USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Shrewsbury > History of the town of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1717 to 1829, with other matter relating thereto not before published, including an extensive family register > Part 38
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WHITNEY, ELIJAH (s. of Thomas) m. Mindwell Hardy of Westboro', May 29, 1785, and had Azubah, b. Oct. 13, 1785. He was set off with his farm to Westboro', in 1793, where he d. Aug. 24, 1817, aged 56.
WHITNEY, JOHN S. (s. of Thomas) m. Susanna, D. of Deac. William Knowlton, in 1793. Chil. William Knowlton, b. April 5, 1795, at Westboro', but recorded here ; Artemas Hammond, Jan. 14, 1797 ; Joseph Hastings, Feb. 25, 1799.
* What relation existed between Thomas, and the before mentioned Samuel and Daniel, or either of them with the other, is not known. Probably all of the name, in N. E., have one common ancestor in this country, in John, of Watertown, who was made freeman, in 1636, and d. in 1673, aged 84. Six of his sons had families in Watertown. From this stock are numerous descendants ; of them was Daniel, who had a family of chil. in Weston, before 1722, but the names of his chil. are as yet unknown to mę.
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FAMILY REGISTER.
WHITNEY, JONAH (s. of Thomas) m. Anna, D. of Gid- eon Rider, May 21, 1797, and was then of Westboro', where he was killed in the removal of a building, Oct. 13, 1810, aged 39, leaving a D. Phila ; and perhaps other children.
WHITNEY, JOSEPH H. (from Westboro', s. of John S.) m. Lucy, D. of Nathaniel Green, Jan. 5, 1817. Chil. Lorenzo, b. May 4, 1817 ; and Martha Maria, April 13, 1824.
WHITNEY, SAMUEL, and his wife Fanny Hudson, came here from Harvard or vicinity, about 1823. She d. Oct. 10, 1826, aged 43. Chil. as recorded here ; Abigail Cutler, b. Jan. 25, 1813 ; Adaline Hudson, May 9, 1815; David Austin, Aug. 1, 1816 ; William, Sept. 6, 1818 ; Fanny, June 7, 1820 ; Robert Hudson, Aug. 23, 1822; Mary Ann, Jan. 23, 1825.
His 2d wife was Lydia Whitney, whom he m. April 1, 1828. Chil. Sarah Elizabeth, b. April 8, 1832, and George Francis, June 18, 1834.
WILDER, JOSHUA (probably from Lancaster) m. Sarah, D. of Maj. John Keyes, Dec. 21, 1731 ; he was then called of Shrewsbury. She was ad. to this chh. in 1728. Chil. Rosinah, b. July 1, 1732 ; the only one, whose birth is on record here; John, bap. Dec. 4, 1748. As there is no record here of the baptism of the D., it is sup. she lived but a short time, and as there is no other record of the s., than that he was bap. here, it is not probable he was b. in this town. Joshua Wilder was one of the first settlers in Princeton.
WILLARD, DANIEL (sup. a descendant of the distinguish- ed Maj. Simon Willard * of Lancaster) m. Rachel Wheelock of
* He d. in 1676. In 1713, the Gen. Court granted, upon the petition of his sons and grandsons, to them and their representatives and associates, 92160 acres of land, now lying partly in Rutland. Among the proprietors having one share each, were his sons Simon, John, Benjamin and Joseph, then living, and the heirs of Jo- siah, of the Rev. Samuel, of Henry, of Daniel, and of Jonathan, his deceased sons. This grant was twelve miles square, and divided into 33 shares. It is said by Jonas Reed, in his History of Rutland, that this grant comprised what is now Rutland, Oakham, Barre, Hubbardston, the greatest part of Princeton, and about one half of Paxton.
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FAMILY REGISTER.
Worcester, March 2, 1743. She d. here, March 18, -, aged 49. The year of her death cannot be ascertained ; but it will be seen, that it was after 1757, and before 1764. Chil. Asahel, b. March 16, 1746; Daniel, Feb. 25, 1748 ; Samuel, March 26, 1749 ; Ruel, Oct. 16, 1752 ; Beriah, May 25, 1755, and d. in 1756 ; Beriah, July 9, 1757. They are all recorded as the children of Daniel and Rachel Willard. He m. a 2d time. The record here is thus : "Ensign Daniel Willard and wid. Elizabeth Bay- ley of Marlboro', were m. Nov. 13, 1764." After that period, neither he nor any of his family appear on the records here. He is sup. to have removed to Greenfield, where his sons Ruel and Beriah are next found, and, having families there.
