Middlesex County, Massachusetts was created on May 10, 1643. The county originally included Charlestown, Cambridge, Watertown, Sudbury, Concord, Woburn, Medford, Wayland, and Reading.
Lush forests in Colonial America allowed settlers to build wooden homes.
Nathaniel Fiske was born on May 12, 1653 or July 12, 1653 in Watertown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. He was the son of Nathan and Susannah Fiske. Nathaniel was a weaver.
He married Mary Warren Child in Watertown on April 13, 1677. She was born November 29, 1651 in Watertown. She was the daughter of Daniel Warren and Mary Barron and the widow of John Child. John died on October 15, 1676.
Mary already had four children:
Mary Child (1663),
John Child (1669, married Hannah French),
Eliza Child (1670), and
Daniel Child (1677, married Beriah Bemis).
Nathaniel and Mary's children included:
Nathaniel Fiske (1678, married Hannah Adams),
Hannah Fiske Bigelow (1680, married Joshua Bigelow),
John Fiske (1683, married Lydia Adams),
Sarah Fiske Hastings (1684, married John Hastings),
Lydia Fiske Warren (1687, married John Warren),
Mary Fiske Knapp (1690, married James Knapp),
Elizabeth Fiske Flagg (1692, married Benjamin Flagg) and
Abigail Fiske Flagg (1698, married Allen Flagg).
Mary died May 12, 1734 and Nathaniel died on September 23, 1735.
Old Style Calendar
Before 1752 the year began on Lady Day, March 25th,. Dates between January 1st and March 24th were at the end of the year. Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) are used to indicate whether the year has been adjusted. Often both dates are used.
Watertown was settled in 1630 by English Puritans in Middlesex County, Massachusetts.
1677 Map of New England
click to enlarge
Coverlets (Coverlid) are woven bedcovers, used as the topmost covering on a bed.
King Philip’s War was a bloody and costly series of raids and skirmishes in 1675 and 1676 between the Native American people and the colonials. King Philip was the Native American leader Metacom.
In 1721, Boston had a terrible smallpox epidemic. Citizens fled the city and spread the disease to the other colonies. Inoculation was introduced during this epidemic by Zabdiel Boylston and Cotton Mather.
Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County, Massachusetts: With a History of Worcester Society of Antiquity, by Ellery Bicknell Crane, published by The Lewis Publishing Company, 1907
Nathaniel Fiske, son of Nathan Fiske (9), was born at Watertown, July 12, 1653; married April 13, 1677, Mary (Warren) Child, born November 29, 1651, daughter of Daniel Warren, of Watertown, and widow of John Child, of Watertown, born 1636, died October 15, 1676. She died May 12, 1734. He was a weaver. His will is dated June 10, 1735, and was proved October 3, 1735. He was a weaver by trade. He died September, 1735.
Children:
1. Nathaniel, born June 9, 1678;
2. Hannah, born August 29, 1680; married October 17, 1701, Joshua Bigelow, Jr.; settled at Westminster.
3. John, born March 17, 1682; married Lydia Adams.
4. Sarah, born July 4, 1684; married January 8, 1706, John Hastings, Jr.
5. Lydia, born December 2, 1687; married May 14, 1711, John Warren.
6. Mary, baptized April 20, 1690; married in Watertown, October 30,1716, James Knapp.
7. Elizabeth, born June 24, 1692: married January 25, 1715, Captain Flagg, Jr., who settled in Worcester.
8. Abigail, born August 28, 1698; married April 10,1717, Allen Flagg, Jr.
John Winthrop (1587/8 – 1649) was a leading figure in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He led the first migrants from England in 1630 and served as governor for twelve years. His vision of the colony as a Puritan "city upon a hill" dominated New England's development.
Genealogy of the Child, Childs and Childe Families by Elias Child
John Child, third son and child, as it appears, of William Child was born after his parents removal to America, in 1636, in Watertown, Mass.; m. 1st, Mary; m. 2d, May 29, 1668, Mary Warren, who was b. Nov. 29, 1651, and was a granddaughter of John Warren, who came to America in the "Arabella" with Governor [John] Winthrop, in 1630...
Mr. John Child took a prominent part in the affairs of town and colony, and was chosen representative to the General Court of Massachusetts. He became the head of a large line of posterity, who have honored the name. By a nuncupative will, witnessed by his brother Richard and two others, he left to his eldest son, John, his "dwelling house with its lot of twelve acres, also some meadow lands," and "the reversion of all lands upon the little plains." His youngest son, Daniel, received his farm lands. Mr. Child died Oct. 15, 1676,
Mrs. Child remarried; and d. May 12, 1734, ae. 83. [Third Generation.] Children:
i. Mary Child, b. Jan. 8, 1663
ii. John Child, b. Apr. 25, 1669, m. Oct. 5,1693, Hannah French
iii. Eliza Child, b. July 24, 1670.
iv. Daniel Child, b. June 5, 1677, m. Jan. 29,1702, Beriah Bemis.
Any man entering a colony or becoming a a member the church, was not free. He was not forced to work, but his movements were carefully observed to see if they followed the Puritanical ideal. After this probationary period, he became a "freeman." Men then took the Oath of a Freeman where they vowed to defend the Commonwealth and not to overthrow the government.
Europeans who made the voyage to America faced a difficult journey of several months.
from Genealogical and Personal Memoirs, Volume 3, edited by William Richard Cutter
Joshua Bigelow, eldest child of Joshua and Elizabeth (Flagg) Bigelow, born in Watertown, Massachusetts, November 25, 1667, died in that part of the mother town which afterward was set off to form the town of Weston, May 9, 1728.
He married, October 17, 1701, Hannah, daughter of Nathaniel Fiske;
children:
1. Joshua, born February 5, 1702; married Lydia Hastings.
2. Hannah, born March 6, 1704; married Cheeney.
3. Nathaniel, born June 17, 1707; married Hannah Robinson.
4. Lydia, born March 8, 1709; married Isaac Parkhest.
5. Elizabeth, born December 2, 1711; married David Wilson.
6. John, born June 24, 1715;
7. Abigail, born October 7, 1719.
8. Mary, born March 18, 1721; married James Sumner.
Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County, Massachusetts: With a History of Worcester Society of Antiquity, by Ellery Bicknell Crane, published by The Lewis Publishing Company, 1907
Daniel Warren, son of John Warren (1). was born in England, 1628. and came with his parents to America. He lived in Watertown, was a farmer, and died there. He was a soldier in King Philip's war; selectman of the town of Watertown, 1682 to 1698. He took the oath of fidelity 1652.
He married, December 10, 1650, Mary Barron. Children:
1. Mary, born November 29, 1651, died May 1, 1734: married, May 29, 1668, John Child.
2. Daniel, born October 6, 1653, admitted freeman April 18. 1690; selectman and deputy.
3. Hannah, born September 24,1655, married David Mead.
4. Elizabeth, born December 6, 165—, married Jonathan Taintor.
5. Samuel, born July 4, 1658.
6. Susanna, born December 26, 1663, died 1678.
7. John, born March 5, 1665-66,
8. Joshua, born July 4, 1668, died January 30. 1760.
9. Grace, born March 14, 1671-72, married, January 20, 1690-91, Joseph Morse, Jr.. of Watertown.
