Capt. John Darling

The old Cemetery Chestnut Hill, Millville Massachusetts

John and Cornelius Darling were sons of Dennis Darling of Braintree.
Captain John was born before 1667 and had three wives and thirteen children.
His will in 1753 speaks of being "grown antient", and leaves twelve equal shares to 12 children.
He names sons John, Samuel and Ebenezer. Daughter Anna Brown. Children of daughter Elizabeth Brown deceased. Children of daughter Ruth Thayer deceased. Daughter Hannah Thompson. Children of daughter Margaret French deceased. Daughter Mary Draper. Daughter Martha Thompson. Daughter Abigail Verry. Children of daughter of Deborah Bosworth deceased.
He died at age 90 [Suffolk County Probate Records xlviii, p. 196].

1. His first wife was Elizabeth Thompson, probably daughter of John Thompson of Mendon.
2. His second wife was Anne Rockwood, daughter of John and Joanna (Ford) Rockwood, whom he married in Boston on 1/2/1687-8. She died in Mendon 4/30/1690.
3. Elizabeth Morse was his 3rd wife.

John Darling was a great businessman and a landed proprietor.
He was designated with 20 others in the setting off of Bellingham from Mendon in 1719.
He had 13 children!

The brothers, John and Cornelius, were both weavers as well as farmers.
Samuel, the third signer of the Bellingham petition of this family, was John's son.
Fifteen Darlings were born in town before 1750, and 115 before 1850.

"May ye 21th 1718. being a publick Meeting of the propriators of that Tract of Land belonging to Dedham Westward of Wrentham in order to choose a Committe To make their adress to ye Town of Dedham relateing the Church lott sold by some of ye church of Dedham, to Josiah Thayer, ye propriators then Mett at ye hous of Ebenezer Thayer on sd land & chose Leut John Darling Moderator and so proceded to choose a committee which were Leut. John Darling, Ensn Jonas Draper & Ensn John Tompson and Impowere them to address ye Town of Dedham for Releaf with referance to sd Church Lott & also get the Selectmen take care that some persons be appointed to Lay out highways in sd tract of land to accomodate ye Inhabitance & Likewise to preambulate Line between them & Wrentham."

The distance from Dedham, the lack of help in laying roads, the futility of paying toward a government that was distant and spending its money in ways not benefitting the landowners, led to the inevitable conclusion that a new town should be formed. A petition went first to Dedham. The debate within the town government was not long. The area was not crucial to the town nor was it particularly desirable. Governing these remote lands may not have been any more attractive to the governing than to the governed.

The reply came May 11, 1719: "This day the Inhabitants of this town in that track of land lying between Mendon and Wrentham presented a petition to this town praying that they may be set off from this town in order to a township the town have granted it provided they can unite and encorporat together with the farms adjacent and some Assistance and Inlargement from the towns of Mendon and Wrentham so as to capassatate them to manage the affairs of a town and have the approbation of the General Court."

The area to be incorporated included The Rawson Farms located north of the Charles River and portions of Mendon located east of the Charles River and west of the Farms. The area belonging to Dedham was not clearly defined. A map included with the petition showed a town approximately seven miles long bordered to the south by Attleborough. The latter may have been correct, but the homes of many of the signers were actually in what is now Woonsocket, making the Town closer to fifteen miles in length at that time. With the exception of a few minor changes and a clear definition of the southern boundary in 1745, Bellingham's borders have been unchanged since that time.

Once that hurdle was crossed, the consent of the colonial legislature was required. The settlers met again and prepared their petition. This was not a step taken lightly, and even though the path was determined, it was several months before the petition reached the General Court.

On November 26, 1719 "A Petition of John Darling, Nicholas Cook and 30 others, Inhabitants of a remote part of Dedham, some Farms, and 4 Inhabitants of Mendon", was presented to the House and Read, praying, that they may be constituted a Township. No name was requested within the petition.

In the tradition of the time the petition went first to the House. The record does not show whether there was any debate or discussion. With the approval of the ruling town body already given, it was unlikely that there was a great deal of debate.

In any case a vote was taken and it was: "Ordered, That the prayer of the Petition be Granted, and that a Township be Erected and Constituted accordingly thereunto, and the Plat therewith exhibited, with all Powers and Priveleges belonging to a Town. Provided, They procure and settle a Learned Orthodox Minister, within the space of three Years next coming, and that John Darling, John Tompson and John Marsh be Impowered, to call a Town Meeting any time in March next, to choose Town Officers and manage the other prudential Affairs of the Town; the name of the Town to be called Westham. Sent up for Concurrence."

The General Court was a two bodied legislature. The House action had to be followed by passage by the Council (closer to the present Senate than the Governors Council of today). The Town of Westham had only this final hurdle to make in order to become an independent town.

Westham's final vote came the next day. The Council did not grant Westham the independence requested. Less than twenty four hours after its birth, Westham went down to defeat. The reason for its death is not in the records. A search of the Massachusetts Archives does not show the whys and the wherefores, only a simple statement of the Council's action.

On November 27, 1719: "The Vote of this House on the Petition of John Darling &c. Pass'd the 26. Currant, Sent down fron the Board pass'd on there, viz. In Council Nov. 27th 1719. Read, and Concurr'd with this Vote excepting the Name to be Bellingham. Read and Concurr'd."

Chapter 96 of the Province Laws thus created the Town of Bellingham in answer to the petition of its settlers. Approved on November 27, 1719, the Town now had to go forward with the chores of independence.

