USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Shirley > History of the town of Shirley, Massachusetts, from its early settlement to A.D. 1882 > Part 44
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The Shirley genealogy of these families commences with
Longlen, William. (William, John,4 William,3 William,2 Richard.1) He was the eldest son of John and Sarah (Prescott) Longley, and was born at Groton, Feb. 7, 1708, and married Mary Parker of Groton, Jan. 4, 1734. He settled in what is now the South Village in the town. According to the most consistent tradition, his house was situated on the north side of the Catacunemaug, on the side of the hill, about half way between the river and the bed of the Fitchburg railway. Mr. Longley was a man of enterprise and efficiency, but either from a want of ability, or inclination, or taste, or popularity, his name appears in no place of public trust or employ- ment ; yet, with his countrymen generally, he nourished that inbred spirit of patriotism which secured in his day the independence of the United States, a work that older and abler men had desired to see effected, but who had died without the sight.
There is, however, one event that must give prominence to the reputation of William Longley as long as the history of Shirley shall exist. In connection with Samuel Hazen he builded the first grist- mill that existed within the town, to which a saw-mill was afterward appended. Tradition is strong in the position that the grist-mill stood on the southern bank of the stream, where its successor since stood ; that incontestable relics of the fact have been discovered there and seen by living witnesses. There is, however, evidence stronger than tradition, though sustained by relics unearthed upon the sup- posed site of the former mill. It is as follows : The half of the property owned by Mr. Hazen was conveyed, directly or indirectly, to William Longley, Jr., son of the other proprietor ; and in 1764 the other half was deeded to Elijah Wilds. According to the instrument of conveyance, both mills, (that is one-half of both,) including thirty- five acres of land belonging to the firm, were sold to said Wilds for " forty Pound." The deed says that the land was bounded on the east by land lately claimed by Buckston, (probably not an inhabitant of the town,) northerly by land owned by Samuel Flood ; westerly by land of Thomas Trowbridge ; southerly by Catacunemaug brook. This is almost positive evidence that the mills both stood upon the north side of the river.
William Longley died in Shirley, May 15, 1788. He had twelve children :
I. WILLIAM, b. at Groton, Jan. 24, 1734, d. young.
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2
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HISTORY OF SHIRLEY.
II. MARY, b. at Groton, Oct. 13, 1736, d. in 1749.
III. WILLIAM, b. at Groton, May 23, 1738, and was thirteen years old when his father removed to Shirley. He m. Lydia War- rensford of Lancaster, Aug. 8, 1763. He lived in a house at the north-east corner of the door-yard of the present residence of the widow of the late Thomas Hazen. He followed in the footsteps of his father, both as a miller and an agriculturist, and wore the dusty coat of his craft unto old age. He d. at Shirley, Jan. 9, 1813. He had nine children, all b. at Shirley :
1. EZEKIEL, b. March, [1763,] m. Mary Swan, pub. Oct. 3, 1784. He lived in Harvard, Shirley, and Lancaster. At the last-named town his wife d. ; soon after, his home was broken up and his children were scattered abroad. He finally settled in Chitten- den, Vt., where he passed most of his remaining years, but d. at Pittsford, Vt., in March, 1834. He had eight children :
(1.) David, b. at Shirley, March 27, 1786.
(2.) Mary, b. at Harvard, Feb. 25, 1788, m. Ira Pinson.
(3.) William, b. at Shirley, May 23, 1790.
(4.) Emery, b. at Shirley, March 11, 1792.
(5.) Joseph, b. at Shirley, Oct. 29, 1794.
