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.
Walter Powers, Jr. was born on June 28, 1674 in Littleton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. His parents were Walter Powers and Trial Shepard.
When he was 22 years old he married Rebecca Barrett on December 16, 1696. Rebecca was born July 4, 1673 in Chelmsford, Middlesex County, Massachusett. She was the daughter of Joseph Barrett and Martha Gould.
Walter and Rebecca located in the town of Littleton, west of Spectacle Pond, adjoining the town of Groton, near "Brown Hill."
Walter and Rebecca's children included:
Rebecca Powers Taylor (1697, married Jonathan Taylor),
Ezekiel Powers (1700, married Elizabeth Trull and Lydia Whitcomb),
Sarah Powers Trull (1702, married John Trull),
Deacon David Powers (1704),
Susannah Powers (1706),
Martha Powers (1708, died as an infant), and
Captain Josiah Powers (1710).
In 1723 he was given , the second "pew place" because he paid the"next to the largest tax."
Walter died in 1738 when he was 63 years old. Rebecca died in 1754. Almost 100 years later in May, 1853, her gravestone was plowed up. It read "Rebekah in ye eightieth year of her age."
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.
The use of the term ye to mean the derives from Early Modern English, in which the was written "þe," employing the Old English letter thorn: "þ."
Ye is also the plural of thou.
A blockhouse or garrison house is a small, isolated fort. The typical blockhouse was two stories with the second story overhanging the first. It had small openings to allow residents to shoot attackers without being exposed.
