THE VARNUMS OF DRACUTT (IN MASSACHUSETTS) A HISTORY -OF- GEORGE VARNUM, HIS SON SAMUEL WHO CAME TO IPSWICH ABOUT 1635, AND GRANDSONS THOMAS, JOHN AND JOSEPH, WHO SETTLED IN DRACUTT, AND THEIR DESCENDANTS, <.tomptlet> from jfamill] ll)aper.s ant> @ffictal 'Necort>.s, -BY- JOHN MARSHALL VARNUM, OF BOSTON, 19 07. " trr:bosu mbo bo not tnasmn up tbe mimotl!: of tbdt S!nmitats bo not bumbt ta bi nmembtttb bl!: lf)osttrit11:." - EDMUND BURKE, CONTENTS. PAGE PREFACE 5 HISTORY OF THE FAMILY, BY SQUIRE PARKER VARNUM, 5 1818 9 GENEALOGY: GEORGE V ARNUM1 13 SAMUEL V ARNUM2 16 THOMAS V ARNUM3 AND HIS DESCENDANTS 23 JOHN V ARNUM3 AND HIS DESCENDANTS - 43 J°'OSEPH V ARNUM3 AND HIS DESCENDANTS - 115 SKETCH OF GEORGE V ARNAM1 13 WILL OF' GEORGE VARNAM - 14 INVENTORY OF ESTATE OF GEORGE V ARNAM - 15 SKETCH OF SAMUEL V ARNUM1 16 DEED OF SHATSWELL-VARNUM PuROHASE, 1664 17 TRANSFER OF LAND TO V ARNUMS, 1688-1735 21 SKETCH OF THOMAS VARNUM3 28 w ILL OF THOMAS VARNUM - 29 SKETCH OF SAMUEL V ARNUM4 30 INVENTORY OF ESTATE OF THOMAS V ARNUM4 31 SKETCHES OF THOMAS V ARNUM1 34 DEACON JEREMIAH V ARNUM8 35 MAJOR ATKINSON C. V ARNUM7 36 JOHN V ARNUM3 45 INVENTORY OF ESTATE OF JOHN VARNUM 41 iv VARNUM GENEALOGY. SKETCH OF LIEUT. JOHN V ARNUM4 51 JOURNAL OF LIEUT. JOHN VARNUM~ 54-64 vVILL 01' L1EuT. JoHN VARNU111• - 64-66 SKETCHES OF JONAS VARNUM4 67 ABRAHAM V ARNUl\14 68 JAMES VA RNUM4 70 SQUIRE p ARK.ER VARNUM. 74-78 COL, JAMES VARNUM" - 78-82 JONAS VARNUM6 83 CAPT. w ILLIAM VARNUM. 88 .TAMES V ARNUM6 89 JOHN VARNUM. 89 HoN. JoHN VARNUM,8 M. C. 90-83 CoL. JosEPH VARNUM3 118 FIRST REPRESENTATIVE FROM DRACUTT - 120 COLONEL OF A TROOP OF HORSE 121 BOUNDS OF HIS FARM 123 vVILL AND INVENTORY oF EsTATE 124 MAJOR JOSEPH VARNUM' 126 MAJOR SAMUEL V ARNUM4 130 JOHN V ARNUM4 132 5 LIEUT. EBENEZER VARNUM - 134 BRADLEY VARNUM" 137 SAMUEL V ARNUM6 140 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF : GEN. JAMES MITCHELL V ARNUM6 ..: 142 LETTER FROM GEN. N ATH'L GREENE 146 REGIMENT AT SIEGE OF BOSTON, 177 5 149 " " BATTLE OF LONG lsLAND, 1776 150 " " " " WmTE PLAINS, 1776 151 CONTENTS. V BRIGADIER GENERAL, 1777 152 AT VALLEY FORGE, 1777-78 155 RESIGNATION, 1779 159 MANSION AT EAST GREENWICH 160 VISIT OF GEN. LAFAYETTE, 1778 161 MEMBER OF CONTINENTAL CONGRESS 164 His ABILITY AND ELOQUENCE 165 FAMOUS CASE OF TREVITT vs. WEEDEN 166 His PERSONAL APPEARANCE - 167 PRESIDENT R. I. SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI 167 APPOINTMENT AS U. S. JUDGE NORTHWEST TERRITORY 170 His LAST LETTER TO HIS WIFE 174 His DEATH AND FUNERAL 176 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF: HoN. JosEPH BRADLEY VARNUM 6 184 LETTER TO ms SoN ON FARMING 187 CAPTAIN OF TRAINBAND AT DRACUTT, 1770 190 MARCHED TO REINFORCE Y" NORTHERN ARMY 191 IN RHODE ISLAND ENGAGEMENT 192 MUSTER ROLLS OF HIS COMPANIES [NOTE] 192-188 SERVICE IN SHAYS' REBELLION 193 MILITARY COMMISSIONS 195 ELECTION TO CONGRESS, 1795 195 CONTEST OVER HIS ELECTION 196 CHOSEN SPEAKER 10th AND 11th CONGRESSES 197-198 SPEECHES: ON DIRECT TAXES 198 SLAVERY QUESTIONS - 199-200 JUDICIARY 201 MILITIA 203-206 ELECTED U. S. SENATOR, 1811 207 CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS, 1811 208 Vl VARNUM GENEALOGY. SPEECH AGAINST GILES BILL 209 PRESIDENT, PRO TEM., OF SENATE 210 PRESIDING OFFICER OF THE MASSACHUSETTS CONSTITU- TIONAL CONVENTION OF 1820 - 210 REMARKS ON RELIGIOUS TOLERATION 212 Pou:rICAL CoMMISSIONS 213 PERSONALITY 214 Hrs DEATH AND FUNERAL 217 STORY OF SILAS ROYAL, GEN. VARNUM'S SERVANT 218-225 SKETCHES OF : MAJOR DANIEL VARNUM6 226 COL. PRESCOTT V ARNUM6 230 GEN• PHINEAS V ARNUM6 231 JOSEPH BUTTERFIELD V ARNUM6 233 JOSEPH BRADLEY V ARNUM6 237-242 CAPT. JAMES MITCHELL VARNUM6 244 6 MAJOR ,1 ACOB BUTLER V ARNUM - 246 HON. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN V ARNUM6 251-256 6 MOSES V ARNUM - 258 JUSTUS BRADLEY VARNUM8 261 DR. JAMES V ARNUM7 262 GEN• JOHN V ARNUM7 .. .. 264 HON. JOSEPH BRADLEY VARNUM, JR. 7 - 267-273 REV. JOSEPH BRADLEY V ARNUM8 280 8 COL, CHARLES ALBERT V ARNUM - .;. 282 GEN. JAMES MITCHELL VARNUM8 .. 285 ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE WILL OF GEORGE V ARNAM, 1649 - 14- SHATSWELL-V ARNUM PURCHASE, 1664 - 17, MAP OF DRACUTT, 1702, WHEN LAID OUT AS A TOWNSHIP, BY JONA : DANFORTH, SURVEYOR - 27- SILHOUETTE OF THOMAS V ARNUM8 33 • PORTRAIT OF DEACON JEREMIAH V ARNUM8 35· 7 PORTRAIT OF MAJ. ATKINSON C. V ARNUM - 36· MAP OF DRACUTT IN 1791, BY FREDERICK FRENCH, SURVEYOR 45. 4 POWDER-HORN OF LT. JOHN VARNUM ; CROWN-POINT, 1760 50· 6 SILHOUETTE OF SQUIRE PARKER V ARNUM - 7 4 · CERTIFICATE OF STOCK IN PAWTUCKET BRIDGE 76- SILHOUETTE OF CoL. JAMES V ARNUM6 78 · INVITATION TO JONAS VARNUM,. SURVIVOR, ON LAYING OF CORNER- STONE OF BUNKER HILL MONUMENT, 1826 84. SILHOUETTE OF DOLLY VARNUM6 OF PEACHAM, VT. 86 · CERTIFICATE OF ENROLLMENT OF FRANKLIN w YMAN V ARNUM9 IN SAN FRANCISCO VIGILANCE COMMITTEE OF 1856 111. TOMBSTONE OF Rum, WIFE OF CoL. JosEPH VARNUM" 117, THE OLD GARRISON HOUSE, RESIDENCE OF COL. JOSEPH VAR- NIDl3 123, 6 PORTRAIT OF GEN. JAMES MITCHELL VARNUM - 142 · PUNCH-BOWL PRESENTED BY GEN. LAFAYETTE TO GEN. VARNUM 161 · PORTRAIT OF MRs. MoLLY, WIFE OF GEN. JosEPH BRADLEY 6 V ARNUM - 186 · SILHOUETTE OF HITTY VARNUM6 AND DANIEL SWETT - 182• SILHOUETTE OF HANNAH VARNUM6 AND MAJ. EPHRAIM COBURN 183· PORTRAIT OF HON. JOSEPH BRADLEY VARNUM' 186• PORTRAIT OF JOSEPH BRADLEY VARNUM6 237, PORTRAIT OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN V ARNUM8 - 251, MAP OF DRACUTT, 1830, BY BENJ. F. VARNUM, SURVEYOR 254, PoRTRAIT OF JosF.Jr:JI BRADLEY VARNUM, J~.' - 267· PREFACE. Tms work relates only to the history of the Varnum family since its first representatives came to America, and is testimony merely as to such of the name as are descended from George Varnum who with his wife Hannah and his children, Hannah and Samuel, settled in Ipswich, Mas­ sachusetts, about 1635; and his grandsons Thomas, John and Joseph, who with their father Samuel lived on land in Dracutt, Massachusetts, bought by said Samuel in 1664. That George Varnum and wife, with their children Samuel and Han­ nah, came to America from Great Britain is well nigh certain, although evidence is lacking as to the ship by which' they came over or the port from which they sailed. It