Early New England People. SOME ACCOUNT OF THE ELLIS, PE~fBERTON, vVILLARD, PRESCOTT, TITCOMB, SE\VALL AND LONGFELLOW, AND ALLIED FAMILIES. BY SA.RAH ELIZABETH TITCOMB . • • • BOSTON: \V. B. CLARKE &. CARRUTH, PUBLISHERS: 340 Washington Street. 1882. Copyrighted -in 1882, b11 SARAH E. TITCOMB. CYRUs; W. ATWOOD, PRINTER, SPRrnGFlELD, MASS. PREFACE. rfHE author having collected during a number of yea.rs, for her personal gratification, many facts re­ lating to some of the early settlers of New England, has, at the earnest entreaties of friends, pr_epared them for publication. She would express her thanks to all who have in any way aided her, and ackno\vledges herself under special obligations to the follo,ving persons: Hervey D. Ellis; Samuel ~!\dams Drake; Samuel Green, if.D.; Joseph Titcomb of Kennebunk, ~le.; Judge Samuel Titcomb; John C. Sibley; J\fajor Ben. Perley Poor; vVilliam H. ,vhitmore; ,,-rillia1n R. Dean; Sereno D. Nickerson, Recording Grand Secretary of the Grand (11asonic) Lodge in l[assachnsetts; Benjan1in Chase; Giles l\L Kelley; N. \\T. l\Iarston; Peter Thacher, Esq.; G. B. Bartlett; .A.. G. Lord; John Poor Titcomb; \V. H. l\Iontagne; J. J. Dow·; C. C. Chase; Rev. J an1es Lniacke; Gen. T. K. Sinith; Henry Pemberton; W. S. Ellis; J uclge C ....-\. Bradley; Judge John K. Bart­ lett; l\fiss i\Iaria G. Bradley; 11iss Caroline \Vhiting, (the genealogist of the "\Vhitings ;) J a1nes "\Vhite­ house; Rev. Stephen -'-\lien; and Joseph Titcornb of N e,vburyport. CONTENTS. Page AYER, • ~79 BARTLETT, 185 BRADLEY, . 256 CH.A.SE, 286 DEAN, . 129 Dow, 238 DUNSTER, • 82 ' ELLIS, . 5 FULLER, . 274 HOPE, 102 KILBY, • • . 94 MARTINE AND DE LES DERXIER, 123 MAVERICK, . 244 MILLS, 92 MONTAGUE, . 268 PEMBERTON, 38 PEPPERRELL, . 265 POORE, 201 PRESCOTT, • . 133 SEWALL AND LONGFELL<HY, • 214 SPOFFORD, . 270 TITCOMB, 144 WAT:MOUGH, • 116 WILLARD, . 57 ELLIS. THE name of Ellis is met with in France as early as the middle of the ninth ·century, but in England not before the time of William the Conqueror, a Norman of that name1 (though differently spelled)2 being in his train. William Smith Ellis, Esq., a barrister of the Middle Temple, London, Eng., author of "A Plea for the Antiquity of Heraldry," 3 appears to have very thoroughly investigated the early records of the Ellises of France,. England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, the results being given to the public in his book entitled, '' Notices of the Ellises of England, Ireland and Scot­ land," and the four supplements that have since appeared. He presents much evidence in support of the belief, entertained in England, that the Ellis and synonymous families of France are descended from the early kings of that country,-an origin counte­ nanced by the fleurs-de-lis to be found in the arms of those families, the name being originally Elias or Louis .. Mr. Ellis says: "A bearing like the fieur-de­ lis, 4 having little intrinsic importance or meaning, but 1 The name occurs in noomsday Survey as Alis and Helfa.s. 2 From authentic written evidence, we know that the name of Ellis, like most names, was spelled in various ways; as, Alis, Balis, Helias, Hellys, Holys, Hillis, Eales, Ellis, Elias, Elys, etc. 3 "Notwithstanding Voltatre's caustic remark that 'Heraldic knowl­ edge is the science of fools with long memories,' it can not be denied that genealogical memoranda are serviceable auxiliaries to ~iBtory," and that the blazoning of Arms and the compilation of Pedigrees are useful to identify dates and to avoid confusion in Biography.-Visita­ tions of Wales, Vol. I., p. ix. By Samuel Rush Meyrick, K.N.T., K.H., LL. D., F. A. S. 4 "The origin of the device of the fleur-de-lis has given rise to con­ siderable speculation; but the popular notion of its deriving its name 2 6 ELLIS. obtaining its celebrity from the eminence of its first bearer and his descendants, and therefore jealously guarded from usurpation, is not likely to have been adopted in any of its numerous forms and positions, by any_ but those who had' a legitimate right to do so according to the laws of heraldry." In Wales, the name is met with at an· early date. A.D.815, "Griffi, son of Cyngen, son of Cadell, was slain through the treachery of his brother Elisse.'' Rode­ rick (Theodoric) the Great~ King of Wales 843-76, had a grandson named Elis "who," in the words of Mr.Ellis, '' not improbably was the prototype of the numerous Louises and Ellises to be found in that country." 