, who was deacon, lived by Flint's Pond, where Mr. Smith now lives, and whose son Samuel m. Mercy Minott 1722; was a Captain in the French war, and killed at Halfway Brook in 1758. There were several collateral families, and the name is yet preserved in the town.
DAVIS. Dolor Davis was of Cambridge in 1634, a petitioner for Groton in 1656, having before resided in Barnstable, where he died 1673. He was one of twenty who had lands granted in Con- cord in 1659, and was employed as a carpenter. He m. Margery, sister of Major Simon Willard, and had a daughter Ruth m. Ste- phen Hall, and two sons, Simon and Samuel, who settled in this town, and were the fruitful vines whose numerous branches extend over this and Worcester counties, and part of New Hampshire, and are constantly sending forth new and flourishing shoots.
Simon was a Lieutenant, representative, and otherwise distin- guished, m. Mary, da. of James Blood, 1660, d. June 14, 1713, a. 77; and had Simon, Mary, Sarah, James, Ellen, Ebenezer, and Hannah. Of whom Dr. Simon m. Elizabeth Woodhouse, 1689 ; she d. Nov. 12, 1711 ; and had John, Simon, Henry, Elizabeth, Mary, Samuel, Ebenezer, and Peter. Simon, the second son, b. 1692, m. Dorothy - 1713, and had Simon, Israel, and Jo- seph b. in Concord, removed to Rutland about 1720, and had there Eleazer, Oliver of Princeton, and two daughters. The eld- est son Simon, b. May 17, 1714, was father to David of Paxton, Dea. Isaac of Northborough, father to Hon. John Davis of Wor- cester, Samuel of Oakham, John of Paxton, and several daughters. Joseph, brother of Simon, b. in Concord July 16, 1720, was min- ister of Holden ; d. March 4, 1799, a. 79. James, second son of the first Simon, m. Ann Smeadly 1701, d. Sept. 16, 1727, a. 59, having had James, Ruth, Thomas,' (who died Nov. 18, 1786, a. 81, father to James of Holden, Jonathan and Josiah of New Ips- wich, Nathan of Westford, Thomas of Chelmsford, Amos of Gro- ton, Abel of this town, and three other sons), Joseph, Zachariah, and Benjamin. Ebenezer, the sixth child of Simon sen., had by his wife Dinah, Ebenezer, Josiah (killed in Lovewell's fight), and several others.
Samuel, the other son of Dolor, m. Mary Meads 1665, settled in the present limits of Bedford, where his descendants yet live. Had Mary, Samuel, Daniel, Martha, Simon, and perhaps others. Samuel, the eldest son, m. Abigail Reed 1698; and had Abigail, Mary, Samuel, Jacob, Eleazer, and Stephen. Daniel, the third child, was one of the first members of the church in Bedford, m. Mary Hubbard 1698, and had Jonathan, Daniel, Mary, Ephraim,
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Nathan, Amos of Grafton, Josiah, and Nathaniel. Their father d. Feb. 11, 1741, and their mother Feb. 2, 1769, a. 87.
DEAN. Thomas Dean was here 1645, d. Feb. 5, 1676 ; his wife Elizabeth d. 1673. His son Joseph m. Elizabeth Fuller 1662, d. 1718, a. 80, and had Thomas, Joseph, Daniel, Elizabeth, Sa- rah, and Deborah. Lieut. Daniel Dean, probably the son of Thomas, first mentioned, held a large estate, which was principally inherited by his son-in-law, Capt. Daniel Adams.
DILL. Peter Dill was here 1670, and by his wife, Thanks, had several children.
DOWDY. George Dowdy was admitted freeman in Concord 1645.
DOGGET. The wife of Thomas Dogget d. 1642; he remov- ed from town.
DRAPER. Roger Draper was here as early as 1639 ; his da. Lydia m. John Luce 1660 ; his son Adam m. Rebecca Brabrook 1666, and had Samuel, Joseph, Elisha, and Adam. They re- moved to Marlborough about 1680.
DUDLEY. Francis Dudley, a supposed connexion of Gov. Thomas D., came to this town about 1663 ; m. Sarah Wheeler 1665, and was father to Mary who m. Joseph Fletcher, Joseph, Samuel, Sarah, John, and perhaps other children. Joseph m. Abigail Gobble 1691 ; d. 1702 ; she d. 1705, having had Abigail, James, Joseph, Benjamin, Mary, and Sibbella. Samuel m. Abigail King 1704 ; removed to Littleton, where his wife, as mentioned by Hutchinson (vol. ii. p. 26), was affected with witchcraft ; about 1728 he removed to Sutton, where he died 1775, aged 109 ! hav- ing had twenty children ; of whom Samuel, Francis, David, Abi- gail, and Jonathan, (the three last at one birth,) were born in Con- cord. John, the other son of the first Francis, m. Hannah Poul- tier of Medford 1697, and had John, Hannah, and Sarah. Paul D., a descendant of the sixth generation, lives in the town.
