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John Lawrence & Elizabeth ?Waters
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American Families The American Historical Society, Inc. New York p 217 -211 LAWRENCE JOHN LAWRENCE, son of Henry & Mary Lawrence, was born at Wisset, County Suffolk, in England, and baptized October 8, 1609; and died at Groton, Massachusetts, July 11, 1667. He settled in Watertown, Massachusetts, where he was made a freeman April 17, 1637. He received from the town February 28, 1636, three acres of land; and in 1650 he bought from the town fifteen acres of King’s Common. He sold his lands and house in 1662, and removed to Groton, Massachusetts, where in December of that year he was chosen selectman. He married (first) ELIZABETH, who died in Gorton, August 29, 1663. He married (second), November 2, 1664, Susanna Batchelor, daughter of William Batchelor, of Charlestown, who died there July 89, 1668. The children of the first marriage:
Children of the second marriage:
------- Charlestown Vital Records Volume 1 Part I 974.461 Joslyn page 50 JOHN LAWRENCE & Suzana Batchedler, m. by Mr. Richard Russell, Magist., Nov. 2, 1664 ---------- Lineage Book of the National Society of Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America Vol XXX 1955 pp263-4 Sarah Lawrence #5473 8. JOHN LAWRENCE (….-July 11, 1667) m (first) …..ELIZABETH (….-Aug 29, 1663). JOHN LAWRENCE settled at Watertown, Massachusetts prior to 1635. His name appears on the earliest list of proprietors extant. He was admitted a freeman on April 17, 1637. In 1662, he moved to Groton, Massachusetts where he was elected to the first board of Selectmen of Groton. -------- American Ancestry Vol II pp 71-2 JOHN LAWRENCE born in Wisset, Suffolk, England, and baptized October 8, 1609, came to America, married ELIZABETH & settled in Watertown, Mass., before 1635. The family line has been traced as follows: JOHN the first American ancestor, was the son of Henry of Wisset, Suffolk, Eng. (m. Mary); son of John of Wisset, de 1607 (m. Johan); son of John of Wisset, d. 1590 (m. Agnes); son of John of Riverburgh, d. after 1556 (m. Elizabeth); son of Robert; son of John of Rivenburg (m. Margery), made his will July 10, 1504, the year of his death; son of Thomas of Rivenburgh, Holton, Wisset and South Elmham; son of John of Agercorft, d. 1461; son of Nicholas; son of Sir Robert of Ashton Hall, son of Sir Robert of Ashton Hall (m. Margaret Holden of Lancashire); son of John d 1630 (m. Elizabeth Holt); son of John of Ashton Hall (m. Margaret, dau of Walter Chesford); son of James of Ashton Hall (m. 1252 Matilda de Washington, dau of John de Washington); son of Robert of Ashton Hall (m. a daughter of James Trafford of Lancashire); son of Robert of Ashton Hall; son of Robert Lawrence of Lancashire, England, born probably as early as 1150, who attended King Richard Coeur de Lion to the war of the Crusades in the Holy Land, and was knighted at the siege of Acre "Sir Robert of Ashton Hall" and obtained for his arms "Argent, a crown raguly gules, A.D. 1191." The line of ancestry being thus traced in sixteen generations to the American ancestor, and in twenty-three t the present living descendants. See Lawrence genealogy, Boston, 1869. --------- Genealogical Dictionary of the first Settlers of New England Vol III pp 61-2 LAWRENCE, JOHN, Watertown, freem. 17 Apr. 1637, by w. ELIZ. Had John, b. 14 Mar. 1636; Nathaniel, 15 Oct 1639; Joseph Mar. 1642, d. at 2 mos.; Joseph, again, 30 May 1643; Jonathan, perhaps his tw. Br. D. soon; Mary, 16 July 1645; Peleg, 10 Jan. 1647; Enoch, 5 Mar. 1649; Sanuel; Isaac; Eliz. 9 May 1655; Jonathan, again; and Zechariah, 9 Mar. 1659; all at W. exc. Eliz. b. at Boston, wh. May however have been ano. John’s. He rem. A 1662 to Groton, and his w. d. there 29 Aug. 1663; and he m. 2 Nov. 1664, Susanna, d. of Willliam Batchelor of Charlestown, had Abigail, b. 11 Jan 1666, prob. D. young; and Susanna, 3 July 1667. He d. 11 July 1667, and his wid rem. To Charlestown, there d. 8 July 1668. His will, of 24 apr. 1667, provides for w. and ch. As well as all the ch. Of the former w. exc. John, and Peleg, wh. May have been bef. Provid for by deeds. His wid. In her will, names