Capt. Ephraim Sawtell

Vital Information

Capt. Ephraim Sawtell was born c. 1686, though no known records of his birth year or place exist. Historian Samuel Abbott Green believes he was likely the son of Obadiah and Hannah (Lawrence) Sawtell of Groton, Massachusetts.

Marriages

On April 10, 1713, Ephraim Sawtell of Groton and Abigail Farnsworth of Groton were married by a Justice Minot at Concord. The record of their marriage was sent to Groton. (Source: Green.) She died on December 4, 1753.

On March 26, 1755, Capt. Sawtell married Hannah Gilson of Pepperell. (Source: Butler.) She was born May 6, 1701 in Groton to Joseph Farwell of Groton and Hannah Colburn of Chelmsford, and was the widow of Eleazer Gilson. (Source: Holton.) Her marriage date to Capt. Sawtell is listed in some other unsourced genealogies as May 26, 1755; that may possibly be a misreading of the abbreviation "Mar." She died on March 15, 1762, meaning Capt. Sawtell outlived both of his wives.

Occupation

Although he is almost invariably listed as "Capt." throughout records of the time, specific information on the title is still unclear, including whether it was military or marine.

It is possible, but only surmised, that he was the Ephraim Sawtell who was granted permission in August 1733 to build a grist-mill at Townsend that was shortly thereafter sold to John Conant. The records of the time, described in History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts by Duane Hamilton Hurd, say this Ephraim Sawtell was given "a equivalent for such land as may be flowed by the raising of the dam" in order to attach the mill to the building.

It is also possible, but again so far unproven, that he was the Ephraim Sawtell who sued Jonathan Whitney of Concord in 1727 for an unpaid debt. (Middlesex County Court, F301-1727)

Church Records

The records of the Church of Christ in Groton, compiled by Samuel Abbott Green (see sources below), are rich with references to Capt. Sawtell and represent the primary source of our information about him today.

He was one of 12 community members known to have bequeathed money to the church, with his donation being thirteen pounds, six shillings, and eight pence. He specified that any interest earned from the bequeathed funds "be applyed for the use of the poor of sd. Church from time to time for Ever hereafter In such way & manner as the said Church shall order." The church's log from November 11, 1768 says:

A Legacy of Thirteen Pounds Six Shillings & Eight Pence having been bequeathed by Capt" Ephraim Sawtell to the Chh in Groton for a fund for the benefit of its Poor &c. The Chh (This Day assembled at The Meeting house) Made Choice of Deac".s Farwell Stone & Longly and Their Successors in office as a Committee in behalf of the Church to recieve and Improve the same agreably to the Design of the Donor, They to be Accountable to The Church for the same with the Interest Thence Arising and to render up the same whenever calld thereunto they manifesting a willingness to accept of this Trust were Empowerd accordingly to recieve this Legacy as afores and Discharge the Executor of the same. The Application of the Proceeds of this Legacy was referrd to future Consideration"

Church records show the deacons continued to use the proceeds from what was known as "Capt. Sawtell's legacy" through at least the early 1800s.

Death & Will

By all accounts, Capt. Sawtell died on October 8, 1768. His will was made on April 4, 1767, with his son John as executor of the estate. In addition to the funds bequeathed to the church, his will mentioned six of his children: Daughter "Eunis" Farnsworth, daughter Sarah Farwell, daughter Hannah Lawrence, son "Euriah" Sawtell (?), son Amos Sawtell, and son John Sawtell.

Burial

Capt. Sawtell is buried at the Old Burying Ground in Groton. His tombstone reads:

Memento mori
Here lies Interred
the Body of Capt.
Ephraim Sawtell
who departed this
Life October 8th
1768 In the 83d
year of his age.
"Dear friends for me pray do not weep,
I am not dead but here do sleep,
Within this solid lump of clay,
Until the Resurection Day:
And here indeed I must remain,
Till Christ shall rais me up again."

Sources

• Butler, Caleb. History of the Town of Groton, Including Pepperell and Shirley. 1848.
• Green, Samuel Abbott. "A List of Marriages Sent to the Town Clerk of Groton." Groton Historical Series, 1887.
• Green, Samuel Abbott. Early Church Records of Groton, Massachusetts, 1761-1830. Groton, MA: First Parish.
• Green, Samuel Abbott. Epitaphs from the Old Burying Ground in Groton, Massachusetts. Little, Brown & Company, 1878.
• Holton, David Parsons. Farwell Ancestral Memorial: Henry Farwell of Concord and Chelmsford. 1879.
• Hurd, Duane Hamilton. History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. 1890.

The above profile was written by J. Ashley Odell in January 2011. Please do not repost it or redistribute it without attribution.

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@R-2146520177@ Ancestry Family Trees Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created.

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