Justice Willard, a grad. of D. C., in 1811, and s. of Ruel, set- tled in Springfield, State Senator, Register of Probate, &c.
David, a grad. of D. C., 1809, and living in Greenfield, was s. of Beriah.
A Daniel Willard, whose wife was Anna, had Anna, b. in Sud- bury, in 1686.
A Daniel Willard, perhaps the same, with a 2d wife, Elizabeth, had Elizabeth, b. there, in 1688.
WILLARD, JONATHAN (perhaps a bro. of Daniel) whose wife was Sarah, had Josiah, b. Sept. 4, 1744, and Samuel, Oct. 18, 1746.
WITHERBY, * Capt. SILAS (originally from Marlboro') m. Thankful, probably the D. of Maj. John Keyes, and settled first in Grafton. There is no record, here or in Marlboro', of their publishment or marriage. I have said under the head of Maj. John Keyes, that his D., Thankful, m. Jonas Keyes, Aug. 20, 1731 ; that, perhaps, is erroneous, so far as to her being his
* John Witherbye (this name is variously written in old records, Witherbee, Witherbye, and Witherby) and his wife, Mary, had Thomas, b. in Sudbury, Jan. 5, 1678, who m. Hannah Wood of Marlboro', Feb. 20, 1699, and had Mary, b. in 1700; Hannah, in 1702; Thomas, in 1705; Silas, above mentioned, in 1707; and Submit, in 1710, all in Marlboro'.
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FAMILY REGISTER.
D. There is no record here of more than one Thankful Keyes, and as a Thankful Keyes m. Jonas Keyes at the time, before- mentioned, as appears by the marriage records of this town, she was taken to have been the D. of Maj. John ; but the chh. re- cords, and other evidence lead to a different conclusion, unless she was the wid. of Jonas Keyes, when she m. Silas Witherby, and the presumption is strong that such was the fact. Thankful Keyes was ad. to this chh. in 1723, and called the D. of, then, Capt. John Keyes ; and Thankful Witherby, formerly Keyes, was dis. from this, to the chh. in Grafton, in 1741.
When they removed from Grafton to this town, is unknown, but probably before 1780, as in that year he was ad. to this chh. from that in Grafton. He d. here, March 10, 1783, aged 76, and his wife, Thankful, June 17, 1782, aged, as appears of re- cord, 73 ; and consequently b. in 1709, which agrees with Marl- boro' record respecting the birth of Thankful, D. of John and Mary Keyes. Chil. as on record here, (but probably b. in Graf- ton, inasmuch as none of them were bap. here) John Keyes, b. Feb. 28, 1743 ; Levinah, March 19, 1745, and m. Samuel Wilson of Fitzwilliam, N. H., Feb. 1, 1780, and d. there, his wid. as is said, in 1838 ; Thomas, Jan. 1, 1747 ; Mary, Feb. 6, 1749, and m. Leonard Brigham, perhaps of Grafton, in 1774; Sarah, June 14, 1753, and m. Azarialı Wilson, Nov. 6, 1783; he was then of Spencer, and s. of Joseph Wilson, and Grace Harrington, and b. Oct 1, 1756. They removed to Fitzwilliam, and had, Azariah, grad. H. U. in 1816, Chaplain of the U. S. frigate Macedonian, Capt. Downs, and d. while in the service, at Valparaiso, unm. about 1818 ; his age about 27.
WITHERBY, JOHN K. (s. of Capt. Silas) m. Levinah, D. of Daniel Rand, May 3, 1768. Chil. Silas, b. Feb. 20, 1769, m. Sarah Brigham of and in Westboro', June 3, 1793, settled there, and had Mary b. in 1796, Jeremiah, in 1798, Joel, in 1800, Jesse Brigham, in 1807, and Esther Louisa, in 1810; Danforth, Aug. 28, 1771. The mother d. here June 23, 1775, aged 32. The death of John K. Witherby is not on record here. It is said he d. Feb. 5, 1811, his age then was 6S.
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FAMILY REGISTER.
