History of the town of Lexington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, from its first settlement to 1868, with a genealogical register of Lexington families, Part 72

Author: Hudson, Charles, 1795-1881
Publication date: 1868
Publisher: Boston, Wiggin & Lunt
Number of Pages: 838


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 72


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Abigail, b. Feb. 11, 1807; m. Nov. 25, 1827, Nathaniel Pierce of Lexington.


William, b. March 29, 1808; m. Dec. 1, 1833, Rebecca Ames of Pembroke.


1-3-


DAVID WELLINGTON m. April 11, 1805, Rebecca Stearns. They were ad. to the ch. in Lex. June 6, 1806. She d. Feb. 18, 1821. He d. March 10, 1860, aged 88 years.


Hiram, b. March 14, 1806; grad. H. C. 1834, m. Oct. 23, 1851, Ann A. Hudson. He is a lawyer in Boston.


Rebecca, b. April 11, 1808.


David, b. Aug. 15, 1810; a merchant in Boston.


Mary, b. March 31, 1813; m. Oct. 31, 1840, George S. Cary, son of Jonathan.


Francis, b. Aug. 27, 1815. 27 Susan Wyeth, b. Aug. 28, 1818. Avery, b. Feb. 14, 1821 ; m. Dec. 17, 1851, Martha L. Kidder.


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MARSHALL WELLINGTON m. March 9, 1815, Elizabeth Kimball. He d. July 10, 1866, aged 76.


Marshall Kimball, b. in Lex. March 24, 1817; m. May 20, 1843, Joanna Carrol.


Elizabeth, b. Jan. 16, 1820; m. May 9, 1838, Albert W. Bryant. She d. July 15, 1840. Nancy, b. March 1, 1822; m. Aug. 23, 1841, Albert W. Bryant, widower of her late sister Elizabeth.


Walter, b. Dec. 3, 1824; m. Dec. 3, 1847, Martha W. Hastings, dau. of Charles and Martha of Waltham. She d. June 18, 1849, and he m. Jan. 6, 1852, Hannah M. Parker. They have had Charles, b. Oct. 13, 1853; A. Elizabeth, b. Feb. 1, 1856, d. Nov. 9, 1865 ; Marion L., b. Oct. 17, 1866.


2-16 17 18 19 20


21


3-22 23 24 25 26 28


12-29 30 31 32


· 7 8 9 Betsey, b. Feb. 4, 1784 ; m. June 28, 1804, Capt. Isaac Child.


260


HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.


THE WESTCOTT FAMILY.


REV. HENRY WESTCOTT was b. in Warwiek, R. I., Oct. 30, 1831 ; m. June 10, 1863, Sarah A. Read, dau. of William Read of Cam- bridge, Mass. He graduated at Brown University, 1853, and after pursuing his theological studies, was settled in Barre, Mass., where he remained five years. After leaving Barre, he supplied the society at West Dedham one year, when he came to Lexington, where he was installed June 26, 1867. He was son of Josiah and Mary H. (Tib- betts) Westcott of Warwick, R. I., who was a direct descendant from Stukely Westcott, who came to this country about 1635, and set- tled in Salem. Entertaining religious opinions differing from the puritans in general, a controversy arose, and Stukely Westcott was excommunicated, in 1639, with Roger Williams and others, who had already gone to Providence to found a colony there. Westcott settled in Warwick, where his descendants are found at the present day.


THE WHITE FAMILY.


1


DANIEL WHITE was in Cambridge Farms as early as 1696, when his name appears on the tax bill. He was constable in 1713 and 1714. He must have been a man of some dignity of character; for in seating the meeting house in 1731, he was placed in the second seat below. He m. Mary -; she d. and he m. second, Hannah His Will, 1738, mentions wife Hannah, sons Joseph, John, Stephen, and Samuel, and dau. Sybil Mansfield and Sarah Locke.


1- 2 Daniel, b. Oct. 29, 1695.


3 Mary, b. Oct. 24, 1697 ; probably d. young.


4 +John, b. Feb. 16, 1699. 5 Mary, bap. Sept. 8, 1700.


