Ebenezer Higgins

Ebenezer Higgins was always a resident of Eastham. March 10,1730-1, he was chosen surveyor of highways; March 4, 1733-4, elected and sworn fence viewer; June 24, 1747, appointed to seek out a suitable person to preach in the South Precinct; March 19, 1754, chosen to procure wood for Rev. Mr. Cheever; in 1758 elected assessor; also to procure wood for Rev. Joseph Crocker; in 1761 chosen "negative man" and re-elected March 6, 1764.

Ebenezer Higgins was a large land owner in Eastham. This is shown by several old deeds in Mr. Nye's collection, and these probably do not show all the real estate he owned. The division deed of Nathaniel and Ebenezer Higgins whereby they divided estate which their father Ichabod Higgins bought of John Collins and deeded to them has already been given under Nathaniel Higgins.

"Nathaniel Smith of Eastham yeoman to Ebenezer Higgins of Eastham yeoman conveys land on the sedge flats, called Nosset flat, as recorded to my father Daniel Smith. Jan. 13, 1732-3. Recorded March 20, 1733-4, in Book 15, p. 228, Barnstable County Deeds."

"Isaac Pepper Jr. conveys to Ebenezer Higgins my lot of upland in Eastham called a plain lot, and lyeth between two ways one of which leads from David Dones and the other from the house of Nathaniel Higgins towards Billingsgate. Dated Jan. 29, 1732-3. Recorded March 20, 1733-4 in Book 16, fol. 225, Barnstable County Deeds."

"Ralph Smith of Eastham yeoman for £400 old tenor paid by Ebenezer Higgins of the town aforesaid, husbandman, sell all my several parcels of upland, meadow and swamp in the town of Eastham att a place called the halfway ponds, itt being the same parcels of land which I formerly bought of Daniel Atwood Senior and Daniel Atwood Junior and Isaac Atwood by deed of Feb. 28, 1732-3, reserving to myself the undivided right which the same Atwoods have to undivided lands and meadows in Eastham, and also two other lots which I bought of David Doane of Eastham, lying towards hither Billingsgate, so called, by deed dated Feb. 28, 1732-3. Dated April 25, 1743 and recorded in Book 20, p. 277 in Barnstable County Deeds, on June 30, 1743."

Ralph Smith was then preparing to remove to Connecticut, which he did very shortly, settling at Middle Haddam in the town of Middletown.

The will of Ebenezer Higgins, dated June 7, 1771, is in possession of descendants in Attleboro, Mass. It names wife Content and all the children here given except Asenath. It was. never probated and there is nothing on the records at Barnstable to show that Ebenezer's estate was ever before the Probate Court.

Descendants claim that Abigail Cole, wife of Ebenezer Higgins, was a daughter of Joseph and Constance (Hopkins) Cole and so a descendant of Stephen Hopkins of the Mayflower, 1620, but no record supporting the claim has been discovered.