USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Dorchester > History of the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts > Part 33
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Mr. Williams, after his release, settled again in the ministry at Deerfield. He married for his sec-
* See page 280 of this work,
t See page 282.
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ond wife a daughter of Capt. Allen, of Windsor, Ct., who, like his first wife, was a grand-daughter of Rev. Mr. Warham. By this connection he had five children. He died at Deerfield in a fit of apoplexy, on the 12th of June, 1729, in the 65th year of his age and the 44th of his ministry.
JONATHAN PIERPONT-son of Robert and Sarah (Lynde) Pierpont, and grandson of James, a mer- chant of London, afterwards of Ipswich, Mass .- was born in Roxbury, in this State, 10th of June, 1665. Robert, the father, was a younger brother of John, who settled early in Roxbury. The latter was a great-great-grandfather of Rev. John Pierpont, the former pastor of Hollis Street church, Boston, late of Medford, who has kindly furnished information in regard to the Rev. Jonathan, with extracts from his diary. The following are selections : -
" July 1st, 1685. I took my first degree." [At Har- vard College.]
" 4. I removed from Cambridge to my father's house."
" Feb. 1. I went to Dorchester to keep school." [This is a fac- simile Jonathan Perpor's of his signa- ture to
the agreement.] " While I lived at Dorchester it pleased God to awaken me by the word preached."
" Aug. 8th, 1686. I preached my first sermon at Mil- ton. Text, 1 Peter, 5, 5."
" July 31, 1687. I was invited to preach at Dedham for a quarter of a year. By the advice of Ministers and friends I accepted the call."
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" July 31. I left teaching school at Dorchester, and went to my father's house."
He was twice invited, in the autumn of that year, to settle at Dedham, but declined. He also had calls to settle at New London, Sandwich, Newbury vil- lage and Northfield, neither of which was accepted.
" June 19th, 1688. I went to the funeral of Rev. Mr. Brock, at Reading. ** * * He was a man who excelled most men in Faith, Prayer & private conference. At the funeral I was desired by some of the principal persons in the place, to preach among them on the first sabbath in July."
" July 1. I preached at Reading. Text, Heb. xii. 15." He had two calls, subsequently, to settle there.
" 1689, June 26. I was ordained Pastor of the Church of Christ in Reading. * Mr. Morton gave me the charge. Mr. C. Mather gave me the right hand of fellow- ship."
" 1691, July 30. Having obtained consent of my Pa- rents, I gave Mrs. E. A .* a visit."
" Oct. 29. I was marryed to Mrs. E. A., a pious and prudent person."
" 1692, March. My honoured Father Angier dyed."
" [1692-3] . Feb. 25. Our first child was born, which was a daughter; name Elizabeth."
" 1693 [ ?], Sept. 14. My son Jonathan was born."
" 1706, Oct. 13. My son Joseph born about one in morning."
" 1707, Feb. 11. Mary Pierpont born."
* Elizabeth Angier, daughter of Edmund and Ann (Pratt) Angier, of Cambridge, was baptized September 22d, 1667. The prefix "Mrs." to the name of a maiden woman, was not uncommon in early times.
56
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The following inscription is on the grave-stone of Mr. P. at South Reading.
" The Reverend Mr. Jonathan Pierpont, late Pastor of the Church of Christ in Redding, for the space of twenty years, aged 44 years ; who departed this life June 2, 1709.
A fruitful Christian, and Pastor, who Did good to all, and lov'd all good to do ; A tender Husband, and a Parent kind,
A faithful friend, which who, O who, can find ! A Preacher, that a bright example gave Of rules he preach'd, the souls of men to save ; A Pierpont all of this, here leaves his dust, And waits the resurrection of the just."
EDWARD MILLS -son of John and Elizabeth (Shove) Mills, and grandson of John and Susanna- was born in Braintree the 29th of June, 1665; graduated at Harvard College in 1685 ; taught the school in Dorchester, probably from 1687 till 1692. In the year 1689, there was a "treaty about Mr. Mills keeping the school," between the Selectmen and the teacher ; also in 1687, " as more fully ap- pears in the new book."
