Moses Foster, of Chelmsford & Ashburnham

Not the same as Moses Foster, of Ipswich

Moses (“Mosis”) Foster was born in Chelmsford, Massachusetts to Samuel (“Sameuel”) Foster and Sarah Keyes on 4 Oct. 1692. He appears to have been the fourth of eleven children. The records of Ashburnham, Massachusetts state that Deacon Foster died there on 17 Oct. 1785 at the age of 94 years.

Family

Extracted from An American Family History. “Mary Davis Foster.”
< link >

Mary (Davis) Foster was born on May 20, 1699 in Groton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Her parents were Samuel and Anna Davis.

She married Moses Foster. Moses was born in 1692 in Chelmsford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. His parents were Samuel Foster and Sarah Keyes.

He has been confused with Deacon Moses Foster who was born in 1697 in Ipswich.

Moses and Mary's children may have included:

1. Phoebe Foster (1716),
2. Samuel Foster (1718),
3. Esther Foster (1720),
4. Mary Foster (1722),
5. Sarah Foster (1724),
6. Martha Foster (1726, married John Bates),
7. Elizabeth Foster (1729),
8. Moses Foster, Jr. (1731, married Hannah Lee?). Married Mary.,
9. Jane Foster (1733), married Zimbri Heywood
10. Joseph Foster (1735),
11. Eunice Foster (1737) and
12. Anna Foster (1739, Nathan Melvin).

Littleton town records show that on March 4, 1716/17 Moses was obliged to pay to the minister.

On March 17, 1719/20 a petition was denied to be set off to Littleton that Moses and others signed.

On November 16, 1731, Samuel and Anna conveyed their possessions to Moses. Moses was to care for Samuel and Anna from that time on. There was no fixed understanding of the details which caused some problems later. In 1734 Samuel and Moses sued each other. The Court's decision was against Foster.

Identity

Extracted Brown-Snel Family Roots. “Which Moses Foster?” (May 5, 2018) < link >

How do we know that the Moses Foster who settled in Dorchester Canada (later Ashburnham) was not the Moses Foster from Ipswich? This can be demonstrated by means of their children. The records of Ipswich show that Moses and Mary of Ipswich had two children: Miriam (bapt. 1726) and Zebulon (bapt. 1728).[5] The will of Moses of Ipswich lists two additional children: Moses and Aaron.[6] There is no indication that any of these children had anything to do with Dorchester Canada or Ashburnham.

Moses’ daughter Jane married Zimri Heywood on Jun 5, 1756. At the time of their marriage, both were said to be “of Dorchester Canada” although the marriage took place in Lunenberg (about eleven miles to the east of Dorchester Canada)

Moses Foster Jr. and his wife Mary also lived in Ashburnham for a time. Seven children were born to them there: Milicent (“Melsent”) (b. 1758), Sarah (b. 1760), Kezia (b. 1762), Phebe (b. 1764), Esther (b. 1767), Brooks (b. 1769) and Moses (b. 1771).[14] Milicent (“Melsent”) died in Ashburnham in 1760.[15] Moses Jr. and Zimri Heywood had a saw mill in the town.[16] Moses Jr. moved to Shelburne, Massachusetts in 1770.[17] It appears that he died intestate in 1779. In papers associated with the settling of his estate, there is a note stating that “he went and joined the enemy about the first of September in the year 1777.”[18]

Moses Sr.’s daughter Anna married Nathan Melvin in Concord in March of 1759. The Melvins moved to Ashburnham and had six children there: Anna, (b. 1760), Sarah (b. 1762), Phebe (b. 1765), Hepzibah (Hephsibeth) (b. 1767), Nathan Jr. (b. 1769) and Theodore (b. 1771).[19] During the Revolution, Nathan was a Sergeant in Capt. Thurlow’s Company, Colonel Josiah Whitney’s Regiment. He served from July 30 to September 13, 1778 in Rhode Island.[20] Later the Melvins moved to Cambridge, Vermont.

The fact that the children of Moses Foster of Chelmsford and Littleton have connections with both Littleton and Ashburnham shows that Deacon Moses Foster of Dorchester Canada (Ashburnham) was originally Moses Foster of Littleton and Chelmsford.

The confusion of Moses Foster of Chelmsford and Ashburnham with the Moses Foster of Ipswich seems to go back to the book, Foster Genealogy, by Frederick Clifton Pierce.

Notes

Ashburnham was first settled by Europeans in 1736, and was officially incorporated in 1765. The name is of British origin, possibly drawn from the Earl of Ashburnham, in Pembrey, or the Sussex community of Ashburnham. Ashburnham was originally made up of the lands granted to officers and soldiers of a 1690 expedition to Canada. It was called the Plantation of Dorchester-Canada until it was incorporated. Moses Foster was one of the initial inhabitants. < Wikipedia >

Children of Moses and Mary Foster, recorded at Littleton.

References

1. Foster Genealogy by Frederick Clifton Pierce. “Moses Foster (Samuel, Samuel), b. Chelmsford, Mass., Oct . 4, 1692; m. Mary. He resided in Chelmsford until 1719 when he moved away. Res.,Chelmsford, Mass.” (has errors.)
2. An American Family History. “Mary Davis Foster.” < link >
3. Brown-Snel Family Roots. “Deacon Moses Foster (1692-1785).” (May 4, 1785) < link > citations include:
   1. [1] Waters, Wilson. History of Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Lowell, Massachusetts: Printed for the Town by The Courier-Citizen Company, 1917. pp. 9ff.
   2. [2] The Vital Records of Chelmsford, Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849. Salem, Mass.: The Essex Institute, 1914. p. 235.
   3. [3] Ibid. p. 70.
   4. [4] Records of Littleton, Massachusetts. Printed by Order of the Town. Births and Deaths from the Earliest Records in the Town Books Begun in 1715. Littleton, Mass.: [No publisher listed], 1900. p. 47.
   5. [7] Vital Records of Westford, Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849. Salem, Mass.: The Essex Institute, 1915. pp. 134, 170.
   6. [8] Stearns, Ezra S. History of Ashburnham, Massachusetts from the Grant of Dorchester Canada to the Present Time, 1734-1886 with a Genealogical Register of Ashburnham Families. Ashburnham, Mass.: Published by the Town, 1887. pp. 82, 90.
   7. [11] Vital Records of Ashburnham, Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849. Worcester, Massachusetts: Published by Franklin P. Rice, 1909. pp. 183-184.
4. Brown-Snel Family Roots. “Which Moses Foster?” (May 5, 2018) < link >