1777* Joseph Kilburn, born Nov. 3, 1755 or 6. 1817 Sewell Carter, merchant in Lancaster. 1817* Moses K. Emerson, a physician, died in Virginia, 1825. 1817 Paul Willard, Counsellor at Law, Charlestown. 1821 Henry Lane, M. D. a physician in Boston. 1822 Samuel Manning studied law. He now risides in Mexico. Ebenezer Torry, Attorney at law in Fitchburg. 1823 Levi Fletcher, Chaplain U. S. Frigate Macedonian. 1824 Christopher T. Thayer, Theological student at Cambridge. 1825 Frederick Wilder, died at Northampton, "Multis ille bonis flebilis occidit," Feb. 1826. 1826 Stephen M. Weld. Messrs. Mellen, Kilburn and Bailey, are of the "Chocksett literati." See Vol. 1. Worcester Magazine, 379, 380. Dr. Josiah Wilder and Israel Houghton, Graduated at Yale College about ten years before the revolution. I have not the catalogue by me to fix the year. class of 1805 Jacob Willard graduated at Brown University, 1820. William HuntWhite, do. do. Theological students at Cambridge. Abel Willard, son of Joshua W. of Petersham, entered Harvard University, 1772, left in 1775 and went to England with his uncle Abel Willard, Esq. of this town. Died in Canada. Nathan Osgood entered Harvard University, 1782 and left. Richard Cleveland and Henry Russel Cleveland are now in the Senior Class at the University. NOTE ON THE WILDERS. The tradition of the family is, that Thomas Wilder the first of the name in this country, came from Lancaster in England; that he settled in Hingham, and had four sons, that one son remained in Hingham, from whom are descended all of the name of Wilder, in that town and vicinity. I find that Thomas Wilder was made freeman, 2d June, 1641, and that he was of Charlestown in 1642. One named Edward took the freeman's oath, 29th May, 1644, and was afterwards of Hingham, (2 Mass. Hist. Col. iv. 221) but whether, or how, related to Thomas I do not know. Thomas moved to Lancaster, July 1, 1659, was one of the selectmen, and died October 23, 1667. He left three sons in Lancaster, viz. Thomas, John and Nathaniel, from whom are derived all of the name of Wilder, in this town. Thomas, the eldest son, died August, 1717, aged 76, had Col James and Joseph. From James who married Rev. Mr. Gardner's sister, came 2d Colonel James of Lancaster, and Gardner, in Leominster. From the last Colonel James, came James, Dr. Josiah, and Asaph, all of whose families are extinct. Gardner has many descendants now in Leom-1 inster. Joseph, the son of Thomas above mentioned, married Rev. Mr. Gardner's sister; he was a distinguished man in town, and possessed great influence. He was an active magistrate; for many years he represented the town in the Legislature, and was Judge and Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, from 1731 to 1757, and Judge of Probate from 1739 to 1757. He died March 29, 1757, aged 74. His sons were Thomas of Leominster, Andrew, Judge Joseph, and Colonel Caleb. Joseph was Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, from 1762, to 1773, representative of the town in the Legislature, and died, April 20, 1773, aged 65. He and Col. Caleb were the first in America, who established pot and pearlash works. Caleb died, June 19, 1776, aged 59. Thomas, last named, had three sons, Hon. Abel Wilder of Winchendon, of the Senate, from 1786 to 1792: Thomas of Leominster, and Joseph of Winchendon. Caleb's sons were Samuel and Caleb of Ashburnham, Nahum and Levi. Samuel had a large family of sons. Caleb had two sons, one was Dr. Wilder of Templeton. Levi, who died Jan. 5, 1793, was father of the present Sampson V. S. Wilder of Bolton. John, the second son of the first settler, had three sons, viz:-John, Thomas, and Ebenezer. From John came John of Petersham, Jonas of Bolton, Josiah and Jonathan of Sterling, Aholiab and Bezaleel of Shutesbury, William of Bolton; thomas had two sons, John of Ludlow, and Jotham. The latter four sons, Stephen and Titus, Jotham of Saltash, Vt. Reuben, do. From Stephen and Titus are descended the present Wilders in the "six nations."* From Ebenezer, Representative in 1739, who died, Dec. 25, 1745, aged 64, came Benjamin of Sterling, and David. From Benjamin, Col. Wilder, of Sterling. From David, who was a Representative many years, came David of Leominster, Samuel and John, Abel and Jacob of Vermont, Luke of Penobscot, and Jonathan. *South part of Lancaster. From David last named, is descended the present David of Leominster, commissioner of Highways, &c. Jonathan had eleven sons; nine lived to man's estate, viz:-Jonathan, David, John, Luke, Cephas, Prescott, Lewis, Henry, and Frederick. The last died at Northampton, in Feb. 1826, universally lamented. Nathaniel, the third son of the first settler, lived in Lancaster, and was killed by the Indians, July 1704. From him are descended Jonathan, killed by the Indians August, 1707, Nathaniel of