JOHN BOYNTON [#984], b. Knapton, Wintringham, Yorkshire, Eng. 1614, bur. Rowley, MA 18 Feb 1670-1,[5] m. ELLEN PELL, d. Rowley 5 Aug 1689. She m(2) Rowley 30 Aug 1671[5] Maxemillian Jewitt, bap. Bradford, Yorkshire, England 4 Oct 1607, d. Rowley 19 Oct 1684, m(3) Ipswich, MA 1 Jun 1686 Daniel Warner.
John Boynton came to America with his older brother William by 1638, the year he settled in Rowley, MA. He married in this country Ellen Pell. She was a maid servant to Atherton Haulgh or Hough and was admitted to the Boston Church 4 Jul 1641 and dismissed to the Rowley Church 1 Oct 1643. John is said to have been a tailor by trade,[1] and this is confirmed by the inventory of his estate. Included were "woullen cloath and yarne" valued at 5 pounds, and "more woullen cloath, 15 s; a pair of loumes, 1 pound; wheel and cards, 5s".[3/2:214216] Thomas Abott was made an apprentice to John Boynton for a period of seven years in 1647.[4/1:113] John deposed in court in Mar 1662 that he as aged about 48 years.[8/891]
An early inventory of the lands in Rowley shows that John had a 1.5 acre house lot on Bradford Street bounded south by Michael Hopkinson and north by William Bointon and was on both sides of the street.[7/2] He also had over 12 acres of land in other parts of the town. John was chosen overseer of the town with three others in 1652,[7/71] 1654,[7/85] and again in 1655.[7/91] He was chosen overseer for the west end of town in 1665.[7/156]
John's will, dated 8 Feb 1670-1, mentioned his wife Ellen, children Joseph, Caleb, Hannah, Samuel, Sarah, John, and Mercy, and his brother William. John Boynton, Jr. was made executor as he had taken care of his parents since coming of age. The will was proved 28 Mar 1671.[3/2:214]
The inventory of the estate, taken 27 Feb 1670-1, listed "a hive of bees and an ould saddle, 1 pound 5 s". Honey bees are not native to North America but were most likely first brought to New England in the 1620's or 1630's. In any event John Boynton would have been one of the earliest beekeepers in this country. The inventory also included animals and "Tooles as belongeth to husbandry".[3/2:214216] As did most of the early settlers, John fed his family by raising and tending his own crops and livestock. The estate amounted to 233.13.00.[3/2:216]
REF: [1] The Boynton Family - John Boynton, 1897 (pgs.44-45)
[2] Early Settlers of Rowley, MA - Amos E. Jewett, 1933 (pg.26)
[3] Probate Records of Essex County - Essex Institute, 1916
[4] Records of the Quarterly Court of Essex County, 1911
[5] Rowley Vital Records (Boynton births vol. 1 pgs.24-28; marriages
pgs.250-251; deaths pgs.443-444)
[6] Jewett Family - Frederick Clarke Jewett, 1908
[7] The Early Records of the Town of Rowley - Benjamin Mighill
and George Blodgett, 1894
[8] The Ancestry of Charles Stinson Pillsbury and John Sargent
Pillsbury - Mary Lovering Holman, 1938
[9] Barnabas Davis and His Descendants - Sumner A. Davis, 1973
Children:
1. Joseph, b. 1644, d. Rowley, MA 16 Dec 1730,[5] m(1)
Rowley 13 May 1669[5] Sarah Swan, b. 1646, d. Groton, MA
27 Feb 1718-9, m(2) (int.) 5 Mar 1720 Elizabeth Wood
2. John, b. Rowley 17 Sep 1647, d. Rowley 22 Dec 1719, m(1) Rowley
8 Mar 1675[5] Hannah Keyes, m(2) Mary Wainwright, widow
3. Caleb, b. abt. 1649, d. 13 Sep 1708, m. Rowley 26 May 1674
Hannah Harriman
4. Mercy, b. Rowley 5 Dec 1651,[5] d. 22 Dec 1730, m(1) Josiah
Clark, m(2) ____ Hovey
5. Hannah, b. Rowley 26 Mar 1654,[5] d. Feb 1694, m. Nathaniel
Warner
6. Sarah, b. Rowley 19 Apr 1658,[5] d. Charlestown, MA 14 Dec
1704, m. Hopewell Davis, b. abt. 1644, d. Charlestown 17 Aug 1712
Chil: 1) John, b. 13 Apr 1684[9/8]; 2) Joseph,
b. 10 Feb 1686-7, d. 19 Apr 1687[9/8]; 3) Ebenezer,
b. 25 Mar, d. 24 Aug 1688[9/8]; 4) Sarah, b. 20
Oct, bap. 2 Nov 1690, m. Thomas Palmer[9/8]; 5) Eleanor,
b. 14 Jan 1693[9/9]; 6) John, b. 25 Aug 1698, d.
