A Historical and Genealogical Register of John Wing, of Sandwich, Mass
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n wi ! in £\'l m m ® E^ ico En E ** = mm E© =P4 H PI = r o> in o i I0 SB a E°° ¦< * = in 8 M ni °S < aO =** m S (0 id =IA E^ = « =** I .A. HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL REC3-ISTBB — o»— John Wing, ofSandwich, Mass., — — AITD HIS r>ESCE2ST3D-A.ITTS. 1662-1881. REV. OONWAY P. WING, D.D., — — OF CARLISLE, P^u. 1881. CS 7|7 | ¦*/lbl m\ 1 »0 i *» PKEFACE. From necessity, as wellas from a regard to the true design of the work, the following record is more genealogical than historical. Littleelse need be said of most persons than to specify the dates of their birth, marriage and death; their parentage, their children, their removals and places of residence, and their employments. The peculiar interest, however, which every family must feel with respect to its earliest progenitors, rendered it proper that our account should embrace everything which could be found inany quarter relating to John Wing of Sand wich, and his immediate connections. Those, also, who have been especially distinguished inpublic, social or commercial life, might naturally be expected to have a more particular notice. After our best efforts, very little material for such a purpose has come to hand, and every item thus recovered has been recorded which was thought to have any possible, interest to their descendants. The arrangement which has been followed combines, to some extent, both methods of division —by genera tions, and by direct • lineage. The three principal branches, which sprung from the original progenitor through his three sons, have been kept distinct through all the generations. Minuter divisions, according to widely separated localities, or minor families, would Ijave been difficult and perplexing. By means of the index, the numbers at the head ofeach paragraph and the numbers included in parentheses^ each branch of the family can be easily traced. II PREFACE. The chasms, which are obvious to every reader, might possibly have been filledup by more protracted inquiries; but neither the writer, nor any one with whom he is acquainted, is likely to give to such a work the needful time and labor. With respect to those errors or defects which willdoubtless be found in the work, the writer here gives notice that he intends to have an interleaved copy bound up, in which he will record all suggestions regarding them which may be brought to his notice. Another edition ofthe present work may not I*3 called for during his lifetime, but such a volume will be of some convenience to those who, we may be sine, willhereafter make inquiries on the subject. The ath of June, 1882, will be the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the arrival of John Wing and his sons at Boston; and although it may be too much to hope that any large number ofhis descendants will then assemble at Sandwich to revive historical recollections, to collect materials for a more perfect family record, and to promote a. common familyspirit, it would be an appropriate occasion for the exchange of epistolary greetings, and for the contribution of much additional history. A few copies with a larger margin tothe pages have been issued, in compliance with the request of some correspondents who wish for space on which to record their corrections and additions. The portraits were inserted at the suggestion, and principally through the efforts of Lucius B. Wing, of"Newark, Ohio, whose encouragement and counsel have been freely PREFACE. 111 bestowed from the commencement and through the entire progress of the work. The map, which will be of assistance, in tracing the settlements of the earlier generations, was generously contributed by the corporation whose name it bears. The coat of arms, which we have thought worthy of being engraved and inserted in its proper place, was obtained from England by H.F. Wing, Esq., of Grafton, Mass., and purports to be, "Arms of Wing, as borne by Sir Theodore Wing, Lord Warden of the Wastes and Liveries to KingHenry VII." That there was such an official in the Court of that monarch, we learn from more than one history of the time. It was perhaps a rash moment for the writer when he exchanged his original plan ofediting a diminutive pamphlet, in which a genealogy and brief notice might be given of the descendants of John Wing ofCon way, for a volume embracing the entire familyofthe Wings in America. He had then no distict conception of the labyrinth through which he would have to seek his way. It was not, indeed, very difficult to trace with tolerable clearness the lineages of the first four or five generations, for they were nearly allconfined to a few towns inSoutheastern