Houghton Surname Project

Seth Houghton^1,2,3,4,5

M, #91, b. 13 March 1757, d. 4 May 1815

Father*: Elijah Houghton² b. 14 Feb 1730, d. 16 Feb 1822
Mother*: Mary Andrews² b. 1 Oct 1734, d. 21 Sep 1800

Family: Sarah Cole Wheeler b. 24 Oct 1765, d. 25 Jul 1833

Marriage Bann: Seth Houghton and Sarah Cole Wheeler declared their intentions of marriage on May 18, 1781 Fitchburg, Worcester Co., MA, USA; MLM: Asby.^45,12,46
Marriage*: Seth Houghton married Sarah Cole Wheeler on Jun 12, 1781 at Ashby, Middlesex Co., MA, USA, Ashby VR & E. Cole: 12 Jun 1781, Ashby; married by Rev. Sam'l Whitman;Great granddaughter Lydia May Houghton gave Oct. 4, 1781 in DAR application.^11,20,4

Fenno Houghton⁴⁰ b. 7 Jan 1782, d. 4 Jun 1786
Seth Houghton Jr⁴¹ b. 26 May 1783
Sally Houghton+⁴² b. 23 Oct 1784, d. 8 Jan 1854
Ebenezer Houghton+ b. 14 Oct 1786, d. 7 Sep 1838
Lemuel Houghton+ b. 19 Jun 1788, d. 3 Dec 1884
Joseph Wheeler Houghton+ b. 27 Feb 1791
Polly Houghton⁴³ b. 29 Dec 1792
Rebecca Houghton+⁴⁴ b. 13 Mar 1795, d. 15 Apr 1862
Mehitable Houghton b. 23 Mar 1797, d. 26 Apr 1839
Elijah Andrews Houghton b. 24 Apr 1799, d. 8 Jan 1824
Calvin E. Houghton b. 19 Mar 1801
Aaron L. Houghton+ b. 12 Apr 1803, d. 8 Apr 1868

Biography

Corresponded with author

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project

Notable

Birth

Mar 13, 1757

Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA, Uran, p. 155, MLM, p. 37: of Ashby, MA;p. 21, Braintree, MA^{6,7,2,8,9,10,11,12}

Research

1775

Milit-Beg

Apr 19, 1775

Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA, Uran: Earlier while living there, he was called up by the midnight alarm of Paul Revere on April 18, 1775 and enlisted 4/19/1775 at Milton, Mass. His National Number was 176816. His Revolutionary service is given on page 308, Volume VIII of Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors.: "Houghton, Seth, Milton. Private, Capt. John Bradley' (Milton) co. of militia, Col. Lemuel Robinson's regt., which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775; service, 13 days, after the fight at Concord and before completion of standing army; also, Capt. William Bent's co., Col. John Greaton's regt; muster roll dated Aug. 1, 1775; enlisted April 27, 1775; service, 3 mos. 12 days; also, Capt. Bent's co., 36th regt; company return dated Fort No. 2, Oct. 5, 1775; also, Capt. Bent's co., Col. John Greaton's regt; order for bounty coat or its equivalent in money dated Cambridge, Dec. 1, 1775."

Uran: F.W. Cook, Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Revolutionary War Service, Commonwealth of Mass. (in letter to May H. Morgan, 11/28/1927) states that the record index to Revolutionary service contains the following references, a certificate of which, giving vol. and page references to orig. rolls could be sent:

"Seth Houghton, of Milton, Private, Capt. Bradley's company, Col. Robinson's regiment, at Lexington and Concord in 1775; 13 days; Capt. Bent's company, Col. Greaton's regiment, April 27 to Dec 1, 1775."

Seth Houghton, of Milton, Private, Capt. John Bradley's company, Col. (Lemuel) Robinson's regiment which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775 from Milton. Service 13 days after the Concord fight and before completion of the standing army. Town to which soldier belonged, Milton.

Volume 11, 199:
Seth Houghton appears with rank of Private on Muster Rolls of Capt. William Brent's company, Col. Greaton's regt., dated Aug.1, 1775. Time of enlistment April 27, 1775. Time of sevice, 3 mo. 12 days.

Vol. 14, 13:
Seth Houghton appears with rank of Private on Company return of Capt. William Brent's Co, 36th regt, dated Fort No. 2 Oct. 5, 1775.

Vol. 56, 239:
Seth Houghton appears in an order for Bounty Coat or its equivalent in money given by said Houghton and others dated Cambridge Dec. 1, 1775. Payable to Serg. Elijah Keyes. Bounty due on account of service in Capt. William Bent's Co., Col. John Greaton's regt."

Above abstracts are from the Record Index to the Revolutionary War Activities, Office of the Sect., Boston, July 8, 1901^{13,14,15,11,16}

Milit-End

Dec 1, 1775

Cambridge, Middlesex Co., MA, USA

Occupation

a farmer and a shoemaker¹⁷

Taxation

1779

Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA^7,18,9

Origin

circa 1781

Ashby, Middlesex Co., MA, USA^4,19

Marriage

Jun 12, 1781

Ashby, Middlesex Co., MA, USA, Ashby VR & E. Cole: 12 Jun 1781, Ashby; married by Rev. Sam'l Whitman;Great granddaughter Lydia May Houghton gave Oct. 4, 1781 in DAR application.^11,20,4

1790 Census

1790

Ashby, Middlesex Co., MA, USA, 6 Total: 1 male 16+, 3 males under 16, 2 females; next door to father Elijah²¹

Deed

Oct 27, 1795

Baltimore, Windsor Co., VT, USA, #97 Elijah Houghton to Seth Houghton of Ashby, Mass. for one hundred & fifty pounds - one hundred acres in Baltimore formerly a party of Cavendish, Vt.
Witness: Joseph Atherton, John Burnam
Dated 10-27-1795
Elijah Houghton
Sally Houghton
Recorded Jan. 1, 1801.²²

1800 Census

1800

Baltimore, Windsor Co., VT, USA, 12 Total; 32101-31001; 3 male 1-9, 2 male 10-15, 1 male 16-25, 1 male 45+; 3 female 1-9, 1 female 10-15, 1 female 45+^23,24,25

1810 Census

1810

Baltimore, Windsor Co., VT, USA, 9 Total; 21101-02101; 2 male <10, 1 male 10-15, 1 male 16-25, 1 male 45+//2 female 10-15, 1 female 16-25,1 female 45+^26,27

Death

May 4, 1815

Baltimore, Windsor Co., VT, USA, "age 69"; Pollard: 4 May 1813; DAR: 1815 NSDAR; Thompson, Uran: 4 May 1815; MLM: May 5, 1815; [Baltimore was a village near North Springfield.]; Uran: He dropped dead while he was working at his cobbling bench in his 59th year.^{28,29,30,31,11,32,33,34,35}

Probate1

1815

Baltimore, Windsor Co., VT, USA, He died intestate. Vol. 7 of Probate.³⁶

Burial

Baltimore Cemetery, Baltimore, Windsor Co., VT, USA, A plain slate slab^29,35

Note

Seth, his brother Elijah, Jr., first cousins Nathaniel and Joseph, his father Elijah, and uncles Ralph, Silas, and Ebenezer Jr., all served in the Revol. War. Seth, father Elijah, and uncles Ralph and Ebenezer Jr. all marched on the alarm of Apr. 19, 1775 as part of Capt. Ebenezer Tucher's Milton militia.³⁷

Estate

Seth Houghton died 4 May 1815, at Baltimore, Vt. Lemuel Houghton (Seth's son) of
Baltimore, Vt. was appointed administrator of Seth's estate. Sally Houghton was his
widow. The children and heirs of the deceased:
Lemuel Houghton
Seth Houghton
Sally Bmce (wife of Jonah)
Ebenezer Houghton
Joseph Houghton
Polly Houghton
Rebecca Bmce (wife of Joseph)
Mehitabel Houghton
Elijah Houghton
Calvin Houghton
Aaron Houghton

Administration ofthe Estate of Seth Houghton of Baltimore, Vt., contributed by Gretchen S.
Tietenberg of Augusta, Maine.

Contributn

Biography

Pollard: Parents "deed the farm to their son Seth for 150 pounds of "Lawful mony." Seth and his large family came from Ashby in the county of Middlesex, Mass... In 1797 Seth was voted selectman, also "Seler of wates and Masures.". In 1798 he was surveyor of highways and sealer of "Waits and Masures." In 1800 he was voted selectman and town treasurer, also sealer of leather. Evidently the voters in 1800 believed they could trust the town's treasury with a selectman. He was usually "voted selectman" and often served as a lister. In 1807 he was voted selectman, lister, surveyer of highways and "Sealer of Lather" (leather). Seth was the first elected "sealor of Lather" in 1800; they never changed the incumbent of that office or the spelling of it until 1811 when the office was discontinued. Seth Houghton was not only a good useful townsman but also an exemplary church man. He was the first clerk of the Weathersfield, Springfield, Baltimore Baptist church as will be learned from the section devoted to church history. Mention has been made of Seth's large family. In the census of 1800 the Houghton's family, numbering twelve, was the largest family in town; at least one child was born after that date. We are indebted to Miss Bertha Field for this list of Seth and Sally Houghton's children. The one clue to the Houghton family comes from a package of letters yellowed with age which were written to Mr. Field by Mrs. Purmont of Chicago, who was tracing her genealogy. Their children: First child's name unknown b. 1782; Seth, jr. b. 1783; Sally b. 1784 m. Jonah Bruce; Ebenezer; Lemuel; Joseph; Polly; Rebekkah b. 1795 m. Joseph Bruce; Mehitable; Elijah; Calvin E; Aaron L. b. 1803. Probably the last four children were born in Baltimore, Rebekkah was the baby born Mar. 12, 1795; her parents bought the farm in Oct. 1795. A careful survey of the records brings no indication to light that any family had occupied this farm previous to the Houghtons. It is safe then to assume that they erected the first buildings thereon and cleared the land... The only additions of consequence Seth made to his lands were the purchase of the pasture northeast of the road between his place and Edmund Batchelder's (now Volney Foster's). Also about 6 acres of land from Eph. Martin... Possibly Seth sensed that not all was well with him, for in May 1811 he sold one-half of all his lands both as to quantity and quality to his son Lemuel, "also one half of my barns reserving the dwelling house for my own use and behoof during my pleasure," Seth taking a mortgage on same... Seth Houghton died May 4, 1815, in the 59th year of his age, dropping dead while working at his cobbling bench. He is buried in Baltimore cemetery, a plain slate slab marking his grave. At Mrs. Purmont's request Mr. Fred G. Field had a picture taken of his grave which he forwarded to her. Mrs Purmont was desirous that the words, "Revolutionary Soldier," should be engraved on his headstone as he served in that war, enlisting from Milton, Mass."

Uran, p. 159: He was a faithful member of the Weathersfield Springfield Baltimore Baptist Church and was one of its founders. On Sep. 8, 1803 he was voted first clerk of the Baptist Church of North Springfield, Vermont, for a period of 12 years until his death on May 4, 1815.

In 1811 Seth sold "one half of all my lands both as to quantity and quality," to his son Lemuel, " and one half of my barn reserving the dwelling house for my own use and befoof during my pleasures." Seth took a mortgage on the property.

Springfield Baptist Church: The next record shows that at a meeting in December, 1805, Beman Boynton, Silas Bigelow and Seth Houghton were chosen a committee to inquire after delinquent members. Alas! that so soon initiatory steps in discipline must needs be taken; still we cannot but approve the work of weeding and pruning was not injuriously delayed.

The names of the original fifty-nine will be found at the head of the list of members. Of these the greater part died in the faith, and were tenderly buried by the church. In the cemeteries lying near to us the resting places of many of them may be found, marked by suitable stone and epitaph. The first regular meeting of the church was held Sept. 8, 1803, in Weathersfield, at the house of Ephraim Boynton, where Dea. Silas Bowen now resides. Beman Boynton was chosen Moderator, and Seth Houghton permanent Clerk. It was then, "Voted to send messengers with our Articles of Faith, and request to join the Woodstock Baptist Association." Silas Bigelow and Beman Boynton were elected as the messengers of the church for the occasion. Precisely what the exact form of the Articles of Faith was, does not appear from the records. There is a record of Articles in the last part of the first church book, which, it is supposed, represents the original document in question, but no date being given, it is impossible to decide certainly.^38,39

Pedigree

Citations

[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 111 #299.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 36.
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 21, 37 #400.
[S704] Ashby MA VRs - Holbrook, p. 14.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 54 #110 (Genealogy of Francis Walter Houghton).
[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 111.
[S3] Vivian Imogene Uran, Houghton Genealogy - V.I. Uran, p. 110, 155.
[S34] American Genealogical Biographical Index, Vol. 84.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 54 (Genealogy of Francis Walter Houghton).
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 36, 54 (Francis Walter Houghton's Genealogy).
[S213] National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution Centennial Admin., DAR Patriot Cent. 2, p. 1495.
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 21, 37.
[S3] Vivian Imogene Uran, Houghton Genealogy - V.I. Uran, p. 155-156.
[S39] Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors, VIII: 308.
[S40] Rev. War Activities Index, Vol.11, p. 199; Vol. 14, p. 13; Vol. 56, p. 239.
[S458] A.K. Teele, Hx of Milton MA, p. 432.
[S3] Vivian Imogene Uran, Houghton Genealogy - V.I. Uran, p. 159.
[S904] Houghton Family Records;, Letter to Francis W. Houghton from Town Clerk, Milton, MA, 1855.
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 21.
[S271] Ashby MA VRs, p. 140.
[S235] U.S. Census, 1790 U.S., Ashby, Middlesex, MA, p. 134.
[S1258] Deed: Abstracts of Vermont Deeds, Baltimore, VT, Vol. 1, p. 97-F Vt. B28 Series 6672.
[S71] Putney VT VRs, p. 157.
[S1221] 1800 U.S. Federal Census , Baltimore, Windsor Co., VT, p. 295.
[S737] VT 1800 Census, p. 138.
[S235] U.S. Census, 1810 US Census, Baltimore, Windsor Co., VT, p. 658.
[S1222] 1810 U.S. Federal Census , Baltimore, Windsor, Vermont; Roll: 65; Page: 658.
[S3] Vivian Imogene Uran, Houghton Genealogy - V.I. Uran, p. 155.
[S33] Pollard, History of Baltimore VT, p. 110.
[S36] Letter, NSDAR.
[S38] Family Bible, 1818.
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 37.
[S697] Guy Richard Thompson, Thompson Ancestry, p. 28.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 36 (Francis Walter Houghton's Genealogy).
[S1074] Town Records: Baltimore, Windsor Co., VT; VT Division of Records, Middlesex, VT, F-30270, VT VRs 1770-1870.
[S998] Scott Andrew Bartley and and Marjorie-J. Bartley, Windsor Co., VT Probate Index, p. 248.
[S39] Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors, 8: 299.
[S3] Vivian Imogene Uran, Houghton Genealogy - V.I. Uran, p. 11, 150, 155-157.
[S33] Pollard, History of Baltimore VT, p. 108.
[S704] Ashby MA VRs - Holbrook, p. 28.
[S704] Ashby MA VRs - Holbrook, p. 29.
[S704] Ashby MA VRs - Holbrook, p. 31.
[S704] Ashby MA VRs - Holbrook, p. 40.
[S704] Ashby MA VRs - Holbrook, p. 45.
[S41] Fitchburg MA VR II, p. 225.
[S660] Albert Gallatin Wheeler Jr., Wheeler Family, p. 1098.

