The CHILD Family of Framingham and Watertown in Middlesex co., Massachusetts

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INDEX to the Child family files

The following Childs appeared early in Watertown. It is unclear how they were related.

Ephraim Child was born say 1599. [Ref, pp. 349-353] He was the son of Wolstone and Ellen (Empson) Child. [Ref, pp. 349-353] He died on 13 (12) mo 1662 in Watertown. [Ref] He married the widow Elizabeth Palmer on 8 Feb 1624/5 in Nayland, Suffolk. [Ref, pp. 349-353] She died between 11 Jun 1664, when she signed her will, and 1 Aug 1664, when inventory was taken on her estate, in Watertown. [Ref, pp. 349-353] As Elizabeth Bond, she had previously married Samuel Palmer on 3 Sep 1617. [Ref, pp. 349-353] Ephraim and Elizabeth had no known children. [Ref, pp. 349-353]
Ephraim migrated from Nayland to New Enland in 1630. He went back to England on business in 1647, returning to New England in 1648. [Ref, pp. 349-353]
Ephraim was an important man in Watertown. He was admitted freeman on 18 May 1631. [Ref, pp. 349-353] He was a selectman and deputy to the General Court numerous times. [Ref, pp. 349-353]
Ephraim gave Richard Child 108 acres of upland upon Richard's marriage. [Ref, pp. 349-353]
Ephraim's widow Elizabeth left bequests to Richard Child's wife and eldest son and to Benjamin Child's son. [Ref, pp. 349-353]
Ephraim signed his will on 20 Nov 1662; it was proved on 2 Apr 1663. His estate amounted to a sizable £770.15s. He left bequests to Richard Child, John Child and to Ephraim, the son of Benjamin Child. [Ref, pp. 349-353]

Joseph Child was born in 1629. [Ref] He died "an aged man" on 5 May 1698 in Watertown. [Ref] He married Sarah Platt [Ref] on 3 Jul 1654 in Watertown. [Ref]
He took the oath of fidelity in Watertown in 1652. [Ref]
In her will dated 14 Jun 1676 Elizabeth, the widow of Richard Jackson, left bequests to her husband's kinsman, including £10 to Sarah Childs, wife of Joseph Childs. [Ref, p. 264]
some descendants of Joseph Child

Richard Child was born in 1631 in Watertown. He died on 4 Nov 1691 in Watertown. He married first Mehitable Dimmick. He married second Hannah Traine.

John Child was born in 1636 in Watertown. [Ref] John, the husband of Mary, died in Watertown on 15 Oct 1676. [Ref] The town records say that he married Mary Warren on 29 (3) 1668 in Watertown. [Ref] Child [Ref] says that he married Mary Unknown in 1662; this date fits better with their having a child in 1663. Mary married second Nathaniel Fisk on 13 Apr 1677 in Watertown. [Ref][Ref]
some descendants of John Child

Benjamin Child

Generation 1

RICHARD CHILD (1631 - 1694) of Watertown

Parents: Richard's parents are unknown. He might be the nephew of the above Ephraim Child. In this case he is the grandson of Wolstone and Ellen (Empson) Child.

Richard Child was born about 1631 in Watertown. [Ref] He died on 11 Nov 1694 [Ref][Ref][Ref] in Watertown. [Ref] He married first Mehitable Dimmick on 17 (2) 1662 in Watertown. [Ref] Mehitable was the daughter of Thomas Dimmick of Barnstable. [Ref says they married on 30 Mar 1662][Ref] She was baptised on 18 Apr 1642 in Barnstable. [Ref] Mehitable, the wife of Richard, died on 18 Aug 1676 in Watertown. [Ref][Ref says 1 Aug] Richard married second Hannah Traine on 16 Jan 1678 in Watertown. [Ref][Ref daughter of the first John Traine]

Richard took the oath of fidelity in Watertown in 1652. [Ref] He was also a member of the Watertown train band in that year. [Ref] Richard of Watertown was a juror in 1680. [Ref] He is on a 24 Aug 1676 list of soldiers from Watertown in King Philip's War. [Ref]