6 Thomas, b. Feb. 22, 1702; d. March 22, 1718.


7 ¡Joseph, b. April 17, 1704.


8 Sybil, b. May 12, 1706; m. Dec. 25, 1734, Theophilus Mansfield of Watertown.


9 Stephen, b. April 27, 1709.


10 Sarah, b. Aug. 23, 1711; m. - Loeke.


11 Samnel, bap. Sept. 12, 1714; m. Sept. 13, 1736, Dinah Ward.


1-4- JOHN WHITE m. Susanna -. He and his wife made their peace with the ch. Oct. 10, 1735, and the next Sabbath, J-In, their first child, was bap. We find no other record of his family. IIe appears to have been a military character. He was in service as a corporal among the King's troops in 1725, and was also in the French and Indian wars, 1757 and 1760. As there is no further record of him in Lex., he probably never returned to reside in that place.


1-7-


JOSEPH WHITE m. Hannah - about 1727. She d. April 7, 1731, and he m. Mary -.- , He d. Aug. 4, 1777, aged 73, and she d. Oct. 20, 1780.


7-12 Hannah, b. Dec. 10, 1728; m. May 24, 1752, Joseph Abbot.


13 'Mary, b. March 25, 1731.


14 Susanna, b. Oct. 10, 1735; m. Oet. 4, 1756, Jonathan Raymond.


15 Joseph, b. Oct. 11, 1737.


16 William, b. April 25, 1740; m. Feb. 9, 1767, Tabitha Ener of Walt.


17 Thomas, b. April 15, 1742. 18 Benjamin, b. May 9, 1744.


19 +Ebenezer, b. July 10, 1746 ; m. Elizabeth Harrington.


20 | John, b. June 1, 1748. 21 Nathan, b. June 16, 1750.


261


GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.


6-19-


EBENEZER WHITE m. Feb. 12, 1767, Elizabeth Harrington. He took an early part in the Revolutionary struggle, being with the Lex. minute men on the Common on the 19th of April 1775. He also marched to Camb. on the 6th of May that year, and also on the day of the battle of Bunker Hill. At that time he held a sergeant's warrant. He subsequently held a commission, and enlisted into the Continental army. He d. Oct. 6, 1777.


19-22 Nathan, b. July 27, 1767. 23 Jonas, b. Jan. 20, 1768. Joseph, b. Nov. 30, 1770; m. Nov. 29, 1792, Polly Harrington.


24 25 Sally, bap. Dec. 28, 1772; d. in infancy.


26 Ebenezer, b. April 7, 1775 ; d. Dec. 13, 1819, aged 44.


THE WHITMAN FAMILY.


JOHN WHITMAN, one of the early settlers of Weymouth, was probably the ancestor of nearly all the Whitmans in the country. He was in New England before 1638, as he was made freeman that year. He filled several public offices in Weymouth. He had nine children. Thomas, his eldest son, probably came to this country with his mother, about 1641, being at that time twelve years of age ; and hence was b. in England, 1629. He was made freeman 1653. In 1655, he m. Abigail Byram. He and his father-in-law moved to Bridgewater. He d. 1712, aged 83. He had three sons and four daughters. Nicholas, the third son of Thomas, m. Sarah Vining of Weymouth, and had by her four sons. She d. and he m. Mary Conant, by whom he had several other children. He was killed by being run over by a cart. John, the second son of Nicholas by his first wife, was b. 1704, and m. Mary Richards, by whom he had no children. She d. and he m. Elizabeth Cary, by whom he had Samuel and John. He m. a third wife, by whom he had other chil- dren. He. d. 1792, aged 88 years.


1 JOHN WHITMAN, of John, m. Lydia Snow. He resided in Bridge- water on the patrimonial farm. By his first wife he had three chil- dren. She d. and he m. his cousin, Abigail Whitman, dau. of Josiah Whitman, by whom he had eleven children. He was deacon of the church, and d. 1842, at the advanced age of 107 years.


1- 2 Lydia, b. 1765; m. Ebenezer Whitman of Windsor. She d. 1826. 3 Elizabeth, b. 1767 ; m. - Trowbridge of Middleboro'; d. 1791.


