Our Ipswich Ancestors

Narrative histories of ancestors residing in Ipswich prior to 1700 are solicited for display here. These histories should be short (a page or so), in narrative form only and with source citations when possible and appropriate. Please don't submit trees, GEDComs, charts and similar formats since they can't be used.

E-mail your narratives with attachments no greater than 25k to John Slaughter.

Profiles of Some Ipswich Ancestors

JOHN APPLETON (1622-1699)
John Appleton , the eldest son of Samuel and Judith Everard Appleton, was born in 1622 in Waldingfield, Suffolk County, England and came to this country as a thirteen year old with his father, mother and siblings in 1635. He grew up in Ipswich and for may years served as Deputy to the General Court, Treasurer of Essex County and one of the Justices of the Inferior Court of Pleas.
In 1651 he married Priscilla Glover, the youngest daughter of Reverend Jose Glover, in whose charge the first printing press was brought to this country and who is considered to be "the father of printing in the British Colonies of North America". Rev. Glover, an "English nonconformist minister", first came to the colonies in 1634. He returned to England where he solicited support for what later became Harvard College and died in 1638 during his return voyage, bringing his wife and children and the makings of a printing press, to the colonies.
Upon Glover's death his widow, Elizabeth, took charge of the printing operation later to become the Cambridge Press, the first printing plant in the colonies which printed in 1640 the first book in the colonies, the Bay Psalm Book.
She later married Rev. Henry Dunster, the first President of Harvard College. After the marriage Rev. Dunster was "informally ordered to take care of the estates of Jose Glover . . . and his widow . . . , and to act as guardian of the Glover children." "Jose Glover left 400 pounds to each of his daughters at marriage or majority . . . but by the time the youngest, Priscilla, married John Appleton, there was only 300 pounds left in England for her." John Appleton apparently was not a man to trifle with and ensued were several "suits and counter- suits, the net result of which was that Appleton recovered 100 pounds legacy, 88 pounds interest, and 20 pounds for 'an arrest of his person contray to Law'; and Dunster was awarded 40 pounds 10 shilling for Priscilla's education."

SAMUEL APPLETON (1586-1670)

Samuel Appleton, the immigrant ancestor of the Appleton line in this country, was born at Holbrook Hall, the family estate at Little Waldingfield, Suffolk County, England in 1586. He was the son of Thomas Appleton of Little Waldingfield and Mary Issack, second daughter of Edward Issack of Patricksbourne, County Kent. Based on Parish Register baptisims of Thomas and Mary Issack Appleton's children at the Church in Little Waldingfield, commencing in 1574 and ending with Samuel's baptism on 13 August 1586, it can be assumed Samuel was the youngest of seven children, three daughters and four sons.
He married Judith (some accounts use Mary) Everard, the daughter of John and Judith Bourne Everard of Preston, Suffolk County, in Preston on January 24, 1614. There apparently were six children of this marriage - Mary (1616), Judith (1618), Martha (1620), John (1622), Samuel (1625) and Sarah (1629). All of these children but Sarah, who was born in Reydon, County Suffolk, were born in Little Waldingfield. Daughter Judith died in Reydon in 1629, but the five other children accompanied their father to "the colonies". It seems Judith Everard Appleton predeceased the relocation of the family to Massachusetts with a probable death in 1633. Samuel married a second time to Martha in 1634 and had a second daughter named Judith that same year.
In 1635 he came to Massachusetts from England with wife and children and as early as July of 1636 was a resident of Ipswich. On 26 May 1636 he took the freeman's oath and with three others out of sixty-two then admitted, had the honorary prefix of Mr., which then was used to designate a graduate of a University or a "gentleman by birth". It appears his emigration resulted from his status as a "younger son" in addition to being prompted, as a Puritan, by religious motives. In addition it seems he was a close acquaintance and neighbor in County Suffolk of John Winthrop prior to his elevation to the role of Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Appleton was given land grants in 1638 of two Ipswich tracts, one in town, an eight acre "building lot"on the Topsfield Road running down to the river and the other, four hundred and sixty acres called the farms lying on the line of the town of Hamilton, bounded on one side by the Ipswich River and on the other by Mile Brook. The Farms continue to this day to be operated by his family.
He was a Deputy, both in Ipswich and in Boston, at the General Court in 1637. It appears he was not reappointed to the court in November of that year due to a differences in belief as to appropriate ways to resolve religious differences.
While the marriage and death of daughter Mary is unknown, daughter Martha married Richard Jacobs in 1638 and died in Ipswich in 1659. Daughter Sarah married Samuel Phillips in 1651 and died in Rowley 1714; while youngest daughter Judith in 1657 married Samuel Rogers, the son of Reverend Nathaniel Rogers of Ipswich, and died there two years later. The eldest son, John, married Priscilla Glover, daughter of Reverend Joseph Glover who brought the first printing press to this country, in 1651 and died in Ipswich in 1699. The younger son, Samuel, married three times, Hannah Paine in 1651, Mary Oliver in 1656 and Elizabeth Whittingham and died in Ipswich in 1696.
Although Samuel Appleton was "of Ipswich" he died while living with his daughter Sarah Phillips in Rowley in June of 1670 and is buried there.
SOURCES: Famous Families of Massachusetts, Mary Caroline Crawford, Little, Brown, & Company, Boston (1930) Vol. 2, p. 167.: History of New Ipswich, Gould and Lincoln, Boston (1852) p. 295: The Last Farm in Ipswich, Richard Matthews, The Country Journal, (December 1988) p.28

