Founders of Watertown

Please add Geni profiles of the original settlers of the town of Watertown, as represented on the Founders' Monument, listed below. Link the Geni profile in "bold" if you can.

• Watertown, Massachusetts, City. County: Middlesex. State: Massachusetts Country: United States. Coordinates: 42°22′15″N 71°11′00″W. Settled: 1630. Incorporated: 1630

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History

Watertown, first known as Saltonstall Plantation, was one of the earliest of the Massachusetts Bay settlements. It was begun early in 1630 by a group of settlers led by Sir Richard Saltonstall and the Rev. George Phillips and officially incorporated that same year. The alternate spelling "Waterton" is seen in some early documents.

From Historical sketch of Watertown:

THIS is an ancient town, it being settled the same year as Boston, in 1630. The first Englishmen who are known to have visited the place were Mr. Wareham and some of his people, who afterwards settled Dorchester; for an account of which the reader is referred to the history of that town in this work. The place in Watertown where they remained a few days is stated yet to bear the name of Dorchester Fields. Shortly after their removal, a permanent establishment was effected by another company. A party of the adventurous emigrants who came in Winthrop's fleet, with Sir Richard Saltonstall and Rev. George Phillips at their head, selected a place on the banks of Charles river for their plantation. On the 7th of Sept., 1630, (O. S.) the court of assistants, at Charlestown, "ordered that Trimountain be called Boston, Mattapan, Dorchester, and the town on Charles river, Watertown."
There are no means of ascertaining with precision the number of the first inhabitants, but it appears by the town records that in 1636 there were 108 townsmen. Probably the original number in 1630 was considerably less than this.
Taken from: Historical Collections Relating to the History and Antiquities of Every town in Massachusetts with Geographical Descriptions. By John Warner Barber. Worcester Published by Warren Lazell. 1848

Watertown Founders' Monument

From Watertown: Founders’ Monument

"At the end of July in the same year, 1630, Sir Richard Saltonstall led a second and permanent settling party of 115 households to Watertown. Several theories compete as to why he gave it the name. Valerie still thinks he made a mistake. Maybe she’d prefer “Pigs-go-suck.” At least seven of our ancestral families came with Saltonstall.
"Near Watertown Square on the north bank of the Charles stands today a handsome Founders’ Monument, featuring a life-size statue of Saltonstall. Neither the Square nor the Monument apparently marks the location of Sir Richard’s Landing. Which, as it turns out, is credited to two different places, nearby.
On the Founders’ Monument, we find some particularly inspirational words attributed to Sir Richard Saltonstall inscribed on the pedestal at his statue’s feet. They reveal a familiarity with Scripture, both in language and intent, consistent with his social position and educational attainment.

SIR RICHARD SALTONSTALL TO MR. WILSON AND MR. COTTON.

• “I HOPE YOU DO NOT ASSUME TO
• YOURSELVES INFALLIBILITIE OF
• JUDGEMENT WHEN THE MOST LEARNED
• OF THE APOSTLES CONFESSETH
• THAT HE KNEW BUT IN PARTE AND SAW
• BUT DARKELY AS THROUGH A GLASS”
• “THAT THE LORD WOULD GIVE YOU
• MEEKE AND HUMBLE SPIRITS, NOT TO
• STRYVE SO MUCH FOR UNIFORMITY AS
• TO KEEP THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT IN
• THE BOND OF PEACE”

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Founders list on monument

From Life from the Roots: Founder's Monument -- Watertown, Massachusetts

1. Thomas Arnold
2. John Ball
3. John Barnard
4. Ellis Barron
5. William Barsham
6. Michael Barstow
7. Thomas Bartlett
8. Richard Beach
9. Richard Beers
10. Joseph Bemis
11. John Benjamin
12. John Bigelow
13. Nathaniel Biscoe
14. Edmund Bloys
15. William Bond
16. Nathaniel Bowman
17. Thomas Boylston
18. Henry Bright, Jr.
19. Thomas Brooks
20. Abraham Browne
21. Richard Browne
22. George Bullard
23. Charles Chadwick
24. Lambert Chenery
25. Garrett Church
26. Hugh Clarke
27. John Coolidge
28. Benjamin Crispe
29. Henry Curtis
30. James Cutler
31. Richard Cutting
32. Robert Daniel
33. Edward Dix
34. John Doggett
35. John Eaton
36. John Eddy
37. Simon Eire
38. John Eliot
39. Robert Feake
40. John Firmin
41. David Fiske
42. John Fiske
43. Nathan Fiske
44. Thomas Flagg
45. John Flemming
46. Samuel Freeman
47. Richard Gale
48. Edward Garfield
49. John Goss
50. Christopher Grant
51. Nicholas Guy
52. William Hagar
53. William Hammond
54. Robert Harrington
55. Thomas Hastings
56. Justinian Holden
57. Ephraim Child
58. Samuel Hosier
59. Edward How
60. Miles Ives
61. William Jennison
62. Robert Keyes
63. Richard Kimball
64. William Knapp
65. John Knight
66. Edward Lamb
67. John Lawrence
68. Edmund Lewis
69. John Livermore
70. John Lovering
71. Hugh Mason
72. John Masters
73. Thomas Mayhew
74. Isaac Mixer
75. Joseph Morse
76. George Munnings
77. Jeremiah Norcross
78. John Oldham
79. John Page
80. William Paine
81. George Parkhurst
82. Daniel Patrick
83. Anthony Peirce
84. Brian Pendleton
85. Thomas Philbrick
86. Rev. George Phillips
87. John Prescott
88. John Reynolds
89. John Richardson
90. Thomas Rogers
91. Sir Richard Saltonstall
92. Richard Sawtell
93. Robert Sanderson
94. Robert Seely
95. William Shattuck
96. John Sherman
97. John Smith
98. John Spring
99. Isaac Stearns
100. John Stimson
101. Gregory Stone
102. Simon Stone
103. Samuel Stratton
104. Joseph Tainter
105. Gregory Taylor
106. Samuel Thatcher
107. John Traine
108. Martin Underwood
109. Richard Waite
110. John Warren
111. Roger Wellington
112. John Wetherell
113. Timothy Wheeler
114. John White
115. John Whitney
116. Richard Woodward

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resources

• Wikipedia
• Watertown Free Public Library >Watertown Monuments and Historical Markers > Founders' Monument
• Founders Monuments & Bridges in New England - Watertown
• Watertown Founders Monument is rededicated Wicked Local, By Natalia Knochowski, correspondent Posted Jun. 10, 2009 at 12:01 AM
• Genealogies of the families and descendants of the early settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts, including Waltham and Weston : to which is appended the early history of the town. by Bond, Henry, 1790-1859; Jones, Horatio Gates, 1822-1893 Published 1860.
• Ray's Place - Vital Records of Watertown MA to the end of the year 1849
• Watertown
• Founders of Watertown