Edward Rawson

2/6/2021 edit - 3 pdf uploaded to Source tab with extensive research on the 14 kids and their spouses.

Rebecca's Siblings: The Overlooked Children of Secretary Edward and Rachel (Perne) Rawson, Alwin E. Schmidt, Jr, NEHGS Vol 173 (2019), Part 1 - pgs 25-36, Part 2 - pgs 163-174, and Part 3 - pgs 238-247.

The following info below the line was not edited 2/6/2021 and may or may not be correct as to newer info above..(particularly in reference to his "12 children" -- there were 14).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Edward Rawson (April 16, 1615 - August 27, 1693) served as the first Secretary of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Edward Rawson was born in Dorset, England in 1615. Around 1636 he married his young wife, Rachel Perne, and soon left England for the Americas. He settled in Newbury in 1637. On April 19, 1638, at the age of 23, he was chosen to be Public Notary and Register for that town, and was annually reelected until 1647. Many other public trusts and responsible duties were laid upon him by the people of Newbury. As early as the year 1638, he was one of the deputies to represent the town at the General Court, and was reelected for nearly all the successive years to May 22, 1650, at which time he was chosen Secretary of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which office he continued to hold for thirty-six years, until 1686.

By the time of her death in the year 1677, Rachel Perne had borne twelve children to Edward Rawson. Of the twelve, at least nine have been known to survive until adulthood. Rachel Perne's family was related to the Hooker and Hawley families of New England.

Edward Rawson died in 1693 at the age of 78. https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/2CYW-CVR https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1618/edward-rawson

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Rawson_(Politician)_
• http://larkturnthehearts.blogspot.com/2008/09/early-american-edward-
• https://archive.org/details/genealogicalglea01wate/page/58

  ---

RAWSON, Edward, colonial secretary, born in Gillingham, Dorsetshire, England, 16 April, 1615; died in Boston. Mass., 27 August, 1693. He settled in Newbury, Massachusetts, about 1636, was graduated .at Harvard in 1653, and represented Newbury in the general court, of which he was clerk. For many years he was secretary of Massachusetts colony, and he was also chosen "steward or agent for the receiving and disposing of such goods and commodities as should be sent to the United colonies from England toward Christianizing the Indians." He is believed to have been one of the authors of a small book published in 1691, entitled "The Revolution in New England Justified." and signed "E. R." and "S.S." He published "The General Laws and Liberties concerning the Inhabitants of Massachusetts" (1660). -His son, Grindall, clergyman, born in Boston, Massachusetts, 23 January, 1659; died in Men-don, Massachusetts, 6 February, 1715, was graduated at liar-yard in 1678, and was pastor of a church in Men-don from 1680 until his death. He was instructed by the commissioners for the propagation of the gospel, in 1698, to visit the Indians in New England. An account of this visit was published in the "Massachusetts Historical Collections " (1st series, vol. x.). Several interesting anecdotes are recorded of Reverend Grindall Rawson in connection with Cotton Mather, who mentions him in his "Mantissa," and says in one of his sermons:" We generally esteemed him as a truly pious man, and a very prudent one." He was an accomplished scholar and writer, and preached to the Indians in their own language, He published a sermon "preached to and at the request of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery company in 1703," an election sermon (Boston, 1709), and a work entitled "The Confession of Faith," written in English and also in the Indian dialect.--Edward's daughter, Rebecca, born in Boston, Massachusetts, 23 May, 1656, was the heroine of a romantic episode in the history of the colony, commemorated by John G. Whittier in "Leaves from Margaret Smith's Journal " (1849). Her portrait is in possession of the New England historic genealogical society. See Sullivan S. Rawson's "Memoir of Edward Rawson, with Genealogical Notices of his Descendants" (Boston, 1849), and " Genealogy of the Descendants of Edward Rawson," by Reuben Rawson Dodge (1849 ; revised ed., Worcester, Massachusetts, 1875).

Edward Rawson and Rachel Perne

Edward was the first in his line to come to America. He was born near London, England on April 16, 1615. His family had a considerable amount of property about 17 miles west of London. Edward’s father died when he was two years old, so he often spent time with his grandparents in Windsor. He had many opportunities in his youth, and had a good education. His mother died when he was thirteen years old. By that time he had seen many of his uncles leave for America, and the idea highly appealed to him.

Rachel was born in 1619, the daughter of Richard Perne and Rachel Greene. They lived in Gillingham, England where Edward and Rachel lived after they were first married. Not long after their marriage, Rachel’s father died leaving Edward to execute the estate. When this task was finished, they came to America in 1636 or 1637.

Edward and Rachel were the parents of ten children, two of whom returned to England. Edward was elected to the office of Public Notary and Register, in which capacity he was a representative of the local people. He was the youngest member of that body. In 1650, Edward was named the Secretary of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He served in this capacity for thirty-six years, earning twenty pounds per year for his service. He was a prominent citizen of New England, and devoted much time and energy to furthering the best interests of the Colony. He was granted tracts of land on various occasions, the total of which added up to over 6,000 acres in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Edward died in Massachusetts in 1693, Rachel’s death date is unknown.

Edward Rawson. He was born 16 Apr 1615. He came to America and became the Secretary of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Also includes descendants of Peter Coffin (Coffyn). He was born ca. 1580 and was of Brixton, Devonshire, England.

Microfilm of original published: Murray, Utah : R. Fenton Murray. ca. 400 p. donated by Ann Larson Demill

Includes life stories on some of the descendants along with family pictures.

Subjects

Rawson

Coffin

Family record of Rawson and Coffin descendants - FHL US/CAN Film [ 2056053 Item 6 ]

Edward Rawson was the Progenitor of all bearing

the name of Rawson in the United States, with a single

exception, so far as has been ascertained. He was born in Gillingham, Dorsetshire, England, April 15, 1615. He was married in England to Rachael Perne, daughter of Thomas Perne, and grand-daughter of John Hooker, whose wife was a Grindal, sister of Edmund Grindal, Arch-bishop of Canterbury in the reign of Queen Elizabeth.

In 1638, when just twenty-three years of age, he was chosen Public Notary and Registrar for Newbury, and was re-elected to that post annually until 1647. As early as 1638, he was elected to represent the town at the General Court, in which office he served in almost every successive year until 1650, when he was elevated to the post of  Secretary of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, an office he held for thirty-six years.  He died in 1693. 

On April 19, 1638, at the age of 23, he was chosen to be Public Notary and Register for that town, and was annually reelected until 1647. Many other public trusts and responsible duties were laid upon him by the people of Newbury. As early as the year 1638, he was one of the deputies to represent the town at the General Court, and was reelected for nearly all the successive years to May 22, 1650, at which time he was chosen Secretary of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which office he continued to hold for thirty-six years, until 1686.
Ref:

"The Rawson Family. Memoir of Edward Rawson, secretary of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, from 1651 to 1686".

'The Ancestry of Edward Rawson, Secretary of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, with Some Account of His Life in Old and New England', by Ellery Bicknell Crane .

Edward and Rachael Rawson had twelve children.