WITHERBY, Lt. THOMAS (s. of Capt. Silas) m. Relief Heuston of Dunstable, N. H., and settled in Fitzwilliam. He removed to this town with his family, about 1777. He was in covenant relation with the chh. there, when he left ; his wife Re- lief was ad. to this chh. in 1783. He d. here, May 9, 1827, in his 81st year ; her death not on record. Chil. as recorded here, Lewis, b. Dec. 2, 1770; Jonathan, March 3, 1772; Thomas, Feb. 13, 1774 ; Sarah, Dec. 10, 1775, and m. Joseph Merriam, 3d, of Grafton, Aug. 28, 1794, and had Sarah, Joseph, Hannah, John, Charles, and Charlotte. All the before mentioned chil. were b. at Fitzwilliam ; Mary, Nov. 1, 1777, and m. Joseph Dis- peau of Grafton, May 1, 1796, and had Relief Heuston, John Sanborn, and Samuel ; Silas, Jan. 7, 1784.
WITHERBY, LEWIS (s. of the preceding) m. Huldah, D. of Joel, s. of John Wesson of Worcester Gore. Chil. as recorded here ; Oliver, b. July 21, 1793, and m. Mary Har- rington of Worcester, and had Mary, Sarah, James, and others ; Lewis, Aug. 21, 1795, and m. Deborah, D. of Capt. Charles Fay, Nov. 17, 1818, and had Prescott, Cyrus, and Caroline ; Hannah, Oct. 2, 1799, and m. James Bensley of Providence, and had James and Lambert ; Dennis Franklin, March 14, 1814, and m. in Southboro'.
WITHERBY, JONATHAN (bro. of the preceding) m. Virtue, D. of Silas Hemenway, Oct. 30, 1796. Chil. Thomas, b. April 2, 1797, (the only one on record here) and m. Amelia Adams of Athol, and had Jonathan Gilman, Jane Augusta, Mary Relief, Henrietta, Marietta, Ruth and Thomas. The parents removed to Brandon, Vt., and had Seth, who m. Elizabeth, D. of Joseph Williams of Bridport, Vt., to which town the parents next removed, and had Levi Jennison, who. m. Mary, D. of James Hamilton of Bridport, and had Charles and Eliza ; Relief, who m. Nathan Craft, Jun., s. of Nathan, of Jay, Me., Jan. 15, 1834 ; they live in Newton, and have Walter, b. in 1836 ; Mary Hemenway, who m. Chester Stevens of Templeton. in 1831, and d. June 3, 1843, aged 33, leaving Henry, Charles, Bucklin,
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FAMILY REGISTER.
Sarah Hazeltine, and Mary Susanna ; Sarah Merriam, who m. Thomas Hazeltine of Barnet, Vt., and d. April 7, 1838, aged 27 ; Silas Hemenway, who m. Sophia Goff of Monroe, N. Y. ; Susan Temple, who m. Luke B. Witherby of this town, in 1837.
WITHERBY, THOMAS, Jun. (bro. of the preceding) m. Susanna, D. of Capt. Thomas Knowlton, June 5, 1800, and lived on the homestead. They were ad. to this chh. in 1823. He d. Oct. 16, 1840, aged 66, 8 mos. Chil. Calvin Knowlton, b. Dec. 9, 1800, and d. unm. July 21, 1827 ; Thomas Heuston, June 25, 1802 ; Elizabeth, March 3, 1804, ad. to this chh. in 1823, and m. Elijah A. Brigham, in 1825 ; Luke Bueklin, Dec. 17, 1809 ; Jonathan Edwin, Nov. 11, 1815, and d. Dec. 23, 1836 ; Susan Relief, Nov. 26, 1818.
WITHERBY, SILAS (bro. of the preceding) m. Lois, D. of Paul Wheelock, Jun. of Millbury, and had Charles Silas, Joseph Vernon, Mary Lois, Jonathan Gardner, Charlotte So- phia, Reuben Miner, Luther Brigham, Persis Lucretia, Lucin- da Relief, and Daniel Thomas.
WITHERBY, THOMAS H. (s. of Thomas, Jun.) m. Lois Muzzy, D. of Ebenezer Drury, Feb. 22, 1824. They were ad. to this chh. in 1823, had George Franklin, b. Aug. 25, 1825, and removed to Millbury, where she d. in 1838.
WITHERBY, LUKE B. (bro. of the preceding) m. his cousin, Susan Temple, D. of Jonathan Witherby, lives on the homestead, and had George Thomas, b. May 13, 1840.