(6.) Jacob, b. at Shirley, July 1, 1801. When but a little past infancy, he was taken up by a Mr. Samuel Morrison, and carried to the home of said Morrison, at Stoddard, N. H., and finally became his son, by adoption, without a change of name. Eventually Mr. Morrison removed to Peterboro', where he d., and where Mr. Longley lived in 1878. He (Longley) m. Hepzibah Ames, March 10, 1831. He was a farmer by occupation, and was a justice of the peace. His wife d. Sept. 13, 1871. He had four children, all b. at Peter- boro' : I. "George H.," b. April 4, 1832, m. Sarah M. Kim- ball, June 1, 1854 ; he has had three children : I. George Wason, b. March 23, 1855 ; 2. Fred Kimball, b. Aug. 31, 1856 ; 3. Jacob W., b. Feb. 13, 1862. 2. "William Hiram," b. June 7, 1834, m. Mary White, Dec. 11, 1856, r. Peterboro' (1878) ; he has had four children : 1. Frank White, b. May 20, 1858, d. Sept. 29, 1858 ; 2. William H. C., b. Sept. 20, 1862 ; 3. Samuel P., b. Oct. 20, 1864 ; 4. Henry C., b. June. 20, 1867. 3. "Timothy M.," b. May 9, 1837, m. Emma Converse, Feb. 28, 1860, r. Peterboro' (1878) ; he has had three children : 1. Edith, b. Jan. 6, 1861 ; 2. Arthur, b. Aug. 20, 1863 ; 3. Maurice, b. April 9, 1865. 4. "Stillman Parker," b. April 8, 1841, m. Sarah S. Converse, 1867, r. Peterboro' (1878) ; he has had two children : I. Frank, b. March 13, 1869 ; 2. Albert, b. Oct. 12, 1871.
(7.) Solomon, b. at Shirley, Oct. 20, 1804, r. Chittenden, Vt. (1878) ; he was twice m., (first) to Hannah Pike, March 5, 1824; m. (second) Caroline M. Davenport, Sept. 10, 1856. He has had six children : 1. "Josephine M.," b. Sept. 27, 1829, m. Seth Boutwell, r. Stockbridge, Vt. (1878); 2. "Rosaline," b. July 25, 1831, m. Emery Brown, d. July 19
Autoglyph Print, W. P. ALLEN, Gardner, Mass.
ISRAEL LONGLEY, ESQ.
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GENEALOGY .- LONGLEY.
1875 ; 3. "Sullivan S.," b. July 14, 1834, m. Marcia Eggles- ton, r. Stockbridge (1878) ; 4. "Justin," b. Dec. 27, 1835, m. Jane Morgan, d. Feb. 21, 1873 ; 5. "Amanda Malvina," b. March 22, 1842, m. Martin Durfee, r. Pittsford, Vt. (1878) ; 6. "Solomon," b. March 12, 1859. The children of Solomon were.b. at Chittenden.
(8.) Osmyn, b. at Shirley, July 16, 1806.
All the children of Ezekiel Longley are d. except Jacob and Solomon.
2. ABIGAIL, b. 1764, became a Shaker, and d. in that communion, June 2, 1817.
3. ISRAEL, b. Nov. 2, 1766, was twice m., (first) to Lucy Conant of Harvard, pub. Feb. 2, 1794 ; she d. ; he m. (second) Mrs. Sally Tarbell, June 6, 1799 ; he d. at Shirley, Aug. 24, 1819 ; he was a man of enterprise and thrift ; his widow d. April 11, 1826. He had two children :
(1.) Walter, b. at Shirley, June 2, 1801, drowned Aug. 16, 1813.
(2.) Israel, b. at Shirley, Dec. 1, 1803, was twice m., (first) to Sophia Bullard, May 2, 1830 ; she d. Nov. 15, 1830 ; he m. (second) Sarah Hazen Parker, May 29, 1836, and d. March 24, 1871.
It has been said, on another page of this history, that Joseph Edgarton, Esq., was the pioneer of the Shirley manu- facturing enterprise ; and, with equal truth it may be here said that Israel Longley stood second in this laudable work. His father had, in a small way, commenced the undertaking into which he vigorously entered as soon as he attained his years of majority ; and this was not far from the time that our cotton manufactories were receiving an impulse, by the invention and introduction to use of the power loom. Cotton spinning, through the agency of Mr. Edgarton, had for a time been in successful operation in Shirley, and, to some extent, the power loom had been introduced ; yet it was attended with so many imperfections, in its incipient stages, as to bring partial dis- couragement over the enterprise. It seemed, therefore, to belong to Mr. Longley, by a separate effort, an effort indepen- dent of all previous attempts, to enlarge the system and bring it to a higher state of perfection. He accordingly suggested and became the leader of what is called the Fredonia Com- pany. This company builded and furnished the largest cotton manufactory that had ever appeared in town until the erection of the Phoenix mill in 1850.
