Nicholas Wyeth

Nicholas Wyeth (1601 - 1680)

• Son of John Wyeth (1561 - 1605) and Elizabeth Houser,
• Nicholas was baptised 20 January 1601 in Saxtead, Suffolk, England; and
• died 19 July 1680 in Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.
• He married (1) Margaret Clarke (born 1608) with whom
  • he had three known children; and
• (2) Rebecca (born c1620), widow of Thomas Andrews, with whom he
  • had six known children.

Marriage and Children

1. Margaret Clarke (born 12 October 1608 Westhorpe, Suffolk, England), married c1630 Saxtead, Suffolk, England
   1. Sarah Wyeth (born 28 October 1632 Saxtead, Suffolk, England)
   2. John Wyeth (born 18 October 1634 Saxtead, Suffolk, England)
   3. Nathaniel Wyeth (born 11 December 1636 Saxtead, Suffolk, England)
2. Rebecca Andrews (born c1620 England), married 1648 Watertown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. She was the widow of Thomas Andrews.
   1. Mary Wyeth (born 26 January 1649 Watertown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts)
   2. Nicholas Wyeth (born 10 August 1651 Watertown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts)
   3. Thomas Wyeth (born 1651 Watertown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts)
   4. Martha Wyeth (born 11 January 1653 Watertown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts)
   5. John Wyeth (born 15 July 1655 Watertown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts)
   6. William Wyeth (born 1 January 1657 Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts)

Biographical Sketch

Nicholas Wyeth was enterprising, prosperous, and a man of great integrity. He was a brick mason and he taught his sons the trade.

Nicholas grew up at Saxtead, England and in 1616 he traveled to Wymondham in Norfolk County, England, to become an apprentice to a mason. After completing his apprenticeship, he returned to live at Saxtead and work as a mason. In 1628, he and a friend, Nicholas Danforth, traveled to hear Mr. Banks preach 16 miles away. From his "confession" to Thomas Shepard upon joining the Cambridge church, Nicholas mentioned traveling four miles every Sabbath to hear Mr. Salby and later, sixteen miles to hear Mr. Burrows. Richard Selby was the rector of the church in Bedfield, Suffolk from 1584 to about 1610. Jeremiah Burroughs preached at Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk from about 1624 until 1631.

He met and married Margaret Clark (baptized 12 October 1608 Westhorpe, Suffolk County, England) about 1631, the daughter of Thomas Clarke (1570-1627) and Rose Kerridge of Westhorpe, Suffolk County, England. Margaret's brother John Clarke emigrated to Boston in September of 1637 and was credited with helping found Rhode Island.

Nicholas and Margaret's first child, Sarah, was baptized 28 October 1632 at Saxtead. Their second child, John, was buried at Saxstead on 23 April 1638. Their next son also died young and was buried 21 May 1637 at Saxtead. Nicholas and Margaret left for America about 1642 or 1643; Margaret died on the voyage. Sarah traveled to America with her parents, eventually marrying John Fiske at Watertown, Massachusetts.

Nicholas and his wife left England for religious reasons, against the wishes of his family. "Hence I came to New England being persecuted and courted for going from the place where we lived and hence I used means to come hither where we might enjoy more freedom". He makes reference to many difficulties before and during his cross Atlantic voyage. He also mentioned that "God took away my son". It is not clear whether the boy died during the trip or when he was planning to leave England because those who were trying to discourage him from going used the death as an excuse that "the Lord was displeased for going on". At about this time there was a sudden increase in the English cost of living, which may have factored into their decision to go to America. He was ranked as a yeoman in England, where his family had been large landowners at one time, and had the means to pay for his family's passage.

Although the exact date of their emigration is unclear, they were settled in Massachusetts at the beginning of 1644. On 7 January 1644 Nicholas joined the First Church of Christ of Cambridge. He became a proprietor of Cambridge on 20 May 1645 and he bought a dwelling house and 1/2 acre of land from Robert Daniell. It was on the westerly side of Garden Street near Phillips Place, which remained in the Wyeth family for more than two centuries. Wyeth Street, near Harvard College, is named in his honor. In the same year he purchased from George Williams two more acres in Westfield, and received a grant of six acres.

In 1648 Nicholas married Rebecca Andrews (c1620 - 1698), the widow of Thomas Andrews. Between 1648 and 1657 they had seven children. The family was recorded in the new church roster in 1658.

