- 172. JEREMIAH FOSTER (Abraham, Jacob, Reginald), b. Ipswich, Mass.,
about 1700; m. (pub.) June 21, 1735, Mrs. Rebecca Metcalf. She d. Feb. 6, 1776. May
26, 1743, Jereih Foster and Rich'd Harris of Ipswich bought of Benjamin Morse of
Harvard, Worcester Co., 112 acres land situated on Stow on west side of the river,
bounding on Lancaster and Lunenburg lines. Foster resided in the eastern half.
Each occupied the other farm buildings together. In 1750 he sold his property to
John Millard.
Jan, 13, 1750, Jere Foster and wife Rebecca of Dorchester, Canada, Worcester
Co. to Joslah Haynes of Sudbury, Middlesex Co. (Middlesex, Deeds). In 1749 in
seating the Harvard meeting house he was given the fifth seat below. Immediately
after the final conquest with Canada, which forever relieved New England from
fear of French invasion, the landless and the adventurous began swarming from
the older towns of Massachusetts into the wilderness where land could be had for the
clearing. There happened a noteworthy exodus from Harvard. Nearly one tenth
of her citizens sought homes in the newer towns. Most of these emigrants by
chance found their promised land in Dorchester, Canada, which was incorporated
as Ashburnham in 1765. Jeremiah Foster was the first of those from Harvard to
reach that settlement, having with him through the woodland paths, upon an ordinary
farm cart drawn by oxen, his family and worldly possessions. In Ashburn-
ham he settled on land west of Lake Naukeag still known as Poster Hill. He was
a man of exemplary character, reserved in manner, industrious, honest, a kind
neighbor and an excellent citizen. He d. Dec, 12, 1788. Res. Ipswich, Harvard
and Ashburnham, Mass.
467. i. JEREMIAH, bapt. Aug 8, 1736; d. young.
468. ii. ABIGAIL, bapt. Feb, 17, 1737-8.
469. iii. JEREMY, bapt. Jan. 6, 1739-40; m. Sarah Fellows.
470. iv. SAMUEL, bapt. Jan. 8, 1741; m. Susanna Wood.
471. v. SARAH, b. July 28, 1744.
472. vi. JUDITH, b. Mar. 2, 1747; m. Nov. 14, 1769, Dr. Peter Brooks.
She d. Mar. 9, 1824. His lineage is not known. He was the first
resident physician in Ashburnham, Mass. Between 1790 and 1800
he left his family and the town. It is not known where he died.
Ch: 1. Calvin, b. Mar. 25, 1770; res. south. 2. Luther, b. Feb. 15,
1772; m. Lucy Gates, rev. to Ohio; 11 ch. 3. John Swift, b. and
d, 1774. 4. Sewell, b. Feb. 4. 1777; m. Sally -; 7 ch. Res. A.
5. Peter, b. Jan. 11, 1780. 6. Dorcas, b. Jan. 24, 1782. 7. Lydia,
b. Sept. 23, 1784; d. unm. June 30, 1651. 8. Dickerson, b. Oct. 13,
1787; m. Hannah Kemp of Groton; res. A; 6 ch.
473. vii. REBECCA, b. Oct. 29, 1750; m. Jan. 22, 1772, Caleb Ward, b.
Waltham, Nov. 22, 1748. He died June 20, 1813. She d. Mar.
22, 1831. He was a selectman in Ashburnham and his name was
frequently on the town records. His wife resided in A. for 77
years and 60 years in the house in which she died. Ch: 1.
Samuel, b. Dec. 22, 1772 (Deacon); m. Ruth Townsend; res. A;
2 ch. 2. Sarah, b. Oct. 27, 1774; m. Thomas Piper; res. Weston,
Vt. 3. Rebecca, b, 1776; d. Nov. 23, 1780. 4. Caleb, b. Aug. 6,
1778: m. Mary Rice; res. A ; 6 ch. 5. Nahum, b. Aug. 7, 1780; res.
Peterboro, N. H. and joined the Mormons. 6. Jacob, b. Nov.
22, 1782; m. Sally Whittmore. He was in the war of 1812; res.
A; 14 ch. 7. Jonas, b. Feb. 15, 1785; m. Susan F. Thurston;
res. Oxford, Mass. 8. Rebecca, b. Sept. 14, 1788; m. Ezra Lawrence.
9. Lucy, b. July 28. 1700; m. Samuel Wilson; res. Nelson,
N. H.
Frederick Clifton Pierce, "Foster Genealogy Being The Record Of The Posterity Of Reginald Foster An Early Inhabitant Of Ipswich, In New England, …" (Chicago: Press Of W. B, Conkey Company, 1899), p. 155-56.
