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Subject: Zachariah Fitch & Family - History of Bedford - Abram English Brown. Part 1.
Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2006 15:09:03 EDT

Subject: Zachariah Fitch
Source: History of the Town of Bedford,
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
From it's Earliest Settlement to the Year of our Lord, 1891
Abram English Brown, 1891

Part 5 - Genealogical and Biographical.

p.10

Zachariah Fitch had forty acres of land set to him among the inhabitants of
Lynn, Mass. in
1638, when he was made a freeman. He removed to Lynn village (south Reading)
in 1644. There
were two others of the surname at about that same time, Jeremy Fitch and
Henry Fitch. They
were all farmers.

Zachariah Fitch was a deacon of the church of Reading. His residence was on
"Fitch Hill." In
a centennial poem by Eaton written in 1844 is the following:

"I further looked and on the hill,
Where now the heirs of John Gould dwell,
Upon the western slope or pitch,
There lived old Zachariah Fitch.
His name he gave to hill and lane,
A name they both as yet retain."

Zachariah Fitch died June 9, 1662. In his Will dated May 3 of that year he
mentions his
wife Mary, son Joseph, Benjamin, John, Jeremiah, Thomas, Samuel and daughter
Sarah Fitch who
married John Wesson of Salem. Benjamin Fitch was executor. He requested in
his Will that
Joseph and Benjamin should assist Samuel (then under age, 18 yrs) "to build
a house on his
lot on Bear Hill, 27 by 18 feet with 12-foot posts and to clapboard and
board it and break
up his land or so much of it as can be done by the time he becomes 22 years
of age." His
estate was appraised at £431. 7s. 6d.

Samuel Fitch, youngest son of Zachariah and Mary Fitch b. March 6, 1645; m.
April 23, 1673,
Sarah Lane, dau. of Job Lane. She died Oct 2, 1679. He m. (2) July 26, 1681,
Rebecca Merriam.
He died 1684 leaving son Samuel Fitch3 b. May 4, 1674 to whom he gave by
Will, real estate and
"one cow, the feather bed that was his mother's and the green rug and one
pair of Holland
sheets and three of the biggest pewtar platters." "I do leave as my Will,
if my brother,
Avery (Robert) doth exhort, to take my son Samuel Fitch and to teach him to
write and the
trade of smith, my Will is that he shall live with him til 20 years old."
Estate appraisal
was £235.11.s.

Samuel3 Fitch m. March 20 1695, Elizabeth Walker dau of Joseph Walker. She
died Nov. 26, 1716.
He m. (2) Eunice Taylor. He died April 4, 1742 and she d. Aug 27, 1767 aged
91 yrs. Children:

1. Sarah Fitch b. and d. 1696.
2. Sarah Fitch (again) b. May 4, 1698; m. Richard Hixon
3. Samuel4 Fitch b. Feb 14, 1699, m. 1732, Joanna Kidder & settled in
Westford, Mass; d.
January, 1775.
4. Joseph4 Fitch b. Oct 22, 1702.
5. Benjamin4 Fitch b. July 30, 1703.
6. John Fitch b. Feb 12, 1707-8; settled in Lunenburg 1728 and doubtless the
one for whom
Fitchburg was named.
7. Jeremiah4 Fitch b. (?).
8. Zachariah4 Fitch b. Feb 13, 1712.
Samuel 3 Fitch by his 2nd wife Eunice Taylor:
9. Elizabeth Fitch b. Sept 22, 1718, m. Joseph Mead.

For the homestead of Samuel3 Fitch see Brookside. His Will dated Nov. 13,
1741, give wife
Eunice, west end of dwelling-house and cellar and corn, rye, beef, pork and
necessaries to
be provided by son Jeremiah, who was to have all at his mother's decease,
excepting legacies
to other children.

Capt. Joseph4 Fitch who m. Jan 31, 1731, Sarah Grimes of Lexington (1st
marriage recorded
at Bedford. She died Jan 22, 1750. He m. (2) Mrs. Rachel Convers, widow of
Joseph Convers.
He d. Feb 7, 1769 and she m. John Page. Children:

1. Sarah Fitch b. Mar 25, 1732, bap. with her father, April 30, 1732; m.
1750, Josiah
Crosby & settled in Amherst, now Milford, New Hampshire, in 1753, on the
Souhegan River.
They were pioneers in the wilderness, where they founded a noted family.

