The LAWRENCE Family of Groton, Middlesex, MA, Littleton, Middlesex, MA, and Watertown, Middlesex, MA Send comments and corrections to anneb0704@yahoo.co.uk
JOHN LAWRENCE (d. 1667) of Watertown and Groton m. Elizabeth Unknown (d. 1663)
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PELEG LAWRENCE (1647 - 1692) of Groton m. Elizabeth Morse
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MAJ. ELEAZER LAWRENCE (1675 - 1754) of Littleton m. Mary Scripture
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EXPERIENCE LAWRENCE (b. 1719) m. Capt. Jabez Keep

Generation 1

JOHN LAWRENCE (d. 1667) of Watertown and Groton

Parents: Unknown [Ref] It has been shown that there was no connection between John Lawrence of Charlestown, son of Henry Lawrence, and John Lawrence of Watertown. [Ref]

John Lawrence died on 11 Jul 1667. [Ref] He married Elizabeth Unknown. She died on 29 Aug 1663 in Groton. [Ref] He married second Susannah Bachelor. [Ref] Susannah was the daughter of William Bachelor. [Ref] She died on 8 Jul 1668 in Charlestown. [Ref]

John was a carpenter. [Ref]

John was a freeman on 17 Apr 1637. [Ref] He was the Watertown constable on 25 Oct 1658. [Ref]

John moved to Groton in 1662. [Ref] John is on a list of the original proprietors of Groton, presented at 4 Mar 1716/7 town meeting. [Ref, p. 26] He was a selectman there on 24 Dec 1662 and 11 Dec 1666. [Ref]

In 1665 there was a dispute between the town of Groton and John Lawrence, Sr. It seems that John had enclosed common land and that the town's arbiters found against him. But, at a town meeting held on 21 d. 7 m. 1665 it was agreed that John could have a parcel of the land that was in controversy. [Ref, p. 35]

John signed his will on 24 Apr 1667 in Groton. He requested that £60 be given to his wife, in addition to that which is her due under a former contract, for the maintainance of her and the children. He ordered that the residue of his estate be given to the children of his former wife in equal porportion "only provided that my daughter Mary shall have but half the proportion with the rest, to teach her a remembrance of her disobedience & unfaithfulness to me in my distress". The other half of the share that would have been hers was to go to his son Zechariah, he "being the youngest & incapable of present shifting for himself". He appointed his sons Nathaniel and Joseph administrators of the portion of the estate left to his children. He mentions by name his children who are under 21: "Enosh, Samuel, Isaack, Jonathan, and Zechariah" and Elizabeth, who was under 18. Inventory on John's estate, presented on 8 Mar 1667/8, amounted to £278 4d. [Ref]

Susannah's undated will was proved on 16 Dec 1668. She left her estate to her two daughters Abigail and Susannah Lawrence. If they were both to die, it was to go to "my honored father & mother Bachelder and after their death unto my two sisters Rachel Atwood & Abigail Asting". Her "father Bachelder and my brother Atwood of Maulden" were to be executors. [Ref]

Children of John Lawrence and Elizabeth Unknown:

  1. John Lawrence was born on 14 (1) 1635/[6?] in Watertown. [Ref] He was living in Groton on or shortly before 30 Nov 1663, but there is no record of him after that. [Ref] He probably died before his father signed his will and did not mention him. [Ref] He is not the John Lawrence of Charlestown who had a wife Susannah. [Ref] It is unlikely that he is the John of Muddy River who married Sarah Buckmaster. [Ref]
  2. Nathaniel Lawrence was born on 15 (8) 1639 in Watertown. [Ref] He married first Sarah Morse on 13 Mar 1660/1 in Sudbury. [Ref] Sarah was the sister of Elizabeth Morse. He married Sarah Unknown by 1695. [Ref] He married third Sarah (Smith) Phillips after 10 Dec 1717. [Ref]
    Nathaniel was an original proprietor of Groton. [Ref, p. 26] After King Philip's War, there was a general meeting of the inhabitants of Groton warned by four men, including Nathaniel, where the inhabitants agreed to return to Groton. [Ref, p. 85-6]
    some descendants of Nathaniel Lawrence
  3. Joseph Lawrence was born in Mar 1642 in Watertown. [Ref] He was buried there on 30 May 1643. [Ref] That he is recorded as dying the same day that his brother was born and the conflict between the birthdates of the two Josephs and Jonathan suggests a clerical error.
  4. Joseph Lawrence was born on 30 May 1643 in Watertown. [Ref] He is named in his father will, but there is no record of him after that. [Ref] It has been suggested that he moved to Boston and had a wife Rebecca. It has also been claimed that he was of Boston and married Rebecca Davis on 13 Mar 1670/1. [Ref]
    Joseph was an original proprietor of Groton. [Ref, p. 26] At a selectmans' meeting on 10 Dec 1689 Joseph agreed to sweep the meeting house, hang out the flag and carry water for baptising children for one year in return for being paid 26 shillings. [Ref, p. 44]
  5. Jonathan Lawrence was buried on 6 (2) 1643 in Watertown. [Ref]
  6. Mary Lawrence was born on 16 Jul 1645 in Watertown. [Ref] She is named in her father's will, but there is no record of her after that. [Ref] It has been suggested that she is the Mary Lawrence who married Inigo Potter on 25 Aug 1663 in Charlestown and this is what caused her father to complain about her in his will. However, it is more likely that that Mary Lawrence was the daughter of John and Susannah Lawrence of Charlestown. [Ref]
  7. Peleg Lawrence was born on 10 Jan 1647 in Watertown. [Ref] He married Elizabeth Morse.
  8. Enoch Lawrence was born on 5 Mar 1648 in Watertown. [Ref] He married Ruth (Whitney) Shattuck on 6 Mar 1676/7 in Watertown. [Ref] Ruth was the daughter of John Whitney. [Ref] She was the granddaughter of John Whitney. She married first John Shattuck. [Ref]
  9. Samuel Lawrence was born say 1650. [Ref] He married Rebecca (Unknown) Luen on 14 Sep 1682 in Charlestown. [Ref] Rebecca was the widow of John Luen. [Ref]
  10. Isaac Lawrence was born say 1652. [Ref] He married Abigail Bellows on 19 Apr 1682 in Cambridge. [Ref] Abigail was the daughter of John Bellows. [Ref]
  11. Jonathan Lawrence was born say 1654. [Ref] He married Rebecca Rutter on 5 Nov 1677 in Cambridge. [Ref]
  12. Elizabeth Lawrence was born say 1656. [Ref] She is named in her father's will, but there is no record of her after that. [Ref]
  13. Zacariah Lawrence was born on 9 Mar 1658/[9?] in Watertown. [Ref] He is named in his father's will, but there is no record of him after that. [Ref]

