USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > The Pilgrims of Boston and their descendants: with an introduction by Hon. Edward Everett, LL. D.; also, inscriptions from the monuments in the Granary burial ground, Tremont street > Part 17
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310
THE GRANARY BURIAL GROUND.
one of Salem, who died about 1647 ; and one who was admitted free- man in 1639. William, of Lynn, in 1646, perhaps the member of the ancient and honorable Artillery Company in 1647, died March 5, 1683. His children were, Hannah; John, who died 1684; Lydia, Mary, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Lewis.
William, of Northampton, Representative in 1663. In the Old Burying Ground, Northampton, may be seen his grave-stone, with this inscription :
LIEVTEN. WILLIAM CLARKE,
AGED 81 YEARS, DYED IVLY 19, 1690.
Also on the grave-stone of one of his descendants, the following :
MR. JOSIAH CLARK, DIED APRIL 7, 1789. AGED 92 YEARS.
He was the youngest of six sons and five daughters, and survived them all ; from these five sons have descended eleven hundred and fifty- eight lineal heirs : nine hundred and twenty-five were living at his death.
" With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation."
Uriah, of Watertown, son of Hugh Clark, was born at Watertown, April 5, 1644, admitted freeman 1685. He was father of Rev. Peter Clark, Harvard College 1712, a learned minister of Danvers, whose sons, Peter and William, graduated at Harvard College 1739, and 1759, the latter an Episcopal minister of Dedham. A descendant of the sixth generation from Rev. Peter Clark, the whole series being of that name, was a member of Dartmouth College.
Lieut. William Clark, who died at Northampton in 1690, was one of the pillars of the church. His son John, born in 1651, had six sons ; John, Nathaniel, Ebenezer, Increase, Noah, Josiah, born from 1679 to 1697. They all lived in Elm-street. The sons of John, Nathaniel, and
311
CLARK.
Noah, settled in Southampton. Ebenezer died in 1781, aged 99; his son William died in 1807, aged 87; next William, son of the last, died Dec. 31, 1842, aged 78, the father of Hon. William Clark, of North- ampton, now living, who was a Senator of Massachusetts in 1840. His mother was Jerusha Wright, daughter of Bildad, and sister of Enos Wright, who for near half a century was Deacon of the First Church in Northampton. Increase Clark had six sons, viz. : 1. Daniel, Elijah, Moses, Simeon, Noah, and Josiah. Daniel died December 26, 1804, aged 92; his son was Deacon Solomon Clark, and his grandson was the late Allen Clark. 2. Elijah, deacon, died in 1791, aged 60; he was the father of Deacons Luther and Enos Clark. 3. Moses had fourteen children, one of whom was Deacon Israel, who died October 22, 1851, aged 86.
MEMOIR OF DEACON LUTHER CLARK.
I SAW AN AGED MAN UPON HIS BIER,
HIS HAIR WAS THIN AND WHITE, AND ON HIS BROW
A RECORD OF THE CARES OF MANY A YEAR ;-
CARES THAT WERE ENDED AND FORGOTTEN NOW.
AND THERE WAS SADNESS ROUND, AND FACES BOWED,
AND WOMAN'S TEARS FELL FAST, AND CHILDREN WAILED ALOUD.
THEN ROSE ANOTHER HOARY MAN AND SAID,
IN FALTERING ACCENTS, TO THAT WEEPING TRAIN, WHY MOURN YE THAT OUR AGED FRIEND IS DEAD ? * * *
* I AM GLAD, THAT HE HAS LIVED THUS LONG, AND GLAD THAT HE HAS GONE TO HIS REWARD ; NOR DEEM, THAT KINDLY NATURE DID HIM WRONG, SOFTLY TO DISENGAGE THE VITAL CORD.
WHEN HIS WEAK HAND GREW PALSIED, AND HIS EYE
DARK WITH THE MIST OF AGE, IT WAS HIS TIME TO DIE .- W. C. Bryant.
Deacon Luther Clark, born Oct. 7, 1767, died at Northampton,
312
THE GRANARY BURIAL GROUND.
Oct. 17, 1855, aged 88 years, being of the fifth generation from Lieut. William Clark. He was deacon of the First Church for more than half a century, and an excellent Christian. His wife, a daughter of Rev. Solomon Allen, born Dec. 1, 1774, is still living, at the age of eighty- one. They had nine children.
