Thomas Felbrigge/Philbrick of Hampton, N.H.

 

Many years ago, I lived in Suffolk, England.  I don’t know if I could have spelled the word genealogy at the time, never mind have taken the slightest bit of interest in it.  Oh, the research I could have done, pictures I could have taken, argh! Oh well, that’s life isn't it. I can remember going to Felbrigge Hall in Norfolk, it was a beautiful house and grounds. The original family was long gone but the name lived on, despite new owners.  Thomas, my ancestor,  may or may not have shared a common ancestor with the Felbrigges of the hall, but he did share their name, at least until he came to Massachusetts when the spelling changed. There is a lot of good stuff written about the Philbricks, and as always a few errors, mostly on ancestry.com.  I can't claim any new information but maybe I can correct a few minor mistakes.  So this is what I know about Thomas Felbrigge of Bures, England and Hampton, NH.

english origins

Thomas was born in the small village of Bures St. Mary’s in Suffolk, England. Bures St. Mary’s is on the Stour River, which is the border between the counties of Essex and Suffolk.  The Stour Valley was home to many of the original Puritan founders and immigrants to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, including Governor John Winthrop. In fact it is only 7 miles from Bures to Groton Farm, Winthrope’s home.  The Felbrigge family had lived in the Bures area since the 1400’s and as Thomas was the only one of his siblings to leave, they may be there still. 

The Stour Valley was, at that time, well known for it's cloth making and it has been suggested that Thomas' father, Thomas Sr. was a fuller. Fulling is a step in making woolen cloth which involves the cleaning of the wool. On 5 October 1620, Thomas Felbrigge Sr.  was appointed "searcher of cloths". A "seacher" was an inspector who was responsible for  ensuring the quality and other attributes of the product.  Unfortunately by the 1630's, war, drought, and a poor economy had wreaked havoc on the cloth industry and many of the workers were out of work. 

porch St. Mary's Bures, photo from
British Express

Thomas is believed to be the second son and fourth child of Thomas and Elizabeth Felbrigg. The family eventually included ten children, one of which died as an infant.  Thomas Sr. was born about 1545 and died sometime after 1621.  His wife Elizabeth was buried in 1619. Thomas Jr. was by the a grown man of 37, married with children of his own. It is not known what his occupation was in England. 
Thomas married in Bures on 4 June 1615 Elizabeth Knop daughter of William Knop of Bures. All of Thomas' children were born in England. Thomas is last mentioned in the Manor  Rolls for Bures St. Mary's in 1631 when he and several other men were charged with converting buildings on their properties to cottages, presumably to rent out. This was apparently frowned upon. There is no further court date until 1 Oct 1635 at which time he and his family were in America. 

coming to america, the great debate
For years genealogist have stated that the Felbrigge family came to Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the flagship the Arabella.  The source for this information was given as old family papers.  Some also claim that Thomas was actually a mariner aboard the Arabella. Neither of these two bits of information seem plausible and there is no proof of either. We know Thomas was in England in 1631 because his daughter Martha was baptized in September of 1631, which means she would have been, now don't blush, conceived in late January, or early February of 1631. Thomas was also present at the Court Baron on 12 October. 
There are no records of Thomas Philbrick in Massachusetts in the very first years. I think it is more likely that he and his family left England in 1635.  There were, however families from Bures, and other nearby villages, who Thomas most likely knew and who did sail in 1630.  The Knapp family as well as the French family would have been known to the Felbrigges and they both were part of the Winthrop Fleet. In fact Thomas' son would marry one of the Knapp daughters, maybe that is who the family papers referenced. Any hoo, when Robert Charles Anderson of the Great Migration series says Thomas came on the Arabella I'll change my story, but until then I'm sticking with 1635.
watertown

