interested as a heavy stockholder in a number
of Fall River mills. He never shirked his ob-
ligation to do his part in charitable work, and
no one who was really needy, no deserving pub-
lic benefaction, ever called upon him in vain.
He was brought up in the old First Church,
believed in it and stood by it always, both by
his presence at its services and in every other
way to strengthen its growth and its power as
an element of good in the city and the denomi-
nation.

On Sept. 22, 1870, Mr. Williams married
Adelaide N. Staples, daughter of Sylvanus N.
and D. Adaline (Bood) Staples, and one
daughter blessed this union, Hattie Staples,
who married Frederick Ludlam. Mr. Wil-
liai^s's wide family and personal connections
made the termination of his useful and busy
life and the loss of his kindly and courteous
personality far-reaching, his high citizenship
touched and influenced so many sides of the
community's social, religious and business life.

(IX) Joseph Williams, son of Richard and
Frances (Dighton), married (first) Elizabeth
Watson and (second) Abigail Newland. His
children were: Elizabeth, Richard, Mehetabel,
Joseph, Benjamin, Ebenezer, Phebe and Rich-
ard (2).

(X) Richard Williams, son of Joseph and
Elizabeth (Watson), born March 26, 1689, died
in 1727. He married (first) Anna Wilbore
and (second) Jan. 1, 1740, Elizabeth Merick.
His children were: George, born in Taunton
in 1717; Richard, and Ebenezer.

(XI) Col. George Williams, of Taunton, son
of Richard and Anna (Wilbore), bom in Taun-
ton in 1717, married Jan. 6, 1736-37, Sarah
Hodges, born in 1715 in Taunton, Mass., daugh-
ter of Henry and Sarah (Leonard) Hodges, of
Taunton. The second marriage of Col. George
Williams was to Mrs. Nancy Dean. He died
in 1803, and his wife in 1797. His nine chil-
dren, all born in Taunton, were: (1) Phebe,
born in 1737, died in 1813, in Taunton. She
married (first) John Hart, of Taunton, son
of Lawrence and Elizabeth Hart, (second) Feb.
15, 1759, Simeon Tisdale, of Taunton, son of
Joseph and Ruth (Reed) Tisdale, and (third)
April 27. 1763, Eliphaz Harlow, of Taunton,
son of Eleazer^nd Hannah (Delano) Harlow.
(2) Sarah, bom in 1739, died in 1830. On
April 14, 1757, she married Richard Godfrey,
of Taunton, son of Richard and Theodora
(Dean) Godfrey. (3) A child, born in 1741,
died May 5, 1750, in Taunton. (4) George,
born Aug. 18, 1745, died Feb. 23, 1814, at
Raynham, Mass. He married Oct. 2, 1766,



586



SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS



Bathsheba King, daughter of Philip and Abi-
gail (Williams) King, of Raynham. (5) Anna,
bom in 1747, died Nov. 2, 1833, at Taunton.
She married (first) Sept. 16, 1763. Elisha
Codding, and (second) July 19, 1788, Jona-
than French, of Berkley, Mass.^ son of Ebenezer
and Keziah French, of Berkley. (6) Ebenezer,
born in 1751, died April 30, 1814. He married
March 7, 1769, at Raynham, Sarah Ellis, of
Raynham, daughter of Philip Ellis. (7) Lydia,
born in 1753, died March 5, 1773. She mar-
ried Aug. 6, 1772, Isaac Tobey, of Berkley, son
of Rev. Samuel and Batljsheba (Crocker)
Tobey, of Berkley. (8) Richard, born in 1755
or 1757, died in Taunton in 1814. He mar-
ried Hannah Padelford, of Taunton, daughter
of Edward and Sarah (Briggs) Padelford. ,(9)
Abiather, born June 4, 1759, died Oct. 4, 1760,
at Taunton.