EDMONDS. Walter, Samuel, and Joshua Edmonds, were here before 1640; but their names disappear from our annals after about twenty years. The name was early in Lynn.
EDWARDS. The children of Robert Edwards, a freeman 1642, and d. about 1650, owned land in 1660. Col. John, who d. in Acton, and Col. Abraham of Ashby, are probably descen- dants.
EMERSON. See pages 183 and onward.
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ESTABROOK. See page 162.
EVARTS. John Evarts was one of the earliest settlers ; had sons John, and Judah, b. 1639 and 1642. Removed to Connecti- cut with Rev. Mr. Jones, and was probably the ancestor of the late Jeremiah Evarts, Esq.
FARRAR. This family derive their origin from John and Ja- cob Farrar, who were proprietors of Lancaster in 1653. John d. there Nov. 3, 1669. Jacob, either a son of John or Jacob, m. Hannalı, da. of John Houghton, Esq. 1668 ; he was killed by the Indians August 22, 1675. His sons Jacob, George, Joseph, and John, sold their property in 1697 to their uncle Houghton, and re- moved to Concord. Henry Farrar was killed in Lancaster Feb. 1676, and John d. Aug. 1707.
JACOB, above mentioned, m. Susannah Reddit of Concord, 1692; lived in the north part of the town; d. 1722; and had ten chil- dren ; Jacob, the eldest, was killed in Lovell's fight, where his cousin Joseph was wounded. Jacob, son of Jacob last mentioned, d. Dec. 20, 1787, a. 65.
GEORGE m. Mary How 1692, settled where Dea. James, his great-grandson, now lives, and d. May 15, 1760, a. 89 ; his wife d. April 12, 1761 ; they had Joseph, Daniel, George, Mary, and Samuel. George m. Mary Barrett, and had nine children, includ- ing Rev. George, and Humphrey, father to Rev. Joseph. (See page 314). Deacon Samuel, his youngest brother, m. Lydia Bar- rett 1732, d. April 18, 1783, a. 75 ; and had Lydia, Dea. Samu- el (father to Samuel and John, noticed among the college gradu- ates), Rev. Stephen of New Ipswich, James, Rebecca, Lucy, and Timothy of New Ipswich.
FARWELL. Henry Farwell, freeman in 1638, resided in this town from its first settlement till the incorporation of Chelms- ford ; removed there, and d. Aug. 1, 1670 ; probably the common ancestor of the name in New England. His sons Joseph, John, and James, lived in this town, where the name has been preserved ; the latter m. Sarah Wheeler 1658.
FASSETT. Nathaniel Fassett was taxed in 1666.
FLETCHER. Robert Fletcher was here in 1635 ; d. April 3, 1677, a. 85. Children -1. Francis, m. Elizabeth Wheeler 1656, and had Samuel, Joseph, John, Elizabeth, Sarah, Hannah, and Benjamin, who lived in Concord. 2. Luke, d. 1665; 3. William, m. Lydia Bates 1645, removed to Chelmsford, 1656, d. Nov. 6, 1677 ; 4. Samuel, removed to Chelmsford. The name is extinct in Concord, but descendants are found in the adjoining towns, in Worcester county, and in New Hampshire.
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FLINT. Hon. Thomas Flint came from Matlock in Derby- shire to Concord, in 1638, and brought with him, says a family genealogy, £4000 sterling. He possessed wealth, talents, and a Christian character ; represented the town four years, and was an Assistant eleven. He d. Oct. 8, 1653. Johnson (Hist. Coll. iii. p. 161), calls him " a sincere servant of Christ, who had a fair yearly revenue in England, but having improved it for Christ by casting it into the common treasury, he waits on the Lord for doubling his talent, if it shall seem good unto him so to do, and the mean time spending his person for the good of his people in the office of magistrate."
" At Christ's commands, thou leav'st thy lands, and native habitation : His folke to aid, in desert straid, for gospel's exaltation, Flint, hardy thou, wilt not allow, the undermining fox,
With subtill skill, Christ's vines to spoil, thy sword shall give them knocks. Yet thou base dust, and all thou hast is Christ's, and by him thou
Art made to be, such as we see ; hold fast for ever now."
This is what Johnson calls "remembering in short metre."
