USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Lexington > History of the town of Lexington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, from its first settlement to 1868, with a genealogical register of Lexington families > Part 51
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1
WILLIAM GRIMES m. Mary, who was ad. to the ch. June 30, 1717. . He d. June 1, 1719, aged 43. His gravestone is in the old yard in Lexington.
1- 2 3 Mary, b. -. 4 6 +William, b. 1706. Jonathan, bap. June 28, 1713. 5 Joseph, bap. Ang. 21, 1715.
Elizabeth, bap. June 30, 1717. 7 Ruth, bap. May 13, 1719.
1-2-
WILLIAM GRIMES m. Bethia -. He d. Dec. 3, 1766, aged 60, and she d. March 15, 1772, aged 49.
2- 8 +William, b. Sept. 19, 1744; m. Jan. 21, 1766, Abigail Reed. 9 Joseph, b. Oct. 22, 1746; d. March 26, 1750.
10 John, bap. Dec. 25, 1748; d. March 28, 1750.
11 Mary, bap. July 28, 1751 ; m. Sept. 18, 1770, Samuel Ditson of Bil. 12 Sarah, bap. Aug. 14, 1753.
2 8-
WILLIAM GRIMES m. Jan. 21, 1766, Abigail Reed, dau. of Wil- liam and Abigail (Stone) Reed, b. Sept. 22, 1744. They were ad. to the ch. Nov. 8, 1767. IIe was a member of Capt. Parker's com- pany, was on the Common on the 19th of April, 1775, and was also in a detachment of that company called to Camb. May 10 and June 17 of the same year. He also did other service in the revolutionary war. He resided in the northi part of the town, near where Mr. Cummings now resides, on Grove Street, which place still retains the name of its original owner and occupant. They were dismissed to the ch. at Littleton, Jan. 20, 1793, to which place they had removed.
8-13 William, b. May 22, 1768. 14 Nabby, bap. June 24, 1770.
15 Nathan, bap. Dec. 20, 1772.
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GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
THE GROVER FAMILY.
John and Antipas Grover came to Lexington from Grafton in 1789. The family have not been numerous, but remain in town to the present time. John and Antipas are believed to be brothers. Their father's name is said to be Benjamin, and hence we shall set down as the head of the family BENJAMIN GROVER, probably of Grafton.
1
1-2-
JOHN GROVER m. Aug. 12, 1790, Polly Pierce. He resided in the part of the town commonly known as Scotland. She was b. Oct. 12, 1770, and d. Oct. 15, 1854, aged 74.
2- 3
John, b. April, 1792. He m. Sarah Merriam, of Bedford. They resided a few years in Lexington, where they had three children born, viz. Mary Ann, Edward, and John; they then moved to Boston, where he died.
Nathaniel, b. June 4, 1794. He went to Boston, m. Katharine Biseom, of Charlestown. They now reside in Chelsea.
4 5 William, b. Oet. 17, 1796 ; m. Oct. 13, 1829, Lucy Harrington, and seeond, Oet. 8, 1834, Maria Fessenden, dau. of Nathan Fessen- . den. They reside on Lowell street, near Woburn street. They have the following children.
5- 6 William Henry, b. April 21, 1837. 7 Caroline M., b. Sept. 6, 1838. She is a teacher in Boston. 8 Charles A., b. March 24, 1841.
9 Mary Jane, b. Aug. 29, 1843; d. June 25, 1847.
10
Alice Jane, b. Feb. 17, 1846.
ANTIPAS GROVER m. May 27, 1794, Sarah Pierce. They lived on Lowell street near where George Munroe now resides. They had one ehild born in Lexington, as seen by the record - Nathan Grover b. Jan. 1, 1795. They buried an infant Feb. 4, 1796. They moved to Fitzwilliam, N. H.
THE HADLEY FAMILY.
The Hadleys, or Headleys, as the name is sometimes spelt in our records, first appear about 1740; from what place they eame we have not ascertained. The records of the family are very imperfect, and tradition but poorly supplies the defeet.
1 THOMAS HADLEY m. April 15, 1741, Ruth Lawrence, dau. of Samuel and Elizabeth Lawrence. He d. July 15, 1788, in his 75th year, hence must have been born 1712. She d. May 26, 1819, at the advanced age of 94. He was a member of the gallant band who appeared under Capt. Parker in 1775. He was probably a son of Benjamin and Mehitable Hadley, of Groton, b. Aug. 11, 1712.
