USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Shirley > History of the town of Shirley, Massachusetts, from its early settlement to A.D. 1882 > Part 60
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1. OLIVE WILDS, b. June 25, 1775, d. Sept. 21, 1841 .*
IV. IVORY, b. Nov. 25, 1751, m. Hannah Estabrook of Lancaster, April 3, 1777, and had two children, when he and his wife became converts to the faith of Ann Lee. He was made a deacon of the order, and died in the Shaker faith, Sept. 13, 1817. His children were :
1. NATHAN, b. April 14, 1778. He left the Shakers on attaining his majority, and m. Anna Porter, established himself in Marl- boro', and had several children.
2. LEVI, b. June 9, 1782. He followed the example of his older brother and left the Shakers for the outer world; m. Sally Edgarton of Shirley, July 6, 1806. He had six children, three of whom were b. at Shirley.
V. MOLLY, b. Dec. 25, 1754, m. Samuel Randall of Stow, 1774, and had three children :
1. IVORY. 2. EUNICE. 3. SAMUEL.
VI. OLIVE, b. April 7, 1757, d. June 2, 1775.
VII. PHEBE, b. Feb. 15, 1761, m. Levi Warner of Lancaster. She had one child when she with her husband joined the Shakers, in which faith Mr. Warner d., June 27, 1825, when Mrs. Warner left the Shakers, returned to the world, and d. in widowhood, Dec. 7, 1837. Her son :
I. ELIJAH, b. March 20, 1783, d. a Shaker, July 17, 1814.
VIII. SUSANNA, b. June 24, 1763, d. in the Shaker faith, Oct. II, 1817.
* The year that Olive W. Wheelock was thirty-five years of age (1810), she performed the following acts of labor : "Worked in the kitchen 9 weeks, spun 370 skeins of yarn,-carded 136 skeins of it with hand cards, doubled and twisted 1 52 skeins of it,-knit 13 pairs of socks and 19 pairs of gloves, sewed 8 days, ripped old clothes I day, picked wool 4 days, twisted yarn 4 days, pulled flax I day, washed yarn I day, washed every Monday in the year except 5, ironed every week, and a number of weeks I have washed and ironed 3 or 4 days in a week, scoured floors 3 days, the jobs between times not mentioned, and visited 4 days." This valuable woman lived to old age, and for a season was an eldress of high rank.
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HISTORY OF SHIRLEY.
WILLARD.
The first settler of this name in Shirley was
Willard, Nathan. He was b. at [Harvard or Lancaster] A. D. 1752, and is a supposed descendant of Henry Willard, who was the fourth son of Major Simon Willard, who was an early settler of Concord. When a young man, Nathan Willard builded a house in Lancaster, near what is now the Shaker village of Shirley, where he possessed a farm, and where he expected to pass his life. He had entered into a marriage engagement with a young lady, but before they were ready to consummate the rite, they experienced new light, through the preaching of Ann Lee, which came upon them with such overpowering brilliancy as to cause them to cancel their intention and doom themselves to lives of celibacy, preferring an order of believers as their associates who neither marry nor are given in marriage. They both lived and died in the Shaker faith. He died July 12, 1832, aged eighty years.
On their coming into what the Shakers call their church organiza- tion, they created Nathan Willard their chief trustee or deacon, as he was styled by the order, and he was continued in the discharge of his trust to the end of his life. And it is highly probable that the thrift and temporal success that marked the movements of the Shirley Shakers one-half century since, was owing to the skill and judgment with which their temporal affairs were managed by Deacon Willard.
The benefits of his life were not confined to his order, though that claimed his best efforts, but were spread over the entire vicinity of his operation. The poor found in him a helper, the unfortunate a sympathizer, the sick and afflicted an assistant, where hand joined with heart in works of benevolence and mercy. His fidelity to truth and righteousness prepared him for his promised crown of life. He lived to see many years, and, like Abraham, was buried in a good old age.