His will is the first recorded in the Middlesex Probate Records. His brother, Rev. Henry Flint of Braintree, and his uncle, Wil- liam Wood, were executors. He had John and Ephraim, who lived in Concord, and perhaps Edward, Thomas, and William of Salem.
EPHRAIM m. Jane, daughter of Rev. Edward Bulkeley, and d. without issue 1722. About one thousand acres of land, including Flint's Pond, were owned by him.
JOHN m. Mary, da. of Urian Oakes, President of H. C., 1667 ; d. 1687 ; she d. 1690 ; had Abigail, m. Capt. Daniel Estabrook, John, Mary, Thomas, and Edward. John m. Abigail Buttrick ; d. Oct. 26, 1746, a. 69, and was father to Ephraim (H. C. 1733), Abigail, Mary, John (who d. 1792, a. 70), Hannah, and Jane. Thomas m. Mary Brown, and had Dorothy, Mary, Thomas of Rutland, Lucy, Henry of Carlisle, Josiah, Charles, John, and Dr. Edward of Shrewsbury. Edward d. Nov. 15, 1754, a. 70, in Lin- coln, without issue.
FOWLE. George Fowle, one of the early settlers, had four children born here; removed to Charlestown. The name does not again appear.
FOX. Thomas Fox a member of the church 1640. His first wife d. 1647; and he m. second time, Hannah Brooks, the same year. He d. 1658. Eliphalet, the only son who had issue, m. Mary Wheeler 1665; d. Aug. 15, 1711; she d. Feb. 24, 1679; children, Thomas, Eliphalet, Samuel, Joshua, Benoni, and Josh- ua. Descendants of this family are found in New Hampshire, but the name has been long extinct in Concord.
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FRENCH. Joseph French was here as early as 1674; and by Elizabeth, his wife, had Samuel, Joseph, Elizabeth, Mary, Mar- garet, and Jonathan, b. between 1676 and 1690; was a lieutenant; lived in the present limits of Bedford.
FRISSIL. William Frissil m. Hannah Clark 1667, and was here till about 1680.
FULLER. William Fuller was a miller. His wife d. 1642; daughter Ruth m. Timothy Wheeler 1670; and Elizabeth m. Jo- seph Dean 1669.
GAMLIN. Robert Gamlin d. Oct. 7, 1642.
GOBBLE. Thomas here before 1640; d. 1657 ; left three sons and three daughters, and several grandchildren. Thomas and Daniel lived south of Walden woods.
GRAVES. John Graves was one of the first members of the church, and had several sons. Benjamin m. Mary Hoar ; John, Mary Chamberlain ; and Abraham, Ann Hayward ; and had fami- lies ; but the name soon disappears.
GREEN. There was a John Green who lived in town in 1690; but tradition does not make him the ancestor of the Concord fami- lies. John, a hatter from Malden, m. Martha, sister of Deacon Simon Hunt, and lived in the centre of the town ; but sold out and removed to Carlisle, and was ancestor of the families there. He was father to John, who had Leonard, Jesse, Reuben, John, Amos, and Calvin ; Zaccheus, who had Thomas, Zaccheus, Josiah, Sam- uel, Eli, Asa, and four daughters ; Nathan, who had Nathan, Asa, William, Silas, Timothy, and Tilly ; and Samuel, whose children died without issue.
GRIFFIN. Richard Griffin here 1635, elder in the church ; representative, town commissioner ; m. Mary Hayward 1660; d. April 5, 1661 ; gave his property to Christopher Woolley. His mother lived in Charlestown.
HADLOCK. John Hadlock was here in 1675, and onwards.
HALL. William Hall m. Sarah Merriam 1658; d. 1667. Stephen m. Ruth Davis 1663; sold one hundred and ten acres of land at the " old hogpen walk " to John Barker, 1684, and remov- ed to Stow.
HALSTED. William Halsted d. July 5, 1645; gave to the town of Concord £5, to be laid out in a cow for the poor of the town. His brother, whose wife Isabel d. 1641, and a sister, inher- ited the property.
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HAMILTON. John Hamilton was here a few years, before 1670, but removed to Marlborough.
HARRIS. George Harris here in 1669, and the name has since been frequent.
HARWOOD. Nathaniel Harwood was here in 1667, and had Nathaniel, Peter, John, and Mary, whose descendants still live in the adjoining towns.
HARDY. Richard Hardy had twins born, who d. 1639; his wife d. two days after.
