SOURCE:
Extracted from Historic Homes & Institutions and Personal Memoirs of Worcester, County, Massachusetts. Prepared under the Editorial Supervision of Ellery Bicknell Crane, and Published by the Lewis Publishing Company, 1907. Vol # 1, pages 429-431
John Eaton (1) was the emigrant ancestor of Amos Madison Eaton, of Worcester, MA. He was the son of Nicholas and Katherine (Marston) Eaton, and was bapt. in England August 21, 1611. Nicholas Eaton was a curate and church warden. John Eaton received a bequest of ten ponds from his step-mother's will dated Apr. 10, 1635.
John Eaton is believed to have come with others of the family on the ship "Elizabeth and Ann" in Apr. 1635 (although others report he came before his family a year earlier on the ship "Hopewell"). He settled in Watertown, MA , where he was a proprietor, and where May 25, 1636, he was admitted a freeman. He removed to Dedham a year later and was proprietor there in 1637.
He married in England, Abigail Damon, or Dammant, who had two children, John and Jane, by her previous marriage. He died Nov. 17, 1658. The children of John and Abigail Eaton were: 1. Mary, bapt. in Dover, Eng., Mar. 20, 1630/1, married, May 5, 1651, John Mason. 2. John, bapt. in Dover, Eng., Oct 1, 1633, buried there Jan. 27, 1734. 3. Thomas, born in Eng., 1634, died in Dedham, Sept. 10, 1649. 4. John, born in Watertown(see forward). 5. Abigail, born in Dedham, Jan. 6, 1640, married Robert Mason, of Medfield. 6. Jacob, born in Dedham, Jun. 8, 1642, died Mar. 20, 1646.
SOURCE:
Bond's History of Watertown, says of John Eaton;
John Eaton, A very early settler of Watertown, was admitted
freeman 25 May 1636. The witnessing of the Will of John Eaton,
first of Watertown afterwards of Dedham, by Rev John Allin and
Hon Major Eleasser Lushing (Lusher), and the taking of the
inventory by Eleaser Lusher, Henry Chickering and John Hayward,
imply that he held a responsible position. He settled in
Watertown and lived there a year. He received several grants
of land in Watertown,
viz.: July 25, 1636, John Eaton, Forty acres
Feb 28 1636, John Eaton, Six acres
June 26, 1637, John Eaton, Six acres
April 9, 1638, John Eaton, Three acres
From which it would appear that he did not break off entirely
with Watertown until near the time he joined the Dedham Church
in 1641. The Dedham Covenant was dated 10th, of 7th 1630, and
has the signature of John Eaton, but probably he signed it some
months after the date. John Eaton's name first appears as
present at town meeting on 28th 9th month 1637: after he was a
regular attendant. A meeting house was ordered "to be in
length 36 Foote and 20 foote bredth & .... in ye studs 12
foote. 18, 11, 1637. Thomas Wright, John Dwight, Nicholas
Phillips and John Eaton have undertaken to fell Pynes and Oake
for it." John Eaton helped to build the first bridge over the
Charles river in Dedham. John Eaton's house was valued at
10p.8.0. But we must remember that measured in the money of
the presend day the houses would be worth three or four times
as much. John Eaton, took an active part in the affairs of the
little community: He served on committees to lay out land, was
Surveyor of Highways: was "Wood reeve" several years. In 1647
he was a "committee" to decide who was behind in their way
work. He, with his wife, was admitted to Dedham Church, July
5, 1642. He sold land in Watertown to Edward How.--- His Will
dated Nov 2 proved Dec 7, 1658, mentions wife Abigail; son
John, Mary & Abigail. Deposed inventory of the Estate taken
30:9:1659 by Eliazer Lusher, Henry Chickering, Jno Harvard:
Amt. 392p.10s. "Land in the Island Playne 23: "two pcels in
the great plaine 19; by South Plaine, at foule Meadow; Right in
an Island in the swamp, &c, Abigail relict of John Eaton
deposed, 16: 10-58."