1. George Allen, of Brooklyn, N. Y., born Oct. 7, 1797.
2. Luther, of Northampton, born Nov. 27, 1799.
3. Elijah, born May 18, 1802, died Aug. 31, 1846.
4. Charles, of New York, born Aug. 5, 1804.
5. Nancy Allen, born Jan. 5, 1807, died Aug. 16, 1853.
6. Lucy Henderson, born Nov. 12, 1808.
7. Rev. Solomon, of Canton, Mass., born March 2, 1811.
8. Julia, born Feb. 27, 1813, died July 23, 1824.
9. Moses, of New Orleans, born Sept. 12, 1816. Luther Clark married Lucy Allen, Nov. 8, 1776.
Elijah Clark married, first, Elizabeth Thompson, Nov. 20, 1820; second, Frances P. Butler, Sept. 4, 1833.
George A. Clark married Elizabeth Lyman, daughter of Levi Ly- man, Esq., of Northampton, July 11, 1826, who died on Staten Island in 1852, sister of Lieut. Robert Lyman, who died in the United States service many years since, also of Colonel William C. Lyman, aide to Governor Clark, of Georgia, and of Mrs. Clarisa Lyman Richards, wife of Rev. - Richards, for many years a devoted missionary to the Sandwich Islands.
Charles Clark married Temperance Clark, July 26, 1827.
Luther Clark, Jr., married Louisa Heaton, July 13, 1829.
Solomon Clark married Elizabeth N. Haven, May 5, 1841. Moses Clark married Amelia Wells, Oct. 11, 1852.
Nancy Allen married William A. Wells, Aug. 26, 1833.
Deacon Solomon Clark (a descendant of Lieut. William Clark, who died in 1690), died some years since, leaving children, viz. :
Allen, who married Sophia Cook, of Hadley, Mass., and died in Aug., 1849, leaving children, viz. : Jonathan ; Allen, married Electa Strong, of Northampton, Mass. ; Harriet, married Sylvester S. Wright, of North-
313
CLARK.
ampton, Mass., son of Levi and grandson of Deacon Enos Wright; Daniel W., married Mary Reork, of New Jersey; Pamela, married Heman Smith, of Springfield, Mass .; Sophia, married James W. Beebe, of the city of New York; Edwin C., married Emily Hines, of Berkshire County, Mass. ; and Charles S. unmarried.
Experience, who married - Chapin, of Springfield, Mass.
William Clark, now residing in Brooklyn, N. Y. (of the fifth gene- ration from Rev. Peter Clark, who graduated at Harvard College in 1712, who married Fanny H. Silver, of Montpelier, Vt.), is a son of Benjamin Clark, who married Susannah Bass, of Braintree, Mass. He was a son of Peter, who married -. His father was Peter, who married
In the " Old Burial-ground " in Plymouth, Mass., we copied in 1851 the following :
HERE LYES YE BODY OF MR. THOMAS CLARK, AGED 98 YEARS, DEPARTED THIS LIFE MARCH YE 24TH, 1627. MATE OF THE MAYFLOWER.
314
THE GRANARY BURIAL GROUND.
HERE LYES YE BODY OF
JOHN COLESWORTHY, SENIOR,
AGED 39 YEARS,
DIED FEBRUARY YE * * , 1756.
HERE LYETH BURIED THE BODY OF
ELIZABETH ELIOTT,
THE WIFE OF ASAPH ELIOTT, AGED ABOUT 26 YEARS,
DEPARTED THIS LIFE YE 10 OF MARCH, 1680.
HERE LIES BURIED THE BODY OF
MR. JOHN HOOTON,
WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE JUNE 24TH, 1760,
AGED 71 YEARS. -
HERE LIES BURIED YE BODY OF
MISS ELISABETH BURR,
DAU'R OF MR. MICHAEL & MRS. ELISABETH BURR,
WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE
MARCH 15TH, 1760, IN YE 23D YEAR OF HER AGE.
315
INSCRIPTIONS.
HERE LYES YE BODY OF
MR. SAMUEL SMITH,
WHO DIED DEC'R YE 29TH, 1743, IN YE 45TH YEAR OF HIS AGE.
JAMES,
SON TO YE ABOVE SMITH, & MRS. SARAH, HIS WIFE,
DIED JULY 15TH, 1742, AGED 17 MONTHS.
ROBERT, SON AS ABOVE,
DIED OCT. 19, 1744, AGED 16 MONTHS.
HERE LYES YE BODY OF
CAPT. ROBERT RANKIN,
WHO DIED JAN. 25TH, A. D. 1745 AGED 30 YEARS.