Mr. Longley continued his interest in the Fredonia Com- pany as long as he lived, and had an interest, likewise, in many of the smaller factories that stood along the banks of . the Catacunemaug, the most of which have since, from time to time, been destroyed by fire.
For many years the manufacture of cottons was of such variable success as to cover the hearts and hopes of its actors with seasons of gloom and sunshine, alternately gathering and
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HISTORY OF SHIRLEY.
scattering such hopes, and raising and discouraging public expectations. The subject of this notice, notwithstanding, continued to sustain the system and give it due prominence. He made it his life-work, and lived to behold it a complete success.
He also took a lively interest in the construction of the railway from Fitchburg to Boston, which passes through the South Village in Shirley. He was a large subscriber to the stock of the company, and for several years was one of its directors.
At different times he held offices of town appointment, the duties of which he performed to the satisfaction of his con- stituents. He was a selectman six years. He was two years a member of the town school committee, and he represented his fellow-townsmen in the legislature of the state in 1833 and 1834.
In his personal appearance Mr. Longley maintained a neat- ness to which few persons aspire. In his social relations he was mild and courteous, endeavoring to receive and impart ease and comfort by speech and demeanor. In early life he seemed to give little thought to experimental religion, but in later years he exhibited a change in this respect, and united with the Universalist church ; but, in his last sickness he was led to a partial modification of his religious faith. At his death the branch of the William Longley, Jr., family, to which he belonged, laid away its last representative.
4. LYDIA, b. in [1768], m. Asa Gale of Chesterfield, N. H., Sept. 29, 1800.
5. SARAH, b. in 1773, became a Shaker, and d. in that communion, Sept. 14, 1818.
6. IVORY, b. 1775, m. Lydia Munroe of Harvard, April 5, 1797. He was a blacksmith by trade, and in attempting to cross the Catacunemaug, upon a dam, he slipped from his icy footing, and perished in the stream below. He d. Jan. 14, 1808 ; his widow d. April 9, 1859. He had four children :
(1.) Lucy, b. at Harvard, May 18, 1797, m. Darius Emery of Shirley, Dec. 24, 1865, d. at Shirley, Dec. 27, 1878.
(2.) Nancy, b. at Shirley, May 2, 1801, d. Nov. 5, 1805.
(3.) Lydia, b. at Shirley, May 26, 1803, m. Darius Emery, May 14, 1824, d. at Shirley, July 31, 1863. She had one child : I. "Hiram," b. at Shirley, March 22, 1825 ; he was twice m., (first) to Eliza A. Gay, Oct. 19, 1849 ; she d. at Lowell, Feb. 19, 1859 ; he m. (second) Mrs. Lazure, March 20, 1867 ; he d. at Springfield, June 26, 1874. He had one child : I. Lucy, b. at Lowell, March 23, 1850, m. George F. Fuller, Nov. 20, 1872, r. Springfield (1882).
(4.) Hiram, b. at Shirley, Aug. 31, 1805, m. Mary A. Farns- worth of Harvard, May 3, 1838. Mr. Longley was a man of enterprise and of a peculiar executive ability. For several
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GENEALOGY .- LONGLEY.
years he was engaged in the manufacture of cotton goods in Shirley Village, which, in the end, proved not a successful operation. After some changes, he went to Chicago, Ill., and became the proprietor of a large hotel called the Massasoit House, where he did an extensive and profitable business. Having acquired property sufficient to justify the undertaking, he returned to Shirley and purchased the large and elegant residence of the late John K. Going, Esq., with the purpose of making it his life-residence. But the great fire at Chicago destroyed a large portion of his property, and in his endeavors to resuscitate his, condition he overtaxed his strength, and became the victim of his efforts. He d. Feb. 15, 1877. His widow retains a home at Shirley (1882). With the death of Hiram Longley, the male descendants of the branch of the family represented by Ivory Longley became extinct.
