Robert 3 was born in Marlboro on 20 Jul 1715 and died on 19 Dec 1810.
In 1749 he purchased of Jacob Wheeler a farm situated in Southboro about one and a half miles east by south from the center, where he is supposed to have reared his great family of 20 children, which could hardly have allowed him time to serve the public in any office.
He was, however, Surveyor and Collector of Taxes in 1747, Constable in 1755 and Tythingman in 1753 & 1768. He served in the French & Indian War, and attained the rank of Captain before the close of the war.
An unparalleled circumstance occurred with Robert and his brother Aaron. Each married two wives and had 20 children. Each wife had 10 children, and of each wife's children, there were 7 sons and 3 daughters, a total in the two families of 28 sons and 12 daughters.
Robert married Elizabeth Joslyn who died 4 Sep 1760. He then married Anna Harrington. Children of Robert and Elizabeth were:
- i. Elizabeth, b. 27 Mar 1744, d. 18 Nov 1797, m. Abner Ward 30 Dec 1773; 4 children
- ii. Robert, b. 30 Sep 1746, died young.
- iii. Nathaniel, b. 18 Sep 1747, d. 22 Aug 1812,m. Ruth Rice, 15 children
- iv. Reuben, b. 25 Sep 1749, d. 12 Nov 1797, m. Bethia Fay, Aaron's daughter, 21 Oct 1771; 12 children, 8 of whom died in 1796 within 42 days, possibly a result of their near kinship.[??!]
- v. Asa, b. 11 Nov 1752, d. 2 Nov 1818, m. Comfort Newton
- vi. David, b. 5 Mar 1755, d. 7 May 1806, m. Jane Ward; 8 children
- vii. Joshua, b. 9 Feb 1757, died young
- viii. Submit, b. 8 Mar 1758, died young
- ix. Rebecca, b. 21 Jul 1759, died young
- x. Elijah, b. 26 Aug 1760, died young
- xi. Jason, b. 31 Mar 1786
- xii. Robert (2)
- xiii. Ephraim, b. 31 Jul 1768, d. 1779
- xiv. Enoch, b. 7 Sep 1770
- xv. Daniel, b. 6 Dec 1772, d. 1783
- xvi. Rufus, b. 13 Dec 1779, killed by his team of horses, m. Patty Woods; 11 children
- xvii. Silas (no information)
- xviii - xx were daughters
Robert (2) 4 was born in Southboro 24 Mar 1764 and died 10 Nov 1810. He was and Overseer of the Poor and Selectman. He married Submit Rice, daughter of Jonathan Rice of Framington May 1783.
Children of Robert and Submit were:
- i. Lucy, b. 17 Jan 1784, m. Jonathan Gay of Hopkinton.
- ii. Ephraim, b. 3 Mar 1785, d. in NY, m. Sally Perry
- iii. Grant
- iv. Nelly, b. 2 Apr 1789, d. somewhere before 1840, m. Deacon George Brigham in 1815; 6 children
- v. Col. Artemas, b. Southboro 15 Mar 1791, d. 6 Mar 1876, m. Hannah Dickerman, daughter of John Dickerman of Hopkinton, one of the Boston Tea Party participants. Artemas and Hannah had 9 children.
- vi. Anna, b. 20 Feb 1793, d. ?, m. Seth Belknap of Westboro 27 Jun 1813. After his death in 1840, m. Deacon George Brigham, who had been married to her sister Nelly. 3 children by first marriage.
- vii. Elijah, b. Southboro 24 Jul 1795, d. 23 Dec 1872, m. Martha Walker Knight 19 Mar 1817. They eventually moved to Elgin IL in 1840, nearby to a farm owned by his brother Rice. There were 9 children.
- viii. Rice, b. Southboro 23 Jun 1797, d. ?, m. Esther Shumway 24 May 1821, after which he removed to Chicago. Rice and Esther had 6 children.
- ix. Clarissa, b. 4 Jun 1799, m. Henry Hubbard of Southboro.
- x. Russell, b. 10 Apr 1801, d. ?, m. Eliza Hollis of Worcester 28 May 1825; 1 child
- xi. Jonathan, b. 6 May 1803, d. 22 Sep 1805.
- xii. Dolly, b. 22 Feb 1806, d. ?, m. Lucian Harrington of New Braintree
- xiii. Harrison K., b. 10 Sep 1808, d. ?, m. Isabella Kingston, resided new Kingston IL, about 40 mi. from Racine WI; 8 children (oldest was named Thomas Jefferson Fay).
Grant 5 was born in Southboro 7 Jan 1787. He died ?? Grant married Mary Littlefield, date unknown. He resided in the SE part of Southboro; he inherited his grandfather's homestead (Robert 2). Grant was a Selectman, Overseer of the Poor and held other town offices.
Grant and Mary had 8 children:
- i. Mary Ann Rockwood, b. 29 Oct 1813, d. 2 Oct 1850, m. Nathan L. Johnson
- ii. Charles Littlefield, b. 21 Aug 1816, d. ?, m. Elizabeth Morse of Marlboro
- iii. Addison Grant, b. 24 Sep 1818, d. 24 Mar 1873 in an explosion at his gun powder mill in Concord, m. Ocean Anna Morse 26 Sep 1842; 8 children, all born in Concord.
- iv. Eliphalet Rice
- v. Electa Wheaton, b. 28 Aug, 1823, d. 6 Jan 1847, unmarried
- vi. Caroline Elizabeth, b. 25 Jul 1826, d. 8 Oct 1846, unmarried
- vii. Susan Maria, b. 15 Aug, 1829, m. Sullivan T. Ball of Southboro
- viii. Eliza Elvira, b. 1832, d. 1836