4 James, b. 1769; resided in Belchertown. He d. 1855.


5 Catharine, b. 1775; d. Dec. 1793.


6 Bathsheba, b. 1777 ; d. unm. in Lex. Aug. 20, 1864, aged 87. Miss Whitman was engaged as a teacher in private and public schools, nearly all the time from 1794 to 1845. She was a woman of supe- rior mind, and retained her faculties to the last. After she was eighty years old, she wrote an excellent round hand, without the least tremor. She was highly respected, and d. in full faith of a happy immortality.


7 Josiah, b. 1779 ; resided in Wellfleet.


8 Alfred, b. 1781; d. Aug. 1842.


9 Obadiah, b. 1783 ; removed to New Gloucester.


Nathaniel, b. 1785; grad. H. C. 1809, settled as a clergyman at Billerica.


10 11 Hosea, b. 1788; resided in Waltham; d. 1859.


12 John, b. 1790; deceased 1822.


13 Abigail, b. 1793; deccased 1818.


91


262


HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.


14 | Bernard, b. 1796 ; he was a clergyman, and d. in Waltham, 1834. 15 +Jason, b. April 30, 1799 ; d. in Portland, 1858.


1-15-


JASON WHITMAN m. March, 1832. Mary Fairfield of Saco; grad. H. C. 1825; read Theology and settled at Saco, Me., 1830. In 1834. was appointed General Agent of the American Unitarian Asso- ciation. Subsequently he was settled in Portland. In 1845, he was invited to Lexington, where he was installed July 30, of that year. In December, 1847, he and his wife went to Saco, to attend the funeral of her brother, and in Portland he was taken suddenly ill, and d. Jan. 25, 1858. His wid. is still living in Lexington.


15-16 Sarah, b. April 8, 1833; d. Feb. 21, 1846.


17 Bernard, b. Sept. 15, 1834; he has spent some ten years in South America.


20 18 19


Catharine, b. July 18, 1836.


John, b. May 28, 1838. He had followed the seas some years in the merchant service, and in the midst of the late rebellion he entered the navy, and served to the end of the war.


Martha, b. July 13, 1840.


The Whitmans have been remarkable for longevity. In the brief line we have traced, there are four persons whose aggregate age is three hundred and sixty-five years, giving the average of ninety-one years to each.


THE WHITMORE FAMILY:


Though Whitmore has never been a very common name in Lex., it is immediately connected with the earliest records, and is men- tioned in connection with the boundary of the parish, when it was incorporated in 1693. The Great and General Court, in setting off the Farms as a precinct, described the dividing line between the old town of Cambridge and the North Parish as follows : " Beginning at the first run of water or swampy place, over which is a kind of a bridge in the way or road, on the southerly side of Francis Whit- more's house, towards the town of Cambridge."


This vague and indefinite description was again adopted when the precinct was erected into a town, in 1713, and remains to this day the boundary between Lexington and Arlington. But though this description is not very definite, it fixes with a good degree of cer- tainty the location of the Whitmore house. It must have been situated on Main street. below Cutler's Tavern, near the line of the town. But while this house was within the precinct, it is not certain that Francis Whitmore ever resided in it, though it was owned by him and bore his name. He certainly could not have resided there at the incorporation of the precinct, for he had then been dead several years. The house was probably occupied by his son, Samuel, whose name is found upon the parish tax bills, back to the incorporation of the parish.


1 FRANCIS WHITMORE was born about 1625. He lived in Camb., and was a large landholder in that and the neighboring towns. He m. Isabel Parke, dau. of Richard Parke of Camb. She d. March 31, 1665, and he m. Nov. 10, 1666, Margaret Harty. He d. Oct. 12, 1685, aged 62. He served in the Indian War under Major Willard, as the treasurer's books show.


1- 2 |Elizabeth, b. May 2, 1649; m. Nov. 3, 1669, Daniel Markham.


3 | Francis, b. Oct. 12, 1650; removed to Connecticut.


263


GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.


·


John, b Oct. 1, 1654; lived in Medford, and d. Feb. 22, 1739.


4 5 + Samuel, b. May 1, 1658; m. Rebecca Gardner.