Sarah Cole Wheeler^1,2

F, #92, b. 24 October 1765, d. 25 July 1833

Family: Seth Houghton b. 13 Mar 1757, d. 4 May 1815

Marriage Bann: Sarah Cole Wheeler and Seth Houghton declared their intentions of marriage on May 18, 1781 Fitchburg, Worcester Co., MA, USA; MLM: Asby.^10,23,24
Marriage*: Sarah Cole Wheeler married Seth Houghton, son of Elijah Houghton and Mary Andrews, on Jun 12, 1781 at Ashby, Middlesex Co., MA, USA, Ashby VR & E. Cole: 12 Jun 1781, Ashby; married by Rev. Sam'l Whitman;Great granddaughter Lydia May Houghton gave Oct. 4, 1781 in DAR application.^2,11,12

Fenno Houghton¹⁸ b. 7 Jan 1782, d. 4 Jun 1786
Seth Houghton Jr¹⁹ b. 26 May 1783
Sally Houghton+²⁰ b. 23 Oct 1784, d. 8 Jan 1854
Ebenezer Houghton+ b. 14 Oct 1786, d. 7 Sep 1838
Lemuel Houghton+ b. 19 Jun 1788, d. 3 Dec 1884
Joseph Wheeler Houghton+ b. 27 Feb 1791
Polly Houghton²¹ b. 29 Dec 1792
Rebecca Houghton+²² b. 13 Mar 1795, d. 15 Apr 1862
Mehitable Houghton b. 23 Mar 1797, d. 26 Apr 1839
Elijah Andrews Houghton b. 24 Apr 1799, d. 8 Jan 1824
Calvin E. Houghton b. 19 Mar 1801
Aaron L. Houghton+ b. 12 Apr 1803, d. 8 Apr 1868

Biography

Corresponded with author

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project

Birth

Oct 24, 1765

Fitchburg, Worcester Co., MA, USA, Houghton: Plainfield CT, 24 Oct 1765; Uran (quoting letter from Elbert C. Cole, of Williamstown, MA): Plainfield CT ; E. Cole & Pollard: 24 Oct 1760^{3,4,5,6,7,8,9}

Residence

1781

Fitchburg, Worcester Co., MA, USA^10,11,12,13

Marriage

Jun 12, 1781

Ashby, Middlesex Co., MA, USA, Ashby VR & E. Cole: 12 Jun 1781, Ashby; married by Rev. Sam'l Whitman;Great granddaughter Lydia May Houghton gave Oct. 4, 1781 in DAR application.^2,11,12

Deed

Sep 23, 1815

#211 Sally Houghton - to Lemuel Houghton
- "All claim to my right & interest in the estate of Seth Houghton, late of Balyimore, VT., deceased."¹⁴

Immigration

Sep 2, 1829

Jay, Essex, NY, USA, with several children; dismissed from Weathersfield, Springfield Baltimore Church to Jay, NY.¹⁵

Death

Jul 25, 1833

Jay, Essex, NY, USA⁶

Burial

Jay Cemetery, Jay, Essex, NY, USA⁶

Biography

Uran: Birthplace given as Plainfield, CT and Fitchburg, MA. No record of her birth at either place. She lived at Baltimore, VT until she moved to Jay, NY on 9/2/1829. She could not write. Her betrothel ring was inscribed "Love and Love." [Was in possession of Emma Braman Ellis, then Lillie Houghton of Marshlltown, IA, then Howard Houghton]

Pollard, p. 110: "Sally Houghton's rights amounted to 16 1/2 acres of land, ten feet of the sought end of barn, the southwest corner room in the house, northeast bedroom, privilege in the kitchen, one-third of the cellar and one-third of the chamber and privilege at the well...Feb 5, 1821, Wd. Sally quit all claim to a certain part of the house that was set off to her, and Lemuel deeded Sally that small house standing on south side of the road with convenient room to pass around the same.. "; p. 111, "Wd. Sally now living in Jay, N.Y., sold Aaron her thirs for $200 and made her mark for the last time on a deed from her to be recorded in Baltimore. Strange that the man who was clerk of his church for twelve years should have a wife who when signing her name was obliged to make a cross."^16,17

Alert

Mayflower (1620) descendant ?

Pedigree

Citations

[S3] Vivian Imogene Uran, Houghton Genealogy - V.I. Uran, p. 161-162.
[S213] National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution Centennial Admin., DAR Patriot Cent. 2, p. 1495.
[S27] DAR Application, 1928, of Lydia May Houghton.
[S3] Vivian Imogene Uran, Houghton Genealogy - V.I. Uran, p. 156, 162.
[S38] Family Bible.
[S33] Pollard, History of Baltimore VT, p. 111.
[S36] Letter, to V.I. Uran from Elbert C. Cole, Prof. of Biology, Williams College.
[S1399] Unknown subject.
[S41] Fitchburg MA VR II, p. 60.
[S41] Fitchburg MA VR II, p. 225.
[S271] Ashby MA VRs, p. 140.
[S704] Ashby MA VRs - Holbrook, p. 14.
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 21.
[S1258] Deed: Abstracts of Vermont Deeds, Baltimore, VT, Vol. 1, p. 97-F Vt. B28 Series 6672.
[S3] Vivian Imogene Uran, Houghton Genealogy - V.I. Uran, p. 151, 161.
[S3] Vivian Imogene Uran, Houghton Genealogy - V.I. Uran, p. 160.
[S33] Pollard, History of Baltimore VT, p. 110-111.
[S704] Ashby MA VRs - Holbrook, p. 28.
[S704] Ashby MA VRs - Holbrook, p. 29.
[S704] Ashby MA VRs - Holbrook, p. 31.
[S704] Ashby MA VRs - Holbrook, p. 40.
[S704] Ashby MA VRs - Holbrook, p. 45.
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 21, 37.
[S660] Albert Gallatin Wheeler Jr., Wheeler Family, p. 1098.

Elijah Houghton^{1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10}

M, #93, b. 14 February 1730, d. 16 February 1822

Father*: Ebenezer Houghton^6,11,12 b. 25 Aug 1695, d. 24 Jan 1783
Mother*: Sarah Evans¹² b. 4 Jun 1700, d. 3 Sep 1775

Family: Mary Andrews b. 1 Oct 1734, d. 21 Sep 1800

Marriage Bann: Elijah Houghton and Mary Andrews declared their intentions of marriage on Aug 21, 1756 Stoughton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA.^38,19
Marriage Bann: Elijah Houghton and Mary Andrews declared their intentions of marriage on Aug 25, 1756 Milton, MA, USA.¹⁴
Marriage: Elijah Houghton married Mary Andrews on Sep 9, 1756 at Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA.^{12,39,2,3,15,40,25,8,37,27}

Seth Houghton+³⁶ b. 13 Mar 1757, d. 4 May 1815
Rebecca Houghton³⁶ b. 22 Jun 1758, d. Jul 1813
Elijah Houghton Jr+^37,36 b. 14 Dec 1761, d. 15 Apr 1837
Mary Houghton+³⁶ b. 20 Dec 1766, d. 17 Oct 1842
Abigail Houghton+ b. 19 Feb 1768, d. 4 Feb 1837
Nancy Houghton b. 5 Dec 1769
Fenno Houghton³⁶ b. 6 Jan 1772, d. 20 Jan 1773

Biography

Corresponded with author

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project

Baptism

Feb 14, 1730

Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA, Church records^13,11

Taxation

from 1754 to 1758

Milton, MA, USA¹⁴

Residence

circa 1756

Milton, MA, USA¹⁵

Research

1775

Milit-Beg

between 1775 and 1776

Mass. Soldiers: "Houghton, Elijah, Milton. Private, Capt. Ebenezer Tucker's (Milton) co., which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775; service, 7 days; also, Capt. William Bent's co., Col. John Greaton's regt; muster roll dated Aug. 1, 1775; enlisted April 27, 1775; service, 3 mos. 12 days; also, Capt. Bent's co., 26th regt; company return dated Fort No. 2, Oct. 5, 1775; also, Capt. Bent's co., Col. Greaton's regt; order for bounty coat dated Cambridge, Dec. 1, 1775; also, Corporal, Capt. John Bradley's (Milton) co., Col. Benjamin Gill's regt; service 5 days; company marched to Dorchester Neck March 4, 1776, wen the forts were erected on the Heights; also, Pirvate, Capt. Josiah Vose's (Milton) co; service from April 13 to April 26, 1776, 12 days, in defence of seacoast."; DAR Patriot Index, Vol. 58, p. 250 "Elijah Houghton (1729-1822) served several enlistments under different commands, 1775-1780, Massachusetts troops. He was born in Boston Mass; died in Ashby." ; DAR Lineage Book Vol. 143, p. 298 "Elijah Houghton (1729-1822) served as private in the Massachusetts militia under Colonel Greaton. He was born in Boston; died in Ashby, Mass."^16,8,17

Immigration

circa 1776

Ashby, Middlesex Co., MA, USA¹⁴

Milit-End

1780

MLM: no date, served in 3 different regiments^16,18,19

1790 Census

1790

Ashby, Middlesex Co., MA, USA, 1 male 16+ and 1 female²⁰

Residence

before 1794

Cavendish, Windsor Co., VT, USA²¹

Immigration

Sep, 1794

Baltimore, Windsor Co., VT, USA, from Cavendish VT; Baltimore VT is a small town, with church and post office at North Springfield, VT²²

1800 Census

1800

Ashby, Middlesex Co., MA, USA, 00001-0001: 1 male 45+; 1 female 45+²³

1810 Census

1810

Ashby, Middlesex Co., MA, USA, 1 male 45+²⁴

Death

Feb 16, 1822

Ashby, Middlesex Co., MA, USA, FWH, JWH, MLM, 1823; DAR Patriot: 2-17-1822, MA; Dar Lineage: 1822;^{12,2,3,25,8,26,27,28}

Burial

Village Cemetery, Ashby, Middlesex Co., MA, USA²⁹

Biography

Pollard, p. 108-112:
"The Houghton Family (The James Shepard Place)
The first record to be made in the new sheepskin-covered book of land records for the new town of Baltimore was the deed wherein Jewett Boynton of Weathersfield conveyed 100 acres of land on the Sam'l Evans rights, now the Shepard place, to Elijah Houghton of Cavendish in Sept. 1794. Elijah and his wife Mary came to Baltimore to live, but Oct. 27, 1795, they deeded the farm to their son Seth for 150 pounds of "Lawful mony." Seth and his large family came from Ashby in the county of Middlesex, Mass. It will be recalled from the school history that in 1796 a center of the town for a schoolhouse was located on Mr. Houghton's land, a committee appointed to take security of Mr. Houghton, and to lay out the land and divide it into three shares for chopping. This project failed, but it brought Mr. Houghton's name into the town records."

DAR Patriot Index, P. 345 gives Rev. War, Pvt MA and wife Mary Andrews

DAR Patriot Index, Cent. pt 2, p. 1494: Elijah: b 6-16-1728 MA d 2-17-1822 MA m Mary Andrews Pvt MA^4,30

Research

had 2 daughters who married two brothers by the name of Edwards³¹

Research

JWH gives 3 children before 1st md of Capt. Elijah Houghton and Katherine Sparhawk (Mary, 1754-1842,#325; Seth, 1757-1815, #326; Rebecca, 1758-1813, #327) and one after md (Fenno, 1766-1768, #329) who are not listed in Lancaster VR with rest of children and are clearly confused by JWH with the 4 same named children of Elijah Houghton and Mary Andrews; MLM gives latter Fenno as son of Capt. Elijah^32,33

Research

JWH erroneously gives Comfort as dau. of Elijah Houghton and Mary Andrews; but Newton VRs clearly indicates this is an error; Virkus gives parents as Elijah Houghton and Abigail Woodward^34,35

Duplicate

Possible duplicate; born in MA, age 51 in 1773

Pedigree

Citations

[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 100 #177.
[S28] DAR Lineage Book, 58: 250.
[S28] DAR Lineage Book, 143: 298.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 136.
[S33] Pollard, History of Baltimore VT, P. 111.
[S182] Vose, Robert Vose, P. 21.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 54 #51 (Genealogy of Francis Walter Houghton).
[S213] National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution Centennial Admin., DAR Patriot Cent. 2, p. 1495.
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 10, 21 #179.
[S46] Boston Transcript, 1933 - 269.
[S581] Milton Church Records, no pages.
[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 100.
[S96] NEHGR, 23 [1871]: 445.
[S904] Houghton Family Records;, Letter to Francis W. Houghton from Town Clerk, Milton, MA, 1855.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 84, 136.
[S28] DAR Lineage Book, Vol. 58, p. 250.
[S39] Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors, 8: 299.
[S35] DAR Patriot Index I, Vol. 58, p. 250.
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 21.
[S1220] 1790 U.S. Federal Census , Ashby, Middlesex, MA, p. 134.
[S3] Vivian Imogene Uran, Houghton Genealogy - V.I. Uran, p. 150, 157.
[S3] Vivian Imogene Uran, Houghton Genealogy - V.I. Uran, p. 157.
[S1221] 1800 U.S. Federal Census , Ashby, Middlesex Co., MA, Reel 17, p. 35/1313.
[S1222] 1810 U.S. Federal Census , Ashby, Middlesex, Massachusetts; Roll: 20; Page: 283.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 52 (Genealogy of Francis Walter Houghton).
[S271] Ashby MA VRs, p. 217.
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 10, 21.
[S704] Ashby MA VRs - Holbrook, p. 55.
[S782] Patricia Law Hatcher Rev. Patriots Graves II, p. 170.
[S33] Pollard, History of Baltimore VT, p. 108-112.
[S904] Houghton Family Records;, no page, 1853, letter of Jason W. Houghton.
[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 333.
[S814] Marshall L. McClanahan, Houghton, John & Beatrix - MLM;, M, p. 49.
[S933] Virkus, Abridged Compend. of Amer. Gen. III, p. 362.
[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 112.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 36.
[S315] Stoughton/Canton MA VRs, p. 65.
[S315] Stoughton/Canton MA VRs, p. 78.
[S3] Vivian Imogene Uran, Houghton Genealogy - V.I. Uran, p. 108.
[S96] NEHGR, 40 [1886]: 24, "The Genealogy of the Andrews Family", Lt. George Andrews.

Mary Andrews^{1,2,3,4,5,6,7}

F, #94, b. 1 October 1734, d. 21 September 1800

Family: Elijah Houghton b. 14 Feb 1730, d. 16 Feb 1822

Marriage Bann: Mary Andrews and Elijah Houghton declared their intentions of marriage on Aug 21, 1756 Stoughton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA.^23,12
Marriage Bann: Mary Andrews and Elijah Houghton declared their intentions of marriage on Aug 25, 1756 Milton, MA, USA.¹⁵
Marriage*: Mary Andrews married Elijah Houghton, son of Ebenezer Houghton and Sarah Evans, on Sep 9, 1756 at Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA.^{16,8,3,2,13,11,17,6,14,18}

Seth Houghton+²² b. 13 Mar 1757, d. 4 May 1815
Rebecca Houghton²² b. 22 Jun 1758, d. Jul 1813
Elijah Houghton Jr+^14,22 b. 14 Dec 1761, d. 15 Apr 1837
Mary Houghton+²² b. 20 Dec 1766, d. 17 Oct 1842
Abigail Houghton+ b. 19 Feb 1768, d. 4 Feb 1837
Nancy Houghton b. 5 Dec 1769
Fenno Houghton²² b. 6 Jan 1772, d. 20 Jan 1773

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project

Corresponded with author

Birth

Oct 1, 1734

Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA^8,9,10,11,12

Residence

circa 1756

Stoughton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA^13,14,12,15

Marriage

Sep 9, 1756

Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA^{16,8,3,2,13,11,17,6,14,18}

Residence

before 1794

Cavendish, Windsor Co., VT, USA¹⁹

Immigration

Sep, 1794

Baltimore, Windsor Co., VT, USA, from Cavendish VT; Baltimore VT is a small town, with church and post office at North Springfield, VT²⁰

Death

Sep 21, 1800

Ashby, Middlesex Co., MA, USA, not in VR²¹

Research

DD given for Mary Allen (May 22, 1818, widow of Capt. Elijah Houghton) may be that of Mary Andrews.

Pedigree

Citations

[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 100 #177s.
[S28] DAR Lineage Book, 143: 298.
[S28] DAR Lineage Book, 58: 250.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 136.
[S33] Pollard, History of Baltimore VT, p. 111.
[S213] National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution Centennial Admin., DAR Patriot Cent. 2, p. 1495.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 52 #52 (Francis Walter Houghton's Genealogy).
[S3] Vivian Imogene Uran, Houghton Genealogy - V.I. Uran, p. 108.
[S28] DAR Lineage Book, Vol. 143, p. 298.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 2.
[S96] NEHGR, 40 [1886]: 24, "The Genealogy of the Andrews Family", Lt. George Andrews.
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 21.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 84, 136.
[S315] Stoughton/Canton MA VRs, p. 65.
[S904] Houghton Family Records;, Letter to Francis W. Houghton from Town Clerk, Milton, MA, 1855.
[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 100.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 52 (Genealogy of Francis Walter Houghton).
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 10, 21.
[S3] Vivian Imogene Uran, Houghton Genealogy - V.I. Uran, p. 150, 157.
[S3] Vivian Imogene Uran, Houghton Genealogy - V.I. Uran, p. 157.
[S601] Family Group Sheet, from Eleanor R. Wesson, 10/1998.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 36.
[S315] Stoughton/Canton MA VRs, p. 78.