Children of Richard Child and Mehitable Dimmick:

1. Richard Child was born on 30 Mar 1663 [Ref] in Watertown. [Ref] He died on 4 Nov 1691 [Ref][Ref] He married Mary Flagg on 40 Dec 1686. [Ref]
   Richard was a freeman in Watertown on 18 Apr 1690. [Ref][Ref, p. 153]
   He signed his will on 18 Mar 1690/1; it was proved on 16 Jun 1691. [Ref, p. 153] He mentions an Aunt Underwood. Inventory on his estate amounted to £52.6. [Ref, p. 153]
   
2. Ephraim Child was born 9 Oct 1664 [Ref] in Watertown. [Ref] He died on 2 (12) 1664 in Watertown. [Ref][Ref says Feb. 1665]
3. Shubael Child was born on 19 Dec 1665 [Ref] in Watertown. [Ref] He married Abigail Saunders on 27 Oct 1687. [Ref] She was the daughter of Edward and Mary (Eggleston) Sanderson of Watertown. [Ref] Abigail, the wife of Shubael, died on 8 Oct 1693 [Ref] in Watertown. [Ref] A Jul 1696 petition addressed to the Court said, '... Shubael Child, formerly out of his head, who was frozen in the county prison.' [Ref]
   some descendants of Shubael Child
   
4. Mehitable Child was born in 1666. [Ref] She married Edward Garfield [Ref] on 8 Jul 1691 in Watertown. [Ref]
   
5. Experience Child was born 26 Feb 1669 [Ref] in Watertown. [Ref] She married Benjamin Flagg [Ref, p. 132] on 26 Sep 1690 [Ref says 20 Sep 1689] in Watertown. [Ref]
6. Abigail Child was born on 16 Jun 1672 [Ref] in Watertown. [Ref] She married Joseph Lothrop of Barnstable [Ref] on 14 Jan 1695. [Ref, p. 66]
7. Ebenezer Child (twin) was born 10 Nov 1674 [Ref] in Watertown. [Ref] He died on 3 Feb 1674 in Watertown. [Ref][Ref says 1675]
8. Hannah Child (twin) was born 10 Nov 1674 [Ref] in Watertown. [Ref] She died on 11 Nov 1732, age 56, in Barnstable. [Ref, p. 171] She married Joseph Blish of Barnstable on 30 Jul 1702. [Ref][Ref, p. 66] Joseph was the son of Joseph Blish and Hannah Hull. [Ref, p. 7] He was born on 13 Sep 1675 in Barnstable. [Ref, p. 7]
   some descendants of Hannah Child

Children of Richard Child and Hannah Traine:

1. Elizabeth Child was born on 4 Jul 1681 [Ref] in Watertown. [Ref] She married Dea. Samuel Miller on 11 Nov 1708 in Watertown. [Ref, pp. 26-7] Samuel was the son of Joseph and Mary (Pope) Miller. [Ref, pp. 26-7] Joseph Pope, the son of Thomas was baptised on 30 Dec 1616 in Bishop's Stortford, co. Herts., England and came to New England in 1635 on the Hopewell. [Ref, pp. 26-7] Mary was the daughter of Walter and Eleanor Pope of Charlestown. [Ref, pp. 26-7] Samuel was baptised on 24 Sep 1678 in Newton. [Ref, pp. 26-7] He died on 9 Sep 1759 in Worcester and is buried in the Worcester Common. [Ref, pp. 26-7]
   Samuel was the deacon of the Congregational Church in Newton and Worcester. [Ref, pp. 26-7] He was a soldier in Capt. Church's company in the Indian War and was severely wounded. [Ref, pp. 26-7] He allowed the town of Newton to use a room in his house as a school room. [Ref, pp. 26-7] In 1726 he gave the town of Newton land for the west school house. [Ref, pp. 26-7] He was a selectman in Newton in 1743. [Ref, pp. 26-7] He signed his will on 1 Jan 1759; it was proved on 5 Jan 1760. [Ref, pp. 26-7] He mentions his wife Elizabeth and children Joseph Miller, Samuel Miller, Mary Hall and Elizabeth Hammond. [Ref, pp. 26-7]
   some descendants of Elizabeth Child
   