Watertown, one of the first towns of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and many of it's first citizens were immigrants from East Anglia and the Stour Valley. By November of 1635 Watertown declared that it was "full" and would accept no more proprietors. Thomas was obviously there by then as he was given land in the 1636 great Dividend.  Thomas did not have a prominent role in the foundation of the new town, his name is first mentioned in the Watertown records in late 1640 when he was "ordered to set up a house at the waterside, provided it be for a house to received stray goods according to ye order of the court". Hum, not sure what that means. 
Thomas was given land in six divisions including a home stall, meadow, upland and a large farm of 127 acres in the third division. By 1642 almost all the land had been given out and unlike other new towns, no land was set aside for later distribution to the next generation, nor were there any "children's lots".  Thomas' sons had to look elsewhere to find their lands. In 1639 his second son, James, left Watertown for the new plantation of Hampton.

hampton
In June of 1640 John Philbrick was granted his first lands in Hampton. According to the Chapman article on the Philbrick family, Thomas sold his Watertown property to one Isaac Stearns in Jan of 1645/6 and joined his sons in Hampton.  He was by then 62 years old.  

He bought land from Captain Christopher Hussey. In his will he left multiple parcels of land to his children including a house lot, orchard, marsh land, and a share in the small ox common.
His name does not come up much in the records of either Hampton or Essex County.  In 1648 he was in court to record a receipt and in 1650 he filed against William Aspinhall of Hampton for "granting an attachment against him contrary to law". He had been covenanted to provide the town of Hampton with powder, bullets and match.  The lawsuit had to do with this.  In 1655 Thomas was appointed the job Culler of Staves.  A large part of the Hampton economy centered on the production of wooden staves used to make barrels.

rip
Elizabeth, of whom very little is known, died in Hampton in Feb of 1663/4. Thomas wrote his will about one month later on 12 March 1663/4.  It was proved on 8 Oct. 1667, Thomas was 83 years old, a great age in those days. His estate was valued at 124 pounds. see below for his will.

Click the read more for the rest of the article

New look, same blog

Changed my blog again.  never happy! I got tired of the dynamic view from blogger, I found it too limiting. So, I switched back to an older template.  I tried downloading a template from another site, but couldn't get it to work. For a brief period of time I was afraid you would have to read it one letter at a time. Thankfully my moment of panic that I had totally screwed it all up pass and I was able to get my blog back into a readable format.  I'm sure in a few months I'll get the urge to change it all again, but for now it's staying put.

Edward Sanderson of Watertown, MA

Well, here he is, the first (possible) ancestor  who I  do not want to claim.  I think we all want our ancestors to be interesting men and women, leaders, upstanding citizens,  prosperous, wealthy even, not to mention descended from royalty.  I think that is why so many people ignore facts and twist the truth to make it seem that they are related to people when in fact they are not.

I'm sorry, I think we have a bad connection

An example of this connecting people who are not really connected is Edward himself.  Many people claim that he was the brother of Robert Sanderson, a well known silversmith, who along with John Hull minted the first coins in the Colony. However, there is not a single bit of evidence that these men were related, never mind  brothers. Also, his wife is said by many to be the daughter of Bigod Eggleston of Windsor, Connecticut, but Robert Charles Anderson in his bio of Bigod states that he does not believe that she was his daughter.  Neither she nor her children were named in his will and he, Bigod, did not have any connections with Watertown in 1645. 
So back to Edward, what's not to like, a lot. But let's start at the beginning of his story, or at least what I can find out about him. 

Arrival

How and when Edward arrived in Massachusetts is unknown.  He did not sail on the "Increase" in 1635. He is also not the Edward who arrived in Virginia in 1635.  He was probably not the Edward Sanders  who worked for Capt. Francis Champernowne as a land agent in New Hampshire.  That Edward was taken to court 21 October 1645 by Mrs. Sarah Lynne, a widow, whom he claimed to have married. Our Edward was married 15 Oct. 1645 so that doesn't make sense. Also of note, he is almost always called Sanders, as opposed to Sanderson.