HERE LIES YE BODY OF
MARGARET ELIOT,
DAU'R OF MR. SIM ** , MRS. JANE ELIOT,
AGED 17 YEARS, DIED MAY YE 10TH, 1752.
316
THE GRANARY BURIAL GROUND.
WILLIAM DICKSON,
SON TO MR. WILLIAM & MRS. MARTHA DICKSON,
AGED 3 YEARS & 7 MO. DIED SEPT. YE 27TH, 1747.
HERE LIES INTERED THE REMAINS OF
MR. JOHN BALL,
WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE MAY YE 5TH, 1768, AGED 47 YEARS.
"A GOOD NAME IS BETTER THAN PRECIOUS OINTMENT.
AN UPRIGHT THY PROMISE * *
MAY CLAIM, AND WITH ACCEPTANCE ON THY ALTAR FLAME,
NOR DEATH'S DAMP SHADES * * * THE HEAVENLY RAY,
PALMS, CROWNS, & ANGELS WAIT THY RISING DAY.
ARMS.
HERE LIES THE BODY OF
MRS. DEBORAH SALISBURY,
THE WIFE OF
MR. BENJ'N SALISBURY,
WHO DIED AUG'ST 3D, 1769,
AGED 60 YEARS.
HERE LIES
THE BODY OF
MR. BENJ'N SALISBURY,
WHO DIED MARCH 15TH, 1770,
AGED 70 YEARS.
BRATTLE.
THOMAS BRATTLE, freeman, and member of the ancient and honor able artillery company in 1672, a respectable merchant of Boston, was born Sept. 5, 1657, graduated at Harvard College 1676, and was after- wards Treasurer of that institution. He was principal founder of the Church in Brattle-street, of which Dr. Coleman was the first min- ister. His death occurred May 18, 1713, in the fifty-sixth year of his age. He was the brother-in-law of Mr. Pemberton. Several of his communications on astronomical subjects, were in the philosophical transactions. He wrote an excellent letter, giving an account of the witchcraft delusion in 1692, which is preserved in the historical col- lections.
WILLIAM BRATTLE, minister of Cambridge, Mass., brother of the . preceding, was born in Boston about the year 1662, graduated at Harvard College in 1680. He was tutor for several years, and a fellow of that institution. He exerted himself to form his pupils to virtue and the fear of God, punishing vice with the authority of a master, and cherishing every virtuous disposition with parental tenderness. When the small-pox prevailed in the college, he was not driven away in terror, but with benevolent courage remained at his post, and visited the sick, both that he might administer to them relief, and might inspire them with those hopes which were necessary to their salvation. As he had never experienced the disease, he now took it in the natural way; for the practice of inoculation had not been introduced into America. But the course of the disorder was mild, and he was soon restored to his usual
318
THE GRANARY BURIAL GROUND.
health. He was ordained pastor of the church in Cambridge, as suc- cessor of Mr. Gookin, Nov. 25, 1696, and after a useful ministry of twenty years, died Feb. 15, 1717. " Farmer," withal, erroneously says March for February. He was succeeded by Dr. Appleton. His funeral was attended February 20, a day memorable for the great snow which then commenced, and which detained for several days at Cam- bridge the magistrates and ministers who were assembled on the occa- sion. The snow was six feet deep in Boston. Mr. Brattle was a very religious, good man, an able divine, and an excellent scholar. Such was his reputation for science, that he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society. He was polite and affable, compassionate and charitable. Having a large estate, he distributed of his abundance with a liberal hand; but his charities were secret and silent. His pacific spirit and his moderation were so conspicuous, as to secure to him the respect of all denominations. So remarkable was his patience under injuries, and such use did he make of the troubles of life, that he was heard to observe, that he knew not how he could have spared any of his trials. Uniting courage with his humility, he was neither bribed by the favor nor overawed by the displeasure. He was a man of great learning and abilities, and at once a philosopher and divine. But he placed neither learning nor religion in unprofitable speculations, but in such solid and substantial truth as improves the mind and is beneficial to the world. The promotion of religion, learning, virtue, and peace, was the great object in which he was constantly engaged. As he possessed penetra- tion and a sound judgment, his counsel was often sought and highly respected. Such was his regard to the, interest of literature, that he bequeathed to Harvard College two hundred and fifty pounds, besides a much greater sum in other charitable and pious legacies. With regard to his manner of preaching, Dr. Coleman, comparing him and Mr. Pem- berton, who died about the same time, observes: "They performed the public service in the house of God with a great deal of solemnity, though in a manner somewhat different ; for Mr. Brattle was all calm and soft and melting, but Mr. Pemberton was all flame and zeal and earnest-
319
BRATTLE.
ness." The death of this good man, after a languishing disease, was peaceful and serene.
