CYPRIAN STEVENS' LETTER TO THE GOVERNOR AND COUNCIL REVISITED

((UPDATE: It's been ten years since I posted this and since then I've discovered that
I have Moore, Whitcomb, Wilder, and Fairbanks ancestors. So only three names listed below  
are not those of a direct ancestor or a cousin. First posted in  February 2009))


I found a few more things during my research on Simon Willard that
touched on some of my ancestors. One of them is this transcription at
Genealogy.com by Janice Farnsworth of "Lancaster in Philip's War:
The Early Records of Lancaster, Massachusetts 1643 - 1725 Edited by
Henry S. Nourse, A.M. Lancaster, 1884 (page 107)




"Lancaster March 11, 1675/6 - Letter to the Governor and Counsell -"A
humble Petition of the poor distressed people of Lancaster (excerpt)
"...many of us heare in this prison, have not bread to last us one month &
our other provisions spent & gon, for the genrallyty, our Town is drawn
into two garisons - sixteen soulders....we areseartaynly a bayt (bait) for
the enemy. We are sorrowful to leave the place but hoplesse to keep it
unlesse mayntayed by the Cuntrey....our women cris dus daily...which dus
not only fill our ears but our hearts full of Greefe and makes us humbly
Request yo'r Hon'rs to send a Gard of men & that if you please so comand
we may have Carts about fourteen will re-move the whool eight of which has
presed long at Sudbury but never came for want of a small gard of men, the
whooll that is, all that are in the Garison, Kept in Major Willards house
which is all from y're Hon'rs most humble servants & suplyants -
Lancast'r March 11, 1675/6 Jacob FFarrar
John Houghton Sen'r
John Moore
John Whittcomb
Job Whittcomb
Jonathan Whittcomb
John Houghton Jun'r
Cyprian Steevens


The other garrison are in like distresse & soe humbly desire yo'r like
pitty & ffatherly care, having widows & many fatherless children - the
number of carts to Carey away this garison is twenty carts. Yo'r Hon'rs
Humble pettisioners
John Prescott Sen'r
Tho. Sawyer Sen'r
Tho. Sawyer Jun'r
Jonathan Prescott
Tho Willder
John willder
Sarah Wheeler, Wid.
Widow Ffarbanks
John Rigby
Nathaniell Wilder
John Rooper
Widow Rooper

The whole is in the handwriting of Cyprian Steevens.
[Massachusetts Archives, LXVII, 156.] "

Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth

What struck me reading this was the names of those in the garrison. They include my
direct ancestors John Prescott, Thomas Sawyer, Senior and Thomas Sawyer, Junior
in the second garrison two of my Houghton relatives in the first. It reminded me again
of how many of my ancestors were so close to a violent death during the Indian wars
of New England. Some, as I've mentioned in earlier posts, did not escape it. One of
those things that historians sometimes ponder is "What If?" If more of my colonist
ancestors had died, I and many more of their descendants wouldn't be around to
trace our ancestry.


Thank you to Janice Farnsworth for granting me permission to use her transcription!

CYPRIAN STEVENS' LETTER TO THE GOVERNOR AND COUNCIL REVISITED

((UPDATE: It's been seven years since I posted this and since then I've discovered that
I have Moore, Whitcomb, Wilder, and Fairbanks ancestors. So only three names listed below  
are not those of a direct ancestor or a cousin. First posted in  February 2009))


I found a few more things during my research on Simon Willard that
touched on some of my ancestors. One of them is this transcription at
Genealogy.com by Janice Farnsworth of "Lancaster in Philip's War:
The Early Records of Lancaster, Massachusetts 1643 - 1725 Edited by
Henry S. Nourse, A.M. Lancaster, 1884 (page 107)