Col. George Williams lived in Taunton, on
the east side of the Taunton river, on what is
now Williams street. He was a man of prop-
erty, owning a large landed estate. From the
soldierly qualities which he evidently possessed
it seems that he served in the war with the
French in 1744-45; and perhaps in the first
year of the French and Indian war. But the
record thus far found of his military service
begins in 1757. He was then ensign of a com-
pany stationed 'at Fort William Henry, when
the French and Indians under Montcalm in-
vested the place Aug. 3, 1757. He was sent
out at the beginning of the siege under Captain
Saltonstall, but his party was driven back, and
he himself taken prisoner. He was released not
long after, and returned to Taunton. He rose
to the rank of captain of the 3d Taunton Com-
pany, and in 1772 was major of the 3d Bristol
County regiment. On Feb. 8, 1776. he was
elected colonel of this regiment by the Legis-
lature, and commissioned Feb. 7th, and did
good service during the Revolution. His prin-
cipal military operations were in Rhode Island,
which State was constantly harried and threat-
ened by the British navy. He was a prominent
member of the Taunton committee of Corre-
spondence, Inspection and Safety for several
years, beginning in 1775, and was selectman of
"Taunton in 1780. His son, Richard Williams,
was one of the minute-men of the company of
Capt. James Williams, Jr., wbo marched to
Roxbury at the news of the battle of Lexington.
During the lasl six months of 1776 he was
serving at the defense of Boston, being sergeant
under Capt. Joshua Wilbore. He very likely
served at other times, but the Revolutionary
rolls are not sufficiently explicit for his iden-
tification among the many soldiers of this name.



(XII) George Williams, son of Col. George
and Sarah (Hodges), was born in Taunton
Aug. 18, 1745, and died in Raynham Feb. 23,
1814. He married, Oct. 2, 1766, Bathsheba
King, daughter of Philip and Abigail King.
She was born in Raynham March 31, 1744,
and died in Taunton May 26, 1839. Their
children, all born in Raynham, were: Sarah,
born July 27, 1767; George, Feb. 26, 1769; a
son. May 6, 1771; Abiathar, Jan. 8, 1773;
Bathsheba, Jan. 25, 1775; Melancy, Feb. 28,
1777; Francis, Oct. 13, 1779; Narcissus, Sept.
13, 1781; Enoch, Dec. 29, 1783; and Samuel
K., Nov. 17, 1785. George Williams was a man
of fine personal appearance, according to the
accounts handed down in the family. He was
a farmer, and owned a fine property. While
it is certain he served in the Revolution, it is
difBcult to pick out his record from the many
of the same name. Possibly he served in New
York State from about the beginning of 1776
until December, being or becoming a sergeant
in Capt. James Allen's company. Col. Simeon
Carey's regiment. He certainly was quarter-
master of his father's regii^ent in Rhode Island,
December, 1776, and January, 1777.

(XIII) Abiathar Williams, son of George
and Bathsheba, was bom in Raynham Jan. 8,
1773. He married Anna Dean, daughter of
Joseph and Anna (Strowbridge) Dean, and
they had eleven children, as follows: Anna,
born Jan. 19, 1803; Maria, Nov. 1, 1804; Eliza-
beth Jane, Sept. 1, 1806 ; Bathsheba, Sept. 11,
1808; Harriet Dean, Nov. 17, 1810; Frances
Amelia, Jan. 30, 1813; Abiathar K., March
11. 1815 ; Helen Melancy, July 6, 1817 ; George
Bradford, Nov. 7, 1819 ; Keziah, Nov. 28, 1821;
and George Bradford (2), Nov. 12, 1824.
Abiathar Williams was known as "Capt." Wil-
liams. He ran a sloop from Taunton to New
York from the time he was fifteen years of
age till he was fifty-five. He made his sons
Abiathar K. and George B. his partners. A
successful and influential citizen, he represented
his town in the General Court, and held vari-
ous local offices. He died in June, 1856, and
his wife in 1858.

(XIV) Geohge B. Williams, son of Abia-
thar and Anna, was born Nov. 12, 1824. He
was educated in tlie Taunton public schools and
always prided himself on being an old academy
boy. He became one of the stanch monied
men of Taunton. Starting early in life with
a goodly inheritance, he constantly added to it
by thrift and good management until gradu-
ally he became the largest real estate owner in
Taunton. Like his father, he was engaged in
the lumber business. In the early days lum-



SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS



587



ber was discharged far down the river, and
rafted up, and Mr. Williams was a prominent
figure on all of those rafts after he became
old enough to go into business. He became his
father's partner, and his name appeared in the
firm through all its changes until his retire-
ment in 1887. He was a sturdy specimen of
old New England stock. He was quiet and
unpretentious in manner, keen in business af-
fairs, and strictly honest in all his dealings.
It would seem that no man could leave a bet-
ter heritage to his family. Like his ancestors
he was a stanch supporter of the First Congre-
gational Society of Taunton.