WILL of John Eaton" Suffolk Probate Records, Vol. I, page 313,
Date 2nd of month 9th, 1658
"John Eaton, of Dedham, though sicke, yet sound in memory, doe
make this my last Will. --- I give ynto Abigail my wife, the
free vse of my parlor in my now dwelling house, & the Leantoe
thereunto adjoining and all the household stuffe at present in
them to her use, all the tearme she shall remaine a widdow; &
sufficient firewood for her vse, to be provided and Layd in the
yard at her assignment. I giue my wife, the annuitie of 6
pounds p ann. To be payd at the Endof each halfe yeare after my
decease, in such things as she needeth out of my estate
here-after to be disposed of, during her life; or the third pt
of my Lands during the same tearme; her selfe to chose which of
these two she best liketh. I giue unto my wife so much of my
other household stuffs as come to the value of 5 pounds, such
as her selfe shall make choyse of, and also one Cowe her selfe
to choose. I give to John Dammant, of Reading 5p; to John
Plimpton, of Meadfield 5p; vnto Edward Hobsman my kinsman, 40s.
The remainder of my Estate shall be devided into equall pts. &
that pt. Of her potion which my daughter Mary haue received to
be accounted therevnto; the one halfe whereof I giue to John
Eaton my sonne, and his heyres foreuer and the other halfe to
Mary and Abigail, my daughters and their heires; my sonne and
my two daughters to pay my wife, their mother, that 6p p. ann.
As aboue written I nominate Abigail, my wife, to be my
executrix."
John Allin Eleazer Lushing
Inventory of John Eaton
Taken 30th , of ye 9mo. 1658 by Eleazer Lushing, Henry
Cickering and John Hayard Haward.
31 yards of New Cloth 3.02.00
Bridle & Sadle I pillion I pannell
1.00.00
7 load Hay from foule meadow 3.10.00
The dwelling house & the 2 barns 45.00.00
I pcell of upland where the house stands
with the orchard as it encompassed with meadow 28.00.00
land in the Ilande playne broken & unbroken 28.00.00
the further pcell in the great plaine 7.10.00
the other 12.00.00
I Pcell by Thomas Panew 5.00.00
The meadow at home by the house lot
50.00.10
The Meadow enclosed by the Iland playne fence 9.00.00
2 pcells of swamp lying in the iland & one in the
South playne 6.00.00
Woodland distributed and near Meadfield
and all Common rights of all sorts 5.00.00
Furniture, rugg, blanket, Wearing apparell,
Farming Tools Oxen & Calves 2 mares,
I colt, sheep, lamb, swine, carts, ploughs,
yokes
180.09.00
329.10.00
Presented by Abigail Eaton, the relict of John Eaton 15; 10, 58
This inventory shows that he owned a lot in Fowl meadows, but
that his principal estate was on Dedham Island, and we shall
see that it included the land on which the Powder House Rock
was located. The estate was inherited by John Eaton 2nd , who
was but 22 years old when his father died.
In the spring of 1635, there came over to New England, in the
ship Elizabeth & Ann, Abigail, aged 35, formerly wife and widow
of one Dammant, and now the wife fo John Eaton; with her were
her children, "Jane Dammand, aged 9," Marie Eaton, aged 4 and
Thomas Eaton, 1. Her husband and her son John Dammant came
abord after the vessel left port, or preceeded them in another
vessel. They settled in Dedham.
"John Eaton of Dedham, though sicke, yet sound in memory, doe
make this my Last Will: I give unto Abigail my wife, the free
use of my parlor in my now dwelling house, & the Leantoe
thereunto adjoining, and all household stuff at present in the,
to her use all the time she shall remain a widdow .... I give
to John Dammant of Reding, ¶5; to John Plymmpton, of Medfield,
¶5; unto Edward Hodsman, my kinsman, 4os .... My sone and my
two daughters to pay to my wife, their mother, that ¶6 per
annum, as above written. I nominate Abigail, my wife, to be my
executris. 2: 9: 1658."
his
JOHN X EATON
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