He married Mehetabel, daughter of Stephen Mi- not, of Dorchester, who was the son of Elder George Minot. Her mother's maiden name was Truecross Davenport. She was a daughter of the celebrated Capt. Richard Davenport, of the Castle. It will be remembered that Capt. D. was the standard bearer of the company of which Endicott was commander, at the time he cut the red cross from the flag, as a relic of popish superstition. Truecross was born, it is supposed, the same year ; hence her name.
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Mr. Mills went from Dorchester to Boston, where he exercised his gift of teaching for about forty years. His wife Mehetabel died August 16th, 1690, aged 25 years, 2 months and 2 days, as we learn from her grave-stone, still standing in the Dorches- *: ter burying-ground. She left one son, named Ste- phen. The father died November 7th, 1732, aged 67 years.
JOSEPH LORD, son of Thomas and Alice (Rand) Lord, of Charlestown, was born June 30, 1672 ; gra- duated at Harvard College in 1691. From 1692 till 1695, probably, he taught the school in Dorches- ter. In the fall of the latter year, a church was gathered in this town with the design of removing to South Carolina, and Mr. Lord was ordained pas- tor. The newly-formed church arrived at their place of destination, on the Ashley river, about 18 miles from Charleston, on the 20th of December, and called the place Dorchester. On the subsequent second of February, " the sacrament of the Lord's supper," it is said, " was first administered in Caro- lina." It was necessary that the minister should be ordained in Massachusetts to his work, for " in all that country," whither he was going, says Mr. Dan- forth, in his valedictory discourse, there was " nei- ther ordained Minister nor any Church, in full gos- pel order." He married Abigail, daughter of Gov. Thomas Hinckley (by his first wife), on the third of June, 1698.
Mr. Lord remained with his church and society over twenty years, when he returned to this State,
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HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
and on the 15th of June, 1720, was installed pastor of the church in Chatham. He died in 1748, after preaching at Chatham twenty-eight years. His diary is extant, containing many interesting notes and ob- servations relative to the church and people at the Cape, where he so long ministered. His children were-Mercy, b. 2 (1) 1699; Mary, b. 19 (2) 1701 ; Thomas, b. 25 (6) 1703, d. Nov. 1704; Joseph and Abigail, b. Sept. 27, 1704 ; Samuel, b. 26 (4) 1707; Robert, b. 28 (12) 1711-12; Alice, b. 26 (1) 1714.
JOHN ROBINSON, born in Dorchester, April 17, 1675, was a son of Samuel and Mary (Baker) Robinson, Samuel being the eldest son of William, of Dorchester. John graduated at Harvard College in 1695, and taught the school in D. the next year ; preached at New Castle, in Pennsylvania, for a few years ; set- tled at Duxbury, Mass., on the 13th of November, 1702, as successor to Rev. Ichabod Wiswall, whose daughter Hannah he married, January 31, 1705. They had three sons and five daughters, viz. : Mary, Hannah, Althea, Elizabeth, Samuel, John, Ichabod and Faith. The latter married the elder Gov. Jona- than Trumbull, of Conn. On the 22d September, 1722, Mr. Robinson lost his wife, and eldest daugh-
ter Mary, who was then in her 17th year.
Mrs. R.
and daughter being desirous of making a visit to Boston, took passage for that city in a coaster, in company with Mr. Thomas Fish, of Duxbury, a graduate of Harvard College in the class of 1719. When off Nantasket beach there came up suddenly a tempest; the vessel upset, and all on board were
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drowned. Mrs. R. was in her 42d year. The body of the daughter was soon recovered-that of the mother, about six weeks afterwards. On the body of the latter was found a golden necklace, which is said to be in the possession of her descendants.
