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Mercy married Joseph Richards on 23 Mar 1725 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts. Joseph was born on 6 Oct 1701 in Weymouth, Norfolk, Massachusetts; and died. [Group Sheet]

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Andrew received property from his father, 1720 (Plymouth County deeds, vol. 16, p. 9), and land, housing, farm equipment by his father’s will, proved in 1725. He was appointed executor by his brother Hezekiah’s will, 27 Nov. 1721, and was named guardian of Hezekiah’s minor children, Hezekiah and Ruth, in 1723. He built two houses in Abington (Historical Society of Old Abington). The first one, at the present site of lOll Washington Street, was probably built after his purchase of the Woodward grant, 1706/7. His son Jacob lived and died in this house. About 1800 Jacob’s son Benjamin sold it to Capt. Richard Vining, who built another house there in 1815. Andrew’s second house, located at 770 Washington Street, was “new” about 1735. A house stands there today; the back part of dark stained shingle, with central chimney, is the original; it faces south. It was sold in 1760 by Andrew Ford IV to Joshua Howe (Plymouth County deeds, vol. 48, p. 194). A sign attached to the front of the house erroneously states that it was erected before 1700.
Andrew was called “Ensign” in the Abington records, 23 April 1728. He and his wife Mercy were on the first list of First Church members, 1724. He was on the committee to get the meeting house finished, 24 Dec. 1728, and on the committee, 1 March 1731, which made up the accounts regarding the finishing of the meeting house. Ten years later he was moderator of a meeting which was primarily concerned with the question of repairing the old meeting house or building a new one.
He was also active in civic affairs. He was elected Highway Surveyor three times, 4 March 1723, 1 March 1725, I March 1731. Twice he served on a committee to provide a schoolmaster for the town, 26 Nov. 1729, the first in Abington, and again 30 Dec. 1730. On 23 April 1728 he was trustee for a £60,000 loan to the town. On 8 Jan. 1730 he served on a committee to meet with Hingham, Hull, Scituate, Hanover, Weymouth and Braintree committees in an attempt to have this district create a new county. On 5 Dec. 1734 he was moderator of a town meeting to provide for the care of an indigent; and on 31 May 1736 moderator of a meeting concerned with the continuation of the same case. On 22 May 1738 he was moderator of a meeting on a petition to have the old “Colony Line” re-surveyed correctly; and on 31 March 1741 moderator of a regular Town Meeting. Andrew bought land in 1706/7 from Joseph and Isaac Poole (Plymouth County deeds, vol. 7, p. 208). This deed mentioned land of “ye sd John fford,” probably a clerical error as “Andrew” is the only previously-mentioned Ford. In 1724 Andrew bought land from William Reed; he sold property in 1740 to James Nash, in 1742 to Abraham Josselyn, in 1744 to Joseph Stoddard, in 1749 to Woodbridge Brown (Plymouth County deeds, passim.).
His will was written 12 June 1749 and proved 4 June 1750. He bequeathed to “beloved wife Allice” the privilege of living in the best room of either of his houses, also food supplies and firewood. His son Jacob received the northerly half of his farm, except for the sawmill. His son Andrew received the southern half of the farm and the sawmill. His daughter Hester Porter received thirty acres of land and her children, money. The children of his daughter Mercy Richards and of his daughter Mary Reed, also received money. Witnesses were: Samuel Brown, Ebenezer Bate, Jr., Mercy Brown. His sons Jacob and Andrew were named executors when the will was proved in 1750 (plymouth County Probate, vol. 12, p. 146, 147). - Descendants of Andrew Ford of Weymouth, Massachusetts

Buried:
in Mt. Vernon Cemetery

Andrew married Mercy Reed on 27 Nov 1706 in Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts. Mercy (daughter of William Reed and Esther Tomson) was born about 1682 in Weymouth, Norfolk, Massachusetts; died on 4 Feb 1738 in Abington, Plymouth, Massachusetts; was buried in Abington, Plymouth, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet]