Willard, Israel, was b. at Lancaster, March 23, 1754, m. Susanna, daughter of Deacon John and Elizabeth (Patterson) Long- ley of Shirley, pub. Oct. 1, 1779. He was by trade a shoemaker, yet his main pursuit was that of agriculture. He owned and occupied the farm, in a southern section of the town, known by the present generation as the Firmin place. The early part of his married life was passed in Lancaster, but he came to Shirley as early as 1784, and d. there, May 14, 1821. He had seven children :
I. LUCY, b. at Lancaster, March 13, 1780, m. Charles Barker of Lancaster, d. Sept. 9, 1813.
II. SUSANNA, b. at Lancaster, April 6, 1782, m. John Heard, and had five children. She lived and d. at Boston.
III. ELIZABETH, b. at Shirley, April 30, 1784, m. Josiah Willard, Jan. 28, 1804. She d. at Boston, Jan. 15, 1854. She had seven children :
1. ALFRED, b. July 31, 1804.
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GENEALOGY .- WILLARD.
2. EDMUND, b. July 30, 1806, d. May 9, 1837.
3. JOSIAH, b. Aug. 20, 1808, a watchmaker, r. Milford (1856).
4. MARY, b. Aug. 9, 1816, m. Evans Buss, May 28, 1839, is now a widow, r. Leominster (1883). She has nine children :
(I.) Edmund Willard, b. at Boston, April 7, 1840, m.
(2.) Orlando Evans, b. at Boston, Sept. 2, 1841, unm.
(3.) Mary Elizabeth, b. at Boston, May 4, 1843, r. Leominster (1883), unm.
(4.) Ellen Maria, b. at Boston, Sept. 21, 1844, r. Leominster, unm. (1883.)
(5.) George Washington, b. at Boston, Dec. 2, 1845.
(6.) Susan L., b. at Boston, June 11, 1848.
(7.) Millard Taylor, b. at Boston, Aug. 20, 1850.
(8.) Adelaide L., b. at Boston, June 10, 1852.
(9.) Francis W., b. at Boston, Oct. 15, 1854.
5. ELIZABETH, b. May 20, 1819, m. Charles Hayden, r. Boston (1880).
6. SUSAN, b. Feb. 13, 1822.
7. ESTHER, b. May 4, 1830.
IV. LUCINDA, b. at Shirley, May 18, 1786, m. David Firmin, d. at Shirley, Dec. 29, 1873. She had seven children :
1. LUCY WILLARD, b. June 9, 1813, m. Isaac R. Mitchell, Sept. 4, 1836. She had six children, when her husband left her with her family, in the care of her friends, and went first to California and thence to the Sandwich Islands, from whence he never returned. Her children were :
(I.) Mary Elizabeth, b. at Boston, June 3, 1837.
(2.) Howard, b. Dec. 21, 1839, d. at Brooklyn, N. Y., Oct. 15, 1865.
(3.) Maria Louisa, b. June 19, 1842, m. Cyrus Alden Kilburn, Oct. 12, 1867, and d. Feb. 13, 1874.
(4.) Walter Channing, b. April 19, 1844, d.
(5.) Charles Francis, b. Feb. 18, 1846, d. July 30, 1846.
(6.) Charles Francis, b. June 23, 1847.
2. CAROLINE GREEN, born Dec. 18, 1815, m. Samuel Jeffers of Boston, March 9, 1845, r. Boston (1883). She has had four children :
(I.) Samuel Tucker, b. May 7, 1846.
(2.) Caroline Amelia, b. Nov. 23, 1847.
(3.) Susan Augusta, b. Dec. 19, 1849.
(4.) Lovina Firmin, b. March 13, 1853.
3. ELIZA C., b. Feb. 8, 1817, m. Washburn Davis of Harvard, May 19, 1846, r. Harvard (1883), a widow. She has three chil- dren :
(1.) Stowell Washburn, b. at Harvard, June 1I, 1851, r. Har- vard (1883), unm.
86
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HISTORY OF SHIRLEY.
(2.) Fohn Heard, b. at Harvard, June 18, 1853, r. Harvard (1883), unm.
(3.) Susan Augusta, b. at Harvard, Jan. 10, 1855, r. Harvard (1883), unm.
4. HORACE AUGUSTUS, b. Jan. 22, 1819, m. Eliza Susan McIntire, Dec. 12, 1854, r. Rindge, N. H. (1883.) He has had one child :
(1.) David Holley, b. Oct. 21, 1855.