Mr. Williams married Sarah Carver Barstow,
daughter of Charles Carver Barstow and sister
of the late Charles M. C. Barstow. They
reared a large family, born as follows: George
B., July 29, 1849; Charles K., Feb. 9, 1851;
Sarah B., Sept. 4, 1852; Frederick B., Aug.
4, 1854; Abiathar G., Feb. 4, 1856; Enos D.,
Oct. 30, 1857; Charlotte A., Oct. 20, 1858;
Alice M., Sept. 18, 1860 ; Franklin D., Nov. 21,
,1861; Enos D. (2), Aug. 9, 1863; Alfred B.,
July 8, 1865; Ida L., Oct. 11, 1868.



Simeon Williams, of Taunton, son of John
and Hannah (Robinson) Williams, born Feb.

21, 1716-1717, in Taunton, died Sept. 10, 1799.
He was twice married. His first wife, Zipporah
Crane, of Raynham, whom he married Aug. 86,
1742, died in Taunton May 21, 1748. In 1750
he married (second) Waitstill Hodges, born
Dec. 21, 1723, died Nov. 21, 1820, at Taunton.
Their children were: Zipporah, bom Feb. 5,
1750-51, who died Oct. 28, 1812; Lurana, born
Dec. 30, 1752; Nathaniel, born March 29,
1755; Waitstill, bom Aug. 10, 1758, who died
Sept. 16, 1776, at Taunton; Hannah, born Jan.

22, 1761, who died Feb. 24, 1846; Levi, born
Aug. 25, 1763, who died Aug. 5, l')k64; Jemima,
born June 30, 1765, who died Dec. 18, 1793, at
Raynham; and Cynthia, bom Sept. 9, 1767,
who died Dec. 6, 1854.

Deacon Simeon Williams was one of the
many members of the First Church of Taunton
who withdrew from the Society in 1792, and
founded the Westville Congregational Church.
The cause of the withdrawal was dissatisfaction
with the new minister selected for the original
church — dissatisfaction which seems to have
been well grounded. Deacon Simeon was a
man of ability, strength of character and in-
fluence. He doubtless served in the French
and Indian war, for, being corporal of the 2d
Company (Taunton). April 6, 1757, according
to the roster of that date, he rose to be lieuten-
ant and captain of the company. As he was on



the alarm (or reserve) list Dec. 6, 1776, he
probably saw no active service in the Revolu-
tion. But in 1775, 1776, 1777 and 1778, pos-
sibly also other years, he was elected a mem-
ber of the Taunton committee of Correspond-
ence, Inspection and Safety, whose multifarious
duties included the discipline and reformation
of Tories, the care of confiscated property, the
regulation of prices, the obtaining of supplies
for the American troops, etc. He was select-
man of Taunton from 1760 to 1766, in 1770
and in 1777.

Nathaniel Williams, of Taunton, son of Dea-
con Simeon and Waitstill (Hodges), born
March 29, 1755, at Taunton, died there June
30, 1829. He married April 20, 1780, Norton
Lucilda Hodges, born May 27, 1760, at Norton,
Mass., died May 7, 1847, at Taunton. Their
children were : Lucilda, born May 16, *1781,
died Feb. 8, 1869; Pollv, bom May 2, 1783,
died May 30, 1860; John, born Sept. 2, 1785,
died March 21, 1850; Charlotte, born April
26, 1789, died Oct. 24, 1873; Susannah, bom
April 24, 1791, died May 13, 1884; Philander,
bom Oct. 18, 1793, died Nov. 16, 1796;
Amelia, born May 7, 1796, died May 17, 1838;
Nathaniel Hodges, born Nov. 11, 1798, died
Dec. 25, 1879; Simeon, bom May 31, 1801,
died Aug. 10, 1847; and Cassander, bom Dec.
9, 1804, died Jan. 8, 1873. Nathaniel Wil-
liams was one of the minute-men who, at the
news of the battle of Lexington, marched to-
ward Boston under Capt. Robert Grossman.
In December, 1776, and January, 1777, he
served as corporal under Capt. Samuel Fales
in Rhode Island. In 1778 he served two terms,
aggregating four and a half months, as ser-
geant in Rhode Island of the companies of
Capt. Samuel Fales and of Capt. Josiah Crock-
er. He may have served other terms, for the
name occurs repeatedly in the records, but as
in other cases the rolls are not explicit enough
to identify the different individuals of the same
name.

