Subject: John Lawrence
Source: Genealogies of the Families and Descendants of the Early
Settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts, Includes Waltham and
Weston
- by Henry Bond, M.D.,
Boston, 1860.
p.819
John Lawrence settled in Watertown probably in 1635, as his eldest
child was born there,
March 14, 1635/6. His name is on the earliest list of proprietors
extant, and he was
admitted freeman April 17, 1637. The date of his arrival in
America has not been ascertained,
nor is it known whether he was married before or after his
arrival.
Nothing has yet been ascertained from American records or archives,
with
respect to his
parentage or ancestry. It has been supposed that he was the John
Lawrence of great St. Albans,
Hertfordshire, who embarked in the Planter for New England in 1635,
then
aged 17 years.
This is evidently a mistake, as the passenger in the Planter was only
19
years old when John
Lawrence of Watertown was admitted freeman.
By his first wife, Elizabeth, he had 12 children, all born between
his
settlement in Watertown, and his removal to Groton, whither he moved in
the autumn of 1662. His
wife Elizabeth died there the next summer, August 29, 1663 and he
married
(2) Nov 2, 1664,
Susanna Batchelder, daughter of William Batchelder of
Charlestown.
He died July 11, 1667,
and his widow Susanna died July 8, 1668. His Will dated April 24,
proved October 1, 1667,
appoints his wife and sons Nathaniel and Joseph, executors; mentions
sons
Enoch, Samuel,
Isaac, Jonathan, and Zechariah; of the three at home. Elizabeth
"to
live with Mr. Ensigne
Buss of Concord, till of age; and the other two, Enoch and Zechariah,
be
trust to Samuel
Willard and William Lakin, till of age." To his daughter, Mary,
he
gave only half a portion with
the rest, "to teach her a remembrance of her disobedience and
unfaithfulness
to me in my
distress." [She married two days before the decease of her
mother.]
Inventory, 278 pounds,
no shillings & 4 pence. House and 10 acres of land, from the
street to the hill, taking an
equal breadth apprized at 60 pounds. The Will of his widow,
Susanna,
dated at Charlestown,
July, proved Dec 16, 1668, mentions her two daughters, Abigail and
Susanna;
her father and
mother Batchelder; two sisters, Rachel Atwood and Abigail Asting; her
father
Batchelder,
and brother Atwood, of Malden, executors.
The date of his removal to Groton is determined with sufficient
precision by
the following facts. October 23, 1662, he sold land in Watertown
to John Barnard. Oct 27,
1662, he sold another lot to William Page, and on the same day another
lot to Joseph
Underwood, and on the same day he sold to John Biscoe his homestead in
Watertown, a dwelling house
etc., and about thirteen acres, "being the now mansion-house of said
John Lawrence," bounded
on the east by the highway; north by Timothy Hawkins and John Hammond;
west by the meadow of
said Biscoe; south by land of John Flemming, deceased; widow Dix and
her
sonne; widow
Bartlett and said Biscoe. In December 1662, "meet men were found
amongst the inhabitants of
Groton, when Deacon James Parker, John Lawrence, William Martin,
Richard
Blood, and James
Fiske, were chosen selectmen." [Butler p.17] His early
admission
as freeman, and this
election to the first board of selectmen of Groton, show that he was
well
known, and of good
repute. According to the list of possessions in Watertown in 1642, he
then
owned 7 lots,
amounting to 154-1/2 acres. In legal instruments he was
designated
a carpenter, although,
from the amount of his land, it might be presumed that he was chiefly
devoted
to agriculture.
The birth of his daughter Elizabeth is recorded in Boston, and as
no births of his family
are recorded in Watertown from 1649 until 1659, perhaps he resided in
Boston
several years,
in the excercise of his trade.
p.820
Children:
1. John Lawrence b. March 14, 1635/6. He is not mentioned in
his father's
Will, and it might therefore be concluded that he was deceased
and
without issue. But
it is to be observed, that he does not mention his son Peleg, nor his
daughters
Abigail and Susanna, who are known to have been then living. We
shall assume that he was then
living, until there is some evidence to disprove it, and that he had a
family.
