Genealogical sketch of William Simonds.

Johnson, Edward Francis.

[Woburn? 1889.]

https://hdl.handle.net/2027/hvd.32044024596397

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US
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6
HARVARD
COLLEG E
L I B RA RY

Gift of the
THE AUTHOR
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 Genealogical Sketch
OF

WILLIAM SIMONDS
BY

Edward F. johnson

y
/3% ().
\) < \ –T7 ° , 4,
 WILLIAM SIMONDS,

Several years Mr. John W.

ago,
Simonds of Bedford prepared a genea
logical record of William Simonds of
Woburn and his descendants, among

whom are included a large number of

vicinity who bear
its

those in Woburn and

his manuscript,
In

the Simonds surname.

Mr. John W. Simonds states that of
William Simonds little,
of

reliable
a

nature, known.. The time and place

is

of his birth, the date

of

his arrival
in

America, and the location his grave

of

are all unknown. The first recorded

fact concerning him his marriage

to
is

Judith Hayward which took place “18.

4 WILLIAM SIMONDS.

11: 1643 4” (Jan. 18, 1644) accord

ing to the town records, or “18. 1: 1643”
(March 18, 1643) according to the col
ony records. As the town record con
tains the original entry it is presumably
Correct.

Judith Hayward, his wife, was the

widow of James Hayward, who died at
Woburn, Nov. 20, 1642. Her maiden
name was Judith Phippen. On March
22, 1635, when only sixteen years of
age, she embarked from London in the
ship Planter with James Hayward, her
future husband, as a fellow passenger.
She came from Stepney Parish, London.
James Hayward was twenty-two years
of age at the time and they were - both
servants of Nicholas Davis.
In his record Mr. J. W. Simonds
goes on to state that William Simonds
 WILLIAM SIMONDS. 5

settled in Woburn, on Upstreet, at a

place called Dry Brook, about a mile
and a half northwesterlyfrom the cen
tre of the town, where he built a house
which was used as a garrison during the
Indian wars. His house and land.
familiarly known at the present day as
the Jesse Cutler place, remained in the
Simonds family for nearly two hundred
years. Mr. Nathan Simonds who died
March 16, 1827 was the last of the name
to occupy the old homestead. At his
death it descended to his only child Lucy,
who was the wife of Simon Barnard. In
1835, being drawn into the speculation
in eastern lands, then at fever heat, she
mortgaged the old homestead to Joseph
B. Blanchard, who, in 1840, took legal
possession of it for the purpose of fore
closing the mortgage; and, in 1843, as
(5 WILLIAM SIMONIDS.

signed the mortgage to Samuel R. Du

ren who finally became owner of the
premises. In October, 1843, Mr. Duren
sold to William Barnard, a son of Simon

and Lucy Barnard; and on William's

death the next year, the property was
sold by William Winn, his administrator,
to Jesse Cutler, the present occupant of
the premises.
William Simonds is known to have

served in the military movements of the

country, and this fact may possibly serve
to account for the “action of 1 respass”
alluded to in the quotation from the col
ony records given below. He died June
7. 1672. leaving wife with a large
a
family of cliildren. Although his age
is not known, it is supposed that he was
lis

not by any means an old man. I

Sarah, July
—

children were: born

1.
 WiLLIAM SIMONI)S. 7

28, 1644, married John Hayward of Con

cord, 1665. 2. Judith, born March 3,
1646, married John Barker of Concord,
1668. 3. Mary, born Dec. 9, 1647. 4. Caleb,
born Aug 16, 1649, married Sarah,
daughter of Michael Bacon, Sept. 25,
1677, and died Nov. 4, 1712. Ilis wife,
Sarah, died April 11, 1727. 5. William,
born April 15, 1651. 6. Joseph, born Oct.
18, 1652, lived in Cambridge, now Lex
ington. 7. Benjamin, born March 18,
1654, married Rebecca ——, died Sept.
21, 1726. 8. Tabitha, born Aug. 20.
1655, died Aug. 20, 1655. 9. Joshua,
born———, died July 16, 1657, 10.
Janies, born Nov. 1, 1658, married 1st.,

Susan,nah Blodgett, Dec. 29, 1685; 2nd.,

Mary Fowle, June 17, 1714. Ile died
Sept. 15, 1717. 11. Bethiah, born “9:
3 mo., “May 9, [3: 9 mo. Nov. 3] 1659,
8 WILLIAM SIMONDS.