LEONARD. The Leonard family has been
of note in this country since the coming of the
two or three brothers to the American colonies
in the early settlement of New England, and
beyond the ocean it is one ancient and dis-
tinguished. In several of the towns of Bristol
county, this Commonwealth, with the Leonards
of which region of country this article is to deal,
they as a faniily with their allied connections
through marriage have been of especial note,
one historic and distinguished. From the com-
ing to Taunton of James and Henry Leon-
ard to the present dny, possessed of great



588



SOUTHEASTEEN MASSACHUSETTS



wealth they have been one of the first families
of the Commonwealth, influential and pow-
erful.

Henry Leonard, who with his brother James
established the forge at Taunton (now Eayn-
ham), was at Lynn in 1655 and 1668, and after-
ward carried on the works at Eowley village,
which place he left early in 1674; and at that
time, or soon after, went to New Jersey,
establishing the manufacture of iron in that
State. The brothers, James and Henry Leon-
ard, are stated by Eev. Doctor Fobes, LL. D.,
who more than a century ago furnished for the
Massachusetts Historical Collections an account
of the Leonard family, to have been from
Pontypool, County of Monmouth, Wales, which
place was celebrated for its working of iron
at an early date. These brothers were sons
of Tliomas Leonard of Pontypool, who him-
self did not come to this country with his
sons. The Leonards are believed to have had
some claim to the ownership of iron works
at Bilston, County of Stafford, England. At
the time they came to New England there was
probably but one furnace in the place. At Lynn
and Braintree forges were established at an
earlier date than here at Eaynham, and James
and Henry Leonard were connected with them,
but finally settled at the point last named,
where they built the first iron works in the
Old Colony. At that time the proprietors of
the iron works at Lynn and Braintree had a
monopoly by grant of this business for the
Massachusetts Colony. Their neighbors were
also desirous to establish works of the kind.
Henry Leonard's sons Samuel, Nathaniel and
Thomas contracted to carry on the works at
Eowley village after their father had left, but
undoubtedly soon followed him to New Jersey,
where numerous and highly respected descend-
ants have lived to within recent years, and
where generation after generation of this branch
of the family it is believed to at least within
recent years have been more or less interested
in their favorite pursuit — the manufacture of
iron. The Leonards were probably in most
if not all of the iron works established in this
country within the first century after its set-
tlement, and it is a remarkable fact that the
business of iron manufacturing has continued
successively, and generally very successfully, in
the hands of the Leonards, or their descendants,
down to within comparatively recent years.
Their old forge at Eaynham, though it had been
several times remodeled, had been in constant
use for upward of two hundred years ; and
some fifty years ago was in the hands of Theo-
dore Dean, Esq., who was descended from the



Leonards through his father, Eliab B. Dean,
Esq., and his grandfather, Hon. Josiah Dean, a
member of Congress, 1807-1809, who was a son
of Josiah Dean and he of Thomas and Mary
(Kingsley) Dean, whose mother was Abigail
Leonard.

The very extensive iron works at Squabetty,
on Taunton river, which at one time belonged
to H. Leonard & Co., and were later incorpo-
rated as the Old Colony Iron Company, were
fifty years ago carried on by Messrs. William
A., Samuel L. and George A. Crocker, Esqs.,
who were descendants of James Leonard
through their father, William Crocker, Esq.,
by the marriage of their grandfather, Josiah
Crocker, son of Eev. Josiah Crocker, to Abi-
gail, daughter of Zephaniah Leonard, Esq., who
was a son of Stephen.