Mr. R. continued pastor of the church in Dux- bury till November, 1738. He died at Lebanon, Conn., at the residence of his son-in-law, Gov. Trum- bull, on the 14th of November, 1745, aged 70 years. A granite monument has been recently erected in the cemetery of Lebanon, at an expense of nearly $2000, to the memory of Mr. Robinson and his descendants there interred .*
JOHN SWIFT, son of Thomas and Elizabeth, and grandson of Thomas Swift, was born in Milton, March 14th, 1678-79 ; taught the school for a short time in 1696 ; graduated at Harvard College in 1697 and was the first minister in Framingham, where he was ordained October 8th, 1701. He soon after married Sarah, daughter of Timothy and Sarah Tile- ston, of Dorchester, by whom he had six children. His only son, John (H. C. 1733), was a minister at Acton. John, the father, died at F. on the 24th of April, 1745, in the 67th year of his age. There is a Latin inscription on his monument, in the burial ground at Framingham, a copy of which, with a translation, may be found in Barber's " Massachu- setts," p. 389.t
* See Gen. Reg., vol. 9, p. 339 ; vol. 11, p. 56.
t See Barry's " Framingham," pp. 105-113, 414, 415.
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HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
RICHARD BILLINGS, son of Ebenezer and Hannah Billings, and grandson of Roger, of Dorchester, was born in D., September 21st, 1675 ; graduated at Har- vard College, 1698; taught the school the same year, and, probably, during parts of the two years succeeding.
On the 1st of November, 1704, William Pabodie and Thomas Gray, of Saconet, alias Little Comptony" ... R. I., wrote to Rev. Peter Thacher and Rev. John Danforth, who, previous to this, had preached to the people of that town, and they with others on .. the 29th of the same month ordained Mr. Billings as pastor of the church. Ten other members signed the church covenant.
Mr. B. was a facetious companion, spent much of his time among his parishioners, and, being fond of medical studies, ministered to their bodily as well as spiritual health.
The Sogkonate Indians, whose squaw sachem was Awashonks, were so numerous in the town of Little Compton, and so orderly disposed, as to have a meet- ing-house of their own, in which Mr. Billings in- structed them once a month on Sunday.t
The records of the church give us no information, it is said, as to the time of Mr. Billings's death. From another source we learn that he died the 20th of November, 1748.
SAMUEL WISWALL, son of Enoch, and grandson of Elder Thomas Wiswall, of Dorchester, was baptized
¡ Mass. Hist. Coll., vol. 9, pp. 204, 206.
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HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
September 21st, 1679 ; graduated at Harvard Col- lege in 1701. About this time he taught the school ; afterwards he preached occasionally, as opportunity offered, having first received encouragement from an association of divines, to whom he had offered him- self for examination. He subsequently embarked as chaplain on board of a ship. They were unfor- tunately taken captive, on the voyage, by the Span- iards, and carried into Martinico, where he experi- enced a severe sickness ; but, recovering therefrom, returned soon after to his native land. He preached at various places, and in a manner acceptable to the people. He was a minister at Nantucket for about six months, and went from thence to Edgartown, where he was invited to settle as an assistant to the Rev. Jonathan Dunham. He was ordained pastor of the church in Edgartown in 1713, and continued there as a faithful and devoted preacher, till his sud- den death, on the 23d of December, 1746.
His physical infirmities increased during his last days, and his labors being disproportioned to his strength, hastened his dissolution. He exerted him- self till the end, having been in his study the day before his decease. He was never married .*
ELIJAH DANFORTH, son of Rev. John and Eliza- beth (Minot) Danforth, of Dorchester, grandson of Samuel and Mary (Wilson) Danforth, and great- grandson of Nicholas, of Framlingham, County of Suffolk, England-was born in Dorchester the 30th
* See Mass. Hist. Coll.
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of November, 1683 (bap. 2 Dec.), graduated at Har- vard College in 1703. He was probably a teacher in town for a short time in 1706; for in the ac- counts made up to December 2d of that year, is the following : "Paid to Mr. Danforth, schoolmaster, £15." "He was a physician at Castle William (now Fort Independence), and died the 8th of Octo- ber, 1736, aged 53."*
In his will, dated the 5th of March, 1735, proved the 22d of February, 1736-7, he mentions his " neice Elizabeth, daughter of my brother Thomas Danforth, late of Paramaribo in Surinam," also " my brother Samuel," who was his executor-" my sister Elizabeth Lowder," and "my sister Hannah Dun- bar."