He published a system of logic, entitled “ Compendium logicæ secun- dem principia D. Renati Cartesii plerumque efformatum et catechistice propositum." It was held in high estimation and long recited at Harvard College. An edition of it was published in 1758.
WILLIAM BRATTLE, a man of extraordinary talents and character, the son of the preceding, graduated at Harvard College in 1722. He was a Representative of Cambridge in the General Court, and was long a member of the Council. He studied theology and preached with accept- ance. His eminence as a lawyer drew around him an abundance of clients. As a physician his practice was extensive and celebrated. He was also a military man, and obtained the appointment of Major-general of the militia.
While he secured the favor of the Governor of the State, he also ingratiated himself with the people. In his conduct there were many eccentricities. He was attached to the pleasures of the table. At the commencement of the American Revolution an unhappy sympathy in the plans of General Gage led him to retire into Boston, from which place he accompanied the troops to Halifax, where he died in October, 1776. His first wife was the daughter of Governor Saltonstall ; his second was the widow of James Allen, and daughter of Colonel Fitch. His son, Thomas Brattle, of Cambridge, died Feb. 7, 1801.
320
THE GRANARY BURIAL GROUND.
HERE LIES YE BODY O*
JOHN WAREFIELD,
AGED 52 YEARS,
DEC'D JUNE YE 18, 1667.
[On the other side is the following inscription :]
ERE LYETH YE BODY *F
JOHN CHILD,
AGED ABOUT 80 YEARS, DIED APRIL 3D, 1703.
IN MEMORY OF
MR. NATH'L HURD,
OF BOSTON,
AN EMINENT GOLDSMITH & ENGRAVER,
WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE 17TH DEC'R, 1777, Æ. 48 YEARS.
-
FRANK,
SERVANT TO JOHN HANCOCK, ESQ.
LIES INTERED HERE,
WHO DIED 23D JAN'Y, 1771, ETATIS 8.
INSCRIPTIONS. 321
IN MEMORY OF
NANCY MAIN, DAUG'R OF MR. JOHN & MRS. EUNICE MAIN, WHO DIED APRIL 20, 1782, AGED 2 YEARS.
HERE LYES YE BODY OF
MRS. MARY CURSELL, AGED 66 YEARS, DIED JUNE YE 25TH, 1747.
HERE LYES YE BODY OF
MRS. HANNAH GRAINGER,
WIFE OF MR. SAMUEL GRAINGER, OF BOSTON, SCHOOLMASTER,
AGED 31 YEARS, DEC'D JUNE YE 11TH, 1722.
HERE LYES BURIED THE BODY OF MR. JAMES MAGGY,
WHO DIED JULY 8TH, 1774, IN THE 28TH YEAR OF HIS AGE. 21
322
THE GRANARY BURIAL GROUND.
HERE LIES YE BODY OF
MRS. JANE MCMILLEN,
THE WIFE OF MR. ROBERT MCMILLEN,
AGED 36 YEARS, DIED APRIL YE 12TH, 1746.
JAMES MCMILLEN,
SON OF MR. ROBERT & MRS. JANE MCMILLEN,
21 MONTHS,
DIED SEPT. 5TH, 1743.
AGNISS, ,
DAU'R TO WILLIAM & AGNISS HOOG,
AGED 1 YEAR, DEC'D MARCH YE 24, 1735.
HERE LYES YE BODY OF
MRS. ELISABETH VICKERY,
WIFE OF MR. BENJAMIN VICKERY,
WHO DIED AUGUST THE 20TH, 1764,
AGED 42 YEARS.
FRANKLIN.
JOSIAH FRANKLIN.
JOSIAH FRANKLIN, Boston, was the son of Thomas Franklin, of Ecton, in Northamptonshire, who was born in 1598. He came to New Eng- land about 1682, and died at the age of eighty-seven. His brother Benjamin, a silk dyer, also came to New England, and left posterity in Boston. The first wife of Josiah was Anna, by whom he had, 1. Josiah, born Aug. 23, 1685 ; 2. Anna, born 1687; 3. Joseph, born Jan. 5, 1688; 4. Joseph 2d, born June 30, 1689. The second wife was Abiah, daughter of Peter Folger, and his children were: 5. John, born Dec. 7, 1690; 6. Peter, born Nov. 22, 1692; 7. Mary, born 1694; 8. James, born Feb. 4, 1697; 9. Sarah, born 1699; 10. Ebenezer, born 1701, died 1703; 11. Thomas, born Dec. 7, 1703; 12. Benjamin, the philosopher, born Jan. 6, 1706, died at Philadelphia, April 17, 1790, aged eighty-four ; 13. Lydia, born 1708; 14. Jane, born 1712.