WILSON, JOHN, whose wife was Jane, had John, bap. here, June 10, 1733, " by virtue of a certificate from Ireland ;" and Thomas, who was bap. Aug. 18, 1731.
WILSON, EDWARD, who was ad. to this chh. in 1742, and d. here, Jan. 29, 1759, aged 71, is sup. to have been the
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FAMILY REGISTER.
Edward Wilson, whose wife, Hopestill, d. in Marlboro', Jan. - , 1731, and who there m. Margaret Angier, April 4, 1732. There is no record here of birth or baptism of any of his chil., nor is the name of his wife on record here.
Abigail Wilson, who m. Abiel Bragg, in 1753, and Susanna Wilson, who m. John Frost of Westboro', June 2, 1757, may have been his daughters ; they were of this town.
WAIT, JASON, whose wife was Mercy, had Sarah, b. May 9, 1743 ; and Hepzibah, Aug. 14, 1745.
WINCH, DAVID (probably from Framingham) whose wife was Naomi, had Rachel, b. June 10, 1754. Sarah Winch, who m. Edward Newton, Jun., in 1760, was, is sup. his D. as may have been Elizabeth, who m. Richard Stanford of Natick, in 1764 ; and also, Silence, who m. Ebenezer Belknap of Holden, in 1764.
John Winch was pub. to Kezia Lovell of Holden, Oct. 13, 1758 ; and Aaron Winch to Ruth Winch of Framingham, in 1773.
WYMAN,* ROSS (from Woburn, whose first wife was a
* He was a stout, athletic man, and, previous to the Revolution, while in Bos- ton, and in his wagon, came near being seized and carried off by a press-gang from a British man-of-war. He resolutely defended himself, and, at length, snatching up a cod fish with both hands in the gills, beat them off by slapping them in the face with its slimy tail !
He was a blacksmith by trade, a warm friend to his country, and ever refused to do blacksmithing, or other work for a tory. At the commencement of the Revolu- tion, Gen. Ward requested him to make him a gun and bayonet of sufficient strength for him to pitch a man over his head. He made it to order, and, of horse nail stubs ; it was a real king's arm, as a certain kind of musket was called at that day ; a valuable piece, and did the country some service. How it had done before, and in other hands, is not so well known, but some time after the Revolution, it was, when in the writer's hands, many times known to do execution, at one and the same time, both in front and rear.
John and Francis Wiman, probably brothers, were early settlers in Woburn. From one of them, no doubt, descended Ross, who settled in Shrewsbury. _ As his
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FAMILY REGISTER.
line cannot be traced from the records in my possession, I subjoin for the informa- tion of such as may desire to search out further particulars, so much from them, as here follows :
John Wiman and Sarah Nutt were m. in Woburn, 5. 9. 164-1, and had Samuel. b. in 1646, and d. in '46; John, in 1618; Solomon, in 1651; David, in 1654 ; Elizabeth, in 1653, and d. in 1633; Bathsheba, in 1658; Jonathan, in 1661; and Mary, in 1674. Lt. John Wiman d. iu 1684.
Francis Wiman and Judith Peirce were m. 30. 10. 16.41, and had Judith, b. and d. ju 1652; Timothy, b. in 1661 ; Benjamin, in 1674; and Stephen, in 1676.
It may be inferred from what follows, that one or both of them had other chil.
John Wiman and Hannah Farrar were m. in 1685, and had John, b. in 1686. She was probably the D. of Thomas Farrar, who was in Lynn, in 1650, and d. there, in 1694,
William Wiman had Francis, b. in 1685; and Thomas, in 1687.
Timothy Wiman had Hannah, b. in 1688; Timothy, in 1691.
Seth Wiman and Esther Johnson were m. in 1685, and had Seth, b. in 1686 ; and Esther, in 1688.
Jacob Wiman and Elizabeth Richardson were m. in 1637.
Jonathan Wiman and Hannah Fowle were m. July 31, 1690.
The foregoing marriages and births are found in Middlesex County Records, as transcribed from the records of the town of " Woeburne ;" so written in 1644, and " Oburne," in 1676.
