USA > New York > Genealogical and family history of central New York : a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the building of a nation, Volume III > Part 55
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(I) William Cowdrey or Cowdery, immi- grant ancestor, was born in 1602 at Wey- mouth, England, died November 10, 1687, at Reading, Massachusetts. He sailed from Southampton. England, in 1630, and settled first at Lynn, Massachusetts, on the land on which stood the late Quannapowett House on the Common. He was a prominent and active citizen there for many years, and held the of- fices of clerk of the writs, town clerk, select- man and representative to the general assem- bly of the colonies. He was deacon of the church. In 1644 the town of Reading was in- corporated, and doubtless he was one of the first settlers about that time. Reading, ac- cording to the early records, was settled about 1639, and Lynn in 1629. In 1639 Lynn pe- titioned the court for a place for an inland plantation and they received four miles square at the head of their bounds, on condition that within two years they begin planting so that a village could be settled there. In 1640 the court ordered "That Lynn Village should be exempted from the taxes as soon as seven houses should be built and seven families set- tled," and in 1644, when the families were set- tled. it was ordered "That Lynn village should take the name of 'Redding.' Just before Reading was settled, William Cowdery was taxed ten shilling in Lynn. In 1647 he was on a committee to divide the land among the settlers. From 1648 to 1650 the names of William and his wife Joanna are on the list of the First Congregational Church of Read- ing. In 1648 he was chosen to collect fines for not attending town meetings. In 1652 he drew twenty acres near the Woburn line. In 1654 he was licensed to sell liquors to the Indians, "as his judgment shall seem most meet and necessary for their relief in just and
urgent occasions and not otherwise, provided he shall not sell or deliver more than one pint upon any pretence whatever." In 1658 he was one of three commissioners to try small causes. In February, 1658 or 1059, he re- ceived 188 acres 57 perches in an allotment on the north side of Ipswich river. In June, 1658, he and John Smith laid out land which Thomas Tower bought of the town. In 1675 he signed a petition from the town "that whereas the Iron Works at Lynn stop fish from coming up to refresh and relieve the peo- ple, something may be done to remedy the matter."
His will was dated February 12, 1684. In it he mentioned his wife Alice, leaving her some stock, house furnishings, and one-third of the provisions which should be in the house left to his son Nathaniel; to his daughter Hannah he left five shillings; to Hannah Polly's seven children, twenty shillings cach when they should be of age: to grandchild Bethiah Carter, twenty shillings, and to grand- child Rebeckah Cowdery a pair of sheets ; his son Nathaniel received the land he then lived on, half the homestead and meadow and two- thirds the orchard, and half the household goods not already given away ; his grandchild Nathaniel Cowdery received half the home- stead, meadow and a third of the orchard. with household goods. His son Nathaniel and grandson Nathaniel were executors of the will. There was an addition to the will dated Au- gust 24, 1685, and the inventory of his estate was dated December 14, 1687. Deacon Will- iam was town clerk of Reading from its set- tlement until his death, and he served always as selectman, generally chairman. He served often as representative to the general court from Reading, and wrote many wills for his fellow citizens.
One record says that he married Joanna in 1638 at Lynn and that Nathaniel was born in 1639, but no proof has been found. He - married ( first ) Joanna -, who died May 6, 1650. Ile married (second ). December 5. 1666, Alse ( Alice ) . Children by first wife: Nathaniel, mentioned below ; Matthias, born September 30, 1641; Bethia, April 17. 1643: Hannah, married, September 18, 1667. John Polly, of Roxbury, Massachusetts.
(II) Nathaniel Cowdrey or Cowdery, son of William Cowdrey or Cowdery, was chosen as town clerk of Reading to take his father's place. He lived on Cowdrey's Hill, named
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after him, on a farm which is still owned by the Cowdrey family, in part. He was deacon of the First Congregational Church of Read- ing. His will was dated June 6, 1690. He left all his movable estate to his wife Mary. and his son Mathias received twenty acres in Johns Neck and eight acres near the land of Mrs. Judith Hay: Samuel, his son, received ten acres near John Eaton's house, and the other ten acres in that lot went to his daugh- ters Rebecca, Mary, Joanna and Susan ; his sons William and Mathias received the lot in Cedar Swamp. The inventory was dated June 30, 1690. lle died June 16, 1690, at Read- ing. He married ( first ), November 22, 1654. Elizabetlı , who died October 9. 1059. and he married ( second ) November 22, 1660. Mary Bacheldor, born in 1635, died February 27, 1720, daughter of John Bacheldor. Chil- dren by first wife, born in Reading: Samuel. May 16, 1057: Elizabeth. August 13. 1659. died October 28, 1659. Children by second wife, born in Reading: Nathaniel Jr., August 18. 1661 ; Rebecca. October 25, 1663 : William. March 13. 1666; Mary, August 7, 1668: Joanna, April 23. 1673, died July, 1736; Su- anna, May 1, 1676; Matthias, mentioned be- low.