HARTWELL. All of this name in New England are suppos- ed to have originated from William, who was among the first set- tlers in 1636 ; and in subsequent life was distinguished by the title of Quartermaster, at that time honorable in military life ; d. March 12, 1690 ; his wife d. 1695. Children, William, John, Samuel, Jonathan, Nathaniel, and Martha. Of these, Samuel m. Ruth Wheeler 1665, and had Samuel, Mary, Ruth, William, John, and Hannah. The oldest, Samuel, m. Abigail Stearns 1692, whose son Ephraim m. Elizabeth Heywood 1732. He d. 1793, a. 87; she 1808 a. 94. They had fifteen children, five of whom died of the throat-distemper in October, 1740. This has been a prevalent name.
HASSELL. Joseph Hassell, son of Richard of Cambridge, came here in 1672.
HAYWARD. This name has been written Heaward, Heywood, and Howard, and although several now bear the last name, they originated from a common ancestor. Heywood is a distinct name. George Hayward came here in 1635; d. March 29, 1671 ; his wife d. 1693 ; estate £506; children, Mary, m. Richard Griffin, John, Joseph, Sarah, Hannah, Simeon, George, and perhaps others.
John m. Anna White 1671, and had Mary, George, Martha, John, Judith, and two others.
Joseph m. (1) Hannah Hosmer 1665, and had Joseph, Mary, John, Hannah, George, and Dorothy ; his wife d. 1675; he m. (2) Elizabeth Treadwell 1677, and had Ebenezer, James, and Simeon. The father d. Oct. 13, 1714, a. 71. Simeon, the last mentioned, was the ancestor of most of the name in this vicinity ; m. Rebecca Hartwell 1705 ; d. May 18, 1719, a. 36; she, after his death, m. a Temple, and d. 1776, a. 94. They had seven children, -1. Josiah, m. Mary Hosmer, and settled in Acton, and had Josiah, John, Daniel, Simeon, and seven daughters ; 2. Mary, m. Ephraim Jones ; 3. Abigail, m. Merriam of Bedford ; 4. Sam- uel, m. Mary Stevens of Marlborough, and had Samuel, Paul, James (killed 19th April, 1775), Benjamin, Stevens, and three
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daughters ; 5. Joseph, m. Abigail Hosmer, and had Simeon, Ste- phen, Joseph, Asa, John, James, and six daughters ; 6. Simeon, m. Sarah Hosmer, settled in Sutton and had eight children; 7. Ebenezer, of Killingly, Conn.
HEALD. This name is sometimes erroneously spelled Hale or Held. John here in 1635, came from Berwick, Eng. ; d. May 24, 1662; had John, Timothy, Dorcas, Gershom, Dorothy, Israel, and perhaps other children. Gershom m. Ann Vinton 1673, and removed to Stow.
John, jr., above mentioned, m. Sarah Dean 1661, and had Elizabeth, John, Gershom, Sarah, and perhaps others ; of whom, John m. Mary Chandler 1690; d. Nov. 25, 1721, a. 55; had Mary, m. John Parling ; John, deacon in Acton ; Timothy, great- grandfather of John, Esq. of Carlisle ; Josiah, Elizabeth, Samuel, Amos, deacon in Concord, in Lincoln, and in Townsend ; Ephraim, and Dorcas.
HEYWOOD. John here before 1650 ; m. Rebecca Atkinson 1656 ; and had John and Benoni; his wife d. 1665; and he m. again, Sarah Simonds, 1665. He d. Jan. 11, 1707. Dea. John, jr. d. Jan. 2, 1718, who, by his wife Sarah, had ten sons and three daughters. Sarah, Thomas, Samuel, Edmond, Josiah, Daniel, Eleazer, Nathan, Sarah, John of Lunenburg, Mary, Phineas of Sterling, and Benjamin. Of these, Samuel m. Elizabeth Hub- bard 1710, was deacon, town-clerk, and otherwise distinguished ; d. Oct. 28, 1750, a. 63. He had thirteen children ; Samuel, Amos, Elizabeth, Samuel, Jonathan (father to Hon. Abiel), Amos, Jonas, Charles, Rebecca, Aaron, John, Sarah, and Mary. Some collateral branches of this family have been distinguished in public life in Worcester county.