Jeffs, and d. there,) came here with two chil. Levi and Eliza- beth ; Levi m. in Hubbardston, and had a s., Frederick ; Eliza- beth m. Hon. John Fessenden of Rutland, (Rep. and Sen.) Nov. 23, 1769, and had John, in 1770; Wyman, in 1772; Elizabeth, in 1775; Stephen, in 1777; Relief, in 1780 ; Thom- as, in 1783; and Sarah Wedland, in 1787. Mr. Fessenden d. April 7, 1793, aged 64.
Ross Wyman here m. Dinah, D. of William Taylor, April 10, 1751. She d. Nov. 15, 1759, aged 32 and 8 mos. Chil. Seth, b. Dec. 11, 1751, and d. June 6, 1752; Sarah, June 3, 1753, and m. Thaddeus Estabrook of Rutland, Dec. 31, 1772, and had Susanna and Sarah, and d. young ; Catharine, Dec. 9, 1755, and m. Jonathan Harrington from Watertown, his 2d wife, March 10, 1779; Seth, March 5, 1758.
The 3d wife of Ross Wyman was Sarah Hagget, a wid. of Bradford, whom he m. in 1761; and d. Sept. 11, 1808, aged
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FAMILY REGISTER.
92 ; his wid., Sarah, d. Nov. 30, 1808, aged 8S. Chil. Olive, who m. John Lake Whiting, in 1782; Susanna, bap. Sept. 30, 1764, and d. infant.
WYMAN, Col. SETH (s. of Ross) m. Mary Brown of Ips- wich, (probably New Ipswich, N. H.) sis. of the wife of Simon Maynard, in 1782, settled in Buckland, and returned here with a family, about 17SS. He d. here on the homestead, Dec. 29, 1827, aged 69 and 9 mos. ; his wid. Mary, Jan. 15, 1829, aged 71. Chil. as recorded here, Sarah, b. June 9, 1784, and m. Sylvanus Billings, Jun .; Ross, July 7, 1785, and d. here, unm., March 2, 1834 ; Seth, July 23, 1787 ; all at Buckland. Oliver, here, April 9, 1789; Mary, Feb. 28, 1791, and m. Calvin Howe, in 1815 ; Clarissa, April 7, 1793, and m. William Johnson of Shoreham, Vt .; Levi, Nov. 25, 1795.
WYMAN, SETH Jun. (s. of Col. Seth) m. Nancy, D. of John Baker, Nov. 28, 1816, and lives on the homestead. Chil. John Baker, b. July 12, 1817 ; Charles Dexter, Sept. 12, 1820 ; Jane Caroline, Sept. 6, 1822 ; Nancy Baker, June 28, 1824 ; Oliver Brown, Sept. 16, 1826; Lucy Maria, March 30, 1830 ; Seth Henry, Aug. 17, 1832; Mary Putnam, Aug. 29, 1834; Sarah Elizabeth, May 8, 1837.
WYMAN, OLIVER (s. of Col. Seth) m. Hannah Keyes, D. of Ebenezer Drury, April 15, 1819, and was drowned at Whitehall, Lake Champlain, in the month of Dec. 1825, aged 36. Chil. Abigail K., and Lucy Ann, both of whom m. in Vermont, and where his wid. m. - Smith of Brandon.
WHITTEMORE, NATHANIEL (sup. originally from Wes- ton or vicinity) m. Sarah, D. of Luke Rice, Aug. 17, 1753 ; He was then called of this town. Chil. Sarah, b. July 18, 1754; Nathaniel, March 9, 1756; Lydia, Feb. 15, 1758; Paul, May 24, 1760 ; Eber, April 24, 1762. Nathaniel Whit- temore had deceased in 1765. His wid Sarah, m. George Har- rington of Brookfield, March 31, 1774.
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FAMILY REGISTER.
This family name appears in the records of Charlestown, in 1670 ; where Nathaniel and Mary Whittemore had Nathaniel, b. Sept. 26, in that year.
WHITTEMORE, JOEL, (perhaps a bro. of the above) was here, in 1753, and m. Rezinalı, D. of Daniel Rand, April 28, 1761. She d. here, Dec. 29, 1768, aged 34 ; he is said to have d. young. No births of their chil. on record herc.
A Joel Whittemore, called of this town, was pub. to Hannah Allen of Westboro', in 1755, and may have been the preceding.