( III) Matthias Cowdrey, son of Nathaniel Cowdrey or Cowdery, was born at Reading, April 11, 1679. He lived in Boston and Chelmsford. He married Sarah ---. Chil- dren : 1. Matthias, born 1698. died at Chelms- ford, October 15, 1739: married, at Boxford. May 20, 1725. Susannah Sherrin (Sherwin ). probably born August 0, 1701, daughter of Ebenezer and Susannah Sherwin ( Matthias or his father married, September 3. 1724, in Bos- ton, Susanna, born November 15, 1700, daugh- ter of Daniel and Mary Willard, of Boston, but if the son married at this time, the wife must have died very soon afterward ). 2. Sam- uel, born November 18, 1701. 3. John. men- tioned below. There were probably other chil- dren. The Rhode island family appears to be descended from Matthias.
(IV) John, son of Matthias Cowdrey, was born as early as 1710 in Boston or Chelmsford. He settled in that part of Chelmsford now Westford, Massachusetts, His name is some- times spelled Coudre. He married (first ) Abigail . and ( second) May 30, 1744, Hannah Davis, of Groton, Massachusetts. She died May 15, 1761, and he died about 1760. In 1746 he was on the tax list of Billerica.
Massachusetts, and in 1749 he sold land to Ebenezer Prescott. On March 5, 1759, the town voted to accept "the transcript of a bridle way laid out from Jonas Prescott, Jrs. ; so by Capt. Prescotts and Timothy Prescotts (land ) to John Cowdreys, to Groton bounds." On May 15. 1701, the town voted that the select- men should make every effort to recover the estate which had been wasted by the widow of John Cowdrey, and on June 19. 1761, a guard- ian, J. Prescott, was appointed for Hannah Cowdrey, widow. Children by first wife, bap- tized in Westford between 1750 and 1756: John, born March 13, 1731-32, died April 3, 1734; Samuel, September 1. 1734: Abigail, March 31. 1737: Susanna, October 12, 1739. By second wife: Nathaniel, 1745 : John, April 11. 1750: Jonathan, January 30, 1752; David. mentioned below.
(\') David, son of John Cowdrey, was born February 18. 1756, and baptized in Westford. Massachusetts, in 1756. He moved to Lenox, Berkshire county, where his name is on the list of soldiers who served in the war of 1812. Children: Resolved Lee, mentioned below ; Salome, married Hubbard, lived near U'tica, New York.
(VI) Resolved Lee, son of David Cowdrey, was living in Sharon, Schoharie county, New York, for a time, and then he went to Al- bany, at that time Broome county, New York. Later he lived in Ithaca, New York. He served in the war of 1812. He married, Oc- tober 3. 1802, Rachel, daughter of Adam Smith, and he died in 1840. Children: Sa- lome, born April 18, 1804. burned to death February 20, 1808, at Canajoharie, New York : Chauncey, May 1, 1806: Adam Smith, men- tioned below.