Marriage

Edward's marriage to Mary Eggleston in 1645 seems to have been the high point of his life. Their first child, Jonathan was born about one year later in 1646. By 1660 his rapidly growing family, they had six children by then,  was becoming a burden not only for him but for the town itself.  His family was one of four identified by the selectmen of Watertown as providing an inadequate education for their children. In a town meeting of 28 January 1664 the town gave Edward money to support his family. Later that year in May of 1664 the town voted to give Edward three bushels of Indian corn.  In 1671 the town was becoming increasingly worried about the prospect of supporting  Edward's family,  they decide that some of the children must enter apprenticeships to relieve the burden on the family and ensure that the child was educated. One unnamed daughter was placed with another family at the age of eight, to serve as an apprentice until age 18. The town paid for the care of Edward's children at least through 1676.

the icky part

Okay, so the guy was a really bad provider for his family, but he was also something much much worse: a rapist and child abuser. On 8 June 1654 Edward raped an 8 year old girl, Ruth Parson. He admitted having sex with Ruth, but claimed she consented to it. He was convicted but he escaped hanging on a technicality in the law.  His punishment was to be whipped, 30 lashes in Boston and more again in Watertown.  He was to wear a rope around his neck which hung down at least two feet and he was not to be more than 40 rods from his house without the noose on he would be whipped again. His crime, punishment, the rope, a constant reminder that he could be hanged and the response of the town to him may explain why he was not able to provide for his family. 

etc. rip

Edward, at one point, owned land in Watertown which he sold to William Shattuck, this was prior to 1664 when title to some of the land came into question and was settled by the Selectmen of the town.  Obviously, Edward to did not leave for Cambridge following the sale of the land.  In 1687 a Goody Sanders was ordered by the selectmen to spin yard in exchange for corn, this was most likely Mary Sanders. 
There is no record of death for either Mary or Edward.  They obviously left no wills, as they had nothing of value. 


Children of Edward and Mary
Jonathan b. 1646 m. Abia Bartlett in 1669, became a Deacon in the church and an upstanding member of society.
William married Sarah Unknown and moved to Groton by 1674
Abigail b. about 1660 m. Oct 27, 1687 Shubael Child in Watertown she died 8 Oct 1693, he husband shortly thereafter became mentally ill, was locked in an unheated jail in the middle of winter and froze to death. 
Hannah b. about 1670 m. Aug 6, 1695 Richard Norcross in Watertown 
Hester baptized in Watertown in 1686, described as a "young person"
Unknown

related posts:
Andrew White of Watertown
William Sanderson of Watertown
Robert Sanderson of Watertown

Sources:
Jennifer Monaghan, Learning to Read and Write in Colonial America
Watertown Records
Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins 1620-1633 p. 624
Richard Archer, Fissures in the Rock: New England in the 17th Century
Roger Thompson, Divided We Stand, Watertown 1630-1680

comments, challenges, quibbles welcome

please site all sources

Andrew White of Watertown, MA

international man of mystery

Andrew White is another one of those frustrating ancestors who seem to appear out of thin air.  There are no clues as to where he was born and because of this most of the old genealogies suggest that he was an immigrant.  There was another White family that lived in Watertown, that of John White, and it is possible that Andrew was a kinsman, but it is just as possible that their common surname  was only a coincidence. An Andrew White was deposed in 1689 in Middlesex County Court and gave his age at 23, this would put his birth year close to 1666.

ancestry errors

If you are an ancestry.com subscriber you will have seen, like me, the many trees which claim that the parents of Andrew are John and Hannah French White. John White died Jan 1 1668/69 and left only one son, also named John. And while we are on this blooper, John White, who married Hannah French was the son of William and Mary White of Haverhill. He was not the son of Resolved White, a Pilgrim on the Mayflower. Sorry if I just ruined your day.

Not much is known about Andrew White.  He married Sarah Sanderson, daughter of William and Sarah Sanderson in Watertown on Feb 4 1695/6. If he was born in 1669 or 1670 he was 26 and Sarah was 28 years old. Nine months later, their first child, a daughter was born. 