1 It is supposed that Roderick was descended from the early kings of France, and thus have originated the coats of arms with the device of :fleurs-de-lis in Wales. , . A descendant of Roderick, Gwynnedd, King of North Wales in the twelfth century, is said to have been the progenitor2 of the Ellises of Glasfryn, county Caernarvon. from Louis, and being the exclusive ensign of French domination, is totally erroneous. Montfaucon has shown that it was not only assumed by the Frankish, but also by the Lombard and other Teutonic princes. In his great work, he gives engravings of statues of the Merovingia.n and Capetian race of kings, on whose sceptres and crowns the jf,eur-de­ lis is distinctly represented. It is to be met with ih remains from Baby­ lon, and in sculptures from Nineveh. There is little doubt -that the lotus is the flower intended by it; and that, we know, was regarded as of peculiar mystic import in Egypt and throughout the East. In course of time, it seems to have become the settled and peculiar armorial bear­ ings of the kings of France, certainly long before the time of Charle­ magne, as the descent of the families bearing it from his ancestors will demonstrate. "-William Smith Ellis. 1 In the tenth century, the Christian names of the fathers were adopted by the sons as surnames. 2 '' The Welshman's Pedigree was his title-deed by which he claimed his birthright in the country. Every one was obliged to show his de­ scent through nine generations, in order to be acknowledged a free na­ tive, and by which right he claimed his portion of land in the commu­ nity. He was affected with respect to legal process in his collateral affinities through nine degrees. A. person passed the ninth descent formed a new pen cenedyl, or head of a fam~y. Every family wa.s - Dr. Edward. Ellis ca~e to New England·, if is said, from "\y-ales, prior to 1652. .He was married in Boston., .Aug. 6, 1652~ to Sarah, daughter of Robert and Susan Blott. ~r. Blott came to Charlestown in 1634, and _he probably -removed to Concord, Mass., as the follow:­ ing deed, taken from the first volume of the '' Suffolk Deeds,'' ·would indicate: · · · · : "Robert Blott of Boston in the Massachusetts granted rinto Samuel Strett,>n of Concord his h·•use and land in.· Concord granted by Jhe town to the same forty Acres more or l(Jss wth all the appertenances & priviled_gt->S thereunto belonging & this was-by a deed of sale dat. 29 (5) 1648 "Robert Blott-& a seal ~' -~ealed'. ~ dd in p'sence of ·_ .. ~~ Wm Aspinwall ·' Nicholas Bushie "Edward ffletch(-lr . "Also it was ·acij'oyneing to mr Ed w: B·uckley on the north & goodman Pearsley south." · Mr: Blott, at the time of his daughter's marriage, was a resident of Boston, Mass., his house being: o~ the corner of Newbury (now Washington) Street and Blott' s Lane.. The latter was called Blott' s Lane, -for 4. • ~ Mr. Blott, until 1708, when it was named \Vinter Street. ~his property _was inherited by Dr. Ellis, and the c9r­ n.er of Newbury a.nd Winter Streets.was called Ellis'~ Cor_ner ·UI!til 1732 .. The following is. a copy of a part o{ Mr. Blott's w1ll: "I Robert Blott being· in perfect memo~ye Doe make .this my last will and testament. "I make Edward Ellis my sonne-in-law, Husband to Sarah, my Daughter, my Executor, and give unto him my house and the lot belonging thereunto, with all the appurtenances, also represented by its .elder, and these elders from every family were dele­ ga.~es .to the national council. "-Hiswry and Antiquities of the County of Cardigan. 8 -ELLIS. my will- is,' that he pay my daughter's children whose tiaine was Woodford, of Connecticutt £3. My will is that my Sonne Edward Ellis shall give to my daughter Tosier's children £7, and 3 bushels of wheat and 2 of Indyan Corn, besides to her eldest Sonne, John Green, cloth to make him a Coate-. "My will is that the said Edward shall give to my daughter Lovett's .children of Brain tree £7 & 3 bushels of wheat & 2 bushels of Indyan, also to my sonne-in-1aw Daniel Turin's children £8 ; that my daughter Tosier and my daughter Lovett shall have half the household stuff equally Divided between th~m, and the other half to my daught'€r Ellis, also three bushels of Mault to be divided between my three daughters, also to Daniel Lovett my sonne~in-law I give my Best Coate. in witness whereof I have set my hand the 27th of third month called May 1662.'' "I Edward ~llis by God's help shall pay these legacies with: out fraud or gn ile b~fore twelve months after ye death of jny father-in-law," etc. A codicil is added which makes some changes in the. legacies, as Mr. Blott did not die at tha.t time.