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Subject: [GENMASSACHUSETTS] Capt. Jonas Prescott - with N.H. descendants.
Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 15:22:56 EDT

Subject: Captain Jonas Prescott son of founder, John Prescott.
Source: Genealogical & Family History of New Hampshire by
Ezra Scollay Stearns, Wm. F. Whitcher, Edward E. Parker
Lewis Publish Co., Chicago.

p.1656
Captain Jonas Prescott, 9th child & 4th son of John Prescott and his wife,
Mary Platts of Lancaster, Mass.. Jonas Prescott was born at Lancaster, Mass.,
in June 1648 and died December 31, 1723, aged seventy-five years.

He settled at Groton, Mass., where he or his father for him, built the mill
in the south part of the town, now within the limits of the town of Harvard,
Mass., which is still called "the old mill." At a town meeting held in
Groton,
November 19, 1673, it was voted that "By agreement of the town, Jonas
Prescott
is to grind the town's corn, for the town, every 2nd and every 6th day in
every
week." At a town meeting at Groton, June 13, 1681, liberty was granted to
Jonas
Prescott to

p.1657
set up his corn mill at Stony Brook, "an agreement between Jonas Prescott and
the town of Groton, that he, the said Jonas Prescott, have liberty to set up
a
sawmill at Stony Brook on conditions that he furnish the town at six pence a
hundred (feet) cheaper than they are sold at any other sawmill, and for town
pay,
and that the town be supplied before any other person." This privilege was to
continue or cease at the pleasure of the town. He bought land in Groton until
he became one of the largest land holders in the town. In addition to being a
farmer, miller and sawyer, he was (like his father) a blacksmith, and upon
the
re-settlement of the town after its destruction by the Indians in 1676, he
built
mills and a forge for the manufacture of iron from the ore at Forge Valley,
so
called, which was then in Groton, but is now in Westford.

He was a man of elevated rank and much influence in the community. He was
Town
Clerk in 1691; a member of the Board of Selectmen for several years; and a
Representative to the General Court in 1699 and 1705. He was also a Captain
in
the militia and a Justice of the Peace.

He married, December 14, 1672, Mary, the daughter of John & Mary (Draper)
Loker
of Sudbury, Mass. She was born Sept. 28, 1653 and died October 28, 1735 aged
eighty-two years. Their children were:
1. Mary Prescott.
2. Elizabeth Prescott.
3. Jonas Prescott, Jun'r.
4. Nathaniel Prescott.
5. Dorothy Prescott.
6. James Prescott.
7. Sarah Prescott.
8. Abigail Prescott.
9. Martha Prescott.
10. Susannah Prescott.
11. Deborah Prescott.
12. Benjamin Prescott.

Captain Jonas Prescott, Jun'r., the third child and eldest son of Jonas1
Prescott
and Mary (Loker) Prescott, was born Oct. 26, 1678 and died Sept. 12, 1750
aged
seventy-two years. He resided at Forge Village, which has been included in
West-
ford, since 1730. He enlarged and improved the works on Stony Brook, which
his
father established, by erecting additional forges for reducing the iron ore,
as
well as for other purposes. Upon the petition of himself and others, a part
of
Groton, including "Forge Village," was in 1730 set off from Groton to
Westford.
The water privilege and works on Stony Brook at Forge Village have been
owned,
held and occupied by the Prescott family since their purchase of the land
from
Andrew, the Indian.

Jonas2 Prescott was a captain in the militia, a Justice of the Peace, and in
1720,
a Representative in the Legislature. He married (1) October 15, 1699,
Thankful
Wheeler, of Concord, who died November 1, 1716. He m. (2) April 30, 1718,
Mary
Page, who was born in 1687 and died July 19, 1781, aged ninety-four years.
His
children - all by his first wife were:
1. Ebenezer Prescott.
2. Jonas3 Prescott.
3. Thankful Prescott
4. Mary Prescott
5. Sarah Prescott
6. Dorcas Prescott.

Ebenezer Prescott and wife, Hannah Farnsworth.

Ebenezer Prescott, eldest child of Jonas2 Prescott and Thankful (Wheeler)
Prescott, was born July 19, 1700 and died December 1, 1771, aged seventy-one
years. In 1730 he and his brother Jonas Prescott, Ebenezer Townsend and
others
petitioned the General Court to be set off from Groton to Westford, which
petition was granted that year. He married, May 29, 1721, Hannah Farnsworth.
(she was 7th child of John Farnsworth, son of founder, Matthias Farnsworth of
Groton) and his wife, Hannah Aldis born 1666 at Dedham, Mass. Their children
were:
1. Ebenezer Prescott.
2. Oliver Prescott.
3. Sarah Prescott.
4. Joseph Prescott.
5. David Prescott
6. Hannah Prescott
7. Rebecca Prescott.
8. Eunice Prescott.