(VII) Adam Smith, son of Resolved Lee Cowdrey, was born July 11, 1810, at Sharon. New York. He went with his parents to Al- bany, and Broome county. Until he was four- teen years of age he attended the common schools, and in 1822 worked with his father as a blacksmith at Ithaca, remaining until his marriage in 1832. Ile then went into partner- ship with his brother in the manufacture of carriages and blacksmithing. The firm con- tinued until 1843 when it was dissolved and he continued the business alone until 1871. In that year his plant was destroyed by fire, caus- ing him a loss of five thousand dollars. He then retired from active business and devoted the remainder of his life to the care of his
Salam Finith Gondry
Mary Boudry
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property and various public and private trusts. He took an active part in public affairs and was trustee of the incorporated village of Ith- aca from 1857 10 1871, fourteen years, a longer period than any other man has served in this office. In 1873-74 he was president of the village and his administration was dis- tinguished by the same shrewd and careful management of affairs that always character- ized his management of his own business. In politics he was a Democrat. He was for many vears trustee and president of the Ithaca Sav- ings Bank and his knowledge of financial mat- ters made his services of great value to that institution. He was also a member of the Ithaca Mechanics Society and for a number of years its president. This society is one of the oldest and most useful institutions of the city. He was upright, just and honorable in all his business relations. In public life he adhered to the same high principles which guided his private and business affairs. In his home he was kindly, gentle and unselfish, strictly temperate in all things and exemplary in his habits and manner. Throughout his life he was a student and reader and his mind was a wonderful storehouse of learning and general information.
He married, in 1832, Mary Riley, a native of England, who came to America when seven years of age, daughter of Thomas and Fran- ces Riley. They had two children: Charles Edward: Belle, educated in the public schools and at the old Female Academy at Albany, New York : has been for many years a trustee of the Ithaca Hospital ; resides in the old home at Ithaca.
John Leonard, immigrant an- LEONARD cestor, was doubtless born in England, and settled as early as 1636 among the pioneers of the town of Springfield, Massachusetts. On the second division of Springfield lands his lot was that which in recent years has been occupied by Foot's Block. It was eight rods wide, run- ning from the Connecticut river eastward to Armory Hill. Ile held the office of town constable. Ile married, November 12. 1640. Sarah Heath. He was killed by the Indians early in 1676 during King Philip's war, and his widow married, February 21, 1677, Ben- jamin Parsons. In 1600 she married (third ) Peter Tilton, and she died at Springfield, No- vember 23, 1711. Children of Mr. and Mrs.
Leonard: John. born August 25, 1041 ; Jo- seph, March 1, 1642-43: Joseph, May 20, 1044: Sarah, December 13, 1645, married John Kepp, and both were killed by Indians, March 26, 1676; Mary, September 14. 1647 ; Martha, April 15, 1649; Lydia, October 2, 1650 ; John, September 10. 1652 ; Benjamin, mentioned be- low : Abel, July 22, 1656; Josiah, March 2. 1658; Hannah, February 19, 1659-60; Rebec- ca, May 26, 1661 ; Deborah, October 15, 1603: Rachel, November 8, 1065.
(II) Benjamin, son of John Leonard, was born at Springfield, September 5, 1654. He married, February 9, 1679-80, Sarah Scott. They lived in Springfield, where he died. De- cember 21, 1724. She died December 2, 175 !. Children, born at Springfield: John, July 12. 1681 : Benjamin, October 3, 1683: Nathaniel, mentioned below ; Ebenezer, January 20. 1687 ; Margaret, 1689; Sarah, March 23. 1691 ; Mar- tha, October 23, 1695; Kezia, November 25, 1697; Abel, July 27, 1700; Benjamin, August 17, 1702; Rachel, January 9, 1706.
( III) Nathaniel, son of Benjamin Leonard, was born at Springfield, November 6. 1685. He married, April 24, 1726, Sarah Ely. He died July 6, 1734, and his widow married, July 31, 1736, William McIntyre. Children of Nathaniel Leonard ; Preserved, born March 13, 1728: Nathaniel, mentioned below.
(IV) Nathaniel (2), son of Nathaniel ( 1) Leonard, was born at Springfield, February 2, 1730. He married, September 1, 1757, Sarah Flowers. They resided at Suffield, Connecti- cut, and probably in Windsor, Vermont, where a Nathaniel was living in 1790 with a family. according to the first federal census, of four males over sixteen, two under that age and three females. Children: Mary, born 1758; Huldah, married Joseph Smith : Abigail : Na- thaniel, mentioned below : Robert.
(V) Nathaniel (3), son of Nathaniel (2) Leonard, was born about 1770, and appears to have gone to Vermont with his father's fam- ily. He may have lived for a time in Shel- burne, Chittenden county, Vermont, where Robert is reported as head of a family in the census of 1790. With Robert, his brother Nathaniel came from Vermont to northern New York and located in the eastern part of the town of Nichols. Tioga county, where he bought some six hundred acres of land and was engaged during the remainder of his life in farming and lumbering. He married and was the father of eighteen children.
