USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Milford > History of the town of Milford, Worcester county, Massachusetts, from its first settlement to 1881 > Part 87
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GAGE. We had Gage families on our territory for about a century, reck- oning from 1718 onward. They prob. came from Eng. to Rowley, and thence hither. At the end of that period they disappeared, and scarcely one of the name has even sojourned here since. The first Gage I read of in the records was Thomas, to whom Capt. Seth Chapin deeded a farm of 80 acres with build- ings, on Sherborn road, near the "Great Meadow," in Bear-hill district. That deed was dated May 25, 1723. In 1742 Gage sold the bulk of said farm to
-
759
GAGE FAMILIES.
Joshua Green of Hopkinton. I think it must have been situated toward the northerly terminus of now Beaver St. I cannot learn much of that Thomas. He owned several tracts of land, first and last, within our limits, which he seems to have sold one after another to later comers, as opportunity offered. When Sherborn road was laid, or relaid, extending eastward from Post Lane, in 1739, he is mentioned as owning an "enclosure" on the side-hill near where Charles Young lately dwelt. In 1742-43, when our now Cedar St. was laid out, he gave the land, a distance of 80 rods, south-easterly of Cedar Swamp. Prob- ably at that time he may have owned the farm bought by John Perry, after- wards called the Caleb Albee place. This can only be settled by research in Worcester Registry of Deeds. I suspect, but do not know, that this Thomas was the father of Hannah Gage, who made Mr. Frost's ch. no little trouble by her sexual laxity in connection with her piety. She had two illegitimates, Peter and Sybil; meantime clinging to the ch., and having them baptized. She was, of course, properly censured and disciplined. I think Thomas may also have been the father of John Gage, whose family record I am about to give, but I cannot be certain of it. When or where this first Thomas d., I have not ascertained.
GAGE, JOHN,2 supposed son of Thomas;1 birth-date not found; m. Lydia
Thayer, dr. of Benjamin and Sarah Thayer; cer. Jan. 4, 1729. Their chn. :- RACHEL, b. Sept. 7, 1732; untraced.
SARAH, b. Feb. 17, 1734; untraced.
JOHN, b. May 21, 1737; nntraced.
THOMAS, b. May 11, 1740; untraced.
LYDIA, b. June 21, 1743; untraced.
JEMIMA, b. May 5, 1746; nntraced.
SAMUEL, b. Dec. 8, 1749; untraced.
BENJAMIN, b. June 17, 1751; untraced.
From the description of land laid out to him, this John Gage must have dwelt for a time in the near vicinity of Pine-grove Cemetery; but what became of him and his family, I have found no information. Prob. they emigrated to some remote locality.
GAGE, MOSES,1 prob. brother of Thomas,1 b. 1705; m. Sarah Nelson, dr. of Gershom 3 and Abigail (Ellithorpe) Nelson, b. Rowley, Feb. 27, 1707; cer. Jan. 13, 1731. Their chn. :-
MOSES, h. 1732; m. Mary Boynton, Feb. 17, 1758.
DANIEL, b. June 1, 1734; m. Priscilla Jones, Jan. 1, 1756.
MOLLY, b. 1737; m. Phinehas Davis, Ang. 23, 1764.
Whether they had other children is uncertain. If so, there is no record of them. The confident tradition of his descendants is, that Moses1 came from Eng. to Rowley, and there m. his wf. As his wf. was a dr. of our first Gershom Nelson, who came from Rowley hither, it is likely that the son-in-law and dr. set. on our territory about the time, or soon after, her father did. There are intimations on the records that they first dwelt in what we now call So. Hope- dale, i.e. somewhere on or near the Gershom Nelson premises; but they after- wards set. on what in our times has been known as the Amasa Leland place. I learn from their head-stones in our old burying-ground, that he d. Oct. 2, 1774, in his 69th yr. Mrs. Sarah, his wid., d. 1791, in her 84th yr.
GAGE, MOSES, Jun.2 (Moses, sen.1), b. 1732; m. Mary Boynton of New Salem,
prob. a dr. of Ebenezer Boynton; cer. Feb. 17, 1758, by Rev. Amariah Frost. Their chn. : -
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BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
DAVID, b. Dec. 26, 1758; m. Rachel Newton of Paxton, 1783.
PATIENCE, b. Dec. 8, 1761; d. Jan. 1, 1776.
SARAH, b May 19, 1766; m. Reuben Walker, May 26, 1791.
