Zachariah Sawtell, Sr.

Zachariah Sawtell (son of Richard Sawtelle and Elizabeth) was born July 26, 1643 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, and died 1691. He married (1) Elizabeth Harris on April 1668 (2) Anna Parker.

Family

Married 1st on April 1668 of Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts to Elizabeth Harris. She was born say 1649 in Charlestown, Massachusetts Bay Colony, and died of Smallpox in 1677/1678. She was the daughter of John Harris (died about 1685) of Charlestown and North Yarmouth & his first wife.

Children of Zachariah Sawtell and Elizabeth Harris:

1. +Zachariah Sawtell, Jr. *, b. 1668, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts, d. October 02, 1737, Groton, Massachusetts.
2. Elizabeth Sawtell, b. December 1671.
3. Anna Sawtell, b. March 14, 1672/73.
4. Mary Sawtell, b. 1675.

Children of Zachariah Sawtell and Anna Parker are:

1. Margaret Parker, b. July 1688.

Biography

From "The New England Historical and Genealogical Register"
"Richard Sawtell of Watertown, Mass., and some of his descendants" by Dale C. Kellogg of Elyria, Ohio and John B. Threlfall of Madison, Wisc. Volume 126 - January 1972 - Volume 126 - Page 6

"3. Zachariah2 Sawtell (Richard1) was born 26 July 1643 at Watertown, according to the record. The year, however, conflicts with the birth date of his sister Hannah, and perhaps it was 1644 or 1645. Zachariah grew up in Watertown but in his adolescence went with his parents to Groton. he later had a ten-acre proprietor's right there. In April of 1668 he married Elizabeth Harris (Malden, Mass., Vital Records; The Register, 10:239), daughter of John Harris of Boston (Middlesex County Deeds, 27:354). Wyman (op. cit.) and Bailey (op. cit.) both give the date of marriage as 13 April 1669; in addition. Wyman says she died 1677-8 of smallpox. Zachariah married, secondly, Anna Parker, daughter of Joseph and Margaret Parker of Chelmsford, Mass. The marriage occurred before 13 July 1684, when Joseph Parker deeded land to Anna, wife of Zachariah Sawtell (Middlesex County Deeds, 26:459, 27:325). She was born 16 Nov. 1663 at Chelmsford (Vital Records) and was thus about 18 years younger than her husband.
"Zachariah Sawtell served in King Philip's War in 1675/6 when Groton was burned (Bodge, op. cit., p. 272). He returned after the peace and on 21 May 1688 was chosen one of five highway surveyorsfor Groton (Green, op. cit., p. 97), his last mention in town records. He died by 17 March 1691/2, when Anna was referred to as the widow Sawtell (The Register, 43:375), and his father's will of 1692 implies that he was dead. his estate, however, was not administered until 1701 when Josiah Parker of Cambridge and Thomas Walker of Charlestown were named administrators, the decedent being referred to as 'late of Groton, blacksmith.' Again, on 21 Nov. 1716, Zachariah Sawtell Jr. and the same Josiah Parker were named administrators (Middlesex County Probates, No. 19967, 19975)...
"Who was the mother of Zachariah Sawtell Jr.? By deed of 15 Dec. 1726. 'I Anna Sawtell of Fairfield, Conn., relict widow of Zachariah Sawtell of Groton for L5 to me in hand paid by my son Zachariah Sawtell of Groton, quit claim to the said Zachariah Sawtell (only son of said deceased) all dower rights...' (Middlesex County Deeds, 26:527).
"This deed would indicate that Zachariah Jr. was Anna's son, when in fact he had to be her stepson. Since she was born in 1663 and Zachariah Jr.'s first child was born in 1697, she would have been a grandmother at age 33, an unlikely situation. The following deed of 9 Feb. 1727/8 clearly establishes that Elizabeth Harris, first wife of Zachariah Sawtell Sr., was a daughter of John Harris and that Zachariah Jr. was her son: 'Zachariah Sawtell of Groton quit claims to Wigglesworth Sweester of Boston, taylor, and Thomas Harris Jr. of Charlestown, taylor, all right he has in lands of Elizabeth Harris (the daughter of John Harris, senr., late of Charlestown) which did revert to her as heir to the said John Harris...all rights against me. The said Zachariah Sawtell, against my sisters Elizabeth Sawtell, Anna Sawtell and ""Mary Sawtell their and either of their heirs exec or assigns...(Middlesex County Deeds, 27:354).
"Unexplained is how Zachariah Jr. could sign off for these sisters, especially Elizabeth, who had heirs of her own.

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Sources:

1. Vital Records of Watertown - Births, SAWTELL (Satle, Sautell, Sautle, Sawtle) Zachariah, s. Richard and Elisabeth, 26: 5m: 1643. MCR
2. The New England Historical & Genealogical Register, 1847-2011 for dr. Elizabeth Sawtell Volume 010 (1856)

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Links:

• Genealogy.com: Zachariah Sawtell
• "John1 Harris of Charlestown, Massachusetts, and North Yarmouth, Maine", Gale Ion Harris, NEHGR 170 (Spring 2016):152-59 (Part 1) link to article (This link doesn't work. 7 March 2021.)

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Note:

This is the source of confusion as to who the father of Elizabeth Sawtell, b. Feb. 3, 1668-9; m., in Wat., August 25, 1691, Joseph Morse, was. It gives her uncle Jonathan the credit.
Genealogies of the families and descendants of the early settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts...by Bond, Henry, 1790-1859, v. 1, Pub. 1860, Page 425

On FindAGrave.com it says that Zacrahia is Jonathan Sawtell.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/84064786/jonathan-sawtell?