Whittemore, Jeremiah, who d. here, June 22, 1844, aged 78, m. Mary Washburn of Paxton, Feb. 21, (being his birth day,) 1792. She d. here, Sept. 24, 1843, aged 78. They probably had not resided here many years before their decease. There is no record of there having been such a family here previous to 1829. He was b. in Spencer, Feb. 21, 1766 ; his parents, Jer- emiah Whittemore and Mary Carter, both of Weston, were m. there, June 2, 1748, and removed to Spencer.
WALKER, HEZEKIAH, whose wife was Hannah, had Elizabeth, b. April 5, 1745.
Martha Walker, called of this town, m. Stephen Hastings, in 1757.
WRIGHT, JOHN m. Jane Crossett of Templeton, April 30, 1765, and had Martha, b. Dec. 23, 1765; and Lucy, June 23, 1767.
John Wright and Deliverance Houghton were in. here, Sept. 26,1781.
WRIGHT, MOODY, m. Elizabeth B. Barrows, in 1817, and had Joseph Moody, b. April 28, 1818, and Augustus War- ren, May 31, 1822. Removed to Boylston.
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WOOD, WILLIAM whose wife was Sarah, had Elmer, b. Feb. 23, 1787.
WHITING, JOHN LAKE (sup. from Lancaster) m. Olive, D. of Ross Wyman, in 1782. Chil. Relief, b. July 11, 1783, and m. Reuben Foster Blood, Feb. 24, 1805 ; Lucy, March 13, 1785 ; John Lake, and others, not on record.
The parents, with their chil., removed to Lancaster, where he deceased. His wid., Olive, returned and resided here nearly or quite 20 years, and d. his wid., April 14, 1842, aged 80.
WARE, JASON and his wife, Jemima Cowell, were from Wrentham. He d. here, Nov. 12, 1836, aged 71. Chil. as on record, and probably all b. here ; Martha, b. Aug. 28, 1791 ; Harriet Jemima, June 3, 1793, and m. Franklin Newell of Providence, R. I., Nov. 10, 1811; Maria, Dec. 4, 1797 ; Leander Merritt, Feb. 16, 1803, and settled in Providence ; Ann Janette, who m. Dr. Azor R. Phelps, in 1833; Samuel.
WILLIAMS, WILLIAM (from Pomfret, Ct.) m. Harriet, D. of Thomas W. Ward, Esq., May 13, 1817. She d. here, Nov. 13, 1824, aged 37. Chil. Artemas, b. March 2, 1818 ; William Gardner, Jan. 20, 1820 ; Thomas Walter, March 23, 1822.
He next m. Maria, D. of Isaac Denny, in 1826, and had Harriet Ward, b. June 17, 1827. Removed to Marietta, Ohio, about 1833.
WILLIAMS, Dr. SAMUEL C. (bro. of the preceding) m. Rebecca, D. of Edward Sumner of Roxbury, in 1818, and d. here, June 14, 1832, aged 43. Chil. Francis Sumner, b. March 30, 1819, and d. Feb. 4, 1823 ; Susan Rebecca, Feb. 17, 1821 ; and d. June 26, 1823; Emeline Sumner, July 19, 1823 ; Edward Henry, Nov. 7, 1825, and d. infant ; Ann Rebecca, Jan. 2, 1828. His wid. Rebecca, m. Adolphus Parmenter of Marlboro', in 1834.
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FAMILY REGISTER.
WHIPPLE, Rev. EDWARDS, from Charlton, where he was ord. to the gospel ministry, Jan. 25, 1804, and dis. in 1820, was installed here, colleague Pastor of the Rev. Dr. Sumner, Sept. 26, 1821, and d. Sept. 17, 1822, aged 44. His wife was Catharine Warner, a wid., her maiden name, Hall. She d. here, April 17, 1842, aged 70. No issue.
WESSON, ABEL (s. of Abel, of Grafton Gore, whose wife was Sarah Drury of Grafton,) lived in this town several years, and d. here, April 26, 1832, aged 60. His wife was Jemima Mills of Worcester. Of his chil., they are not on record here, Samuel, m. Relief, D. of Daniel Smith, Jun., in 1820 ; Phineas, m. Lucy, D. of said Smith, in 1824; Ephraim, m. Lucretia, D. of John Bellows, Jun., in 1829 ; Jemima, m. Jolin Johnson, in 1816 ; Nancy, m. Adam Harrington, 2d, in 1830 ; and Selena, m. Charles Harrington, in 1829.