Ebenezer Houghton^1,2,3,4,5,6

M, #96, b. 25 August 1695, d. 24 January 1783

Father*: Joseph Houghton⁷ b. 1 May 1657, d. 22 Mar 1736/37
Mother*: Jane Vose⁷ b. 21 Nov 1668, d. 2 Oct 1707

Family: Sarah Evans b. 4 Jun 1700, d. 3 Sep 1775

Marriage*: Ebenezer Houghton married Sarah Evans on Sep 27, 1722 at Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA, marriage by Mr. Peter Thacher at Milton; Teele, MLM: Sept. 17, 1722.^{8,2,3,4,20,18,11,21,22}

Elizabeth Houghton+^4,35 b. 24 Nov 1722
Martha Houghton^4,25,35 b. 25 Oct 1724, d. 14 May 1733
Ebenezer Houghton Jr+⁴ b. 26 Dec 1726
Lieut. Ralph Houghton+^4,25 b. 20 Feb 1728/29, d. 16 Nov 1809
Elijah Houghton+^4,25,36 b. 14 Feb 1730, d. 16 Feb 1822
Sarah Houghton+⁴ b. 28 Sep 1733, d. 20 Mar 1819
Silas Houghton+⁴ b. 12 Apr 1736, d. 19 Feb 1802
Thomas Houghton+⁴ b. 31 Jul 1738, d. 1790
Mary Houghton+⁴ b. 16 Aug 1742, d. 25 May 1793

Biography

Corresponded with author

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project

Birth

Aug 25, 1695

Lancaster, Worcester Co., MA, USA, Lancaster VRs: 1693 only; FWH,Teele, MLM: Aug. 25, 1695; JWH: 8,25,1695, Lancaster; Vose: bp in Milton, Oct., 1697; Jason Houghton: Aug. 25, 1695 & 1696; Edna Houghton: 8.25.1695 (Oct. 25, 1695)^{8,9,7,4,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17}

Residence

circa 1722

Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA¹⁸

Deed

1722

Milton, MA, USA, Joseph conveyed 150 acres and the Houghton house to Ebenezer. The land was next to Nathaniel Houghton's and was originally Ralph Houghton's, his father. It remained in the Houghton family until 1885.¹⁹

Marriage

Sep 27, 1722

Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA, marriage by Mr. Peter Thacher at Milton; Teele, MLM: Sept. 17, 1722^{8,2,3,4,20,18,11,21,22}

Church

Nov 11, 1722

Milton, MA, USA^23,24,25

Communion

Jan 19, 1728/29

Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA^26,27

Taxation

from 1738 to 1779

Milton, MA, USA²²

Deed

Apr 5, 1738

to J. Billings²⁸

Note

Mar 27, 1754

Milton, MA, USA, Both signed a petition to annex their land to Milton from Braintree, MA.²⁹

Will

May 1, 1765

³⁰

Note

Feb 24, 1767

Milton, MA, USA, CERTIFICATE SIGNED BY STEPHEN CRANE AND EBENEZER HOUGHTON STATING THAT BETTY PUMHAM'S SON DESCENDS FROM THOMAS AHATON, AN ORIGINAL PROPRIETOR OF THE INDIAN PLANTATION AT PUNKAPOAG. (SEE ALSO PAGES 401-403; 405-406.)

AHATON, THOMAS
CRANE, STEPHEN     Autograph
HOUGHTON, EBENEZER     Autograph
HOUGHTON, NATHANIEL
PUMHAM, BETTY
PUMHAM, THOMAS³¹

Death

Jan 24, 1783

Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA, Milton VR: 86 years; JWH, FWH: 87 y; Jason Houghton: Jan. 24, 1783, age 87 y. 5 m.^{8,9,32,4,16,11,12,15}

Probate1

Feb 11, 1783

³⁰

Research

Tolman states Nathaniel and Ebenezer, according to Church records, lived in William Blake's house in Dorchester, sold to Mr. Capen (sister Jane's husband)³³

AFN

HQVM-9V³⁴

Biography

Vose: "Ebenezer Houghton seems to have been the first of the name to occupy what, for five generations, was known as the Houghton farm. It is now included in the Metropolitan park Reservtion and contains the well known Hoosick Whisick, or Houghton's Pond resort. It was a gift from his father in 1724, "a parcel of land containing by estimation one hundred and fifty acres in Milton and Braintree...in a tract...lately purchased...of the town of Boston...called Blue Hill Land...the third lot in number." In 1754 a portion of it that was included in Braintree, was added to Milton."⁴

Pedigree

Citations

[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 95 #137.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 135.
[S61] Boston Marriages, p. 311.
[S182] Vose, Robert Vose, p. 21.
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 7 #41, 10.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 51 #21 (Francis Walter Houghton's Genealogy).
[S11] Lancaster MA VRs, p. 453.
[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 95.
[S3] Vivian Imogene Uran, Houghton Genealogy - V.I. Uran, p. 106.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 50 (Genealogy of Francis Walter Houghton).
[S458] A.K. Teele, Hx of Milton MA, p. 566.
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 10.
[S904] Houghton Family Records;, Letter to Edna Houghton from Hubert S. Houghton, Mar. 20, 1941.
[S904] Houghton Family Records;, no page, 1853, letter of Jason W. Houghton.
[S904] Houghton Family Records;, no page, circa 1828 notes by Jason Houghton on Lineage of the Houghton family.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 51 (Genealogy of Francis Walter Houghton).
[S747] Rev. Frederick Lewis Weis Lancaster MA Early Families II- Weis, p. 338.
[S370] Dorchester MA VRs V36, p. 146.
[S458] A.K. Teele, Hx of Milton MA, p. 44, 180.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 51,62 (Genealogy of Francis Walter Houghton).
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 7, 10.
[S904] Houghton Family Records;, Letter to Francis W. Houghton from Town Clerk, Milton, MA, 1855.
[S96] NEHGR, 22: 443 - Milton Church Records.
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 7.
[S581] Milton Church Records, no pages.
[S96] NEHGR, 23 [1871]: 259.
[S581] Milton Church Records, #251, no pages.
[S904] Houghton Family Records;, no page.
[S458] A.K. Teele, Hx of Milton MA, p. 45, 63.
[S182] Vose, Robert Vose, p. 66.
[S30] Massachusetts Archives, Vol. 33, p. 404.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 229.
[S904] Houghton Family Records;, Letter to Francis W. Houghton from Eben Tolman, Town Clerk, Dorchester, MA, 1853.
[S13] "Ancestral File of LDS, Version 4.13", Ancestral File.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 36.
[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 100.

Sarah Evans^1,2,3,4,5

F, #97, b. 4 June 1700, d. 3 September 1775

Family: Ebenezer Houghton b. 25 Aug 1695, d. 24 Jan 1783

Marriage*: Sarah Evans married Ebenezer Houghton, son of Joseph Houghton and Jane Vose, on Sep 27, 1722 at Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA, marriage by Mr. Peter Thacher at Milton; Teele, MLM: Sept. 17, 1722.^{1,2,3,4,8,9,10,11,12}

Elizabeth Houghton+²¹ b. 24 Nov 1722
Martha Houghton²¹ b. 25 Oct 1724, d. 14 May 1733
Ebenezer Houghton Jr+ b. 26 Dec 1726
Lieut. Ralph Houghton+ b. 20 Feb 1728/29, d. 16 Nov 1809
Elijah Houghton+²² b. 14 Feb 1730, d. 16 Feb 1822
Sarah Houghton+ b. 28 Sep 1733, d. 20 Mar 1819
Silas Houghton+ b. 12 Apr 1736, d. 19 Feb 1802
Thomas Houghton+ b. 31 Jul 1738, d. 1790
Mary Houghton+ b. 16 Aug 1742, d. 25 May 1793

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project

Corresponded with author

Birth

Jun 4, 1700

Dorchester, Suffolk Co., MA, USA, Uran: 4 Jun 1709; Teele gives age 75 in 1775^6,4,7

Marriage

Sep 27, 1722

Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA, marriage by Mr. Peter Thacher at Milton; Teele, MLM: Sept. 17, 1722^{1,2,3,4,8,9,10,11,12}

Church

Nov 11, 1722

Milton, MA, USA^13,14,15

Communion

Jan 19, 1728/29

Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA^16,17

Death

Sep 3, 1775

Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA, NEHGR: a. 75^18,19,4,7

AFN

HR1J-Q6²⁰

Pedigree

Citations

[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 95.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 135.
[S61] Boston Marriages, p. 311.
[S182] Vose, Robert Vose, p. 21.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 51 #22 (Francis Walter Houghton's Genealogy).
[S3] Vivian Imogene Uran, Houghton Genealogy - V.I. Uran, p. 106.
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 10.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 51,62 (Genealogy of Francis Walter Houghton).
[S370] Dorchester MA VRs V36, p. 146.
[S458] A.K. Teele, Hx of Milton MA, p. 566.
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 7, 10.
[S904] Houghton Family Records;, Letter to Francis W. Houghton from Town Clerk, Milton, MA, 1855.
[S96] NEHGR, 22: 443 - Milton Church Records.
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 7.
[S581] Milton Church Records, no pages.
[S96] NEHGR, 23 [1871]: 259.
[S581] Milton Church Records, #251, no pages.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 229.
[S96] NEHGR, 44 [1890]: 44.
[S13] "Ancestral File of LDS, Version 4.13", Ancestral File.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 36.
[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 100.

Joseph Houghton^{1,2,3,4,5,6,7}

M, #98, b. 1 May 1657, d. 22 March 1736/37

Father*: Ralph Houghton⁸ b. 1623/24, d. 15 Apr 1705
Mother*: Jane (?)⁹ b. c 1626, d. 10 Jan 1700/1

Family 1: Jane Vose b. 21 Nov 1668, d. 2 Oct 1707

Marriage*: Joseph Houghton married Jane Vose on Oct 31, 1693 at Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA, Torrey: 1/wf, 31 Oct 1693, Milton/Lancaster.^{10,21,22,23,2,24,4,14,25,9,20}

Ebenezer Houghton+³⁹ b. 25 Aug 1695, d. 24 Jan 1783
Deacon Nathaniel Houghton+³⁹ b. 1696, d. 13 Mar 1772
Abigail Houghton+^13,40,41 b. 1 Jan 1698/99, d. 5 Jun 1755
Jane Houghton+^40,41 b. 9 Mar 1699/0, d. b 23 Oct 1754
Martha Houghton+⁴¹ b. 24 Apr 1701, d. 4 Dec 1766
Mary Houghton+⁴¹ b. 14 Apr 1703, d. 23 Apr 1784
Joseph Houghton⁴¹ b. 22 Oct 1704, d. 19 Nov 1715
Benjamin Houghton⁴² b. 6 Apr 1706, d. 20 Apr 1706

Family 2: Margaret Reding d. Apr 1737

Marriage*: Joseph Houghton married Margaret Reding on Dec 8, 1708 at Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA.^{10,30,31,13,14,15,9,27,20}

Biography

Corresponded with author

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project

Birth

May 1, 1657

Lancaster, Worcester Co., MA, USA, JWH, MLM: 5, 1, 1657; Savage, FWH, MLM: 6 Jul 1657; Lancaster VRs: 1=5m 1657; AF: 1 May 1657 Charlestown, MA; NEGHR: May 1, 1657^{10,8,11,2,12,3,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20}

Marriage

Oct 31, 1693

Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA, Torrey: 1/wf, 31 Oct 1693, Milton/Lancaster^{10,21,22,23,2,24,4,14,25,9,20}

Land Recrd

Nov 3, 1694

Middlesex Co., MA, USA, on p. 193; from Ralph Houghton (10-354)²⁶

Immigration

1697 or 1698

Milton, MA, USA^27,28

Taxation

1698

Milton, MA, USA, and then Ralph's name is not found in the Records²⁷

Mil. Serv.

1704

Lancaster, Worcester Co., MA, USA, in Captain Wilder's garrison^9,29

Marriage

Dec 8, 1708

Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA^{10,30,31,13,14,15,9,27,20}

Deed

1722

Taxation

1727

Stoughton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA³³

Death

Mar 22, 1736/37

Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA, JWH: 3, 22, 1737^{10,34,2,13,15,9,27,5,20}

Estate

Mar 29, 1737

Boston, Suffolk Co., MA, USA³⁵

Biography

Nourse, p. 144: (1704 "census", 1 adult), p. 251 (bd: "Joseph, 1,5,1657"), p. 314 (bd: "1657 1m 22 Joseph Houghton. Ralph and Jane.), p. 321 (marr: "1693 October 31 Joseph Houghton and Jane Vose of Milton")

Nourse, p. 9, bd: Joseph, 1=5m 1657

J.W. H., p. 93: "Joseph, b. 5,1,1657;d. 3,22,1737; m. 1693. Jane Vose, dau of Edward Vose. She d. in Milton, Mass; m. 2d, Margaret Redding."

Nourse, Early Records of Lancaster, 1884, p. 144: After the Indian massacre, Ralph left his property to Joseph. Joseph and John in 1704 helped to refound the town of Lancaster (see page 144 of town records) (as well as Jonas, Robert); p. 251: "Joseph Houghton sold his half of the homestead to John Glazier, and he sold it to Simon Stevens."."

V.I. Uran, p. 106: Settled at Milton Mass in 1698

Nourse, Birth, Mar Death Reg, Lanc,1890: p. 453: gives a son Gershom, born 1691 for Joseph and Jane, but md is 1693. This is only reference to this son (most likely son of Robert Houghton of John line)

Vose: "Mr. Houghton was a farmer. He lived on a part of his father's homestead deeded to him in 1699, situated on the present Canton Avenue opposite Atherton Street."

Lancaster MA museum has his purse according to Georgia Smith (Letter to V. I. Uran, 1955)^36,13,37

AFN

G421-WQ³⁸

Research

1691

Only Nourse, Lancaster MA VRs, in appendix and MLM, Weis give this son of Joseph and Jane. Most likely actually son of Robert Houghton of John line. Same bd based on dd calc; note bd is several years earlier than their md^39,9,20

Pedigree

Citations

[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 93: #122.
[S42] Torrey, New England Marriages, p. 391.
[S150] Savage, Genealogical Dictionary, II, p. 469.
[S182] Vose, Robert Vose, P. 16, 21.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 50.
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 4 #5, 7.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 50 #6 (Francis Walter Houghton's Genealogy).
[S11] Lancaster MA VRs, p. 9.
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 7.
[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 93.
[S12] Nourse, Early Records of Lancaster, p. 251, 314.
[S96] NEHGR, 14 [1860]: 352.
[S182] Vose, Robert Vose, p. 21.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 50, 62.
[S458] A.K. Teele, Hx of Milton MA, p. 566.
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 4, 7.
[S819] And Walter G. Davis Sybil Noyes Charles T. Libby, Gen. Dict. of ME and NH, II, p. 469.
[S1085] Joseph Willard, Lancaster MA Hx - Willard, p. 80.
[S747] Rev. Frederick Lewis Weis Lancaster MA Early Families II- Weis, p. 337.
[S747] Rev. Frederick Lewis Weis Lancaster MA Early Families II- Weis, p. 338.
[S11] Lancaster MA VRs, p. 451.
[S12] Nourse, Early Records of Lancaster, p. 321.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 135, 186.
[S96] NEHGR, 36 [1882]: 20.
[S407] William Montgomery Clemens, Amer. Mar. Records < 1600, p. 121, 221.
[S1387] Www.familysearch.org, online www.familysearch.org, https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/…
[S904] Houghton Family Records;, Letter to Francis W. Houghton from Town Clerk, Milton, MA, 1855.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 50 (Genealogy of Francis Walter Houghton).
[S178] Nourse, Military Annals of Lancaster.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 135, 162.
[S96] NEHGR, 36 [1882]: 304.
[S458] A.K. Teele, Hx of Milton MA, p. 44, 180.
[S318] Daniel T.V. Huntoon, Canton MA HX, p. 640.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 229.
[S904] Houghton Family Records;, no page, 1853, letter of Jason W. Houghton.
[S12] Nourse, Early Records of Lancaster, p. 144.
[S3] Vivian Imogene Uran, Houghton Genealogy - V.I. Uran, p. 106.
[S13] "Ancestral File of LDS, Version 4.13", Ancestral File.
[S11] Lancaster MA VRs, p. 453.
[S581] Milton Church Records, no pages.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 35.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 36.

Jane Vose^1,2,3,4,5

F, #99, b. 21 November 1668, d. 2 October 1707

Family: Joseph Houghton b. 1 May 1657, d. 22 Mar 1736/37

Marriage*: Jane Vose married Joseph Houghton, son of Ralph Houghton and Jane (?), on Oct 31, 1693 at Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA, Torrey: 1/wf, 31 Oct 1693, Milton/Lancaster.^{8,9,6,10,2,11,3,12,13,4,14}

Ebenezer Houghton+¹⁸ b. 25 Aug 1695, d. 24 Jan 1783
Deacon Nathaniel Houghton+¹⁸ b. 1696, d. 13 Mar 1772
Abigail Houghton+ b. 1 Jan 1698/99, d. 5 Jun 1755
Jane Houghton+¹⁹ b. 9 Mar 1699/0, d. b 23 Oct 1754
Martha Houghton+¹⁹ b. 24 Apr 1701, d. 4 Dec 1766
Mary Houghton+¹⁹ b. 14 Apr 1703, d. 23 Apr 1784
Joseph Houghton¹⁹ b. 22 Oct 1704, d. 19 Nov 1715
Benjamin Houghton²⁰ b. 6 Apr 1706, d. 20 Apr 1706

Biography

Corresponded with author

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project

Birth

Nov 21, 1668

Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA, Milton: Jan.^6,7,2,3

Marriage

Oct 31, 1693

Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA, Torrey: 1/wf, 31 Oct 1693, Milton/Lancaster^{8,9,6,10,2,11,3,12,13,4,14}

Death

Oct 2, 1707

Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA^{8,15,2,16,12,4,14}

AFN

G422-4W¹⁷

Pedigree

Citations

[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 93: #122s.
[S42] Torrey, New England Marriages, p. 391.
[S182] Vose, Robert Vose, P. 16, 21.
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 7.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 50 #7 (Francis Walter Houghton's Genealogy).
[S12] Nourse, Early Records of Lancaster, p. 321.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 68.
[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 93.
[S11] Lancaster MA VRs, p. 451.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 135, 186.
[S96] NEHGR, 36 [1882]: 20.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 50, 62.
[S407] William Montgomery Clemens, Amer. Mar. Records < 1600, p. 121, 221.
[S747] Rev. Frederick Lewis Weis Lancaster MA Early Families II- Weis, p. 338.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 228.
[S182] Vose, Robert Vose, p. 21.
[S13] "Ancestral File of LDS, Version 4.13", Ancestral File.
[S11] Lancaster MA VRs, p. 453.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 35.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 36.