5. LUCINDA, b. Aug. 28, 1821, m. David W. Hartwell of Harvard, Aug. 15, 1851, r. Harvard (1883). She has had three children :
(1.) Lucinda Firmin, b. at Harvard, July 1, 1852, d.
(2.) Lucy Elizabeth, b. at Harvard, June 5, 1855, d.
(3.) Daniel Wright, b. at Harvard, Nov. 10, 1856.
6. SUSAN HEARD, b. Nov. 5, 1823, m. Ebenezer Jeffers of Boston, Sept. 1, 1852. She has had two children.
7. DAVID HOLLEY, b. May 3, 1827. He has been twice m., (first) to Lucinda Lawton of Shirley, Sept. 28, 1857 ; she d. at Shirley, Aug. 3, 1875 ; he m. (second) Sarah F. R. Mason, Dec. 31, 1875. He has had three children :
(1.) Arthur Everett, b. at Shirley, June 27, 1858.
(2.) Henry Franklin, b. at Shirley, July 23, 1860.
(3.) Ella Grant, b. at Shirley, June 27, 1865.
V. CYRUS, b. at Shirley, Aug. 19, 1788, d. March 8, 1790.
VI. EDWARD, b. at Shirley, March 11, 1791, d. March 14, 1791.
VII. MARY, b. at Shirley, June 8, 1794, d. June 19, 1794.
WILLIAMS.
There are few names that have represented so many New England families as that of Williams. The earliest that came to this country was Thomas Williams, one of the crew of the Mayflower, who d. soon after the landing at Plymouth, and was without family. The next, in point of time, was Roger Williams, the great reformer, who immigrated in 1631. Many other families found settlements on American soil during the first century of its colonization ; among which was one Thomas Williams, who came to Groton as early as 1662 or 1663, and was one of the proprietors of the extensive terri- tory known by that name. He was m. in Groton to Mary , 1666, and is the supposed ancestor of the early families of the name, in Groton, Pepperell and Shirley. Savage says that the father of Thomas Williams, and the place of his previous residence, are un- known; and Butler says that the names and birth-dates of four children stand upon the records of Groton. Probably that was not
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GENEALOGY .- WILLIAMS.
.
the whole of his family. The line of his descent is not quite clear, owing, without doubt, to imperfect records ; yet it is apparent that he had grand-children among the early settlers of both Pepperell and Shirley, that they were established on farms which they inherited from their fathers, and which they conferred upon their children.
The first that was located in that part of Groton which was after- ward Shirley was
Williams, John. The name of his wife was Margaret, and they are supposed to have been among the very first settlers of the town, and probably owned a farm lying upon the line which separates Groton from Shirley. They had six children, recorded in Groton, because all were born before Shirley had a corporate existence. His name appears among the petitioners for a separate town, in 1747, but the time of his death and the place of his burial are unknown to us. His children were :
I. WILLIAM, b. Dec., 1723, m. Mary Perkins of Groton, Nov. 22, I 744. He had ten children, all b. at Shirley :
1. MARY, b. Jan. 4, 1745.
2. WILLIAM, b. April 8, 1747, according to town record, but April 18, 1747, according to Butler ; d. April 15, 1752.
3. SUSA, b. Aug. 16, 1749.
4. ISAAC, b. April 30, 1753. He lived on the farm now owned by Sumner Hartwell, and was twice m., (first) to Mercy Whittier, 1779 ; she d., and he m. (second) Susanna Blood, Aug. 6, 1795. He had ten children, all b. at Shirley :
(1.) John, b. March 15, 1780. He lived at the north-west section of the town, on the farm now known as the Neat place. He was twice m., (first) to Amy Hartwell, May 29, 1800; she d. March 21, 1818 ; he m. (second) Mrs. Hannah Parker, Sept. 20, 1818. He had eight children : I. "John," b. Sept. 7, 1806, m. Mary Foster of New Ipswich, N. H., Jan. 31, 1830 ; he had one daughter, b. at Gardner: I. Martha Ann ; he d. at Worcester, Oct., 1882 ; his wife d. May, 1882. 2. "Abel Hartwell," b. March 17, 1809, m. Rebecca Monroe, April 20, 1834 ; he d. at Gardner, Nov. 10, 1880 ; his wife d. June 14, 1873 ; he had three children, all b. at Gardner : I. Mary Ann, b. Sept. 11, 1837, m. Thomas Averill of Gardner, Oct. 19, 1856; she has had two children: 1. Melissa, b. at Gardner, July 15, 1858, d. in infancy ; 2. Katie M., b. at Fitchburg, Dec. 26, 1863, m. Dec. 14, 1882, Willie F. C. Pratt of Fitchburg. 2. Edmund L., b. at Gardner, Sept. 22, 1840, m. Dora Willis of Lunenburg, June 12, 1872, d. at Fitchburg, Oct. 26, 1882 ; he had three children : 1. Josie G., b. May 25, 1873, d. in infancy ; 2. Archie Stewart, b. Nov. 9, 1875 ; 3. Gertrude R., b. Aug. 25, 1876. 3. Maria,
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HISTORY OF SHIRLEY.