Their children were:

1. Sarah, born November 17, 1696 married Thomas Hastings, she was baptized on December 12, 1697

2. Andrew, baptized December 29, 1700 married Jane Dix

3. William, baptized December 20, 1701 married Sarah Cutting

4. Hannah, born Jan 15, 1708/9 married Jonathan Learned

about

The White family, at least Andrew and Sarah, remained in Watertown for the rest of their lives.  Andrew seems to have been fairly successful as he and another man, Nathaniel Sterns, paid 400 pounds for a house and farm.  Andrew also bought land in Cambridge. 

Andrew and his family were also full members of the church.  In a seating chart from 1741,  Mr. Andrew White is seated in the second row, his son Andrew Jr. was seated in the front gallery.  Seating in the Puritan meetinghouse was very important   Members were seated according to their age, importance, wealth and social standing. The closer you were tot he front the more "important" your standing in the community.  In 1748, Andrew Jr. took his fathers place in the second row.

rip

Andrew died May 13 1742.  William Richard Cutter is a bit confusing in that he states that Sarah died on December 31 1749 and then turns around and says that Andrew had a second wife named Mary with whom he had more children. 

Sources:

William Richard Cutter,Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Families Relating to the State of Massachusetts, Vol 4

Watertown Records, East Congregational and Precinct Affairs, 1697-1737

comments, corrections, and confrontations welcome

cite your sources 

William Sanderson of Watertown and Groton, MA

Rearranging facts

During my research for this article on William Sanderson I had to wade through a lot of sources including general genealogy books and town records as well as  other blogs trying to decide if Robert Sanderson was in fact  William's father, as is claimed by many, many people.  I have to say that I did not see anything that would lead me to believe this to be true.  There is no birth record for William and Robert did not name him as a son in his will, nor were William's children named as grandchildren in either Robert or his third wife's will. In the genealogical books written at the turn of the century, one writer suggested that maybe William was Roberts son, and another that there was no proof.  One other bit of telling evidence is that he, unlike  all of Robert's sons, did not train as a silversmith.  It seems unlikely that this would be so. Also, Robert left Watertown for Boston in 1652. Why was William still in Watertown, young unmarried men were not allowed to live alone, so who did he live with?  I think that people badly want him to be Robert's son, and rearrange the facts to make their story fit.

Birth

William's year of birth is generally given as 1641.  This date seems to be based on information given during a deposition in 1681 when he gave his age as 40. If he were born that year, and if he was the son of Robert and Lydia, he would have to have been born in Hampton, just prior to Lydia's death.  But there are two other clues about his age that seem to have  been ignored.  William was also deposed in 1683 and this time he gave his age as 48.  This would give him a birth year of 1635. This makes much more sense when you consider that he took the Oath of Fidelity in 1652.  If he was born in 41 he would have been only eleven years old at that time, but if he was born in 35 he would have been 17 years of age.  Now, I am pretty sure that boys of eleven did not take the oath, but a young man of 17 would. 

In his book about Watertown, Roger Thompson describes the "peopling" of the town.  Many of the newcomers, those who came after the first two waves of migration,  were extended family members of the original settlers.  Also a majority of the population were originally for the East Anglia area of England.  If Robert were from Norfolk, it makes sense that he would assist other members of his family to immigrate to Massachusetts. So I am running with a birth year of 1635 in England.

Watertown

After taking the oath in 1652, William disappears from the records until his marriage in Watertown to Sarah Unknown on Dec 18, 1666.  In the records Williams surname is spelled Sandors, Sanders and Sanderson. There are no clues about the surname of his wife Sarah to be found.  Many internet tree say it was Marr, but I do not know where they come by this name, there does not seem to be an Marr's in Watertown. 
The births and baptisms of his children are recorded in the Watertown records. His name is also mentioned in a Middlesex County Court  record dated Oct 1668.  He testified in the drowning death of the son of Thomas Hastings.