Deacon Oliver Prescott, 2nd son of Ebenezer Prescott and his wife, Hannah
(Farnsworth) Prescott, was born May 5, 1725 and died Jan. 1, 1803 in the 78th
year of his age. He settled as a farmer at Westford, Mass., where for many
years
he was Deacon of the church. He m. June 8, 1749, Bethia Underwood, who was
born
Sept 27, 1729 and died at Harvard, Mass., Oct 1, 1813 aged 84 yrs. They had
children:
1. Susanna Prescott.
2. Hannah Prescott.
3. Benjamin Prescott.
4. Bethia Prescott.
5. Oliver Prescott.
6. Polly Prescott.
7. Phebe Prescott.
8. Lucy Prescott.
9. Mary Prescott.
10. Abraham Prescott.
11. Isaac Prescott

Col. Benjamin Prescott - Spy for Col. William Prescott at Bunker Hill.

Colonel Benjamin Prescott, 3rd child and eldest son of Deacon Oliver & Bethia
(Underwood) Prescott, was born March 15, 1754 and died in Jaffrey, New
Hampshire,
in 1839 aged 85 years. In 1774 he removed to Jaffrey, which was then almost
in
a state of nature, with improvements few and far between. Being in a new
country
and far from the towns and larger settlements, with roads mere bridle paths,
and
sometimes without roads, spotted trees alone indicating the way, he and his
fami-
ly for years suffered many hardships, incidental to pioneer settlement in the
remote wilderness. While acting as a spy the day previous to the battle of
Bunker Hill, he was captured by the British, but made his escape the same
day.
He was a farmer and for forty years an inn-keeper. In religious belief he
was a
Baptist, and was one of the constituent members of the Baptist Church of
Jaffrey,
New Hampshire, of which he was a lifelong pillar of the church. He was a man
of
much energy and activity, and being highly esteemed for his integrity,
upright-
ness and sound judgment, was a man of much influence. He represented the
town of
Jaffrey in the New Hampshire legislature, to which he was elected in 1790,
1796,
and from 1809 to 1817, inclusive, in all eleven years. He married, December
5,
1775, Rachel Adams, of Chelmsford, Mass., who was born Aug 9, 1757. Their
nine
children, all born at Jaffrey:
1. Benjamin Prescott who died young.
2. Benjamin Prescott (again).
3. Oliver Prescott.
4. Rachel Prescott.
5. Eldad Prescott.
6. Nabby Prescott.
7. John Adams Prescott.
8. Susannah Prescott.
9. Bethiah Prescott.

Eldad Prescott, fifth child and 4th son of Colonel Benjamin Prescott and his
wife, Rachel (Adams) Prescott, was born at Jaffrey, N.H., Nov. 18, 1786. He
lived in the village of Squantum at Jaffrey, and was a farmer, having a farm
of
two hundred acres of the best land in that town. He was a member of the
Baptist
church and a prosperous and highly respected citizen. He m. March 27, 1816,
Clarissa Hunt, who was born at Acton, Mass., Oct. 4, 1791 and died at
Jaffrey,
N.H., Sept 20, 1826. She was a dau. of Paul and Betsy Hunt of Jaffrey.

He m. (2) June 8, 1852, Caroline Almeda Nutting, who was born Jan 12, 1834,
dau. of William T. Nutting and his wife, Grata (Chadwick) Nutting of Jaffrey.
She died April 30, 1861 and he m. (3) Feb 11, 1862, Louisa J. Plumer, dau of
Jesse T. Plumer of Goffstown, N.H.

p.1658
One child, Martha E. Prescott b. of the first wife. She died March 1, 1863
aged
13 yrs. By his second wife, there were three children:
2. Oren Elliott Prescott.
3. Julius Elwood Prescott.
4. Caroline Maria Prescott.

Oren Elliott Prescott res. on the old homestead. Caroline M. Prescott m.
Wayland H. Goodnow of Jaffrey and died October 6, 1890.

Julius Elwood Prescott born at Jaffrey Mar 7, 1856, attended common schools
and the Conant High School of Jaffrey until he was 18 yrs of age and then be-
came a clerk in the store of W. L. Goodnow & Co. of Jaffrey and filled that
position 21 yrs. He then bought an interest in the firm which became Goodnow
Brothers & Co., which style it still remains. He was a man of sterling
charact-
er and fine executive ability, and became one of the leading citizens of his
town. He married in East Jaffrey, N.H., Oct 21, 1882, Ada L. Pierce, who was
born at Roxbury, Mass. June 1, 1857, the dau. of Benjamin & Lucinda
(Stratton)
Pierce. Two children, Beulah Prescott and Oliver Prescott - both of whom died
young.
End.
Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth






















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