John Hodges

From "Genealogical record of the Hodges Family of New England", https://archive.org/stream/genealogicalrec01unkngoog#page/n85/mode/1up:

John Hodges settled in Norton (then a part of Taunton) at or near "Lockety Neck, on the southwest side of Rumford river near its junction with Coweset (or Wading) river, where a fight with Indians occurred in 1676. Living "about 7 miles" from the original Taunton Meeting-house, he naturally was one of the original petitioners (Nov. 27, 1707) for forming Taunton North Purchase into a separate church precinct In July 1692, as appears from the records, he served as a soldier in King William's War against the French and Indians, but no details of his service are known. His name appears also on the roster of the Taunton Military Company, May 30, 1700. He became very prominent in Norton, being selectman 9 years (1713, 1714, 1716, 1718-20, 1734, 1737 and 1739), moderator of the town meetings 4 years (1716-19), town clerk 16 years (1716-20 and 1731-42), representative in 1718 and 1723, and assessor in 1719. On Oct. 16, 1721, he was elected one of the three trustees, appointed from persons possessed of real estate worth at least 500 pounds, to let out at interest the town's proportion of the Fifty-Thousand- Pound loan emitted by the General Court The town chose him in 1724 as their agent to arrange terms with the schoolmaster, and in 1734 as one of the committee in charge of the Town Common. He was deputy sheriff in 1733 but his term of office is not known. The History of Norton states that he was one of the wealthy men of that place who owned slaves.