STEPHEN, b. Aug. 8, 1768; d. April 11, 1770.
MARY, b. Feb. 10, 1771; m. Ebenezer Boynton of Holden, 1795.
ABIGAIL, b. Nov. 9, 1773; m. 1st, Joseph Hunting, jun., May 26, 1791, etc. PATIENCE, b. Jan. 1, 1775; m. Elijah Bowker of Hop., 1799.
ANNA, b. March 29, 1779; m. Weston Colburn, July 19, 1804.
Moses, jun., inherited the homestead of his fr., afterwards known as the Amasa Leland place. His wf. became a member of our Cong. ch., March 30, 1760, and had all her chn. bap .; but her husband joined on his death-bed, June 11, 1802. He d. June 24 ensuing, a. 72 yrs. Mrs. Mary, his wid., d. Jan. 5, 1819, a. 80 yrs.
GAGE, DANIEL 2 (Moses, sen.1), b. June 1, 1734; m. Priscilla Jones, dr. of Dea. Nathaniel and Priscilla (Corbett) Jones, b. July 21, 1738; cer. Jan. 1, 1756, by Rev. A. Frost. Their chn. : -
DANIEL, b. Dec. 15, 1756; untraced.
ASA, b. July 22, 1758; untraced.
MILLE, b. March 7, 1761; untraced.
LYDIA, b. Aug. 15, 1763; untraced.
NATHANIEL, b. Sept. 10, 1765; untraced.
ELIZABETH, b. May 4, 1768; untraced.
NABBY b. April 1, 1770; untraced.
NATHAN { (twins), b. April 1, 1770; d. May 5 ensuing.
RICHARD, b. Dec. 23, 1772; untraced.
ABRAHAM, b. May 2, 1775; untraced.
MOSES, b. April 15, 1778; untraced.
The parents were both members of the Cong. Ch. here. They were received April 3, 1768. All their chn. were duly bap. I suppose they had their home- stead in the No. Purchase, but I cannot specify the estate. The family emi- grated, soon after the birth of their youngest child, to Hubbardston. At least, a certain document, executed April 8, 1784, shows the parents to be of Hub- bardston at that time. No further traced.
GAGE, DAVID 3 (Moses, jun.,2 Moses, sen.1), b. Dec. 26, 1758; m. Rachel New-
ton of Paxton; ptge. not ascertained, b. Aug. 2, 1765; cer. 1783; no par- ticulars found. Their chn. : -
AZUBA, b. Dec. 22, 1784; m. Lemuel Green Morse, Dec. 4, 1808; 10 chn.
BETSEY, b. Aug. 1, 1786; milliner; went to Henrietta, N. Y., 1817, and m .; but no chn.
CHARLOTTE, b. March 14, 1789; m. Ansel Morse, Upton, Dec. 22, 1814, 2 chn.
MOSES, b. Aug. 1, 1793; went to Holland Purchase, N.Y., m., had 4 chn. ; and d. 1849 or 1850. This Moses learned bootmaking of Capt. Rufus Chapin. In 1814 he sought his fortune in the Holland Purchase, so called. When his fr. arrived there, in 1817, in the town of Gates, they bought a farm together. His wid. d. there in 1851 or 1852, and since then his chn. have all gone to that rather indefinite region called "The West."
His fr., David Gage, lived on a part of the patrimonial farm, on now High- land St. In early manhood he went into the Revolutionary army, and was at West Point when Benedict Arnold, the traitor, engaged to give up the fort to the British. He was taken sick there; and his fr. went thither on horseback, and
761
GAGE AND GARDNER.
managed to bring him safely home. After he had m., and raised up a family, he resolved on removing to the far-famed Holland Purchase, N. Y. In 1816 he sold his farm to Amasa Leland, then of Southborough ; and the next yr., 1817, with wf. and goods, mounted on a large ox-wagon, drawn by one yoke of oxen and a horse, he proceeded toward the promised land. After five weeks' travel, they arrived safely in the town of Gates, N.Y., were greeted by Moses, aforesaid, their only son, purchased a good farm, and set. down happily in their new home. They all lived together until the death of the parents. The fr. d. Aug. 24, 1844. The mr. had already d. March 28, 1841. Moses and his wf. at length d., the farm was sold, and the grandchn. sought a more western home, as already told.