Nicholas was granted lot number 70 of 90 acres in the Shawshine grant of 1652. Shawshine later became the town of Billerica. In the early 1660's, after the death of Oliver Cromwell and the restoration of the English monarchy under Charles II, the king cracked down on the Puritan colonies after their decade of freedoms under Cromwell. On 8 October 1664 Nicholas was one of the signers (by mark in his case) of a document professing loyalty to the king but, at the same time, exhibiting an unwillingness to submit to arbitrary government. The petition stated "... For as much as we have heard that theire have beene representations made unto his Majesty conserning divisions among us and dissatisfactions about the present goverment of this colonie; we whose names are under written, the inhabitants and householders of the towne above mentioned, doe hereby testify our unanimous satisfaction in and adhearing to the present government so long and orderly estableshed, and our earnest desire of the continuance theirof and of all the liberties and privileges pertaining theirunto which are contained in the charter granted by King James and King Charles the First of famous memory, under the encouredgment and security of which charter we or our fathers ventered over the ocean into this wildernesse through great hazards, charges, and difficulties; and we humbly desire our honored General Court would addresse themselves by humble petition to his Majesty for all his royall favour in the continuance of the present estableshment and of all the previleges theirof, and that we may not be subjected to the arbitrary power of any who are not chosen by this people according to theire patent".

Nicholas died on 19 July 1680 at the age of at least 79. He was buried in the Gamage Tomb of the Old Burying Ground on Garden Street, with no tombstone to mark his grave; however there is a cenotaph on property that he once owned, listing Nicholas, his son John, and descendants Ebenezer and Jonas Wyeth.

Discussion

• Alternate date of birth: 1595 in Saxtead, Suffolk, England. One source shows Nicholas was baptised in 1600, yet Cambridge Vital Records gives his age at death as 85 in 1680.
• Since Nicholas's children are buried at Saxtead, England as late as 1638, he probably did not come to America in 1630 with the Winthrop Colonies, nor in 1634 from Nellis, England. Cambridge Vital Records shows that he "settled in Newtowne in 1630"; but another source has the Nicholas Wyeth family of four coming to New England with Reverend Shepard's company in 1635 in the ship Defence.
• Further research is necessary to determine if Nicholas Wyeth, Jr. (born 10 August 1651 Watertown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts) and his brother Thomas Wyeth (born 1651 Watertown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts) were twins; if not, their correct dates of birth need to be determined.

Sources and Further Information

• Descendants of Nicholas Wythe
• Rootsweb: Nicholas Wyeth
• Rootsweb: Nicholas Wyeth
• Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Name: Nicholas Wyeth; Year: 1620-1650; Place: Cambridge, Massachusetts; Source Publication Code: 275; Primary Immigrant: Wyeth, Nicholas; Annotation: Comprehensive listing of early immigrants, in various arrangements to assist the researcher. Pages 1-189 contain passenger lists; pages 193-295 are indexes. Source Bibliography: BANKS, CHARLES EDWARD. Topographical Dictionary of 2885 English Emigrants to New England, 1620-1650. Edited, indexed and published by Elijah Ellsworth Brownell. Philadelphia: Bertram Press, 1937. 295p. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1957. Repr. 1987. Page: 31
• U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900. Name: Nicholas Wyeth; Gender: Male; Birth Place: En; Birth Year: 1601; Spouse Name: Rebecca Andrews; Comments2: Wid.
• Crane, Ellery Bicknell. Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal ..., Volume 1. Page 184. "...he [Thomas Fox] married (fourth) Rebecca Wyeth, widow of Nicholas Wyeth, December 16, 1684."
• Hawes, Robert. "History of Framlingham, Suffolk County", p. 55. Under the heading of "Outdwellers toward Saxtead", Nicholas is shown dwelling on the same street as Nicholas Danforth; Nicholas Wythe held 89 acres with four other men.

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Find A Grave Memorial# 123647095

Nicholas Wyeth

• Birth:  Jan. 20, 1601 Saxtead, Suffolk, England
• Death:  Jul. 19, 1680 Watertown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA
• Nicholas Wyeth was born about 1600 in Saxtead, Suffolk, England.
• He was the son of John and Margaret Wyeth. Nicholas married Margaret Clark, probably at Westhorpe, Suffolk, England, around 1630.
• They had a daughter, Sarah and a son, John, born in Saxtead.
  • Their son John died in Saxtead. Nicholas and his family emigrated to New England, possibly as early as 1639. * If they did come that early, they probably lived first in Watertown.
• Margaret probably died there about 1643.
• In January of 1644, after he moved to Cambridge, Nicholas, upon joining the church, he made a confession that "....the Lord took away my son and when we came here the Lord raised up my wife."
• Nicholas was a mason.
• He bought a house and land on the west side of Garden Street in Cambridge about 1645. It remained in his family for more than two hundred years.
• About 1647, Nicholas married Rebecca Craddock, the widow of Thomas Andrew.
  • Nicholas & Rebecca had five children.
• He died July 19, 1680 at 85.
• His widow then married Thomas Fox and died in 1698, probably in May.