His children were:

John born 16 October 1667 name was spelled Sandors
Sarah born 17 March 1668
William born 6 September 1670
Mary 30 November 1671 Batized 13 Jan 1688/89 Baptized 28 Nov 1686
Hannah born 8 March 1674
Lydia born 21 April 1679 Baptized on 20 May 1688
Joseph born 28 August 1679 Baptized on  20 May 1688

William is said to have had a daughter Hannah b. 3 May 1674 in Groton, but I think she might be confused with the Hannah Sanders born in Watertown on 8 May 1674 to John Sanders. 
Sarah was a member of the church, but it seems that William was not.  When the children's baptisms were recorded the records say that Sarah "owned the covenant" meaning she was a full church member, William was not identified as a church member.  

Groton

Groton is a town north and west of Watertown. It was incorporated in 1655. A large number of early proprietor of Groton were from Watertown.     On November 25, 1670 John Morse the town clerk of Groton recorded the sale of 20 acres of upland by Abraham Parker to William Sanderson. William "Sanders" is recorded in the early records of Groton as one of the first 73 heads of families in Groton.  On March 13 1676 the town of Groton was burned to the ground, save four garrison houses, and was abandoned until 1678. In 1681 he was charged a rate for payment of the ministers salary, so presumably he returned  after the end of King Phillip's War and the hostilities by the Indians. 

death 

On July 27th 1694 a band of Abenaki warriors attacked the town of Groton at dawn.  20 of the townspeople were killed and 12 carried of into captivity.  One of those killed was William Sanderson.  He died without a will, but his son William probated his estate. 

Children

Sarah born 1668 married in Watertown, 1694 to Andrew White.
William born 1670 married first Abigail Traine and second in 1704 Anna Shattuck.  They married in Watertown but settled in Sudbury. 
Joseph married Sarah Page in Groton on 30 July 1714. On 30 August 1714 Bethia Kemp had a child out of wedlock and named Joseph Sanderson as the father. Joseph died in Groton 1736.

Other Options

According to Roger Thompson in his book on Watertown, "Divided We Stand", William was the son of Edward Sanderson and Mary Eggleston of Watertown.  Since Edward married in 1645, William would have been born sometime after that.  This would mean that there was a second man named William Sanderson who could have taken the oath of fidelity in 1652 and was also the one who was deposed giving a birth date closer to 1635. If anyone reading this has access to the archives of Middlesex County look it up and report back!

Related posts:
Robert Sanderson of Watertown
Edward Sanderson of Watertown
Andrew White of Watertown Sources:
Middlesex Co. MA: Abstract of Court Records, 1643-1674
Torreys Marriages Prior to 1700
Watertown Vital Records
Watertown Records: East Congregational and Precinct Affairs (source for baptisms)
Samuel Abbott Green, Groton Historical Series 

James Monroe Crafts, History of the Town of Whatley, 1661-1899
Roger Thompson, Divided We Stand: Watertown 1630-1680

Comments, questions, confrontations welcome

cite your sources please

Puritan Crime and Punishment #2

The following people were presented to the court in Salem on 28-12-1642

John Holdgrave was admonished for perjury and affirming  untruths before the church of Salem

John Colver presented for carrying a burden on the Lord's day, he was out of the country and could not answer for his crime.

Robert Cotta and Phillip Crumwell admonished for reproachful speeches against Phillip Verrin

Josua Downing for carrying a burden upon his ass on the Lord's Day about two years ago (really two years ago)

William Flynt was presented for not living with his wife. His answer: his mother was not willing to lett his wyfe  come (sure blame it on your mother)

Michael Millner of Lynn presented upon a common fame  for idly and non profitably spending his time. He was not present he had "gone to Long Island" (I'd go to Long Island too, is I couldn't sit down for a few minutes without being dragged into court)

My favorite:
Roger Scott of Lynn presented for common sleeping at public exercise on the Lord's Day and for striking he who waked him.