The following is a clause from Mr. Danforth's will : " I give unto the Deacons of the church in Dorchester, and their successors in said office, for the only Use & Service of the Lord's Table in the Con- gregational Church in said Dorchester, my large Sil- ver Tankard, to be changed in the form of it, at ye discretion of the said Deacons, into convenient ves- sells for the service aforesaid." "This Will was wit- nessed by Ebenezer Clap, John Maxfield, Jr., and Huldah Niles. The first two made oath that they did not see the will defaced at the time of the Exe- cution thereof, and Huldah Niles made Oath that the clause relating to the large Silver Tankard she saw the executor deface some time after the Execu- tion thereof, by Order and direction of ye Testator.
* Hist. and Gen. Reg., vol. 7, p. 318.
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HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
Nevertheless I allow said article to stand in said Will as if no defacement had been made .- J. WIL- LARD,"* Judge of Probate.
This tankard is still in possession of the First Church in Dorchester.
PETER THACHER. son of Rev. Peter and Theodora (Oxenbridge) Thacher, of Milton (grandson of Thomas, of Weymouth, who was subsequently the first minister of the Old South Church, Boston, and great-grandson of Peter, a Puritan minister of Salis- bury, England), was born in Milton the 6th of Oc- tober, 1688, graduated at Harvard College in 1706, in his eighteenth year-taught school probably in D. about one quarter of that year, for which he re- ceived £8. On the 1st of December, 1707, £30 more had been paid him for keeping school. Some two months previous to this date, however, he had commenced preaching in Middleborough. He was chosen pastor the 30th of June, 1708, and was or- dained there the 2d of November, 1709. On the 25th of January, 1711, he married Mary, daughter of Samuel Prince, Esq., then of Rochester. She was a sister of Rev. Thomas Prince, of the Old South Church, in Boston. By this union, Mr. Thacher had ten children-Peter, Oxenbridge, Samuel, John, Thomas, Mary, Susannah, Mercy, Theodora and Moses. Peter, their eldest, was a graduate of Har- vard College in 1737, and the first minister of the church in Attleborough, He was ordained there in 1748, and was the pastor for forty years.
* Suffolk Probate Records, Lib. 33, fol. 32.
57
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Rev. Peter, of Middleborough, died on the 22d of April, 1744. His widow died in 1771, at the age of 84 .*
EBENEZER DEVOTION was born in Brookline, about 1684, graduated at Harvard College in 1707, taught the school in 1709. He was ordained minister at Suffield, Conn., the 28th of June, 1710 (succeeding Rev. Benjamin Ruggles, ordained in May, 1698, and died the 5th of Sept., 1708). The town of Suf- field was at that time under the jurisdiction of Mas- sachusetts.
On the 4th of October, 1710, Mr. Devotion mar- ried Hannah (born the 17th of Feb., 1688), daugh- ter of Capt. John and Susannah Breck, of Dorches- ter. They had a son, Ebenezer, who graduated at Yale College in 1732; was ordained at Scotland, Windham County, Conn., the 22d of October, 1735, and died there the 16th of July, 1771, aged 57 years. Ebenezer, the second, married Martha Lathrop (who was the sixth in descent from Rev. John Lathrop, of Scituate, who died in 1653). They had one son and five daughters; among them, Martha, who mar- ried Gov. Samuel Huntington ; Hannah, who mar- ried Rev. Samuel Huntington, D.D .; Lucy, who married Dr. Joseph Baker, of Brooklyn, Conn. Their youngest daughter, Sarah Jane (Mrs. Lippin- cott), is favorably known to the reading public under the cognomen of " Grace Greenwood." Eben- ezer graduated at Yale College in 1759, was a Judge,
* See Hist. First Church in Middleborough, p. 35.
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HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
&c. Samuel H., son of Ebenezer, and great-grand- son of the subject of this notice, graduated at Yale College in 1806 .*
Rev. Ebenezer Devotion, the teacher, died in Suf- field the 11th of April, 1741, aged 57 years.