2. Joshua Child was born on 30 Dec 1682 in Watertown. He married Sarah Stearns.
3. Margaret Child (twin) was born on 16 May 1687 [Ref] in Watertown. She married Joseph Priest [Ref] on 25 Dec 1701 in Watertown. [Ref][Ref] Joseph was the son of Joseph and Hannah (Hager) Priest. [Ref] He was born on 18 Mar 1678/9. [Ref] He died on 28 Apr 1756. [Ref]
   some descendants of Margaret Child, including US President Calvin Coolidge
   
4. John Child (twin) was born on 16 May 1687 [Ref] in Watertown. [Ref does not mention a twin] He married Experience Fuller. [Ref][Ref, p. 153] She died in 1770.
   John lived in Newton. [Ref, p. 153]
   some descendants of John Child
   
5. Rebecca Child was born on 4 Feb 1693. [Ref]

Generation 2

JOSHUA CHILD (b. 1682) of Watertown

Parents: Richard Child and Hannah Traine [Ref][Ref]

Joshua Child was born on 30 Dec 1682 in Watertown. [Ref][Ref] Joshua Childs of Weston (originally a part of Watertown) married Sarah Stearns of Billerica in Jan 1720/1 in Charlestown. [Ref][Ref, p. 262]

Joshua and Sarah were dismissed from the Watertown church to Worceter on 13 Jan 1733/4. [Ref, p. 740]

1. Sarah Child was born on 2 Feb 1721/2 [Ref] in Watertown. [Ref] Sarah, "born last week", was baptised on 4 Feb 1721 in Weston. [Ref, p. 404]
2. Joshua Child was born on 26 Sep 1723 [Ref says 1726] in Watertown. [Ref] He married Mary Hinds of Shrewsbury on 2 Jun 1748 [Ref] in Worcester. [Ref] Mary, the daughter of Jacob and Grace Hinds, was born on 18 Aug 1726 in Shrewsbury. [Ref] She died on 14 Apr 1766 in Northboro. [Ref]
   Joshua moved to Worcestor county, Massachusetts. He appears to have lived first in Worcestor and then in was later became Northborough.
   Northborough (also Northboro) was established as a district in Westborough in 1766. It became a separate town in 1775.
   some descendants of Joshua Child
   
3. Thomas Child was born on 16 Sep 1726 [Ref] in Watertown. [Ref] He died on 1 Feb 1812 [Ref] in Rutland. [Ref] He married Anna Bullard on 23 Nov 1753 [Ref] in Rutland. [Ref]
   Thomas lived in Rutland, Worcestor, Massachusetts.
   some descendants of Thomas Child
   
4. Hannah Child was born on 10 Oct 1727 [Ref] in Watertown. [Ref] She was baptised in Nov 1727 in the West Meetinghouse in Watertown. [Ref, p. 524] She married Peter Newton on 18 May 1758 [Ref] in Rutland. [Ref]
   some descendants of Hannah Child
   
5. Josiah Child (twin) was born on 20 Dec 1728 in Watertown. He married Experience Reed.
6. Mary Child (twin) was born on 20 Dec 1728 [Ref] in Watertown. [Ref]
7. Abraham Child was born on 26 Apr 1732 [Ref] in Watertown. [Ref]

Third Generation

JOSIAH CHILD (b. 1728) ofFramingham

Parents: Joshua Child and Sarah Stearns [Ref][Ref]

Josiah Child was born on 20 Dec 1728 in Watertown. [Ref][Ref] Josiah Child of Rutland married Experience Reed [Ref] of Sudbury on 10 Oct 1753 in Sudbury. [Ref][Ref, or 16 Aug]

Children of Josiah Child and Experience Reed:

1. Sarah Child was born on 4 Sep 1755 in Framingham. [Ref]
2. Abel Child was born on 9 Nov 1757 in Framingham. [Ref] He died on 17 May 1807 in Framingham. [Ref] He married Hannah Unknown. She died on 14 Sep 1843, age 82, in Framington. [Ref]
   In 1790 Abel lived in Framingham in a household with one male 16 and over, four males under 16 and three females. [Ref]
   some descendants of Abel Child
   
3. Josiah Child was born on 23 Aug 1761 in Framingham. [Ref] He married Mary Brown on 31 Mar 1796 in Framingham. [Ref]
4. Daniel Child was born on 20 Apr 1764 in Framingham. [Ref] He died on 25 May 1767 in Framingham. [Ref]
5. Elizabeth ("Betsy") Child was born on 30 Apr 1766 in Framingham. She married Amos Johnson.
6. Daniel Child (possible child) married Abigail Hayden of Marlboro on 16 Jun 1796 in Framingham. [Ref]
7. Pede [Experience?] Child was baptised on 24 Dec 1775 in Framingham. [Ref] She may be the Peda who married William Foley of Waltham on 29 Oct 1808 in Framingham. [Ref]

Fourth Generation

ELIZABETH ("BETSY") CHILD (1766 - 1835)

Parents: Josiah Child and Experience Reed [Ref]

Elizabeth Child was born on 30 Apr 1766 [Ref, p. 142] in Framingham. [Ref][Ref] She died on 19 Aug 1835 [Ref] in Framingham. Betsy Child married Amos Johnson of Southboro on 6 Aug 1786 [Ref, p. 142, does not give the day][Ref does not give the day] in Southboro. [Ref]

References

Anderson, Robert Charles, "Ancestry of President Calvin Coolidge," The American Genealogist 53, 1977, 65-75.

Anderson, Robert Charles, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633, Vol. 1-3, Boston, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995.

Bodge, George, "Soldiers in King Philip's War," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, many volumes.

Bond, Henry, Family Memorials: Genealogies of the Families and Descendents of the Early Settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts, Including Waltham and Weston; to Which Is Appended the Early History of the Town, Vol. I., Boston, Little, Brown, and Company, 1855.

Child, Elias, Genealogy of the Child, Childs, and Childe Families: Of the past and present in the United States and the Canadas, from 1630 to 1881, Utica, Published for the author by Curtiss & Childs, 1881.

Editors, "List of Names Found Among the First Settlers of New England," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 1, 1847, 137.

Editors, "Names of Persons who Took the Oath of Fidelity in 1652," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 3, 1849, 401.

Flagg, Norman Gershom, Family Records of the Descendants of Gershom Flagg (born 1730) of Lancaster, Massachusetts : with other genealogical records of the Flagg family descended from Thomas Flegg of Watertown, Mass., and including the Flegg lineage in England, unknown, N.G. Flagg and L.C.S. Flagg, 1907.

Johnson, Paul Franklin and Frank Leonard Johnson, Genealogy of Capt. John Johnson of Roxbury, Massachusetts, Commonwealth Press, Los Angeles, 1951.

Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850. Online Database: NewEnglandAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2007.

Milke, Denise M., "Thomas Dimock and his Descendants," Connecticut Nutmegger 21, 1988, 169-174.

Miller, Spencer, Joseph Miller of Newton, Massachusetts: his descendants in America and his ancestry in England. New York, Priv. print., 1942.

National Archives and Records Administration, First Census of the United States, 1790,

No author, Town of Weston, births, deaths and marriages 1700-1850, gravestones 1703-1900, church records, 1709-1825, Boston, unknown, 1901.

Paige, Lucius, R., "List of Freemen, " New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 3, 1849, 89-96, 187-194, 239-246, 345-352.

Sanderson, Page, "Edward Sanderson of Watertown, Mass.," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 127, 1973, 181-182.

Titus, Anson, "Watertown Train Band, 1652," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 66, 1912, 186-7.

Vital Records of Watertown, 1630-1825. Online database: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2007.

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