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Buried:
Mt. Vernon Cemetery

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Andrew lived in Weymouth until he was almost thirty. Suffolk County deeds show that he bought property there 16 Feb. 1673/4 and 10 Feb. 1676/7 from Richard Phillips and his wife Mary (vol. 9, p. 12-13; vol. 10, p. 150-151). There is no military service in Massachusetts for him, but Andrew “Foard” is mentioned in an account of sundry payments made in 1673-1674, for the building of “the Castle,” a fortification on Castle Island in Boston Harbor (Secretary of State, Boston and Mrs. Colin Campbell, Historical Society of Old Abington).
Andrew took the oath of allegiance to Charles II with his father and brothers in Weymouth in 1678. Two other Suffolk County records concern him: the will of his father and the estate records of his first cousin, Jamess Lovell. Andrew1 Ford, 25 Feb. 1692/3, bequeathed his son 12 pence, which he judged sufficient with what he had already given him. The inventory of Jamess Lovell’s estate, 1717/18, mentioned land held in partnership with his “brother” Andrew Ford (Suffolk County Probate Record, vol. 20, p. 455, given in History of Weymouth, vol. 3, p. 394). Jamesa was the son of James, brother of Ellinor, Andrew’s mother; therefore, Andrew’s first cousin; “brother” may indicate a close friendship or some connection unknown to this historian.
About 1679 Andrew moved into the eastern half of the Souther Grant, purchased by Lovell and Ford in 1664 from the Plymouth Colony. Benjamin Hobart, the Abington historian, said he might have moved thete earlier and withdrawn because of Indian trouble. “Andrew Ford’s house” was mentioned, 13 March 1671/2, in a description of the Partridge grant, sold by Partridge to Thomas Andrews of Hingham (Plymoum Colony deed, vol. 3, p. 188). The deed stated: “The said land lyem near a mile to me south a little westerly from Andrew ffoards house.” “Andrew ffoards house” may have been a crude hut or cabin used while clearing the property; and may have been the house destroyed by the Indians, the incident to which Hobart referred. Andrew Ford probably built a more permanent dwelling south of the first after the title to the Souther grant had been cleared up, 1679/80. He was the pioneer settler there. Hobart located an early Ford house, by a pile of rocks, west of Deacon Cleverly’s, at the present fork of Washington and Adams Streets in North Abington. The site was marked, about 1930, by some of Andrew’s descendants and a bronze plaque affixed to a boulder, which reads: “Near this spot about the year 1679 Andrew Ford, second of the name in America, built the first house in the territory afterward incorporated as the town of Abington.” This house is mentioned in Plymoum Colony Judicial Acts, vol. 7, p. 310 (·98) in a report written, 2 July 1690, on me road from Middlebury, Bridgewater, etc. towards Boston, “ .... to ye road that goeth to Waymouth, and from thence as ye way now lyeth on ye westerly side of Andrew Foords house, & so to ye patent line .... “ The land on which Andrew lived was called Ford’s Farm or Farms, as already stated.
On 10 June 1712 Ford’s Farms and lands adjoining, together with the N. E. comer of the town of Bridgewater, were incorporated to form the town of Abington (Massachusetts Archives, Court Orders, vol. 9, p. 205).
On 5 March 1715/16 Andrew Ford was elected Selectman and Tax Assessor for the town. He was a founder of the Congregational Church, 1712, and on the list of members, 1724. On 3 Aug. 1715 he was elected to serve on a committee to make up accounts regarding the meeting house. In 1716 Andrew Ford, Sr., was paid 10 shillings for keeping school in his neighborhood. On 3 March 1718 he was reimbursed 15s. for Edward Derby’S taxes which he had paid (Abington Town Records, passim.).
Andrew Ford owned other land in Plymouth Colony besides his share in the Souther grant. He received fractions of the 2 x 3/4 mile grant from his father, from Elizabeth and Remember Briggs and from his brother Samuel, as was shown in the deeds quoted under Andrew Ford (Sr), and was one of the owners when the grant was divided in 1695. He and James Lovell acquired the Bradford grant in 1694 and in 1705 bought out the Indian claims to that property and the 2 x 3/4 mile tract. From Jacob Nash, in 1710, Andrew received an undivided half right in 60 acres; and, in 1712/13, transferred it to Rev. Samuel Browne. Andrew received land from James Lovell, 1722/3, and made grants to his son Hezekiah, to his son-in-law Richard Whitmarsh, and to his son Andrew (Plymouth County deeds, passim.). Andrew was named the heir of his brother Ebenezer and grantor of 16 acres of land in Woodbridge in 1702. - Descendants of Andrew Ford of Weymouth, Massachusetts

Andrew married Abiah Pierce about 1680. Abiah was born about 1654; and died. [Group Sheet]

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William was born probably before 1650; died at Weymouth between 26 Oct. 1705, and 12 Sept. 1706. He married, in 1675, Esther Tomson, daughter of Lieut. John and Mary (Cooke) Tomson of Middleborough. Her maternal grandfather was Francis Cooke of the Mayflower. (The Mayflower Descendant, 4: 22.) She also died at Weymouth between 26 Oct. 1705, when she was appointed executrix of her husband’s will, and 12 Sept. 1706. He resided on Pleasant Street in the South Parish. A part of his ancient house was occupied by Palmer Loud in 1888. He made his will 26 Oct. 1705, and it was probated 12 Sept. 1706. To his wife Hester Read he gave the use of his dwelling house and lands for life. To his eldest son William Read the new double house and land adjoining. To son John Reed his homestead. To son Jacob Reed land “in Ragged plaine.” To his daughters Bashna Porter, Mercy Whitmarsh, Mary Reed, Hester Reade, and Sarah Reade each £20. Sons William, John and Jacob Reed the remainder, Jacob to pay his youngest daughter, Sarah Reed, the £20. His friends Edward Bates, Sr., and James Humphrey, both of Weymouth, overseers. Witnesses: Edward Bates, Sr., John Bates, Jr., and Samuel Bates, Jr. - History of Weymouth Massachusetts
Excerpt: William Reade, (Sometime Reed-Read-Reid.) - 1639-1706, of Wessaguscus, renamed Plymouth, Mass. He was a Trooper under Captain Thomas Prentice; also under Lieut. Edward Oakes and also under Captain Isaac Johnson; also of the militia of Weymouth under Capt. William Torrey, 1675 and 1676, Mount Hope campaign. His wife was Esther Thompson of Middleborough, Mass., a grand-daughter of Mr. Francis Cooke, who came over in the "Mayflower" in 1620.
- Source: Ancestors of Captain Philip Reade, 3d Regiment of Infantry, U.S. Army : who, in a military capacity, aided to create, defend and preserve the colonies of North America between 1607 and 1776. by Philip Hildreth Reade, 1844- Fort Snelling, Minn. (1886) pg 7 / Reel/Fiche Number: Genealogy and local history ; G5266
William Read's will of 26 Oct 1705 mentions "my beloved Wife Hester Read", but probate records show it was presented to court at Boston 12 Sep 1706 by "William Read and John Read, Executors therein named ... the Execut'rx [Hester] being dead." - Source: "William Read's Will", in Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants. Mayflower Descendant, 23:72.
Abstract of the will of William Reed from Mayflower Descendant 23:72-74
"... my beloved wife Hester Read shall have the sole use and improvement of my dwelling house and some land and meadow adjoining ... and also the sole use and improvement of all my movables ... and I do enjoin my sons William Read and John Read to manage and improve the said lands and meadow for their mother according to her direction ... during her natural life." To "my eldest son William Read the new double house and land adjoining that I built for him ..." To "my son John Read my dwelling house wherein I live ... and all that my land adjoining and meadow ..." To "my son Jacob Read my lot of land in Ragged Plain..." To "my daughter Bashua Porter" £ 20, To "my daughter Mercy Whitmarsh" £ 20, To "my daughter Mary Read" £ 20, To "my daughter Hester Read" £ 20, To "my daughter Sarah Read" £ 20, To "my aforementioned three sons William Read, John Read and Jacob Read my part of the wharf and my common lot by the great pond and all my lands in the Township of Bridgewater and my part of the sawmill in said Bridgewater to be equally divided amongst them ... and further I do oblige my son William Read and John Read to pay my four daughters first mentioned above to each of them twenty pounds ... within two years after my decease and to do what work their mother shall need or require ... and I do hereby oblige my son Jacob to pay twenty pounds ... to my youngest daughter Sarah Read within two years after my decease, if she require it so soon." To "my five daughters before mentioned ... all my movables which shall remain after my wife's decease to be equally divided amongst them."

