It was, however, the passengers of the ship Mary and John, which had set sail from Plymouth, England in March of 1630, and disliking Salem when they arrived the end of May, went on to settle Charlestown.  Four ships soon followed, leaving the port of the Isle of Wight in April - the Jewel, Ambrose, Talbot, and the Arabella, the latter of which sailed four miles further up the Charles River where they settled Watertown.

The population of Watertown grew so rapidly that the settlers quickly dispersed.  The first considerable migration of these settlers was to Wethersfield, the oldest town of Connecticut, and the next was to Dedham which was located two miles above the falls of the Charles River, an area which had been laid out in September of 1635 by a handful of men including a Mr. Danforth and a Daniel Morse.

One of the first to settle in Watertown was Lewis Jones.  His wife, Ann Stone, had embarked with her father Simon Stone and her mother Joan (Clark), from Ipswich, England on April 15, 1635 in the ship Increase. Four children were born to Lewis and Ann in Watertown, these being Lydia, Josiah, Phebe, and Shubael Jones.

The daughter Lydia, married Jonathan Whitney (1634-1702) of Watertown on the 30th day of October 1656.  Of this Whitney family, it should be said that Jonathan was the son of John and his wife Elenor who had embarked at London in April 1635 in the Elizabeth & Ann, with their children John, Richard, Nathaniel, Thomas, and Jonathan the youngest, who was but one year old.  - The father John Whitney, was admitted freeman in March of 1635/36 and was Selectman for several years between the years of 1638 and 1635.  He was elected Constable of Watertown in 1641 and was Town Clerk in 1655.  In 1642 his homestead was situated on a 16 acre piece of land although he owned eight other lots, amounting to 212 acres.

In about the year 1659, he gave thirty-nine acres of this land to his son Jonathan who had taken the oath of fidelity seven years prior and had married Lydia Jones (daughter of Lewis) on the 30th day of October, in the year 1656. To this union was born twelve children, namely Lydia, Jonathan, Anna, John, Josiah, Ellen, James, Isaac, Joseph, Abigail, Elenor, and Benjamin Whitney.  It was their daughter, Anna, who had been born on the 28th day of April in 1660, who married into the Fisher family which has been traced to Saint John Fisher who had been born in Yorkshire, England in 1469.

Anthony Fisher, son of Anthony and Mary Ann (Fiske), had been baptized in Syleham, county of Suffolk, England in April of 1591.  In 1637 Anthony Fisher, his wife Mary (Buckingham), and their children Anthony, Cornelius, Nathaniel, Daniel, Lydia, and John came to Boston, departing most likely from Yarmouth in the ship Rose, and arrived in the last week of June. They settled in Dedham and subscribed to its covenant on July 18th of that year.

Mary Ann (Fiske) had descended from an ancient family who, until a recent period, had its seat and manorial lands in Laxfield, in the county of Suffolk, England.  Lord Symond Fiske, the grandson of Daniel, was Lord of the Manor of Standhaugh, parish of Laxfield, and had lived during the reign of Henry IV and VI (1399-1422).  His eldest son William had lived during the reign of Henry VI, Richard III, and Henry VII, and died about 1504.  His grandson Robert had fled England with his family during the religious persecution, returned, and later married Sybil Gould who had been in great danger as had her sister Isabell Gould, who had been held in the Castle Norwich.  Had Sybil's brothers not had such powerful influence in the county, it is believed by Sybil might not have escaped death.

The emigrant Anthony Fisher was said to have  had a proud and haughty nature so that although his wife Mary (Buckingham) had joined the Dedham Church in March of 1642, he was not comfortably accepted until some time later.  He was, however, made freeman in May of 1645 and had been chosen Selectman to act in town affairs in Dedham between the year 1646 and 1647, two years later became Deputy to the General Court, and in 1660 was County Commissioner.  When he died in his 80th year on April 18th of 1671 in Dorchester it was said of him that he was "an Englishman of strong and positive character, and that for the times, he had liberal means and was considered favorable by his fellow-settlers and citizens."  He and Mary's children were Anthony, Cornelius, Nathaniel, Daniel, Lydia, and John Fisher.

Their son Cornelius, who had been born in England in 1632 and had come to Boston at the age of five, married Leah Heaton, the daughter of Nathaniel who was a Boston mercer, and his wife Elizabeth (Wight). - He was listed as a carpenter and was made a freeman in May of 1649, and lived in the part of Watertown which later became Wrentham.  By his wife Leah, he had five children: Leah, Experience, Cornelius, Ann, and Eleazer. 