f. and mo. Batchelor, sis. Rachel Atwood, and Abigail Austin, and both her own ch. But in the will of gr.f. only Susannah, her d. is name. So that we may infer, that Abigail was dec. bef. Feb 1670, when his will was made. Mary m. 15 Aug. 1663, Indigo Poter, so shortly bef. The dec.of her mo. That her f.. notic. it in his will. ---------- Bonds Genealogies & History of Watertown 974.44B p330 LAWRENCE There were 2 early settlers of Watertown of the name of Lawrence, viz; JOHN & George. The will of JOHN LAWRENCE furnishes no reason for supposing that he & George were nearly related… JOHN LAWRENCE, a carpenter, settled there as early as the beginning of 1636; his name is on the earliest list of proprietors, & he was adm. Freeman Mar 9, 1636-7. By his 1st wife ELIZABETH, he ad 12 child b in Watertown. By his 2nd wife Susanna, he had 2 chil b in Groton, viz.
Wife Elizabeth d. in Groton Aug 29, 1663, & he m in Charlestown Nov 2, 1664, Susanna Batchlor & had :
He probably moved to Groton in 1662. Oct 27, 1662, he sold his homestead in Watertown "being the now mansion house of said JOHN LAWRENCE" to John Briscoe. On the same day he sold a lot of land to Wm. Page & another to Joseph Underwood & another to John Barnard, Oct 23, 1662 [For a record of his family & descendants, see Butler p273 & 413; also a printed genealogy of the family of Lawrence]… pp819-20 JOHN LAWRENCE
born there, Mar. 14, 1635-6. His name is on the earliest list of proprietors extant, and he was adm. Freeman Ap. 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 d. there the next summer, Aug 29, 1663, and he m. (2d), Nov. 2, 1664 Susanna Batchelder, dr. of William Batchelder of Charlestown. He d. July 11, 1667, and his wid. Susanna d. July 8, 1668. His Will, dated Ap 24, proved Oct. 1, 1667, appoints his wife, and sons Nathaniel and Joseph, ex’rs 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; the other two, Enoch and Zechariah, be trust to Samuel Willard and William Lakin, till of age." To his dr. 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 had married two days before the decease of her mother.] Inventory, L278 Os. 4d. Hose and 10 acres of land, from the street to the hill, taking an equal breadth, apprized at L60. The will of his wid. Susanna, dated at Charlestown, July, proved Dec. 16, 1668, mentions her two daughters, Abigail and Susanna; her father and mother Bachelder; two sisters Rachel Atwood and Abigail Asting; her father Bachelder, and brother Atwood, of Malden, ex’rs. The date of his removal to Groton is determined with sufficient precision by the following facts. Oct. 23, 1662, he sold land in Watertown to John Barnard. Oct. 27, 1662, he sold another lot to Willliam Page, and on the same day another lot to Joseph Underwood, and on the same day he sold to John Briscoe his homestead in Watertown, a dwelling house, &c., and about thirteen acres, "being the now mansion-house of said JOHN LAWRENCE," bounded on the E. by the highway; N. by Timothy Hawkins and John Hammond; W. by the meadow of said Briscoe; S. by land of John Flemming, deceased; wid. Dix, and her sonne; wid. Bartlett, and said Briscoe. In Dec. 1662, "meet men were found amongst the inhabitants [of Groton], when Dea 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 t 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 ½ acres. In legal instruments he was designated a carpenter, although from he amount of his land, it might be presumed that he was chiefly devoted to agriculture. The birth of his dr. Elizabeth is recorded in Boston, and as no births of this family are recorded in Wat. From 1649 until 1659, perhaps he resided in Boston several years in the exercise of his trade. Chil.:
*In compiling the following genealogy of the descendants of JOHN LAWRENCE, we with pleasure acknowledge our obligations, in the first place, to Butler’s very valuable History of Groton, so often referred to in the course of this work; in the next place to the Genealogy of Isaac Lawrence [366], by Mr. F. S. Pease, published in Albany in 1853; and lastly to "the Memoir of the Family of JOHN LAWRENCE,: by Rev. John Lawrence, printed in Boston in 1847, but not published. To the later we are indebted for much information respecting the later generations. A gentleman has lately succeeded, as we are told, in discovering the pedigree of the Lawrence families in England, and tracing it back to a remote period. This pedigree has not yet been received in the country. Perhaps it may be forwarded in such time as to find a place in our Appendix. + The following family, from Great St. Albans, Hertfordshire, embarked in the Planter, Nic. Trarice, Master, Ap. 2, 1635. John Tuttle, mercer, aged 39; Joan Tuttle, aged 42, John Lawrence, aged 17; William Lawrence, aged 12; Maria Lawrence, aged 9, Abigail Tuttle, aged 6, Symon Tuttle, aged 4; Sara Tuttle, aged 2; John Tuttle, aged 1 year.… -------- Genealogical & Personal Memoirs Cutter 974.461 p 1745 Boston & Eastern Massachusetts LAWRENCE Among the early settlers of Watertown were JOHN and George Lawrence. JOHN LAWRENCE, a carpenter, settled there early in 1636, and was admitted a freeman March 9, 1636-7. He married first, ELIZABETH; second, Susanna; he had twelve children by his first wife, and two by his second wife. In 1662 he probably removed to Groton, Massachusetts. JOHN and George were probably nearly related, possibly father and son, and it is from the later that the families of Watertown, Waltham and Weston by his name are descended. ---------- Genealogies & Estates of Charlestown V 1 & 2 Wyman 974.44W page 606 JOHN 6. Watertown m. (1) ELIZABETH…, who d. Aug 29, 1663 at Groton; (2) Susanna Batchelder [1] Nov 2, 1664, who d. July 8, 1668; d. July 11, 1667 at Groton issue:
Widow Susanna’s will July (pro Dec 16) 1668 devised to mother and father Batchelder bro & sister Atwood, etc. ---------- The Genealogy of the Family of John Lawrence of Wissett, in Suffolk, England, and of Watertown and Groton, Massachusetts By Rev. John Lawrence, Jr. (1869) Page 10 The Introduction -- …The name and reputation of the family of JOHN Lawrence do not, however, rest on descent from a titled nobility, but upon what its members have been and done, -- upon what we are… …The Ancestral Lineage, ascertained and arranged by H. G. Somersby, Esq., under the countenance of Hon. Abbott Lawrence while in England, is given as in 1857, there being no reason for a change in this respect… Page 24 The sixteenth generation – Henry, son of John and Johan Lawrence, married Mary ______, by whom he had JOHN, born at Wisset, and baptized Oct. 8, 1609. The will of John Lawrence, of Wisset, the father of Henry, refers to him as having removed from Wisset to New England, and settled in Charlestown. And on the lists of those who became inhabitants of Charlestown, mass., in 1635, is the name of Henry Lawrence. Also, "In the first division of land on Mistick side of ten acres to a house, five of which were given in for after-comers, made, as it appears, Feb. 20, 1638, Henry Lawrence received five acres." A house-lot was granted him in 1635 by George Blott. Page 11 The introduction - …Watertown and Homestead. The Indian name of Watertown, the birthplace of our family, as found in its early records was "Pequusset." Its present name was probably given on account of the abundant supply of water found there. Among the families which first settled in Watertown were those of Sir R. Saltonstall and Rev. George Phillips, in all a dozen or more, that came over in the "Arabella," a ship which arrived at Salem in June, 1630. Proceeding from Salem to Charlestown, they next passed up Charles River about four miles and began their settlement, the fourth in the colony, which rapidly increased in numbers and prosperity. Though inland, the place derived great advantage from the tide-water of the Charles River. On the earliest list of proprietors is found the name of "JOHN LAWRENCE." His homestead of eight acres was bounded east by Common Street, south by John Biscoe’s homesread, north by T. Hawkins, west by his won nine acres of meadow. He was the grantee of ten lots, and purchaser of Isaac Cummins’s grant of thirty-five acres, in the "Great Dividends." On his removal to Groton, in 1662, he sold his homestead – a dwelling-house and about thirteen acres, "being the now mansion-house of said JOHN LAWRENCE" – to John Biscoe. Page 25-8 The Genalogy. The Generations and Families. Generation No. I.