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(VI) Chauncey, son of Nathaniel (3) Leonard, was born in Nichols, Tioga county, New York, in 1815, died in 1882. He was a farmer and lumberman at Nichols, New York, during the greater part of his life. He mar- ried Mary A., daughter of James Gould. She died in 1883. Children: Nathaniel, living in Owego, New York; George, mentioned be- low; Silas, deceased; William, of Dushore, Pennsylvania; Allen, of Owego; Frank, of Athens, Pennsylvania ; Charles, deceased ; Em- ily, married Youngs Wright, lives in Michi- gan ; Jennie, married Samuel D. Halliday, a lawyer in Ithaca ; and their son is a lawyer of Ithaca, and district attorney of the county ; John: Morris and Helen, reside in Ithaca ; Sarah, deceased, married Rodney Taylor.
(VII) George, son of Chauncey Leonard, was born in Nichols, Tioga county, New York, March 30, 1839. died August 30, 1910. He attended the public schools, and learned the trade of stone mason. He was engaged for some years in lumbering and was pilot of lumber rafts on the Susquehanna river. He held various offices of trust and honor, among which were the offices of highway com- missioner and collector of taxes. He enlisted in the civil war, August II, 1862, in Com- pany G. One Hundred and Ninth Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry, and took part in all the many important engagements in which his regiment was involved. He was in the battle of the Wilderness, at Fairfax Court House and Anna River. From August. 1864, to March, 1865, he was ill with typhoid fever and he was severely wounded in front of Fort Hell, April 2, 1865, by the explosion of a shell. fragments of which injured his arm and leg. He was taken to an army hospital at Alexandria, Virginia, and was finally mus- tered out of service, June 5. 1865. In politics he was a Republican.
He married. 1858, Mary Prothero, born in England. September 22, 1836, came to this country in childhood, died in June, 1894. Chil- dren: I. Ella, born July 22. 1859: married Philip R. Corlyou, a merchant of Lestershire. New York; children : Nellie, Jessie and Charles. 2. Carrie, born August 12. 1861 : married John Harrison : children: Anna and Laura. 3. John Edwin, mentioned below. 4. Chauncey. born June 7, 1869: married Sina Terwilliger : children: Georgia and Harry. 5. May, died aged four years.
(VIII) Dr. John Edwin Leonard. son of
George Leonard, was born at Nichols, Tioga county, New York, May 3, 1867. He attend- ed the public schools of Tioga Center, New York, and Owego. He began to study medi- cine in the Long Island Hospital, Brooklyn, New York, and was graduated in the class of 1889 with the degree of M. D. He located in Harford Mills, New York, soon afterward, and has been in general practice there since. He is a member of the Tioga County Medi- cal Society, the Cortland County Medical Society, the New York State Medical Society and the American Medical Association; of Owego Valley Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Harford, and of Trout Brook Rebekah Lodge and Elon Encampment of Cortland, New York. He is justice of the peace of the town of Harford and member of the board of trustees of the incorporated village of Harford.
He married, July 30, 1890, Susie Davis, of Richford, New York, a daughter of John M. and Laura (Sears) Davis. Children: Ken- neth Edwin, born June 12, 1891, died Septem- ber 17, 1891 : Unus Ella. June 24, 1892 : Laura Etta. June II, 1901.
Matthias Millspaugh or MILLSPAUGH Miltzpagh, as the name was originally spelled, was one of the German pioneers of Orange county, New York, formerly part of Ulster county. He was one of the Palatines. He and Joseph Mingus were in a company who settled the town of Montgomery and he was the progenitor probably of all of the family of this surname. He married the widow of Jo- hannes Mingus and after buying the rights of the heirs became owner of the Mingus farm about 1721. About this time Mills- paugh, Henry Crist, Silvanus Crist and oth- ers made a settlement on the opposite side of the Walkill river from the present village of Montgomery. All of the settlers were Ger- man Palatines and belonged to the Reformed church. Matthias and Philip Millspaugh were naturalized by the New York assembly in 1735. In 1768-78 Philip and Jacob Mills- paugli were living in Montgomery. In 1790 the family had multiplied greatly, but had remained in Montgomery. In that year, ac- cording to the first federal census, the follow- ing were heads of families there: Abraham, Adam, Benjamin, Christopher. Daniel, Freder- ick, Isaac, Jacob. Jacob Jr .. Johnannis, John,
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Peter. Philip Sr. and Philip Jr. But one will of a Millspaugh is on record before 1800 in Ulster county. Stephen Milspaughi, of Mont- gomery, yeoman, made his will March 19, 1789, and bequeathed to Johnathan, eldest son of his brother Matthias, and to Philip. son of his brother Philip. The will was proved May 5. 1789.