"Lancaster March 11, 1675/6 - Letter to the Governor and Counsell -"A
humble Petition of the poor distressed people of Lancaster (excerpt)
"...many of us heare in this prison, have not bread to last us one month &
our other provisions spent & gon, for the genrallyty, our Town is drawn
into two garisons - sixteen soulders....we areseartaynly a bayt (bait) for
the enemy. We are sorrowful to leave the place but hoplesse to keep it
unlesse mayntayed by the Cuntrey....our women cris dus daily...which dus
not only fill our ears but our hearts full of Greefe and makes us humbly
Request yo'r Hon'rs to send a Gard of men & that if you please so comand
we may have Carts about fourteen will re-move the whool eight of which has
presed long at Sudbury but never came for want of a small gard of men, the
whooll that is, all that are in the Garison, Kept in Major Willards house
which is all from y're Hon'rs most humble servants & suplyants -
Lancast'r March 11, 1675/6 Jacob FFarrar
John Houghton Sen'r
John Moore
John Whittcomb
Job Whittcomb
Jonathan Whittcomb
John Houghton Jun'r
Cyprian Steevens


The other garrison are in like distresse & soe humbly desire yo'r like
pitty & ffatherly care, having widows & many fatherless children - the
number of carts to Carey away this garison is twenty carts. Yo'r Hon'rs
Humble pettisioners
John Prescott Sen'r
Tho. Sawyer Sen'r
Tho. Sawyer Jun'r
Jonathan Prescott
Tho Willder
John willder
Sarah Wheeler, Wid.
Widow Ffarbanks
John Rigby
Nathaniell Wilder
John Rooper
Widow Rooper

The whole is in the handwriting of Cyprian Steevens.
[Massachusetts Archives, LXVII, 156.] "

Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth

What struck me reading this was the names of those in the garrison. They include my
direct ancestors John Prescott, Thomas Sawyer, Senior and Thomas Sawyer, Junior
in the second garrison two of my Houghton relatives in the first. It reminded me again
of how many of my ancestors were so close to a violent death during the Indian wars
of New England. Some, as I've mentioned in earlier posts, did not escape it. One of
those things that historians sometimes ponder is "What If?" If more of my colonist
ancestors had died, I and many more of their descendants wouldn't be around to
trace our ancestry.

As it was, Thomas Sawyer Junior was to have another encounter with Indians
some years later, and I'll be telling that story soon.

Thank you to Janice Farnsworth for granting me permission to use her transcription!

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2016 WEEK 41: DAVID WHITCOMB JR. OF BOLTON, MA.

My 6x great grandfather David Whitcomb lseems to have led a pretty quiet life compared to some of his
othee relatives, His marriage to Betty White, however, brought a connection to another of the founding
families of Lancaster, Ma.

Again, from Charlotte Whitcomb's history of the Whitcomb family:

20 DAVID WHITCOMB,* (David.^ Josiah,^ John,*) was married in Lancaster, Mass., January 13. 1730, or 1731, to Betty White. He joined the Lancaster church, July i8, 1736, and in 1741 was dismissed to the Bolton, Mass., church. He was called "Deacon." His will, probated December 5, 1786, mentions ten children.
CHILDREN:
+53- JOHN,5 born November 13 or 24, 1731.
54. EUNICE,5 born December 10, 1733; was married December i, 1768,  perhaps to Jeremiah Wilson, perhaps to Timothy Houghton.
55. PRUDENCE,5 born October 29, 1735; married November 28, 1754, to Israel Greenleaf of Bolton; fourteen children; died September 15, 1784.
56. TILLY,5 born November 22, 1737; died December 30, 1741 or 1742.
+57. LEVI, 5 born October 21, 1739.
58. BETTY, 5 born February 28, 1743 or 1744.
+59- JOSHUA,5 born May 2, 1746.
60. RELIEF,5 born March 14, 1748; died October 27, 1786.
+61. DAVID, 5 born February 18, 1749 or 1750.
62. SILENCE,5 born December 16, 1752; married Jonas Hale of Stow, Mass., Nov. 24, 1778.
63. ABEL, 5 born 1753.
pp401-2
 The Whitcomb family in America : a biographical genealogy with a chapter on our English forbears
"by the name of Whetcombe"  Minneapolis, Minnestota, October, 1904

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2016 WEEK 40: DAVID WHITCOMB OF BOLTON, MA.