Robert Sanderson of Hampton,Watertown and Boston

As seems to be the case lately, I started this article with the intent to write about my ancestor William Sanderson of Watertown and now I find myself writing about a man, Robert Sanderson, who may or may not be his father.   The genealogy search is like following the proverbial “white rabbit” and eventually it leads me down the rabbit hole.  I think I am headed in one direction and find myself after awhile somewhere I don’t recognize.  That’s what I think I love about doing this research, it’s like an addictive game.  Most of the time I want to pull my hair out, but when the pieces all fall together I feel like I’ve won a battle. My opponents in this game are varied, time and distance from my ancestors of course, but more frequently it is other genealogy fans who, like me, post “stuff” on the internet.  The tough part it trying to figure out if their “stuff” is legit or not. So here is some of the “stuff” I have found either in books, vital records, or on the internet, about Robert Sanderson of England, Hampton NH, Watertown and Boston.

English Origins

Robert Sanderson left very little in the way of information about his origins.  He was born in about 1607 based on the age given in a deposition taken later in life. In the older histories and genealogies, such as Currier and Bond, he is said the be from Norfolk, England.  The following entry, dated October 17, 1623, is found in the London register of the Goldsmith’s Guild:

"That I Robert Sanderson the sonne of Saundersonne of Higham doe put myselfe apprentize until William Rawlins Citizen & Goldsmith of London for the terme of nyne yeares." 

Unfortunately there are several small towns in England called Higham.  Many ancestry trees and other internet sites claim that Robert is the son of Edward Saunderson and Isabella Shiercliffe of Sheffield, Yorkshire, England. This is not correct.

  

Isabella Shiercliffe of Holehouse, buried at Sheffield Jan. 2, 1613; married at Sheffield Aug. 7, 1598, Edward Saunderson of Sheffield and Grimesthorpe, bapt. at Sheffield Jan. 15, 1576/7, will dated Apr. 21, 1617, buried at Sheffield Apr. 24, 1617, only son of Nicholas Saunderson and Margaret (Rawson).

Children:

— Nicholas Saunderson of Sheffield, gent., eldest son and heir, bapt. at Sheffield Aug. 3, 1600, married a daughter of Norton of Sandal-Magna, gent.

— Edward Saunderson of Sheffield, gent., second son, bapt. at Sheffield Aug. 17, 1602, will dated May 2, 1670, buried at Sheffield Feb. 19, 1673, married Anne, daughter of Francis Barlow of Sheffield.

I have seen genealogies where they have blithely ignored the fact that Edward the son was born, married and died in England and made him into the Edward Sanderson who immigrated to the Bay Colony. Then they stuck Robert on as a third son and voila family complete. As far as I can tell, the parents of Robert are unknown.

Apprenticeship

Robert apprenticed himself to William Rawlins, a London Goldsmith from 1623 until 1632. He continued to work  for William Rawins when his apprenticeship was complete, until his departure for America in 1638/9. In fact Robert supervised the training of William Rawlins jr. until he transferred his training to the Goldsmith George  Dixon in 1638.  There are three known pieces of his work in existence from that time period.  The following information is from a website for a consortium of American Colleges and Museums which have a piece of his work:

"three pieces are known from that period - an unlocated salver and two communion cups and patens. This form of communion cup with its flared body and large trumpet foot follows the chalice-like form revived by William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury during the 1630s. This form along with the use of the "IHS" on this cup was exactly the kind of vaguely Roman Catholic symbolism that infuriated the English Puritans and provoked a deep suspicion of the actual religious beliefs of King Charles I and Archbishop Laud. Probably having converted to Puritanism at an early age, Sanderson's dissatisfaction with having to make such forms may explain his decision to leave for Puritan New England.  A number of American silver authorities had questioned if the London and Boston John Sanderson were the same man; however, tests confirmed that the the marks on his London and Boston pieces were struck with the same die."

Arrival in America

Robert left England and arrived in New Hampshire in 1639.  He was not a passenger on the ship “The Increase” in 1635 and neither was Edward Sanderson, nor John and Mary Cross. The little we know about his life at this time is from the records of Hampton, NH.   According to Dow in his history of Hampton, Robert received 80 acres of land, including a house lot in December of 1639. He later sold this lot to Francis Swaine and moved to Watertown, MA by 1642.  Dow also records the baptism of a daughter Mary on 29 Oct 1639. the mothers name is recorded as Lydia. 