SAMUEL FISKE, son of Rev. Moses Fiske, of Braintree, and grandson of Rev. John Fiske, the first minister of Wenham and Chelmsford, was born in Braintree, April the 6th, 1689. His mother was Sarah Symmes, a daughter of Mr. William Symmes, of Charlestown. Samuel graduated at Harvard Col- lege in 1708-taught the school in 1710 and 11; was chosen minister of Hingham the 11th of Feb- ruary, 1716-17, as successor to the Rev. Mr. Norton, but did not accept the invitation; was ordained over the First Church in Salem the 8th of October, 1718, afterwards became minister of the Third Church in Salem. He died there the 7th of April, 1770, aged 81. "He preached the first Century Lecture of the First Church, August 6th, 1729. The Gen- eral Election Sermon delivered by him, in 1731, was published, and may be ranked among the best. His wife was Anna Gerrish. The late Gen. John Fisk, a gentleman of much distinction in Salem, was his son." +
Letter from A. Woodward, M.D., of Franklin, Conn.
+ See Appendix to Rev. Mr. Morison's Sermon at the Installation of Rev. George W. Briggs, p. 49; Rev. Mr. Lunt's Bi-Centennial Dis- course at Quincy.
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HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
EBENEZER WHITE-son of James White, of Dor- chester, and grandson of Edward, who came from England-was born in Dorchester the 3d of July, 1685 ; graduated at Harvard College in 1704. He was employed soon after to teach school in Wey- mouth, as we learn from the records of that town : " 19 Jan. 1704-5, agreed with Mr. Eben" White, of Dorchester, to Teach schooll in Weymouth for half a year, begining the 22 Day of Jan. 1704-5, and to pay the said Scoolmaster 15 lbs. for his seruice the half year aboue sd."
On the 28th of July, 1710, the church in Attle- borough chose Mr. W. for their minister, provided " he will stay with us." Mr. White did not accept the invitation at that time, to become their pastor, yet he preached for them nearly a year.
In 1711, and the four subsequent years, he taught the school in Dorchester. On the 18th of July, 1715, he was again chosen by the church in Attle- borough to be their minister, and was ordained their second pastor on the 17th of October, 1716.
He married Abigail Paine, and had children- Hannah, Martha, Edward, Experience, Thankful, and two others who died in infancy. Mr. White was connected with the church in Attleborough as their minister, until his death, which occurred on the 4th of September, 1726 .*
SAMUEL DANFORTH, son of Rev. John, of Dor- chester, was baptized in D. the 15th of November,
Daggett's Attleborough, p. 55.
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HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
1696. He was a brother of Dr. Elijah Danforth, before mentioned. Besides these two, Rev. John had also a son John, born the 26th of January, 1688, who died the 2d of March, 1728-a son Thomas, who died at Surinam, the 18th of October, 1714- a daughter Mehetabel, born in 1699, who died the 1st of May, 1727. There were, probably, other chil- dren .*
Samuel graduated at Harvard College in 1715, and taught school in Dorchester soon after. In the town's account for 1718, it is stated :- " Paid at sundry times to Mr. Samuel Danforth, for keeping school, £60." He was afterwards made President of His Majesty's Council for the Province of Massa- chusetts Bay, in New England, which office he held several years. He was a Judge of the Probate Court and of the Court of Common Pleas for the County of Middlesex, and was named a Mandamus Counsellor in 1774. He had taken his oath for the performance of the duties of the last mentioned office, but " the popular clamor obliged him (jointly with his fellow townsmen, Judge Lee and Thomas Oliver, to whom a similar compliment had been ex- tended) publicly to relinquish " it, which he did " from the steps of the old Court House in Cam- bridge, in presence of a large concourse of people, who had gathered for the purpose of receiving their recantation." Judge Danforth "retained his seat upon the Bench until the Revolution, a period of thirty-four years." He died at Cambridge, the 27th
* See the notice of Elijah Danforth on a previous page.