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65. JEREMIAH 4 (Abraham, 3 Jacob, 2 Reginald 1) was born in Ipswich
about 1700. Removed to Harvard, Mass. He married Rebecca Metcalf,
to whom he was published 21 June, 1735. His children were:
i. JEREMIAH,5 bapt. 8 Aug. 1736.
ii. ABIGAIL,5 bapt. 17 Feb. 1737-8.
iii. JEREMY,5 bapt. 6 Jan. 1739-40, "son of Jeremy."
iv. SAMUEL,5 bapt. 8 Jan. 1741-2, " "
26 May, 1743. Jere'h Foster and Rich'd Harris of Ipswich bought of
Benj. Morse of Harvard, Worcester co. 112 acres land situated in Stow on
west side of the river, bounding on Lancaster and Lunenburg lines.
13 Jan. 1759. Jere'h Foster and wife Rebecca, of Dorchester Canada,
Worcester Co. to Josiah Haynes of Sudbury Middlesex Co.-[Middlesex
Deeds."]
Edward Jacob Forster, M.D., "Genealogy of the Fo(r)ster Family Descendants of Reginald Fo(r)ster, of Ipswich, Mass.," New England Historical and Genealogical Register vol. 30 (January 1876): p. 98.
(This published genealogy is provided for reference. It may contain errors.)
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FOSTER.
The numerous families of Foster in Ashburnham, whose names appear in
the following record, are descended from Reginald Foster, an English
emigrant, who settled in Ipswich about 1638 and was one of the earliest
inhabitants of that town. His name occasionally appears in the early records
and in a connection that presents him as an active and useful citizen who
bore a full share of the burdens of the settlement. In 1645 he was a
subscriber to the fund for the payment of Maj. Dennison who was in
command of the military force of that vicinity. In 1652 the settlement
granted Reginald Foster and Thomas Clark £10 "for cutting a passage from
this river into Chebacco river of ten feet wide and soe deepe as a lighter
may pass through laden." In 1658 for £50 he bought of Roger Preston a
considerable tract of land with buildings. The name of his wife was Judith;
their five sons and two daughters were b. in England. His wife d. 1664 and
the following year he md. Sarah Martin, widow of John Martin. The date
of his death is not known, but his will was probated June 9, 1681. Jacob
Foster, son of Reginald, was b. in England 1635. He resided in Ipswich
and was a deacon of the church. He md. Jan. 12, 1658-9, Martha Kinsman
who d. Oct. 15, 1666; he md. (2d) Feb. 26, 1666-7, Abigail Lord, dau. of
Robert and Mary (Wait) Lord, who survived him and d. June 4, 1729; he d.
June 9, 1710. His grave in Ipswich is marked by a stone monument.
There were five children by the first and nine by the second marriage.
Abraham Foster, the sixth child and the eldest child by the second marriage,
was b. in Ipswich Dec. 4, 1667; by his first wife Abigail who d. Oct. 8, 1732,
there were nine children. He was a carpenter in Ipswich, where he d. Dec.
25, 1720-1.
JEREMIAH FOSTER, a son of Abraham and Abigail Foster
and of the fourth generation from Reginald Foster the
emigrant, was b. in Ipswich about 1710. In this line of
descent he was the first to leave the town of Ipswich the
home of his ancestors. He md. 1735, Ruth Metcalf, and
in 1743 he removed to Harvard and ten years later he
settled in Ashburnham on land west of Lake Naukeag
still known as Foster Hill. Vide page 91. He was a
man of exemplary character, reserved in manner,
industrious, honest, a kind neighbor and an excellent
citizen. He d. Dec. 12, 1788; his wife d. Feb. 6, 1776.
Four children b. in Ipswich and two in Harvard.
i. Jeremiah, bap. Aug. 8, 1736; d. young.
ii. Abigail, bap. Feb. 17, 1737-8.
iii. Jeremiah, bap. Jan. 6, 1739-40.+
iv. Samuel, bap. Jan. 8, 1741-2.+
v. Judith, b. March 15,1747 ; md. Dr. Peter Brooks, q. v.
vi. Rebecca, b. Oct. 20, 1750 ; md. Caleb Ward, q. v.
Ezra S. Stearns, "History of Ashburnham, Massachusetts, From the Grant of Dorchester Canada to the Present Time, 1734-1886, with a Genealogical Register of Ashburnham Families" (Ashburnham, Mass.: Published by The Town, 1887), p. 703-04.
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