Rev Eleazer Mather

• BIRTH 13 May 1637 Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA
• DEATH 24 Jul 1669 (aged 32) Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, USA
• BURIAL Bridge Street Cemetery Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, USA Show Map, PLOT Section 43, Lot 482, MEMORIAL ID 42638762, Photos by P.K. Magruder

Biography

Eleazer graduated at Harvard College in 1656 and went to Northampton, MA, July 1658. He was ordained on Jun3 18, 1661 as the first minister of Northampton. He began preaching at the age of nineteen. His wife's father, the Rev. John Warham, was the first minister of Dorchester and afterwards the first minister of Windsor, Connecticut.[1]

He and Esther Warham were married Sep. 29, 1659. When he died, his widow Esther married Northampton's second Reverend- Soloman Stoddard, on Mar. 8, 1670. For 57 years Esther was the only minister’s wife in Northampton. Through her two husbands, she was a pastor’s wife for 69 years.

Esther had three children with Mather and twelve children with Stoddard.
The 77 years of her life spent in Northampton showed great changes. Esther came in 1659 when the town was first settled in the wilderness. At the time of her death the population numbered 1100, and their church had 600 members.

Granddaughter Eunice Williams -born Sept 7, 1696, daughter of John Williams and Eunice Mather, was captured at the 1704 Raid of Deerfield Massachusetts. She was re-baptized a Roman Catholic under the name of Marguerite and in 1713 married the Mohawk Native- Francois Xavier Arosen {d.Jan 22, 1765}. She died November 26, 1785- ironically the last survivor of the Deerfield Raid having outlived her brother Rev Stephen Williams.

Children of Esther Warham and 1st husb. Rev. Eleazer Mathera;

• Eunice Mather b Aug 02, 1664, married Rev. John Williams of Deerfield (parents of Rev. Eleazer Williams, Rev. Stephen Williams, and Rev. Warham Williams). As noted previously, Eunice Mather-Williams was killed by the Indians after the Deerfield massacre.
• Rev. Warham Mather married Elizabeth Davenport;
• Eliakim Mather who died young.

Inscription
In Memory of/Rev Eleazar Mather AM/Born at/Dorchester/May 13 1637/Graduated at Harvard College in 1656 invited by this town to be the minister June 7 1658. Ordained as Pastor of the First Church on the day of its organization June 18 1661/Died July 21 1669/verse

Genealogy

Parents
Richard Mather 1596–1669
Catherine Holt Mather 1596–1655

Spouse
Esther Warham Stoddard 1644–1736 (m. 1659)

Siblings
Timothy Mather 1628–1684
Nathaniel Mather 1630–1697
Increase Mather 1639–1723

Children
Eunice Mather Williams 1664–1704
Warham Mather 1666–1745
Eliakim Mather (died young)

Sources

[1] https://www.matherclan.com/matherclan/trees/getperson.php?personID=...

[2] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42638762/eleazer-mather