2. Jonathan Lawrence buried April 6, 1648.
3. Nathaniel Lawrence b. Oct 15, 1639; an executor of his father's
Will,
admitted freeman May 15, 1672.
4. Joseph Lawrence b. March died May, 1642.
5. Joseph Lawrence b. May 30, 1643; an executor of his father's
Will; adm.
freeman May 15,1672; m. 1670/1 (?) Rebecca ____. He was probably
the Joseph Lawrence who
by wife Rebecca had daughter Rebecca, baptized in the 1st Church of
Boston,
Feb 1, 1679/80 and
who [Joseph] died Nov 14, 1685. It is conjectured that the persons
making
the following Will were his wife
and daughter. The Will of Rebecca Lawrence (? of Boston), dated
July
18, proved
Dec 12, 1726 gives her estate to her mother, Rebecca. The Will of
widow Rebecca Lawrence, dated Sept 27,
proved Oct 11, 1731, bequeathed her estate to her sisters, Margaret
Davis,
Ruth Royce, Maria Frost, Hanna Davis;
nephew William Whitcomb, and niece Huldah Archibel [Joseph Lawrence was
witness to Broomfield's deed, Newbury, 1677.
6. Mary Lawrence, b. July 16, 1645; died 1686/7; married Aug 25,
1663 Inego Potter of Charlestown.
Children: John Potter. Richard Potter. Inego Potter baptized
in Charlestown April 24, 1683. Child Potter baptized July 9, 1682.
7. Peleg Lawrence b. Jan 10, 1646/7.
8. Enoch Lawrence b. Mar 5, 1648/9.
9. Samuel Lawrence, mentioned in his father's Will; probably the
one who married Sept 14,1682,
Rebecca Luen of Charlestown. It is conjectured that he moved to
Connecticut.
10. Isaac Lawrence mentioned in his father's Will; probably the
one who married Sept 14,
1682, Abigail Bellows, born in Concord May 6, 1661,
daughter of John and
Mary (Wood)
Bellows [see Bellows Family of Walpole, N.H.]
Isaac Lawrence and wife,
Abigail of
Norwich, Conn., heirs of their uncle, Deacon Isaac
Woods of Marlboro,
executed a deed,
Feb. 26, 1718/19.
11. Elizabeth Lawrence b. in Boston, May 9, 1655.
12. Jonathan Lawrence, mentioned in his father's Will. He
died 1725.
Perhaps he was the
one who married in Cambridge Nov. 5, 1677, Rebecca
Rutter. If so, they
d. s. p., for
Jonathan of Groton, in his Will, does not mention
wife or children; but
he gave to the
town of Groton 100 pounds; to the Church of Christ
in Groton, 40 pounds
to be laid out
for the procuring some silver vessel or vessels for
the church's use, as
they shall
order. Also, 20 pounds, the income to be
annually paid or accounted for
to the settled
or ordained minister.
13. Zechariah Lawrence born in Watertown March 9, 1658/9. He
was probably
the Zechariah
Lawrence of Boston, mariner, master of the
"Success," against whom a suit
for wages
was brought in 1691.
By his 2nd Wife, Susanna
14. Abigail Lawrence b. at Groton Jan 9, 1665/6.
15. Susanna Lawrence b. July 3, 1667, eight days before the death
of her
father.
Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth
Subject: John Lawrence
Source: Genealogies of the Families and Descendants of the Early
Settlers of
Watertown, Massachusetts, Includes Waltham and Weston - by Henry Bond,
M.D.,
Boston,
1860.
p.819
John Lawrence settled in Watertown probably in 1635, as his eldest
child was
born there,
March 14, 1635/6. His name is on the earliest list of proprietors
extant,
and he was
admitted freeman April 17, 1637. The date of his arrival in
America has not
been ascertain-
ed, nor is it known whether he was married before or after his
arrival.
Nothing has yet
been ascertained from American records or archives, with respect to his
parentage or ancest-
ry. It has been supposed that he was the John Lawrence of great
St. Albans,
Hertfordshire,
who embarked in the Planter for New England in 1635, then aged 17
years.
This is evidently
a mistake, as the passenger in the Planter was only 19 years old when
John
Lawrence of
Watertown was admitted freeman.