Ralph Houghton^{1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8}

M, #101, b. 1623/24, d. 15 April 1705

Family: Jane (?) b. c 1626, d. 10 Jan 1700/1

Marriage*: Ralph Houghton married Jane (?) in circa 1649; Unclear whether the marriage took place in England or Massachusetts; Torrey: ca 1650?, b 1653; Richard Houghton: around 1646-1647.^{4,24,25,26,27}

James Houghton Sr.+^77,78 b. c 1650/51, d. 17 Jul 1711
Mary Houghton+⁷⁹ b. 11 Apr 1653, d. 8 Dec 1697
John Houghton⁷⁹ b. 28 Feb 1655, d. 10 Oct 1679
Joseph Houghton+⁷⁹ b. 1 May 1657, d. 22 Mar 1736/37
Experience Houghton+⁸⁰ b. 1 Aug 1659, d. 17 Dec 1717
Sarah Houghton+⁸¹ b. 17 Dec 1661, d. 15 Nov 1751
Abigail Houghton+⁸² b. 15 May 1664
Hannah Houghton⁸³ b. 16 Oct 1667, d. 8 Oct 1679

Biography

Corresponded with author

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project

Notable

Ralph Houghton (~1624-1705) was the founding ancestor of the Ralph Houghton line of Lancaster, MA. YDNA Haplogroup: I-M253; Genetically unrelated to John Houghton of Lancaster MA.

Birth

1623/24

England^{9,10,11,12,13,14,15,8,16,17}

Immigration

between 1645 and 1650

Worcester Co., MA, USA, Teele: landed at Charlestown between 1645-1647; Kezier: c 1651-2, with John Houghton; FWH: Charlestown, MA^{18,19,20,21,22,23}

Research

1648

Prob. Ralph Horton of Dorchester, not Ralph's son

Marriage

circa 1649

Unclear whether the marriage took place in England or Massachusetts; Torrey: ca 1650?, b 1653; Richard Houghton: around 1646-1647;^{4,24,25,26,27}

Allegiance

1652

Middlesex Co., MA, USA, Oath of fidelity, Middlesex Co. court records, before Thomas Danforth²⁸

Emigration

1652

Watertown, Middlesex Co., MA, USA, "was one of the four who first signed the Lancaster covenant, in 1652, coming here, it is said, from Watertown. He was then about twenty-nine years of age."²⁹

Note

circa 1653

RA: Haughton “The pp [proper] Lott of Ralph Houghton is Next vnto Richard Lenton Containing 20 acors butted and Bounded as the other being the 3d Lott Northerly.”
"THE LANDS OF RALPH HOUGHTON
his pp [proper] lott. The pp house Lott of Ralph Houghton is the third Lott in that Rang of upland Lotts Lying on the neck on the west side of penicook River being bounded south by Richard Lintons Lott an north by the Lott where he bought of John Prescutt butting easterly upon Penicook River and west upon that Rang of Lotts that Lyeth on the west side of the neck whare Goodman Whitcomb Liueth.

a Lott he Bought of John Prescutt. his house Lott which he bought of John Prescutt being the fourth Lott in the same Rang of Lotts bounded south by his own pp Lott and north by the Lott of James Atherton buting Easterly upon Penicook River and west upon another Rang of Lotts that Lyes on the west side of the neck according to the Recor of Grants in the old town Book which Lotts being Eight Score Rods in Length and twenty Rods wide: but now upon Exchange he stands possesied of the East end of Richard Lintons Lott which is the second Lott in that Rang of Lotts and Lyes on the northside of Edward Bricks Lott which is the first Lott upon which he hath planted his house: in Lew whereof Richard Linton hath his twenty acres at the west end of his own and the two Lotts of Ralph Houghton as appears by a deed of Exchange betwixt them. Both the Lotts of the said Ralph Houghton being and Lying for twenty acres be thay more or Less thay being two home Lotts.
his Enteruail Given him by the town. His enteruaile Lott [CJV: “Intervale”, a low lying area of land, near a river; or a meadow] which was Given him by the town lying on the East side of penicook Riuer being the third Lott in that Rang of Lotts wherein Edward Bricks Lott is the first Lying bounded by the Lott of Robert Brick (so called in the old town Book) on the south side and north by the Lott of Ralph Houghton which he bought of John Prescutt buting east on the Still River and west upon Penicook River and Lyeth for twenty acres be it more or less.

his enteruail he bought of John Prescutt. and his enteruail which he bought of John Prescutt Lyes bounded south by his own pp Lott which was Giuen him by the town and bounded north by James Athertons Lott buting Easterly upon the Still River and west upon Penecook Riuer which is by Estemation and also by his deed of sale from John Prescutt fifty acres:…."³⁰

Photograph

1654

Copy of original manuscript in the Lancaster Record Book, written in Ralph Houghton's handwriting. Includes the birth of his and wife Jane's children:

Freeman

May 18, 1668

Lancaster, Worcester Co., MA, USA, Nourse: "Ralph Holton, member Church of Lancaster; settled inhabitant and householder above 24 yrs of age, desires to be a freeman of this colony. May 18, 1668 attested by Simon Willard. Admitted to freedome 18..3 mo 68. "(Mass. Archives, CVI, 486)... Ralph Houghton died in Milton April 15 1705 aet 82. "He is thought to have been a son of Sir Richard Houghton of Houghton Tower, Lancashire. The above record proves that although he had served the town as clerk for ...years, he was not qualified under colonial law to vote for magistrate or legislator."
Nourse, Tolman: freeman in 1668^{31,32,33,34,35,29,17}

Note

Jan 7, 1669

each contributed half an acre of meadow land to Goodman Lewis³⁶

Court

Apr 29, 1671

Lancaster, Worcester Co., MA, USA, "The documents in the case of Lancaster versus William Lincoln, found in Middlesex Court files, disclose the method used to get rid of undesirable immigrants.

1671. ffor William Linkcorne
Be it knowne to you that the townsmen take ofense at you in Regard you haue not atended the towns order though you were made aquaint therwith, before your coming into the towne, therefore you may expect the order to be put into execution which will not bee to your profit, for the penaltie of your intruding yourselfe into the towne is twentie shillings p month, which will be a burden it may be too heavie for you though procured by yourselfe.

ffor William Lincorne

fforasmuch as you haue aproued an intruder into this towne of Lancaster without consent, contrarie to order, Therefore in his maiesties name you are Required to withdraw yourself and family, and to depart the towne forthwith, in regard the towns men, vterly disclames you an inhabitant, And herein faile not at your prill -- dated this 25 of Aprill 1671. By order of the townsmen Ralph Houghton

This was Read to William Lincorne at his house and a true copie deliured to him in the name of the townsmen, the 28: 2 mon: 1671. by vs Ralph Houghton, Jonathan Whetcomb

Ralph Houghton & Jonathan Whittcom were sworn the 29th 2 mo 1671 before me Simon Willard, assistant.

To the Constable of Lancaster or his deputie.

You are in his maiesties name Required to atach the goods, and for want thereof the bodie of William Lincorne, And take bond of him to the value of twentie pounds ofr his apearance at the next Countie Court holden at Cambridge the 4th day of Aprill next after the date hereof, then and there to answer the complaint of the townsmen of Lancaster or any one of them as an Aturney for the Rest in behalfe of the towne for his forcing of himselfe into the towne as an Inhabitant Contrarie to an order of the towne, the penaltie of which is twentie shillings a monthe to any such as soe doe, the payment whereof Is by him denyed tho legally demanded, and herin faile not but make a Returne vnder your hand. dated the 23 of march 1671. By the Court Ralph Houghton R.

This atachment was serued and bond taken this 24 of Mrch 1671 by me
Gamaliell Beman, Constable of Lancaster.

The deposision of Ralph Houghton aged about 47 yeares, Witnesseth that the Last Spring of the yeare, I met with William Lincorne in our towne and he being a stranger I inquired of him what his ocasion was their and he told me he was about to hire a farm of master Kimball in thee towne, and I told him of our towne orders which did impose a penaltie of twentie shillins p month to any that should com to inhabit without the consent of the townsmen, And advised him to goe to the townsmen & haue their aprobation before he made any contract with master Kimball, and he told me that he had bene with three of the townsmen who were met vpon sum other ocasion and they had apoynted him a day when he might come and haue a full meeting, and he heard, but he did not atend that meeting: And further this Deponent saith not."^37,38

Office

between 1673 and 1689

Lancaster, Worcester Co., MA, USA, representative to General Court in 1673 and 1689^{39,40,35,33,41,42,43,17}

Land Recrd

Oct 6, 1674

Middlesex Co., MA, USA, in Massachusetts, Land Records, 1620-1986
Middlesex Deed index (grantee) 1639-1799 H-R; from grantors J. Prescott (5-131), S. Willard (5-133), J. More (5-134), R. Linton (5-135) & J. Moore (6-200) to grantee Ralph Houghton^44,45

Court

Mar 28, 1678

Middlesex Co., MA, USA, "Jacob Farror Snr: The testemony of Ralph Houghton aged fifty foure yeares or thereabout and John Denver aged forty foure years or therabout say that at the request of Ann Farror relict widdow of Jacob Farror Senr late of Lancaster deceased: wee appraized the lands of the said Jacob Layeing within the township of Lancaster to the best of our rememberance at one hundred pounds or more: and that Jacob Farror Junr was rechoned amongst us to be the Eldest sone of the said Jacob Farror Senr and farther say not Taken upon oath the 28th of March 1678. Before me Daniel Gookin, Sen. Assistant"^46,38

Taxation

between 1682 and 1685

Milton, MA, USA⁴⁷

Court

Apr 4, 1682

"This court doth appoynt Ralph Houghton John Moore, Jonath: Prescott, & Thomas Wilder, or any three of them to be a Comittee, to make divission of the estate of Jacob ffarer senr deced. unto those concerned and to present wt they shall do hereein nto the next Court at Charlestown (at County Court Apr. 4. 1682) (See also No. 7290 files of Probate Court)⁴⁸

Will

Apr 4, 1682

Subject: John Prescott's Will.
Source: The New England Magazine, Making of America Project.
p.273
JOHN PRESCOTT'S WILL.
Theis presents witnesseth that John Prescott of Lancaster in the Countie of Midlsex in New England, blaksmith, being under the sencilble decayes of nature and infirmities of old age and and at present under a great deale of anguish and paine but of a good and sound memorie
at the writing hereof being moved upon considerations aforesaid together with advice of Christian friends to set his h ouse in order in reference to the dispose of thos outward good things the Lord in mercie hath betrusted him with, theirfore the said John Prescott
doth hereby declare his last will and testament to be as followeth, first and chiefly comiting and comending his soule to almightie God that gave it him and his bodie to the comon burying place here in Lancaster, and after his bodie being orderly and decently buryed and the charge theirof defrayed togather with all due debts discharged, the rest of his lands and estate to be disposed of as followeth: first in reference to the comfort- able being of his loving wife during the time of her naturall Life, it is his will that his said wife have that end of the house where he and she now dwelleth together with halfe the pasture and halfe the fruit of the aple trees and all the goods of the
house togather with two cowes which shee shall chuse and medow sufisiant for wintering them, out of the medowes where she shall chuse, the said winter pvision for the two cowes to be equaly and seasonably pvided by his two sons John and Jonathan. And what this may fall
short in refer-ence to convenient food and cloathing and other necesaries for her comfort in sickness and in health to be equally pvided by the aforesaid John and Jonathan out of the estate. And at the death of his aforesaid loving wife it is his will that the said cowes and household goods be equally devided betwene his two sons aforesaid, and the other part of the dwelling house, out housing, pasture and
p.274 JOHN PRESCOTT, FOUNDER OF LANCASTER.
orchard togather with the tenn acres of house lott lying on Georges Hill which was purchased of daniell gains to be equaly devided between the said John and Jonathan and alsoe that part of the house and outhousing what is convenient for the two cowes and their winter pvision pasture and orchard willed to his loving wife during her life, at her death to be equaly de- vided alsoe betweene the said John and Jonathan. And furthermore it is his will that John Prescott his eldest son have the Intervaile land at John's Jumpe, the lower Mille and the land belonging to it and halfe the saw mille and halfe the land belonging to it and all the house and barne there erected, and also the house and farme at Washacomb pond, and all the land there purchased from the Indians and halfe the medowes in all devisiones in the towne acept sum little part at the bar hill wh. is after willed to James Sawyer and one halfe of Comon Right in the towne, and in Reference to second devision land, that part of it which lyeth at Danforths farme both upland and intervale is willed to Jonathan and sixtie acres of that part at Washacom little pond to James Sawyer and halfe of sum brushie land capable of being made medow at the side of the great pine plain to be within the said James Sawyers sixtie acres and all the rest of the second devision land both upland and intervail to be equaly devided betwene John Prescott and Jonathan aformentioned. And Jonathan Prescott his second son to have the ryefield and all the invervale lott as Nashaway River that part which he hath in possession and the other part joyning to the highway and alsoe his part of second devision land aforrementioned and alsoe one halfe of all the medowes in all devisions in the towne not willed to John Prescott and James Sawyer aforementioned, and alsoe the other halfe of the saw mille and land belonging to it, and it is to be understood that all timber on the land belonging to both Corne Mille and Saw Mille be Comon to the use of the Saw Mille. And in reference to this third son Jonas Prescott it is hereby declared that he hath received a full child's portion at Nonocoicus in a corne mille and Lands and other goods. And James Sawyer his grandchild and servant it is his will that he h ave the sixtie acres of upland aforementioned and the two peirces of medow at Bare Hill, one being part of his second devision the uppermost piece on the brook and the other being part of his third devision lying upon Nashaway River purchased of goodman Allen. Provided the said James Sawyer carry it better than he did to his said grandfather in his time and care so as becomes an apprentice & until he be one and twentie years of age unto the executors of this Will, namely John Prescott and Jonathan Prescott who are alsoe hereby engaged to performe unto the said James what was promised by his said grandfather, which was to endeavor to learne him the art and trade of blacksmith. And in case the said James do not performe on his part as is afor expressed to the satisfaction of the overseers of this Will, or otherwise, if he doe not accept of the land aforementioned then the said land and meadow to be equally devided betweene the aforesaid John and Jonathan. And in reference to his three daughters, namely Marie, Sara and Lydia, they to have and receive each of them five pounds to be paid to them by the executors to every of them fifty shillings by the yeare two years after the death of theire father, to be paid out of the movables and Martha Ruge (Rugg) his grandchild to have a cow at the choice of her grandmother, and it is the express will and charge of the testator to h is wife and all his children that they labor and endeavor to persue love and unity among themselves and the upholding of the Church and Commonwealth. And to the end that this his last Will and Testament may be truly performed in all the parts of it, the said testator hath and hereby doth Constitute and appoynt his two sons, namely John Prescott and Jonathan Prescott - joynt executors of this his last Will. And for the prevention of after trouble among those that survive, about the disposal of the estate according to this his Will, he hath hereby chosen, desired and apoynted the Reverend Mr. Joseph Rowlandson, deacon Sumner and Ralph Houghton, overseers of this his Will; unto whom all the parties concerned in this h is Will in all dificult cases are to Repaire, and that nothing be done without their consent and approbation. And furthermore in reference to the movables it is his Will that his son John Prescott have his anvill and after the debts and legacies aforementioned be truly paid and fully discharged by the executors and the speciall trust performed unto my wife during her life and at her death, in respect of, sickness, funeral expences, the remainder of the movables to be equally devided between my two sons, John and Jonathan aforementioned. And for a further and fuller declaration and confirmation of this Will to be the last Will and Testament of the aforenamed John Prescott he hath hereunto
p.275
put his hand and seale this 8 day of 2 month, one thousand six hundred seventie three.
JOHN PRESCOTT
His mark.
Sealed, signed, owned to be the Last Will and testament of the testator
aforenamed in the presence of John Rowlandson, Roger Sumner, Ralph Houghton. April 4, 1682.
Roger Sumner and Ralph Houghton, appearing in Court made oath to the above said Will. Jonathan Remington, Clerk"
End
Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth

Communion

Jun 18, 1682

Milton Church, Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA, Bro. Houghton and his wife^49,50,39,17

Note

1686

To "Ralph Haughton now Living att milton ten Shillings"

Deed

1692

Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA, and Jane transferred to his son Joseph the northern half of his house lot in Lancaster, MA (Worcester Book 10, p. 354); Weis: "being land on the Neck behind the present location of the First Church of Christ in Lancaster^51,29,17

Land Recrd

Nov 3, 1694

Middlesex Co., MA, USA, on p. 193; from Ralph Houghton (10-354)⁴⁴

Taxation

1698

Milton, MA, USA, and then Ralph's name is not found in the Records⁴⁷

Death

Apr 15, 1705

Milton, Norfolk Co., MA, USA, a. 82; at Milton Common per JWH^{52,53,11,4,19,20,54,40,8,17,55}

Burial

Burial site is currently unknown , probably in Milton.^56,57

AFN

G421-PP⁵⁸

Biography

Willard, 1826, p. 24, 27: Lancaster was 8 miles square when incorp., each portion being 20 acres of upland, besides intervale. Ralph's portion was on the north side of John Prescott (his own and 1 purchased of Prescott). John Prescott, W. Kerley, T. Sawyer, and Ralph Houghton were the first subscribers in 1653. "Ralph Houghton came to his country not long before the town was incorporated in company with his cousin, John Houghton...Ralph, and John, senior, first lived in Watertown; Ralph early moved to Lancaster. John probably came up at the same time. When the town was destroyed in 1676, they went to Woburn, where they lived till the town was rebuilt. Ralph was clerk or recorder as early as 1656 and for many years and was quite a skillful penman. A single leaf of the original volume of Records in his hand writing is in existence. It was amongst the papers of the late Hezekiah Gates." The first town meeting occurred in 1654 at Roger Summer's home; p. 88: "Ralph and John Houghton, as has been mentioned were cousins, and came to Lancaster in 1653. Ralph wrote a good business hand and was recorder many years. He represented the town as a deputy in general court in 1673 and 1689. He probably died a few years after."