William, Ipswich 1634, thence to Newbury and Boston, was admit- ted freeman 1638. The particulars of his death in 1644 are given by Winthrop, ii., 183-185. His son, William, was admitted a townsman in Boston, March 28, 1642. His children born in Boston were: Elizabeth, 1638; John, July 14, 1642; Benjamin, October 12, 1643, who had several children; Ebenezer, who died in 1644; and Eleazar, born Oct. 4, 1645.
324
THE GRANARY BURIAL GROUND.
William Franklin Eg Governor of New Jersey
WILLIAM FRANKLIN, the last royal Governor of New Jersey, the son of Dr. Franklin, was born about 1731. He was a captain in the French war, and served at Ticonderoga. After the peace of Paris he accompanied his father to England. Going to Scotland, he became acquainted with the Earl of Bute, who recommended him to Lord W HC WLAND Se. Halifax, and by the latter he was ap- pointed Governor of New Jersey in 1763. He continued in office, firm in loyalty till the beginning of the Revolution, when the whigs, in July, 1776, sent him to Connecticut. On his release he sailed to England,
325
FRANKLIN.
and obtained a pension for his losses. He died in England November 17, 1813, aged eighty-two. His first wife was a West Indian, by whom he had a son ; his second wife was a native of Ireland. His son, Wil- liam Temple Franklin, editor of the works of Dr. Franklin, died at Paris May 25, 1823 .- Allen's Bio. Dic.
May Boston boys remember, that BENJAMIN FRANKLIN began his career as a hawker of ballads in their own streets, and ended it by making treaties with the Kings of Europe .- Charles Sprague.
MEMOIR OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.
BY HIMSELF.
SOME notes which one of my uncles (who had the same curiosity in collecting family anecdotes) once put into my hands, furnished me with several particulars relative to our ancestors. From these notes I learned that they lived in the same village, Ecton, in Northamptonshire, on a freehold of about thirty acres, for at least three hundred years, and how much longer could not be ascertained .*
* Perhaps from the time when the name of FRANKLIN, which before was the name of an order of people, was assumed by them for a surname, when others took surnames all over the kingdom.
As a proof that FRANKLIN was anciently the common name of an order or rank in England, see Judge Fortesque, De laudibus Legum Anglic, written about the year 1412, in which is the following passage, to show that good juries might easily be formed in any part of England.
" Regio etiam illa, ita respersa refertaque est possessoribus terrarum et agrorum, quod in eâ, villula tam parva reperiri non poterit, in quâ non est miles, armiger, vel pater-familias, qualis ibidem Franklin vulgariter noncupatur, magnis ditatus posses- sionibus, nec non libere tenentes et alii valecti plurimi, suis patrimoniis sufficientes ad faciendum juratum in formâ prænotatâ."
" Moreover, the same country is so filled and replenished with landed menne, that therein so small a Thorpe cannot be found wherein dweleth not a knight, an esquire,
326
THE GRANARY BURIAL GROUND.
Franklin wheeling home his Printing Paper.
This small estate would not have sufficed for their maintenance with- out the business of a smith, which had continued in the family down to my uncle's time, the eldest son being always brought up to that employ- ment-a custom which he and my father followed with regard to their eldest sons. When I searched the registers at Ecton, I found an account of their marriages and burials from the year 1555 only, as the register kept did not commence previous thereto. I, however, learned from it that I was the youngest son of the youngest son for five generations back. My grandfather Thomas, who was born in 1598, lived at Ecton till he was too old to continue his business, when he retired to Banbury, in
or such a householder, as is there commonly called a Franklin, enriched with great possessions ; and also other freeholders and many yeomen able for their livelihoods to make a jury in form aforementioned."-Old Translation.
Chaucer, too, calls his Country Gentleman a Franklin, and, after describing his good housekeeping, thus characterizes him :
" This worthy Franklin bore a purse of silk, Fixed to his girdle, white as morning milk. Knight of the Shire, first Justice at th' Assize, To help the poor, the doubtful to advise. In all employments, generous, just, he proved ; Renowned for courtesy, by all beloved."