William married Esther Tomson about 1675 in Prob. Middleboro, Massachusetts. Esther (daughter of Lt. John Tomson and Mary Cooke) was born on 28 Jul 1652 in Barnstable, Plymouth, Massachusetts; died before 12 Sep 1706 in Weymouth, Norfolk, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet]

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Andrew Foord was an early settler of Weymouth, Mass., where he was made freeman in 1654; he was also made freeman in Duxbury, Mass., that same year. He m. about 1649, Eleanor Lovell (dau. of Robert and Elizabeth Lovell), b. 1634; d. March 4, 1692, Hingham, Mass. Robert Lovell and his wife sailed from England, March 20, 1635-6, their dau. being called Ellyn on the, passenger list; she m. Andrew Foord under the name of Elleans, her name being given as Eleanor on the records of deeds in Plymouth, Mass. In 1651 the will of Robert Lovell was probated; in it he mentions his son-in-law Andrew Foord, and Andrew’s eldest son and youngest child, thus indicating that Andrew had at least two children at that time, and possibly three. Of the thirteen children of Andrew Foord, the births of three are not recorded on the Weymouth Vital Statistics, namely, Andrew, Mary and James, and it is possible to suppose that they were born previous to or near the year 1651. From the Town Records of Weymouth, we learn that Andrew Foord was one of the original purchasers of the Town and held large tracts of land, comprising 7 acres in the East Field, Lot No. 65 in the 2nd Division containing 18 acres, a large lot of land in the Great Cedar Swamp, a lot in the little Cedar Swamp, and 5 or 6 acres of common land. In the Plymouth Colony and Plymouth County Deed Books are found records of other large tracts of land belonging to Andrew Foord. Oct. 28, 1668, he with Lieft. John Hoibrook and James Lovell purchased of Constant Southworth and Cornett Robert Stetson,* both of Duxbury, consideration £3, a piece of land running two miles in length and three-quarters of a mile in breadth, being in the Plymouth Patent, near the line between the two jurisdictions of Massachusetts and Plymouth, and containing about 1,000 acres. Part of this land was sold by the owners in one-eighth part lots, each containing 125 acres, or given by Andrew Foord to some of his sons. A portion of it embraced the tract that was called in the Plymouth Colony records “Ffords farm,” and was afterwards incorporated into the town of Abington. Andrew Foord was also associated in other real estate transactions, and was a prominent man in the community. He removed late in life to Hingham, Mass., where he d. March ,1693. His will was dated Feb. 5, 1692-3, and was probated in March of the same year in Boston, Mass. The inventory of his estate was dated March 23, 1692-3, and mentions the tracts of lands he owned in Plymouth, also a right of land in Quinne Poge. Children: 13 (Foord), 8 sons and 5 daughters: -The New York Genealogical And Biographical Record. Devoted To The Interests Of American Genealogy And Biography. Issued Quarterly. Volume LIII, 1922
Andrew’ Ford, earliest mentioned in the will of Robert Lovell of Weymouth, 3 Apr. 1652; died at Hingham, 4 Mar. 1692-93. He married, before 1650, Eleanor Lovell, daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Lovell of Weymouth, born in England near 1629; she died before 25 Feb. 1692-93. He was made a freeman of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, 3 May, 1654. He received seven acres “in the east field,” first granted to Mussacheill Barnard, and six acres in the First Division and eighteen acres in the Second Division, 14 Dec. 1663. (Weymouth Land Grants, 272, 282, 284.) Ellen Ford, the wife of Andrew Ford of Weymouth, deposed “aged about 38 yeeres,” 24 May, 1667. (Suffolk Court Files No. 815: paper 35.) Therefore she was born near 1629. “Andrew Ford, Sen’, late of the Town of Weymouth, now resident in Hingham, in the Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, being under infirmities of age,” made his will as follows: Unto his son Israel Ford his dwelling house and about twenty acres thereunto belonging. To his son Jacob Ford eighteen acres in the Upper or Second Division in Weymouth. To his son Israel Ford his share in the late Colony of Plymouth. Unto his son Nathaniel Ford fifteen acres upon which his dwelling house and barn now standeth, also 200 acres at a place called “Quinne Poge.” Unto his son Andrew Ford 12d. with what he fonnerly received from me. To his son James Ford 200 acres at a place called Quinne Poge, near New Roxbury (Woodstock, Conn.) To the heirs of my son Joseph Ford, deceased, one shilling beside what said Joseph received in his lifetime. My son Ebenezer Ford 12d., with like condition. To son Samuel Ford 200 acres at Quinne Poge. To his daughter Mary Whitman 100 acres at Quinne Poge. To daughter Silence 100 acres at Ouinne Poge. To his daughter Prudence Lincoln, wife of Joseph Lincoln, one-half share of land, 50 acres in the late Colony of Plymouth, and 100 acres at Quinne Poge. To his daughter Elizabeth 100 acres at Quinne Poge. To his daughter Sarah 100 acres at Quinne Poge and to his five daughters abovemeneoned £25, his son Nathaniel . to pay one-third. Son Nathaniel and Israel to be joint executors, 25 Feb. 1692-93; proved 24 Mar. 1692-93. (Suffolk Probate Records, 13: 146-147.) Inventory £419 65.