(I) Dr. Theodore Millspaugli, a descendant of Matthias Millspaugh, was born in Wall- kill. New York. May 24. 1838. He had a brother Henry and a sister Margaret. He at- tended the public schools, Montgomery Acad- emy, and the Rutgers College grammar school and studied his profession at the Col- lege of Physicians and Surgeons of New York City, graduating with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in the class of 1861. He was a medical student at the time the civil war broke out and for two months was in the United States General Hospital at Alexandria, Vir- ginia, immediately after the first battle of Bull Run, in the employ of the sanitary commis- sion. After graduating from the medical school he entered the union army as an assis- tant surgeon and joined General Fremont's command in the Shenandoah Valley in June, 1862. He was commissioned assistant sur- geon of the Second Virginia Infantry, Au- gnist I, 1862, and served with the regiment until mustered out. After the close of the war he settled in Wallkill and practiced lis profession until 1906, when he retired. He took high rank in his profession and had a large practice. In politics he is a Republican. He has been member of the state assembly from his district. Since retiring from prac- tice he has been proprietor of a drug store in the town of Wallkill. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, of the Dutch Re- formed church, and was president of the United States pension examining board at Kingston, New York, twelve years.
He married (first) Elizabeth Webb, born in Wallkill, Ulster county, New York, in 1842, died in 1891, daughter of Hector and Saralı ( Clearwater) Webb. He married (second ), February 18, 1896. Sarah Campbell Chase. Children by first wife: Ira. died aged five years; Harry, born June 4. 1875, a school teacher. married Anna Fredenburg and has a daughter Katherine Elizabeth; Jesse Lippin- cott, mentioned below. Child of second wife : Theodore, born September 6, 1898.
(II) Jesse Lippincott, son of Dr. Theo-
dore Millspaugh, was born at Wallkill, Ulster county, New York, August 17, 1877. He attended the public schools of his native town, Kingston Academy and Eastman's Business College at Poughkeepsie, New York. For three years he was a bookkeeper in Wallkill. Since 1895 he has been with Borden's Con- densed Milk Company of New York City. Brewster and Norwich, New York. In 1899 he came to Norwich, where he has since re- sided. He is a member of the Order of Free and Accepted Masons. He is a trustee of the Congregational Church of Norwich, direc- tor of Norwich Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation, and past commander of the local camp, Sons of Veterans. He married, February 18. 1902, Harriet N. Tears, of Wallkill, daughter of John and Saralı (Le Fevre ) Tears. Chil- dren: Clifford Tears, born August 29, 1905 : Theodore Webb, February 2. 1908: Jolin Stanley, May 18, 1910.
FOX (II) William (2) Fox, son of Will- iam (1) Fox (q. v.), was born at Palatine, Montgomery county, New York. He was one of the subscribers to the building fund of the Palatine church in 1770. He was a soldier in the revolutionary war. Among his children was Henry, mentioned be- low.
(III) Henry, son of William (2) Fox. was born at Palatine, New York, and lived there and in the adjacent town of St. Johnsville. Thence he removed when a young man to Sul- livan, Madison county, New York. Among his children was John, mentioned below.
(IV) John, son of Henry Fox, was born in the town of Sullivan, Madison county, New York, in 1818. He was educated there in the district schools and followed farming for an occupation. He also learned the trade of carpenter and followed it for some years. In 1851 he came to the town of Clay, New York. and engaged in boating, working at the car- penter's trade in winter. He married Esther Cole. Children : Hiram D., mentioned be- low : David A .: Martha.