SAMUEL APPLETON (1625-1701)
Born: 1625 - Little Waldingfield, Suffolk County England. Died: 15 May 1696 - Ipswich, Essex County, Massachusetts - Interred in "Old Burying Ground" Ipswich

WILLIAM FELLOWS (1609-1676)
William Fellows most likely was the son of Willyam Fellows of Foxton, Lincolnshire County, England and born around the year 1609. Having a certificate from St. Albons Perish in Hertfordshire, with his wife Mary, daughter of John Ayer and Hannah Evered, and his oldest son Isaac, he sailed on March 22, 1635 from London to America aboard the ship "Planter" captained by Nicholas Travice. He was listed as being a shoemaker and twenty-four years old. After arriving in Boston on April 11 the family settled in Ipswich where he remained until his death in 1676.
During 1639, Fellows engaged in tending the Ipswich village herd of cows. His contract read "to drive them out to feed before sunne be half an hour high and not bring them home before half an hour before sunset". The contract ran from April 15th to November 15th and the pay was either in corn or money, a total of fifteen pounds. In 1640 he associated with Mark Quilter and Simon Tompson as the Cowkeeper on the North side of the river.
In October 1643 he achieved the status of "Commoner" which refers to the protective agreement among settlers to arrange their homes next to a "Common" consisting of land of sufficient size to mutually protect all their livestock.
He and his family became owners of considerable property in the area with his name appearing on numerous real estate transactions. On November 15, 1649 fifteen acres on the Great Brook towards the north was sold to John Pierpont. On February 7, 1658 a farm on the south side of the river, bounded by the Mill Brook West was conveyed to Fellows. Around that year he bought the John Andrews farm and took up residence in the ancient Candlewood neighborhood. Historians believe the name "Candlewood" came from the trees of the local pine forests whose clear grain and rich pitch were use by the inhabitants to light their homes for many years. In 1666, with John Proctor Senior, he jointly purchased a four rod lot with a house on the west corner of Green Street and the Meeting House Green. This double ownership continued during Fellow's life with his executors buying the Proctor interest from the family heirs in December 1676.
Residents of each community had to establish their own local defenses and were required to become members of a militia providing for the defense of the town against Indians. Each settler had to furnish his own rifle, but drew upon town supplies of gun powder and lead for use in it's defense. In October 1643, Fellows and twenty-six other townsmen were fined for not returning their gun powder supply to the town. The next year he was listed as a subscriber to a fund for Daniel Dennison to compensate his as head of the town militia of Ipswich.
On March 28, 1654 Fellows was admitted to the County Court as a "Freeman of the Colony", a social position achieved through a combination of land ownership and orthodox church membership. As active member in town affairs, his name shows up on many documents, including selection for duty on a County Court jury September 24,1667 and as a signer of a petition in March 21, 1669 for restricting tree cutting on town lands.
Children of William and Mary Fellows were Isaac, Ephraim, Abigail, Elizabeth, Samuel, Sarah and Mary.
Fellows executed his Will on November 27, 1677 and died in Ipswich on December 29, 1676. He was buried at the Parish of St. Michael, Ipswich.
Fellows Road and Fellows Lane, running next to the ancient Fellow's property and named for William Fellows still exist in the town of Ipswich.
Contributed by Dennis Fellows