It has been said that the Leonards are of
the family of Lennard, Lord Dacre; one of
the most distinguished families of the nobility
in the United Kingdom, and descended in two
lines from Edward III., through two of his
sons, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and
Thomas Plantagenet, Duke of Gloucester; and
this statement, says William Eeed Deane, who
prepared the memoir of the Leonard family
(in 1851) from which much of this is taken,
has some plausibility, he setting forth facts
upon which he bases his conclusions.

James Leonard, son of Thomas of Pontypool,
Wales, was the progenitor of the Leonards of
Taunton, Eaynham and Norton, towns in Bris-
tol county, this Commonwealth. He and his
sons often traded with the Indians, and were
on such terms of friendship with them that
when the war broke out King Philip gave
strict orders to his men never to hurt the
Leonards. Philip resided in winter at Mount
Hope; but his summer residence was at Eayn-
ham, about one mile from the forge.

The old Leonard house, which stood but a
few rods from the forge, was pulled down some
fifty and more years ago. A part of this
house was built probably as early as 1670,
although the vane upon it had stenciled or cut
into it the year 1700. It had been occupied
by the family down to the seventh generation.
At the time the old house was demolished it
was probably the oldest mansion in New Eng-
land, if not in the country. It was apparently
modeled after an English fashion of the
eighteenth century, with some modifications
proper for defense against the Indians. This
house in its first rude form was with another
kept constantly garrisoned during Philip's war.
"In the cellar under this house was deposited
for a considerable time the head of King Philip,



SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS



589



for it seems that even King Philip himself
shared the fate of kings; he was decapitated
and his head carried about and shown as a
curiosity by one Alderman, the Indian who
shot him." From this estate, it is stated in
the biography of Mrs. Peddy (Leonard) Bow-
en, was taken the timber that went into the
keel of the "Constitution."

(I) James Leonard, the immigrant settler at
Taunton, was dead in 1691; his wife Margaret,
who survived him, was mother-in-law to all
his children. She died about 1701. His chil-
dren were : Thomas, born Aug. 3, 1641 ; James,
born about 1643; Abigail; Rebecca; Joseph,
born about 1655; Benjamin; Hannah; and
Uriah.

(II) Benjamin Leonard, son of James, mar-
ried Jan. 15, 1678-79, Sarah Thresher, and
their children were: Sarah, born May 21, 1680;
Benjamin, born Jan. 25, 1682; Hannah, born
Nov. 8, 1685; Jerusha, born June 25, 1689;
Hannah (2), born Dec. 8, 1691; Joseph, born
Jan. 22, 1692-93; and Henry, born Nov. 8,
1695.

(III) Joseph Leonard, son of Benjamin,
born Jan. 22, 1692-93, had children: George,
who lived in Middleboro, Mass.; Chloe;
Ephraim, and Philip. Of these, Chloe married
Eliphalet Elmes, of Middleboro, a soldier of
the Revolution who died in 1830, aged seventy-
seven years; she died in 1843, aged eighty-
three. Ephraim married Mary Pratt, and lived
in Middleboro ; his children were : James (of
Middleboro), Jane (wife of L. 0. Perkins, of
Boston), Sarah (wife of Orlando Thompson,
of New Bedford) and Betsey (wife of J. Drake,
of Boston).

(IV) Capt. Philip Leonard, son of Joseph,
married Jan. 6, 1737, Mary Richmond,
daughter of Josiah Richmond. Captain Leon-
ard had his forge at what is now called the
tack factory on the railroad between Middle-
boro and Taunton.

(V) George Leonard, son of Capt. Philip,
born in Middleboro, always lived in his native
town. He had his bloomery on the Nemasket
river at Pour Corners. He married Mary Al-
len, born Sept. 21, 1760, and their children
were : George ; Samuel ; Nehemiah ; Lois, mar-
ried to Rev. Lewis Leonard, of Cazenovia, N.
Y. ; and Emeline, married to Thomas Daggett,
Esq., of Middleboro. Nehemiah had been in
business at Middleboro, and then he bought the
forge at Randy's Mills in Rochester, and he
and his brother George carried it on in partner-
ship some four or five years, when George
bought his interest and continued the 'business
alone the rest of his life. Nehemiah located



in New Bedford in 1822, beginning business
on Orange street. He prospered and in five or
six years was a director in the Merchants' Bank,
and agent for several whale ships. He drifted
into the manufacture of oil, and in 1836 built
candle works on Rotch's South (familiarly
known as Leonard's) Wharf, carrying on this
business for thirty years. He died Oct. 25,
1869.