GARDNER. This name was never numerously represented on our terri- tory. In early times considerable tracts of land were owned by Richard, Caleb, and John Gardner. Richard and Caleb were bros .; John may have been another bro., or perhaps a son of Richard. I find no clew to their pedigree, nor am I certain that they all res. here. But I find that John Parkhurst, fr. of our first Parkhursts, bought the 161 acres of land, wherewith he endowed Isaac and Jonas, of Caleb Gardner, then of Newport, R.I., who had it of his bro. Richard, etc. See what I say in the introduction to my genealogy of the Parkhursts. This purchase of 161 acres dates back of 1745. I find also other lands, not far from our Centre, mentioned or referred to as owned by one or more of these Gardners. But their ownership soon passed into other hands, and the name disappeared in those days from our records. Latterly we have had several Gardners in town, but I have reports from only the following named families : -
GARDNER, JOSHUA, son of Richard and Sarah (Fuller) Gardner (who were from Eng., and had 11 chn.), b. Phillipsburg, Me., Jan. 17, 1801; carpenter; m. Susan Boynton, dr. of Richard and Betsey (Davis) Boynton, b. Mere- dith, N.H., date not given; cer. in Newton, Jan. 9, 1829, by Rev. Joseph Grafton. Issue: -
CHARLOTTE, b. Newton Upper Falls, Oct. 9, 1829; m. George Smith, Sept., 1855; he d. Aug., 1865.
MARY E., b. Newton Upper Falls, June 10, 1832; m., 1st, George Billings, Oct., 1851, by whom she had 2 drs. : Snsie M., b. in West Newton, Sept. 29, 1852; and Lottie M., b. Newton Upper Falls, Feb. 26, 1858. Mr. Bil- lings, the hus. and fr., d. in St. Catherine, Mo., June 26, 1861.
Mrs. Mary E. m., 2d, William F. Reynolds of Mil., Oct. 21, 1864. See Reynolds. Mr. and Mrs. Gardner must, I think, have come in town some 30 yrs. ago. He has been an industrious carpenter and orderly citizen. She long and successfully practised midwifery, but has latterly suffered so much from sickness and infirmity as to oblige her to relinquish her professional responsi- bilities.
GARDNER, LEWIS F., son of Thomas and Nancy (Fairbanks) Gardner, b. in Mendon, June 24, 1815; boot-click; m. Hannah S. Thurber, dr. of Daniel and Hannah (Sibley) Thurber, b. in Mendon, Dec. 2, 1821; cer. Medfield, April 22, 1840, by whom not given. Their chn. : -
ALVAH B., b. Mendon, Oct. 29, 1841; m., name not given, Jan. 25, 1876. MARY E., b. Mendon, Feb. 22, 1848; m., name not given, Jan. 24, 1866.
GEORGE L., b. Mil., March 1, 1854; m., name not given, Oct. 1, 1879. HANNAH S., b. Mendon, July 22, 1856; unm.
Worthy family. The hus. and fr. d. in Mil., Oct. 15, 1857. His widowed wf. has shown uncommon enterprise as a judicious boarding-house manager,
762
BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
and brought up her chn. to virtue and usefulness. She recently m., 2d, Aldrich B. Cook of Mendon.
One grandchild : -
BLANCHE L. GARDNER, b. Feb. 11, 1880.
GARDNER, SAMUEL HENRY 7 (Oliver C.,6 Latham,5 Alexander,4 Thomas,8 George,2 John 1), b. Nantucket, Feb. 17, 1824; mr.'s maiden name, Hannah Macy; m. Lydia Paddock Brown, dr. of Benjamin and Nancy (Gardner) Brown, b. Nantucket, Oct. 1, 1835; cer. Nantucket, Dec. 31, 1854, by Rev. N. P. Philbrook. Their chn. :-
ALEXANDER BROWN, b. Mil., Oct. 1, 1855; m. Fannie Young, Ang. 26, 1878. HERBERT H., b. Mil., Aug. 25, 1859.
ARTHUR C., b. Mil., Nov. 24, 1861.
DAVID M., b. Mil., April 12, 1871.
ROLAND, b. Mil., Aug. 23, 1874; d. Jan. 3, 1875.
LOUISE M., b. Mil., Sept. 8, 1880.
Mr. Gardner's occupation is that of steam and gas pipe fitting. From his 17th yr. until just before mge., he followed the seas in both whaling and mer- chant service. He came to Mil. from Nantucket in the summer of 1854. He has res. transiently in several other places, but since 1854 has always considered Mil. his home. During the late war he served one yr. in the U.S. Navy. A worthy and respected family.
