Bowditch, William (b. 20 JAN 1683/84, d. 16 APR 1748)

Note: William Bowditch was a clothier by trade, but he shared with his brother his father's house, barn, corn mill, fulling mill and shop.

He held a number of minor town offices. In 1714-1715 he sat on a committee "to see to that act relating to swine &c." he was a fence viewer and a member of the town committee in 1725, surveyor of highways in 1732 and a tithingman in 1742.

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Alden
Title: Woodworth-Barnes, Esther Littleford, Mayflower Families Through Five Ge
nerations: Descendants of the Pilgrims Who Landed at Plymouth, Mass., D
ecember 1620.
Vol 16, Part 1: Family of John Alden (New York: General Society of Mayf
lower Descendants, 1999)
nerations: Descendants of the Pilgrims Who Landed at Plymouth, Mass., D
ecember 1620.
Vol 16, Part 1: Family of John Alden
nerations: Descendants of the Pilgrims Who Landed at Plymouth, Mass., D
ecember 1620.
Vol 16, Part 1: Family of John Alden. New York: General Society of Mayf
lower Descendants, 1999.

Given Name: William

Death: 16 APR 1748 Braintree, Massachusetts

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Alden
Title: Woodworth-Barnes, Esther Littleford, Mayflower Families Through Five Ge
nerations: Descendants of the Pilgrims Who Landed at Plymouth, Mass., D
ecember 1620.
Vol 16, Part 1: Family of John Alden (New York: General Society of Mayf
lower Descendants, 1999)
nerations: Descendants of the Pilgrims Who Landed at Plymouth, Mass., D
ecember 1620.
Vol 16, Part 1: Family of John Alden
nerations: Descendants of the Pilgrims Who Landed at Plymouth, Mass., D
ecember 1620.
Vol 16, Part 1: Family of John Alden. New York: General Society of Mayf
lower Descendants, 1999.

Given Name: Mary

Death: 31 JAN 1749/50 Probably Braintree, Massachusetts

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Note: While the date and place of Humphrey Nichol's birth are not known, he apparently was brought up in the house of one of his uncles in Newtown, Long Island, near what today is called Jamaica.

At some point he moved to Newark, then a small town on the edge of the Meadowlands. He was evidently a carpenter and first appears in the records in 1738 when he was paid ten shillings and sixpence for "making the gallows and setting it up." He was engaged in building Trinity Church in Newark and the new kitchen adjoining the courthouse, a job for which he received fifty-three pounds in 1753.

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Nichols
Title: Frederic C. Torrey, The Ancestors and Descendants of Humphrey Nichols o
f Newark, New Jersey, and of his Brothers and Sisters (Lakehurst, New J
ersey, n.p. 1917)
f Newark, New Jersey, and of his Brothers and Sisters
f Newark, New Jersey, and of his Brothers and Sisters. Lakehurst, New J
ersey, n.p. 1917.

Given Name: Humphrey

Death: Probably Jun 23, 1764 Newark, New Jersey

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Nichols
Title: Frederic C. Torrey, The Ancestors and Descendants of Humphrey Nichols o
f Newark, New Jersey, and of his Brothers and Sisters (Lakehurst, New J
ersey, n.p. 1917)
f Newark, New Jersey, and of his Brothers and Sisters
f Newark, New Jersey, and of his Brothers and Sisters. Lakehurst, New J
ersey, n.p. 1917.

Given Name: Abigail

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Note: This is the only line in Marion Torrey's ancestry that has not been traced to or near the water's edge.

The reason, I suspect, is not that the information is lost, as one senses from their daughter's wealth and position that these were prosperous people, but because no one has yet been able to find the right needles in the haystacks of two such common names.

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Nichols
Title: Frederic C. Torrey, The Ancestors and Descendants of Humphrey Nichols o
f Newark, New Jersey, and of his Brothers and Sisters (Lakehurst, New J
ersey, n.p. 1917)
f Newark, New Jersey, and of his Brothers and Sisters
f Newark, New Jersey, and of his Brothers and Sisters. Lakehurst, New J
ersey, n.p. 1917.