Information from

• Bank's Topographical Dictionary of 2885 English Emigrants to NE, 1620-1650;
• "The History of Cambridge by Lucious Paige, p. 702;
• The Clark ancestry in NEHGR 75:279;
• "Descendants of Richard Fisk of Laxfield" by Jevons;
• "Genealogies of the Early Settlers of Watertown" by Bond
• Bio provided by Ken Smith. Thanks Ken. 
• Family links: 
  •  Parents:
    •   John Wyeth (1561 - 1605)
    •   Margaret Pyke Weyth (1568 - 1601) 
  •  Spouses:
    •   Margaret Clarke Wyeth (1608 - 1646)*
    •   Rebecca Andrews Parks Wyeth (1620 - 1698)* 
  •  Children:
    •   Sarah Wyeth Fiske (1632 - 1701)*
    •   John Wyeth (1655 - 1706)* 
• Burial: Old Burying Ground Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA

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Came to New England in 1645 and bought a home on the west side of Garden St. Watertown, MA and it remained in the Wyeth family for over 200 hundred years. He married second Rebecca Andrews

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Wyeth-5
Nicholas Wyeth (bef. 1600 - 1680)

Nicholas Wyeth aka Withe
Born before 20 Jan 1600 in Saxtead, Suffolk, Englandmap
Son of John Wyeth and Margaret Unknown
Brother of Laurance Wythe, Jane Wyeth and Rose Wyeth
Husband of Margaret (Clarke) Wyeth — married 1633 (to before 7 Jan 1644) in Of Westhorpe, Suffolk, Englandmap
Husband of Rebecca (Parks) Fox — married 1649 (to 19 Jul 1680) in Massachusetts Bay Colonymap
DESCENDANTS descendants
Father of Sarah (Wyeth) Fiske, John Wyeth I, Mary Wyeth, Nicholas Wyeth Jr., Martha Wyeth, John Wyeth and William Wyeth
Died 19 Jul 1680 after age 80 in Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusettsmap
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Profile last modified 13 Jan 2024 | Created 25 Sep 2010
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Biography

Nicholas Wyeth was baptized on 20 Jan 1600/1 in Saxtead, Suffolk, England, son of John Wyeth (abt. 1561-bef. 1633) and Margaret (Unknown)[1] He died on 19 July 1680 in Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony.[2] He married (1st) Margaret Clarke about 1630 in Suffolk, England.[3] The evidence for this is in the will of Dr. John Clarke of Newport, Rhode Island Colony,[4] the transcript of which says he names his cousin, wife of "Samuel Fish," and her children, who were to get a share of John's land in Rhode Island. Deeds of acknowledgement made by Sarah and Margaret Fiske,[5] daughters of John and Sarah (Wyeth) Fiske, show that they received these bequests and also show that the will, or the transcript, is erroneous in calling John Fiske "Samuel Fish." It's likely that the surname, at least, actually says "Fisk" and was interpreted by the transcriber incorrectly. "Cousin" was used often in the 17th century to indicate a nephew or niece. Nicholas married (2nd) Rebecca (?) Andrews (widow of Thomas) probably at Watertown, Massachusetts Bay Colony, about 1647/48.[6]

Nicholas was buried first in Old Burying Ground, Cambridge. There is no stone marking his grave, but the First Church in Cambridge records state that he is buried in the Old Burying Ground, Garden Street, Cambridge (This makes sense, but this record wasn't found in the church records - source needed for this. Is there one in Grousset?) His granddaughter (daughter of son William Wyeth, b. 1657) married Joshua Gamage and had Nicholas' body moved to Mt. Auburn Cemetery, where the Gamages are buried. No date or specific reason for the removal is given.[7] There is a memorial marker in the Gamage plot in Mt. Auburn Cemetery for Nicholas and others of the Wyeth family.[8]

Nicholas was a mason, He came with his family, and probably first arrived at Watertown, Massachusetts Bay Colony, between 1639 and 1643. The first record of him in the colonies is at Cambridge 7 Jan 1644, when he came before the Rev. Thomas Shepard and made a "Revelation and Confession" on joining the 1st Church there. in it he states " the Lord took away my son, and when we came here the Lord raised up my wife". [9] This shows that his first wife Margaret came to the colonies, though a record of her death is lacking.

At Cambridge, Massachusetts, abt 1645 Nicholas Wyeth bought a house and land on the westerly side of Garden Street, near Phillips Place, which remained in possession of his descendants, bearing the name of Wyeth, for more than two centuries. [10] Nicholas and Margaret had two children in England, a son John, and a daughter, Sarah. Nicholas and his family emigrated to New England around 1639 and probably lived first in Watertown, Massachusetts. Nicholas had five children with his second wife, Rebecca.

His will is on file in Vol. 6 Middlesex (Mass.) Registry of Probate. His estate appraised at L477-19-07.

