~ JOHN FAY FAMILY ~

The following information comes from

A GENEALOGICAL DICTIONARY of THE FIRST SETTLERS OF NEW ENGLAND, SHOWING THREE GENERATIONS OF THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE MAY, 1692
ON THE BASIS OF FARMER'S REGISTER.
BY JAMES SAVAGE, published 1860

FAY, HENRY, Newbury, weaver, died 30 June 1655, unmarried.

JOHN, Marlborough, son of David, who both landed in Marlborough 1655, yet that may not prove his personal company came in the Speedwell 1656 from London, a youth of 8 years lived at Watertown, by wife Mary, had David, who died 2 August 1676, and the mother died not long after; and he married 5 July 1678, Susanna, widow of Joseph Morse, eldest daughter of William Shattuck, had David, again, 23 April 1679; Gershom, 10 Oct. 1681; Ruth, 13 July 1684; and Deliverance, 7 Oct. 1686. Shattuck says his widow married 30 July 1695, William Brigham, perhaps arrived 1678, freeman 1690, may be the progenitor. of the numerous race in Southborough and vicinity.

RICHARD, Dorchester 1634.

WILLIAM, Boston 1643. Seven of this name had, in 1834, been graduated at Harvard and six at other N. E. colleges

The following information comes from various sources

John FAY, embarked May 30,1656, at Gravesend, on board the Speedwell, Robert Locke, Master, and arrived at Boston on the 27th of June. Among the passengers were Thomas Barnes aged 20, Shadrach Hapgood aged 14, Thomas Goodnow age 20, Nathanial Goodnow aged 16 and  John Fay, aged 8 years. He arrived at Sudbury, Massachusetts as early as 1669, where the births of his children are recorded. He married Mary Brigham, by whom he had several children. On the breaking out of King Philip's war in 1775, he was in Marlborough, Massachusetts and was designated among others to defend the garrison house of William Kerley in case of attack. Like most of the settlers, he left the town soon after, and repaired to a place of greater safety.

While in Watertown, to which he had retired, he buried his wife, and one of his sons; and on the 5th of July, 1678, he married Mrs. Susanna Morse, wid. of Joseph Morse. Her maiden name was Shattuck, daugther of William Shattuck, of Watertown, Massachusetts. After the return of peace, he came back to Marlborough, where he died.

David Fay, son of John Fay, born in Marlborough and settled in that part of Marlborough which became Southborough.  His family was the first family by the name of Fay located in Southborough.

John Fay Jr., son of John Fay was born in Marlborough in that part of Marlborough which is now known as Westborough where on October 28, 1724, when Westborough was a town,  he became one of the thirteen original members of  the Congregational Church of Westborough and was the church's first Deacon.  He was the first Town Clerk and held the position for eleven years.

James Fay, son of John Jr. And Elizabeth (Wellington) Fay, was a farmer and removed to Hardwick, Massachusetts.  He became a Deacon of the Separatests Church when it was organized in 1750.  He was denounced as a "Tory" and refused to take up arms against the King of England.

Benjamin Fay, son of John and Elizabeth (Wellington) Fay, inherited the homestead of his father.  He served as a school committeeman, treasurer and selectman for many years when Westborough became a town. He was a Captain in the militia.

He was the fourth son of Capt. John Fay, who was born in Marlboro, Nov. 30, 1669. Capt. Stephen Fay had four children born in Westboro, and in the Year 1742 - 3 he moved with his family to Hardwick, where he remained a few years. Then with his family he moved to Bennington, Vt., and was one of the first settlers of the town. He built the famous Catamount Tavern, the first public-house west of the Green Mountains. It was burned about eighteen years ago (1870) -a great loss, certainly, to those who appreciate memorials of the past. In this house were held in t 1777 all the meetings of the council of safety, and in it the British officers were confined as prisoners of war Aug. 16, 1777. There is now standing (1888) just in front of the house-spot a granite block, about seven feet high and four feet square, with very appropriate inscriptions thereon.
Capt. Stephen Fay had five sons in the battle of Bennington.

John Fay, his oldest son, was killed instantly by a ball through the head, while the other four escaped without injury. A message was sent to bear the solemn tidings to Capt. Fay as gently as possible. He told him he had something bad to tell him concerning one of his sons. The Captain instantly asked. him "Did he disobey orders? Or desert his post?" " No." "Did he falter in the charge?"  "No, worse than that. He is dead," was the answer. "Then it is not worse," exclaimed the father. "Bring him in, that I may once more gaze on the-face of my darling boy." And when they brought him in, covered with dust and blood, he called for water and a sponge, and with his own hands bathed the disfigured features; declaring at the same time that he had never experienced a more glorious or happy day in his life.

Dr. Jonas Fay, the second son of Capt. Stephen Fay, was born June 2S, 1736, at Westboro, and stood second only to Ira Allen in the state of Vermont in his clay. When nineteen years of age, in 1755, he was clerk of Capt. Sam. Robinson's company in the old French war, and was but twenty-nine years old when he came to Bennington. He was clerk to the convention of settlers that met in 1774- He. was surgeon to Allen at the capture of Ticonderoga, and also surgeon for a time in Col. Warner's regiment.  From this time he appears as an officer or leading member of nearly every popular convention that met in Vermont. He was clerk to the Dorset convention of 1776, and also to that of the following July. He was a member of the Westminster convention of January, 1777, that declared Vermont an independent state, and author of their declaration and petition to congress. He was secretary to the convention of July, 1777, that formed the constitution of the state, and was vice-president of the council of safety during; the Bennington campaign, and also was in the battle. Dr. Fay was a member of the state council for seven years from 1778. Was judge of the supreme court in 1782, and judge of probate from 1782 - 1787.  He was agent of the state before the Continental congress, in the years 1777, 1779, 1781, 1782, and during his whole life he seems to have been eagerly sought after by his fellow-citizens as a man of extraordinary talents for the public service. He died at Benninbton, May 6, 1818. The following is the inscription on his monument

"The sweet remembrance of the just
Shall flourish when they sleep in dust."