327
FRANKLIN.
Oxfordshire, to the house of his son John, with whom my father served an apprenticeship. There my uncle died and lies buried. We saw his gravestone in 1758. His eldest son Thomas lived in the house at Ecton, and left it with the land to his only daughter, who, with her husband, one Fisher, of Wellingborough, sold it to Mr. Isted, now lord of the manor there. My grandfather had four sons, who grew up, viz : Thomas, John, Benjamin, and Josiah. Being at a distance from my papers, I will give you what account I can of them from memory : and if my papers are not lost in my absence, you will find among them many more particulars.
Thomas, my eldest uncle, was bred a smith under his father ; but, being ingenious, and encouraged in learning (as all my brothers were) by an Esquire Palmer, then the principal inhabitant of that parish, he
E
Franklin on guard.
qualified himself for the bar, and became a considerable man in the county ; was chief mover of all public-spirited enterprises for the county or town of Northampton, as well as of his own village, of which many instances were related of him; and he was much taken notice of and pa- tronized by Lord Halifax. He died in 1702, on the 6th of January, four years to a day before I was born. The recital, which some elderly persons made to us of his character, I remember, struck you as something extraor- dinary, from its similarity with what you know of me. "Had he died,"
328
THE GRANARY BURIAL GROUND.
said you, " four years later on the same day, one might have supposed a transmigration."
-
PECKHAM. SO. " !!!
Franklin sharing his roll with the Emigrant.
John, my next uncle, was bred a dyer, I believe of wool. Benjamin was bred a silk dyer, serving an apprenticeship in London. He was an ingenious man. I remember, when I was a boy, he came to my father's in Boston, and resided in the house with us for several years. There was always a particular affection between my father and him, and I was his godson. He lived to a great agc. He left behind him two quarto
329
FRANKLIN.
volumes of manuscript, of his own poetry, consisting of fugitive pieces addressed to his friends. He had invented a short-hand of his own, which he taught me, but, not having practised it, I have now forgotten it. He was very pious, and an assiduous attendant at the sermons of the best preachers, which he reduced to writing according to his method, and thus had collected several volumes of them. He was also a good deal of a politician ; too much so, perhaps, for his station. There fell lately into my hands, in London, a collection he made of all the princi- pal political pamphlets relating to public affairs, from the year 1641 to 1717 ; many of the volumes are wanting, as appears by their numbering, but there still remains eight volumes in folio, and twenty in quarto and in octavo. A dealer in old books had met with them, and knowing me by name, having bought books of him, he brought them to me. It would appear that my uncle must have left them here when he went to America, which was about fifty years ago. I found several of his notes in the margins. His grandson, Samuel Franklin, is still living in Boston.
Mrs. Franklin sewing books.
Our humble family early embraced the Reformed religion. Our forefathers continued Protestants through the reign of Mary, when they were sometimes in danger of persecution on account of their zeal against
330
THE GRANARY BURIAL GROUND.
popery. They had an English Bible, and to conceal it, and place it in safety, it was fastened open with tapes under and within the cover of a joint-stool. When my great-grandfather wished to read it to his fam- ily, he placed the joint-stool on his keees, and then turned over the leaves under the tapes. One of the children stood at the door to give notice if he saw the appirator coming, who was an officer of the spiritual court. In that case the stool was turned down again upon its feet, when the Bible remained concealed under it as before. This anecdote I had from Uncle Benjamin. The family continued all of the Church of Eng- land till about the end of Charles II.'s reign, when some of the ministers that had been ousted for their non-conformity, holding conventicles in Northamptonshire, my Uncle Benjamin and Father Josiah adhered to them, and so continued all their lives ; the rest of the family remained with the Episcopal Church.
My father married young, and carried his wife with three children to New England, about 1685. The conventicles being at that time for- bidden by law, and frequently disturbed in their meetings, some consid- erable men of his acquaintance determined to go to that country, and he was prevailed with to accompany them thither, where they expected to enjoy the exercise of their religion with freedom. By the same wife my father had four children more born there, and by a second wife ten . others, in all seventeen; of whom I remember to have seen thirteen sitting together at his table, who all grew up to years of maturity, and were mar- ried ; I was the youngest son, and the youngest of all the children except two daughters. I was born in Boston, in New England .* My mother, the second wife of my father, was Abiah Folger, daughter of Peter Fol- ger, one of the first settlers of New England, of whom honorable mention is made by Cotton Mather, in his ecclesiastical history of that country,
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