Charlotte Whitcomb's entry on my 7x great grandfather David Whitcomb Sr. in her Whitcomb
family history had some surprises for me: another connection with the Fairbanks family, a former
Indian captive, a possible Mayflower connection, and a description of how a tavernkeeper was to
conduct his business:

5 DAVID WHITC0MB,3 ( Josiah,2 John,1 ) was married May 31, 1700, in Concord. Mass., to widow Mary (Hayward) Fairbanks, who was descended from Resolve White who came over in the May-
flower. Her husband. Jonathan Fairbanks, was killed by Indians at Lancaster, Mass., September 4, 1697; she was taken captive, but was returned January 17, 1699, on the Province Galley from Casco Bay. While in captivity she acquired a knowledge of herbs which resulted in her afterwards dispensing medicine and being called "Doctress." They lived in the Southeastern -corner of Bolton, Mass., where they kept a tavern, as is shown by the following :

"To the Honorable Justices for ye county of Middlesex these may sertifie that whereas Mr. David Whetcombe of Lancaster hath anplyde himselfe to us the subscribers for our approbation for his selling strong Drink by Retale, we accordingly Request that your Hon'rs would please to grant the same.
JOHN HOUGHTON,
PETER JOSLIN,
JONAS HOUGHTON,
Dated Lan. July 7, 1717-8."
Selectmen. 

The following extract from his "Bond" sets forth in plain terms David's duties and responsibihties as inn-keeper :
"He shal not suffer, or have, any playinge at cards, dice, lally, bowls, ninepins, billiards, or any other unlawful game or games in his said house, or yard, or garden, or backside, nor shal sufifer to remain m his house enny person or persons, not being his own family, on Saturday night after dark or Sabbath days, or during the tyme of God's publick worrship ; nor shal he entertain as lodgers in his house any strangers, men or women, above the space of forty and eight hours, but such whose names and surnames he shal deliver to some one of the selectmen or constable of the towne, unless they shal be such as he verry well knoweth and will ensure for his or her forthcoming — nor shal sell enny wine to the Indians or negroes, nor suffer any children, or servant, or other person, to remane in his house tippling or drinking after nine o'clock in the night— nor shal buy or take to preserve any stolen goodes, nor knowingly or willingly harbor in his house, barn, stable, or othenvise. any rogues, vagabonds, thieves, sturdy beggars, or offenders whatsoever— nor shal anny person or persons whatsoever sell or utter any wine, ale, cider, rum or other liquors by defaulting, or by color of his License— nor shal entertain any person or persons whom he shal be prohibited by law, or by enny one of the Magistrates of the community, as persons of jolly conversation, or given to tippling." 

David Whitcomb died intestate April 11, 1730, and his wife, Mary, died January 5th, 1734, in the sixty-seventh year of her age.' Real estate owned by David was divided among his family by partition proceedings. (Concerning David's children, the dates and order of birth are not positively known.)
CHILDREN:
+20. DAVID,* born , Lancaster, Mass.
+21. JONATHAN,-» born , Lancaster, Mass. '
+22. JOSEPH,** born 1700, (?) Lancaster, Mass.
23. REBECCA,* baptized 1708; married Ezra Sawyer, January 16, 172; or 1726.
+24. BENJAMIN,* baptized October or November 26, 1710, Lancaster. Mass.
+25. SIMON,* baptized March 7. 1713 or 1714, Lancaster, Mass.

pp308-310
The Whitcomb family in America : a biographical genealogy with a chapter on our English forbears
"by the name of Whetcombe"  Minneapolis, Minnestota, October, 1904

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2016 WEEK 39: JOSIAH WHITCOMB OF BOLTON, MA.

My 8x great grandfather Josiah Whitcomb was one of my ancestors who lived in a
time of war with the Indians and Indians, and in this, written by Charlotte Whitcomb
in her history of the family:

JOSIAH WHITCOMB,- (John,1) was born in Dorchester, Mass., in 1638, according to
Dorchester town records, and is believed to have been the youngest son of John.'
He accompanied his father's family from Scituate to Lancaster, Mass.. in 1654,
and his name appears variously in the early records of life in the new town. In
1688 he was granted a bounty for killing a wolf,* and again he was named with
his brother Job in an action for damages for accidentally or otherwise injuring
or killing swine. (See page 32, this Book. )

Josiah was married January 4, 1664, in Lancaster, to Rebecca, daughter of
Lawrence and Ann Linton Waters, of Watertown, Lancaster and Charlestown,
Mass. She was born in February, 1640.