1- 2 Elizabeth, b. May 11, 1742; d. April 18, 1832, unm. aged 90.
3 Thomas, b. July 3, 1744; d. in early infancy.
4 t Samuel, b. July 9, 1746 ; killed on the Common, April 19, 1775.
5 Ruth, b. May 15, 1749; d. in infaney.
6 Ebenezer, b. May 5, 1751; m. May 11, 1779, Phebe Winship.
7 tThomas, b. July 8, 1754.
8 +Benjamin, b. July 25, 1756.
9 Ruth, b. June 1, 1759; m. Nov. 30, 1780, James Fowle, of Camb.
10 |tSimon, b. July 26, 1761; m. Jan. 27, 1791, Olive Porter, of Bed.
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HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.
11 12 13
Sarah, b. Nov. 26, 1764 ; m. April 26, 1784, David Fiske, 3d. Mary, b. May 20, 1767 ; d. in Boston, unm. John, b. Aug. 6, 1770; d. in Cambridge.
1-4-
SAMUEL HADLEY' m. Betty Jones. He was of the number who died for freedom on the first morning of the Revolution, and whose memory is embalmed in the hearts of his countrymen. After his death his widow m. again.
4-14 15
Lucy, bap. April 22, 1772. Betty, bap. May 24, 1772; m. Dec. 25, 1793, William Blackington, of West Cambridge.
16
Samuel, bap. May 8, 1774.
1-7-
THOMAS HADLEY m. Sept. 16, 1773, Alice Newton, of Bedford. She united with the ch. in Lexington, July 16, 1778. In September of the same year, three of their children, Amity, Alice, and Calley, were baptized. He probably d. about 1784, and she m. Feb. 21, 1785, Samuel Merriam, of Bedford. The record of the marriage bas this addendum : "Said Alice Hadley married in a borrowed suit of cloathes." We find no record of the birth of his children ; but find the marriage of Thomas Statson, of Boston, and Amity Hadley, of Lexington, Feb. 26, 1792, who was probably his daughter. The singularity of her wedding suit probably arose from a notion which formerly prevailed, that if a man married a wife, and had no property with her, he could not be held responsible for any of her debts. Hence he took her without even the clothing she had on.
1-8-
BENJAMIN HADLEY m. Lucy Dean, of Wilmington. He was a member of that patriot band commanded by Capt. Parker in 1775.
8-17 Benjamin, b. - -. He went to Charlestown, m. Martha Ireland, and d. 1852.
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Samuel, b. March 30, 1785; d. in the army, 1813.
John, b. Aug. 10, 1788; m. Jan. 1, 1822, Susan Harrington.
Thomas, b. -; m. Thankful Whitney, went to N. Y.
Jonas, b. - -; m. Mary Ann Whitney.
Martha, b. -; m. Joseph Littlefield, lived at Somerville.
Lucy, b. ; m. Joseph Miller, lives at Sandwich.
Eliza, b. -; d. Aug. 1857, unm. in Lexington.
As we have no record of this family, they may not be arranged in chronological order.
1-10-
SIMON HADLEY m. Jan. 27, 1791, Olive Porter, of Bedford. Previous to his marriage, we find this entry upon the town record : "Betsey Hadley, dau. of Simeon Hadley and Betty Locke, born April 11, 1784"; from which we infer that he may have had two wives, and that Olive Porter was his second wife.
There are several families of Hadleys in town at the present day, but the imperfect records, and the want of the necessary information in the families on this subject, prevent a proper classification, or a connection of them with the Hadleys mentioned above. The follow- ing is all that has been obtained.
SEWELL HADLEY, thought to be the son of Samuel, m. Lovina Hall, of West Camb. She d. May 14, 1841, aged 39. They had
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GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
the following children, viz. Lovina, b. Aug. 31, 1819; m. Dee. 25, 1844, George Stearns ; Sewell Thomas, b. -; Benjamin, b. Apr. 12, 1828; Mary Ann, twin with Benjamin.