7. WILLIAM, JR., b. at Shirley, m. Rebecca Munjoy of Harvard, Sept. 20, 1794. He learned the blacksmith's trade, and wrought at his craft in Shirley, and in other places, without the success necessary to secure a competent livelihood for himself and dependents. In a fit of discouragement he wandered away from home, but was eventually brought back in a state of extreme destitution, and required assistance from the town. At the annual town meeting he was made the subject of the barbarous custom of boarding with the man who would provide for him at the lowest auction price. He openly rebelled against the custom, defied the authorities, and resolutely left the town to return no more. He finally became a dweller in Chittenden, Vt., where his elder brother, Ezekiel, had previously settled. He there resumed his work at his trade, and secured for himself an independent liveli- hood. He d. at Pittsford, Vt., in 1836. His wife, Rebecca, d. at Shirley, April 7, 1821 ; she was buried in the old cemetery of the town, and her grave is surrounded by a durable enclosure, within which is a simple yet beautiful monument, all of which were reared by the hand of an affectionate daughter. Mr. Long- ley had nine children :
(I.) Stedman, b. at Shirley, Dec. 16, 1794.
(2.) Lydia, b. at Shirley, Aug. 15, 1796.
(3.) Dexter, b. at Harvard, Oct. 23, 1798.
(4.) Betsey, b. at Lancaster, Oct. 9, 1800, m. Samuel Gambels of Waltham, 1818, d. at Chicopee, March 2, 1846. She had six children : 1. "Samuel," b. at Waltham, d. young ; 2. " Eliza," b. at Waltham, d. young ; 3. "Rachel," b. at Waltham, Jan., 1822 ; 4. "Sarah," b. at Waltham, 1825, m. Lysander Howard, 1843 ; 5. "Charles," b. at Waltham, 1827, d. Nov. 27, 1872 ; 6. "Elizabeth," b. at Waltham, 1830, m. Horace Favor, 1850, r. West Springfield, 1879.
(5.) William, b. at Shirley, Aug. 24, 1804.
(6.) Luther, b. at Marlboro', Feb. 7, 1807, m. Eliza Jane Wilder, April 7, 1836, r. Leominster (1878). He has had five chil- dren : I. "Ellen S.," b. July 8, 1844, d. Oct. 8, 1845 ; 2.
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HISTORY OF SHIRLEY.
"George Luther," b. July 27, 1846, d. Feb. 24, 1848 ; 3.
"George Luther," b. Aug. 10, d. Aug. 21, 1848 ; 4. "Eliza- beth K.," b. July 14, 1849, d. July 29, 1850 ; 5. "Mary E.," b. July 16, 1850.
(7.) Rebecca, b. at Shirley, Oct. 31, 1810, m. George Lawrence, d. at Springfield, March 29, 1878.
(8.) Sarah, b. at Shirley, June 11, 1812, m. Thomas W. Wason, Nov., 1837 ; he d. at Springfield, Aug. 27, 1870; he was a builder of railroad cars, a very skilful mechanic, and was called away from life in the midst of his days and usefulness. His widow survives (1882) ; she has two children : I. “Sarah Jenny," b. Sept. 19, 1839, m. Henry S. Hyde of Detroit, Mich., Dec. 4, 1863 ; 2. "George Thomas," b. April, 1846, m. Alice Thomas of Rochester, N. Y., Dec., 1864.
(9.) Samuel, b. at Shirley, April, 1815, d. April 7, 1876.
8. ELIJAH, b. July 15, 1778, m. Betsey Stone, and lived on the, estate now owned by Dexter Bruce, where he d. Aug. 18, 1821. He had seven children :
(1.) Otis, b. at Shirley, May 6, 1806, m. Nancy Goodhue, Dec. 23, 1830. He has had three children : I. "Charles Otis," b. Nov. 24, 1831 ; 2. "Albert M.," b. Sept. 9, 1840, d. July 18, 1843 ; 3. "Albert Warren," b. Oct. 12, 1848.
(2.) Jonas, b. Oct. 1, 1808, m. Mary D. Bowers of Townsend, Jan., 1840, r. Lunenburg (1878) ; he has had two children : I. " Hiram W.," b. Jan. 7, 1841 ; 2. "Charles B.," b. April 23, I845.