Andrew married Eleanor Lovell about 1646 in Massachusetts. Eleanor (daughter of Robert Lovell and Elizabeth) was born about 1628 in England; died on 20 Jul 1683 in Hingham, Plymouth, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet]

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• Arrival: 1635, Virginia; aboard the ship "Assurance of London" from England

William married Avis Chepman on 26 Oct 1635 in Long Sutton, Somerset, England. Avis was born about 1610 in Knole, Long Sutton, Somersetshire, England; and died. [Group Sheet]

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• Arrival: 1635, Boston, Massachusetts

Notes:

Able to Bear Arms: Aug 1643, Plymouth, , Plymouth, Massachusetts - Francis Cooke of the Mayflower, p. 62, also Pope's Pioneers, p. 451)
Burial: Unknown, Old Cemetery, Middleboro, Massachusetts (Gustavus Adolphus Hinckley Collection, Barnstable, MA, Records)
Inventory: 01 Jul 1696 (Source: Ralph V. Wood, Jr., Francis Cooke of the Mayflower; p. 68)
Military service: 15 Aug 1645, Served against Narragansetts (Source: Charles Henry Pope;, Pioneers of Massachusetts, (Baltimore, Gen. Publishing Co., 1969; originally published, Boston, 1900;), p. 451.)
Offices: town officer, juryman (Source: Charles Henry Pope;, Pioneers of Massachusetts, p. 451)
Removed: 1672, Middleboro, Massachusetts (Source: Gustavus Adolphus Hinckley Collection, Barnstable, MA, Records)
Title (Facts Pg): Lieutenant (Source: Charles Henry Pope;, Pioneers of Massachusetts, p. 451)
Will: 23 Apr 1696 (Source: Ralph V. Wood, Jr., Francis Cooke of the Mayflower; The First Five Generations, p. 65)
Will Proved: 08 Jul 1696 (Source: Ralph V. Wood, Jr., Francis Cooke of the Mayflower, p. 65, also Pope's Pioneers, p. 451)

Biography of John Tomson (1616-1696) By Gaylen Bunker (excepts from "A genealogy of the descendants of John Thomson of Plymouth, Mass. Also sketches of families of Allen, Cooke and Hutchinson")
In August of 1623 a 140-ton ship, the "Anne", arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts. On board were 60 passengers including Elizabeth Warren and seven children, Elizabeth's husband, Richard, had come on the Mayflower and she was now joining him. Of the seven children with Elizabeth, six were her own and one was her orphaned nephew, John Tomson. Young John had been born in northern England in 1616 and was six years old, the same age as the Warren's own daughter, Elizabeth.

In 1636 John's cousin, Elizabeth, married Richard Church and from that point on Richard Church and John Tomson became close companions. In 1637 Richard and John contracted with the town's agent to construct Plymouth's first frame meeting house. When the building was completed the agent would not honor the agreement and so Richard and John took him to court. As compensation for his labor the court awarded John deed to a piece of land that extended back from the market-house to the herring brook, later called Spring Hill.

In 1645, John proposed marriage to Mary Cooke, daughter of Francis (Mayflower traveler) and Hester Cooke. Mary was born in May of 1624 at Plymouth, Massachusetts, so when she and John Tomson married on March 3, 1645 she was 21 and he was 29. During that first year of their marriage Mary was to catch a glimpse of the demands on John to deal with Indian problems. In August of 1645, John went on an expedition against the Narragansetts and was away sixteen days. He was a man of imposing physical strength and stature, being six feet, three inches in height, and he became a natural leader.