SEWELL THOMAS HADLEY m. Nov. 30, 1846, Millicent A. D. Lakin, dau. of Samuel. They have had Charles S., b. Sept. 22, 1850; d. Jan. 7, 1855; Avery T., b. May 25, 1853; Millicent A., b. Aug. 28, 1855 ; Adelle C., b. Jan. 12, 1858; Florence E., b. Jan. 3, 1861; L. Evelyn, b. July 22, 1863.
BENJAMIN HADLEY m. Anna Hall, July 4, 1852. They have four chil. Gilbert P., b. July 16, 1853; Warren ; Charles ; Anna.
JONAS HADLEY, son of Benjamin, b. 1809; m. April, 1844, Mary Ann Whitney, of Wat. dau. of Jonathan Whitney. They have Jonas H., b. Nov. 1, 1845 ; Mary Eliza, b. Jan. 6, 1850.
THE HALL FAMILY.
AMMI HALL, son of Ebenezer Hall of West Camb., b. Jan. 16, 1798; m. April 21, 1834, Eliza Crandall of Salem. He eame to Lex. when a young man, and d. here April 10, 1867, aged 70 years. They have had but one child, Eliza A., b. Jan. 25, 1835.
THE HAM FAMILY.
WILLIAM HAM, b. at Grampond, County of Cornwall, Eng., Nov. 21, 1818. He came to this country in 1837, and settled in Charles- town, where he remained till 1855. In 1856, he settled in Lex. Though he left old Eng. in 1837, the remembrance of early acquain- tance induced him to revisit his native country, and take Mary Grose as a wife. They were mn. Jan. 21, 1846. They have had six chil- dren. William F., b. Aug. 2, 1846 ; he has served three years in the U. S. army ; Walter T., b. July 17, 1848; Lucy Ann, b. Feb. 21, 1850; Joseph F., b. Feb. 14, 1853; Mary P., b. April 11, 1855, d. April 15, 1865 ; Jane T., b. Sept. 11, 1857.
THE HANCOCK FAMILY.
Though we have had occasion to speak of Rev. John Hancock, the second minister of Lex., and of several members of that family, I will, in accordance with the plan I have adopted, give a connected view of the family.
1 NATHANIEL HANCOCK was in Camb. as early as 1635. He m. Jane, and had a large family of children. His oldest child may have been born before he came to this country. He d. 1652.
1- 2 Mary, b. Nov. 3, 1634. 3 Sarah, b. March 3, 1636.
4 + Nathaniel, b. Dec. 13, 1638; m. Mary Prentice, March 8, 1664.
5
John, b. April -; d. April 2, 1642.
6 Elizabeth, b. March 1, 1644.
7 Lydia, b. July 2, 1646.
8 Abigail, b. - -; d. May 7, 1672.
9 Ann, b. -; d. Oct. 5, 1672.
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HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.
1-4- NATHANIEL HANCOCK m. March 8, 1664, Mary, dau. of Henry Prentice of Camb. Ile was a dea. of the ch., and appears to have enjoyed the confidence of his fellow-citizens. He d. April 12, 1719, in his eighty-first year.
4- 9 Nathaniel, b. Feb. 28, 1665; d. same year.
10 Mary, b. May 6, 1666. 11 Sarah, b. Aug. 23, 1667.
12 Nathaniel, b. Oct. 29, 1668. He m. Prudence, who d. July 15, 1742, aged 72. He had five children, among whom was Nathaniel, b. Jan. 14, 1701, grad. at H. C. 1721, settled as a clergyman, and d. 1744.
13 Abigail, b. Dec. 22, 1669; d. young.
14 +John, b. Dec. 1671; grad. II. C. 1689.