Children of Nicholas Wyeth and Margaret Clarke:

Sarah, bapt. 28 Oct 1632 at Saxtead, England, married John Fiske.[11] [12]
John, bapt. 18 Oct 1634 at Saxtead, England, buried there 23 April 1638.
Children of Nicholas Wyeth and Rebecca (maiden name unknown):

Mary, b. 18 Jan 1648/9[13] or 26 January 1649,[14] Cambridge (supposedly bapt. there 7 May 1649, but apparently incorrect, since it isn't in the Cambridge church records), died there May 1698, unmarried. [15]
Nicholas, b. 20 Aug 1650[16] or 10 August 1651[14] at Cambridge Massachusetts, died there abt 1720.
Martha, b. 11 January 1652/3[17] or 10 July 1653 Cambridge,[14] Massachusetts, married Thomas Ives, died Cambridge bef 1680, not mentioned in her father's will.
John, b. at Cambridge, Mass. 15 July 1655,[14] married Deborah Ward, died there 13 Dec 1706.
William, b. 1 Jan 1656/7[14] at Cambridge Mass., died there 1 Oct 1703 killed by Indians.
Research Notes

Confessions to Rev Thomas Shepard

Sources

↑ Grousset, Agnes M., Horns A’Plenty: Newells, Tiemanns, Wyeths, (Baltimore: Gateway Press Inc., 1980), pp. 3, 4.
↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," familysearch.org database online (Salt Lake City, UT: 1972), "Nicholas Withe, mason, aged 85, 19 5 1680" [1].
↑ It has been stated that they married in Westhorpe, Suffolk, but the parish records for this period are extant and don't include this record.
↑ George Austin Morrison, Jr., Clarke Genealogies: The "Clarke" Families of Rhode Island (New York: The Evening Post, 1902), 22.
↑ Middlesex Co., MA, deed,13:2
↑ No credible evidence has been given that her maiden name was Craddock or Parks. The Craddock claim is based on a misinterpretation of several documents. See her Find a Grave memorial [2]. The sole source for the Parks claim appears to be the ancestry.com database "U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900." This database is described as this: "This unique collection of records was extracted from a variety of sources including family group sheets and electronic databases. Originally, the information was derived from an array of materials including pedigree charts, family history articles, querie." This information isn't necessarily based on reliable sources, but the maiden name "Parks" has been assumed to be correct and used numerous times in personal family trees on the internet.
↑ Grousset, Agnes M., Horns A’Plenty: Newells, Tiemanns, Wyeths, (Baltimore: Gateway Press Inc., 1980), p. 4.
↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/123647095/nicholas-wyeth : accessed 06 October 2021), memorial page for Nicholas Wyeth (Jan 1600–19 Jul 1680), Find a Grave Memorial ID 123647095, citing (erroneously) Old Burying Ground, Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA; Maintained by Robert DeVowe (contributor 48224154).
↑ Grousset, op. cit., p. 4.
↑ Paige, Lucius R., History of Cambridge, Massachusetts 1630-1877 with a Genealogical Register, (Boston: Houghton and Company, 1877), p. 702.
↑ Grousset, op. cit., p. 4.
↑ Paige, Lucius R., History of Cambridge, Massachusetts 1630-1877 with a Genealogical Register, (Boston: Houghton and Company, 1877), p. 702.
↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," familysearch.org database online (Salt Lake City, UT: 1972) [3].
↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," familysearch.org database online (Salt Lake City, UT: 1972) [4].
↑ 877 with a Genealogical Register, (Boston: Houghton and Company, 1877), p. 702. (full title?)
↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," familysearch.org database online (Salt Lake City, UT: 1972) [5].
↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," familysearch.org database online (Salt Lake City, UT: 1972)[6].
"The History of Cambridge," (1630-1877), Lucius R. Paige, 1877, p. 702-703.
"New England Historic Genealogical Register, 1921".
"Topographical Dictionary of 2885 English Emigrants 1620-1650," Charles Banks, 1937.
Sharples, Stephen Paschall. Records of the Church of Christ at Cambridge in New England, 1632-1830 (Eben Putnam, Boston, 1906) Page 11.
Genealogy and History of Watertown by Bond 974.44 D2b Encl. 237 Copies of pages from books.
Copies of pages Bond Genealogies. Sarah, his only daughter by 1st wife. Her name could have been Andrews.
Baldwin, Thomas. Vital Records of Cambridge, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850 (Wright & Potter, Boston, Mass., 1914) Vol. 2, Page 799.
G.R.3. "grave record, Mount Auburn Cemetery"
WikiTree profile Wyeth-29 created through the import of 46l4cb_2617164eb9pf478824cdl0.ged on Oct 17, 2012 by John Drinkwater.
This profile has been improved by a member of the England Project's Orphan Trail, and by David [Tiemann-170]