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of October, 1777, aged 81 years. His wife, Mrs. Elizabeth (Symmes) Danforth, died on the 13th of . January, 1775, aged 67 years. They had children- Samuel, Thomas and Elizabeth .*
DANIEL WITHAM was born in Gloucester, " Au- gust 30th, 1700. His father, Thomas W., was a son of Henry Witham, who, I suppose, was a son of Thomas Witham, who died in 1653. His mother was Abigail Babson, daughter of James Babson." He graduated at Harvard College in 1718.
The first notice of him in Gloucester, after this, is in 1726, when he engaged " to keep a school for one year, for £60." He probably taught in Dor- chester previous to 1724. " In 1732, he was chosen Selectman [of Gloucester], an office which he sub- sequently filled thirty-six years. In 1734 he became town clerk, and was elected to the same place every year till 1775. He certainly practised medicine in town, though history and tradition are both silent concerning his professional career. The written testimony of his ability and usefulness as a citizen, however, is both ample and conclusive. He began early in life to take an active part in the public business of the town, and gained a popularity which he enjoyed to the end of his days. Besides the per- manent offices which he filled for so many years, he was frequently called upon to serve in others of tem- porary, and of less important character. Being
* For a fuller account of these, and other members of the family, see Hist. and Gen. Reg. for 1853, pp. 315-321.
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HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
qualified by education, experience in public affairs, and interest in the general welfare, his services were often in requisition in the preparation of resolves and addresses to give expression to the sentiments of the people during the anxious and exciting peri- od that immediately preceded the revolutionary war; and no doubt can be entertained that he fully shared the patriotic indignation with which the oppressions of the mother country filled the breasts of his townsmen. The date of Dr. Witham's death is unknown, but it occurred about 1776. His wife was Lydia Saunders, whom he married January 7th, 1735. They had twelve children, but two of whom lived to mature years. Of these, Thomas died at Bayonne, whither he was carried a prisoner, July, 1757, aged 19; and Daniel, the only one that sur- vived his father, was a tailor in his native town, and died in 1814." *
ISAAC BILLINGS, of Milton, born in Dorchester the 9th of July, 1703, was the twelfth child of Ro- ger and Sarah (Paine) Billings, who were married the 22d of January, 1678. She was the daughter of Stephen and Hannah Paine, of Braintree. Roger Billings was the son of Roger and Hannah, and a cousin of Rev. Richard Billings (teacher in 1698) before mentioned.
Isaac graduated at Harvard College in 1724, and taught the school the same year. In 1737 or '38,
* The above is a communication from John J. Babson, Esq., of Gloucester, who has in preparation a history of that town.
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HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
he married Beulah Vose, of Milton, where he spent the residue of his days. They had four children- Sarah, Elizabeth, Ruth, Abigail .*
. PHILLIPS PAYSON, son of Samuel and Mary Payson, was born in Dorchester, the 29th of Feb., 1704-5.t He graduated at Harvard College in 1724, and taught the school probably the next year. In 1727, the Selectmen agree with him to keep the school for one year, " for ye sum of £40 and ye Income of ye Money Mr. Stoughton gave for ye Benefit of ye School."
In 1729, he was one of the three candidates for the office of colleague with Rev. Mr. Danforth, of Dorchester-Mr. Bowman being, as is well known, the successful one. (See p. 296.)
Mr. P. was afterwards settled as the first minister in Walpole. The date of his ordination has been given incorrectly, in one instance, as occurring in the year 1728. The following, furnished by Rev. John M. Merrick, the present pastor of the church, settles the question. " The Records of our Church," he writes, " have an entry beginning thus: 'I, Phil- lips Payson, was ordained, &c. Sept. 16th, 1730.'"
He married Anne Swift (b. July 5, 1706), daugh- ter of Rev. John Swift, of Framingham, December
* See Thayer's Family Memorial.
+ The Dorchester Town Records read : "Phillips, son of Samuel and Mary Parson, born Feb. 29, 1704." There are two other instances in the same book, where this name appears to have been incorrectly writ- ten Parson.
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