15 t Samuel, b. June 2, 1673 ; m. Dorothy
16 Abigail, b. Aug. 25, 1675.
17 Elizabeth, b. Aug. 25, 1677.
18 Ebenezer, b. March 28, 1681 ; m. Susanna Clark, Jan. 14, 1702.
19 Joseph, b. April 28, 1683. .
20 Thomas, b, 1685; m. Oct. 30, 1712, Susanna Fethergill.
21 Solomon, b.
4-14- JOHN HANCOCK grad. H. C. 1689, and settled in Lex. He m. Elizabeth Clark, dau. of Rev. Thomas and Mary Clark of Chelms- ford. Mr. Clark was b. in Boston about 1652, grad. H. C. 1670, settled in Chelmsford, 1677, d. Dec. 7, 1704. His wife, Mary, d. Dec. 2, 1700, and Mr Clark m. Elizabeth Whiting of Billerica. Mr. Hancock probably resided in that part of Camb. which is now Newton. In the church record kept by Rev. Mr. Hancock, we find this entry. "Oct. 16, 1698. I was received into full communion with the church of Christ in this place (Lexington) by virtue of a letter of dismission from the ch. of Christ in Newtowne." He was ordained at Lex. Nov. 2, 1698. He d. Dec. 5, 1752, in the eighty- first year of his age, and in the fifty-fifth of his ministry. His wife d. Feb. 13, 1760. I have had occasion to speak of Bishop Hancock, as he was familiarly called, in all the relations of life, and have done it so fully that it is entirely unnecessary to add anything more in this place. His remains rest in a tomb in Lex. with those of his wife and son Ebenezer, together with those of his successor, Rev. Jonas Clarke, and his family.
14-22 +John, b. June 1, 1702 ; m. Mrs. Mary H. Thaxter.
t Thomas, b. July 13, 1703; m. Lydia Henchman.
23 24 Elizabeth. b. Feb 5, 1705; m. Rev. Jonathan Bowman of Dorches- ter. She was bap. the day of her birth.
25
26
Ebenezer, b. Dee. 7, 1710. He was grad. HI. C. 1728, was settled a colleague with his father Jan. 2, 1734, and d. Jan. 28, 1740, with- out issue. He was highly esteemed by the people of the parish. Lucy, b. April 20, 1713; m Rev. Nicholas Bowes of Bedford. It is a singular fact that Lucy Hancock, the daughter of a clergyman, married a clergyman, and her daughter, Lucy, became the wife of Rev. Jonas Clarke of Lex., and that from them clergymen have proceeded as streams from a fountain.
4-15-
SAMUEL HANCOCK m. Dorothy -. He probably came to Lex. about the time of his brother's settlement, as his son John was bap. here in Sept. 1699. He was ad. to the ch. in Lex. April 10, 1715.
17-27 John, bap. Sept. 10, 1699; d. in Camb. March 18, 1776, aged 77. 28 Mary, bap. April 19, 1702 ; probably m. James Thompson of Wo. 29 Solomon, bap. June 18, 1704.
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GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
30 31
Samuel, bap. July 21, 1706; d. June 14, 1716.
Hannah, bap. Feb. 27, 1709. 32 Sarah, bap. Feb. 17, 1712.
14-22-
JOHN HANCOCK grad. at II. C. 1719, and was ordained at Brain- tree, Nov. 2, 1728, and d. May 7, 1744. He m. Mary H., widow of Samuel Thaxter of Braintree. He was a divine of more than ordi- nary ability, and, though he d. young, had arisen to distinction in his profession, and so gave weight to the character and celebrity of the name.
22-33 34 35 Mary, b. --; m. Richard Perkins, and d. 1779.
THOMAS HANCOCK m. Nov. 5, 1730, Lydia Henchman. He was a merchant in Boston, was eminently successful, and accumulated a large fortune. Ile d. 1764, without issue, and gave the great mass of his property to John, his nephew, a son of his brother John of Braintree, deceased. He built a house in Lexington for his honored father about 1735, which afterward became the property and resi- dence of Rev. Jonas Clarke, his father's successor. The house is now standing, and is revered for its age and associations.