Mary Cross

At some time after the birth of his daughter Mary, which was probably in October of 1639, Robert’s wife Lydia died.  Her death is said to have occurred in Hampton, but it was not recorded.  According to Torrey and other sources Robert then married a widow named Mary Cross.  Their first child was born on 1 January 1643 in Watertown.  Subtracting nine months from this date gives a marriage date of no later than March of 1642, both Cutter and Bond in their histories say the marriage occurred in 1642. Torrey says that Robert married by 1643.

But who was the widow Mary Cross. She was not the widow of John Cross who was in Hampton, NH at the same time as Robert Sanderson.  That John arrived in 1634 on the “Elizabeth” with his wife Hannah.  He lived in Hampton briefly but removed to Ipswich.  He died in 1650.  According to his bio in the Great Migration series by Robert Charles Anderson, he had only one child, a daughter Hannah who later married Thomas Hammond. All we know was that he was John Cross of Watertown and that he died Sept 15, 1640. Mary subsequently gave birth to a daughter Mary on May 10, 1641. 

Mary was buried in the Granary Burying Grounds.  According to her headstone she died June 21 1681 aged 74 and her grandson in the grave with her.

Watertown 

Robert Sanderson and his family settled in Watertown.  In addition to son Joseph, Robert and Mary had Benjamin (1649), Sarah (1651) and Robert (1652). Presumably Robert was working as a silversmith at this time, but very little is written about his life in Watertown.  In 1652 he moved his family again, this time settling in Boston.

Boston

 On August 19, 1652 Robert took his oath as an Officer of the Mint.  The colony of Massachusetts was about to begin producing it’s own coins and Robert Sanderson and his partner John Hull of Boston were the silversmiths chosen for the  job. By mid October the new coins were in circulation. In addition to making coins the men produced silver pieces for Churches and other customers, many of these pieces survive today. A pair of silver cups made by John Hull and Robert Sanderson were estimated by Sothebys for 300,000 to 500,000 dollars. Wow! 
The first two apprentices taken on by this new partnership were the two oldest sons of Robert, John and Joseph. In 1658 John Hull recorded in his diary the death of his apprentice John Sanderson of some type of fever.  He also notes that Robert Sanderson and his son Joseph also suffered from the same fever but recovered. As each of the younger sons came of age they entered into apprenticeship with John Hull. 

In addition to running the mint Robert had other duties.  In 1663 he was one of five men elected to serve as constables for Boston. Robert was active in the First Church of Boston, becoming a full member in 1665 and elected  a deacon of the church. He together with the Rev. John Oxenbridge, John Hull, his partner, and others established the first (gun) powder mill in Massachusetts in about 1675. Robert also purchased and sold property, wharves and at least two shops in Boston. According to Louis Jordan in his book on John Hull, Robert Sanderson, at his death, owned real estate valued at 535 pounds and personal possessions valued at 718 pounds.

Elizabeth Kingsmill

In 1681, only months after the death of his second wife Mary,  Robert Sanderson was preparing to marry for the third time.  He created a deed which would ensure that his new wife, Elizabeth,  would be taken care of after his death.  He gave her his “mansion house”, two orchards, other land in Boston, half of his household goods and furniture and 50 pounds in money or silver plate. He said she could have whatever of his books she wanted.  He also said she would have all of the rents of his tenements and houses in Boston.  Obviously, Robert was fairly well off.  In return Elizabeth agreed to take care of his daughter Abigail, who was incapable of caring for herself.  Abigail’s birth is not recorded. 

John Sanderson
Not much is known about John Sanderson.  If his death had not been recorded in John Hull's diary, I doubt anyone would even know his name.  He was apparently the eldest son of Robert Sanderson.  It is suggested that he began his apprenticeship with Joseph in about 1656 and that he was probably born in Hampton, NH.  He died at the home of John Hull of a lingering fever on September 1, 1658.