After his wife Leah died on the 12th day of January 1663/64, Cornelius married Sarah, the daughter of Richard Everett on July 24th of the year 1665. By Sarah, he had three more children: Dorothy, Sarah, and Jonathan.  Cornelius died in Wrentham on the 2nd day of January in the year 1698/99.

His son Cornelius, born in Dedham on the 8th of February 1659/60, married Anna Whitney, daughter of Jonathan Whitney and his wife Lydia Jones who were mentioned previously.  Cornelius and Anna had four children - Jonathan, Cornelius, Isaac, and Ann Fisher.

The youngest son Isaac was born in Wrentham/Watertown on the 19th day of May 1694 and married Esther, the daughter of Samuel and Esther (Ware) Mann.  Her father Samuel had been born in the nearby area of Cambridge and was the only son of William Mann (1607-1662) and his wife Mary Jarrad.  Esther's parents, Samuel and Esther, had married in Wrentham in 1673 where Samuel had engaged to keep the school in Dedham and where he continued in that honorable employment for several years.  Samuel had also been made freeman in 1678 and was ordained in 1692 thereafter known as Reverend Samuel Mann.  He preached in the area of Dedham for many years and died at Wrentham in May of 1719.

Isaac's mother-in-law Esther, was born in Wrentham on 28 Sep 1655*, and was  the daughter of Robert Ware and his wife Margaret Hunting who was the daughter of John Hunting, a Dedham proprietor as early on as 1638, and his wife Esther Seaborn.  Esther's father Robert Ware, had belonged to the Ancient and Honorable Artillery company of Massa- chusetts and was a proprietor in Dedham at least by 1642.  Aside from their daughter Esther, Robert and Margaret had had six other children who lived to adulthood: John, Nathaniel, Robert (who served under Mosely in Philip's war), Samuel, Ephraim, and Ebenezer Ware. They also had the following children*: Margaret born 14 Feb 1650/51 who died 22 Jul 1664; Elizabeth born 19 Nov 1661; and Joseph born 8 Sep 1663, and died 22 Sep 1663.

Philip's War, as mentioned here, refers to the Indian Chief Metacomet of the Wampanoag tribe.  He was the second son of the Wampanoag chief Massasoit who had been allies of the colonial settlers of Plymouth.  Like his father, whom he succeed in 1662, Philip (Metacomet) honored the treaties of his father until their lands were encroached upon by the English colonists. And to retaliate, Philip led an uprising in 1675 whereupon they burned several towns and killed many of the colonists. The colonists then banned together against the Indians, and althoughWatertown never suffered a hostile invasion and was often a place of refuge for those who fled other plantations to escape the atrocities of the Indian warfare, its occupants were among those who aided in the defense of the on-going warfare.  At least fourteen settlers from Water- town were among those men who were ordered to capture Indian women and children, and destroy the Indian crops, and by December 1675 the colonists had won a major victory - but not without their share of bloodshed.   In August of the same year, at least one Watertown man (William Flagg) had been slain at Lancaster, and Philip  (Metacomet) had also died the August following.  The numbers of Indians after the chief's death began to diminish, but the warring continued and included the slaying of another Watertown man, Lieutenant Gersham Flagg, who was killed at the Lamprey River in July of 1690.  This lieutenant was the son of Thomas Flagg whom Jonathan Whitney and his wife Lydia had sold the thirty-nine acres Jon's father had given them which was located near Stony Brook.

One of Isaac and Esther's children was Jonathan Fisher, born in Wrentham/Watertown on the 8th of October in 1720.  He married Betty Grant who was the daughter of Benjamin Grant and his wife Betty Ware.  She was born on the 3rd day of May in 1724, exactly 189 years before the birth of her fourth great-granddaughter Clara Constance Neagle.

This Fisher family, as well as several other families from the Watertown area (including Fiske, Flagg, Morse, Whitney, and Morse) were among the original proprietors of towns which began to spring up in Long Island, New Hampshire and Vermont, as well as Rhode Island where Jonathan and his wife Betsy had removed to by at least the year 1751 when their first child was born.

Betsey Grant-Fisher's death was recorded in the Providence Journal reading: "Betsey, widow of Jonathan, at Cumberland, aged 100 years, 10 months and 8 days, died on March 11, 1825."  Her husband Jonathan's death is not listed in the journal, but it would seem probable that he died in Alstead, New Hampshire.  His death is listed among records as being the 24th day of September, 1798.  Their eleven children listed in the vital records of Cumberland, Rhode Island were: Betty, Jonathan, Experience, Beria, Esther, Huldeth, Cornelius, Darius, Susannah, Christopher, and Aaron Fisher.