Jason Houghton, Lineage of the Houghton Family, circa 1828: "Ralph Houghton, son of Sir Richard, came from England to America in the year of 1646...He took...part in the civil war between King Charles 1st and the Parlament, and in consequence thereof he emigrated to this country...." [CJV: gives wrong dds for Ralph and son Joseph]

Bond: "HOUGHTON.-Ralph and John Houghton, very early settlers of Lancaster, are said to have first settled in Watertown; but their names are not found in the town records."

Hx of Dorchester, MA, p. 145: Ralph Houghton and Ralph Houghton Jr are "among those who lived in town and who reached age of 21 up to year 1700."

Savage, 1860, p. 469: "Ralph, Lancaster, cous. of the first John, and older, without doubt, by w. Jane had...freem. 1668; was town clk. rep. 1673, and 89.

Farmer, 1862: "Ralph, Lancaster, freeman, 1668, was town clerk, and the 2d representative of that town in 1673, and again elected in 1689. He was cousin to the preceding [John]. Willard, Hist. Lancaster."

FWH, 1862, (in C. Smith): "Ralph Houghton was born in 1623, as is supposed, in Lancashire, England. According to tradition, he was the son of Sir Richard Hoghton, of Hoghton Tower, Lancashire, who was created a baronet by King James I, upon the institution of the order, May 22, 1611. Ralph fled to America, on account of his religious and political opinions. He had fought, under Cromwell, against King Charles I, although he had been previosly knighted by the king for services to his person. He landed at Charlestown, Mass., some time between the years 1635 and 1647. In 1647, Ralph and nine others founded the town of Lancaster, Mass. He was chosen thee first town clerk; one of the six prudential managers; representative, 1673 and 1689; and held various other offices. Lancaster habing been burned by the Indians in 1675, he removed to Woburn and Dorchester. In 1682 he settled at Milton, Mass; and, on the 18th of June of that year, was admitted to full communion in the church, in company with his wife. he returned to Lancaster three years after, and remained there until 1689 or 1690, when he returned to Milton, and settled at "Scoth Woods, nigh unto Brush Hill," building the homestead which has ever since been occupied by his descenants... He died there, April 15, 1705, aged 82."

Nourse, Early Records, 1884:

p. 251
"Ralph Houghton was one of the four who first signed the Lancaster covenant, in 1652, coming here, it is said, from Watertown. He was then about twenty-nine years of age. Being the best penman of the pioneers, he was made clerk of records, and held that position until the massacre. He was admitted a freeman in 1668, and elected deputy in 1673 and 1689. The date of his death is not found, but must have been after 1692, as in that year he, with wife Jane, transferred the northern half of his house lot to his son Joseph.
His children were Ralph; James; Mary, II, 4. 1653; John, 28, 2, 1655; Joseph I, 5, 1657; Experience, I, 8, 1659; Sarah, 17, 12, 1661;
Abigail, 15, 5, 1664; Hannah, October 16, 1667. All but Ralph and James were born in Lancaster. John and Hannah died October, 1679 in Charlestown. Joseph Houghton sold his half of the homestead to John Glazier, and he sold it to Simon Stevens."

p. 312:"A yellow and torn leaf from original records, in the hand-writing of Ralph Houghton, was, in 1826, discovered by Josiah Flagg, town clerk, among the papers of Captain Hezekiah Gates, and has been carefully preserved. It contains the dates and names of fifty births in Lancaster previous to 1666. The returns of the two earliest clerks of the writs, Ralph Houghton and Cyprian Stevens, seem, however, to have been regularly made to the Middlesex Court.",

Nourse, Lancasteria: "Ralph Holton a member of ye Church of Lancaster in full communion; a settled Inhabitant and householder above 24 years of age, desires to be a freeman of htis Collony. May 18, 1668 Attested by Simon Willard. Admitted to freedome 18..2 mo..68, per Curriam. E. R. Secy. [Mass Archives, CVI, 486]. Ralph Houghton died in Milton, April 15, 1705, aet. 82. He is thought to have been a son of Sir Richard Houghton of Houghton Tower, Lancashire. The above record proves that although he had served the town as clerk for twelve years, he was not qualified under colonial law to vote for magistrate or legislator."

Keizer, 1896 "...and Cousin Ralph Houghton with his wife Jane. Ralph moved from Waterton, near Boston, to Lancaster in 1652 at which place he had been a leading man. He died at Milton, Mass, 15th April 1705, aged 82; he was John's senior by about a year. See sketches of Lancaster by J. Willard, Worcester 1826, p. 88." ⁵⁹

Richard Houghton III [based on Prescott Memorial]:
"By the mid-1600's, many of the Massachusetts Bay coastal towns were becoming sufficiently populated so as to make the acquistion of land difficult. As a result, many of their inhabitants began to cast a covetous eye towards the wild interior portion of what is today the State of Masssachusetts. During this period Sholan, the Sachem of the Nashwawy Indians, occasionally visited Watertown to trade with Thomas King. King was looking to move inland, and the Sachem recommeneda a place called Nashawogg as well-suited for a plantation...King decided to visit the place for himself. He was so enamored of the locale that he returned to Watertown and made an enthusiastic report to his fellow citizens. In 1643, he entered into an asssociation with John Prescott... of Watertown, Thomas Skidmore of Cambridge, Stephen Day of Cambridge, a Mr. Simonds, and others for the purpose of purchasing a ten-by-eight mile tract from Sholan. The General Court sanctioned the deed with Sholan, but a series of circumstances combined to retard the full settlement of the plantation. Although they chose to retain their interest in the tract, many who signed the association failed to live up to its terms by settling there.

On 18 May 1652, Ralph and John Prescott and four others petitioned the General Court to incorporate the new town; Ralph's home is given as Watertown on the petition. In 1653, there were only nine families living in the area: one of those was Ralph's. On 18 May 1653, the town was incorporated by the General court. The citizens had requested that it be named "Prescott" in honor of John Prescott, but the Court thought that such a name "smacked too much of man-worship or man-service." A compromise was reached, and the town was named "Lancaster," after the English County of Prescott's birth. Edward Beck, Nathaniel Hadlock, William Kerley, Thomas Sawyer, John Prescott, and Ralph --or any four of them--were appointed to be "prudential managers of the town" and see that all allotments to be laid out in due proportions to the estate each brought to the town; all new inhabitants were to take an oath of fidelity; no evil persons or enemies to the Laws of [the] Commonwealth [were to] be admitted as inhabitants; Lancaster was to be within the County of Middlesex and they were to choose a Constable; and a Godly minister was to be maintained.

The first grant of lots was recorded on 30 November 1653:

Memrndm, That we Edward Brek Jno Prescott William Kerly Ralph Houghton and Thomas Sayer, being Chosen by the Generll Court, To lay out Allotments and to order the prudential affaires of this Plantation at Nashaway now named Lancaster do Lay out a nd Appoynt Lands and severall Lotts with all the privilledges and Appurtinances therof onto these severall persons hose Names and Allotments are mentioned and descirbed. To have and to hold to them their heirs Executors and Assignes for ever. The Lotts of this Plantation are Laid out partly on the west side of the Rivers of Nashawya and the North River, and partly on a parcell of Land called the Neck Lying betweene the North River and that which hath bin Named and Hereby is named Penecuck River which Taketh his name and beginneth at the meeting of Nashway and the North Rivers.

Ralph "possessed a large land estate situated in Berlin, Clinton and Bolton as the territory of old Lancaster is now divided, and extending from near Clam Shell Pond to the William Fife lands, then sourtherly including Baker Hill."...
[long quote from JWH, quoting Nourse]...

Ralph occupied a prominent position in the town. He was a man of some means, bringing an estate of L254.04.00 with him to Lancaster. [McClanahan, p. 1: In 1654, the assessed valuation of his estate was L264.] From the day of incorporation until 1682, Ralph served as the town clerk and "seems to have had entire charge of the town business for more than thirty years."[Safford, p. 46] Although he served as the town clerk, for some unknown reason he was not a freeman and under the laws of the Colony could not vote. He finally petitioned for admisssion as a freeman on 18 May 1668: "Ralph Houghton, a member of ye Church of Lancaster of Full Communion, a settled inhabitant and householder above twenty four years of age, desires to be a freeman of the Colony." He was made a freeman on 18 March 1668/9, and served as a Deputy to the General Court in 1673 and 1689.

Although originally settled with the acquiesence of the local tribes, Lancaster "in common with otherr fronter towns, suffered greatly by Indian dpredations whenever there was a war between the mother country [England] and France," with whom the Indians were allied. The first Indian raid on Lancaster took place in August 1675, and resulted in the death of eight persons. The Indians were driven off, but returned 10 February 1675/6 in an early-morning raid that saw twenty-four killed and twenty-one taken prisoner...[J.W. Houghton, p. 86 notes that Ralph was in a neighboring town the day of the attack, but since he refers to it only as the 1675 attack it is unclear whether he means the one in August or February.]...The remaining Lancaster settlers fled back east to the towns around Boston, and the Indians returned to burn the remaining buildings completely destroying the settlement.

Ralph and his family fled to Woburn, Middlesex County, in 1675/6 and then on to Dorchester. [C. Smith, p. 49; A.K. Teele, p. 565] In 1682, they settled at Milton, Norfolk County, just to the south of Boston. On 28 February of that year, he petitioned the General Court for an abatement of his tax assessment becasue of the Indian attack; they were remitted for two years. A few months later on 18 June, he and his wife were admitted to full communion in the Milton church. The same year he elected a Deputy to the General court, and served as a selectman from 1682 through 1684.

Around 1679, the dispersed settlers had begun to return to Lancaster, which had remained uninhabited since the attack in 1676. Ralph removed there around 1685, but did not remain long. By 1690, he had returned to Milton where he settled at "Scotch Woods nigh unto Brush Hill" in the southwest corner of Milton and built a homestead. [The farm is now a park, from which the Houghton home was removed by the park commission in 1864.] There was a spring-fed pond on the properrty called "Hoosic-Whisick" by the Indians, which later became known as "Houghton's Pond." [Teele, p. 63]. No probate documents have yet been discovered for him."

Richard Houghton:
"Bio of Ralph-1 Houghton (d. 1705) of MA
posted by Rich Houghton on June 23, 1999 at 13:05:26:
I thought it might be helpful to post the biographical information I have on the progenitor of my Houghton line. Although I have documentation for each factual statement, the format in GenForum does not allow for footnotes. So if you would like to know t
he sources for any statement or conclusion, please e-mail me and let me know.
RALPH-1 HOUGHTON
Ralph Houghton, the immigrant ancestor, was born in England -- possibly the Preston area of Lancashire -- arou[nd 1623. Despite several early and persistant attempts to link him to the English Baronets de Hoghton, the identity of his parents remains unproven [for a discussion of this point, refer to my earlier posting titled "The Ralph/Ratcliffe Houghton Myth"]. There is, unfortunately, no credible information about Ralph prior to his emigration to New England, which is thought to have occured around 1647. After his arrival in the Massachusetts, he settled in the outskirts of Boston in areas variously proposed as Charlestown, Watertown, and Dedham, Middlesex County.
He married JANE STOWE around 1646 or 1647; it is unclear whether the marriage took place in England or Massachusetts. Jane was born in England in 1626; her parentage is unknown. Ralph and Jane had several children:
i Ralph b.c. 1648 m. Mary Blackburn
ii James b.c. 1650 m. Mary (Sawyer/Willard)
iii Mary b. 4 November 1653 m. William Bently
iv John b. 25 August 1655 d.s.p. October 1679
v Joseph b. 6 July 1657 m. (1) Jane Vose
m. (2) Margaret Reding
vi Experience b. 1 October 1659 m. Ezra Clapp
vii Sarah b. 17 December 1661 m. (1) Caleb Sawyer
m. (2) Daniel Goble
viii Abigail b. 15 July 1664 m. John Hudson
ix Hannah b. 16 October 1667 d.s.p. 8 October 1679