 Joseph Sanderson

Second son of Robert, his birth was recorded in the Watertown records.  He began his apprenticeship in 1656 with his brother John.  He became a silversmith on the completion of his apprenticeship and worked until his early death in 1666 at age 23. Joseph married Mary Unknown and had two daughters Abiah  and Mary.  His widow remarried to William Ardell in Boston. A trust deed was established to protect Mary’s rights to her property.  Robert Sanderson and his wife Elizabeth gave land and houses to the Ardells. 

Benjamin Sanderson

Benjamin, born 1649, followed his brothers in an apprenticeship in his fathers business. He served  as an apprentice from 1663 until 1670. He married Mercy Viall about 1672 and his son Benjamin Jr. was born on May 25th 1674. He was dead by December of 1678 only 30 years old.

Sarah Sanderson

 Sarah married Robert Darby of Boston. Her son is named in her father's will.

Hannah Sanderson

Hannah ( Anna) Sanderson’s birth is not recorded. She married Richard West.  They are both named in her father's will and in her step mother, Elizabeth’s will as well,as are her children.

Robert Sanderson

Robert was the only son to survive his father.  He too was an apprentice in the business and in fact took over the silversmith business after the death of his father. He is named in his father’s will.

Mary Crosse

Mary, the daughter of Mary and John Cross born 1639, married James Penniman and had two children James and Mary.  They are named in her step-father’s will.

Leftovers

There are two men who are, on the internet, closely associated with Robert Sanderson, they are Edward and William Sanderson.  Robert left, in his will, money to his brother Edward.  He is almost universally said to be the Edward Sanderson who married Mary Eggleston.  The problem with this is that Edward of Watertown, married to Mary Eggleston, died by 1680.  Why would a man, writing his will in 1693, leave money to his brother who had been dead for 13 years? He wouldn’t.  I don’t know what else to say about that, I am not sure why so many people insist that they are brothers.

William Sanderson is supposed to be Robert’s son.  Now I have a vested interest in this bit as I am descended from William, but was he Robert’s son?  I see absolutely no proof that he was.  I don’t even seen any circumstantial evidence that he was. At his death Robert was quite a wealthy man. He left substantial bequests to his two surviving children, Ann West and Robert Jr. his son.  He and his wife Elizabeth, in her will, call family members by their name and relationship, my son, my daughter, my grandson, my great grandaughter, etc.  Elizabeth leaves 20 shillings to Lydia and Mary Sanderson.  Are they the daughters of William, if so, she left them one pound each, a pittance compared to what everyone else received, even her church got much more.  If William Sanderson of Watertown was the William who took the oath of fidelity in 1652, he cannot possibly have been born in 1640, as he would have only been a boy at the time of the oath.  

Robert Sanderson died in 1693 an old man, his wife died two years later.  His only surviving children were his son Robert and daughter Ann and possibly his disabled daughter Abigail.
In his book about Watertown, Roger Thompson, makes the claim that William is the son of Edward Sanderson of Watertown and that they are not related to Robert.

related posts:
Edward Sanderson of Watertown
William Sanderson of Watertown

Sources:

 New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: A Record of the ..., Volume 3, edited by William Richard Cutter

Family Memorials:Genealogies of the Families and Descendants of the Early Settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts, Including Waltham and Weston: to which is Appended the Early History of the Town, Volume 1, Henry Bond

Louis Jordan, John Hull, The Mint and The Economics of Massachusetts Coinage, University Press of New England, 2002

Vital Records of Watertown

New England Marriages Prior to 1700, Torry

History of the Town of Hampton, New Hampshire: From Its Settlement ..., Volume 2, Joseph Dow

Studies on John Hull, the Mint and the Economics of Massachusetts Coinage by Louis Jordan

Suffolk Deed Volume 12 page 125-126

New England Genealogic and Historic Register, Vol 17 page 214

Comments, Challenges, Criticisms Welcome, Proof Required!