THOMAS HARDY (ca. 1605-1678)
Thomas Hardy immigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, possibly as a servant of Gov. John Winthrop (see PERSONAL NOTE below). He was born in England about 1605, but no one knows where. He was one of the original founders of Ipswich, The History of Ipswich, Essex and Hamilton, by Joseph B. Felt, 1834. He moved with his family to Rowley about 1653. That area later became Bradford. He died Jan. 4, 1677/8.
There is little known about Thomas. The early records of Ipswich were destroyed in a fire. These records included those that should have had the births of his children along with the name of his wife. Some sources say that he was first married to Lydia, maiden unknown, and she was the mother of all of his children. Another source, at one time, said Lydia died ca. 1635, about the time the first son, Thomas, Jr., was born. He then married Anna(h), maiden unknown. Any occupation at Ipswich is unknown. He was known to have been a ferry operator in Bradford. He never became more than Goodman in a time when status was important. There is no record of him becoming a Freeman. There is no mention of him in the Essex County Quarterly Court Records, either as a litigant or jury member. At the time of his death, his estate included approximately 800 acres of land. From surviving land records, this appears to have been acquired in 1663 from the estate of Joseph Jewett of Rowley. His will was dated Mar. 4, 1671/2. He added a codicil Dec. 12, 1677, about a month before his death.
There were seven children to survive to adulthood. If there were others, they are unknown, probably due to the loss of the early Ipswich records. It is presumed that all seven were born in Ipswich. Due to the missing records, birth dates are guesses.
1. Thomas, b. ca. 1635, d. Bradford, Feb. 6, 1716/7 in his 82nd year. He married Mercy Tenney in Rowley Nov. 22, 1664.
2. Sarah, b. ca. 1641. She married William Hutchins in Haverhill July 1, 1661.
3. Joseph, b. ca. 1643, d. Bradford Jan. 11, 1726/7, aged. 84 years. He was unmarried.
4. Mary, b. ca. 1645. She married Simon (Simeon) Currier.
5. John, b. ca. 1647, d. Bradford Feb. 4, 1714/5, aged 67 years. He married Mary Jackman in Rowley April 2, 1667. He married 2nd Martha (Smith) Burbank.
6. Jacob, b. ca. 1649, d. Bradford April 2 or 3, 1706, aged 57 years. He married Lydia Eaton.
7. William, b. ca. 1651, d. Bradford ca. 1722. He married Ruth Tenney in Bradford May 3, 1678. He married 2nd Sarah Savory, probably 1689.
PESONAL NOTE: Thomas was my 9th ggrandfather. I believe that Thomas was probably not married when he came to America. I have seen two references, one that I can't find right now, that Thomas was a servant of Gov. Winthrop. The first instance I read that Gov. Winthrop came to America with 5 or 6 servants, one who was named Thomas Hardy. The second instance is from a historical sketch of Major General Daniel Denison done ca. 1882. In that there is the line, "If we stop a moment at the Choate ship­yard, we shall find that Thomas Hardy, once a servant of Gov. Winthrop,..." In my opinion, there is strength given to this in that Thomas never learned to read or write, he never became "freeman" or "Mr." and was never very involved in town politics as evidenced by lack of mention in the town records of Rowley and Bradford. Nor was he ever a litigant or jury member at the Quarter Courts. (See Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County.
John Slaughter