Massachusetts, where all births, marriages and deaths were to be found in the public records. But after the Revolution, when their children wandered off to the Province of Maine, Western Mas sachusetts, Vermont, and the Middle and Western States, until there is scarcely a State or Territory of the American Union inwhich they are not-distributed;" there were1few such sources of information. -'In the IV PREFACE. midst of the activities and privations of frontier life, and sharing in the independent spirit which charac terizes our countrymen generally, little was thought of ancestors; and hence even the records of individual families were frequently neglected. Invitations had to be sent to all whose names and residences could be ascertained, tliat they would report whatever they knew of their own family connections, and of others bearing the name. It soon became evident that the time had come for such an effort, and that many were prepared to appreciate its importance. A large amount of materials was returned, but the accounts were often so disconnected with each other, and with any part of the main stock of the family, that one of a much stouter heart might well have been dismayed. Very few beyond those living around the original seats of the first immigrants could give an intelligible account of their progenitors beyond their immediate parents, or, at best, their grandparents, and no' small amount of patience and discrimination were requisite for finding the exact position of each one in the genealogical chain. The principal difficulty was, of course, in carrying each account over the fifth and sixth generations. We were obliged.sometimes to hazard conjectures where only a slight hint of a name or a date was given to guide us, and we shall not be surprised to learn that here especially mistakes have been committed. We can only say that we have taken much pains to avoid them; that we have not assumed to know with confidence where our way was not clear, and that an entire chapter has been given to PREFACE. V such disconnected branches as could not be located with certainty inthe parent tree. It would not be desirable, even ifit were sure to be agreeable to those concerned, were we to make acknowledgments in this place of our obligations to all who have contributed valuable aid in this work. Where their contributions extended no further than the records of their immediate connections, their names may be easily inferred from the details which are given. Among those, however, who have gone considerably beyond this, we cannot refrain from mentioning Dr. Henry Eussell, of Sandwich; Josiah Paine, the editor of the Harwich Independent; Dr. A. W. Holden and Mrs. Halsey R. Wing, of Glen's Falls; G. J. Wing, of Wayne; Paul and Edward Wing, of North Fairfield, and Lewis M. Wing, of North Livermore, in the State of Maine; Charles T. Wing, of New York City; Henry F. Wing, of Brooklyn, and Christina Wing, of Albany, in the State of New York; and E. Darwin Wing, of Mary ville,Missouri. Among the books which have been of use may be mentioned: Freeman's History of Cape Cod, 2 vols.; Farmer's Register of N. E. Families; The N. E. Genealogical and Historical Register, 45 vols.; Holden's History of Queensbury (Glen's Falls); Walker's History of Old Plymouth; The Whitney Family, 2 vols.; Bond's Genealogies of Watertown; Winsor's History ofDuxbury; The Winslow Family, byD.D.and Frances K.HoUon; History of Lynn, by Alonzo Lewis and J. R. Newhall; Thompson's History ofMontpelier, Vt.; History of Grafton, Mass., and Holland's History of Western Massachusetts. VI PRKFACE. The Index contains the names of all persons known to have been connected with the family. Of those which are followed by a reference to only one page, nothing is recorded except their parentage, and in some instances their deaths. Itis divided into three parts; the first contains the Christian names of all descendants of John Wing, of Sandwich, or Eobert Wing, of Boston; the second contains the names of all who have been connected with the family by mar riage, and the third contains the names of all descend ants bearing other names than that of Wing. C. P. WING. Carlisle, Pa., May 4,1881. INTRODUCTION. For a man of cultivated and refined taste, it must seem appropriate for him to take a special interest in the history of his own family. In most families willbe found some per sonages or incidents, the recollection of which will awaken such a one to a higher self-respect and emulation. There need be nothing improper in such a result. If we should esteem virtue and goid deeds in ourselves or others, why not value itinour families ? This is a very different thing from an 'aristocratic pride, which thinks onlyof the external advantages which a royal patent can bestow.