By the mid-1600's, many of the Massachusetts Bay coastal towns were becoming sufficiently populated so as to make the acquisition of land difficult. As a result, many of their inhabitants began to cast a covetous eye towards the wild interior portion of what is today the State of Massachusetts. During this period Sholan, the Sachem of the Nashaway Indians, occasionally visited Watertown to trade with Thomas King. King was looking to move inland, and the Sachem recommended a place called Nashawogg as well-suited for a plantation. "'He told King of the choice intervales, the woods and waters fabounding in supplies -- that the Great Spirit had been very bountiful to the place, and that his people would rejoice in the presence of that great people who had come from a distant world.'"
King decided to visit the place for himself. He was so enamored of the locale that he returned to Watertown and made an enthusiastic report to his fellow citizens. In 1643, he entered into an association with John Prescott of Watertown, Thomas Skidmore of Cambridge, Stephen Day of Cambridge, a Mr. Simonds, and others for the purpose of purchasing a ten-by-eight mile tract from Sholan. The General Court sanctioned the deed with Sholan, but a series of circumstances combined to retard the full settlement of the plantation. Although they chose to retain their interest in the tract, many who signed the association failed to live up to its terms by settling there .On 18 May 1652, Ralph and John Prescott and four others petitioned the General Court to incorporate the new town; Ralph's home is given as Watertown on the petition. In 1653, there were only nine families living in the area: one of those was Ralph's. On 18 May 1653, the town was incorporated by the General Court. The citizens had requested that it be named "Prescott" in honor of John Prescott, but the Court thought that such a name "smacked too much of man-worship or man-service." A compromise was reached, and the town was named "Lancaster," after the English County of Prescott's birth. Edward Beck, Nathaniel Hadlock, William Kerley, Thomas Sawyer, John Prescott, and Ralph -- or any four of them -- were appointed to be "prudential managers of the town" and to see that "all allotments to be laid out in due proportion to the estate each brought to the town; all new inhabitants were to take an oath of fidelity; no evil persons or enemies to the Laws of [the] Commonwealth [were to] be admitted as inhabitants; Lancaster was to be within the County of Middlesex and they were to choose a Constable; and a Godly minister was to be maintained." The first grant of lots was recorded on 30 November 1653:" Memrndm, That we Edward Brek Jno Prescott William Kerly Ralph Houghton and Thomas Sayer, being Chosen by the Generll Court, To lay out Allotments and to order the prudential affaires of this Plantation at Nashaway now named Lancaster do Lay out and Appoynt Lands and severall Lotts with all the privilledges and Appurtinances thereof onto these severall persons whose Names and Allotments are mentioned and described. To have and to hold to them their heirs Executors and Assignes for ever. The Lotts of this Plantation are Laid out partly on the west side tof the Rivers of Nashaway and the North River, and partly on a parcell of Land called the Neck Lying betweene the North River and that which hath bin Named and Hereby is named Penecuck River which Taketh his name and beginneth at the meeting of Nashway and the North Rivers."
Ralph "possessed a large land estate situated in Berlin, Clinton and Bolton as the territory of old Lancaster is now divided, and extending from near Clam Shell Pond to the William Fife lands, then southerly including Baker Hill." The lands were described in the town records as follows:
" [His House Lot.] The house Lott of Ralph Houghton is the third Lott in that Rang of upland Lotts lying on the neck of the west side of Penicook river being bounded south by Richard Lintons Lott and north by the Lott where he bought of John Prescutt buting easterly upon Penicook River and west upon that Rang of Lotts that Lyeth on the west side of the neck whare Goodman Whitcomb Liveth. at an unknown age Lott He Bought of John Prescutt. his house Lott which he bought of John Prescutt, being the fourth Lott, in the same Rang of Lotts, bounded south by his own Lott, and north by the Lott of James Atherton buting Easterly upon Penicook River, and west upon another Rang of Lotts, that Lyes on the west side of the neck according to the Record of Grants in the old town Book, which Lotts being Eight Score Lotts in Length, and twenty Rods, but now upon Exchange Possessed of the East end of Richard Lintons Lott, which is the second Lott in that Rang of Lotts, and Lyes on the north side of Edward Bricks Lott, which is the first Lott upon which he hath planted his house; in Lew whereof Richard Linton hath his twenty acres at the west of his own, and the two Lotts of Ralph Houghton as appears by a deed of Exchange betwext them. Both the said Lotts of Ralph Houghton being and Lying for twenty acres be thay more or Less thay being two home Lotts. [H]is Entervail Given him by the town. His entervail Lott which was Given him by the town lying on the East side of Pennicook River being the third Lott in that Rang of Lotts wherein Edward Bricks is the first and Lying bounded by the Lott of Robert Brick (so called in the old town Book) on the south side and north by the Lott of Ralph Houghton which he bought of John Prescutt buting east on the Still River and west on Pennicook River and Lyeth for twenty acres be it more or less. [H]is Entervail he bought of John Prescutt. and his entervail which he bought of John Prescutt Lyes bounded south by his own Lott which was Given him by the town bounded north by James Athertons Lot buting Easterly upon the Still River and west upon the Penecook River which is by Estemation, and also by his deed of sale from John Prescutt fifty acres." The purchase from John Prescott was land called "The Centre," on the north side of Dean's Brook east of the Nashua River on the south side of old Lancaster. Ralph occupied a prominent position in the new town. He was a man of some means, bringing an estate of œ254.04.00 with him to Lancaster. From the day of incorporation until 1682, Ralph served as the town clerk and "seems to have had entire charge of the town business for more than thirty years." Although he served as town clerk, for some unknown reason he was not a freeman and under the laws of the Colony could not vote. He finally petitioned for admission as a freeman on 18 May 1668: "Ralph Houghton, a member of ye Church of Lancaster of Full Communion, a settled inhabitant and householder above twenty four years of age, desires to be a freeman of the Colony." He was made a freeman on 18 March 1668/9, and served as a Deputy to the General Court in 1673 and 1689.
Although originally settled with the acquiesence of the local tribes, Lancaster "in common with other frontier towns, suffered greatly by Indian depredations whenever there was a war between the mother country [England] and France," with whom the Indians were allied. The first Indian raid on Lancaster took place in August 1675, and resulted in the death of eight persons. The Indians were driven off, but returned on 10 February 1675/6 in an early-morning raid that saw twenty-four killed and twenty-one taken prisoner. One of the captives later described the raid:
" On the tenth of February, 1675[/6] came the Indians with great numbers upon Lancaster. Their first coming was about sunrising. Hearing the noise of some Guns, we looked out; several Houses were burning, and the Smoke ascended to Heaven. There were five Persons taken in one Home, the Father, and the Mother, and a sucking Child they knock'd on the head, the other two they took, and carried away alive. There were two others who being out of their Garrison upon some occasion, were set upon; one was knock'd on the head, the other escaped. Another there who was running along was shot and wounded, and fell down; he begged of them his life, promising them Money (as they told me); but they would not hear unto him, but knock'd him on the head, stripped him naked, and split open his Bowels. Another seeing many of the Indians about his Barn, ventured and went out, but was quickly shot down. There were three others belonging to the same Garrison who were killed. The Indians getting up upon the Roof of the Barn, had advantage to shoot down upon them over their fortification. Thus these murtherous Wretches went on, burning and destroying before them." The remaining Lancaster settlers fled back east to the towns around Boston, and the Indian returned to burn the remaining buildings completely destroying the settlement.
Ralph and his family fled to Woburn, Middlesex County, in 1675/6 and then on to Dorchester. In 1682, they settled at Milton, Norfolk County, just to the south of Boston. On 28 February of that year, he petitioned the General Court for an abatement of his tax assessment because of the Indian attack; they were remitted for two years. A few months later on 18 June, he and his wife were admitted to full communion in the Milton church. That same year he was elected a Deputy to the General Court, and served as a selectman from 1682 through 1684. Around 1679, the dispersed settlers had begun to return to Lancaster, which had remained uninhabited since the attack in 1676. Ralph removed there around 1685, but did not remain long. By 1690, he had returned to Milton where he settled at "Scotch Woods nigh unto Brush Hill" in the southwest corner of Milton and built a homestead. There was a spring-fed pond on the property called "Hoosic-Whisick" by the Indians, which later became known as "Houghton's Pond." Jane died in Milton on 10 January 1700/1, at the age of seventy-five. Ralph died in Milton a few years later on 15 April 1705, at the age of eighty-two. No probate documents have yet been discovered for him. "

Uran, C. Smith: There is no record of the landing of Ralph Houghton. The Houghtons of Milton MA who are his lineal descendants and who still occupy his homestead, have the tradition that he emigrated to America between 1635 and 1647 with his cousin John; that he was the son of Sir Richard Hoghton of Hoghton Tower, Lancashire, England. This tradition is traceable for four generations at least; and it is therefore reasonable to suppose that it also passed through the two previous generations, intervening between them and Ralph. He landed at Charlestown, Mass. There were 16,000 settlers during this period. He founded (in 1647 (1652) with 9 (4) others) and lived in Lancaster, Mass., removed to Woburn after 1675, then to Milton, Mass. in 1682 where he died at 82. He returned to Lancaster in 1685 and remained there until 1689/1690 and then returned to Milton. He settled at "Scotch Woods, nigh onto Brush Hill", building a homestead. He and his wife were admitted to full communion in the church in 6/18/1682. His cousin John is believed to have been the descendant of the younger brother of Sir Richard, Thomas and his wife Catherine.

He was one of 4 men who signed a covenant in 1652 coming to Lancaster from Watertown MA. Ralph and his cousin John and 8 others bought a tract of land 8 by 10 miles from the Indians and established Lancaster township. He was 29 years old. He was the only one who could read or write and was made first clerk of records and held that position until the massacre by the Indians in 1675. He married Jan Stowe in England. Two children, Ralph and James were born in England. There were 7 other children. He was one of 6 prudential managers, representative in 1673 and 1689 and held other offices.(Last from Mrs. Dorothy Adams Fifield, librarian in Lancaster Town Library, Lancaster, MA, 2/1953)

CJV: There is controversy over the connection of the American immigrant Houghton line and the Houghton family in England. All of the English ancestry lineage sited in the current genealogy is given by J. W. Houghton, Houghton Genealogy, 1912.

J. W. Houghton, Houghton Genealogy, p. 85-89:

"Ralph Houghton was born in Lancaster, England in 1623; died in Milton, Mass., April 15, 1705, aged 82 years, as per inscription on his tombstone. He married Jane Stowe, born in England in 1626; d. in Milton, 1, 10, 1700...

In 1682 he removed to Milton, a place a little south of Boston, and on the 18th of June that year he, in company with his wife, was admitted to full communion in the church. He returned to Lancaster three years later, 1685, and remained till 1689-90, when he returned to Milton, and settled at "Scotch Woods, Nigh unto Brush Hill," building the homestead which has until recently been occupied by his descendants.

Boston has so enlarged in later years that Milton has become a suburb of the city and Ralph's farm has been bought and fitted up as a park. A number of the New England magazine contains a description of the place and homestead, and the scenery showing many points of interest about the farm.

He must have had large interests in the early days of Lancaster as the records show that the assessed valuation of his property in 1654 was 264 pounds, which, if estimated as property is at the present day, would make him worth about $2,500, a large sum for a man just settling in a wilderness. The records also show that when a clerk of the town, Feb... 28, 1682, he petitioned the General Assembly for an abatement of the taxes because of the
Indian massacre and they were remitted for two years.

He was one of the petitioners for the incorporation of Lancaster and was the first and only clerk for many years, and the history shows that he was one of the prominent men of the town.

By 1675 the settlement had increased largely when the Indian massacre under King Phillip came, and all the people forsook their property and fled to towns around Boston. On the day of the massacre Ralph was away from home in a neighboring settlement.

He possessed a large land estate situated in Berlin, Clinton and Bolton as the territory of old Lancaster is now divided, and extending from near Clam Shell Pond to the William Fife lands, then southerly including Baker Hill.

These lands were designated in ancient deeds by names which forcibly remind
one of their English origin, such as Houghton's Park, Job's Corner Conveniency. I can locate most of the pieces named but the last staggers me. The Fountains is in the N. M. Allen region; "Cranberry Meadow" is the northwest corner of Alden Sawyer's farm; and "Little Meadow Plains" joins it and takes in the up land to near the Bolton Depot.

Ralph's farm in Lancaster included the ground now occupied by the brick church and public buildings at Lancaster Center."

We copy from the "Annals of Lancaster," by Henry S. Nourse, the following description of the lands of Ralph, preserving the original spelling as a matter of curiosity to the reader.

"The house Lott of Ralph Houghton is the third Lott in that Rang of upland Lotts lying on the neck of the west side of Penicook riuer being bounded south by Richard Lintons Lott and north by the Lott where he bought of John Prescutt buting easterly upon Penicook Riuer and west upon tht Rang of Lotts that Lyeth on the west side of the neck whare Goodman Whitcomb Liueth.

"a Lott He Bought of John Prescutt. his house Lott which he bought of John Prescutt, being the fourth Lott, in the sam Rang of Lotts, bounded south by his own Lott, and north by the Lott of James Atheton buting Easterly upon Penicook Riuer, and west upon another Rang of Lotts, that Lyes on the west side of the neck according to the Record of Grants in the old town Book, which Lotts being Eight Score Lotts in Length, and twenty Rods, but now upon Exchnge Possessed of the East end of Richard Lintons Lott, which is the second Lott in that Rang of Lotts, and Lyes on the north side of Edward Bricks Lott, which is the first Lott upon which he hath planted his house; in Lew whereof Richard Linton hath his twenty acres at the west of his own, and the two Lotts of Ralph Houghton as appears by a deed of Exchange betwext them. Both the said Lotts of Ralph Houghton being and Lying for twenty acres be thay more or Less thay being two home Lotts.

"his Enteruail Giuen him by the town. His enteruil Lott which was Giuen him by the town lying on the East side of Pennicook Riuer being the third Lott in that Rang of Lotts wherein Edward Bricks is the first and Lying bounded by the Lott of Robert Brick (so called in the old town Book) on the south side and north by the Lott of Ralph Houghton which he bought of John Prescutt butin east on th Still Riuer and west on Pennicook Riuer and Lyeth for twenty cres be it more or less.

"his Enteruail he bought of John Prescutt. and his enteruail which he bought of John Prescutt Lyes bounded south by his own Lott which was Giuen him by the town bounded north by James Athertons Lot buting Easterly upon the Still Riuer and west upon the Penecook Riuer which is by Estemation, and also by his deed of sale from John Prescutt fifty acres."

"In Nourse's "Early Records of Lancaster,", Mass, 1884, page 251, he says:

"Ralph Houghton was one of the four who first signed the Lancaster Covenant in 1652, coming here it is said from Watertown. He was then about 29 years of age. Being the best penman of the pioneers he was made clerk of the records and held that position until the massacre. He was admitted a freeman in 1668 and elected a deputy in 1673 and 1679. The date of his death is not found but must have been after 1692 as in that year he with his wife Jane transferred the northern half of his house lot to his son Joseph."

From the same Record, page 83-84 we quote the following:

"This closes the entries in the town book by Ralph Houghton, although in the Book of Lands his signature is attached to records until the year of the
massacre, 1775; and again upon the resettlement in 1680 and 1681 his pen was resumed in behalf of the town, as appears by a petition to the General Court. The next year another clerk was elected."

"Ralph Houghton's term of service including the four years while the town was deserted of its people, was 26 years, 1656-1682. he was a good penman, and an able man of affairs. if any of his townsmen wanted a will written or to deed land to another, or to send a petition to Court, Ralph Houghton's pen was certain to be summoned for the work. He was the first to attach his name to the covenant (for the incorporation of Lancaster) and although a young man took at once a prominent place in the councils of the plantation. He seems to have had entire charge of the business of the proprietary for over 30 years, surveying and recording each man's share in the several divisions."

On page 90, same author and book, we find the following entry:

"The deposition of Ralph Houghton, aged about 47 years. (Date, 1671-2)"

This entry has to do with fixing Ralph's age, the dates having been given undoubtedly by himself."

The foregoing is about all that is known of the history of Ralph and his wife, Jane, who represent the first generation of the Houghton's of his line in America."

J. W. Houghton, Houghton Genealogy, (quoting from Houghton Memorial of Francis W. Houghton of N.Y., 1862), p. 60:

Ratcliffe the Emigrant

"Let us now turn to Ratcliffe Hoghton, Sir Richard's fourth son, who, according to ur tradition, was identical with Ralph Houghton, from who we trace our direct lineage. He was born in the year 1623. Our records inform us, rather obscurely, that he once saved the life of King Charles I while on a hunting excursion, by a display of personal strength and daring, and that he was knighted by the King for this gallant service. He nevertheless stroke boldly under Cromwell for the cause of civil and religious liberty; and took an active part in the Civil War which then ravaged England. None but the most noble and disinterested motives could have actuated him to such a course, for all his associations and interests must have urged him to take up arms for th King. By entering the ranks of the Round Heads he effectually sundered the fraternal claim which bound him to his connections and his family, who were ardent Royalists, and made a Royal stronghold of their ancestral Tower; he turned his former patron, the King, into a powerful enemy, he became a rebel, subject to all the penalties of high treason, but none of these things moved him."

"He was present and assisted at the taking of Preston (near Hoghton Tower) by the Parliamentary forces, February 9, 1643. According to the English family records he was there slain, but for reasons before stated, we think this an error. Sir Gilbert, Ralph's eldest brother, had garrisoned Hoghton Tower, fired his beacon, and in company with Lord Strange was now taking an active part against the Round Heads. After the taking of Preston, the Tower was invested. As Ralph was present at the capture of Preston, it is more than probable that he participated in the attack on the home of his ancestors. If such were the fact, it speaks better for his patriotism and puritanic hardihood than for his sensibilities. It may be also that his family considered him a renegade, and his treason, particularly the last act, a blot upon their escutcheon, and dropped him from their records, and announced his death t the battle of Preston, a statement which doubtless facilitated his subsequent escape from England. The different accounts we have of Ralph are contradictory as to dates, and therefore difficult to unravel. They state that in consequence of the Civil Wars and religious troubles, which then agitated England, he emigrated to America about the year 1646. This period of his history is involved in obscurity; some say that he was accompanied by his wife Jane, and his sons, Ralph and James, also John, supposed to be a cousin, and John's wife, Beatrix, and their children, John, Jacob, Mary, and that they landed 1650-1651. Ralph appears to have settled at Watertown, Mass. in 1646, and to have remained there until the next year (1647) when he and nine others obtained a grant of a township of land a few miles distant, to be forever called Lancaster, the first division of land by the Prudential managers was made in 1653, when, or in the following year, the General Court, in response to their petition, regularly incorporated the township, whereupon Ralph Hoghton was chosen the first town clerk."

p. 62:
"Francis W. Houghton in a letter written to and published by Columbus Smith in a pamphlet he printed says concerning the coming of Ralph to America:
[C. Smith, p. 42-45: Ralph Houghton " We have no record of the landing of Ralph Houghton. The Houghtons, of Milton, Mass., who are his lineal descendants, and who still occupy the homestead, erected by him or by his son, at that place, have the traditon that he arrived between 1635 and 1647; that he was a son of Sir Richard Hoghton, of Hoghton Tower, Lancashire, England, who was created a baronet by King James I, upon the institution of the order, in 1611; that, although Ralph had been knighted by the king, for services rendered to his person, he fought under Cromwell against King Charles 1; and that, in consequence thereof, and of his religious opinions, he was forced to flee to America, leaving valuable estates, which are justly the property of his heirs. This tradition is clearly traceable for four generations at least; and it is therefore reasonable to suppose that it also passed through the two previous generations, intervening between them and Ralph.]

"Although the Hoghtons of Hoghton Tower, do not credit the tradition that Ralph was the son of Sir Richard, and although no documentary proof of its correctness can now be produced, yet circumstantial evidence is not wanting.

"Sir Richard died in the year 1630 leaving several sons, among whom were Sir Gilbert, the eldest, who succeeded to the family estate and honors, and who transmitted them, in turn, to his descendants, who now hold them with an undoubted title.