Harvard, MA 31 Jan 1768, m. 1721 Mary Kimball[9/12]
7. Samuel, b. abt. 1660, m. Hannah Switcher, d. Rowley 13 Mar
1718
JOSEPH BOYNTON (Capt.) [#492], b. Rowley, MA 1644, d. Rowley 16 Dec 1730,[3] m(1) Rowley 13 May 1669[3] SARAH SWAN (dau. of Richard Swan and Ann Spofford), b. Rowley 1646, d. Groton, MA 27 Feb 1717-8 (age 71),[4/2:206] m(2) (int.) 5 Mar 1720 Elizabeth Wood.
Joseph Boynton was a captain in Col. Francis Wainwright's 1st Regiment. He was also the town clerk of Rowley and a representative to the General Court for many years. He was a pinder for the northeast field in 1670-1.[1] He was made the constable in 1685, replacing Thomas Lambert, who had died.[5/9:531] Joseph and his wife Sarah and their son Benoni and his wife Ann were dismissed from the church in Rowley to that of Groton 14 Dec 1715[1] but after Sarah's death returned to Rowley.[6/892]
Capt. Boynton served in the Port Royal expedition in 1706 and '07. Port Royal was a port on the western shore of what is now Nova Scotia. Many attacks on New Englanders during the French and Indian Wars began in Canada, but since the forests separating New England and Canadian towns were controlled by hostile Indians, the best avenue of attack open to the English was by sea. The Port Royal expedition of 1707, an attack based upon this theme, failed when the attacking forces were repulsed. However in 1710 another expedition was mounted and the French surrended in the face of overwhelming odds. The name of the town was later changed to Annapolis Royal.
The military activity in which Joseph was involved was part of the second French and Indian Wars. On this side of the Atlantic it was called Queen Anne's War, named after the English monarch at the time. In Europe it was referred to as the War of the Spanish Succession and was fought over the Spanish Empire, which had been left without an uncontested heir in 1700, when the last Habsburg king, Charles II, died childless. Hoping to preserve the European balance of power, King Louis XIV of France and Britain's King William III had drawn up treaties in 1698 and 1700 to divide up the inheritance of the sickly Charles between the leading claimants, the French Bourbons and the Austrian Habsburgs. However, the dying king bequeathed all his territories to Phillipe, duc d'Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV. Louis accepted the inheritance for his grandson, who became Philip V of Spain, breaking the partition agreement. By subsequently coordinating the miltary, commercial, and political policies of Spain and France, Louis upset the European power balance. As a result, an antiFrench alliance was formed. Ultimately Franch, Spain, and Bavaria faced a Grand Alliance of the Austrian Habsburgs, most German princes, the United Provinces, and Britain.
The war that began in Europe in 1701 finally spread to New England by 1703. Various settlements in Maine were attacked, and early in 1704 a party of French and Indians surprised Deerfield, Massachusetts, killing many of the inhabitants and taking others into captivity. Attacks the same year in Marlboro resulted in the death of Mary Goodenow, a lame girl who was not able to flee with the others to the safety of the garrison. About the same time the Rice boys were taken captive from a site near the present day Westborough High School. The war continued for many years. Finally France and Spain, much weakened by their exertions against Britain and her allies, was eager for peace in 1712. After lengthy negotiations, an international agreement was reached at Utrecht in the spring of 1713. Spain retained Florida, but France was forced to relinquish Acadia to the British, and it became the new British colony of Nova Scotia. During the uneasy peace that followed, both the British and French resumed their competitive expansion into the transApplachian West. Therefore it was just a matter of time before more trouble broke out between the two.