(V) Hiram D., son of John Fox, was born at Clay, Onondaga county, August 23. 1843, and was educated in the public schools, the select school of that town, and Falley Semi- nary. For eleven years afterward he was em- ployed in boating on the Erie canal and for seven years he owned and operated a passen- ger and freight steamboat plying between Syr-
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acuse and Fulton, New York. After the rail- road was built he sold his boat, and in 1886 he bought the Windsor Hotel at Phoenix, New York, conducting it with abundant suc- cess for a period of nineteen years. For seven years he was in partnership with his brother- in-law. Ira L. Eno, in the coal business at Phoenix. He has been active and influential in public affairs and has been justice of the peace and supervisor of the town. In 1911 he was elected president of the incorporated village of Phoenix. He is a member of Calli- machus Lodge, No. 369, Free Masons; of Oswego Chapter, Royal Arch Masons: of Lake Ontario Commandery, Knights Templar, and Media Temple, Mystic Shrine, of Water- town. New York. He has been junior and senior warden of the lodge, for six years was worshipful master, and is now high priest of Oswego River Chapter, Royal Arch Masons.
He married (first), in 1867, Mary Eno. born 1845, died in March, 1872, daughter of Mucin Eno. He married (second) Carrie Payne, daughter of John B. Payne. Children of first wife: John A., mail clerk on the Great Northern railroad, was killed while on duty, March 1, 1910: Hortense. Child of sec- ond wife: Ira P., now president of a bank in Verdi, Minnesota.
BARBER Like many other surnames this is derived from an occupation which at the time of its adop- tion as a surname was one of great impor- tance. In the seventeenth century the barber was also a surgeon and filled an important place in the community. As it came from France to England the name appeared Le Bar- bur and Barbator. The name is often spelled Barbour, Barbar and Barbur, but in the Lon- don shipping lists during the early immigra- tion all are spelled Barber. The name at the present day is found in nearly every county of England and in that country there is a very well defined coat-of-arms: Or, two chev- rons between three fleurs-de-lis, gules. Crest : Out of a ducal coronet a bull's head, gules.
(I) Lieutenant Thomas Barber, ancestor of the Connecticut family of the name, was born in 1614, in England, and came to Boston, at the age of twenty-one years, in the ship "Christian," locating in Dorchester, Massa- chusetts.
He was the first of the name in New England, and remained but a short time
in Dorchester. In 1635 he was a member of the Saltonstall party under Francis Stiles which settled at Windsor, Connecticut. In that year Thomas Barber was granted a lot ten rods west of Humphrey Hyde's mill road. eight acres and twenty rods wide, lying north of Mill brook and extending across the pres- ent Pleasant street, which was originally opened two rods wide to accommodate Barber and Alvord, and also a way for Mr. Ware- ham, the minister, to go to his lot north of Barber's and ended west of Poquonnock road. In 1637 he was sergeant of the military com- pany under Major Stoughton, and in 1645 was made a freeman. He took part in several battles with the Pequot Indians anl greatly distinguished himself in the attack made upon the Pequot Fort, which the Indians deemed impregnable. In an account of this battle, written by Mason, and published in Boston in 1727, the following reference is made to the part taken by Thomas Barber: "We had en- tered the fort and in getting out of a wigwam encountered seven Indians. They fled and we pursued to the end of a lane, but before we could reach them they were met by Thom- as Barber and Edward Patterson, who slew the entire seven with their axes and knives. their muskets having been discharged." It appears from the records of the Hartford court that Francis Stiles had failed to comply with the terms of an agreement made with Thomas Barber, as on the 28th of March. 1637, an order was made that Francis Stiles should teach Thomas Barber the carpenter trade, as he had promised. The records also state that while returning from the Pequot fight Thomas Barber and Lieutenant Cook engaged in a dispute over church matters. Becoming somewhat heated Barber struck Cook whereupon the court adjudged that Bar- ber should forfeit his military position and pay a fine of five pounds. As an Indian fight- er he evinced a courage and sagacity which secured him the confidence of the colonies, and the fear and respect of the Indians. He was thoughtful, intelligent and a God-fearing man, and for the times exceedingly liberal in re- ligious views. His name appears in all the matured improvements of the day. In 1641 he was allotted six hundred acres outside the settlement in the region known by the Indian name of Massaco, later called Simsbury, whither he removed in 1657, and contributed to the building of the first meeting house. He
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