"Sir Gilbert, the head of the family, during the civil war was a zealous and powerful adherent of the King. He garrisoned Houghton Tower, and held it as a Royal stronghold. This castle, situated on the summit of a commanding hill overlooking Preston, was almost impregnable against such artillery and arms as were used in those days, unaided by treachery. Moreover, Sir Gilbert was a favorite with the King, and had been a companion in youthful sports with the Prince, as appears by the records of the time. The King with his court had visited Houghton Tower and had been royally entertained there with the most splendid festivities. Ralph, on the contrary, is represented as having been as devoted a Round Head as his brother was a Cavalier. Our old records, citing the traditions of his parentage, state that he greatly excited the ire of the King against him. Now we know that in 1643 Ralph was not over twenty years of age. he was, moreover, a younger son of a numerous family, and however active he may have been in the Revolutionary cause, he certainly made no mark in the general history of his time. How a person of no greater consequence that he could have greatly excited the ire of a powerful monarch it is not easy to conceive, except on the basis of some act of special audacity against either the King or some one near to him.

"A possible cause for such a sentiment is afforded by the local history of the time. On the 9th of Feb., 1643, the Parliamentary forces attacked Preston, and captured it after a desperate conflict. They then turned their attention to Houghton Tower, and took it also, but not until after the great central gateway had been treacherously blown up, killing overt two hundred men. Sir Gilbert escaped by so hasty a flight, as to leave his lady and family prisoners in the hands of the enemy, ad his brother, Ratcliff, a captain of horse, among the killed. The hill on which Hougthon Tower now stands has been the seat of the family since the Conquest, A. D. 1066.

"Now, if it be possible that Ralph, in his puritanic hardihood, carried his zeal in the Revolutionary cause so far as to lead or even assist in the assault on his ancestral home, the bitterest feeling must have been caused between his brethren and himself, and it is therefore not surprising that his name appears no more upon the family rolls.

"This was before the great conflict between the King and His Parliament was decided; an it was while the civil war was still raging that Ralph sought a refuge in America. That he came with great secrecy is evident from the fact that no records extant show when or how he left England, or arrived here; nor can any papers be found in evidence of his identity.

"Strong reasons why no records exist concerning his parentage and estates in England, are readily suggested. Whatever documents he brought with him were, no doubt, burned in 1675, when Lancaster, Mass., was taken by the Indians, under King Phillip. Ralph was the recording officer of the settlement and the town records were destroyed with the place. Moreover, it is not reasonable to suppose that one that had fled from before a powerful enemy in England, would in an English colony publish the fact of his identity to all comers, or endeavor to replace any official documents he may have lost. On the contrary, he would naturally communicate the facts to his children only, whence the knowledge would descend by tradition alone, precisely as ours has done.

"Still again, America was at an incredible distance, practically, from England; and when one had settled on the far off shores of the New World he was almost regarded as out of the world altogether. Being then separated from his former home, literally by a great gulf; and being, moreover, one of those stern old puritans who affected a disregard for the fleeting treasures of this lower world, it is not surprising that when he turned his back upon the Old World, he washed his hands of all things therein, especially such of its possessions as he could not carry with him.

"Of course, it is not pretended that these traditions are proven true, and yet in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we re constrained to believe in the traditions which have been so religiously preserved, and transmitted to us, through many generations.

"As a further evidence, in making researches among the family records, old genealogical collections, local histories, etc., much light has been thrown upon the subject, and considerable data discovered, which was not known to exist. Everything found, so far, goes to prove the truth of the family traditions, strengthening us in the belief of their entire truthfulness.
Francis W. Houghton"

J. W. Houghton, Houghton Genealogy, (quoting from Houghton Memorial of Francis W. Houghton of N.y.., 1862), p. 65:

"Concerning the identity of Ralph and Ratcliffe

" There are some facts, however, regarding the foregoing theory of Francis W. Houghton that render his theory entirely improbable. First, the records give the date of Ralph's death as occurring in 1705, and his age 82 years,
consequently his birth must have occurred in 1623. That this is right is conceded by all parties. The age of Ratcliffe is not in the record of the family of Sir Richard but he was the fourth son and his brother, Stephen, who was the sixth child, was born in 1612. Ratcliffe's birth must have been three or four years earlier, say in 1608 or 1609, fourteen or fifteen years earlier than the date fixed for his birth by the New England records, and his age at death would have been in that case 97 years.

Again, the date of the birth of Sir Richard's thirteenth child, Eleanor, was 1613. The fourteenth child, Alice, must have been born in 1615, and if Ralph was the fifteenth, as Francis suggests, there would have been an interval between the birth of Alice and Ralph of eight or nine years, an interval improbable though not impossible.

Sir Richard's record gives the date of the death of his wife, Catherine, as Nov. 16, 1617, at least six years earlier than the date fixed for the birth of Ralph by the New England record of his age and death.

There is no record of Sir Richard having married a second wife and the sketch of his life says that he had fourteen children by his wife, Catherine, all of whom are accounted for by name in the list of his children.

The foregoing considerations very effectually rule out the idea or supposition that Ralph was the son of Sir Richard. I do not think that the suggestion of Francis Houghton, that Ralph's name was omitted from the family record on account of his treason, has much weight.

Finally, it must be conceded that the question of Ralph's ancestry has not and probably cannot be certainly settled. After weighing all the theories and evidence that have been presented we conclude that he was a grandson of Sir Richard, son of Thomas, the second son of Sir Richard. This Thomas is said to have left descendants and this conjecture very nearly satisfies and accounts for the tradition so general that there must have been some ground for its origin that he was a son of Sir Richard.

A generation is needed to fill the gap between Sir Richard and Ralph which this supposition provides for, and without which it would seem that his descent from Sir Richard would be impossible."

The Houghton name is largely represented among the original settlers of New England. The orthography differs considerably in old official records, the name of the same person being indifferently written Houghton, Haugton, Hauton, Horton vc.

His home by Houghton Lake at Milton MA has been torn down and land was owned by town in 1869. It was known as Scotts' Wood Section hear Brush Hill. The Ralph Houghton home and pond at Milton MA was purchased by Metropolitan District Commission in 1894/95. Buildings were torn down and place became a State Recreation Park.

In 1847, Mr. Rice made a report to the Houghton association concerning his investigation of the English Houghtons.

In 1869, Columbus Smith's report to the Houghton Association, he cites that S. W. Houghton of Putney Vermont had in his possession the original deed given to John Houghton of the township of Lancaster MA, dated June 6, 1701, signed by George Tehanto, Indian Sagamore, and six chiefs (J. W. Houghton, Houghton Genealogy, p. 74-75). Also the original letters of administration granted to Jacob Houghton on the estate of his father, John Houghton, who died February 3, 1736. This is signed by Joseph Chandler, judge of probate, and dated May 12, 1737. He stated that Robert Houghton of Southwark, England, brewer, gave to MA Colony ten barrels of powder, and received the thanks of Gov. Vane and Lt. Gov. Winthrop, June 28, 1636.

During the years between 1630 and 1642, there were 16,000 settlers who arrived from England. Settlements were made at Dorchester, Boston, Watertown, Roxbury, Mystic, and Lynn. The first general court of the colony was held at Boston Oct. 19, 1630. From then on no person was to be admitted as a freeman of the corporation unless a member of some church of the colony. In 1634 a representative system was introduced into the general court, because the growth of the colony prevented attendance of all freeman. Ralph served as a representative in 1673 and 1689.

J. W. Houghton, Houghton Genealogy, p. 57:

"Notwithstanding all that has been written regarding the arrival of Ralph and John in America, we desire to dispose of some traditions regarding this event.

First: That they came between 1635 and 1647.

Second: That each brought with him a wife and one or two children.

These two traditions are mutually destructive. The inscriptions on their tombstones and records of date of death and age at time of death of Ralph's eldest son, James, show that he died in 1711, age 61 years, which makes date of birth 1650.

John, Jr. [John's], died 2, 3, 1737, aged 86 or 7, which makes date of birth 1650-1. Now if they brought these children with them from England, it is obvious that they did not arrive before 1650-51.

In 1635 Ralph and John were eleven or twelve years of age, Ralph having been born in 1623 and John in 1624. They would have been rather young to go as emigrants on a journey to a wilderness country more than 3000 miles distant.

The foregoing facts would rule out the tradition that they brought wives and children with them at any date previous to 1650.

If they came earlier than the above date they brought no children with them, and unless within a year or two previous to that date the probabilities would be against their having brought their wives with them and that they most likely married in this country. Now whether they came before 1650 each with a child, cannot be determined and the reader is entitled to his opinion.

In view of the traditions mentioned our conclusion is that they came to this country as early as 1647, unmarried. That there is no record of birth of eldest child of either would be explained if they were born in England, or if in America by the fact that the township of Lancaster was not organized until two or three years after their birth and not many entries were made until the year 1653, but the records definitely fix date of birth of James by that of death and age at time of death, as already shown.

Tradition says that Ralph was the eldest son of Ralph, but we have no way of determining the date of his birth, and since James was born sometime in the year 1650, we conclude that Ralph was born sometime in 1648-9."

J.W. Houghton, p. 76:
"Founding of Lancaster

The evidence concerning the date of the arrival of Ralph and John in America, as already noticed, is somewhat conflicting. Some authorities give the date as previous to 1647 and the founding of Lancaster as taking place that year. Others fix the date of the founding of Lancaster as occurring in 1652-53, and say further that Ralph brought with him from England two children, Ralph and James. Besides these he had seven other children, born in this country. James is saied to have been born in 1651 and if he came from England with his parents they must have reached this country sometime in that year or early in the year following in order that Ralph and John associated with eight others might have founded the town of Lancaster in the year 1652. It seems impossible to fix these dates with certainty though they are no doubt approximately correct.
As mentioned heretofore, Ralph and John with eight others bought a tract of land of the Indians eight by ten miles and organized th town of Lancaster. Additional grants of land adjoining, bought subsequently received the names of Sterling and Bolton. Ralph was chosen the first town clerk; one of six prudential managers; representative in 1673 and 1689; and held various other offices. He is said to have been a beautiful penman and some specimens of his writing are still in existence... [p. 77] After the burning of Lancaster by the Indians, in 1675, and the massacre of a large number of its inhabitants, Ralph and John Houghton, who were away at the time, left with others and went to Woburn and Dorchester. Ralph removed later to Milton where he settled permanently, while John returned to Lancaster when the town was resettled..."

"...first Clerk of the Writs, Ralph Houghton, until October, 1674"

Lancaster: The town of Lancaster was settled on land bought from the Nashaway Indians in 1642 as the Nashaway Plantation and it was incorporated in 1653. It was the first town in Worcester County. After the massacre during King Phillip's War, Lancaster had no white inhabitants until it was resettled circa 1679-1680, partly on second division land which became the towns of Harvard and Bolton. Ten towns developed from the original purchase and the "Additional Grant."

William A. Houghton, History of Berlin: "The town of Lancaster was the earliest in settlement, and in town grant in Worcester County. What led to the settlement of the town at the early date of 1643 was the trading adventure made by Thomas King of Watertown and Henry Symonds of Boston, by invitation of Showlan, chief of the Nashaway tribe of Indians, whose headquarters were near the Washacum Lake in Sterling...king and Symonds both died within about a year...John Prescott of Watertown became the owner of the trucking house lot, 647. He...was really the founder of the town of Lancaster. Associated with him in the new settlement was Thomas Sawyer...also John Houghton...ralph Houghton...the Nashuah Plantation was incorporated as the town of Lancaster in 1653, but the survey of the township was delayed till 1659."

Suppl: Apr. 6, 1686, Ralph Houghton is appointed to this court to be Clarke of the Writts for Lancaster (Middlesex Records, CCP, IV, 221).

Richard Houghton: "It has been theorized by many of the early Houghton genealogists -- based almost entirely on family tradition -- that Ralph was actually Ratcliffe de Hoghton, son of Sir Richard Hoghton, 1st Baronet de Hoghton, of Hoghton Tower, Preston, Lancashire.See Peter Townend, ed., Burke's Peerage, Baronetage, & Knightage 750-751(London, 1970)...
While there is some circumstantial evidence which might support such a theory, I remain unconvinced by it for several reasons. First, there is no documentary evidence which might support such a claim. In the absence of documentation, I am inclined to believe that the theory rests primarily on a combination of tenuous circuumstantial evidence and pure conjecture, and a late-19th and early 20th Century tendency to claim noble lineage.
Second, there are contemporaneous reports that Ratcliffe was killed in the Civil War. A history of Hoghton Tower notes that sir Richard's son Redcliffe was "killed during the capture of Preston by Sir John Seaton" on February 7, 1642/3. See George C. Miller, Hoghton Tower in History & Romance 48 (Preston, 1954). Miller quotes the contemporaneous Discourse of the Warr in Lancashire:
Ratcliffe Hoghton brother to Sir Gilbert [the son and heir of Sir Richard] being in the street with Doctor Westby a phisitian and twoo buchers of the towne one of them called Mitton making resistance were all sleyne. G. Miller, p. 49 (quoting Discourse , p. 23.
In 1862, Francis W. Houghton, a family historian, noted that a Houghton Association report stated "that Ratcliffe...was killed at the taking of Preston on 9th February, 1642-43..."J.W. Houghton, p. 60. She then off-handly dismisses that fact by stating that "Sir Henry Bold Houghton [the 8th Baronet], on the contrary, informs us that "the records do not so state it." DId. Miller clearly contradictgs this latter assertion.
Third, as J.W. Houghton points out, the dates for Ralph and Ratcliffe do not match. The records indicate that Ralph was eighty-two when he died; that makes the year of his birth around 1623. See J. W. Houghton, p. 65. Ratcliffe, however, was around 1608 -- a difference of several years. English records give the date of Ratcliffe's mother's death as 1617, six years earlier thatn the 1623 birth date. There is no record of Sir Richard having married a second time, and his biographers note that he fathered fourteen children, all of whom are accounted for by name in the list of Katherine's children. See J.W. Houghton, p. 65.
Fourth, I note that the names of Ralph'ss children do not include Richard (Ratcliffe's father), Katherine (his mother), Gilbert (his maternal grandfather), Alexander or Thomas (the name of several of Ratcliffe's ancestors) or any other name which would support the Ralph-Ratcliffe theory.
Thus, I agree with J.W. Houghton who concludes that while Ralph was descended from the principle Hoghton line --Sir Richard was probably an uncle or grandfather -- he was not the son of Sir Richard. Unfortunately, I also agree with him that we will probably never know for sure."

Milton MA HX,Teele, 1887: "said son of Sir Richard Hoghton of Hoghton Tower Lancashire. Ralph fought under Cromwell against Charles I, though he had been previously knighted by the king for service to his person."

Reed: "He had fought under Cromwell against Charles I."

MLM, Ralph Houghton: He was not a freeman prior to 1668. He was not qualified under the laws of the colony to vote for magistrate or legislator. He was the fourth subscriber of th four settlers in 1650 to the covenant.he started land records in May 1656. Lived on Wattoquodoc Hill in Bolton, on the Old Common in Lancaster; before massacre, Ralph had lot #20, north of road to Concord, acrosss it, on west side of east fork of Nashua River (called Penacook); 40 rods in length; Ralph held all lands between Willard Ave. and new road from Orthodox Church to the Neck Road (Eastern Ave. in 1879). His estate is in hands of Glazier family. The first legal town meeting was held in 1654. The Book of Lands was began by Ralph Houghton, clerk, in 1656. He had, apparently, entire charge of the town's business for over thirty years, the last entries made in 1670, but his signature is attached to recores until the year of the massacre and again in the resettlement of 1680/1. Apparently, no records were kept from then on until the year 1700, so the story of the rebuilding comes from the county and state archives and records of other towns and newspapers. He bought an estate of 264.04.0 to Lancaster, according to the record of the covenant. Few had as much, or more, yet he was not a freeman, and he had hardly indentured himself to come to America, prob. with a wife. See Amelia Telford's letter.
John Houghton came to Lancaster shortly after the original settlement was made. He signed the ovenant Sep. 24, 1653, along with Samuel Dean. He first settled in Dedham (see birth of eldest son, John). So apparently he did not come to America with Ralph either. Whether Ralph and John Houghton were related is unknown. Dr. Harris Ayres Houghton: "It is not within the pervue of this sketch to discuss either the possible birth of Ralph Houghton, or of his kinship to the Hoghton Tower family near Preston , England (Lancashire). John Prescott and Ralph were 2 of 5 who incorporate Lancaster on May 18, 1652. Prescott was born in Shevington, Lancashire, less than five miles from Preston. (Nourse's Early Records, p. 278). Prescott married Mary Platts Jan. 21, 1629 at Shevington. John and Ralph were life long friends. Ralph was one of the best educated men of the province. He handwriting was clear, he was a man of affairs, held many public offices (was trusted). "Men and women like that do not just grow up. There is a definite heredity and education in the background of self-discipline, of a kind rare among the common people of England in the seventeenth century."