Given Name: James

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Nichols
Title: Frederic C. Torrey, The Ancestors and Descendants of Humphrey Nichols o
f Newark, New Jersey, and of his Brothers and Sisters (Lakehurst, New J
ersey, n.p. 1917)
f Newark, New Jersey, and of his Brothers and Sisters
f Newark, New Jersey, and of his Brothers and Sisters. Lakehurst, New J
ersey, n.p. 1917.

Given Name: Margaret

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Note: Captain Samuel Whittemore was a prosperous farmer in the Cambridge area and held several local political posts, among them Assessor and Selectman of Cambridge and Deputy Sheriff of Middlesex County. He was a captain in the Royal Dragoons and later served on several important Revolutionary committees. His will has evidently been lost, but there can be no doubt that he left a substantial estate.

As one of the men who actually heard the "shot heard 'round the world, " it was at the Battle of Lexington that Captain Whittemore earned his fame. His obituary, which appeared in the Columbian Centinel of February 6th, 1793, is worth quoting in full:

"Died--at Menotomy Feby. 2 Capt. Samuel Whittemore, AE 99 [he was in fact 96, and died at Cambridge]. The many and moral virtues, in all the various relations of Brother, Husband, Father and Friend, were invariably exhibited in this gentleman. He was not more remarkable for his longevity, than his number of descendants (his progeny being 185), one of which is the fifth generation.

"When the British troops marched to Lexington (Apr 19 1775), he was 81 years of age [he was 78], and one of the first on the parade; he was armed with a gun (king's arm) and horse pistols. After an animated exhortation to the collected militia, to the exertion of bravery and courage, he exclaimed:

"'If I can only be the instrument of killing one of my country's foes, I shall die in peace!'

"The prayer of this venerable old man was heard, for on the return of the troops (from Lexington) he lay behind a stone wall and discharged his gun.

"A soldier immediately fell. He then discharged his pistol and killed another; at which instant a ball struck his face and shot away part of his cheek bone; on which a number of soldiers ran up the wall and gorged their malice on his wounded head; they were heard to exclaim, 'we have killed this old man.' About 4 hours after, he was found in a mangled situation, his head was covered with blood, from the wounds of the bayonet, which were 6 or 8 [thirteen according to other sources] but providentially none penetrated so far as to destroy him. His hat and clothes were shot through in many places, yet he survived to see the complete overthrow of his enemies, and his country enjoy all the blessings of peace and independence."

In fact he survived another eighteen years, dying just before Washington's second inaugural.

His tombstone reads, "In memory of Capt. Samuel Whittemore, who departed this life Feb. 2, 1793. Aged 98 years [he was 96]."

On the bottom of the page of the Torrey family Bible where this was found, his great granddaughter wrote, "Where shall we find such devoted patriotism now[?]" This was evidently written just before the outbreak of the Civil War, so she soon had her answer.

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Torrey
Title: Torrey family Bible

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Whittemore
Title: Bradford Adams Whittemore and Edgar Whittemore, The Whittemore Family i
n America (NEHGR Vols. 106, 107, 108)
n America
n America. NEHGR Vols. 106, 107, 108.

Given Name: Samuel

Death: 3 FEB 1793 Cambridge, Massachusetts

Change: Date: 25 Apr 2003

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Whittemore
Title: Bradford Adams Whittemore and Edgar Whittemore, The Whittemore Family i
n America (NEHGR Vols. 106, 107, 108)
n America
n America. NEHGR Vols. 106, 107, 108.

Given Name: Elizabeth

Death: 5 JUN 1764

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Note: Gershom Cutter was a miller and resided at the house called "Under the Rocks" at Menotomy.

Given Name: Gershom

Death: 10 DEC 1777

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Given Name: Anna

Death: 10 DEC 1777

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Given Name: Timothy

Death: 30 JUN 1755

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Given Name: John

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Given Name: Mehetable

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Note: Lieutenant John Torrey was a tanner and trader and the origin of the military title is unknown, but as it appears in a number of official documents as well as on his gravestone, it is certainly legitimate. Weymouth records for March 7, 1715/16, record that "John Torrey and four others formed a company to engage in the fishing trade to Cape Sables.

He was admitted to membership in the Second Church of Boston, and seems to have lived in Boston at least from time to time. All his children were born in Weymouth and he died there. Boston records show that he was permitted a timber addition to his house in Tannery Lane. John Torrey left quite a respectable estate for his time, amounting to L1069/16/7 plus the house in Boston valued at L455. His son William occupied this house after his father's death.