Children of John Laurence and Susannah Unknown:

  1. Abigail Lawrence was born on 9 Jan 1665/[6?] in Groton. [Ref] She was living on 16 Dec 1668, when she is named in her mother's will, but there is no record of her after that. [Ref]
  2. Susannah Lawrence was born on 3 Jul 1667 in Groton. [Ref] She was living on 11 Feb 1669/70, when she was named in her grandfather William Bachelor's will, but there is no record of her after that. [Ref]

Generation 2

PELEG LAWRENCE (1647 - 1692) of Groton

Parents: John Lawrence and Elizabeth Unknown

Peleg Lawrence was born on 10 Jan 1647 [Ref][Ref, p. 16][Ref] He died on 14 Feb 1692. [Ref, p. 17][Ref: only the year] He married Elizabeth Morse [Ref, "when twentry-one years old", p. 16] on 22 Dec 1668 in Medfield. [Ref] He had seven or more children recorded at Groton. [Ref]

Peleg is not named by his father as one of his underaged children in his 24 Apr 1667 will. If his birthday is interpreted as 10 Jan 1646/7 then his father may have thought of him as sufficiently close to being of age that he grouped him with his older brothers. [Ref]

Peleg sold his brother Nathaniel 13 acres of upland in Groton in 1669. [Ref, p. 16] Peleg and Nathaniel went to Concord in 1676, after the Indians attacked Groton. [Ref, p. 16] Peleg was a selectman in Groton. [Ref, p. 16]

Children of Peleg Lawrence and Elizabeth Morse:

  1. Eliab Lawrence was born on 9 Jan 1669. [Ref, p. 10]
  2. Samuel Lawrence was born on 16 Oct 1671 in Groton. [Ref][Ref, says 6 Oct., p. 10]
  3. Maj. Eleazer Lawrence was born on 28 Feb 1674/5 in Groton. He died on 9 Mar 1754 in Pepperell. [Ref] He married Mary Scripture.
  4. Elizabeth Lawrence died on 10 (8) 1675, aged about one year. [Ref, p. 11]
  5. Jonathan Lawrence was born on 29 Mar 1679 [Ref, p. 11] in Groton. [Ref]
  6. Abigail Lawrence was born on 6 Oct 1681 [Ref, p. 11] in Groton. [Ref]
  7. Jeremiah Lawrence was born on 3 Jan 1686/7 [Ref, p. 11] in Groton. [Ref] He died on 26 Apr 1687 in Groton. [Ref]
  8. Joseph Lawrence was born on 12 Jun 1688 [Ref, p. 11] in Groton. [Ref]
  9. Daniel Lawrence [Ref, p. 11]
  10. Susanna Lawrence [Ref, p. 11] married Joseph Williams of Plainfield on 13 Oct 1710. [Ref, p. 17]

Generation 3

MAJ. ELEAZER LAWRENCE (1675 - 1754) of Littleton and Groton

Parents: Peleg Lawrence and Elizabeth Morse [Ref]

Maj. Eleazer Lawrence was born on 28 Feb 1674/5 [Ref says 26 Feb 1674][Ref][Ref, p. 10] in Groton. [Ref][Ref] He died on 9 Mar 1754 [Ref] in Pepperell. [Ref] He married Mary Scripture about 1698. [Ref]

Littleton was incorporated in 1715. Much of the town was originally in Groton. Eleazer was one of the original proprietors of Littleton on 15 Dec 1714. [Ref] He was a frequent moderator of town meetings, he was a selectman and a constable. [Ref]