Mary and John lived for several years at Sandwich on the arm of Cape Cod, and it was here that most of their children were born. Adam in 1646, who died when one and one-half years old; John in 1648; Mary in 1650; Ester in 1652; Elizabeth in 1654; Sarah in 1657; Lydia in 1659; and Jacob in 1662. As the land along the coast was becoming more populated, the value and need for more land and room became a major concern for many. Mary and John were no exception.

There was strong sentiment among the ruling fathers that the early residents of Plymouth, referred to as the ancient freemen, were to have preferential treatment in the granting of new land, not only for themselves but for their children. On Jun. 13, 1662, Francis Cooke, an ancient freeman, was granted the option to join with Josiah Winslow and others in the purchase of land near Namasseket. Francis was nearing 80 years of age and could sense that death was not long off, so he called John and Mary to his side. He turned over his rights to part of this land to his son-in-law, John Tomson, and then turned to Mary. On April 7, 1663 Francis Cooke died. It was about this time that John and Mary decided to move to the new property in the inland forests among the Indians.

With the land that Francis Cooke had given them and other land purchased from William Wetis-pa-quin, sachem of the Neponsets, thirteen miles west of Plymouth, Mary and John Tomson carved out a home in the village of Middleborough. In 1662, John, at age 46 and Mary, age 38 commenced to clear part of the land to locate a dwelling. After working awhile John became thirsty and went into a valley near by in quest of water. There he found a lively brook of pure water and came to the conclusion that the spring could not be far away. He accordingly followed the brook up about one hundred rods and came tot he fountain-head of pure, gushing water. It was decided this was a much better place for their home, so a clearing was made and a log house built.

It was here in Middleborough that the last three of their eleven children were born: Thomas in 1664, Peter in 1668, and Mercy in 1671. As the community grew John took on several community responsibilities. Records show that of the three selectmen elected in Middleborough between 1674 and 1687, John Tomson was the first chosen each and every year. John was esteemed for his moral and religious character.

John's cousin, Elizabeth Warren Church, had a son by the name of Benjamin Church. He relocated to an area west of Middleborough, close to the home of Philip, the chief of the Wampanoags. On trips between his home and Plymouth he would stop and visit with John. On one occasion in 1674 he warned that the peaceful Indians in that vicinity were becoming more hostile. On his advice John contracted with Jabez Soule of Plympton to share the training of an Indian boy named Peter Pringle. Peter would spend two weeks with the Soules at Plympton and the next two weeks with John and Mary at Middleborough. The plan was to teach the youth to learn to work and live like the English. But more subtly, whenever Peter would steal away to meet with his tribe, it was a warning that an uprising was at hand and the Tomsons should go to either the garrison at Middleborough or to Plymouth.

In January of 1675 the rumors of increased tension with the Indians continued to circulate. Sassamon, a Christianized, educated Indian who was a teacher to friendly Indians at Middleborough, was killed by three malicious Indians. Sassamon had at one time served as chief Philip's secretary and the trio feared that he was now warning the Plymouth government of a Wampanoag conspiracy to wage a general war. In the first part of June 1675 the three Indians were tried and subsequently executed for Sassamon's death, which further created unrest. The Wampanoags became enraged, particularly Philip their king.

This was the last straw and culminated 55 years of growing resentment between the English and the Indians. for years the two cultures had been in conflict over the concept of property as it applied to land. For the Indians, land could not be owned but was for all to use. Even when they sold a piece to the English, they still considered it accessible by all. to the English, land was wealth and status and once purchased, was the exclusive domain of the owner. when the great chief Massasoit, who had been such a good friend of the Pilgrims, died he was succeeded by his two sons. First, Alexander and the Philip. It was this Philip who was pushed beyond tolerance.

One day in mid-June, 1675, Mary was alone working when three young Wampanoag men came into the house. They behaved rudely, kicking over the chairs and creating havoc. One of them went to the pot and pulled a fish out that Mary had been boiling. Mary would have none of this and reprimanded the young warrior where upon he drew his knife and began brandishing it about in a threatening manner. Mary seized a splint broom and went on the attack, driving the three from the house.

The next day was Sunday. John and Mary arose at 4 o'clock in the morning, which was their custom every morning, had breakfast, and John pressed a cheese before sunrise. cheese was a special treat for the Sabbath. John was a regular attendant at the sanctuary. After he had made his clearing and moved into this log house, either he or his wife would go every sabbath to the village of Plymouth, a distance of more than thirteen miles, the only place where they had an Elder to speak to them. The members of the family, male and female, frequently walked the distance to attend meeting and return home the same day.

On this particular day, Mary and the children set out for Sabbath meeting and John remained at home in case of trouble. As the family walked on in the darkness toward Plymouth they heard the barking of a pack of wolves. It frightened them to the point that they sought refuge upon a high rock, called "Hand-rock" on the side of the road. There they remained until after sunrise, when the wolves retired and they proceeded on their Sabbath journey.

Later that day several Indians came into the house in a rowdy manner. Sensing danger, John apprehensively seated himself on a chair in the corner of the room. He laid his long gun across his lap on which he rested his hands. In one hand he clutched his brass pistol. The Indians would suddenly act friendly, come over to him, pat him on the shoulder, and try to take the long gun. John would look back at them sternly and raise the pistol slightly, at which the Indians would look at each other and stop back. They loitered about the house a while and then returned to the forest.