Their son Jonathan's marriage is listed as "Son of Jonathan, of Cumberland, and Phebe Thurston, daughter of James, of Plainfield, Connecticut married by Elder Abner Ballou on the 6th day of May in the year 1779."

From the town of Cumberland, the Fishers migrated to the area of Alstead, New Hampshire which had been settled by Samuel Chase and others in 1763.  This town is located twelve miles southeast of Charlestown, and fifty-six miles west by south from Concord.  Its first ordained reverend in 1782 is recorded to have been Jacob Mann who was most probably of some relation to Esther Mann who was the wife of Isaac Fisher.

The birth of Jonathan and Phebe's daughter Polly Fisher was not located in the New Hampshire records, but she was listed in the 1850 Vermont Census in the household of William Danforth, as having been born in New Hampshire.  Her death was recorded in Vermont vital records as: "Polly Morse died 05 Feb 1864 in Concord - she was 80 years, 8 months and 18 days old and was born in Alstead, NH - father Jon Fisher - mother Phebe," thereby verifying the foregoing information. View Death Certificate.

Although no record as yet has surfaced of Polly's marriage to Nathan Morse, the birth of their daughter Marianne Nichols Morse, is recorded in the Vermont records as: "Female, 16 May 1824 in Concord, daughter of Polly and Nathan Morse;" and her marriage is listed among the names of the grooms as: "William H. Danforth married Marianne N. Morse 08 January 1843 Concord, Vermont - residence of groom Concord - married by J.M. Russell, Minister of the Gospel."

Record of William Henry Danforth's place of birth has not yet been obtained, but was listed as NY on the 1850 Essex Co, VT and 1870 Winona Co., MN census records as well as death records of Minnesota - despite family papers which had stated he was born on the 4th of June 1819 in Troy, County of Orleans, Vermont.  It might be that family has listed his birth in Troy knowing he had been married there, but it is my suspicion that he was indeed born in New York as the three other records indicate, and also because a number of Danforths from the Massachusetts Bay area had migrated northward as had the Morses.

The first of William and Marianne Danforth's children were born in Vermont and were listed in the vital records, these being: Elizabeth who was born May 30, 1844 and died at 9 months of age on the 7th of March 1845 and who was buried in the Concord Cemetery; Albro Danforth who was born on August 25th of 1847 in Concord; and George who was born in Concord on the 28th of June 1851.  The births of the other children are not recorded in the Vermont records but the names of Addison, Lula, Frank and William are listed in the 1870 Winona county census of Minnesota in the town of Saratoga, Post  office of St. Charles.  The place of birth of these four children is listed as  having been born in the state of Wisconsin.

A search of the 1860 census found this family in Adams County, Wisconsin and again listed William's place of birth as New York, Mary Ann and Albro's as Vermont, and the children (young Frank only six months) as having been born in Wisconsin.

The children of William and Marianne Morse-Danforth who were not listed in Vermont vitals nor the 1860 or 1870 census were Nathan who had been born 13 June 1853 and died 1 February 1854 at the age of 7 months; and Clara born 14 September 1862 who died one year later. Although they were missed from the census records, their birth and deaths were written in the bible which had been given to Marianne by her mother Polly Fisher-Morse.

The marriages of these children were also recorded in the family bible:  Albro to Eunice M. Short on November 21, 1875 in Minnesota; Lula Danforth to Stephen E. Powers on 12 December 1875; Addison to Jennie Bridges; Frank to Elizabeth Ferguson on 19 January 1887; and William to Clarina Ferguson on 27 November 1890.

The death of the father, William Danforth, who was said to have been a  militia man who lost an eye fighting the Indians, is listed in the death records of Saratoga, Winona county Minnesota as 03 December 1872 and indicates he was 53 year-old farmer who had been born in New York.  His wife Marianne was last listed in the U.S. census records as living in Barnes County, ND in 1900. She was at this time living with her son Willie and wife Clara (Ferguson) not far from her son Albro and Eunice (Short) Danforth in Baldwin Township. Marianne died on the 20th day of September 1908 in Wayborn, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Albro Danforth, the son of William and Marianne, was married on the 21st of November in 1875 to Eunice Short who was the daughter of Martin and his wife Matilda Norman.  Although no record of birth has been obtained for her father which would provide information as to who his parents were, or yet discredit the fact that he was perhaps born in France, there is a Martin  Short recorded in the Vermont vitals as having been born in Montpelier, and having died of typhoid fever in 1859.  Since Eunice's father Martin listed his place of birth on his Volunteer Enlistment papers as having been born in Franklin, Vermont, it seems likely that he might have been the son of the Martin who died of typhoid, and that perhaps the grandfather had been the one who had come from France or perhaps Quebec, and changed the name Court to Short, and that Eunice's father then moved from Vermont and settled around the area of Brownsdale, Minnesota a couple years after 1860.