(3.) Levi, b. Dec. 11, 1810, d. July 18, 1843, unm.
(4.) Nahum, b. March 16, 1813, m. Elizabeth Cass.
(5.) Serena, b. Oct. 14, 1815, m. Chaney L. Burnell, Feb. 5, 1843.
(6.) Elizabeth, b. June 10, 1818, m. William Stanford, Aug., 1855.
(7.) Sarah Ann, b. Aug. 30, 1820, m. Edward French, Nov., 1842.
9. LUTHER, b. at Shirley, m. Mary Bartlett, daughter of William and Lois (Cook) Bartlett, pub. Nov. 6, 1807. He lived on the Bartlett farm, near the present residence of Sidney Benjamin ; but at length became so straitened in his pecuniary circumstances as to ask town assistance toward the support of himself and fam- ily. He d. June 25, 1833 ; his wife d. July 31, 1813. He had three children :
(1.) Mary, b. at Shirley, June 28, 1808, m. John Folsom, Nov. 14, 1834, r. Lowell (1878); she has had two children : I. "John," b. April 13, 1838, d. May 6, 1841; 2. "Mary," b. Jan. 30, 1847.
(2.) Lucy Bartlett, b. at Shirley, Oct. 14, 1812, d. June 15, 1827.
(3.) Lois Bartlett, b. at Shirley, Oct. 14, 1812, m. Thomas Eaton of Shirley, June 27, 1835, r. Peoria, Ill. (1878.) She has had five children : 1. "William O.," b. at Shirley, Aug. 31, 1836 ;
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GENEALOGY .- LONGLEY.
he has been twice m., r. Clinton (1878). 2. "Sarah A.," b. at Shirley, Jan. 9, 1839, m. C. H. Stockwell, Nov. 27, 1860; she has had six children : 1. Sybil A., b. at Boston, April 25, 1865, d. at Peoria, Ill., Dec. 31, 1865 ; 2. Frank E., b. at Peoria, Dec. 31, 1867 ; 3. Eddie E., b. at Bushnell, Conn., Aug. 25, 1869 ; 4. Ida E., born at Lawrence, N. Y., Oct. 15, 1871; 5. Charles, b. at Monmouth, Ill., July 8, 1875 ; 6. Mabel F., b. at Monmouth, Ill., July 3, 1877. 3. "Mary F.," b. at Shirley, Dec. 31, 1841, d. Nov., 1856. 4. "Thomas A.," b. at Shirley, Nov. 30, 1843, m. L. A. Holbrook, Nov. 30, 1863 ; he has had three children : I. Nettie, b. at Peoria, Sept. 25, 1866 ; 2. Sybil A., b. at Peoria, Oct. 27, 1868; 3. Charles L., b. at Peoria, June 22, 1872, d. July 31, 1873. 5. "Sybil A.," b. at Clinton, March 26, 1849, d. March 31, 1856.
IV. SARAH, b. at Groton, Feb. 18, 1740. She was twice m., (first) to James Willard, by whom she had two children, JAMES LONGLEY, and another son; she m. (second) Hall of Swansey, and d. when about forty years of age.
V. ANNA, b. at Groton, March 10, 1742, m. Samuel, son of Nicholas Bartlett of Shirley, and d. at Hopkinton, N. H., April 18, 1826.
VI. LYDIA, b. at Groton, Dec. 31, 1743, m. Thomas Bennett of Lancaster, d. at Turin, N. Y., 1828. She had three children b. at Lancaster :
1. BATHSHEBA, b. June 2, 1767, m. Abijah Wheelock, Nov. 20, 1788.
2. THOMAS, b. Jan. 31, 1769, m. Asabel Phelps, Aug. 19, 1792.
3. LYDIA, b. June 1, 1771, m. Benjamin Houghton, Sept. 27, I796.
VII. ISRAEL, b. at Groton, Oct. 12, 1745. The following account of Israel Longley is from his grandson, Isaac, who resided in Para- dise, Nova Scotia, in 1879 : "In or about the year 1759 or 1760, there came from Shirley a man by the name of Longley, bringing with him a son named Israel, who was my grandfather. His father, after stopping one or two seasons, and liking the country, returned home to Shirley, with the intention of removing his family to Nova Scotia, and making that place his permanent home, but he did not live to effect his purpose.".