married John Walker, Senior, Aug .13,

1696. 12. Huldall, born Nov. 20, 1660,

married Samuel Blodgett, Junior, April

30, 1683.
Such, in substance, are the few facts
about William Simonds which Mr. John
W. Simonds succeeded in obtaining.
A search by the writer, of the town,
county and colony records for mention
of William Simonds has brought to
light several scraps of information.
which are here published in the hope
that they may not be without some in
terest and value, especially to all those
claiming descent, from him.
In the town records, now being pub
lished in the Journal, the name of Wil
liam Simonds first appears with the
forty-five others who were taxed in the
first country rate, Sept. 8, 1645. I lis
 II"IIAA “SGINOIWIS

6
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Joa.toul A olo 1noqu out outs su uſ oul]

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paluſs Juill sutuoll,I, laid oo pul: AA tutull!

S spuouſ a.it, poulº.13 Avopuaul

ould up

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5uſ loy out ooloilo Jo ‘s.loollyo

“iºn
“gz

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IN tº 10.1 ‘g I 'gg.9 Illuluoot sloo, populoddit

10 WILLIAM SIMONIOS.

* to lay out a highway from William

Simonds to the Tocks,” and on page
twenty-third of the records, it is stated
that “William Simonds and Richard
IIolden are granted, either of them,
three acres of swamp at Rock Meadow.”
At the annual election of town officers
for the year 1666, William Simonds was
chosen, with three others, a town officer
“l'or Swine and Fences,” and in 1668
he was again chosen a surveyor. II is
name also appears in a country rate
made Aug. 26. 1666. Fel). 2, 1669, a
committee was appointed “to lay out to
Italph Reed, William Simonds and the
successors that have purchased IRichard
IIolden's right, the several proportions
of swamp according to the town grant,
as it is recorded in the town book, at

Itock Meadow,” Aug. 2nd., of the same

 WILLIAM SIMONI)S. 1 |

year. complaint being made to the select

men of neglect of laying out the above
land, a new counittee was appointed
for the same purpose.
In the rate for the new meeting-house
made in Aug. 1671, William Simonds
was assessed for £4. 16s. Of the 102

citizens named in this rate, but sixteen

paid a larger tax, from which fact it is
inferred that William Simonds must

have prospered greatly since the levy of

the first country rate in 1615, and had

succeeded in becoming one of the “solid"

men of the town.
iry

In the division of timber, drawing

lots, agreed town meeting held Feb.
at
a

25, 1673. William Simonds [estate] ºb

acres; and
of

the list those

in
10

tained
who had right the common lands and
in

the town according their

to
of

timber
12 WILLIAM SIMONDS.

persons and estate, given in detail on

pages 43 and 44 of the Woburn Records,
there are but ten out of the eighty pro
prietors whose proportion of estate ex
ceeds his.

In the grand division, into eight parts,

of the wood and timber “on the hither
part of the common" made by a com
mittee of the General Court, Sept. 23,
1668, William Simonds name appears
as the largest proprietor of those named
in the Sixth Division ; and in the divi
sion of the swamp called Ladder Pole
Swamp the like fact appears.
In addition to the above grants of land
from the town, it appears from a deed
not on record, but dated Dec. 31, 1651,
that William Simonds purchased by ex
change of land with Michael Bacon, two
lots containing eighteen acres adjoining
 WILLIAM SIMONIDS. 13

Inis own land and land of Richard Post.

Three years prior to this, the same Mich
ael Bacon and William Simonds pur
chased of Roger Shaw of Cambridge
“two hundred acres of land in the town
of Cambridge,” now Lexington. This
deed is recorded at Cambridge and bears
(late, March 15, 1648.

In a deposition made by William

Clarke and William Simonds, Senior,
March 18, 1663, in regard to land sold

by John Johnson to Daniel Elder at a

place called Great Meadows, which is
also on record at Cambridge, William
Simonds signs his name by a mark. It
is not to from this fact,
be concluded
however, that he was unable to write his

name. It was not an uncommon thing

at that time for the magistrate to do all
the writing, especially if the signer's
14 WILLIAM SiMON los.

chirography was not of equal evenness

and legibility with that of the
convey
ancer. In a receipt from John Green to
John Carter, dated April 4, 1671, and

recorded at Cambridge, Mr. William

“Simonses” name appears as a subscrib
ing witness, so it is certain he could at
least write his name.