2. Molly Fitch b. Oct 16, 1737, m. Jonathan Blodgett.

3. Susannah Fitch b. July 26, 1743, m. Josiah Munroe.

4. Joseph5 Fitch b. Oct 2, 1746; settled at Fort No. 2, New Hampshire,
conveyed estate in
1769 to Joseph Converse, q.v.

By his 2nd wife Capt. Joseph4 Fitch had

5. Thaddeus5 Fitch b. Mar 23, 1755.

Benjamin4 Fitch (son of Samuel3 Fitch) bought the Bacon Mill on the
Shawshine, q.v.; m.
Feb 28, 1732, Mirian Gray of Andover, and died July 7, 1770. Children:

1. Hannah Fitch b. Jan 10, 1733 m. Aug. 1, 1751, David Tarbell.
2. Miriam Fitch b. Jan 23, 1734-5; m. Sept. 11, 1778, Timothy Jaquith.
3. Benjamin5 Fitch b. Jan 6, 1736-7.
4. Louis Fitch b. Oct 31, 1740; m. Nov 21, 1776, Edward Powers.
5. David5 Fitch, b. May 22, 1743.
6. Lydia Fitch who died young.
7. Eunice Fitch b. July 26, 1747; m. Daniel McNickole.
8. Nathan5 Fitch who died young.
9. Isaac5 Fitch, b. May 18, 1752.
10. Nathan Fitch b. May 13, 1755.

Jeremiah4 Fitch son of Samuel3 Fitch, m. Feb. 3, 1735/6, Elizabeth, dau. of
Col. John
and Catherine Lane. Children:

1. Samuel5 Fitch b. Nov 9, 1736.
2. Elizabeth Fitch who died young.
3. Jeremiah5 Fitch b. Sept. 25, 1742.
4. John Fitch, twin, b. Aug 14, 1745. died May 31, 1820.
5. Matthew Fitch, twin of John, b. Aug 14, 1745. He m. Aug 25, 1774, Lydia
Lane and died
Aug 3, 1811.
6. Joanna Fitch b. Feb 29, 1747-8; m. Benjamin Tidd of Lexington.
7. Pattie Fitch b. July 14, 1750.
8. Elizabeth Fitch b. Aug 7, 1752; d. Mar 1, 1825.
9. Moses5 Fitch b. Mar 3, 1755.

All of the sons of Jeremiah4 Fitch, excepting Samuel are recorded as in the
Revolutionary
War.

Zachariah4 Fitch who m. Oct. 1, 1733, Elizabeth Grimes of Lexington. She die
March 12, 1790.
Children:

1. Zachariah5 Fitch b. April 1, 1734; m. Rebekah Davis and settled in
Groton, Mass.
[insert - I have his famous "Revolutionary War Notebook"] published by Dr.
Samuel A.
Green, Vol IV - Groton Historical Series. See my webpages to copy/download.]

2. William5 Fitch b. Feb 19, 1735-6, killed in the French War.
3. Elizabeth Fitch b. Jan 6, 1738-9; m. Samuel Lane.
4. Jonas Fitch b. Feb 5, 1740-1; settled at Groton, Mass. He was a man of
great
mechanical genius, especially in the art of clock making; all the movements
of his
clocks were made by his hands. These timepieces are still owned in
Pepperell and
Groton, Mass. A grandson and namesake inherited his mechanical aptitude. The
Masonic
Temple, Fitchburg Depot and City Hall in Boston are monuments to his skill.
5. Ebenezer Fitch born and died young.
6. Esther Fitch born and died young.
7. Lucy Fitch born and died young.
8. Esther (again) Fitch b. Oct 13, 1749, m. Nehemiah Lawrence.
9. Ebenezer5 (again) Fitch b. Aug 5, 1751; was a Minute-man who removed to
Rindge,
New Hampshire in 1779; was duly "warned out" but settled and became
prominent.
10. Lucy (again) Fitch b. July 6, 1753; m. Joseph Hill of Billerica.
11. Sarah Fitch b. Jan 2, 1755.
12. Phebe Fitch b. Nov 25, 1756; m. April 1, 1784, John Sprague.
13. Alles Fitch b. Nov 10, 1759; m. Henry Woods, Jr.
14. Daniel5 Fitch b. Feb 21, 1764; d. Oct 12, 1843.

Thaddeus5 Fitch, a Revolutionary War pensioner, son of Joseph4 Fitch and
Mrs. Rachel
Converse; m. Sept 14, 1779, Mary the dau. of John Moore, Jr. and his wife,
Mary Wheeler.
Children:
1. Mary Fitch b. Dec. 29, 1779 m. Oliver Reed.
2. Sarah Fitch b. Sept 22, 1781.
3. Joseph6 Fitch b. July 10, 1797; died Dec 30, 1830.

David5 Fitch, son of Benjamin4 Fitch, inherited the homestead and mill from
his father.
He m. April 3, 1770, Mary Fowle of Woburn. He died July 27, 1813; she died
Sept 19, 1829.
Children:
1. Polly Fitch b. Oct 23, 1770, m. Benjamin Wheeler of Concord, New
Hampshire.
2. Lydia Fitch b. Dec. 7, 1772; m. Nathaniel Page.
3. David4 Fitch b. June 28, 1777.
4. Isaac Fitch b. and died (see epitaph)

Jeremiah5 Fitch son of Jeremiah4 Fitch m. April 19, 1770, Lydia Smith of
Waltham.

To be continued Part 2 - p. 11 Part V. - History of Bedford, Mass.
Genealogical & Biographical.
Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth



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