The readers of this history have learned something of the quaint- ness of the words and ways of William Longley, by allusions that have been made to him, and will be prepared to recognize, as characteristic of him, the following anecdote that occurred while he was abroad. In crossing the Annapolis river, on a boat loaded with brick, the crew and cargo went down, and it required consid- erable effort to save the passengers from drowning. Sometime after, the question was asked, "Mr. Longley, what were your 67
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HISTORY OF SHIRLEY.
thoughts while under water?" His answer was, " A living man has no right to complain."
He left his son, Israel, behind when he returned to the States, whom he apprenticed to a man by the name of Parker to learn the carpenter's trade. The boy was then sixteen years of age, and he made Nova Scotia the place of his life-residence. He m. Anna Kent, had fourteen children, and d. Sept. 16, 1824.
There is a well-founded tradition in relation to Mr. Longley, that deserves a place here. Soon after his marriage he decided to make his Shirley kindred a visit, and again look upon the home of his childhood, from which he had been long absent. From his home in Nova Scotia he had some twenty-five miles to travel before he came to water transport. He there cut up a sapling willow for a cane, and traveled to the bay, having crossed which, he landed in Maine, and proceeded overland to Shirley. He planted his cane in the ground when he had come to town, a few rods east of Mr. Davis' saw-mill, in Shirley Village. It took on roots and grew to be a great tree, and is the supposed progenitor of all the trees of its species within the town. At this writing (1879) the trunk of this huge willow lies upon the ground in a state of remarkable pres- ervation, having been felled about twenty years. A few feet from where this gigantic tree grew stands another, a progeny of the original, of large dimensions, at the base of which is a water-spring of excellent quality. I have sometimes thought that the fountain and its tree-guardian should bear the name of the planter of the original willow. The children of Israel Longley were :
1. ISAAC, b. July 2, 1771, and was twice m., (first) to Dorcas Bent, Sept. 16, 1794 ; she d., and he m. (second) Freelove Dodge, May 26, 1813. He d. Oct. 12, 1855. He had twelve children : (1.) Maria. (2.) Israel. (3.) Diadima. (4.) Lavice.
(5.) Ann. (6.) Lucy. (7.) David. (8.) Elizabeth.
(9.) John Fletcher. (10.) Dorcas. (II.) Minetta.
(12.) Isaac, b. at Paradise, Dec. 16, 1823.
2. ANNA, b. Feb. 23, 1773, m. Joseph Bent, and d. Sept. 12, 1860. She had ten children :
(I.) Warren. (2.) Lucy. (3.) Susan.
(4.) Amelia. (5.) Israel.
(6.) Fletcher, who is a Methodist preacher (1878).
(7.) William. (8.) Mary. (9.) Gilbert. (10.) John.
3. WILLIAM, b. March 10, 1775, m. Esther Dodge, Jan. 13, 1802, d. March 24, 1842. He had three children :
(1.) Bethiah. (2.) Susanna. (3.) Warren.
4. ASAPH, b. Nov. 26, 1776. He was twice m., (first) to Grace Morse, (second) to Dorcas Poole, d. June 3, 1853. He had seven children :
(I.) Warren.
2. Ellen, m. Ebenezer Balcom.
(3.) Caroline, m. John Hall.
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GENEALOGY .- LONGLEY.
(4.) Harriet. She was twice m., (first) to George Brown, (second) to William Sprawl.
(5.) Israel, d. Sept., 1871.
(6.) Avard.
(7.) William, d. young.
5. SUSANNA, b. Oct. 27, 1778, m. Jonathan C. Morse, d. Oct. II, 1842. She had seven children. Mr. and Mrs. Morse d. within two weeks of each other.
I. Edward. (2.) Israel. (3.) Eliza. (4.) Lucy.
5. Caroline. (6.) Minetta. (7.) Mary Cecilia.
6. ISRAEL, b. Sept 28, 1780, m. Mary Bath, who d. Nov. 29, 1842. He d. Nov. 29, 1871. He had nine children :
(1.) Tamer Cecilia.