No will for Joseph was ever recorded nor was there an administration of his estate. His gravestone is still standing in the Rowley yard reads: "Here Lies Ye Body of Capt Joseph Boynton who died December 16, 1730 Aged about 85 years Make Christ your friend Before you die that You may live Eternal".[6/893] The age on the stone indicates Joseph was born about 1644 or 1645 making him older than brother John whose birth is recorded in 1647. However, Joseph deposed in 1679 to be aged 30 and other records imply he was younger than John.[6/892]
REF: [1] The Boynton Family - John Boynton, 1897 (pgs.46-47)
[2] Early Settlers of Rowley, MA - Amos Everett Jewett, 1933
(pgs.26-27)
[3] Rowley Vital Records (Boynton births vol. 1 pgs.24-28; marriages
pgs.250-251; deaths pgs.443-444)
[4] Groton Vital Records
[5] Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County
- Essex Institute, Vol. IX, 1975
[6] The Ancestry of Charles Stinson Pillsbury and John Sargent
Pillsbury - Mary Lovering Holman, 1938
Children (born in Rowley, MA):
1. Joseph, b. 23 Mar 1669-70,[3] d. 25 Nov 1755, m. Rowley 30 Jan
1692-3[3] Bridget Harris, b. Rowley 24 or 26 Nov 1672,[3/89] d.
Rowley 14 Oct 1757[3]
2. Sarah, b. 11 Jan 1671-2,[3] m. 18 Dec 1690 Dea. Samuel Tenney,
b. 10 Nov 1667
3. Ann, b. 14 Aug 1673,[3] maybe d. 4 Jul 1737
4. Richard, b. 11 Nov 1675,[3] d. Rowley 25 Dec 1732,[3] m. Rowley
24 Dec 1701[3] Sarah Dresser, b. Rowley 4 Apr 1678,[3/71] d. Rowley
26 Aug 1759[3]
5. John, b. 9 Apr 1678,[3] d. Rowley 8 Oct 1718,[3] m. Rowley
17 Apr 1707[3] Bethiah Platts, b. Rowley 15 Mar 1688-9[3/171]
6. Jonathan?, b. 25 Feb 1679[3]
7. Benoni, b. 25 Feb 1681,[3] d. 30 Dec 1758, m. Rowley
4 Apr 1706[3] Ann Mighill, b. Rowley 8 Mar 1685-6,[3/126]
d. 31 May 1764
8. Jonathan, b. 19 Aug 1684,[3] d. Rowley 16 Mar 1740,[3] m. Rowley
6 Jun 1711[3] Margaret Harriman (dau. of Jonathan Harriman and
Sarah Palmer), b. Rowley 19 Aug 1686, d. Rowley 16 Oct 1752.
She m(2) Rowley 12 May 1742 Daniel Gage, d. Bradford, MA 14 Mar
1747-8, m(3) 5 Sep 1749 John Stewart
Chil. (b. in Rowley, MA)[6/894]: 1) Margaret, b.
5 Apr 1712, d. 20 Dec 1737, m. Dr. Philip Fowler; 2) Sarah,
b. 10 Dec 1713, m. Joseph Hutchins; 3) Elizabeth,
b. 21 May 1716, d. aft. 5 Apr 1782, m. Joseph Bailey; 4) Benjamin
(twin), bap. 12 Apr 1719, d. young; 5) Eleanor (twin),
bap. 12 Apr 1719, d. young; 6) Mary, b. 21 Aug 1721,
m. 17 Jan 1741-2 James Stewart; 7) John, b. 22 May
1723, m. 30 Mar 1742 Martha Atwood; 8) Anne, b.
29 Oct 1726
9. Hilkiah, b. 19 Nov 1687,[3] m. Rowley 2 Feb 1708-9[3] Priscilla
Jewett
10. Daniel, b. 26 Sep 1689,[3] d. Rowley 8 Oct 1689[3]
BENONI BOYNTON [#246], b. Rowley, MA 25 Feb 1681-2,[2] d. 30 Dec 1758, m. Rowley 4 Apr 1706[2] ANN MIGHILL (dau. of Stephen Mighill and Sarah Phillips), b. Rowley 8 Mar 1685-6,[2/136] d. 31 May 1764.