6 Abigail, b. July 3, 1660; m. -- Wilcox.


7 Sarah, b. May 7, 1662; m. May 29, 1683, William Locke.


8 Margaret, b. Sept. 9, 1668; m. Thomas Carter.


Frances, b. March 3, 1671; m. Jonathan Thompson.


+ Thomas, b. 1673; m. Mary, dau. of Samnel Waters.


+Joseph, b. 1675 ; lived in Woburn.


He had also Margery, bap. March 27, 1664, and Hannah, bap. Feb. 15, 1667, but both died young.


1-5-


SAMUEL WHITMORE m. March 31, 1686, Rebecca Gardner. His name is found upon our earliest records, being a subscriber for the erection of a meeting house in 1692, and one of a committee, in 1693, for making taxes. He was an assessor in 1700 and 1708, and a tythingman in 1712. He was one of the original members of the ch. gathered in 1696, and his wife, Rebecca, was admitted Jan. 16, 1700. She d. June 6, 1709, aged 43, and he m. Mrs. Mary, wid. of Abraham Watson; she d. Nov. 14, 1730, aged 60. He d. May 22, 1724, aged 66.


5-12 +Francis, b. Dec. 9, 1686.


13 + Samuel, b. April 1, 1688; m. Jan. 7, 1720, Bethia Page.


Rebecca, b. Feb. 9, 1690; d. June 12, 1709.


14 15 John, b. June 5, 1692; d. May 5, 1714.


Benjamin, bap. Nov. 27, 1698, moved to Newton.


Abigail, bap. Nov. 27, 1698. 18 Sarah, b. April 10, 1701.


16 17 19 Nathaniel, b. May 7, 1702, moved to Newton.


20 Mary, b. May 4, 1704.


21


John, b. Jan. 25, 1714. John and his wife, Lydia, of Camb. sold land in Lex. in 1735, to Jonathan Robinson.


THOMAS WHITMORE m. Mary, dau. of Samuel Waters of Woburn. She was ad. to the church in Lex. April 10, 1709. In May follow- ing eight of their children were bap. It is uncertain how long Thomas Whitmore resided in Lex. In 1696, Hugh Day of Camb. Farms, sold land in Camb. Farms to Thomas Whitmore of Wat. This purchase included a house and twenty acres of land. In 1698, Thomas Whitmore of Camb. Farms, sold the same land to Josiah Whitney. He had seven acres given him, in 1707, by the proprie- tors of Billerica. He removed to Killingly, Conn., and is said to have died there, Jan. 23, 1751 ; but we suspect an error in the date.


10-22 24 Samuel, b. Sept. 22, 1698.


23 Francis, b. Sept. 5, 1696. 25 Mary, b. Sept. 4, 1700.


Daniel, b. Feb. 22, 1702.


26 27 Hannah, ) bap. with another ( m. Oct. 22, 1722, David Cady.


29


28 Ephraim, sister, Abigail, Sarah, May 29, 1709 ; m. May, 1730, Benj. Lovejoy.


1-11-


JOSEPH WHITMORE m. Feb. 13, 1699, Mary, dau. of Thomas Kendall. May 9, 1703, he and his wife were ad. to the ch. in Lex., and on the 6th of June following, Joseph, probably their first child, was bap., being b. Feb. 17, 1700. As he was subsequently of Wo. he may have resided there at this time. They were dismissed to the ch. in Wo. Feb. 20, 1704.


5-12-


FRANCIS WHITMORE. Though he was chosen hog-reeve in 1714, a significant intimation that he may have changed his situation in


9 10 11


1-10-


Thomas, b. Nov. 4, 1694.


264


HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.


life, we find no record of his marriage or of any children, and hence infer that he was never married. He d. Dec. 20, 1758.


SAMUEL WHITMORE m. Jan. 7, 1720, Bethia Page. She was ad. to the ch. June 14, 1724. He was a tythingman in 1723, which shows that he was a man of sobriety of character. He d. Aug. 17, 1724, about three months after his father.


Rebecca, bap. Jan. 15, 1721.


13-30 31 Daniel, b. Feb. 21, 1725. He was a posthumous son. He m. 1746, Elizabeth Townsend, and lived in Boston, where, in 1748, they executed a deed of their land in Lex. to Jonathan Robinson. He probably left no sons, and possibly no issue.