John Torrey's gravestone reads:

Here lyes buried
the body of
Leut, John Torrey
who decd January
the 7th 1729
in the 57th year of his age

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Torrey
Title: Torrey family Bible

Given Name: John

Death: 7 JAN 1729/30 Weymouth, Massachusetts

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Given Name: Mary

Death: 14 FEB 1758 Weymouth, Massachusetts

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Note: Samuel bass was a cooper and husbandman. He served in King Philip's War and was listed on June 24th, 1675, as being of Captain Johnson's Company. he received a Naragansett grant of land. He was a fenceviewer for Braintree in 1694, 1699, and 1703. he was hayward or field driver in 1695. In 1696, 1705, and 1727 he was surveyor of highways and tithingman in 1709-10 and 1725.

He was named a deacon in Old South Church in Braintree in 1712.

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Alden
Title: Woodworth-Barnes, Esther Littleford, Mayflower Families Through Five Ge
nerations: Descendants of the Pilgrims Who Landed at Plymouth, Mass., D
ecember 1620.
Vol 16, Part 1: Family of John Alden (New York: General Society of Mayf
lower Descendants, 1999)
nerations: Descendants of the Pilgrims Who Landed at Plymouth, Mass., D
ecember 1620.
Vol 16, Part 1: Family of John Alden
nerations: Descendants of the Pilgrims Who Landed at Plymouth, Mass., D
ecember 1620.
Vol 16, Part 1: Family of John Alden. New York: General Society of Mayf
lower Descendants, 1999.

Given Name: Samuel

Death: 20 FEB 1751 East Bridgewater, Massachusetts

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Given Name: Mary

Death: 9 MAR 1706/7 Probably Braintree, Massachusetts

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Note: The origins of John Bowditch are not now known, although there is a good possibility that he was related to the Bowditches who settled in Salem, Massachusetts, and whose descendant, Nathaniel Bowditch (1773-1838), is the author of the New American Practical Navigator, known simply as "Bowditch" to generations of sailors the world over.

He set up a fulling mill in Braintree, and was the superintendant of highways for Menaticut in 1702.

He was very likely the John Bowditch who served as a soldier in King Philip's War, but this has not been established for certain.

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Alden
Title: Woodworth-Barnes, Esther Littleford, Mayflower Families Through Five Ge
nerations: Descendants of the Pilgrims Who Landed at Plymouth, Mass., D
ecember 1620.
Vol 16, Part 1: Family of John Alden (New York: General Society of Mayf
lower Descendants, 1999)
nerations: Descendants of the Pilgrims Who Landed at Plymouth, Mass., D
ecember 1620.
Vol 16, Part 1: Family of John Alden
nerations: Descendants of the Pilgrims Who Landed at Plymouth, Mass., D
ecember 1620.
Vol 16, Part 1: Family of John Alden. New York: General Society of Mayf
lower Descendants, 1999.

Given Name: John

Death: 1724 Braintree, Massachusetts

Burial: 23 DEC 1724 Braintree, Massachusetts

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Alden
Title: Woodworth-Barnes, Esther Littleford, Mayflower Families Through Five Ge
nerations: Descendants of the Pilgrims Who Landed at Plymouth, Mass., D
ecember 1620.
Vol 16, Part 1: Family of John Alden (New York: General Society of Mayf
lower Descendants, 1999)
nerations: Descendants of the Pilgrims Who Landed at Plymouth, Mass., D
ecember 1620.
Vol 16, Part 1: Family of John Alden
nerations: Descendants of the Pilgrims Who Landed at Plymouth, Mass., D
ecember 1620.
Vol 16, Part 1: Family of John Alden. New York: General Society of Mayf
lower Descendants, 1999.

Given Name: Temperance

Death: 12 AUG 1720

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Note: Almost nothing is known about Isaac Nichols. He and his twin brother were postumous sons and there are some indications that they lived with their mother in poverty on Long Island.

Many of the records of that part of Long Island were destroyed by the British during their occupation in the Revolution.

Baptism: 20 JUL 1690 Milford, Connecticut

Given Name: Isaac

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003