b. at Gardner, May 8, 1846, m. Daniel P. Gladding of Fitchburg, Oct. 12, 1864 ; she had three children, b. in Fitch- . burg : I. Alice K., b. Oct. 9, 1866; 2. Emma, born Aug. II, 1868, died in infancy ; 3. Otis, b. Nov. 14, 1874. 3. "Hiram," b. Dec. 25, 1812 ; he was twice m., (first) to Jane Norwood of Lynn, April, 1836 ; she d. ; he m. (second) Olive Hodgman of Lewiston, Me .; he had four children : I. Henry ; 2. Charles ; 3. Ida; 4. Carrie. 4. "Lovell," b. March 10, 1815, m. Betsey Young of Gardner, April 19, 1838 ; he has had one child : I. Eliza A., b. at Gardner, Aug. 7, 1841 ; Mr. Williams is extensively engaged in the manufac- ture of chairs in Fitchburg, and is an honest and careful business man. 5. "Hannah Elizabeth," b. June 20, 1819, m. George Patterson, removed to Rochester, N. Y., where she d., March II, 1846 ; she had one child : 1. Georgie, b. March 21, 1845, r. Fitchburg (1883). 6. "Lucy Catharine," b. Oct. 19, 1820, m. Alden Lawrence, Feb. 20, 1840; she has had three children : I. Henry Freeman, b. Dec., 1840 ; 2. Albert A., b. at Pepperell, 1852; 3. George, d. in infancy. 7. "Sarah M.," b. April 2, 1823, m. William G. Adams of Pep- perell, June 20, 1857, d. July 25, 1859. 8. "Sybil Sophia," b. April 2, 1823, m. Samuel K. Blood, April 9, 1843 ; she had five children : I. Alonzo K., b. at Shirley, Jan 6, 1844; 2. Alphonso M., b. at Shirley, Feb. 28, 1847 ; 3. Lorenzo L., b. at Shirley, Oct. 4, 1852, d. May 12, 1877 ; 4. Samuel Alfred, b. at Shirley, Jan. 28, 1857 ; 5. Arthur LaForest, b. at Shirley, March 20, 1861, d. July 31, 1861.
(2.) Lucy, b. at Shirley, March 26, 1786, m. Webb, and had children.
(3.) Isaac, b. at Shirley, March 22, 1791.
(4.) Rufus, b. at Shirley, Nov. 22, 1797. He m., and lived on the farm now known as the Joel Adams place for a time, when he removed from town, and is now dead (1883).
(5.) Noah, b. at Chelmsford, June 16, 1799, m. - Wyman, and lived for a season near the Porter Kittridge place, but soon removed from town.
(6.) Hannah, b. at Westford, April 6, 1801.
(7.) Rebecca, b. at Westford, Feb. 10, 1803.
(8.) Lucinda, b. at Chelmsford, Nov. 4, 1804.
(9.) Mary, b. at Chelmsford, April 11, 1807.
(10.) Zilpha, b. at Chelmsford, Feb. 10, 1810, m. Joel Eaton of Shirley, Jan. 21, 1834.
5. WILLIAM, b. at Shirley, May 30, 1754, m. Abigail, daughter of Captain Francis Harris, 1777, and lived on the place that was recently the home of Granville C. Davis, and d. there, Jan. 9, 1828. His widow d. March 13, 1836. He was one of the eighty volunteers that were called out by the alarm of April 19, 1775, and on the 29th day of the same month he enlisted under
-
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GENEALOGY .- WILLIAMS.