By deaths and removals from town, the name of Whitmore has long since become extinct in Lex. In 1852, Charles O. Whitmore, a wealthy merchant in Boston, purchased him a summer residence in Lex., which he has fitted up in fine style, and rendered it one of the most spacious and attractive dwellings in the town. He is a direct descendant of the fifth generation from John, the second son of the original Francis Whitmore.


1 CHARLES O. WHITMORE, son of William D. and Rhoda (Wood- ward) Whitmore, was b. Nov. 2, 1807, in Bath, Me. He m. Lovice Ayres. She d. Sept. 27, 1849, and he m. Oct. 30, 1851, Mary E. Blake, wid. of George Blake, Jr. of Boston. He had by his first wife the following children.


1- 2 Charles J., b. April 27, 1834; m. June 8, 1858, Sarah Olcott Murdoch Blake, dau. of the above mentioned Geo. Blake, Jr., and has four children.


3 William H., b. Sept. 6, 1836. To him the writer is indebted for information concerning this family.


Martha H., b. Sept. 5, 1838.


Anna L., b. Sept. 16, 1840 ; m. Nov. 7, 1867, Philip L. Van Rens- selaer of New York.


4 5 6 Charlotte R., b. March 9, 1843.


7 Creighton, b. Dec. 16, 1845 ; d. April 25, 1848.


THE WHITNEY FAMILY.


This name, like the preceding, appears early upon the Lex. records, but does not continue long. ELEAZER WHITNEY was taxed at the Farms in 1693, '94, '95, and '96; and d. Feb. 1697.


1


ISAIAH WHITNEY and wife, Sarah, owned the covenant May 4, 1696, when one of their children, probably their first, was bap. He d. Jan. 7, 1712.


1- 2 Mary, bap. May 4, 1696. 3 Isaiah, bap. July, 1700.


5


4 Sarah, bap. April 22, 1703 ; m. Aug. 2, 1720, Andrew Parker. Elijah, bap. April 3, 1707 ; m. Dec. 8, 1736, Rebecca Winship.


6 Abraham, bap. Feb. 19, 1710. 7 Jonas, bap. Nov. 25, 1711.


THE WHITTEMORE FAMILY.


THOMAS WHITTEMORE came to Malden at an early day, where he owned real estate, and had a family. He is supposed to be the an- cestor of the Lex. Whittemores.


5-13-


265


GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.


1 NATHANIEL WHITTEMORE, a grandson of Thomas, and son of Nathaniel and Mary, was b. Sept. 26, 1670. He m. Sarah French. He and his wife were ad. to the ch. in Lex. April 24, 1720. She d. Aug. 15, 1734, and he m. Abigail He d. 1754. His Will, dated Feb. 22, 1752, and proved Jan. 6, 1755, mentions wife Abi- gail, sons Nathaniel and Jacob, and sister Rebecca. He was an assessor in 1719, and constable 1720. He resided on the Concord road, near the Concord line, in the neighborhood of Thomas Nelson. He was an almanac maker, and published about 1707. He was a man of more than ordinary education for that day ; was often em- ployed as a surveyor. He also sold drugs, and hence is often de- nominated Doctor, in the records. One number of his almanaes has its position in the scale of time thus fixed : " For the Year of Our Lord 1707, being third after leap year. From the Creation, 5656; from Noah's Flood, 4000; from the building of London, 2814; from the death of Alex. the Great, 2030; from the Discovery of America, 215 ; The reign of our Gracious Queen Anne the 6th." Another, of 1724, shows his loyalty, and the spirit of the times, thus : " O Heaven, crown our Great and Gracious King with length of days and lasting peace. Beneath his feet let all his foes stoop down ; let him be a nursing father, while on earth he reigns; and of God's church great care may he take, and Christ will him reward with lasting gain. God save the King."


1- 2 Thomas, b. Sept. 21, 1718.


3 +Jacob, b. March 3, 1722. Sarah, bap. April 4, 1724; d. Aug. 15, 1734.