In a search among the Massachusetts

Colony Records, the two following items
appear:—
“Oct. 1662. In the case now depend
ing between the Artillery Company of
Suffolk, plaintiff, and Michael Bacon
and William Simonds, looth of
Woburn,

defendants, in an action of trespass on

the land of the said artillery, the Court,

on a hearing of the case, and what hath

been alleged by both parties, do find for
the defendants costs of Court.” Mass.
Col. Itcc. Vol. IV, Part II, page 66.
 W ill, I AM SIMONDS. 15

“1663. As also, the Court having

considered what the said Dutton could
say against Edward Converse, etc., it
was put to the question whether there be
anything contained in the testimonies of
Thomas J)utton and William Simonds
against Edward Converse, which doth
reflect on his majesty's letter.” Ibid,
-

page 72.
This latter extract refers to a charge
made against Edward Converse in speak
ing of the King's letter “to be popery"—
a charge not proven by the witnesses
referred to.
According to the Woburn Records,
William Simonds died June 7, 1672.

The probate records at East Cambridge

which have but recently been found,
contain the following interesting facts
which are here given verbalim.
16 WILLIAM SIMONDS.

“An inventory of the goods and estate

of William Simonds, late of the Towne
Woburne deceased the 5th of June
1672 :

£. s. d.
Imps. two oxen, 010 00 00

Two sters, 007 00 00

Three cowes, 010 10 00

One yearling calfe, 001 00 00

A mare and a coult, 004 10 00

A sorrell mare, 004 10 00

Tenn swine, 008 00 00

Two calves, 001 10 00

To puter and brass, 002 (0 00

Two iron potts and a frying pan,

000 12 00

To waring apparrelſ, 002 16 00

To linnen, 002 14 00

To bedding, 006 15 00

To a payer of pistells, holsters, brest

 WILLIAM SIMONI)S. 17

£. s. d.
plate and crooper, 001 10 00

More in armes, 000 18 ()0

A saddle and a pillion, 001 00 00

Indian corne mault and proviſsion,

003 03 00

To lumber, 001 06 00

For cart and oxen and other iron worke.

003 19 00
For books, ()00 1() ()()

For 3 acres of wheat, at ()02 05 ()()

For Indian corne upon the ground,

7 10 00

For halfe an acre of hopps, 1 10 00

For house and barne and all his land

about his house and belonging to his

house with all rights and priviledges
thereunto belonging in the bounds of
Wooburne and halfe the meadow at his
farme in Cambridge bounds, meadow
and meadow like ground, 250 00 00
18 Willi AM SIMONI)S.

For the remainder part of his farme in

Cambridge all the rights
bounds with
and priviledges thereunto belonging,
150 00 00

Total 485 18 00
William Simonds hath left a wife and

she is weakly and crazey and aged, and

five somes and seven daughters, the eldest
some is 22, the second some is 21, the third
is 19, the fourthis 18 yeares olde, the
fifth is foureteene yeares olde, the eldest
daughter is 27, the second daughter is 26,
the third daughter is 24, the fourth daugh
ter is 12, the fifth daughter is 10, the sixth
daughter is 8, the seventh daughter is 10
yeares of age which is a grandchild that
he food as his owne child and to doe for
it as for the rest.
 WILLIAM SIMOM1)S. 19

DElbtS TO SEVERALL PERSONS :

f. S. d.
To Mr. Carter, 008 ()7 03
To Michell Bacon ()01 13 ()0

To lºobert Pearce, 000 14 08

To Samuel Walker, 000 ()5 ()0
To William Clarke, 000 ()6 ()6
To John Faxx, ()()() ()8 ()7

To Michell Bacon clarke, ()()() (), ()()

To Caleb Simons, 000 03 00

To wine for the funerale, 000 15 00

To John Russell junr., 000 18 11

To John Wyman serg for 7 windows at

4s apeece, 001 08 00

To Ilopestill Foster, 000 00 06

To John Ilayward, 003 02 01

To the meeting house, 004 03 06

More in debts come in to widow Carter,
()02 10 00
20 WILLIAM SIMONDS.

£. s. d.
More to Mr. Line, 002 00 00

More to Mr. Chickrine,

More in debts to Roger Chandler
003 10 00

Then more to Roger Chandler

006 00 00

Debts due to the estate for a farme, due

from John Barker of Concord,
003 00 00

More in three borde log, 000 10 06

Total 003 to 00

This is a true inventory taken by us this

12th of June, 1672:
Michel Bacon semr.
John Wyman,
X Frances IXindall.
Robert Perce.
 WILLIAM SIMONDS. 21

Judith Simonds, although so “weakly

and crazey” lived several years, and
died Jan. 3, 1690, at the age of seventy.

EDWARD F. JOHNSON.
Jan. 30, 1889.
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