GARDNER, ALEXANDER BROWN 8 (Samuel H.,7 Oliver C.,6 Latham,5 Alexan-
der,4 Thomas,3 George,2 John 1), b. Mil., Oct. 1, 1855; mr.'s maiden name, Lydia Paddock Brown; m. Fannie Young, dr. of William and Emily Ann (Attwood) Young, b. in Luton, Bedfordshire, Eng., Sept. 20, 1855; cer.
Providence, R.I., Aug. 26, 1878, by Rev. Augustus W. Kingsley. Issue :- WILLIAM SAMUEL, b. Mil., Nov. 6, 1879.
ALFRED HERBERT, b. Mil., March 25, 1881.
Mr. Gardner is a spinning-ring turner at Hopedale. He and his young family start off in life under promising auspices.
We have a few other Gardners in Mil., but I have not been favored with their family records.
GASKILL. The Gaskills of this general vicinity are of English origin, and descendants of Edward, who had land grants in Salem as early as 1637. He had a son Samuel, who became interested in Quaker preaching, and got punished, under the laws of that day, for attending Quaker meetings. It was probably a great grandson of Edward, whose name was Samuel, that came to the South Parish of Mendon, now Blackstone, in 1736, and bought a large farm of Stephen Swett for £450. The links between Edward of Salem and this Samuel, also said to be of Salem, are left so obscure by the old genealogists, that I must not presume to guess them. It seems certain that our Samuel of So. Mendon must have been either gd. son or gt. gd. son of Edward. Samuel of Mendon had at least 2 sons; viz., Ebenezer and Benjamin. Ebenezer m. Hannah Gurley, and had George, David, Joseph, Peter, and Samuel; his drs. not reported. Samuel Gaskill, son of Ebenezer, m. Olive Cook for his 1st wf., and had in Mendon, -
HANNAH, who m. Willard Wilcox.
NAUM, who m. Sally Southwick.
SARAH, who m. Robert Allen.
Our Mil. Gaskills are the offspring of Naum and Sally (Southwick) Gaskill. Naum and Sally's chn., all b. in Mendon : -
763
GASKILL FAMILIES.
JOHN SOUTHWICK, b. Dec. 12, 1807; m. Harriet E. Staples; she d. Sept. 3, 1874.
SAMUEL, b. Jan. 14, 1810; an exemplary bachelor, and res. Mil.
HANNAH, b. Sept. 9, 1811; m. - Sprague; now a wid.
OLIVE, b. June 10, 1813; m. Elkaneh Barrows. She d., a wid. July 12, 1881. MICAJAH COLLINS, b. Sept. 26, 1816; m., 1st, Hannah M. Taft, April 7, 1842; 2d, Alzada Gould, Feb. 12, 1850.
MARY THURBER, b. Aug. 13, 1818; m. Willis Gould, April 6, 1845.
ALMIRA FAIRBANKS, b. June 8, 1821; m. Charles Fletcher, Dec. 8, 1844.
GILBERT, h. April 28, 1823; m., 1st, Olive W. Gould, Sept. 1, 1848; 2d, Ellen F. Wheelock, Feb. 18, 1855.
NAUM, Jun., b. April 18, 1825; m. Fanny Eliza Wheelock, July 4, 1850. RICHARD GEORGE, b. March 16, 1827; m., 1st., Caroline Rhoda Briggs, July 1, 1849; 2d., Serinda Brooks, May 2, 1875.
LEWIS BOYDEN, b. Jan. 4, 1829; m. Annie E. Jenckes, May 8, 1863. ALBERT WARREN, b. Dec. 28, 1831; m. Miranda Hill, March 25, 1857.
Of these 12 chn., Olive Barrows is the first to pass away. Naum Gaskill, the fr., d. in Mendon, May 4, 1860, a. 72 yrs. Mrs. Sally, bis wid., d. April 10, 1875, in her 84th yr. I have given this family record because several of the chn. reside in Mil., and all are somewhat intimately associated with our inhab- itants by relationship and frequent intercourse.