Captain Robert Longley for a service of eight months. He had eight children, all b. at Shirley :
(1.) Asa, b. May 25, 1778, m. Katy Lum, Oct. 17, 1804, d. Sept. 17, 1853.
(2.) Abigail, b. April 9, 1786, m. - Pushee, d. at Little- ton, Nov. 26, 1871.
(3.) Francis, b. March 5, 1788, was a soldier in the war of 1812, and d. in that service.
(4.) Alice, b. July 17, 1790. She was twice m., (first) to James McLay of Watertown, April 15, 1810 ; by him she had one child : I. "Mary," b. Feb. 10, 1811 ; she m. Horatio Whitte- more of Wilmot, N. H. ; she had one child : 1. Mary Ann, b. Feb. 21, 1838 ; she m. William Gould, Aug. 23, 1855. Mc- Lay d., and his widow m. (second) Asa Davis of Townsend. They went to live at East Cambridge, where he was engaged in glass-grinding. Afterward they came to Shirley, where Mr. Davis d., May 7, 1847. Alice, his widow, d. April 28, 1862. They had five children : I. "Asa," b. at Townsend, d. young. 2. "Matilda," b. at East Cambridge, d. young. 3. "Watson H.," b. at East Cambridge, Oct., 1825 ; he has been twice m., (first) to Julia Gove ; she d. Dec. 6, 1851 ; he m. (second) Mrs. Charlotte Daniels ; he is now a widower (1883), and has had two children : 1. Julia, b. 1847 ; 2. Alice, b. 1849. 4. "Granville C.," b. at East Cambridge, Aug. 23, 1828, m. Ann H. Kendall of Pepperell, July 1, 1851, r. Shirley (1883) ; he has had five children : 1. Frank G., b. at Shirley, Dec. 8, 1852, m. Lillian F. Craw of Shirley, Oct. 28, 1880; he is a preacher of the Baptist denomination; 2. Herbert G., b. at Pepperell, Dec. 10, 1855, d. April 20, 1856 ; 3. Julia E., b. at Shirley, Dec. 5, 1856 ; she m. Lawrence Birmingham, April 7, 1872, r. Galveston, Texas (1883) ; 4. Nellie J., b. at Shir- ley, Dec. 15, 1866; 5. Selena E., b. Sept. 3, 1870. 5. "Emily," b. May, 1834, m. Josiah Bartlett, and has had five children.
(5.) William, b. March 21, 1792. He was twice m., (first) to Phebe Hartwell, Nov. 13, 1817; she d. Sept., 1847; he m. (second) Margaret Balcom, Aug. 17, 1848; he d. Dec. 10, 1862 ; his widow, Margaret, d. Nov. 29, 1864. He had thir- teen children, all of whom were b. at Shirley : I. "William, Jr.," b. June 19, 1818, m. Susan Lawson of Shirley, March 31, 1845, r. Groton (1883) ; he has had two children : I. George, b. at Shirley, d. in the war of the rebellion ; 2. Isabelle. 2. "Emery," b. Sept. 10, 1819, m. Elizabeth Sawtell, June 6, 1846, r.' Shirley (1883) ; he has had one child : 1. Augusta Jenny, b. Jan. 6, 1848, m. Homer Wilson, Dec. 16, 1866, d. Dec. 15, 1872. 3. "George," b. May, 1823, m. Susan Le- land, r. Boston. (1883) ; has had four children : I. Charles ; 2. Francis ; 3. George ; 4. Jesse. 4. "Francis," b. May,
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HISTORY OF SHIRLEY.