Petersham, Ephraim of Lancaster, a Representaive for a number of years, who died Dec. 13, 1769, aged 94, and Col. Oliver. Nathaniel, last named, had a large family. Ephraim, had a son of the same name, who died March 17, 1770, aged 68. This last had three sons, Ephraim, Manassah, and William. Ephraim last named, settled in Sterling, had a large family, of whom Dea. Joel of this town is one. Manassah had two sons, Joseph and Sumner. William had two song who left children, viz: Ephraim and Elijah. Col. Oliver had four sons, Oliver, Tilley, Phineas and Moses. Oliver and Moses remained in Lancaster, and from them are descended all of the name of Wilder, in the westerly part of Lancaster, except Joel and Elijah. NOTE ON SEVERAL OF THE NAME OF HOUGHTON. Ralph and John Houghton, as has been before mentioned, were cousins, and came to Lancaster in 1653. Ralph wrote a good business hand and was recorder many years. He represented the town as a deputy in the general court in 1673, and 1689. He probably died a few years after. Of his children, were John, born April 28, 1655, and Joseph, born July 1, 1657. John, the cousin of Ralph, whose wife was Beatrix, had a son Benjamin, born May 25, 1668. William and Robert were also sons. There is reason to believe that he died April 29, 1684. John Houghton, Esq. was another son of John. He was born in England, it is said, in 1650, or 1651. He was quite young when his parents moved to Lancaster. From 1693 to 1724, inclusive, he represented the town fourteen years in the General Court. For a long time after the town was rebuilt he appears to have been the only magistrate in the place. He was quite celebrated in this neighborhood, as a man of weight and influence, and was a very skilful conveyancer. In this business he had great employment. He gave the land for the second meeting house. His dwelling house was on the south side of the old com mon, a little to the south west of Mr. Faulkner's. Three ancient pear trees planted by himself stand in front of the site of his house. During the last twelve years of his life he was blind. He died Feb. 3. 1736-7 in the 87th year of his age. The epitaph on his tomb stone, is the same that was common in the country a century ago. viz. As you are So were we So you will be. Jonathan Houghton, the first County Treasurer, was one of his sons. ADDENDA. A few additional memoranda, the names of those who "desired to be made freemen," taken from 2 Savage's Winthrop, just published. Those in Italics, at least those of the same name, were among the early settlers of Lancaster. 66 Joshua Carter, May 14, 1634. William Fletcher, May 10, 1643. 66 66 66 John Pierce, May 10, 1648. Richard Dwelley probably did not return to town after it was resettled, if he ever lived here. I find him mentioned as a soldier in Scituate, in 1676, 2. Mass. Hist. Col. iv. 229. "Others of the same town, (Watertown) began also a plantation at Nashaway, some 15 miles north west of Sudbury." 2 Savage's Winthrop, 152. 1648. "This year a new way was found out to Connecticut, by Nashaway, which avoided much of the hilly way." 2. Winthrop's N. E. 325. Maze, Rigby, Kettle, and Luxford, names in Lancaster in 1668-9, disappeared as early probably as Philip's war. Three acres of land in front of the house of Mr. Richard I. Cleveland, were used as a training field, in the time of the first Judge Wilder. For the biography of the late Judge Sprague, I am indebted to William Stedman, Esq. 5 line 17, for "fact," read part. 6 18th line from bottom for "area and of its branches," read area of its branches. line 16 from top for "least," read last. 16 3d line from the bottom of the text, for "effected," read affected. 192d line from top, dele, and, in 2d note for "presented by the Court,” read presented the Court. 20 line 18 from bottom for "1654 and 1655," read 1664, 1665. 22 line 12 from top for "Jonathan Prescott," read John Prescott, for "Peter Green aged 1, "read 81. 37 17th line from top for" had," read lead. 43 3d line from bottom for "Soombes," read Toomb's. 53 last line of note (*) for " Jacob Z. Wearers," read Jacob Zweares. 54 8 and 9 lines from bottom read "Willard." 55 3d line from top after "excitement" add prevailed, 19th line from top for "Jeremeel," read Jeremy. 56 12 lines from top for "authography," read orthography, 16th line from top for "indulged," read indulge. 62 4th line from bottom for "or," read nor. 69 in note for "3 Ellis," read 2 Ellis. 70 6th line from top for "broken off," read taken off. 72 21st line from top for "June 3, 1792," read June 3, 1793, last note for "Joeph," read Joseph. The compiler living at a distance from the press, and not being able to revise the sheets, is the reason that some errata have crept into the work: Some typographical errors of less consequence, and those in the points, are not noticed. |