HOAR. The ancestor of this family, according to tradition, was a wealthy banker from London, and died soon after his arrival in Boston. Mrs. Joanna, probably his wife, died in Braintree 1661. Her children were as follows : 1. Joanna, wife of Col. Edmond Quincy ; 2. Margery, wife of Rev. H. Flint ; 3. Daniel, went to England 1653 ; 4. Leonard, President of H. C. ; and 5. John of Concord, who lived in Scituate from 1643 to 1655, came to Concord about 1660; was a lawyer, distinguished for bold, independent mind and action ; d. April 2, 1704 ; his wife Alice d. June 5, 1697. His daughter Elizabeth m. Jonathan Prescott, and Mary m. Benjamin Graves ; and his only son Daniel m. Mary Stratton 1677, and had John, Leonard, Daniel, Joseph, Jonathan, Mary, Samuel, Isaac, David, and Elizabeth. Of these, Lieut. Daniel, third son, m. Sarah Jones 1705, and d. Feb. 8, 1773, a. 93, hav- ing had four sons, John, Daniel, Jonathan, and Timothy, and seve-
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ral daughters. John m. Elizabeth Coolidge of Watertown, and was father to Hon. Samuel and Leonard H. of Lincoln, and grand- father to Hon. Samuel of Concord.
HOSMER. Two of this name, Thomas and James, supposed to be brothers, from Hockhurst, county of Kent, came to America. Thomas was of Cambridge 1632, and probably removed to Con- necticut, and was ancestor of Rev. Stephen, H. C. 1699, the Hon. Titus, and Hon. Stephen Titus Hosmer, all distinguished men in that State. James came to Concord among the first settlers ; d. Feb. 7, 1685 ; his first wife d. 1641, and second wife, Ellen, 1665. They had James, John (a petitioner for Chelmsford, who died, ac- cording to tradition, in Ireland), Hannah, m. Joseph Hayward, Mary, m. Thomas Smith, and Stephen, b. 1642.
James, the eldest son, m. Sarah White 1658, and was killed at Sudbury fight ; his widow m. Samuel Rice. He had James of Woodstock, Mary, m. Samuel Wight, Dorothy, Hannah, m. Col. How of Marlborough, and Thomas, who m. Hannah Hartwell 1696, and was father to Hannah, Sarah, Thomas, Mary, and James, of whom Thomas, the third child, m. Prudence Hosmer 1731, and had Lucy, Hon. Joseph, Perses, Dinah, Lydia, and Benja- min, whose united ages were 465, or 78 each, nearly. James, the brother of Thomas last mentioned, m. Elizabeth Davis of Bedford, and had Samuel, James, Elizabeth, Bulah, Ruth, and Elijah.
Stephen, youngest child of the first James, m. Abigail Wood 1667, and had Mary, Abigail, m. George Wheeler, John, Bridget, Dorothy, Stephen, and James. Of whom Stephen m. Prudence Billings 1707, and had children, Prudence, m. Thomas Hosmer, above mentioned ; Captain Stephen, the distinguished surveyor ; Jonathan, grandfather to Simon, Esq. of Acton ; Josiah, father to John and Jesse, Abel and Josiah of Templeton ; Jane, and Ephraim of Acton, father to Samuel.
Hon. JOSEPH HOSMER, above mentioned, was born Dec. 25, 1735, and died Jan. 31, 1821, a. 85. His father's name was Thomas, and his mother's Prudence Hosmer, second cousins, and great-grandchildren of James Hosmer, the first American ancestor. Possessing popular talents, he was early called to share the public duties of society. In the great events of the revolution he acted a conspicuous part, always in favor of liberty. Whilst the prelimi- nary measures were under discussion, one of his townsmen made a powerful speech in which he attempted to ridicule the doings of the "sons of liberty." Mr. Hosmer immediately replied in a strain of natural, unaffected, but energetic eloquence (for which he was afterwards distinguished), which particularly attracted public attention and introduced him to public favor. He was a militia officer on the 19th of April, 1775, and the first captain of the
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Concord Light Infantry company, and was afterwards promoted to major. He was a representative five years, and a senator twelve, and was an active, influential member. He was appointed sheriff of the county in 1792, and sustained the office fifteen years. Major Hosmer was endowed by nature with strong, active powers of mind, and the character he formed enabled him to meet all events with that fortitude which is an earnest of success. He early made a public profession of religion. Ardent without rashness, bold without presumption, and religious without fanaticism, he was emi- nently a useful man.
HOW. William How had several children b. 1657 - 1665 ; removed to Chelmsford or Marlborough.
HUNT. William Hunt was here before 1640 ; d. in Marlbor- ough Oct. 1667 ; his wife Elizabeth 1661; estate £596 ; left sons Nehemiah, Isaac, William, and Samuel, who m. and had families. Nehemiah m. Mary Tool 1663, whose son John m. Mary Brown 1703 ; d. May 3, 1765, a. 92; father to Dea. Simon Hunt, who was father to Dr. Joseph, and grandfather to Capt. Humphrey. - Nehemiah, a brother of John, m. Eleanor Hunt 1705, and was great-grandfather of Nehemiah Hunt, sen., now living. Collateral descendants now live in this and the adjoining towns.
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