1825, has been twice m., (first) to Elizabeth Park ; m. (second) Jane -; he has had two children. 5. "Andrew Poor," b. Feb. 26, 1828; he has been twice m., (first) to Frances Redding of Dunstable, May 30, 1855 ; she d. at Groton, Sept. 1, 1856 ; he m. (second) Mary A. Batson, Nov. 28, 1858 ; he d. Jan. 30, 1879 ; he had two children : I. Fannie Augusta, b. Aug. 5, 1862 ; 2. Ella Florence, b. Jan. 19, 1868. Mrs. Williams is a widow, r. Shirley. 6. " Harriet," b. Oct. 23, 1830, m. Henry Estabrook, April 26, 1854; she d. at Groton, Nov. 9, 1871 ; she had four children : 1. Harriet ; 2. George ; 3. Willie ; 4. Isabelle. 7. "Amanda," b. March 10, 1832 ; she was accidentally killed by the discharge of a mus- ket which she was attempting to reach to her brother, May 9, 1848. 8. "Granville," b. Oct. 29, 1836, m. Katharine Tar- bell of Pepperell, has been divorced from her, and has entered a second marriage. 9. "Priscilla Jane," b. Oct. 26, 1839, m. John Parker, July 21, 1867 ; she has had three children : I. Warren Haze, b. Dec. 4, 1868, d. March 14, 1869 ; 2. Lucy R., b. Feb. 24, 1870, d. July 22, 1870 ; 3. Mary E., b. Oct. 26, 1872. 10. "Lewis Edward," b. May 4, 1849. II. "James Albert," b. Nov. 4, 1850, d. Oct. 5, 1859. 12. " Phila Victoria," b. March 25, 1852. 13. "Francena," b. July 28, 1854.
(6.) Granville L., b. Feb. 8, 1795, m., and removed to Lovell, N. Y.
(7.) Priscilla, b. Aug. 13, 1797, m. Andrew Poor of Leominster, Sept. 5, 1819 ; she d. at Fitchburg ; had seven children : I. " Andrew Francis Williams," b. Feb. 19, 1821, d. Jan. 16, 1826; 2. "Thomas Elwood Sawyer," b. Oct. 1I, 1823, d. Aug. 29, 1825 ; 3. "Andrew Francis William," b. Feb. 20, 1826, d. Sept. 6, 1829 ; 4. "Thomas Elwood Sawyer," b. Dec. 25, 1827, d. Oct. 11, 1828 ; 5. "Charles Connor," b. Oct. 15, 1829, m. Martha Ann Truell of Grafton, N. H., July 12, 1852 ; 6. " Harriet Newell," b. Sept. 17, 1831, d. Jan. 2, 1846 ; 7. "Mary Frances," b. June 17, 1834, m. David C. Daniel of Blue Pond, Alabama, Oct. 7, 1857. She has had two chil- dren.
(8.) Alfred, b. Feb. 13, 1802 ; he was killed by a falling tree, April 5, 1836, unm.
6. JOHN, b. June 14, 1757 ; he enlisted into the continental service, June 14, 1775, for eight months, but d. before the time expired.
7. THOMAS, b. Feb. 22, 1760, d. July 23, 1763.
8. THOMAS, b. July 10, 1763, d. unm.
9. REBECCA, b. July 26, 1766, m. - ---- Blodgett of Hancock, N. H., had two children.
10. SARAH, b. May 17, 1770, m. Davis of Hancock, N. H.
*
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GENEALOGY .- WILLIAMS.
II. MARGARET, b. May 17, 1726.
III. ANNE, b. Oct. 20, 1728.
IV. SARAH, b. Sept. 10, 1731.
V. MARY, b. Dec. 7, 1733.
VI. ELIZABETH, b. Sept. 23, 1736.
Williams, John, fr. The records of Groton are so im- perfect that it has been found impossible to give anything like a fair genealogy of the descendants of Thomas Williams. I have supposed that John Williams, whose family register has been given in these pages, was a grandson of Thomas ; dates and circumstances seem to favor the supposition ; but the nature of his kinship with John, Jr., we cannot tell. They probably are from one and the same family, originally ; that they were both settlers in that part of Groton which is now known as Shirley, is certain from the fact that both of their names appear on the petition for a separation of the towns in 1747. It is highly probable that they were both located on farms in the northern section of the territory which is now Shirley when they en- tered upon their marriage relations, that there their children were born ; but whether either or both remained in Shirley during their lives cannot here be stated ; probably John did, as his descendants are yet here (1883).
John Williams, Jr., m. Elizabeth Cutter of Charlestown, May 5, 1741, and had three children :
I. DEBORAH, b. Oct. 26, 1741.
II. ELIZABETH, b. May 15, 1744.
III. JOHN, b. July 4, 1746. Dates go to render it probable that he was settled in Groton, m. Molly Everett, and had twelve children.