22-33-
JOHN HANCOCK m. at Fairfield, Conn., Sept. 4, 1775, Dorothy Quincy, dau. of Edmund Quincy of Boston. The relations which John Hancock sustained to the town of Lex .- the birthplace of his father, and the residence of some of his near relations and esteemed friends ; the place where he had spent some seven years of his boy- hood, and where he was boarding temporarily at the opening of the Revolutionary drama-will justify us in going a little beyond our ordinary course, and noticing somewhat in detail the character and services of this Revolutionary patriot. John Hancock was left an orphan by the death of his father, when he was but seven years of age. His education was intrusted to the care of his relatives, and he spent the greater portion of his boyhood with his grandfather in Lex. He was graduated at Harvard College in 1754. He entered the store or counting house of his uncle Thomas as a clerk, where he acquired a knowledge of business, and learned the importance of commerce to the colony. He made such proficiency in business, that in 1760 he was sent abroad to look after the affairs of the house ; and was in England, and present at the funeral of George II., and at the coronation of George III., - pageants not uncongenial to his taste. Soon after his return to this country, and about the time that the oppressive policy of the British ministry began to develop itself, he came into possession of the princely fortune left him by his uncle. It is well known that great efforts were made by the Royalists to engage him on the side of the mother country. Standing, as he did, almost at the head of the merchants of Boston, it was a great object to enlist him in the Royal cause. The safety of his large property, the flattering offers of promotion and place, would naturally have their influence on a young man of Hancock's taste and temperament, coming at once into possession of such an estate; and it was at one time suspected that he was inclined to join the royal party. But happily for him and for America, there were other influences which were brought to bear upon him. That stern and inflexible patriot, Samuel Adams, who in a manner held the fortunes of the colony in his hand, contributed in no small degree to the wise choice which Hancock made. There was another influence, more silent but more controling, which contributed to the formation of his character.
69
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14-23-
+John, b. Jan. 23, 1737 ; m. 1775. Dorothy Quincy. Ebenezer, b. Nov. 26, 1741; m. Eliza Lowell.
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HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.
Rev. Jonas Clarke of Lexington, his old college acquaintance, had married a cousin of Hancock's. Mr. Clarke was then residing in the house erected by Thomas Ilaneock of Boston for a residence of his venerable father. In this mansion young Hancock had spent a por- tion of his early life. All these circumstances would naturally draw him to Lexington. And it is well known that there was a peculiar intimacy between him and Mr. Clarke, whose devotion to the inter- ests of the Colony was well known and acknowledged. The dignity of character, the urbanity of manners, and the commanding talents . of the patriotic priest, must have impressed the mind of the pliant and generous young merchant. And those who know the character and talents and patriotic devotion to the cause of liberty of Mr. Clarke, will not doubt that his influence upon his nephew must have been great and controlling, and all in the right direction.
Under such influences John Hancock chose the better part, and devoted himself and his all to the cause of his country. Having made his choice, no man in the community was more decided, and no man had more at stake. With his large property in the town of Boston at the mercy of the enemy, he declared himself perfectly willing, if it was thought the best policy, to lay the place in ashes. At a meet- ing of the .. North End Caucus," an association of patriots of which he was a member, the question of the best mode of expelling the regulars from Boston being under discussion, be exclaimed, " Burn Boston, and make John Hancock a beggar, if the public good requires it." In a letter to Washington, dated Dee. 22, 1775, in- forming him that Congress had authorized him to attack the British in the town of Boston, if he thought it expedient, Hancock employs this patriotic language, -" I heartily wish it, though personally I may be the greatest sufferer." No one ean doubt the patriotism of John Hancock. He came in direct contact with Royal authority, and was ever found true and reliable. The manner in which he was treated by the crown officers shows that they regarded him as hope- lessly lost to their canse. He was elected a representative from Bos- ton, and also a member of the Council, but was rejected and spurned by the royal prerogative. In 1767 Gov. Bernard sent him a lieuten- ant's commission, but he tore it in pieces in presence of the citizens. He was captain of the cadets, the Governor's body guard, and was removed by Gage. He also received several personal indignities from the British troops stationed in Boston before the breaking out of hostilities. The fact that he was coupled with Samuel Adams in the proclamation of Gage immediately after the battle of Lexington, and proscribed as beyond the pale of executive clemency, shows the light in which he was viewed by the minions of power.