Eunice's father, Martin Short, had enlisted as a Private in Company K, the 9th Regiment of the Minnesota Infantry from Saratoga, Minnesota on the 22nd of January in 1864 and was declared on the muster roll, absent less than six months later.  Pension records state he'd been captured on June 10th by the Confederates at Brices Crossroads, Mississippi and had been taken prisoner to Andersonville, Georgia where he died of scurvy on August 17th of that year and was interred in the Andersonville Cemetery in grave #5941. (View Headstone).

Martin Short and his family were found listed in the 1860 Macoupin County, Illinois census in the township of Shipman.  The census taken on the 12th of August lists Martin, a 37 year-old farmer (b. 1823) born in Vermont, his value of real estate listed as 150.  His wife Matilda (Norman) is listed as  age 35 born in Canada, unable to read or write English; and their children listed are Mary age 11, Elizabeth age 6, and Eunice age 1 who were all listed as having been born in Illinois.

After the death of Martin at Andersonville Prison, his widow Matilda is found listed in the 1870 Winona County, Minnesota census as head of household with children (Elizabeth) Jane, Eunice, and George.  On the census her place of birth is listed as Ohio, as are her daughters - but son George is listed as having been born in Minnesota.  This information, aside from George's place of birth, appears to be inaccurate and it is my opinion that Matilda, not able to read or write, might have been afraid that had she stated she was born in Canada, she might not have received her widow pension. 

The 1850 census record of Macoupin County, IL seems to support the belief that Matilda was actually born in "French Canada." She had filed an Application for an Increase of Pension stating she had been married to Martin Short by Justice of the Peace John Morse in Bakersfield, County of Franklin, Vermont.  This affidavit also states Martin had come from St. Denis, Quebec to marry Matilda.  Their date of marriage listed in these papers is stated as June 30th 1844.  The papers also state Matilda's name prior to her marriage as Matilda Norman, and her date of death listed on the pension papers is 06 January 1902, Bromdale, Clay County, Minnesota.

If some of the family tradition holds true, she was said to have been part Mohawk Indian and had been raised in Montreal where she was sent to a Catholic Convent school after the Civil War.  This collaborates with the 1850 census of her having been born in Canada, and could be a possibility with the locality of the Mohawk River Valley and the settling of the French in Quebec. 

Matilda's children listed on her Widow's Declaration for Pension as having been under the age of sixteen at the time of her husband's death were: Elizabeth Jane born November 1st 1853, Eunice born August 15 1859, and George born May 8th of 1862, these all having been verified with physicians statements.

Eunice Short, who was living in Winona county, Minnesota in 1870, married on the 25th of November 1875, Albro Danforth, the son of William Henry and Marianne (Morse) Danforth.  Their children were Clara Anora (1876-1959) who married William F. Neagle (1870-1925) who was born in Chatsworth, Illinois ; Elizabeth (1878-1958) who married George Lockwood (1862-1935) who was born in Yorkshire, Great Britain; Lillian (1880-1961) who married Daniel J. Crowley (1866-1950); George (1881-1960) who married Agnes M. Patterson (1880-1965) who was born in Clackmannan, Scotland; Pearl (1883-1940) who married John (Ole) Olson (1873-1952) who was born in St. Paul, Minnesota; Ruby (1886-1990) who married Knonley F. Moffitt who was born in 1883 in Barron, Wisconsin; Harry (1888-1937) who married Daisy Rorebeck who was born in Ontario, Canada in 1900; Everett (1892-1961) who married Mabel Knappen; Robert (1893-1979) who married Avis Sherburne (1892-1975) who was born in Colfax, Wisconsin; and Leonard (1896-1986) who married Jean Alexander who was born in Lethbridge, Canada in 1904.

Albro Danforth left the United States and went to Canada where he died at Purple Springs, Alberta, Canada on November 2nd of 1917.  His wife Eunice died at Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 1952.