GASKILL, SAMUEL, son of Naum and Sally (Southwick) Gaskill, b. in Men- don, Jan. 14, 1810, has been one of our respected citizens for many yrs. He is an exemplary, economical bachelor of 71 yrs. He is always indus- trious, prudent in his financial affairs, and now one of our largest land- holders. He has gradually absorbed into his possession several consider- able farms in So. Milford district, besides various sized parcels. I think he must own between 600 and 800 acres in all, though I do not pretend to have informed myself exactly. He dwells on the ancient Dea. Gideon Albee place, and owns much of the land in that vicinity.
GASKILL, NAUM, a younger bro. of the above, res. on the plain in So. Mil. He was b. in Mendon, April 18, 1825. He m. Fanny Eliza Wheelock, dr. of Simeon and Diana (Albee) Wheelock, b. Mendon, 1834; cer. at Hope- dale, July 4, 1850, by the writer. Their chn. : -
AUBERN, b. Nov. 18, 1852.
ROSABELLE, b. Dec. 11, 1854; m. Lewis Bates, Mendon, Oct. 25, 1871.
WILFRED, b. Dec. 31, 1856.
FRANK, b. Jan. 5, 1860.
JESSE, b. Jan. 14, 1862.
JENNIE ELLIOT, b. Feb. 7, 1865.
HANNAH SPRAGUE, b. Sept. 11, 1871.
FREDDIE, b. Oct. 31, 1872.
Mr. Gaskill has res. in town ever since 1851; for some yrs. with his bro. R. G. Gaskill, as joint owner of what is now called the Spindleville place, and latterly near the junction of Plain St. with the old turnpike.
GASKILL, RICHARD GEORGE, of the same parentage, b. March 16, 1827; m.,
1st, Caroline Rhoda Briggs, dr. of Elkaneh and Asenath (Gale) Briggs, b. So. Orange, Aug. 9, 1834; cer. July 1, 1849, hy Rev. H. B. Fisk. Their chn .:- CAROLINE DIANA, b. Feb. 11, 1852; m. Francis S. Collins, Feb. 19, 1871. SALLY SOUTHWICK, b. Aug. 22, 1854; d. March 7, 1858.
RICHARD GEORGE, Jun., b. March 15, 1857; spindle-maker at Spindleville.
764
BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
JOHN SOUTHWICK, b. July 16, 1859; d. May 24, 1874.
Mr. Gaskill must have dwelt in town over 20 yrs. He res. on the Samuel Warfield farm, now owned by his bro. Samuel, and has charge of it. He is a sturdy, hard-working, executive farmer. He has 4 grandchn. by his dr. Caro- line Diana Collins and husband, who now res. in Chicago, Ill .; viz. :-
SALLY SOUTHWICK, b. Mil., Sept., 1871.
ANNIE, b. Mil., June, 1874.
GRACIE, b. Mil., March 15, 1876.
FRANKIE, b. Chicago, May, 1878.
Separation by divorce from Mrs. Caroline having taken place, the hns. m., 2d, Serinda Brooks, dr. of David and Mary (Powell) Brooks, b. St. Albans, Vt., Sept. 19, 1840; cer. May 2, 1875, by Rev. Mr. Townsend. No chn.
GASKILL, LEWIS BOYDEN, of the same ptge., b. Jan. 4, 1829; m. Annie E. Jenckes, dr. of Ezra and Julia A. (Swan) Jenckes, b. Mendon, Feb. 9, 1844; cer. in Woonsocket, R.I., May 8, 1863, by Rev. John Boyden. No chn.
They own and reside on the most ancient civilized spot in our town, where Benjamin Alby built the first "corn-mill" in all these parts, more than 210 yrs. ago. In connection with this famous mill-seat, I suppose Mr. Gaskill pos- sesses a respectable farm. I presume he and his family endeavor to honor an honorable homestead.
GASSETT, WILLIAM G., and Marcia, are credited with, -
FRANCIS EUGENE, b. March 27, 1842; d. Oct. 7 ensuing.
GASSETT, ELISHA N., and Matilda, are credited with, -
SMITH D., b. March 11, 1839.
LAVIRA N., b. Sept. 7, 1841.
GASSETT, WILLIAM G., Jun., at E. E. Cook's stable, and EDWARD, butcher, res. in town.
GAY, JASON, ptge. and ancestry untraced; b. about the yr. 1800; m. Betsey Barber, youngest dr. of Hamlet and Rhoda (Ware Clark) Barber, b. prob. in Holl., Nov. 24, 1800; cer. prob. in Hoil., 1821, precise date and partic- ulars not ascertained. He was a boot and shoe maker. They set., lived, and d. in Mil. Their chu. :-
GEORGE, b. Oct. 23, 1822; d. Aug. 10, 1873.