THOMAS HOWLETT ( 1605 -1677)
Thomas Howlett was twenty-five years old when he came to New England in 1630 aboard the ship Hopewell as part of Governor Winthrop’s Fleet. He was a carpenter by trade with origins in South Elmham Parish of Suffolk County, East Anglia in England. He first settled in Boston, as did a majority of Winthrop colonists, and became a member of the First Church on August 27, 1630. In the Spring of 1633 he married Alice French, daughter of Thomas and Susan (Riddlesdale) French, who apparently had emigrated to New England prior to her parents. She was a member of the First Church and was eventually dismissed on September 10, 1643 to the church in Ipswich as "Our sister Alice French ye wife of Thomas Howlet of Ipswich."
Although Howlett latter settled in Topsfield where he spent the latter years of his life, he was one of the nine originals of John Winthrop Jr’s 1633 party settling the Indian village Agawam, which the next year became the town of Ipswich. He was sworn a freeman at Ipswich on March 4, 1633.
In 1634 Ipswich granted Howlett, in partnership with John Manning and others, on the neck of land on which the town stood, two acres of meadow and two and half acres of marsh between the town river and the lands of William Sergient (probably Sargent) and John Newman. Added to this in 1635 was a house lot in the town, thirty acres of upland and ten of meadow at the head of Chebacco Creek and ten acres north of the town toward the Reedy marsh. In 1637 he purchased forty acres from John Perkins, Sr. His later acquired Topsfield holdings are described in his will.
Thomas Howlett's highest political office came to him as a young man, when, in 1635, he represented Ipswich in the General Court. He served on the Essex County Jury of Trials in 1654, 1657 and 1665 and on the Grand Jury in 1650, 1654, 1659, 1666 and 1667 and served as Selectman of Topsfield in 1661.
In 1640 he was sergeant of the Ipswich military defense company and later became its ensign. In 1643 he, as Sergeant, and ten other militiamen were voted compensation by the town for their three days acting in defense of the Agawam Indians against their tribal enemies. In 1672 he became a Deacon of the Topsfield Church and his contribution of five pounds to the salary of Rev. Jeremiah Hubbard was the largest of those made.
There were eight children of Howlett's marriage with Alice, Sarah (1633/34-1700), John (1633/34-1674/75), Alice (1636-1696), Thomas, Jr. (1637/38-1667), Mary (1641/42-1718), Nathaniel (1646-1658), William (1649/50-1718) and Samuel (1654/55-1719/20). On June 6, 1666, after the death of Alice he married Rebecca Smith, widow of Thomas Smith of Ipswich and Newbury, with his step-son, Thomas Smith, in 1671, choosing him as his guardian.
Thomas Howlett died in Topsfield, Essex County on September 24, 1677.
Submitted by Erick Shyer

ROBERT LORD (1603-1683)
Robert Lord was among the early settlers of Ipswich, arriving late 1634 or early 1635 and taking the Freeman’s oath in Boston March 3, 1635/6. He was born in Sudbury, Suffolk, England in 1603. His line has never been verified prior to that time. On November 11, 1630 he married Mary Waite in Finchingfield, Essex, England. They arrived in Ipswich with four children and had five after arrival.
In September 1636, he was appointed Town Clerk and Clerk of the Court of Ipswich and continued to hold that position until his death August 21, 1683. His duties included what would now be considered Clerk of Probate and Register of Deeds. He was appointed Deputy to the General Court March 12, 1637/8. In the latter position he served on committees that fixed the boundaries of the towns surrounding Ipswich and private lands in Essex County. He served as Clerk of Courts in old Norfolk County in 1649, and in 1658 as Clerk of the Salem Court. He was also Marshal or Sheriff until succeeded by his son Robert on March 27 1660.
As Marshal, he is said to have served more than twenty years in the Indian wars and became so inured to camp life and exposure that he could never afterwards sleep upon a feather bed. He is said to have been below the medium stature, but of powerful mould and one of the most athletic, strong, and fearless men in the Colonial service.
There is a tradition, perhaps apocralyphic that the Indians themselves at one time, when confronted by Lord's rangers, proposed to decide the battle that was anticipated by an encounter between the champions of the two parties. Robert Lord walked to the front as champion of the colonists. The Indians selected the most powerful of their tribe, a perfect giant, nearly seven feet in stature. The two men were to meet at full run and take the "Indian hug" as they closed. The Indians anticipated an easy victory. They came together like two infuriated bullocks with a tremendous shock, but in an instant the Indian lay stretched upon the earth, and the shouts of the Colonial scouts rang out in the forest. Not satisfied with a single experiment, they were required to rush and clinch again. In this encounter Lord took the "hip-lock" on his antagonist and threw him with such force that a blood vessel was ruptured in the fall. The Indians took him up and carried him from the arena, fully acknowledging defeat.