On 17 Jan 1724 Lieut. Lawrence was on a committee to find a school teacher for Littleton. [Ref] On 20 Nov 1727 the town paid him 14 shillings for birds' heads. [Ref] On 8 Dec 1729 Capt. Eleazer Lawrence was again on a committee to hire a school teacher. [Ref] On 11 Jan 1730/1 he was on a committee to find a minister. [Ref] On 5 Mar 1743 he was chosen to keep the streams open for fishing. [Ref]

Eleazer signed his will on 29 Dec 1749; it was proved on 13 Jan 1755. [Ref] His wife and his son David were executors. [Ref] The following children and grandchildren of Maj. Eleazer Lawrence consented to his will on 19 Dec 1754 in Littleton: Peleg, David, Eleazer and Samuel Lawrence; Benjamin and Sarah Davis; Isaac and Mary Russell; Jabez and Experience Keep; John and Sarah Cummings; Peter and Prudence Parker. [Ref]

Children of Eleazer Lawrence and Mary Scripture:

  1. Eleazer Lawrence married Lucy Tuttle on 25 Jun 1731 [Ref] in Groton. [Ref] Lucy Tuttle was probably the daughter of Samuel Tuttle, Sr. [Ref] Both Eleazer and Lucy were of Groton when they married. [Ref]
  2. Elizabeth Lawrence was born on 28 Feb 1699. [Ref]
  3. Dea. Peleg Lawrence was born on 1 Jun 1701 [Ref gives only the year] in Groton. [Ref] He died on 4 Sep 1757. [Ref] He married Ruth Unknown. [Ref] He had six children in Groton. [Ref] Peleg was admitted a voter in Littleton in 1738. [Ref] He moved to Groton West Parish (afterwards Pepperell). [Ref] He was a selectman in Groton for three years. [Ref]
  4. Jonathan Lawrence was born on 4 Oct 1703. [Ref][Ref] He died in 1789. [Ref] He married first Tryphena Powers in 1727. [Ref] He married second Lydia Fletcher in 1754. [Ref] Jonathan Lawrence of
  5. David Lawrence was born on 26 Dec 1705. [Ref] He married Hannah Sawtell of Groton. [Ref] She died in 1791, age 62. [Ref]
  6. Mary Lawrence was born in 1710. [Ref "probably"] She married Samuel Fletcher, Jr. on 17 Sep 1729. [Ref]
  7. Samuel Lawrence was born on 22 May 1714. [Ref] He died in Ashby. [Ref] He married Mary Hildreth. [Ref] She died in 1788, age 70. [Ref]
  8. Sarah Lawrence was born about 1716. She died on 3 Oct 1799, age 83. [Ref] She married Lieut. John Cummings on 2 Jan 1735/6. [Ref "probably"][Ref says 28 Jan] John was the son of Dea. John Cummings and Elizabeth Adams.
  9. Experience Lawrence was born on 22 Jun 1719. She married Capt. Jabez Keep.
  10. Prudence Lawrence was born on 7 Apr 1722. [Ref] She married Peter Parker.

Generation 4

EXPERIENCE LAWRENCE (b. 1719)

Parents: Maj. Eleazer Lawrence and Mary Scripture

Experience Lawrence was born on 22 Jun 1719 in Littleton. [Ref] Experience Lawrence of Littleton married Capt. Jabez Keep at Littleton on 3 Apr 1740. [Ref][Ref says 3 Feb and that Jabez is of Westford]

On 19 Dec 1754 Experience and Jabez Keep were among the children and grandchildren of Maj. Eleazer Lawrence who consented to his will. [Ref]

References

Butler, Caleb, History of the Town of Groton, Boston, T.R. Marvin 1848. Click here to read it on Google Books.

Cummins, Albert Oren, Cummings Genealogy: Isaac Cummings, 1601-1677, of Ipswich in 1638 and some of his descendants, Montpelier, A.O. Cummins, 1904.

Great Migration Study Project, "John Lawrence," Great Migration Biographical Sketches, http://greatmigration.org, Aug. 2005.

Green, Samuel A., Groton Historical Series: a collection of papers relating to the history of the town of Groton, Massachusetts, Groton, unknown, 1887-1899.

Hill, Frank Alden, The Mystery Solved: facts relating to the "Lawrence-Townley," "Chase-Townley," marriage and estate question: with genealogical information concerning the families of Townley, Chase, Lawrence, Stephens, Stevens, and other families of America, Boston, Rand Avery Co., 1888.

Lawrence, Robert Means, Historical Sketches of some Members of the Lawrence Family, Boston, Rand Avery, 1888.

Loop, Kate Lawrence, Descendents of John Lawrence and Lydia Sweet, Belvidere, IL, unknown, 1990.

Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850. Online Database: NewEnglandAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2007

Morse, J. Howard, Morse Genealogy: Comprising the descendants of Samuel Anthony, William, and Joseph Morse and John Moss: Being a revision of the Memorial of the Morses published by Rev. Abner Morse in 1850, New York, unknown, 1903.

Town of Littleton, Records of Littleton, Massachusetts, 1900, Online database: NewEnglandAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004.