During Queen Ann's war (1702-17) he was allowed a garrison for protection
against the. Indians. This garrison was situated in what is now called Bolton,
originally a part of Lancaster, but set oft in 1736, and he lived in the southeastern
part of this Bolton. He was commander of the garrison and with him were
associated his sons, Josiah, David and Hezekiah, his son-in-law, Jacob Houghton,
also Henry Houghton and John Wilder. Jr.

In 1705 he was selectman: in 1705 he and twenty-nine others signed the church
covenant and. as he was financially in good circumstances, he contributed liberally
towards the support of the church; in 1 710 he was elected to represent Lancaster
in the General Court.

In his will, drawn March 20. 1718. he gave to each of his children one-eighth part of
his right to land in the plantation of Littleton. His widow, who survived him eight years,
died in 1726,

Though Jonathan's recorded posterity is, numerically, the largest of the sons of John1,
there is reason to believe Tosiah"s posterity is at least as numerous. The tabulated
records of Josiah's descendants nearly equal those of Jonathan. while those records
which are known to exist, but which are not yet obtained, outnumber the corresponding
class in any other line.


CHILDREN:

3. JOSIAH,  born November 12, 1665; died same day.

+4. J0SIAH, born January 7, 1666 or 1667.

+5. DAVID, born February 20. 1668.

6. REBECCA, born November 12. 1671; married Jacob Houghton, 1704.

7. JOHANNAH, born March 8, 1674; was married December 26, 1708, to Peter Joslin,
and died September 24, 1717.

+8. HEZEKIAH, born September 14, 1681.

9. DEBORAH,  born December 26, 1683; probably died early, as she was
not named in will.

10. DAMARIS,  married in Marlboro, Mass., to Nathaniel  Wilder.

11. MARY twin   both named in father's will.

12. ABIGAIL,  born March 13, 1687 or 1688; married to Josiah White, June 26, 1706.

13. EUNICE, born — — .

pp396-398

The Whitcomb family in America : a biographical genealogy with a chapter on our English forbears
"by the name of Whetcombe"  Minneapolis, Minnestota, October, 1904

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2016 WEEK 38:JOHN WHITCOMB OF LANCASTER, MA.

Continuing on with the women who married into the Moore family on the Barker side of my
family tree:

 My 6x great grandmother  Susannah (Willard) Moore was also half sister to my 7x great grandfather
Joseph Willard on the West side of the family, so I will discuss the Willards when I do the Wests.

My 5x great grandmother was  Betty (Whitcomb) Moore,  who was a descendant of immigrant
John Whitcomb, my 8x great grandfather. John seems to have been an early version of a land
speculator, judging from how many times he moved about the colony. Here's what William Richard
Cutler has to say about him in volume 3 of  New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial:


John Whitcomb settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts, and was a church member there in 1635; this and the birth of his youngest son Josiah, which occurred in 1638, are the only events of his family life recorded during the years he spent in Dorchester. Later evidence shows him to have been well-to-do for the times, a man of intelligence and enterprise, much given to buying and selling land. In 1640 he removed to Scituate, where he owned land, one piece being a farm of one hundred and eight acres near the mouth of the North river, on the Marshfield side, and after 1646, when he became one of the Conihasset partners he owned the lands which through that transaction became his share. During his residence in Scituate he was made constable, then one of the most important offices in the gift of his townsmen. He was admitted a freeman June 3, 1652. In 1644 he sold his farm on North river to Thomas Hicks; in 1654 he sold half his share in Conihasset lands to John Williams Jr., giving the other half to his son Robert. In the same year he removed to Lancaster, Massachusetts, where two years before, when the town was laid out, he had bought a share. Not all his children accompanied him to that place; Catherine married and settled in Scituate; Robert remained in Scituate, and settled in Boston. John Whitcomb and his son John are counted among the pioneer settlers of the town of Lancaster, originally the Nashaway Plantation. The homestead of John Sr. was on lot No. 33; John Jr. had lot No. 34. The present postoffice and bank building in Lancaster is on the original house lot. He died September 24, 1662, aged about seventyfour years. He married, in England, Frances, who made a will May 12, 1671, and died at Lancaster, May 17, 1671. The agreement of division of John Whitcomb's estate has the name spelt by his own children three different ways—Wetcomb, Whetcomb, and Whitcomb, October 7, 1662. Children: 1. Catherine, married, 1644, Rodolphus Ellmes, of Scituate; had nine children. 2. James, born in England, settled in Boston, owned five acres of land opposite the Boston Common, died in Boston, November 23, 1686; married (first)Rebecca , (second) Elizabeth; had ten children. 3. John Jr., may have been the eldest son, and was most closely associated in later life with his father; married, May 19, 1669, or 1671; died April 7, 1683. leaving wife Mary and two daughters. 4. Robert, mentioned below. 5. Jonathan, born about 1630, in England; settled in Lancaster, Massachusetts, and Wethersfield, Connecticut. 6. Abigail. 7. Job, land surveyor at Lancaster; married, May 19, 1669, Mary ;settled at Wethersfield, Connecticut. 8. Josiah, born in Dorchester, 1638; married, January 4, 1664, Rebecca Waters.-pp1318-1319