WESSON, THOMAS D. (bro. of the preceding) m. Lu- cinda, D. of Abraham Rogers of Stow, in 1809. Chil. as on record here, John Rogers, b. Aug. 10, 1814 ; Lucinda, Feb, 15, 1818. Removed to Concord.
Silas Wesson of Grafton, afterwards of Westboro', who m. Sarah Rogers of Newton, in 1803, and John Wesson of Grafton, who m. Azubah, D. of Daniel Baker, in 1805, were brothers of Abel and Thomas D. Wesson.
DE WITT,* Deac. SAMUEL (formerly Witt, and altered
* John Witt was in Lynn, in IG50. His first wife was Elizabeth, the 2d Sarah. He d. there in 1675. Of his seven chil. two were sons, John and Thomas. John was one of the Selectmen of Lyun, in 1692. 'The next that is found of this family name, is in Marlboro', where was John with his wife, Mary, having William, b. in 1708 ; Jonathan, who m. Lydia Matthews, in 1713, and had Mary, b. in 1715; and Samuel with his wife, Elizabeth, having Samuel, b. in 1718.
These were respectively their first chil., according to Marlboro' records. They may have been sons of John, and were undoubtedly g. sons of John Witt, Sen., of Lynn. Families of this name soon became numerous in Marlboro'. From the line of Samuel was Samuel, who m. Lucy Adams of Acton, Oct. 30, 1787, and had Samuel, b. in 1791.
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by Legislature to De Witt, s. of Samuel and Lucy) came here from Marlboro', with his wife, Sarah Eaton of Framingham, in 1825. They were soon after ad. to this chh. She d. here, June 22, 1837, aged 43. No issue.
He next m. Asenath Eaton of Framingham, in 1839.
WORKMAN, Dr. WILLIAM (from Northampton or vicin- ity) M. D., M. M., S. S., H. U., 1825, came to this town about 1826, m. Sarah Paine, D. of Vashni Hemenway, Esq., Sept. 16, 1828, had Emeline, b. Dec. 24, 1829, and soon after removed to Worcester.
APPENDIX.
(A.)
BIOGRAPHICAL.
GENERAL ARTEMAS WARD.
" No kind of reading affords more entertainment and instruc- tion than biography." Zeno, the celebrated philosopher, when he inquired of the Delphic Oracle what manner of life he should lead, received for reply, " ask the dead."
We are profited by an acquaintance with the characters and actions of the wise and good of other days. Although dead, they yet speak. A knowledge of their actions, if public men, will imbue us with a deeper sense of our indebtedness for the privileges we enjoy; and stimulate us to preserve and transmit them unimpaired to generations yet unborn.
In all revolutions, a few master-spirits begin the work, and lead the way. In Boston, Hancock, Otis, and the Adamses, were among the earliest and most zealous supporters of the rights of the Colonies. They had able coajutors in the interior and coun- try towns, among whom the subject of this sketch stood conspic- uous. They were the founders, and became pillars in the temple of LIBERTY, how extended ! still extending ! under whose arch, broad as the land, the people are wont to unite, once in each year, to commemorate the virtues and valorous deeds of their forefathers, and in grateful remembrance of the past, renew the pledge of looking well to the future.
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APPENDIX.
Justice to all is a debt every man owes, and one that every man can, and is in duty bound to pay ; to the illustrious dead, it is one of honor and gratitude. An impartial sketch of the lives of such men, and a faithful relation of the important events, in which, from a love of country and a desire to benefit mankind, they were prominent actors, is not only due to their memory, but will prove an incentive among the living to noble deeds and im- perishable fame ; and thus, by keeping alive the spark, enkin- dle more readily the flame of patriotism, when occasion shall occur, if ever, to combat for our unalienable rights, our institu- tions, and our laws.
Biographical notices by descendants of their ancestors are not uncommon, and perhaps pardonable and justified by the public, inasmuch as they are supposed to be in possession, if any are, of documentary papers illustrative of the character and services of him, of whom they speak. Nevertheless, the position before the public of a biographer of his ancestor is somewhat similar, and the less excusable by being voluntary, to that of a witness testify- ing in a case where one of the parties is his relative. The public in the one case, as the jury in the other, are not insensible of the natural bias, and therefore often do, as they reasonably may, make some allowance, and, in some instances, not a little, on that account.
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