HOSMER GENEALOGY DESCENDANTS OF JAMES HOSl\,IER WHO El\HGRATED TO AMERICA IN 1035 AND SETTLED IN CONCORD, J\'.lASS. BY GEORGE LEONARD HOSMER (2058) TECHNICAL CO!\IPOSITION COMP ANY CAl\-IBTIIDGE, JHASS. 1928 PREFACE The purpose of this book is lo present to the Hosmer family certain information about the ancestors and descendants of Jame,:; Hosmer which is now to be found only in scnttered records. It is not the work of an expert genealogist. It does not lay claim to literary merit or to any large amount of original work. Begun originally as a record of one srnall branch of the family, it has grown to include the entire "Concord Family." The work of collecting and arranging the data has been done amid the rush of other business and cannot tl1crefore be as accurate as though the author had devoted his entire time to it for a long period, as is quite necessary for a ·thorough piece of genealogical work. It cannot pretend to be complete, but it is hoped that it is i·eason­ ably accurate as far as it goes. There are t~o reasons for publishing the book in the present incomplete form instead of waiting until it is more fully developed. First, postponement is always risky; many manuscripts have been prepared but not printed, and later these valuable collections have been lost or have been placed where they are of use to but few. A book that is published, even if decidedly imperfect, is of greater use than a pile of manuscript. Second, information is in some instances difficult to obtain, especially where those who are in o, position to furnish it do not reu.Iize just what is uee<lcll and how importn.nt it is to send it promptly. When the whole work is before them the requiremeutij will be better understood, and the needful data n.re more likely to be forthcoming. No attempt has been made to give the personal history of any members of the family except o, small number whose achieve­ ments stand out prominently. The residence, occupation, nnd militn.ry service have been stated for each person for whom they are known. If there is uneven treatment of such notices, it is due not to favoritism but to n. lack of knowledge of the facts. To give credit to all who have furnished information and as­ sisted in the preparation of this genealogy would require the print­ ing of hundreds of names. A few, however, should be especially mentioned. The author has had access to the collections of George A. Gardner (1977), Charles M. Hosmer (1549), Henry J. Hosmer (1138), and George W. Hosmer (GOG) (the last two loaned by Professor Ralph S. Hosmer (2030)), and n. manmcript by George Lawrence Hosmer (1001), loaned by Mr. John A. Hosmer (1825). Mr. John· G. Hosmer (2228) furnished the iii JV Preface f>ntirc list of descendants of Nathaniel Hosmer (183). Records of the descendants of Josiah Hosmer (227) were taken from Hub­ bard's genealogy of that branch. Several well-known genealogies (Potter's "Concord Families," the Wl1it.e and Wood genealogies, and others) itnd many town histories have been searched for Hosmer records. The m1111bcring system employed here is similar to that used m many genc:dog;ies. The num.oer at the left of n person's name is ilic one assigned to that person the first time the name appenrs, and is used to identify him all through the book. When the name is repeated, this same number is given in parentheses after the nnme. The numbers to the right of the names of children refer to the later paragraphs in which further informfttion will be found. If the person in question had no children, the information about him will be found under his name and there will be no reference to a later paragraph. Following the name of each head of ft family is his line of descent, the superior numbers indicating the gen­ eration, Jamcs1 oeing the first in all cases. It is the author's intention to revise and correct this book if sufficient data can be obtained. In order to do this he should h:wc names in full, not initials; exact dates if possible; notices of errors (serious errors, such a,s confusing two persons of the snmc name, or minor errors of date, spelling, etc.); information about families that have moved away and been lost sight of; families thi1t have not as yet been traced back to the founder of this branch of the family. All persons interested are requested to send such information to the a.uthor. G. L. H. C,B!BRIDGE, l\IASS., October, 1927 CONTENTS I'AGI~ THE FilIILY NAME................................... 1 OccunnENCE OF TUE NAME IN THE AN<JLo-SAXON C1rnoN- ICLE ......••••.• , •.••• ,,, ••• ,.................... 1 DoMESDA Y BooK. 5 Alul1s AND CnEsT ....... ·. • . • . • • • . • . • • • . • • . • • • • • 5 A..'lll'CESTRY OF JAMES Hos11rnR....................... .. G THE MoTHER OF JAMES Hos21rnn .•.•.......•.•.••••. , • • 6 ABSTRACT OF THE WILL OF STEPHEN HosMim........... 10 ABSTRACT OF THE ,VILL OF JOHN HOSMER.............. 10 A11rnmcAN ExPLORATIOKS OF '\VILLI.-\..\! Woon OF ffE:---T.. 12 CONDITIONS IN ENGLAND. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • . • 12 THE EMIGRATION. • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 13 THE CONCORD SETTLEJ\IENT .••••••••••••••••••• ·•••••••• 15 JA.ll!ES HosMER's FAMILY.............................. 15 TnE Hosl\IER Ho11rn IN CONCORD. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1G THE INDIAN FIGHTS ••••••••• '......................... 18 THE EXODUS. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • 1D CONCLUSION. • • • • • • • . • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • . • 20 GENEALOGY.......................................... 21 First and Second Generations. • . 21 Third Generation. .. • . • . 2,1 Fourth Generation. 2S Fifth. Generation. 38 Sixth Generation. 52 Seventh Generation. S2 Eighth Generation... • . • . 131 Ninth Generation ....................•............. _. 180 Tenth Generation. • . • . 227 I::-lDEX TO NAMES ••••••••••••••••• ; • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 213 V LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE ST. l\f.Any's CHuncu .A'.l' 'l'IcEnunsT, CouNTY SussEx. G ST. LAURENCE'S Cnuncn, HAWKlIURsT, KENT, ENGLAND. • 1 O AN INVENTORY OF THE EsT.\.TE OF J ..o.rns Hos1irnn...... 18-lD TnE MoNulrnNT AT SummnY, l\fAss., A'.l' THE SITE OP TIIE Sunnuny FIGHT, Krno PHILIP'S WAR.. 22 THE MONUlIENT AT ACTON, MASS.. • • • • • • • • • • • . • • . • . • • . • 35 PENMANSHIP IN 1 ?'93 .... , .••••. : • • . • . • • • • . • • . • • • 55 HARRIET GooDHUE Hos1inm. • . • • • • • • • • • • • . • . • . • . • . • • • 70 HOSMER GENEALOGY The family of Hosmers whose history is recorded in the following pages is that founded by James Hosmer of Hawkhurst, County of Kent, England, who came to America in IG35 and set.Heel in Con­ cord, Mass. Of the English genealogy of the Hosmer farnily only so much is given as would furnish n. background for i be story of the Hosrners in America. The genealogy of the English IIosrners would make a book in itself and would require a large amount of genealogical research in England. The Hartford family of Hosrners has not been included in this book, chiefly on account of the mag­ nitude of the undertaking, hut partly because of a bck of personal knowledge of the family. The genealogy of the Hartford branch could be much better written by some member of that family who could start out with an abundant supply of information. THE FAMILY NAME Our family name is found in the English and American records spelled in the following ways: Hosmer, Hosmerc, Hismer, Hismere, Hosmor, Hosmorc, Horsmcr, Osmer, Osmnr, Osmorc, Osmc:i.r, Osmire, :i.nd Usmer. The name has also been pronounced in v:i.rious ways, " Ozmorc " being quite common, nnd this pro­ nunciation is still heard today in some localities, such as north­ western Maine, and northern Vermont. From the spelling of the name in the early Boston records we may inf er that it wus some­ times so pronounced in this locality. Information ab-:mt the name Osmer will be found in \Veekly's "Surnames," page 33, and in Harrison's " Surnames of the United Kingdom,'' page M. OCCURRENCE OF THE NAME IN THE ANGLO-SAXON CHRONICLE In order to trace the family name as far back in history as it is possible to go, we shall present evidence to show that the Hosmc-rs probably ca.me from the Duchy of Sleswick (North Germany), south of Denmark, about the year 547 A. D., and settled along the cast coast of England; also that the family name occurs frequently in English records long before the time of ""illium the Conqueror. 1 2 II osmer Genealooy \Ve must, however, dcfcncl 011nwlvc·s ngainst nny nccmmtion of cxtrnvag:mt clai1m; to ancient fowily. lt is not a.n unheard-of thing in g;enealop;ics to find cnthusiitstic writcrn tracing their 1111ccstry back at least to Woden, aud claimiug relationship to many distinguished persons, when in reality the name itself is tl1c only evidence they have. As n matter of fact it is difficult to t,mcc\ fnrt.linr back than about the fif1.ePnt.h cP11l.11ry, nncl proh­ ably only n few farnilies nrc rL'ally able to do thi.-;. 'l'hc following quotations which cite the occurrence of the name in early English history must not, therefore, be taken as proof that the present Hosmer family is descended from the Osmers named therein; they may, however, be faken as giving n hint as to the place from which the family probably came. The history of the various Snxon invasions here quoted may be more, easily followed by referring to the map of the North Sea and £he surrounding countries (page 3). In Shn.ron Turner's " History of the Anglo-Saxons," Vol. I, Book Second, Chapter V, we read: In the days of Tacitus and Ptolemy the Angli may have been in West­ pb::ili::t or Mecklemburg, or elsewhere: but at the cm of the Saxon invasion they were resident in the district of Anglen, in the Duchy of Sleswick. The Duchy of Slcswick extends from the river Levcson, north of Kiel, to the Tol.icsket, 011 which _stands Colding; uut that particular position, which un ancient Saxon uuthor culls Old England, extends from the city of Sleswick to Flernsburg.