Mary and the children returned safely that evening from church and enjoyed the cheese. The next day, John went into the forest with Peter Pringle to work. While working, John talked about the Indians and inquired of Peter, "I wonder why they never attempted to kill me."

At this Peter replied, "Master, I have cocked my gun many a time to shoot you, but I loved you so well I could not."

They returned home as evening was approaching. Once at the house John noticed Peter slip away into the forest. On greeting Mary, John inquired if any Indians had come by during the day. Mary said their had been a number of them and they had been uncommonly friendly and helpful. They followed her into the garden and helped her pick some beans. John replied, "there is trouble ahead; we must pack up immediately and go to the garrison, [at four corners in Middleborough]." They worked though the night and the next day.

In the early evening the teams were prepared, wagons were packed with a portion of the families belongings, and the rest was buried in a pit by the swamp. As darkness descended they were tow miles along their way to the garrison when a bright light illuminated the forest behind them and they knew their home was being devoured in flames. along the road they passed the home of William Danson, and urged him to join them. He said the he could not leave until the morning and would come then.

Tuesday morning John and Mary sent their son John with two others from the garrison to inspect their deserted farm. Along the road the riders discovered a pair of leather shoes and Danson's beaver hat. they hurried with all speed to the farm and back. On their return the leather shoes and hat were gone. As they approached a brook they saw Danson's remains, who became one of the first filled in King Philip's War and the only one killed at Middleborough. The spot where he died was thereafter called Danson's Brook.

At the garrison, sixteen men were assembled as the military force and selected John Tomson as their commander. The men had a various assortment of weapons. John was equipped with his long gun, brass pistol, sword and halberd (long spear/hatchet weapon). The total length of the long gun, including the stock and barrel was seven feet four and one-half inches. The length of the barrel alone was six feet one and one-half inches. The rifle weighed twenty pounds twelve ounces and its caliber was twelve balls to the pound. It was quite a muscular feat just to hold the gun at arms length, sight and object, and fire. The sword was three feet five and one-half inches in length, with the blade only two feet eleven and three-eighths inches.

For several days the Indians would come to a point opposite the fort on the south side of the Namasket river, climb onto "Hand-rock," and taunt the settlers with insulting gestures. On the third day, as a man was looking through a spy-glass, he noticed the taunting Indians were wearing Danson's hat and waving his shoes. He reported to Thomson who turned to Isaace Howland, a heralded marksman, and ordered him to shoot the Indian. the distance from the fort to the rock was nearly a half mile, one hundred and fifty-five rods. Howland took Thomson's long-gun, rested the barrel on the bottom of one of the port hole windows. The settlers grew still and the only sound was of a few faint Indian cries. When Howland was ready he squeezed the trigger and the familiar sound of the musket, clikc-sis-boom, seemed to echo off the forest walls. Instantly after the shot, the Indian, in mid gesture, was hurled to the ground, mortally wounded.

Three points of a triangle were formed by the garrison, hand-rock, and a mill, that was at a slightly lower elevation. As the Indians gathered to inspect their fallen comrade, Ephraim Tinkham from the garrison noticed Isaac Billington away operating his mill. Francis Coombs instantly ran to the warning bell, that was the call for all to come to the garrison as fast as possible and rang out an alarm. Billington looked to the garrison and saw the men waving for him to come quickly. He dropped everything and began to sprint through the trees. the Indians suddenly heard the bell, saw the man running through the forest, and set out to intercept the scrambling worker. Billington's race provided a tense few minutes for the garrison's inhabitants, but it was later said that no person ever covered the distance so quickly. He got to the garrison scarcely in time and was pronounced safe. He had left his hat and coat on a pole, by the mill, which the Indians riddled with balls before setting the mill afire.

As the Indians returned to their wounded warrior, they lifted him high into the air to carry him off into the woods. John Tomson looked through the spy-glass and identified the limp body of his own Peter Pringle. Thomson lowered the glass and dropped into a chair in despair. The Indians then carried Pringle two miles to a vacant farm house where he died that night. Ceremonies were held wherein the body and farm house were burned to the ground the next day.

The war continued for almost two years and the governor gave John a general commission as Lieutenant commandant of the garrison, the field and all posts of danger. He was forever afterward referred to as Lieut. John Tomson. One source reports "[John Tomson] and his men were very active in forcibly contending with the Indians in 1675, and in Philip's war of 1676, braving every danger and meeting the enemy at every point where he could be found. Having associated much with the Indians in early life, he made himself acquainted partially with their language, their habits and customs, and from their manners could discern the motives of their conduct. Often did they attempt to waylay and ambush him, but his vigilance never slept, and his prudence and matured judgment effectually guarded his safety. His stern and positive manner awed them into fear, and his inflexible courage subdued them to cowardice. Whenever he came in contact with them he triumphed and they were defeated, until they believed the Great Spirit protected him that he could not be killed. Tradition gives him credit for having repeatedly saved the settlements of Halifax and Middleborough by his superior skill and well-timed precaution."

Although King Philip's War broke out in the country around Plymouth, it spread to all the colonies in New England. It was no ordinary war, but a bitter fight of extermination waged by the Wampanoag, Nipmuck, and Narraganset Indians against the settlers of Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. It became clear that whoever won the war would dominate the area for years to come. As a result of the war over six hundred colonists were killed, of which three hundred were women and children. Thirteen settlements were totally wiped out and over six hundred dwellings were burned. Although the loss was staggering for the colonists it was even worse for the Indians who were nearly wiped-out.