ELIZABETH, wife of JOHN LAWRENCE, died in Groton, Aug. 29, 1663. He m., Nov. 2, 1664, Susanna, daughter of Wm. Batchelder, of Charlestown; by whom he had, --
He was admitted a freeman, April 17, 1637, when about twenty-eight years old; although it will be seen by the early Massachusetts Records, that the freeman’s oath was given at first to males of only sixteen years. Feb. 289, 1636, he received three acres of land, his share of a grant then made to the townsmen, a hundred and six in number. In 1650, he bought the town fifteen acres of common land (called King’s Common). "In 1654, Hugh Mason received of JOHN LAWRENCE, clerk, L2. 17s. 6d., money for town or parish use." His removal to Groton is determined by various facts and dates. Town Records are in existence, dated June 23, 1662; the first probably made. As one of the original proprietors, he owned "a twenty-acre right." The sale of his lands and mansion-house in Watertown was made in 1662. In December of the same year, it appears by the records of Groton, "meet men were found amongst the inhabitants," of whom "HHN LAWRENCE" was one, "who were chosen selectmen." He was evidently a man of some intelligence and influence, and held a good place in the public esteem. Though a large landholder for the times, he is said to have carried on the business of a carpenter both in Watertown and Boston. He died in Groton, July 11, 1667; leaving his sons Nathaniel and Joseph, and wife Susanna, executors of his will. The widow, Susanna B. Lawrence, died July 8, 1668, in Charlestown. Extracts from the will of JOHN LAWRENCE, sen., deceased 1667. 1st, Of himself. – "I commend my soul into ye hands of him who gave it; and my body to ye earth, to a decent burial, in full hope of a joyful resurrection, when in my flesh I shall see God." 2d. Of his wife. – "I will, yt besides what hath been formerly, by legacy, contract, or otherwise, engaged to my wife, and is her due, there be added to it threescore pounds. And my will is, yt she have free and full liberty in the first place, and before any other legacy be paid, to make choice out of the whole Estate, either lands or moveables;" "provided, if of lands she shall take of land and meadow proportionable;" "provided, also, that foure oxen be reserved out of the moveables." "And, if she will live in the house during the time of her widowhood, it shall be without molestation.""3d, Of his children -–"" will, that, after my lawful debts and engagements are paid, ye residue of my estate be disposed to every of my children born to me by my former wife, -- to every and each of you an equal portion." 4th, Of Mary. – "Only provided, yt my daughter Mary shall have but half ye portion with ye rest, to teach her a remembrance of his disobedience and unfathfulness to me in my distress; and ye other half of ye portion shall fall to my son Zechariah, being ye youngest, and incapable of present shifting for himself." The will was witnessed by Samuel Willard and Wm. Lakin, called his "loving friends." ---------- Historical Sketches of Some Members of The Lawrence Family by Robert M. Lawrence, MD (1888) pages 7-10 JOHN LAWRENCE, A native of Wisset, Suffolk County, Eng., the ancestor of many New-England Families of the name, was baptized Oct. 8, 1609, and emigrated to this country about the year 1630. It is probable that he was one of the large party under Gov. Winthrop, which sailed from England in that year. (1) His father, whose name was Henry, also came to this country, and settled in Charlestown about 1635; (2) and in the same year, or earlier, JOHN LAWRENCE became a resident of Watertown. He was probably married at about this time, but the precise date and place cannot be given. His wife’s name was ELIZABETH; and they had thirteen children, of whom the greater number were born in Watertown. At about the age of twenty-eight, he was admitted a freeman. The oldest volume of the Massachusetts Records is the following: "Made free the 17th; 2nd month A.D. 1637 JOHN LAWRENCE" and others. His trade was that of a carpenter. Probably his first purchase of land in Watertown was a lot on the east side of Fresh Pond. He also bought thirty-five acres of Isaac