The New England Meetinghouse was the only municipal building in a town. Both worship and civil meetings were held there. It was customary for men and women to sit separately and the town chose a committee once a year to assign seats according to what was paid, age, and dignity.
Guardianship is when a court gives an adult custody of a child and/or the responsibility of managing the child's property. Before women could own property, guardians were appointed for their minor children if their husband died.
Captain Isaac Powers was born on April 9, 1665 in Littleton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. His parents were Walter Powers and Trial Shepard.
He was captain of the militia and was active in civic affairs. He petitioned for the incorporation of the town of Littleton and moderated the first town meeting. He held various town offices for many years. He served as a member of the general court twice. He was the colonial agent for conveying lands.
He married Mary Poulter Winship, on April 14, 1701. Mary was born in 1668. She was the daughter of John Poulter and Rachel Eliott of Medford.
Mary was the widow of Samuel Winship of Lexington. Samuel was born on October 24, 1658 and was the son of Lieutenant Edward Winship and Elizabeth Parks. Mary and Samuel lived in Lexington and had at least one son, Samuel Winship, Jr. Samuel, Sr. died on June 18, 1695. Isaac Powers was appointed as Samuel, Jr.'s guardian.
Isaac and Mary's children included: Isaac Powers, Jr. (August 26, 1701 to December 15, 1729),
Jonathan Powers (February 20, 1703/04), Gideon Powers (December 31, 1706),
Lucy Powers Powers (Luce—March 9, 1705, married Ephriam Powers son of William Powers and Mary Bank),
Hannah Powers (March 21, 1709, she may have married Barnabas Davis),
Tryphena Powers Laurence (May 22, 1711),
Ephraim Powers, and Mary Powers Davis (1724).
The Powers Family by Amos Powers has both Mary the daughter of Joseph Powers and Hannah Whitcomb (p. 24) and Mary the daughter of Captain Isaac and Mary Poulter the wife of Simon Davis, Jr. (p. 15).
Isaac was a member of the committee which assigned seating in the meeting house when it was completed in 1723.
Isaac died in 1735. Mary died in 1743.
Littleton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts was first settled in 1686 by English settlers and was the the location of the Native American village called Nashoba Plantation
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.
Middlesex County, Massachusetts was created on May 10, 1643. The county originally included Charlestown, Cambridge, Watertown, Sudbury, Concord, Woburn, Medford, Wayland, and Reading.
Early European settlers in the American colonies were mostly farmers and craftsmen. They had to work hard to provide daily neccesities for themselves.