By his first wife, Elizabeth, he had 12 children, all born between
his
settlement in Water-
town, and his removal to Groton, whither he moved in the autumn of
1662. His
wife Elizabeth
died there the next summer, August 29, 1663 and he married (2) Nov 2,
1664,
Susanna Batch-
elder, daughter of William Batchelder of Charlestown. He died
July 11, 1667,
and his widow
Susanna died July 8, 1668. His Will dated April 24, proved
October 1, 1667,
appoints his
wife and sons Nathaniel and Joseph, executors; mentions sons Enoch,
Samuel,
Isaac, Jonathan,
and Zechariah; of the three at home. Elizabeth "to live with Mr.
Ensigne
Buss of Concord,
till of age; and the other two, Enoch and Zechariah, be trust to Samuel
Willard and William
Lakin, till of age." To his daughter, Mary, he gave only half a
portion with
the rest, "to
teach her a remembrance of her disobedience and unfaithfulness to me in
my
distress." [She
married two days before the decease of her mother.] Inventory,
278 pounds,
no shillings &
4 pence. House and 10 acres of land, from the street to the hill,
taking an
equal breadth
apprized at 60 pounds. The Will of his widow, Susanna, dated at
Charlestown,
July, proved
Dec 16, 1668, mentions her two daughters, Abigail and Susanna; her
father and
mother Batch-
elder; two sisters, Rachel Atwood and Abigail Asting; her father
Batchelder,
and brother
Atwood, of Malden, executors.
The date of his removal to Groton is determined with sufficient
precision by
the following
facts. October 23, 1662, he sold land in Watertown to John
Barnard. Oct 27,
1662, he sold
another lot to William Page, and on the same day another lot to Joseph
Underwood, and on the
same day he sold to John Biscoe his homestead in Watertown, a dwelling
house
etc., and about
thirteen acres, "being the now mansion-house of said John Lawrence,"
bounded
on the east by
the highway; north by Timothy Hawkins and John Hammond; west by the
meadow of
said Biscoe;
south by land of John Flemming, deceased; widow Dix and her sonne;
widow
Bartlett and said
Biscoe. In December 1662, "meet men were found amongst the
inhabitants of
Groton, when
Deacon James Parker, John Lawrence, William Martin, Richard Blood, and
James
Fiske, were
chosen selectmen." [Butler p.17] His early admission as
freeman, and this
election to the
first board of selectmen of Groton, show that he was well known, and of
good
repute. Accord-
ing to the list of possessions in Watertown in 1642, he then owned 7
lots,
amounting to
154-1/2 acres. In legal instruments he was designated a
carpenter, although,
from the amount
of his land, it might be presumed that he was chiefly devoted to
agriculture.
The birth of
his daughter Elizabeth is recorded in Boston, and as no births of his
family
are recorded in
Watertown from 1649 until 1659, perhaps he resided in Boston several
years,
in the excercise
of his trade.
p.820
Children:
1. John Lawrence b. March 14, 1635/6. He is not mentioned in
his father's
Will, and it
might therefore be concluded that he was deceased and
without issue. But
it is to be
observed, that he does not mention his son Peleg, nor his
daughters
Abigail and Susanna,
who are known to have been then living. We shall
assume that he was then
living, until
there is some evidence to disprove it, and that he had a
family.
2. Jonathan Lawrence buried April 6, 1648.
3. Nathaniel Lawrence b. Oct 15, 1639; an executor of his father's
Will,
admitted freeman
May 15, 1672.
4. Joseph Lawrence b. March died May, 1642.
5. Joseph Lawrence b. May 30, 1643; an executor of his father's
Will; adm.
freeman May 15,
1672; m. 1670/1 (?) Rebecca ____. He was probably
the Joseph Lawrence who
by wife
Rebecca had daughter Rebecca, baptized in the 1st Church
of Boston, Feb 1,
1679/80 and
who [Joseph] died Nov 14, 1685. It is conjectured that the
persons making
the following
Will were his wife and daughter. The Will of Rebecca
Lawrence (? of
Boston), dated July 18, proved
Dec 12, 1726 gives her estate to her mother,
Rebecca. The Will of widow
Rebecca Law-
rence, dated Sept 27, proved Oct 11, 1731, bequeathed her
estate to her
sisters, Margaret
Davis, Ruth Royce, Maria Frost, Hanna Davis; nephew
William Whitcomb, and
niece Huldah
Archibel [Joseph Lawrence was witness to Broomfield's
deed, Newbury, 1677.
