Ephraim Keene

Taken from The American Genealogist Vol 18, pp 114, 115.

Ephraim Keen married at Scituate, Mass., 1 Apr. 1703, Hannah Sprout, daughter of Robert and Elizabeth (Samson) Sprout, and granddaughter of Henry Samson of the Mayflower. They had six children recorded at Pembroke [The Genealogical Advertiser, vol. 1, p. 30; or the printed Pembroke Vital Records].

Ephraim lived at Middleborough, Mass., 11 June 1707, when he bought land there. On 17 Dec. 1712, Robert Sprout of Middleborough conveyed land there to mercy wife of Thomas Oldham, Annah wife of Ebenezer Richmond, and hannah wife of Ephraim Keen. Ephraim was of Pembroke, 13 Feb. 1716/17, when he sold the homestead on which he then lived. [Plymouth County Deeds, 9-292; 10-28; 13-37.]

On 30 Oct. 1717, Josiah Kean, Sr., John Kean, Matthew Kean, Ephraim Kean, Isaac Oldham and Hannah his wife, John Bishop and Elizabeth his wife, all of Pembroke, Hudson Bishop and Abigail his wife of Scituate, and Timothy rogers and Sarah his wife of Middleborough, sold land in Ducbury [ib., 17-129]. These were the children of Josiah 1 Keen, with the husbands of Ephraim's sisters.

On 11 Apr. 1718, Ephraim Kean and Hannah his wife of Pembroke, and Ebenezer Richmond and Anna his wife of Middleborough, sold two-thirds of certain land "wch did Originally Belong unto our Hond Grand father Henry Samson" [ib., 14-100].

Then on 10 Jan. 1718/19, Ephraim Kean of Pembroke, yeoman, sold the farm in Pembroke on which he then dwelt, and at his next purchase, 28 Mar. 1723, he was of Middleborough [ib., 14-202; 20-177]. This purchased land he sold on 19 Dec. 1729, and the same date he bought from James Sprout of Middleborough a part of the latter's homestead, which he sold back to him 21 Jan. 1730/1 [ib., 30-35; 25-16; 31-164].

Ephraim appears after 1707 to have resided chiefly in Pembroke until 1719; the children recorded there were entered at one time in a group, though the older cjhildren may not have been born there. About 1719 Ephraim seems to have moved back to Middleborough, where his wife's relatives, the Sprouts, lived, and here he remained at least until 1731. He had no probate in Plymouth County.

He had one more child recorded, a son robert in Middleborough in 1722. It is thought that he had also a daughter Elizabeth, born about 1724, but her birth or baptism is lacking. Robert was named after his maternal grandfather, Robert Sprout, and Elizabeth would be named after her maternal grandmother, Elizabeth (Samson) Sprout.