King Philip's War ended in 1677. The hero of the war for Plymouth was Captain Benjamin Church, son of Richard Church, and cousin, protégé, confidant, and friend of John Tomson. Church and his men tracked King Philip to Mount Hope, west of Middleborough, where they encircled him and his outnumbered warriors with a superior force. As Philip tried to escape, he was shot and killed by one of Church's men, thus bringing King Philip's War to an end. The Indian force was annihilated, their property taken, and their culture shattered. The end for the southern New England Indians was total and forever.

At the end of the war, John and Mary returned to their farm, built a framed house near where their former home had stood. Their new home was 38 feet long and 30 feet wide. It was built more like a garrison than a home for it had loop holes and was lined with brick to protect against musket balls. Even at age 61, John put into the building of his home all his loving care and craftsmanship. There is no doubt that John's sons assisted in the construction. The west front room was 18 feet square, and the east 18 feet by 12 feet. Each with a fireplace capable of burning four foot logs, The front of the house was two stories and in the back one story, the lower story being seven feet high. It was built of white oak, there was not plaster, and the inside was finished in cedar. It was here that John and Mary lived out the remainder of their days with their children around them.

The following tribute was paid to John: "This father of warriors and statesmen had but few opportunities for education, and of course his literary acquirements were very limited. Nature, however, had endowed him with a strong, active and vigorous intellect, which he greatly improved by experience and observation. He seemed to have an intuitive knowledge, but what chiefly supported him in all these trials and privations, and ever sustained him when surrounded by perils, was his firm conviction of the great truths of the Christian revelation, the duties it imposed, the promises it offered and the hopes it inspired. He was pious from a deep sense of his religious obligation and the well being of society. Chastened in his feelings in obedience to the dictates of conscience, he practiced the virtues of humility, meekness and charity from an abiding confidence in the wisdom, justice, and mercy of God. Honesty, integrity and fidelity with him were common and ordinary duties, while those to his Heavenly Father were never avoided or delayed, but with becoming reverence promptly performed. We cannot reflect upon the life of such a man without esteem for his virtues and respect for his character. Greatness was incident to his goodness, and his courage the result of moral rectitude."

John passed away June 16th, 1696 at the age of 79 and Mary on March 21, 1714 at the age of 87. They were buried side by side in the first burying ground in Middleborough. There is a marker on John's grave that reads. "In memory of Lieut. John Tomson, who died June 16th, ye 1696, in ye 80 year of his age. this is a debt to nature due; which I have paid and so must you." John originally spelled his last name Tomson, but through the years the family has evolved the name to included an h and p, to where it is spelled Thompson.

Lt. married Mary Cooke on 26 Dec 1645 in East Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts. Mary (daughter of Francis Cooke and Hester Le Mahieu) was born about 1626 in Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts; died on 21 Mar 1715 in Middleboro, Plymouth, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet]

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"Robert Lovell, a husbandman, aged 40, Elizabeth his wife, aged 35, Zaccheus his son, aged 15, Anne his daughter, aged 16, John his son, aged 8, Ellen his daughter, aged 1 year, James his son aged 1 year and Joseph Chickin, his servant, aged 16 years, sailed from Weymouth, in Dorset, on or near 20 Mar. 1634-35, and arrived at Dorchester 7 June, 1635. He was a member of Rev. Joseph Hull's Company, and with the company removed to Weymouth that year. He was made a freeman of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, 2 Sep. 1635. he died at Weymouth shortly before 25 June, 1672. Robert Lovell of Weymouth, 'being sicke & weake,' made his will 3 Apr. 1652, and it was probated 25 June, 1672. to his wife he gave the use of his dwelling house and land 'all the time of her Widow hood' and then to his son John 'after my Wives Widowhood,' and four acres that was Carpenters, and three acres bought of Hart, and half the meadow bought of Smith, and half the meadow bought of Hollbrook, and my lot by the Mill, eighteen acres. To son James his great lot of 36 acres and other half of lots given to son John. to his son-in-law Andrew Ford, one heifer. To Ford's eldest son one heifer and to his youngest son one calf. To John Lovell's son my yearling bull. Wife executrix. Witness: Tho: Dyer, Tho: Bayley. Thomas Bayley made oath to it, 25 June, 1672. - History of Weymouth, 1923
Robert Lovell (4) was a member of the company of Rev. Joseph Hull at Weymouth Eng. 28 Mar 1635. They came to Wessaguscs, New England during the following Summer. They renamed it Weymouth in kindly remembrance of the port from which they sailed. He is termed a Husbandman and his age set down at 40 years. He brought with him his servant named Joseph Chicken, aged 16 years. His will was dated the 3 (2) 1652, probated 25 Jun 1672. His will names John and James and Andrew Ford, husband of Ellen. His property extended from the Tide Mill to King Oak Hill in scattered lots, and probably covered the place on the East side of the latter hill which was in aftertimes the homestead of Cpt. Enoch Lovell, the grandfather of Gen. Soloman. - Family Records and Pioneers of Massachusetts
Chapter XV THE COMING OF THE HULL COMPANY. During the summer of 1634, according to a record in the Town Records of Dorchester, "there went out to New England 20 ships, with 2000 planters." (See the Western Antiquary, Vol.6, p.88.) In 1635 Weymouth was numbered among the towns of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Gorges' claim had now become of no weight, and the Gorges party had transferred this interest to the Province of Maine. Weymouth began to take a prominent part in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
In 1635 there came a large addition to the population of Weymouth. This was the Hull Company, already mentioned and a statement made where their names can be found, but it seems best that the list should be given. They came from Weymouth in England, but some of them were from other towns in Dorset and in counties near by.
We now find that the influence of Boston is felt as the center of the Bay State Colony, for permission had to be given to Hull and his company to settle in Wessagusset. Thus on July 8, 1635, the General Court of Boston passed an order giving permission to the Rev. Joseph Hull, with twenty-one families numbering about one hundred persons, to settle at Wessagusset.
The people of this company became prominent in the affairs of Weymouth, and some of their descendants hold that position to-day. In 1870 Mr. H. G. Somerby, who had been making investigations in England, discovered a list of the Hull passengers and sent it to Mr. William L. Appleton of Boston, with the following letter:
LONDON, September, 1870.
My DEAR MR. APPLETON: - Amongst a bundle of miscellaneous manuscripts just turned up in the Public Record Officer I find with other documents relating to New England, the following list of passengers which I have the pleasure of sending to you for publication in the Register.
I remain, yours very truly, H. G. SOMERBY.
Mr. Appleton gave the list to the Register and it was published in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. XXV, pages 13, 14 and 15, January, 1871. -
74 Robert LovelI, husbandman, aged 40 years; 75 Elizabeth Lovell, his wife, aged 35 years; 76 Zachetis Lovell, his son, aged 15 years; 77 Anne Lovell, his daughter, aged 16 years; 78 John Lovell, his son, aged 8 years; 79 Ellyn Lovell, his daughter, aged 1 year; 80 James, his son, aged 1 year; 81 Joseph Chickin, his servant, aged 16 years.
- History of Weymouth Massachusetts [1923]