CHARLES, b. Oct. 7, 1824; d. July 30, 1825.
SARAH MARIA, b. Dec. 20, 1826; m. William L. F. Hatch, Nov. 10, 1846. CHARLES, b. June 15, 1829; m. Helen Ann Rockwood, May 7, 1856.
HANNAH, b. Nov. 1, 1831; m. Giles A. Egan, Nov. 12, 1849; burnt to death, Feb. 22, 1851.
PATIENCE ALMIRA, b. July 20, 1835.
Well-disposed, hard-working people. He d. Aug. 31, 1868. Mrs. Betsey, his wid., d. Oct. 19, 1877.
GAY, CHARLES, son of Jason and Betsey (Barber) Gay, b. Mil., June 15, 1829; boot-cutter; m. Helen Ann Rockwood, dr. of Lewis Leander and Mary Ann
(Morse) Rockwood, b. Upton, July 13, 1834; cer. in Mil., May 7, 1856, by Rev. James R. Johnson. Issue :-
LEANDER ROCKWOOD, b. Mil., May 13, 1862; d. March 17, 1864.
INEZ LINETTA, b. Mil., April 25, 1867.
Moral repute and social standing good.
GAY, EMILY, dr. of Jotham and Lydia (Richards) Gay, b. Dedham, July 10, 1818; homoeopathic physician; has always lived a single woman; became a member of the Hopedale Community in 1842, and withdrew in 1862; has
765
GAY AND GIBBS.
res. many yrs. at Hopedale, and still does. She has earnestly endeavored to make herself useful in her vocation, and rendered many good services to suffering humanity. She has survived much sickness and adversity, but still bears up hopefully for this life and the spiritnal one of eternity.
GAY, Rev. GEORGE, ptge. and ancestry not ascertained; b. in Chelsea, Feb. 9, 1814; was at one time a minister of the Universalist denomination in the State of Maine; m. Lydia Godfrey, b. in Steuben, Me., April 28, 1821; pre- cise date and circumstances of mge. not ascertained. Their chn. : -
GEORGE GODFREY, b. Steuben, Me., May 25, 1843; supposed to have d. in a rebel prison.
MARIANNA, b. Steuben, Me., Sept. 7, 1845; present locality not ascertained. HATTIE SHAW, b. Steuben, Me., March 21, 1848; present locality not ascer- tained.
CHARLES MILLIKEN, b. Steuben, Me., Aug. 21, 1851; present locality not ascertained.
EDDIE, h. Steuben, Me., May 27, 1853; present locality not ascertained.
This family came to res. at Hopedale in 1853. The parents were members of the Community for a few yrs., but resigned in 1859. They now res. in the vicinity of Boston. They have suffered seriously from complicated domestic adversities, but at last advices were struggling, with various success, to tran- scend their misfortunes.
GAY, THOMAS R., son of Amos B. and Loamie (Herrick) Gay, b. Franklin, March 7, 1823; m. Ellen Hoyt, dr. of Moses and Lydia Cluf Hoyt, b. Enfield, N.H., Feb. 5, 1822; cer. in Valley Falls, R.I., Oct. 10, 1847, by Rev. Mr. Preston. Their chn .: -
CHARLES EDWARD, b. Valley Falls, R.I., Sept. 6, 1848; m. Matilda Wilkes. GEORGE EDGAR, b. Wrentham, Aug. 20, 1849; d. Mil., Jan. 15, 1873.
RUTLEDGE, b. Wrentham, Nov. 29, 1852; d. Jan. 15, 1854.
WESLEY M., b. Wrentham, Sept. 1, 1857; m. Sarah Jane Allen, Oct. 25, 1879.
Industrious, hard-working, well-disposed people. Mr. G. has res. in town mostly for 20 yrs. He is chiefly known in his vocation of teamster, in which he renders faithful service. His son Wesley follows the same calling. He and wf. dwell with his parents. They have 1 child, -
GEORGE RUTLEDGE, b. Aug. 20, 1880.
GAY, CHARLOTTE B., dr. of Amos B. and Loamie (Herrick) Gay, b. Frank- lin, Dec. 11, 1809; always a single woman; eminently useful as a tailoress, nurse, and housekeeper, and of exemplary moral worth in all situations of life. Presided many yrs., and till lately, as housekeeper in the family of Stephen Albee, at Hopedale.
