Family of Note IV

There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots; the other, wings. ~ Hodding Carter

John Kittredge

Our cousin John Kittredge (4C6X) was born in Andover, MA in 1775. His father was the famed Dr. Thomas Kittredge of Andover. We wrote about Thomas in our "Military Doctors" post. In 1805, John moved to Gloucester, MA where he married Mary Plummer. John died in Gloucester in 1822 at age 47. Everything we know about John we find in his obituary published in Mabel T. Kittredge's (6C4X) The Kittredge Family in America:

Obituary of Dr. John Kittredge of Gloucester:

Died in Gloucester, on the 31st inst, universally lamented, John Kittredge, Esq. Collector of the Customs, Aged 46. It is with emotions of sympathetic grief that we attempt to portray the character of the deceased. Dr. Kittredge was the son of the late Hon. Thomas Kittredge of Andover. He was educated at Harvard University, and graduated in 1795. He embraced the profession of a physician, and commenced practice in Newburyport, where he continued to give great celebrity in the line of his profession until 1805 when he was appointed to the office of Collector of the Customs in Gloucester, which occasioned his immediate removal to this town, much to the regret of his numerous Newburyport friends. In the office of Collector, he has given universal satisfaction. Merchants and all others concerned in commercial business have given the most unqualified attestations to the peculiarly strict accommodating manner in which the affairs of the office have been conducted. While he strictly and cautiously adhered to his duty, he never used that rigid and forbidding severity that ever created him one enemy. His address was gentlemanly and commanding, and his intercourse on all occasions and with all classes of his fellow citizens, was peculiarly familiar, and in the domestic circle he was affable and engaging to all who came within the sphere of his acquaintance. In 1818 he was chosen President of the Gloucester Bank, in which office as well as that of a Director, he gave the most perfect satisfaction. In all the various duties of a public nature which he was called upon to exercise, no one discharged them with more promptness and fidelity than did Dr. Kittredge. As a citizen in the common walks of life, he sustained an exemplary character, nor was the cry of distress made to him in vain, for he was ever ready to contribute to those who stood in need. During his long and tedious sickness, he maintained a firm and manly fortitude, notwith- standing the nature of his disease pointed directly to his dissolution, still he was patient and resigned, although at times he suffered the most excruciating pain. To his bereaved partner and children, the loss is peculiarly distressing - a husband endeared by all the tender ties of conjugal felicity, - a parent whose fond heart doted on the little objects of his love, while their growing years were watched by a father's anxious anticipation of seeing them grow up the pride and ornament of their sex and age. But alas! the fond husband and parent is no more, all that was lovely and amiable, and the joy and delight of friends and associates, is consigned to the silent tomb. May the surviving relatives submit to the will of their heavenly parent, and learn resignation from the dispensations of his providence. The end.

Mabel wrote that "[t]here is another obituary which speaks of his having been surgeon of the Crescent frigate, destined as a present to the Dey of Algiers, and that he made a voyage in this ship to the Mediterranean."

Lilly Eaton

Our cousin Lilley Eaton (5C6X) was born in Reading, MA in 1802.  In 1804, his father, Lilley Eaton, Sr. (4C7X) built a house that became known as the Eaton Mansion. Below is a drawing of the house.

Lilley wrote a little about his father in his Genealogical History of the Town of Reading, Mass which was published posthumously in 1874.

Lilley Eaton (Sr.). . .occupied the house that still stands on the corner of Maine and Salem streets, (Reading) erected by him in 1804. At the time of erection it was by far the most imposing dwelling in the village, and occupid a position that was accounted the center of population and business. By trade he was a shoe manufacturer. After the erection of this house he opened a country store. He was one of the founders of the Baptist church, and in 1813 estalished the first temperance grocery ever kept in the town. He furnished for many years, free of charge, a room in his house for social and conference meetings. This room was long known as the"Meeting Chamber." The house was known as the 'Pilgrims' Hotel," as it was the general resort of traveling clergymen, and other brethren of the faith. His widow, who survived him for many years, during the last decade was totally blind. He died 1822, aged 54 yers.