(2.) John Bath. He was keeper of the penitentiary, St. Johns, N. B., d. 1880.
(3.) Israel James, r. Greenville, Nova Scotia (1878). He had one child : 1. "Robert Bath," b. [1841,] d. Sept. 4, 1861.
(4.) Lucy Ann, m. Delancy Grenever.
(5.) Samuel Charles, b. Oct. 3, 1815, m. Eliza Isabella Fowler,
r. Greenville, Nova Scotia. He has had four children : 1. " Mary Matilda," b. Aug. 16, 1841 ; 2. "William Fletcher," b. July, 1844; 3. "Caroline Eliza," b. July 10, 1848 ; 4. " Anna Gallandlet," b. Feb. 18, 1852.
(6.) Nehemiah Fletcher, b. 1818, d. Feb. 24, 1844.
(7.) An Infant, who lived but a few days, unnamed.
(8.) Robert Wesley, b. July 19, 1821, m. Charlotte Harris, Nov. 27, 1844, r. Grantville, Nova Scotia.
(9.) Mary Elizabeth, m. John Millbury of Digby, Nova Scotia.
7. DIADIMIA, b. Dec. 17, 1782, m. John McNeal of Halifax, a hatter by trade. She had seven children, and d. June 2, 1860.
(1.) Israel, r. Newfoundland (1872).
(2.) Henry, d. at Halifax.
(3.) Diedem. (4.) Susan. (5.) Margaret. (6.) Warren.
(7.) Edward, lost at sea.
8. CHRISTINA, b. March 20, 1785, m. John Chesley, lived in An- napolis county, Nova Scotia, had seven children, and d. May 9, 1855.
(1.) Ambrose. (2.) Nelson. (3.) Benjamin.
(4.) Eliza, m. Allen Morse.
(5.) Phebe. (6.) Diedem. (7.) Berthia.
9. ELIZABETH, b. 1788, m. John Tupper, had seven children, d. July 23, 1850.
(I.) Susan, m. Henry Randall, r. Newburyport (1878).
(2.) Miner.
(3.) Mary Eliza, m. Capt. Peter McRay, r. Bridgetown, Nova Scotia (1878).
(4.) Harriet, m. Edward Foster.
(5.) Alvira, m. George Murdock of Bridgetown, Nova Scotia.
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HISTORY OF SHIRLEY.
(6.) Israel, was drowned.
(7.) Mayhew.
10. LUCY, b. 1789, d. young.
11. WESLEY, b. 1794, lost at sea in the year 1818.
12. 13. 14. TRIPLETS, d. unnamed.
VIII. NEHEMIAH, b. at Groton, Sept. 4, 1747, m. Miriam Saw- tell of Shirley. He had nine children. Two birth-dates have been entered upon the records of Shirley, and no further account of the family can be given in these pages.
1. OBADIAH, b. at Shirley, Feb. 3, 1773. He was a Quaker by profession.
2. MIRIAM, b. at Shirley, Aug. 9, 1774.
IX. MARY, b. at Groton, Nov. 4, 1749, m. John Priest of Lancas- ter. She was removed to Westminster, Vt., where she had children, and where she d. March 22, 1822.
X. JOSHUA, b. at Groton, July 23, 1751, m. Bridget Melvin of Concord, March 20, 1770. She was the youngest daughter of Eleazer and Mary Melvin of Concord, and was b. Dec. 9, 1751 .* They passed their lives in Shirley, where he d. Nov. 7, 1814 ; she d. Feb. 27, 1817. Their remains were interred in the old ceme- tery at Shirley, and a beautiful marble headstone marks the place of their graves,-erected by a grandson, the late Samuel Chase, of Pepperell.
The different members of the Longley families had a general reputable standing in this town, where they lived, as their fathers had in the town where they were born. In their lives was pre- sented, it is true, the various phases of character that belong to our common humanity, from the grave to the gay, and from the mild to the severe ; yet but few of them failed to appreciate the duties of life, and to discharge these duties according to the dictates of a well-regulated conscience.
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