Samuel Ward of Hingham & Charlestown

Biography

http://kristinhall.org/fambly/Ward/SamuelWard.html

BIRTH Samuel was born circa 1593 in probably England, as based on his death information[1,2].

DEATH & BURIAL Samuel died in Charlestown, Suffolk co., MA on 30 August 1682; he was 89[1]. He is buried in Copp's Hill Burial Ground, Boston, Suffolk co., MA[1].

POSSIBLE OTHER FAMILY ASSOCIATIONS He was perhaps the son or brother of one Henry Ward, who was buried at Hingham, Plymouth, co., MA on 15 May 1642[3].

MIGRATION & RESIDENCE His migration information is currently unknown, but he was in Hingham, Plymouth co., MA by 1636, when he received a land grant on the lower plain of the settlement[2,13]. He made Freeman there in 1637[2,4] and served the town well -- becoming Deputy to the General Court in 1637[2,4] and serving as the second town clerk of Hingham in 1646[2]. Samuel owned considerable property in Hingham[2].

Samuel moved his family to Hull, Plymouth co., MA sometime between 1646 and 23 August 1649 when he sold his 1/8th share of the bark Sea Flowre to Jeremiah Clark of Rhode Island[2,12]. Apparently, he was listed as being "of Hull" at that time. His Hull properties in 1657 included two homelots on Town Hill and a third on Further Hill.

By 1656, he had removed to Charlestown, Suffolk co., MA, where he became a large landowner[2]. On 9d:6m(August):1656, he was admitted to the church at Charlestown[1]. Wyman gives a summary of his Charlestown real estate transactions: he bought 3.5 acres near South meadow in 1657 from Timothy Wheeler; he bought .25 acres of land from Margaret Willoughby in 1672 (this was recorded in 1685); he sold to H. Phillips a lot on the Square in 1673 (this was recorded in 1713); he received a grant of 4.25 cow commons in 1681; received a grant of 15.5 acres � location not noted -- in 1685; finally, comes the cryptic entry "With T. Graves, 6.25 acres, 1681"[11].

He and his wife Frances Ward sold 2 acres of land at "Lyford's Liking" in Hingham, Plymouth co., MA to John Jacob; 10 acres at Hingham to John Otis and another 25 acres there to Edward Wilder on 31 March 1665[2,14]. Wyman also noted that he owned a servant named Sarah Metcalf in 1674[1].

LEGAL MENTION Legal mention of Samuel Ward is fairly innocuous. On 12 June 1643, he, Bozoan Allen and Lt. Anthony Eames were granted permission to set up a corn mill near the cove in Hingham, Plymouth co., MA for the use of the town[2,5]. On 22 September 1652, he was referred to as "Mister" in a court proceeding which concerned debts owned the estate of Bozoan Allen[2,6].

ESTATE His will was dated 6 March 1681/2 and proved 3 October 1682[7,8,9]. His wife Frances was to have the estate during her lifetime � the house & land, commons & wood-lots at Charlestown, Suffolk co., MA. She also received three years' worth of their servant Roger Hilliard's time. After she died, their son Samuel was to receive this bequest. His daughter Mary and her husband Ambrose "Gaal" (NOTE: his name was "GALE" not "GOOL" or "GOULD" as has been alleged) received a bequest of land at Hull, Plymouth co., MA. His daughters received "the house I built near Phillips". His son-in-law, Isaac Lobdell, received the house Samuel had built in Charlestown.

The most interesting bequest was made to Harvard College:

"I give the Island laying betwixt Hingham and Hull, called Bomkin [Bumpkin or Bankin] Island, unto the College [Harvard] and my mind is that it be called Ward's Island".

On 8 July 1682, he added this codicil to the back of his will:

"the island that I have given the College, my mind is that it shall remain forever to Harvard College in New England, the rent of it to be for the easement of the charges of the Diatte [diet] of the students that are in the Commons."[7]

Use of the island, which in the appraisal was valued at £80, fell to Isaac Lobdell who later re-leased it in March 1699 for 20 years at £4 yearly, payable annually on March first. His son Isaac later took over the lease from March 1707/8 for twenty years[9,10].

The inventory of his Charlestown estate included:

House & lands with 4 cow commons, £300;

First and Third division. woods near Medford, £9 and £8;

2.5 years of Roger Hilliard's time (for 3 years given by will to wife), £10;

House near Phillips £380;

House that was John Lowden's near mansion, £50;

Total: £521

Total at Hull: £182[7]

On 4 November 1682, the executors sold E. Phillips the house and land near the Charlestown Meeting-House.

MARRIAGE #1 Samuel first married Mary HILLIARD, who died on 28 November 1638 in Hingham, Plymouth co., MA[1,15].

Samuel second married Frances PITCHER who was born circa 1607 in England, as estimated from her death information[1,2]. Frances died in Charlestown, Suffolk co., MA on 11 June 1690; she was 83[1]. She, too, is buried in Copp's Hill Burial Ground, Boston, Suffolk co., MA[1,2,16]. Her gravestone reads: "Here lies the body of Fransis Ward, wife to Samuel Ward, aged 83 years, dyed the 10th of June 1690"[17].

Notes

(_____) (Osborn) Mulford, neighbor in Boston, was called "sister Moleford" in Collicott's will, and was probably a sister of second wife Thomasine. Coddington suggested that Frideswide and Thomasine were born Wards and were younger half-sisters of Samuel Ward of Hingham or of Ward's unknown wife.

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References

• “Frideswide Osborn” in the New England, The Great Migration and The Great Migration Begins, 1620-1635. Richard Collicott sketch. AncestryImage Coddington suggests that Frideswide (__) (Osborn) Mulford and Thomasine (__) Collicott were younger half sisters of Samuel Ward of Hingham or of Ward’s unknown wife.
• WARD of Hingham and Charlestown, Massachusetts. Samuel Ward, my 10th great grandfather, was an early settler at Hingham, Massachusetts. He might have been the brother of the Henry Ward who was buried there on 15 May 1642. His first wife was Mary Hilliard, who died at Hingham 28 November 1638 ten days after giving birth to my 9th great grandfather, Samuel, Jr. Mary had given four children to Samuel, Sr. His second wife was Frances Pitcher, the widow of a Mr. Reycroft. Frances died in 1690 and is buried at Copp’s Hill Burial Ground in Boston. link
• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Feb 11 2020, 21:39:53 UTC
• http://trees.wmgs.org/getperson.php?personID=I19002&tree=Schirado
• http://lechpowell.com/getperson.php?personID=I3798&tree=tree1
• History of the Town of Hingham, Massachusetts, Published by the Town, 1893, (University Press: John Wilson and Sons, Cambridge, Mass), v III, page 274-275. “Samuel (perhaps a son of Henry, who died and was buried here, 15 May 1642), had a grant of land on the Lower Plain 1636. …. “
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ward-1034
  • "Hull, Massachusetts," in NEHGR, 143:346, citing Frederick Chester Warner, "The Ancestry of Samuel, Freda,and John Warner" (1949, typescript at the Society], 694.
  • See also: "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch: 3 Nov 2017, Samuel Ward, 30 Jun 1682; citing Death, Charlestown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, Town Clerk Offices, Massachusetts; FHL microfilm 892,249.
• Descendants of Thomas Farr of Harpswell, Maine, and ninety allied families. by Sumner, Edith Bartlett, Publication date 1959. Page 304. Archive.Org