In his teen years, Lilley, Jr. was sent to the town of Bradford, MA to attend the prestigious academy that had been established there. We wrote about the Bradford Academy, headed for a time by our cousin Abigail Haseltine (3C7X), in our three "The Bradford Academy" posts. After Lilley, Sr.'s death, according to a biography of Lilley, Jr. from the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Lilley "abandoned the idea of a professional life, and entered upon mercantile pursuits in the town of his nativity."

Lilley made a good living as cashier and treasurer for several corporations in Reading. He also held several public offices including selectman, town clerk and representative to the general court and the Massachusetts senate. In 1865, he gave a lecture, probably on the history of Reading, that was so well received by his fellow townspeople that they encouraged him to "prepare a copy of your lecture, or a history of the town, for publication."

Note: One of the men who signed the letter was our cousin Solon O. Richardson (7C4X) who gained fame and fortune mixing elixers for general consumption. We wrote about him in our "Richardson Family of Note" post.

Lilley took the letter to heart and began work on his Genealogical History of the Town of Reading, Mass. In 1870, while still writing, he was elected a member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. The book was close to completion when Lilley died in 1872 at age 70. The completed book was was published in 1874.

A report of Lilley's death came from the Historic Genealogical Society:

Mr. Eaton died suddenly of paralysis; and the announcement of his death called forth many expressions of sorrow from his fellow citizens, who had known him intimately, and honored him highly for the intrinsic excellences of his character, and for his wide usefulness in many important spheres. "He was distinguished pre-eminently for his intimate knowledge of everything pertaining to local history even to the genealogical family histories of every one desceded from the settlers or former residents of the town."

A short biography of Lilley was published in the American Series of Popular Biographies in 1891:

A man of sterling integrity and ability, he became indentified with the highest interests of his native town, and from his earliest manhood assisted in its development and improvement. He was honored by his fellow-townsmen by election to the highest offices of the community, and these he filled most faithfully. For more than a quarter of a century he was Selectman, being much of the time chairman of that board, as he was of the School Board, on which he served an equal length of time. He was Town Clerk twenty years. For seven years, he was a Representative to the lower branch of the State Legislature, and for two years was State Senator. He was one of the Trustees of the Public Library from its formation in 1856, was a Justice of the Peace for thirty-eight years, and in 1853 was a member of the Constitutional Convention. He was elected cashier of the South Reading Bank at its establishment and retained the position as long as he lived. Deeply interested in antiquarian research, he was a member of the New England Historic genealogical Society, and was the author of the "History of Reading from 1639 to 1874", which was published after his death.

Oliver Cromwell Wyman

Our cousin Oliver Wyman (5C6X) was born in Burlington, MA in 1771. He was another unfortunate member of the Concord Social Society who had a memoir written by another Society member. The memoir was written by Deacon Nehemiah Ball. A famous story about Nehemiah and Henry David Thoreau, also of Concord, was recounted in Thoreau, the poet-naturalist by William Channing:

Another early experience was the town school in Concord, which he took after leaving college, announcing that he should not flog, but would talk morals as a punishment instead. A fortnight sped glibly along, when a knowing deacon (Nehemiah Ball), one of the School Committee, walked in and told Mr. Thoreau that he must flog and use the ferule, or the school would spoil. So he did,—feruling six of his pupils after school, one of whom was the maid-servant in his own house. But it did not suit well with his conscience, and he reported to the committee that he should no longer keep their school, if they interfered with his arrangements; and they could keep it.

Below is Nehemiah Ball's curt memoir of our cousin Oliver Wyman:

MEMOIR OF OLIVER C. WYMAN.

BY NEHEMIAH BALL.

In regard to Mr. Wyman, the most reliable information concerning him in connection with my own recollection is that he was born in Ashby, in this county, and during his minority he resided at different places in the town of Concord, and about the year 1798~9 was in the employ of John Richardson (5C6X), who then kept the Jail Tavern in this town, and with whom he resided several years.