Colonel Joseph Fay, who was born at Hardwick (date not at hand), was likewise a man of note. He was also in the battle of Bennington. Our foreign minister to Prussia, who so able represented this country for many years, was Richard S. Fay, the great-grandson of Joseph Fay.

John S Fay

Subject: John S. FAY Source: Biographical Review Life Sketches of Leading Citizens of Middlesex County, Massachusetts 1898 Biographical Review Publishing Company - Boston pp. 338 - 341 John S. Fay, postmaster of Marlboro, Mass., was born in Berlin, Mass., on Jan. 15, 1840, son of Samuel Chandler Fay and wife, Nancy (Warren) Fay. He was 7th generation from John Fay, b. in England 1648 who embarked May 30, 1656 on the ship, "Speedwell", Robert Lock, master, and arrived at Boston, Mass., June 27, 1656 John Fay was bound for Sudbury, Mass., but in 1669 he is known to have been in Marlboro, Mass., and the births of his eight children are recorded as taking place in Marlboro. The name of his lst wife is not known. His 2nd wife was the widow, Mrs. Susannah Morse whose lst husband was Joseph Morse. She was the daughter of William Shattuck of Watertown, Mass., b. in 1643. After the death of John Fay she m. (3) Thomas Brigham. John Fay was driven from Marlboro in 1675 during King Philip's War and went to Watertown, where he buried his lst wife and one son. After the war he returned to Marlboro and died there Dec. 5, 1690. The line of descent from his is through Gershom Fay b. Oct 19 1681 and died 1720; Gershom Fay, Jr. b. 1703 d. 1784; Adam Fay b. 1736, d. 1810; Baxter Fay b. 1775 d. 1854 and Samuel Chandler Fay, above named. John S. Fay's mother, Nancy (Warren) Fay was a grand-daughter of Benjamin Warren. After marriage they resided at Westboro, Mass. They had fifteen children. Joseph Fay one of the children was born at Westboro, Mass., abt 1785 and was a twin to his brother, Benjamin Fay, Jr. He m. Arethusa Seaver dau of Edwin Seaver of Worcester. He was a farmer. His children were Nancy b. 1817 who m. Samuel C. Fay and became the mother of John S. Fay; Joseph Fay and William Warren Fay. John S. Fay resided in Marlboro from 1848. He was educated in the public schools of Marlboro and a commercial college in Worcester. On July 16, 1861 he enlisted in Company F of the 13th Mass. Regiment of Volunteers and was in service until April 30, 1863. He was in action near Fredericksburg, VA and received wounds from a shell fired from the Confederate ranks that cost himhis right arm and leg. He was at this time holding the rank of Sergeant. Six weeks later on June 15, 1863, while in the field hospital he was captured by the Confederates and until July 17 was confined at Libby Prison at Richmond. He was then paroled and sent to the hospital at Annapolis and from there discharged. He reached his home in October of that year the most crippled and mutilated of all the survivors of the 800 and 31 men that Marlboro sent into the service of the government during the great struggle for the preservation of the Union. Mr. Fay was appointed Postmaster of Marlboro by President Andrew Johnson in May of 1865, and by successive apptmts he held the office, receiving his 9th commission in 1895. He was retained during this long period not only because he was a veteran but also because the efficiency of his service as Postmaster was strongly marked and the people of this city were satisfied that the affairs of the office could not have been more sucessfully administered. He was Tax Collector for the town of Marlboro in 1867 and 1868. He was a member of John A. Rawlins Post No. 43, G.A.R of which he was one of its organizers in 1868. He held many official positions in that body. He was a member of the committee appntd by the town to erect the soldier's monument. In 1874 he was elect Junior Vice- President of the Dept. of Mass. of the Grand Army of the Republic. He m. Nov. 20, 1869, Lizzie Ingalls, dau of James Munroe Ingalls and wife, Elizabeth (Pratt) Ingalls. His wife descended from Edmund Ingalls who settled at Lynn, Mass., in 1629 the line being continued from Edmund Ingalls thru Henry, Henry, Jr., Josiah, Josiah 2nd, Josiah 3rd, and James to her father, James M. Ingalls James Munroe Ingalls b. May 8, 1819 at Jaffrey, NH. His father died when he was eleven yrs old and after living three years with a farmer in Rindge he went to live with his uncle Josiah in Fitzwilliam, NH. From 1865 until his decease in 1894 he was a carriage maker in Marlboro. He was a veteran of the late war having enlisted in company F of the 16th New Hampshire Reg. and served in the army of the Gulf and the seige of Fort Hudson. He had two children, of which Mrs. Fay was the only one living. Mr. & Mrs. Fay had one son, Frederic Harold Fay b. July 5, 1872. He grad from the Mass. Institute of Technology in the class of 1893 and after a year of post- graduate work he took his degree of Master of Science. He was in the office of the city engineer of Boston as designer of bridges and structural work. He m. April 21, 1897 Clara Potter dau of J. Fred Potter of Quincy, Illinois. They had one child, Allen Potter Fay. The family resided in Boston. John S. Fay was a member of Marlboro Lodge, No. 85., I.O.O.F. in which he was passed thru all the chairs;and he also belonged to the Grand Lodge of Mass. He was closely identified with the Marlboro Co-operative Bank from its organization. And he was a vice-president and chairman of the Security Committee of its Board of Directors. He was for many years an active member of the Unitarian Church in Marlboro.

Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth
 

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