Robert married Elizabeth. was born in 1601 in Weymouth, Dorset, England; died on 21 Jan 1657 in Weymouth, Norfolk, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet]

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Francis Cooke was born about 1583. His origins have not been discovered, but it is probable he was born in England, perhaps from the Canterbury or Norwich areas. He married Hester le Mahieu on 20 July 1603 in Leiden, Holland; she was a French Walloon whose parents had initially fled to Canterbury, England; she left for Leiden sometime before 1603. Francis Cooke and Hester le Mahieu's marriage occurred in Leiden, Holland six years before the Pilgrim church made its move there, so he was living there long before their arrival and must have met up with and joined them afterwards. His wife Hester was a French Walloon. What brought Francis to Holland in the first place is unknown: religious persecution of Protestants in England did not really begin until after King James took power in 1604. In 1606, the Cookes left Leiden and went to Norwich, Norfolk for a time (for what reason is not known), but returned to have their first son, John, baptized at the French church in Leiden, sometime between January and March, 1607. In Holland, Cooke took up the profession of a woolcomber.
Francis, and his oldest son John, came on the Mayflower to Plymouth in 1620. He left behind his wife Hester and his other children Jane, Jacob, Elizabeth and Hester. After the Colony was founded and better established, he sent for his wife and children, and they came to Plymouth in 1623 on the ship Anne.
Francis lived out his life in Plymouth. Although he kept a fairly low profile, he was on a number of minor committees such as the committee to lay out the highways, and received some minor appointments by the Court to survey or lay out land. He was a juror on a number of occasions, and was on the coroner's jury that examined the body of Martha Bishop, the 4-year old daughter who was murdered by her mother Alice. He received some modest land grants at various times throughout his life. He lived to be about 80 years old, dying in 1663; his wife Hester survived him by at least three years and perhaps longer.
- http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/Passengers/FrancisCooke.php
The Last Will and Testament of ffrancis Cooke made this seaventh of the tenth month 1659
I being att prsent weake and Infeirme in body yett in prfect memory throw mercy Doe comitt my soule unto god that gave it and my body to the earthe ; which my will is should bee Intered in a Decent and comly manner; As for such goods and lands as I stand posessed of I Doe will and bequeath as followeth:
1 My will is that hester my Dear and loveing wife shall have all my moveable goods and all my Cattle of all kinds ; viz : neat Cattle horsekind sheep and swine to be att her Dispose
2 my will is that hester my wife shall have and Injoy my lands both upland and meddow lands which att prsent I posesse During her life
3 I doe ordaine and appoint my Deare wife and my son John Cooke Joynt exequitors of this my said will
ffrancis Cooke
Witnes
John Alden, John howland

Francis married Hester Le Mahieu on 4 Jul 1603 in Leiden, Netherlands. Hester was born about 1585 in Canterbury, Kent, England; died after 8 Jun 1666 in Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet]

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General Notes: From Genealogies of Mayflower Families; Hester Le Mahieu, Wife of Francis Cooke
It has long been known that Hester Le Mahieu of Francis Cooke of the Mayflower, was a Walloon from Canterbury, where the Walloon Church was established in 1547, in the crypt of the Cathedral, by refugees fleeing from persecution in Brabant. On 5 July 1603 Francis Cooke, woolcarder, from England, was betrothed to Hester le Mahieu, singlewoman, accompanied by her mother and sister, both named Jennie le Mahieu from Canterbury (Mayflower Descendant, vol. 27 p. 145 sq.).