| 123. Sarah Boynton
|
246. Benoni Boynton |
492. Joseph Boynton |
984. John Boynton c.1614-1671 | 985. Ellen Pell ?-1689 |
| 493. Sarah Swan |
986. Richard Swan 1607-1678 | 987. Ann Spofford? ?-1658 |
|
|
247. Ann Mighill |
494. Stephen Mighill |
988. Thomas Mighill ?-1654 | 989. Ann Parrott ?-1694 |
| 495. Sarah Phillips |
990. Samuel Phillips c.1625-1696 | 991. Sarah Appleton c.1629-1714 |
Benoni Boynton grew up and was married in Rowley, MA. In 1715 he, his wife, and his parents moved to Groton, MA, having been dismissed from the Rowley church to the Groton church on 4 Dec 1715. In November 1727 it was decided to erect a meeting house in Turkey Hills (soon to become Lunenburg) without delay between the house of Benoni Boynton and Horsemeat meadow. Benoni and four others were appointed to be a committee to accomplish the work.[6/37] The following month Benoni was on a committee of four to preambulate the town line between Turkey Hills and Woburn.[6/3940] He had house lot number 80, which had originally belonged to Jacob Fullam.[6/57]
Benoni fought in an Indian War, called Dummer's War, as a soldier in Captain Lovewell's Company in 1725. His name appears on a list of soldiers involved in a march from Lancaster and Groton up into New Hampshire. Signs of Indian activity were found in the Lake Winnepesaukee and Saco River area. Finally, as one of the expeditioners wrote in his journal, "We traveled 5 miles and came to a wigwam where the Indians had been lately gone from, and then pursued their track about 2 miles further and discovered their smoke and then tarried till about two o'clock at night and then came upon them and killed 10 Indians which was all there was".[5/229230]
He removed from Groton to Lunenburg, MA in 1726 and to Winchendon, MA as early as 1754. Benoni was also a businessman. "Benoni Boynton of Rowley was to build a vessel or sloop for John Smith of Boston and was to have 200 pounds good and lawful money A.D. May 1, 1713".[1]
Benoni left no will. Administration on his estate took place in 1760.[4]
REF: [1] The Boynton Family - John Boynton, 1897
[2] Rowley Vital Records (Boynton births vol. 1 pgs.24-28; marriages
pgs.250-251; deaths pgs.443-444)
[3] Groton Vital Records
[4] Worcester County Probate (Series A Docket 6758)
[5] The Early Records of Lancaster - Henry S. Nourse, 1884
[6] The Early Records of Lunenburg - Walter A. Davis, 1896
Children:
1. Sarah, bap. Rowley 9 Mar 1707,[2] d. Rowley 5 Apr 1707
2. Sarah, b. Rowley 17 Jun 1708,[2] m. Groton, MA 27 Feb
1727-8[3/2:33] Samuel Davis, b. Groton 16 Aug 1695,[3/1:64]
d. Lunnenburg 1775
3. Stephen, b. Rowley 7 Apr 1710,[2] d. 1800, m(1) 14 Nov 1737
Sarah Johnson, d. Lunenburg 15 Mar 1751-2, m(2) Elizabeth Lovejoy,
b. abt. 171920, d. 18 Apr 1772, m(3) Sarah Stiles
4. Anne, b. Rowley 21 Nov 1713,[2] maybe m. 19 Apr 1733 Jacob
Davis
5. Dorcas, bap. Groton 25 Dec 1715[3/1:41]
6. Jane, b. Groton 3 Aug 1717, d. 7 Feb 1803 m(1) Groton 18 Jan
1737-8[3/2:32] William Nutting (son of Jonathan Nutting and Mary
Green), b. Groton 20 Sep 1712, d. Groton 2 Jun 1776, m(2) Timothy
Reed of Dunstable
Chil.: 1) Jane, b. 1741, m(1) Oliver Parker, m(2)
___ Hunter; 2) Sarah, b. 1747 m. Gershom Hobart;
3) Eunice, b. 1750, m. Timothy Dustin (son ___ Dustin
and Hannah), settled in Claremont, NH; 4) William,
b. Groton 10 Jul 1752, d. Groton 18 Apr 1832, m(1) 31 Dec 1778
Susanna (French) Danforth (dau. Joseph French), d. 12 Feb 1800,
m(2) Mrs. Mary Hubbard (dau. Thomas Barrett of Concord); 5) Mary,
b. 1755; 6) Abel, d. young; 7) Abel,
b. 1761, m. Polly Boynton; 8) Molly, d. young
7. Mary, b. Groton 7 Nov 1718, d. 13 Apr 1721
8. Elizabeth, b. Groton 10 Jul 1720, m. Groton 26 Nov 1740 or
1741[3/2:32] Elnathan Blood, b. Groton, MA 5 Sep 1717[3/1:31]
9. Mehitable, b. Groton 1 Nov 1721
10. Mary, b. Groton 20 Feb 17223
11. Benoni, b. Lunenburg 1 Jun 1726, m(1) Elizabeth ____, d. 26
Sep 1756, m(2) 2 Feb 1758 Mary Buttrick
12. Joseph, b. Lunenburg 28 May 1727, d. Jul 1727
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