is, however, stated by Mr. Hutton, a well recognized English authority on these matters, that many ship lists of that period were incorrectly kept or have since been entirely destroyed. It is, moreover, well known to all who have investigated the subject, that there are few if any records now extant of departures from the West coast of Great Britain at this period, the same having been destroyed in a great fire in one of the Government offices where such records were deposited. There are many reasonable indications that lead to the impression that George Varnum and family would naturally have sailed from the Western coast. While the exact locality in Great Britain, from which the Var­ nums emigrated,~has not been clearly determined, in a manner satisfactory even to a family historian, it seems evident that Squire Parker Varnum's statement in his account of the family, that it came from "a hamlet called Drawcutt, supposed to be in Wales," cannot be substantiated. There is not now, and apparently never was in the 17th Century, any place by that or any similar name in Wales. There were, however, and still are, a number of places in the centre or near the west of England bearing the name of Draycott, but careful researches made·by the Hon. Joseph B. Varnum, of New York, many years ago, and many times since by his son, Gen. James M. Varnum, indicate that the places by that 6 PREF.A.OE. name are either of comparatively recent origin or of little importance, and that none of them have any records of the 17th Century extant. Parker Varnum's suggestion of the Welsh origin of the family possibly came from a confounding of the names of Varnum and Farnum. Ralph Ffarnum, whose name is of record in Ipswich, January 1640, is recog­ nized as the progenitor of the Farnums in America. The name appears so written, in the various original documents filed among the Ipswich Records, in Salem, Massachusetts, which is an indication that the name is of vVelsh origin. George Varnum and his son Samuel were freemen of Ipswich at the same period as Ralph Ffarnum; but the former antedated the latter some five years, appearing of record in 1635. Although pho­ netically the names are similar, they were never actually confounded in Ipswich, nor afterwards in Dracutt, where they came into contact. A slight difference in the early spelling of the name Varnum appears in some cases in the Ipswich Records, where it is written Varnham or Var­ mun, but Samuel always signed his name Varnum, as is shown in 1649, when he was 30 years old, in his subscription to Maj. Denison's Com­ mand; in 1664, in his agreement with John Evered als Webb as to pur­ chase of "Drawcutt upon Mirrimack"; in 1676 in his enlistment to serve in the Narragansett Campaign (King Philip's War), and in 1683 when he was 64 years old, in his deposition as to land in Ipswich. As, in the suggestion of Welsh descent, it is possible that the family tradition as to coming from a place called Dracutt, or Draycott, in Great Britain, may have been confounded with the fact that Samuel Varnum's domain in Massachusetts, purchased by him in 1664 of John Evered als.