4 5 Abigail, b. Dec. 8, 1725. 6 John, b. Aug. 27, 1727 ; d. the Jan following.


7 + Nathaniel, b. June 26, 1729 ; m. Jemima Dunton of Bedford.


1-3- JACOB WHITTEMORE m. Oct. 28, 1746, Esther Whittemore of Con. She d. 1753, and he m second, Dec. 5, 1754, Elizabeth Hoar of Con. She d. and he m. third, Oct. 19, 1759, Deborah Flagg. He d. Jan. 21, 1780. His Will, proved June 16, 1780, mentions dau. Esther Brown, Sarah Reed, and wife Elizabeth. Jacob Whittemore was ad. to the ch. in Lex. March 21, 1754, being dismissed from the ch. in Concord.


3- 8 Esther, b. Oct. 24, 1748; m. June 12, 1769, Benj. Brown of Tem- pleton. 9 Jonathan, b. Aug. 22, 1750.


10 Sarah, b. Nov. 1, 1751; m. April 23, 1770, Moses Reed of Wo. He had two other children by his first wife, who d. in early infancy.


NATHANIEL WHITTEMORE m. Nov. 1, 1752, Jemima Dunton of Bed. There is some difficulty in fixing the residence and marriage of Nathaniel Whittemore. The Bedford record, in giving the mar- riage as above, speaks of him as " of Lexington." The Lexington ch. records have the following, under date of June 6, 1756 : " Bap- tized, Abigail Whittemore of Nathaniel, the father having owned the covenant at Lincoln." He also had Jemima, bap. at Line. Aug. 7, 1763. Ward, in his History of Shrewsbury, gives the following : " Nathaniel Whittemore, (supposed originally from Weston or vicin- ity,) Aug. 17, 1753, m. Sarah, dau. of Luke Rice. He was then called of Shrewsbury. Chil. Sarah, b. July 18, 1754; Nathaniel, b. March 9, 1756 ; Lydia, b. Feb. 15, 1758; Paul, b. May 24, 1760; Eber, b. April 24, 1762. Nathaniel Whittemore d. in 1765, and his


1-7-


266


HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.


wid. m. March 31, 1774, George Harrington of Brookfield." There was a Nathaniel Whittemore and his wife, Mary, in Charlestown, in 1670, who had a son, Nathaniel, b. Sept. 26, 1670; these probably were the parents of the Nathaniel who settled in Lexington.


There were other Whittemores in Lexington, from time to time, but we can give no connected view of them.


Pelatiah Whittemore, ad. to the ch. April 14, 1728.


Nathan Whittemore, bap. Feb. 7, 1750.


Deborah Whittemore, ad. to the ch. April 21, 1751.


Sarah Whittemore, of Deborah, bap. Nov. 3, 1751.


Submit Whittemore, ad. to the ch. Jan. 18, 1756; m. March 23, 1762, Jonas Mason.


Jonas Whitney, of Narragansett No. 2 (now Westminster), and Sarah Whittemore of Lexington were united in marriage, Sept. 27, 1757.


Joel Whittemore was taxed in Lex. from 1750 to 1752 inclusive. He may have gone to Shrewsbury, and m. April 28, 1761, Rezinah Rand.


The name of Whittemore, should never be confounded with Whit- more, as the families are believed to be distinct.


THE WILLIAMS FAMILY.


1 REV. AVERY WILLIAMS, formerly a elergyman in Lex., was b. Jan. 9, 1782, in Guildford, Vt. His father, Rev. Henry Williams, being then pastor of the church at that place, but afterwards remov- ing to Leverett, Mass., Avery's childhood and youth were passed there. Ile grad. Dartmouth C. 1804, studied Theology at Prince- ton, N. J. He m. Feb. 25, 1807, Clarissa Grennell of Greenfield, and was settled in Lex. Dee. 30, 1807. Ile left Lex. in 1815, in consequence of ill health, and went South in hopes of relief; but disease had so far impaired his constitution, that his journey was un- availing. He d. at Spartansburg, S. C., Feb. 4, 1816. His widow was living in Greenfield a few years since. He published a Century Sermon on the anniversary of the incorporation of the town of Lex- ington, which shows him a man of good talents, careful research, and faithful as a historian.