New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of Commonwealths and the Founding of a Nation, Volume 3  Lewis historical publishing Company,    New York, NewYork  1914


The part about John's son Robert remaining in Scituate has piqued my interest. One of my brother-in-
law's ancestors was a woman named Mercy Whitcomb from Scituate. Maybe there's a connection with
my Whitcombs.

MORE ABOUT THE MOORES, PT2: THE WHITCOMBS

Continuing a look at the newly discovered branches on my maternal grandmother's family tree...

Last post I talked about the ancestors Stephen Moore's father Abel Moore. I was also able to trace
the ancestors of his father Betty Whitcomb. Here's a relationship chart from the earliest Whitcomb
immigrant, who died in Lancaster, Ma. on 24Sep 1662:

New families added to my tree include Hayward from Concord, and Waters and White from the
Lancaster/Bolton Ma. area. All of them have connections to the ancestors I already had from
Lancaster on my grandfather's side of the family.

There's some interesting family stories that I'll be talking about in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks
blogposts.

To be continued...

MORE ABOUT THE MOORES, PT1.

At the end of January I wrote a blogpost about one of my brickwalls, my Dad's maternal 3x great
grandfather, Stephen Moore. Thanks to a tip from Elizabeth Handler, I was able to break down
that wall, and I've been making more discoveries about the Moores and related families over the past few weeks. Here's a relationship chart tracing the relationship between my maternal grandmother Cora
Berthella Barker and her earliest Moore ancestor so far:

There are three new families added to my family tree on this chart, (Smith, Fairbanks & Whitcomb)
and one family name I knew, Willard, but from Dad's paternal side of his family. I remembered
seeing the Fairbanks name associated with my Willard and Sawyer ancestors on that paternal side as
he early settlers of Lancaster and Harvard, Ma. Now it turns out my grandmother had ancestors among those settlers too.

The furthest back I have on my grandmother's Moore line now is John Moore and Anna Smith through their son John Jr. who married Hazadiah Fairbanks. Another son, Jonathan, had married Hannah Sawyer and are my grandfather's ancestors through the Houghton line. Here's that line of descent:

I now know my grandparents were Moore 7th cousins 1x removed.

But there are more new ancestors added to my tree, and next I'll discuss the Whitcombs

To be continued...

LOOKING FOR MORE ABOUT MOORE PT3

Here's a quick update on where the Moore research is leading me at the moment:

-As I said in the last post, Abel Moor/Moore's parents were John and Susannah Moore/Moor. I've
since discovered that Susannah's maiden name was Willard, and that she was the daughter of my 8x
great grandfather Henry Willard by his second wife Dorcas (Cutler?). Henry's son Joseph Willard (whose mother was Mary Larkin) is my Dad's paternal ancestor, while Susannah is on the maternal
side.

-Abel Moor/Moore died a month after Stephen's birth.

- Abel's wife Betty Whetcomb/Whitcomb is decended from immigrant ancestor John Whitcomb and is also descended from Peregine White of the Mayflower.

-There's also probably another cousin connection between Dad's parents in the Moore family. On his paternal side he has Meriah (Moore) Houghton who was born in Lancaster to Jonathan Moore
and Hannah Sawyer. I'm trying to determine if she was an aunt or cousin of Abel Moore.

There will be more Moore blogposts to follow as I discover more.

To be continued...