Williams, Jacob, was an inhabitant of Groton, afterwards Shirley, in 1747, as his name appears on the petition for a separation of the towns ; nothing further is known of him.
Williams, Dosiah, probably a son of Jason and Mary Wil- liams of Groton, b. April 4, 1735, m. Prudence -, and had two children, b. at Shirley :
I. PRUDENCE, b. at Groton, afterwards Shirley, June 26, 1751.
II. JOSIAH, b. at Shirley, June 26, 1753.
Williams, Nathaniel, was b. at Shirley, but left the town at an early age ; was a soldier in the war of Independence, was afterward married, and resided at New Ipswich, N. H., for many years. In his latter years he was both indigent and infirm, which compelled him to
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HISTORY OF SHIRLEY.
return to Shirley, his place of legitimate residence, where he d., a pauper, Nov. 6, 1817. He had five children :
I. SAMUEL. II. JOEL. III. BENJAMIN.
IV. EPHRAIM. V. BETSEY.
WILSON.
There was a family of this name that resided in Groton (afterward Shirley) as early as 1733, and we know not how much earlier, and it is probable that the land which now constitutes the "Parker Grove," in the centre of the town, with some of the surrounding territory, was the property of this family, as on the earliest tax-record it is denom- inated the "Wilson Lot." The name of the head of this family was
Wilson, Joseph. His family has no descendants in the town at this writing, nor yet can it here be told from whence he came, nor where or when he died. His wife, Sarah, d. at Shirley, Dec. 30, 1762. He was one of the signers of the petition that the territory be divided and that an independent municipality be estab- lished. He had seven children :
I. JOSEPH, b. Feb. 23, 1733.
II. SARAH, b. July 26, 1736.
III. ELIZABETH, b. July 4, 1739.
IV. JOHN, b. Sept. 7, 1742.
V. DAVID, b. June 3, 1745. He was twice m., (first) to Sarah Bolton of Westminster, pub. Feb. 4, 1780, m. (second) Martha Page of Lunenburg, pub. March 21, 1784. He was one of the eighty volunteers who responded to the alarm of the 19th of April, 1775. He enlisted May 25, 1776, for a service of sixty-eight days. He afterward enlisted for a service of three years, Dec. 2, 1777.
VI. ESTHER, b. June 14, 1748.
VII. SUSANNA, b. Aug. 14, 1751.
WOODBURY.
Woodbury Benjamin, lived in Shirley, soon after its incor- poration, in the north part of the town, on, or near, the estate of the
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GENEALOGY .- WILLIAMS-WOODS.
late Joel Adams, and had (according to tradition,) four children, con- cerning whom but few facts have been elicited.
I. AARON, b. 1755, m. Esther Scott of Lancaster, pub. Oct. 4, 1776. He lived in Shirley, and d. there, Aug. 13, 1821. In her years of helpless age his widow became an inmate of the Shirley almshouse. In that institution an aged widower also sojourned, a pauper-Moses Collins-who entered into a marriage engage- ment with the widow Woodbury, and by permission of the town overseers they were m. Oct. 26, 1837; she died Sept. 4, 1846. Aaron Woodbury was one of the eighty volunteers called out by the alarm of April 19, 1775. The children of Aaron Woodbury were five in number, and all b. at Shirley :
1. ESTHER, b. Oct. 11, 1778. She suffered from aberration of in- tellect, became a pauper, and d. unm.
2. AARON, b. June 7, 1780, left town unm., and settled in parts unknown.
3. SAMUEL, b. May 10, 1782, m. Polly Withie of Mason, N. H. He lived in Townsend and vicinity, after he left Shirley, and was engaged in different pursuits by which to secure a livelihood, without very good success ; he at length prepared a medicine in the form of pills, which he patented and carried about the coun- try for sale, and through which he obtained a comfortable support.
4. ASA, b. Sept. 12, 1785, left town before marriage.
5. THOMAS, b. May 6, 1787, left town before marriage.
II. JOHN, b. [1757.] He gave proof of his patriotism by enlist- ing in Captain Robert Longley's company, May 9, 1775, for a service of eight months. He m. Sarah Adams of Lunenburg, Jan. 19, 1782.
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