Cummins, which the latter had received in the earliest general land-grants in 1636, called the "Great Dividends." He owned, moreover, fifteen acres of land at "Pequusset Common," afterwards called "Kings common," in the northerly part of the township. On Feb. 289, 1636-7, he received a grant of three acres of plough-land on the west side of Beaver Brook, within the present borders of Waltham. From the Watertown lists of possessions in 1642, it appears that he then owned more than one hundred fna fifty acres. His homestead was "bounded on the east by the highway; north by Timothy Hawkins and John Hammond; west by the meadow of John Biscoe; south by land of John Flemming, deceased; wid. Dix, and her sonne; wid. Bartlett, and said Biscoe" (3) From a comparison of ancient plans with modern maps, it appears that this estate was situated in the present town of Belmont, on the west side of Common Street, one-fifth of a mile from its junction with Belmont Street, and a little north of the residence of Mr. John C. Palfrey. At a County Court, whose session was begun at Cambridge, April 1, 1662, JOHN LAWRENCE was a member of the grand jury; and the records show that he was "absent in [the] October Court." (4) On Oct. 23 of that year, he sold several pieces of real estate; and on the same day "JNO. LAWRANCE of Water-Towne, Senr, & Carpentr." Conveyed to John Biscoe his homestead above mentioned, consisting of a dwelling-house, barns, and other buildings, and thirteen acres of land, including gardens, orchards, pastures, meadows, and plough-land, "being the now mansion-place of mee the said JNO. LAWRANCE." (5) In the late autumn of 1662, as nearly as can be ascertained, he removed his residence to Groton, where his name appears on the records in the following December. His homestead in this town was situated south-west of Gibbet Hill, a short distance east of the First Parish Meeting-house, and near where Love Lane joins the present road to Lowell. This farm has been for many years the property and residence of Joseph F. Hall. As one of the early settlers of Groton, JOHN LAWRENCE was an original land-proprietor, and owner of a twenty-acre right. He was twice chosen selectman, served also one year as a surveyor of highways, and was a useful and honored citizen. In the yer 1664 he became involved in a dispute with the town in regard to the ownership of some land, and the matter was finally decided as follows: -- "At a town metting vpon The 21 of the 7 moth 1665…It was this day granted and by voate declared yt JOHN LAWRANC SENr. Shall quiatly posese and Inioye a parselle of land now in controuersey and allredey within his ffenc and a Joyning to his house lotte contining too acors mor or lesse bounded west and south by the hye way and north and east by his won land & granted to him as a grantiuety." In the Middlesex County Court records appears the following quaint petition (6) which probably refers to his son Peleg: -- Groton - 22-7-1665. To the Honred the County Cort at Cambridge, Octob. 3. 65. The humble request of JNO LAWRENCE of Groton, that I having a son being now neere upon age & being called upon to atend service in training, I wld crave libertye to request that hee may be considered and if your Worspps see cause freed from training: his Infirmitye is a losse of more than two joynts on his left Thumb which is his hand he is most active with & [he] is much disnabled fro doing any activity by it: I am not unwilling in my spheare to bee beneficial to ye publig service, yet I psume this may be a disoblig[em]ent upon this acct: The case of ye Lad or chiefe officer is able to informe you of further & yrfore not any farther to trouble yor Honrs depending upon yr equabl determination I leave my selfe with you & Rest Yors Humbly engaged JNO’ LAWRENCE. What is Aboue Expressed by JNO. LARANCE is the treuth witnes my hand James Parker His wife ELIZABETH died at Groton Aug. 29, 1663; and he married Nov. 2, 1664, at Charlestown Susanna, daughter of William Batchelder, by whom he had two daughters. His death occurred at Groton, July 11, 1667; his widow died July 8, 1668, at Charlestown.
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