GIBBS. Few of this name have dwelt within our territorial limits.
GIBBS, JAMES 4 (Jonathan, 8 Matthew,2 Matthew1), b. in Framingham, May 28, 1726; m. Martha Newton, and had several chn., but none of them b. here, I think. He joined our Cong. ch. Dec. 2, 1744, but was soon dismissed to Sturbridge ch., whither he removed,
GIBBS, JOSEPH, Jun. 4 ( Joseph,8 Matthew,2 Matthew1), of the same Framing- ham lineage, seems to have united with the ch. here in 1764. I am in doubt who he was, and what became of him. The records are obscure and confused. I therefore drop him, as I find him, in uncertainty.
GIBBS, Lieut. JOSEPH5 (Jacob,4 Isaac,8 John,2 Matthew1), bap. 1727; m. Elizabeth Palmer, in Cambridge, Sept. 11, 1749. Their chn :-
MARY, b. Fram., Feb. 28, 1750; untraced.
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BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
ELIZABETH, b. Fram., July 14, 1752; m. Jacob Hayward, Oct. 29, 1772.
JOHN BUTTERFIELD, b. Fram., May 7, 1754; prob. d. young.
MARTHA, b. Fram., Jan. 22, 1756; untraced.
SARAH, b. Fram., Nov. 7, 1759; untraced.
PELATIAH, b. Holl., date not found; m. Anna Littlefield, Feb. 25, 1779.
BETHIAH, b. Holl., Aug. 10, 1762; m. Col. Benjamin Godfrey, Dec. 31, 1778.
HANNAH, b. Holl., bap. June 16, 1765; prob. d. young.
ABIGAIL, b. Holl., Dec. 30, 1764; m. Timothy Fisher, jun., Dedham, Nov. 26, 1789.
I infer that Lieut. Joseph came first from Fram. to that part of Holl. which rendered it convenient for his family to attend public worship at our then Precinct meeting-house; for several of the younger chn. seem to have been bap. here. Just when he took up his res. on our side of the line, is not apparent, but prob. in 1769; as I find deeds which show that he then purchased a home- stead at the south end of Rocky Woods, on Sherborn road, adjacent to the Daniell place. Most of that homestead he bought of Dr. William Jennison, and a minor portion of Oliver Daniell, comprising in all over 100 acs. Jenni- son's deed is dated March 9, 1769, and Daniell's April 19, 1769. There was then a considerable-sized old-fashioned dwelling-house on the place, with conven- iences for a grocery store, and several outbuildings. There Lieut. Joseph, after taking possession, is said to have opened a larger store of groceries and desirable varieties than had ever before been kept in the Precinct. If so, the establish- ment must have been of brief duration. But there, I presume, he dwelt down to the time of his death in 1805. He and his wf. Elizabeth were recd. into the Mil. ch., by letters commendatory, in 1772. Mrs. Elizabeth d., date not found; the hus. m., 2d, Rebecca Albee, wid. of Seth Albee; cer. Aug. 27, 1778, by Rev. A. Frost, she being a member of the Cong. ch. Issue :-
JACOB, b. date not found; d. in early infancy.
BENJAMIN, b. Dec. 25, 1783; m., 1st, Clarinda Jones, 1805; 2d, Pedee Thayer, 1821.
Mrs. Rebecca d. July 30, 1798; the hus. m., 3d, Dorcas Thayer of Hop., Nov., 1799. No chn. She d. Sept. 26, 1804. Lieut. Joseph himself d. Nov. 11, 1805. He seems to have been a man of considerable note and influence in his day. His habitation became desolate in the course of a few yrs., and was finally demolished. Its cellar-hole remains were long known to the last generation, and a few of the still living, by clusters of the Balm of Gilead tree. It is noticed as No. 4, among my " Abandoned Home-Sites." See Chap. XV. A curious little incident is told in connection with the occasion of Rev. Mr. Long's ordination, May 20, 1801. Lieut. Joseph hospitably invited home to sup with him a goodly company of friends. Just as they were getting seated at table, they espied a rattlesnake crawling slowly along an open cross-beam, almost directly over their heads. They vacated their seats in haste. The master of the house promptly despatched his unwelcome guest, and his hospitality was duly enjoyed. Rocky Woods was a favorite haunt of rattlesnakes in former times, and even down to a recent period.
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