Genealogy

1. Robert Lord was born 1603 in Sudbury, St Gregory Parish, Suffolk, England, and died August 21, 1683 in Ipswich, Essex, MA1. He married Mary Waite November 11, 1630 in Finchingfield, Essex, England2,3, daughter of Samuel Waite and Mary Ward.
Children of Robert Lord and Mary Waite are:
  1. Hannah Lord, m. John Grow, December 15, 1669, Ipswich, Essex, MA
  2. Mary Lord, d. October 03, 1676, Newbury, Essex, Ma; m. William Chandler, February 26, 1666/67, Newbury, Essex, Ma.
  3. Thomas Lord, b. 1633; d. June 04, 1713, Charlestown, Suffolk, Ma; m. Alice Rand, June 26, 1660, Ipswich, Essex, MA
  4. Robert Jr Lord, b. 1634, England; d. November 11, 1696, Ipswich, Essex, Ma; m. Hannah Day, 1657, Ipswich, Essex, MA.
  5. Samuel Lord, b. 1640, Ipswich, Essex, MA d. May 27, 1696, Charlestown, Suffolk, Ma; m. (1) Elizabeth Ted, October 15, 1667, Charlestown, Suffolk, Ma; m. (2) Rebecca Eddington, December 16, 1684, Charlestown, Suffolk, Ma
  6. Abigaill Lord, b. 1646; d. June 04, 1729; m. Jacob Foster, February 26, 1665/66, Ipswich, Essex, MA.
  7. Sarah Lord, b. 1647; d. Ma; m. Joseph Wilson, April 24, 1678, Andover, Essex, Ma.
  8. Susannah Lord, b. Abt. 1650, Ipswich, Essex, MA; d. January 1726/27, Berkley Co, SC; m. Thomas Osgood, May 22, 1674, Ipswich, Essex, MA.
  9. Nathaniel Lord, b. Abt. 1653, Ipswich, Essex, MA; d. January 18, 1732/33, Ipswich, Essex, MA; m. Mary Call, December 31, 1685, Ipswich, Essex, MA.
Sources:
  1. Vital Records of Ipswich Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849, (Published by The Essex Institute, Salem, Mass, 1910).
  2. Clarence Almon Torrey, New England Marriages Prior to 1700, (Genealogical Publishing Co, Inc 1985).
  3. "The New England Historical and Genealogical Register," New England Historical and Genealogical Society: Volume L, Page 112 (1896), "Genealogical Gleanings in England" Waters.
  4. Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England
  5. Clarence Almon Torrey, New England Marriages Prior to 1700, (Genealogical Publishing Co, Inc 1985).
  6. Charlestown Genealogies and Estates Pages 628-631.
  7. Hammatt, Abraham; The Hammatt Papers -- Early Inhabitants of Ipswich, Massachusetts 1633-1700. (1980)
  8. Felt, History of Ipswich, Essex and Hamilton, 1834
  9. Genealogy And Family History Of New Hampshire, Lewis Publishing Co. 1908
Submitted by Bruce Lord - Bellingham, Massachusetts

Original page design by Jodi Salerno
Copyright ©2005-'08 by John Slaughter
Last Updated: 11 March, 2008