The petition presented to the General Court as preserved in the Massachusetts Archives is as follows:

"November 17, 1719

"To his Exelency Samuel Shute Esqer, Capt General & Governer in Chief in & over his majesties Province of ye Massachusits Bay in New england and to ye Honourable Council & house of Representatives in General Court conveined at Boston. The Petition of the Inhabitance of a Tract of Land belonging to Dedham westward of Wrentham and ye Inhabitance of a Considerable Farm ajdoyning Thereto And ye Inhabitance of a Small Corner of ye Townshipe of Mendon ajdacent Thereto (to ye number of four families) Humbly Sheweth.

That Whereas ye Above Sd Inhabitance are scituated at a Remoat Distance from ye Respective Towns where They at Present belong: (viz) The inhabitance of the Town of Dedham to ye number of three & twenty families are about Twenty miles Distance from the Town where they belong & Do douty & being very Remoate from ye Publick worshipe of God. & The inhabitance of the number of 13 families of ye above sd Farme being six or seven Miles Distance from ye place of publick worshipe and ye inhabitance of Mendon aforesd being about four miles Distance and Considering our remoateness & ye inconvenianceys we Labour under by reason of the Same: and that ye uniteing & Incorporating of ye above Sd Tracts togeather & makeing of them a Town may put us into a way in Some Conveniant Time to obtain ye Settlement of ye Gospel among us; & (the Uniteing of ye above sd Tracts of Land togeather will make a Town of about Seven Miles Long and Three miles & half wide) and Further Considering yt the Inhabitance of ye Sd Tract of Dedham Land & the Farms are alredy incoporated into a Training Companie & that they have Little or no benefit of Town prevelidges or by haveing benefit of ye Schools we Do Respectively pay To. The whole number of Families belonging to ye above Sd tracts being forty & Lands enough alredy Laid out to accomodate 20 or 30 more. The Inhabitance of Dedham Land being Voated off by ye Town for that end.

Our Prayer Therefore is That Your Honours would Graciously plase to Consider our Diffecult Circumstances and grant us our petition which is That ye above Mentioned Tracts of Land (as by one plate hereto afixed & described) may be Incorporated togeather & Made a Town, & Invested with Town prevelidges. That so we may be Inabled in Conveniant Time to obtain ye Gosple & publick worshipe of God Settled, & our Inconveniancies by Reason of our Remoatness be Removed: granting us such Time of Dispence from publick Taxes as in Wisdom you shall Think Conveniant, & in your so doing you will Greatly oblige us who am your Humble petitioners and for your Honours, as in Consciance we are Bound, Shall forever Pray.

Dated ye 17th Day of November: 1719."

John Darling Isaac Thayer Samll Tompson

Nicolas Cook Ebenezer Tompson Samll Darling

Palatiah Smith Richard Blood Joseph Tompson

Thot Burch Joseph Holbrook Nathaniel Weatherly

John Tompson Zuriel Hall Samll Smith

Ebenezer Thayer Daniel Corbet

Cornelius Darling William Hayward The Inhabitance of Mendon

Samll Hayward James Smith John Holbrook

Samll Rich Nicolas Cooke Jur John Corbit

John Tompson Jur Jonathan Hayward Peter Holbrook

Seth Cook Eliphelet Holbrook

Accompanying the petition was "A Rough Plat of the Several Tracts of Land herewith petition for To Make a Town as Scituate & Joyning Each to other with a Demonstration of what Land They Bound upon as Taken by the scale of a mile to an Inch."

Added to the bottom of the page with the map was the following reply:

"In the House of Representatives Nover 26th 1719. Read & Ordered that the Prayer of this Petition be Granted & That a Township be Erected & Constituted according thereunto & the Plat above. Provided They Procure & Settle a learned orthodox minister within the space of three years next coming. And that John Darling, John Thomson, & John Marsh be Impowered to Call a Town Meeting anytime in March next to choose Town Officers & manage the other prudential affairs of the Town. The name of the Town to be called Westham.

Sent up for Concurrence

In Council Nov 27, 1719 John Burrill, Speaker

Read & Concur'd with this Vote accepting the Name to be Bellingham" [History of the Town of Bellingham 1660-1780].

GEDCOM Source

@R1550500182@ Ancestry Family Trees Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.

GEDCOM Source

Ancestry Family Tree http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=109338523&pi...

GEDCOM Note

Document 793: History of Providence County, Volume I; Ed. by Richard M. Bayles: WW Preston & Co., NY 1891
http://www.rootsweb.com/~rgenweb/article34.html
p. 106-108 ...They had several Children, one of whom, John Darling, born in 1664, settled in the southern part of Bellingham, Mass., where he was known as "Captain John. "He was the father of thirteen children. From "Captain John" spang the branch of the Darling family to which the subject of this sketch belongs. (Lucius B. Darling) Samuel seems to have been a vavorite name with the darlings, the great-grandfather, grandfather and the father of Lucius all bearing that name, as well as a brother.

Document 793: The Darling Family in America: Early settlers prior to 1800. New York. MW Clemens, 1913 (birth information)

Son of Dennis Darling and Hannah Francis Darling.

He married, first, about 1686, Elizabeth Thompson.

He married, second, on Jan 2,1687/8, Anna Rockwood.

He married, third, about 1691, Elizabeth Morse.

Children(by first marriage): John Darling Jr.

Children(by second marriage): Anna Darling.

Children(by third marriage): Elizabeth Darling Brown, Samuel Darling, Ruth Darling Thayer, Hannah Darling Thompson, Margaret Darling French, Ebenezer Darling, Mary Darling Draper, Martha Darling Thompson, Abigail Darling Chickering Thayer, Rachel Darling, and Deborah Darling Bosworth.

He attained the rank of Captain in the King Philip's War. Petitioned the King for land to become the Town of Bellingham and became the first President of the Selectmen for that area.
A large farmer and weaver, he and his sons also had control of the water power from the Blackstone River.* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Sep 30 2023, 7:08:38 UTC