Note: We wrote about John Richardson and his Middlesex Hotel in our "Revolutionary Stories V" post

About the year 1802 he was married to Abigail Reed, a domestic in the family of Mr. Richardson, and who came from some part of the State of Maine. Subsequently he occupied as a tavern the house lately owned by Deacon Tolman, where he continued till 1804, when he moved to Boston, and for a short period followed the same business of tavern-keeping there.

On relinquishing this business he finally established himself as a broker, in which business he continued till about the year 1810, when, owing to losses and ill-success in business, he became insolvent, and shortly after committed suicide.

He joined the Social Circle about the time he married, in 1802. He was probably about forty years old at the time of his decease.

The Adams family in Canada

Our cousin Eliphalet Adams (3C8X) was born in Suffield, Connecticut in 1756. He fought in the Revolutionary War and afterwards married Patience Rice. The couple settled in Cambridge, New York. There, eleven children were born, among them Rufus (4C7X) in 1783, Ezra (4C7X) in 1788 and Zenas (4C7X) in 1792. In 1798, with his children ranging in age from Eliphalet, Jr., 19 to baby Phineas, Eliphalet, Sr. saw a good opportunity for land deals in Canada so he moved his family to present day Sherbrooke, "in the backwoods miles from anywhere."

In 1811, Ezra, at age 23, was fortunate enough to hear the sermon of a Methodist saddlebags preacher. This event would affect the course of his and two of his brother's lives. Two years later, Ezra took up the profession himself and, shortly afterwards, brother Zenas also heeded the call.

A year after beginning his ministry, Ezra journeyed back to his hometown of Cambridge, NY to marry a possible childhood sweetheart, our cousin Isa Proctor (4C5X), who he must have known when from his years living there.

Ezra spread the word of God throughout the province of Ontario until 1822 when he was forced by ill health to give up his ministry. He moved his family to Esquesing Township where he worked helping Silas Emes to clear land on Emes' concession of lots. By 1829, Ezra was able to purchase half of Emes home lots.

(1) Cambridge, NY (2) Sherbrooke, Canada (3) Esquesing, Canada

Ezra had also convinced his brother Rufus, in 1825, to move to Esquesing and buy the lot directly across the street from his own. With their combined property holdings they created the town of Adamsville, now Acton. Most of present day Acton is built on what was then Rufus' land. Rufus' wife Maria was instrumental in having a schoolhouse built which also doubled as a chapel. The land behind Rufus' house became the family cemetery.

By 1827, Zenas had joined his brothers in the new town of Adamsville. His first home was a simple log cabin. A few years later he was able to build a substantial frame house. Over time, Zenas began acquiring land in the new town. From his brothers, Zenas purchased all the land south of Mill Street and he named the newly created streets after his children. The second house Zenas build in Acton is still standing, shown below.

Father Eliphalet had a little bit of bad luck in Westbury Canada where he was living while his sons were carving out a new town in the wilderness. Land boundaries were not always clear in those early days in Canada and Eliphalet fell victim to the confusion. Someone else claimed the property on which he had built his home and, after failing to get satisfaction from the Canadian courts, he packed up and moved near his three sons in Acton.

Even though Ezra had started taking part in local politics, his days as a traveling preacher weren't quite over. In 1830, he was back on the road again. In 1836, he returned to Acton long enough to build a gristmill and sawmill with his brothers. The present Fairy Lake was created when they dammed the stream for their mill. Today Fairy Lake is surrounded by the 25 acre Prospect Park:

Ezra continued on the circuit until 1843 when he retired and moved to Dayton, Ontario in Canada. There he built a home which became known as the Methodist Inn because of the hospitality it offered to travelers. He died in Dayton in 1871 at age 83.

Rufus and Zenas and their father Eliphalet remained in Acton for the rest of their lives. It was in 1844, the year of Eliphalet's death at 88, that postmaster Robert Swan suggested changing the name of the town from Adamsville to Acton and the name change took place. Zenas died in 1847 at age 55 and Rufus in 1856 at age 73.