6. Mary Lawrence, b. July 16, 1645; died 1686/7; married Aug 25,
1663 Inego
Potter of Charlestown. Children: John Potter. Richard Potter.
Inego Potter baptized
in Charlestown April 24, 1683. Child Potter baptized July 9, 1682.
7. Peleg Lawrence b. Jan 10, 1646/7.
8. Enoch Lawrence b. Mar 5, 1648/9.
9. Samuel Lawrence, mentioned in his father's Will; probably the
one who
married Sept 14,1682, Rebecca Luen of Charlestown. It is conjectured
that
he moved to
Connecticut.
10. Isaac Lawrence mentioned in his father's Will; probably the
one who
married Sept 14, 1682, Abigail Bellows, born in Concord May 6, 1661,
daughter of John and
Mary (Wood) Bellows [see Bellows Family of Walpole, N.H.]
Isaac Lawrence and wife,
Abigail of Norwich, Conn., heirs of their uncle, Deacon Isaac Woods of
Marlboro,
executed a deed, Feb. 26, 1718/19.
11. Elizabeth Lawrence b. in Boston, May 9, 1655.
12. Jonathan Lawrence, mentioned in his father's Will. He
died 1725.
Perhaps he was the one who married in Cambridge Nov. 5, 1677, Rebecca
Rutter. If so, they
d. s. p., for Jonathan of Groton, in his Will, does not mention wife or
children; but
he gave to the town of Groton 100 pounds; to the Church of Christ in
Groton, 40 pounds
to be laid out for the procuring some silver vessel or vessels for the
church's use, as
they shall order. Also, 20 pounds, the income to be annually paid
or accounted for
to the settled or ordained minister.
13. Zechariah Lawrence born in Watertown March 9, 1658/9. He
was probably
the Zechariah Lawrence of Boston, mariner, master of the "Success,"
against whom a suit
for wages was brought in 1691. By his 2nd Wife, Susanna
14. Abigail Lawrence b. at Groton Jan 9, 1665/6.
15. Susanna Lawrence b. July 3, 1667, eight days before the death
of her
father.
p.822
John Lawrence, a blacksmith, and farmer m. in Groton November 9, 1687,
Anna
(Hannah) Tarbell. She was a grandaugher of William Tarbell, Sr
and Joanna Longley
of Groton. He moved from Groton to Cambridge Farms (Lexington) where he
and his
wife were admitted full communion Feb 9,1698/9. She died Dec 19,
1732 aged 63,
and he died March 12, 1746/7 aged 79 years, 7 mos. Children:
p.323
1. John b. June 10, 1688; d. Jan 22, 1752.
2. Thomas of Groton.
3. William b. 1697, of Groton
4. Samuel b. July 9, 1700, by his wife, Elizabeth he had dau. Ruth b.
Jan 21, 1725/6
who m. May 15, 1741, Thomas Hadle of Lexington
(Headly) Samuel Lawrence &
his wife Elizabeth signed a deed, 1724/5.
5. Anna Lawrence bap. Nov 1, 1702 m. Capt. Benjamin Bancroft of
Charlestown,
both admitted full church Aug 9, 1724.
He died at Groton April 3, 1790, aged 88
and she died July 21, 1787 aged 86. Nine
children.
6. Jonathan b. Feb 24, 1705/6 of Lexington
7. Sarah b. June 20, 1708 m. Josiah Fiske.
8. Isaac ?
9. Benjamin b. May 24, 1713; m. Feb 12, 1734/5, Jane
Russell b. July 19, 1711,
dau of Jonathan & Elizabeth of
Lexington. They were dismissed from Lexington
to Westboro July 3, 1737; and from
Westboro to Boston Feb 26, 1749. In
Westboro they had six children.
10 Amos Lawrence b. Feb 19, 1715/16.
Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth
rodbigelow@netzero.net 