(VI) Samuel Leonard, son of George, was
born in Middleboro. In 1814 he married Han-
nah Taber, born in New Bedford, daughter
of Benjamin Taber, and their children were:
Henry Taber; Bathsheba, who married Na-
thaniel Gilbert, of Bridgewater; Samuel, Jr.,
who married Sarah Tobey, daughter of George
and Keziah (Sherman) Tobey; Capt. John W.,
who married Sylvia Tucker; George, who mar-
ried Cynthia Washburn; Thomas W., who
married Sarah Schenck; and Mary A., who
married Peleg Akin, a bank president of South
Yarmouth. Shortly after his marriage Sam-
uel Leonard and his father-in-law contracted
to build a mill building at the Head-of-the-
River. Through thii came acquaintance with
William Rotch, Jr.- For a short time Mr.
Leonard was at Yai louth erecting salt works,
and starting the business, and after his return
to New Bedford he built extensive salt works
at the Cove for Messrs. Rotch, Arnold and
Russell, these works eventually covering many
acres, and he operated the works as long as
they were profitable. He erected the house
now occupied by the Orphans' Home, at the
corner of Brock avenue and Cove street.
Through purchasing the lumber for his ex-
tensive building operations he became inter-
ested in the lumber business, and Mr. Rotch
built what is known as Leonard's wharf for the
business which so rapidly grew. Mr. Leonard
added a planing-mill and other works. He then
began the manufacture of sperm candles, and
after a fire had destroyed all his and his
brother's works, built the candle works of Wil-
liam Russell (now the carriage factory of the
George L. Brovraell estate). He was the largest
oil refiner in the world, and was the first to
make the colored wax candles used all over
the world. He was a very important factor
in the commercial life of New Bedford. At
the time of the building of the New Bedford
and Taunton railroad, it was said that his
freighting was one and one-half times greater
than all other freights from New Bedford com-
bined. He died Oct. 25, 1868, and his widow
Oct. 14, 1875.

(VII) Hemut Taber Leonard (son of
Samnel), for seventeen years, fifteen days the



590



SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS



faithful and efficient clerk of the city of New
Bedford, was born Aug. 17, 1818, in South Yar-
mouth. In the public schools of his dative town
and in the Friends' Boarding School at Provi-
dence his education was acquired. He became
a clerk in Seth Akin's store, first, but subse-
quently was associated with his father. Later
he went to New York, and became a partner
in the firm of Wetherell, Sprague & Co., oil
and iron merchants who were connected with
Samuel. Leonard and Lazell, Perkins & Co., of
New Bedford. Mr. Leonard finally withdrew
from this concern, and returning to New Bed-
ford engaged in the lumber business with
Augustus A. Greene, under the firm name of
Leonard & Greene. He made a number of
business changes, being several times in the
oil business with his father and brother Samuel,
either as partner or bookkeeper, engaging in
the manufacture of cotton with his father at
Suncook, N. H. He joined the fortune hunt-
ers in the rush to California in 1849, and on his
return east conducted a lumber yard in Charles-
town, Mass., afterward reengaging in the oil
business at New Bedforc^, as the head of the
firm of Leonard, Sturtey'nt & Co. Upon the
dissolution of this partn\.'-ship he returned to
the oflice of his father. On the death of Sau-
ford S. Horton, in 1862, he was elected clerk
for the city of New Bedford, which office he
filled until his death, July 18, 1879. His in-
telligence, unblemished character, faithfulness
to duty, geniality and quiet manliness secured
for him universal esteem and continued re-
election as city clerk during violent political
changes, he never having any opposition. He
also served one year as a member of the school
committee.

Mr. Leonard was a member of the Society of