In 1774, John Hancock was selected as the orator to deliver the address on the anniversary of the Boston massacre, and the bold, independent manner in which he spoke of the rights of the people, gave great offence to the friends of Parliament. John Adams, who was present, says of this performance, " the composition, the pro- nunciation, the action, all exceeded the expectations of everybody. They exceeded even mine, which were very considerable." In the same year John Hancock was elected to represent the town of Boston at a General Court, which was called at Salem. And although Gage subsequently to the election issued a proclamation excusing their at- tendance, many of the representatives assembled, and after waiting one day, they organized themselves into a convention, and elected John Hancock chairman ; and when the same body resolved them- selves into a Provincial Congress, they organized by choosing John Haneock President, and adjourned to Concord. During the session measures were adopted looking directly to open resistance, and no
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GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
one of that band of patriots was more firm and decided than he who presided over their deliberations. He was elected chairman of the Committee of Safety, and also of the committee to take into consid- eration the state of the Province - the two most important commit- tees. During the same Congress he was chosen a delegate to the Continental Congress, which met at Philadelphia, May 10, 1775. Having taken a seat in that august body, he found that his fame had preceded him, for on the third day of the session he was chosen unanimously to succeed Peyton Randolph, as President. He was President of Congress in 1776, and when the Declaration of Independence was first circulated among the members of that body, it bore the name of John llancock alone, as President of the Con- gress, he being the first to affix his name to an instrument which would have proved the death-warrant of the signers, if the cause of the Col- onies had not succeeded; and it is said that the bold and striking characteristics of his signature served to inspire confidence and con- firm the doubtful. He resigned his station as President in October, 1777, owing to ill-healthı.
In 1780, John Hancock was elected a member of the Convention which framed the State Constitution, and was the first Governor of Massachusetts after its adoption, to which office he was several times reelected. As a man and a public servant, he was noted for his benevolence and hospitality - spending his money freely to enter- tain distinguished guests, or to relieve the distresses of the poor and unfortunate.
Gov. Hancock was elected a delegate to the State Convention on the adoption of the Federal Constitution, and was made President of that body. For a time it was exceedingly doubtful whether the Constitution would be ratified or rejected. Hancock favored the scheme of adopting it, and at the same time proposing certain amend- ments to obviate the objections which had been made to it. This plan was adopted, and the Constitution was ratified by a small major- ity. It was thought at the time that without his influence it would have been lost. On taking the question he said, " I should have con- sidered it one of the most distressing misfortunes of my life to be deprived of giving my aid and support to a system which, if amended, as I feel assured it will be, according to your proposals, cannot fail to give the people of the United States a greater degree of political freedom, and eventually as much national dignity as falls to the lot of any nation on earth. The question now before you is such as no na- tion on earth, without the limits of America, has ever had the priv- ilege of deciding." Thus are we in a manner indebted to John Hancock for the blessed Constitution under which we live, and which has fully verified his prediction.
The public mind has been somewhat divided in its estimate of the talents of John Hancock, and of the importance of his public services. In point of ability he held a highly respectable rank. His talents were of a popular and showy, rather than of a profound character. Though he had not the far-reaching sagacity of Samuel Adams, or the logical acumen of Joseph Hawley or John Adams, or the active, stirring energy of Warren, yet he filled a place among the patriots of that day which no other man could fill, and exerted an influence highly beneficial to the great cause of freedom - ope- rating in commercial circles where the motive of interest strongly tended to the royal cause. He may have been vain, but vanity can be pardoned when it can justly boast of making so great a sacrifice for the benefit of coming generations. He may have been ambitious ; but his ambition was of a public character. He desired promotion that he might further a good cause -he sought place that he might
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HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.
dispense his liberal fortune, and show that the hospitalities and even the graces and refinements of life were not of necessity confined to princes, and that those "who wore soft raiment are not" always, "in kings' houses." Whatever blemishes of character a fastidious eriti- cism may discover in John Hancock, we are satisfied that but few men, in this or any other country, can point to acts more noble, and to sacrifices more disinterested than those which appear in his char- acter ; and few men ever gave greater evidence of active devotion to their country's welfare.
And when we say that in point of talent and influence he fell below Samuel Adams, we only say of him what would be true of any other man of that day ; for in reference to talents in the broadest sense of that term, Samuel Adams had no equal. Others may have been more learned, or may have excelled him in some particulars ; but in his knowledge of the science of human government, and of the great principles of rational liberty - in his knowledge of men and the springs of action in the human heart, he certainly had no superior. And when we consider that this knowledge was ever under the con- trol of that lofty patriotism, that unconquerable fidelity to principle, that calm and indomitable will for which he was always distinguished, we can truly say of him that he was the founder of civil liberty in Massachusetts - in New England - in America. The author of the "Life of Samuel Adams," has shown that he was second to no man among us ; and his memory will be cherished as long as civil liberty has an enlightened devotee.
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