1- 2 Clarissa G., b. April 14, 1810.


Lydia Maria, b. April 1, 1812 ; died in childhood.


3 4 Mary D., b. Feb. 11, 1814 ; resides at Greenfield.


5 Avery, b. Feb. 14, 1816 ; m. Eliza Squire of Lanesboro'. He studied medicine and was residing, when last heard from, at Buffalo, N. Y.


THE WILSON FAMILY.


1 JAMES WILSON was in Camb. Farms, 1693, when he was taxed for the purchase of the ministerial land. He was assessor in 1703, and constable in 1713. He m. Deborah They were ad. to the ch. Feb. 6, 1699. They buried a child in 1696, and two in 1703. There was also a John Wilson taxed in 1696, but this is the only record we find of him. The Wilsons probably left town early, as no one of the naine appears on the earliest town tax bills extant, viz., 1729 and 1735. James Wilson, from Lexington, settled in Leices- ter, 1721. This was probably the family.


267


GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.


1- 2 James, bap. Aug. 1699 ; probably settled in Bed. and d. 1753.


3 Deborah, bap. Aug. 1699; d. Dec. 14, 1703.


4 Abigail, bap. Aug. 1699.


6 John, bap. Sept. 17, 1704.


8 Margaret, bap. Nov. 24, 1706.


10 Thomas, bap. May 14, 1710.


12 Jonathan, bap. Oct. 31, 1714. .


5 Ebenezer, bap. Oct. 8, 1699.


7 William, bap. May 27, 1705.


9 Hannah, bap. July 20, 1708.


11 Phebe, bap. May 29, 1713.


The name appears several times in connection with the history of Lexington, but it is uncertain whether they were related to this family. Hezekiah Dunkley m. Damaris Wilson, Oct. 17, 1734. Sergeant Robert Wilson, Robert Wilson, Jr., and Barnabas Wilson were in the French War from Lex. in 1756, and Robert also in 1758. James Wilson was in the Continental army from Lex. in the Revo- lution.


THE WINSHIP FAMILY.


The Winships were among the first settlers in Lexington, and were for a long period among the most numerous and respectable families. They were the descendants of


1


EDWARD WINSHIP of Cambridge. He was made freeman in 1635, was a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Co., 1638, was selectman of Cambridge eleven years, between 1637 and 1684. He was representative in 1663, '64, '81 and '86. He also held a commission in the militia, and was dignified with the title of Lieu- tenant Winship. He was also an active and honored member of the church. He was twice married. His first wife was Jane, who d. between 1648 and 1651 ; his second wife was Elizabeth. He d. Dec. 2, 1688, in the 76th year of his age, and his widow, Elizabeth, d. Sept. 19, 1690, in her 58th year. It is believed that all the Win- ships in the vicinity descended from Lieutenant Edward. His Will was dated 1685, and as it casts considerable light upon this family, I will cite the portions which relate to the Lexington branches.


1. " I give to my son Ephraim, the lot of land whereon his house standeth, both all the meadow and upland he hath now in his possession."


2. " I give to my son Edward, all my land that lieth on the east side of the brook, whereon a sawmill standeth, except that which I bought of Edward Methelson, and twelve acres in my own Great Meadow."


3. " I give to my son Samuel, one hundred acres of land or thereabouts, some of it measured by David Fiske, about eighty acres upon the west side of Concord way, next to his brother Ephraim's line, and another tract of land on the east side of Concord way."


4. He gave land on Alewife brook to Joseph, another son; and mentions Mary, Elizabeth and Abigail, his daughters.


His widow's Will, dated 1689, mentions dau. Elizabeth, Abigail, Margery and Mehitabel.


Lieutenant Winship was a large landholder, not only in Old Cam- bridge, but at the Farms, where he had land assigned him as early as 1642. He owned, as will be seen by his Will, a large tract of land within the present limits of Lexington, extending from Lowell street across the brook to the hill west of Main street, upon the present line of Arlington, including the mill site, Mount Ephraim, and a portion of the Great Meadow. Living as his descendants did, upon the borders of Lexington and Cambridge, their association was




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