MLM, John Houghton: "Ralph Houghton was among the original settlers who applied for permission of the General Court of Massachusetts for the founding of a town out of the settlement. ...Mrs. Amelia Houghton Telford does not believe the original Ralph Houghton ever left England. He was born in 1623; would have beeen much too young to have been a pew holder in 1632. Sir Cuthbert Hoghton seems to agree with Old Sir Harry Bold Houghton that Ralph was Radcliffe Houghton, a soldier of Cromwell's army, who kidnapped his brother's wife and set Hoghton Tower afire....He died January 25, 1709, leaving a wife, unnamed, and seven children... Ralph Houghton started the land records [of Lancaster] in May, 1656."
MLM, Pedigree : "The only Ralph Houghton of much research, the name Rauf is in Fishwick's History of Preston, England. It seems that Rowland Houghton, a soldier in Cromwell's army, set fire to Hoghton Hall and abducted his brother's wife, Jane nee Stowe.
John Houghton (m. Beatrice Joselyn) came to America with a hanger sword, and Sir Harry Bold de Hoghton and sir Culbert de Hoghton agree that a companion piece is at Hoghton Hall. (Sir Cuthbert m. Philomena Simonds). v. Dr. John W. Houghton in his Houghton Genealogy for the sword."

Marvin: p. 42: Nine families petitioned the general court for incorporation, incl. Ralph Houghton: That Edward Breck, Nathaniel Hadlock, William Kerley, Thomas Sawyer, John Prescott, Ralph Houghton or any four of them...to be for the present, Prudential Managers of said town."

Marvin: p. 54: "The probability is that the name of Lancaster given in accordance with the desire of those settlers who had ancestral connections with Lancashire, in England, as was thecase with the Houghtons, Atherton, and Prescott."

Marvin, p. 72: Ralph Houghton and Richard Linton made an exchange, former taking east end of Linton's lot and latter the west end of Houghton's lot, so each had a lot of 40 rods by 80. Ralph lived on the eat road of the Neck; he had a 3rd lot in the range of 100 and 60 rods in lenght. He lived on the east road of the Neck (prior name of the Center); p. 79, he was appointed to keep the "Record of Lands.". "Much of the early history of the town depends on that vote" - without "Records of Lands" existing now in a copy of the original
, it would be impossible to lacate settlers.

Marvin, p. 722: "Ralph held nearly all the land between Willard Ave. and the new road from the Orthodox Church to the Neck Road or Eastern Ave.. His estate went to the Glazier family. John, his cousin..."; Ralph lived on the Neck

Jack Edward Houghton (2000): Admitted freeman, 18 june 1682. In Dorchester, he was chosen tithingman, 14 Mar 1680-81. He was chosen commissioner for the making of the county rate, 10 Aug 1681.

David Barber, 2001:
David Barber: Having established the Iowa Houghton’s connection with their founding immigrant Ralph Houghton, it is probably appropriate at this point to review Ralph’s history in the Massachusetts Colony. There is no documentation of Ralph’s arrival in the colony and for this and other reasons he was, and remains, an enigmatic figure. The first documentation of his presence in the new world is contained in the records of the Nashaway Plantation, land along the Nashua River about 33 miles west of Boston purchased from local Indians of the Nashaway tribe of the Nipmuc people and measuring 10 miles north to south and 8 miles east to west. On May 18, 1653 the town of Lancaster was incorporated on this land. The landholders had originally wanted to name the town “Prescott” after its founder, John Prescott, but the General Court of the Bay Colony rejected this name and so the covenanters chose the name “Lancaster” in honor of the English county from which John Prescott had come.

In Nourse’s “Early Records of Lancaster, Massachusetts” 1884 he says:

“Ralph Houghton was one of the four who first signed the Lancaster Covenant in 1652 coming here it is said from Watertown. He was about 29 years of age. Being the best penman of the pioneers he was made clerk of the records and held that position until the massacre. He was admitted a freeman in 1668 and elected a deputy in 1673 and 1679”

Elsewhere in Nourse’s “Records” it states:

“Ralph Houghton’s term of service including the four years while the town was deserted of its people was 26 years, 1656-1682. He was a good penman, and an able man of affairs. If any of his townsmen wanted a will written or to deed land to another, or to send a petition to Court, Ralph Houghton’s pen was certain to be summoned for the work. He was the first to attach his name to the covenant and although a young man took at once a prominent place in the councils of the plantation. He seems to have had entire charge of the business of the proprietary for over 30 years, surveying and recording each man’s share in several divisions.”

Life on the Massachusetts frontier was rough-hewn. The dwellings…“were rude log structures, some with thatched roofs. Generally one huge chimney ascended through the center of the house. The inside walls of the houses were sometimes lined with rocks (later bricks) to prevent bullets from passing through. The windows were small and shuttered. The wooden doors were very thick.”

The initial settlement of Lancaster consisted of 9 families, among them Ralph Houghton and his wife Jane (Stowe) and their two sons, Ralph and James. John Houghton, Ralph’s cousin, and his family also settled there. John Prescott built the first gristmill in the area in 1656 and the first sawmill in 1659. Joseph Rowlandson, the only graduate of Harvard College in 1652, was Lancaster’s first minister. The town grew and became a thriving Puritan settlement. A meetinghouse and parsonage were built, a burying place was allocated, town boundaries were set and bridges were constructed.

Relations with the local Indians remained tranquil for many years. Sagamore Sholan, the peaceful Sachem of the Nashaways had sought accommodation with the settlers after the tribe was severely reduced in numbers by a long and savage conflict with the warlike Mohawk. Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoag tribe, who had helped the Pilgrims survive their first harsh winter in New England, eventually became the dominant Indian leader in the area. When Massasoit died his eldest son, Wamsutta, became chief. Wamsutta, whom the English called “Alexander” after the Macedonian emperor, was summoned to Plymouth to answer the charge that he had been selling land that rightfully belonged to the English. Having been made a prisoner there…“his feelings were much wrought upon and he fell sick”. Although he was released and allowed to go home he was kept under guard until he died. Metacomet, Wamsutta’s brother, then became chief of the Wampanoag. He considered his brother’s death the result of ill treatment at the hands of white men. When Metacomet, whom the English called “Philip” or “King Philip” was, in his turn, summoned to appear before the British magistrates he fled into the wilderness where he could not be caught. He warned the white settlers of his intentions with the words…”I am determined not to live until I have no country”. The first raid on Lancaster occurred on August 22, 1675. Several people were killed but the settlement’s defenders managed to drive the attacking Indians off. On February 10,1676 Metacomet, or King Philip, having enlisted the help of the Nipmuc Tribe returned to Lancaster with 1500 men and massacred its inhabitants, later returning to burn the settlement to the ground. His widespread depredations became known as “King Philip’s War”.

Ralph and John Houghton, together with their families, were away visiting at the time of the attack. Returning to the settlement after the raid and seeing its destruction Ralph elected to remove himself and his family to Milton where they remained for several years. On June 18, 1682 Ralph and his wife were admitted to full communion in the Church at Milton. In about 1685 Ralph and his family, together with other surviving families, returned to Lancaster to help rebuild the town. John Houghton and his family joined in this endeavor. Ralph built the house on West Bare Hill road in the Still River area and then gave it to his son, James. James Houghton and his descendants lived in the house for eight generations (1685-1912). James’ grandson, Elijah (Elijah 4th) born July 2, 1739 was a soldier in the American Revolution. He was one of the “Alarm Men” who marched to Cambridge on April 19, 1776. He later served for 3 months in a company commanded by Capt. David Moore. Elijah’s son, Elijah (Elijah 5th), was born on October 23, 1769, married Lucy Haskell on December 18 1792 and migrated with his son, also Elijah (Elijah 6th), to Jefferson County, NY in 1810. It is his grave that I found in the cemetery at Calcium.

Ralph moved back to Milton in 1690 where he settled at… “Scott’s Woods, nigh unto Brush Hill” and built his homestead. He died on April 15, 1705 at the age of 82 years and is said to have been buried “nearby”. The farm pond, fed by springs and streams from the Blue Hills, is known as “Houghtons Pond”. Subsequent generations of Houghtons occupied the farm for 200 years. The pond is now part of the 7000 acre Blue Hill Reservation. In June 2001 I visited Houghtons Pond Recreation Area but could find no trace of the farmstead. I was unable to find any record or evidence of the gravesites of either Ralph or
Jane Houghton, both of whom are listed in the town register as having died at Milton. But what of Ralph Houghton’s origins? He was certainly of English descent and thrived in an English colony. Yet there is no record of his embarkation in England. Very careful records were kept of those seeking to settle in the British colonies of the new world. A signed oath of loyalty to both the King and the Church was required of all immigrants. There is, as well, no record of his landing in Massachusetts. Ralph’s son, Ralph, is said to have been born in Middlesex County (Massachusetts) in 1648. Jane Stowe, who married Ralph, is said to have been born in England in 1626. One account states that Ralph arrived in the colony with a wife and 2 children. If these conflicting accounts are taken into consideration it is reasonable to estimate that Ralph arrived in the British colonies of North America (presumably Massachusetts) sometime between 1648 and 1652. But from where in England, and under what circumstances, had he come?

THE DE HOGHTON FAMILY OF HOGHTON TOWER, LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND

There have long been speculations by Houghton family historians and genealogists in the United States that Ralph Houghton was, in fact, Radcliffe de Hoghton of Hoghton Tower, Lancashire, England. The de Hoghton family vigorously denied this claim until Lord Henry Bold Houghton conceded, in the mid-nineteenth century, that Radcliffe and Ralph were, indeed, the same person. The family had concealed this fact for 200 years presumably because of the nature of Radcliffe/Ralph’s behavior in the English Civil Rebellion of 1642-49.

And so, what of this Hoghton family and how had they produced this new son of America? For that one must look back in time to the very beginnings of England’s modern history, and to the source of English names and places. The name "Hoghton" derives from the Anglo-Saxon word “Hocton” or “Hoctune” meaning “high place” or “high town”. The first individual known to have used this name was Willus de Hocton in about the year 1140. His forebearer, one Herocines Watter (Walter), is said to have come to England in 1066 as one of William the Conqueror’s lieutenants. The name Hocton evolved to de Hoghton and eventually to Houghton. The “high place” implied by the name refers to a hilltop in Lancashire, located between Preston and Blackburn, that has been in the family’s possession since at least the 12th century. It is from this place that Hoghtons have sought their strength and pressed their fortune, sometimes wisely, sometimes recklessly but always with ardor and conviction. To understand how and why Radcliffe de Hoghton became Ralph Houghton it is necessary to understand the Hoghton family’s place in Elizabethan England and how it was affected by the great issues of the day.

Elizabeth I, the daughter of Henry VIII and the ill-fated Ann Bolyn, ascended the throne in 1558 at the age of 25. She inherited a regime riven with religious conflict, debt and discontent. With a combination of intelligence and iron will she led her country into a golden age of exploration and conquest. The counterreformation instigated by her half sister and immediate predecessor on the throne Mary I (“Bloody Mary”) was reversed and the practice of Catholicism was vigorously suppressed. The Hoghton family was recusant (Roman Catholic adherents who broke the law by refusing to attend Church of England services) and provided sanctuary and encouragement to priests and papal emissaries. Thomas Hoghton rebuilt Hoghton Tower in 1565 but his association with “dangerous friends” in the Church drove him into exile in the Low Countries in 1569. Despite Elizabeth’s assurances of his safety if he should return he chose to remain an expatriate, dying in Liege in 1580, where his elaborate tomb in the church of Gervais can be visited to this day.

Alexander Hoghton, Thomas’ nephew and successor hosted the fiery Jesuit Eduard Campion and offered support and encouragement to the young Catholic William Shakespeare, who lived and worked at Hoghton Tower in the early 1580’s. Subsequent generations of Hoghtons were raised as Protestant and were received with favor at Elizabeth’s court. Elizabeth died without issue in 1603 and was succeeded by her cousin, James VI of Scotland, who became James I of England. James I in 1611 created Richard Hoghton a baronet. Sir Richard entertained the King lavishly at Hoghton Tower in August 1617 and it was on that occasion that, according to family lore, James dubbed a particularly savory cut of beef “Sir Loin”. Sir Richard's extravagance cost him dearly and he later spent time in debtor’s prison in London. The 2nd Baronet, Sir Gilbert Hoghton, was in high favor with James I and was knighted at Whitehall in 1606. Radcliffe de Hoghton, the second son of Sir Gilbert, was born at Hoghton Tower in 1623. He was knighted at the age of 17 by King Charles I, James’ son and successor to the throne. Radcliffe grew up in a household which professed its loyalty to the Crown and to the Protestant church, but it is likely that there were undercurrents of disaffection towards both among family members.

Both James I and his son, Charles I, had stormy relationships with Parliament. Charles inherited the incessant financial problems of his father: the refusal of Parliament to grant funds to a king who refused to address the grievances of the nobility. Parliament was repeatedly summoned and dissolved by a dissatisfied Charles I who then financed his reign by selling monopolies and extracting “ship money” from inland towns. Charles’ efforts to force a new prayer book on the Scots resulted in open rebellion by Parliament.

The Civil War that erupted in 1642 pitted supporters of the monarchy (“Cavaliers”) against supporters of Parliament (“Roundheads”). Cavalier backing came from peasants and nobility of Episcopalian, and sometimes Catholic, belief. Roundhead support came from the emerging middle class and tradesmen of the Puritan movement. The northern and western provinces aided the Cavaliers. The more prosperous and populous southern and eastern shires supported the Roundheads.

Hoghton Tower is in the northwestern part of England. The Hoghtons aligned themselves with the Monarchists. But Radcliffe de Hoghton and his older brother, Richard, joined Parliamentary forces led by Oliver Cromwell. Why Radcliffe and Richard joined Cromwell’s forces against the interests and loyalties of their own family can never be known with certainty absent personal journals or letters that might offer insight into their states of mind at the time but some assumptions can be made about Radcliffe based on the limited facts available. Charles I knighted Radcliffe at the age of 17 for “an act of bravery”. I think it can be assumed that he was, as a young man, high spirited and audacious. Hs loyalty to the monarchy may have been sorely tested by his knowledge of his grandfather’s humiliation and imprisonment as a direct result of having spent so much money entertaining James I. He may well have resented his family’s forced decision to give up their Catholic beliefs during Elizabeth’s reign. He may have found the Puritan concepts of freedom of worship and self-governance attractive. For whatever reason he took an irrevocable step in joining with Cromwell.

Sir Gilbert, Radcliffe’s father, garrisoned Houghton Tower in 1642 and, with his troops, attacked Blackburn and directed the defense of Preston, a Royalist stronghold. Sensing the Tower’s vulnerability Captain Starkie of the Parlimentary forces besieged Hoghton Tower with a large force. Lady Margaret Hoghton, who had only her retinue of servants to aide her, recognized the hopelessness of the situation and requested safe conduct of Captain Starkie in exchange for yielding Hoghton Tower peacefully. Her wish was granted and a large number of Parliamentary soldiers were moved into the keep that gave the Tower its name. Sometime shortly thereafter the Tower, where large stores of gunpowder were kept, was wracked by a tremendous explosion, which killed over 100 Parliamentary soldiers and completely destroyed the keep, which was never rebuilt.

The Civil Rebellion waxed and waned in intensity over the next several years. At the Battle of Preston, August 18, 1648, Radcliffe fought directly against members of his own family. The battle was a decisive victory for the Parliamentary forces and his family members were forced to flee from the battlefield. Later, the family claimed that Radcliffe had been killed at Preston fighting for the king and never again acknowledged his existence.

Thus Radcliffe de Hoghton, age 25 years, disappeared in 1648 and Ralph Houghton, age 29, appeared in 1652 in Lancaster, Massachusetts Colony, an ocean away, literate, affluent and a natural leader. Did the family strike a bargain with him? Perhaps, in exchange for his silence and a change of name, he was spirited out of England anonymously and with enough money to establish himself in the new world---far from conflict both civil and familial. The Hoghton estates, which had been sequestered by Parliament during the Civil War, were eventually restored to Richard who became the 3rd baronet.

In April 2001 I visited Hoghton Tower. Sir Bernard de Hoghton, the present and 14th baronet, received my wife and me most graciously and provided us with a personal tour of the Tower and patiently answered my many questions. The Tower is now owned by a preservation trust, which insures its integrity for the future. Sir Bernard has devoted his life to the restoration of the buildings and to the further development of the Tower as a living historical venue. To this end he has enlisted both British and American support for the creation of a theatre that will be built in the old quarry on the grounds and which will be devoted exclusively to performing the works of William Shakespeare.

In the great banqueting hall of the Tower, where the young William Shakespeare may well have watched, and even participated in, the performances of masques by traveling companies of actors there is a pedigree of the Hoghton family posted on the wall. There the name “Radcliffe 1623” is listed as the second son of Sir Gilbert and Lady Margaret Hoghton. Seeing that name in that place closed the circle for me."

Harrington:
Ralph Houghton is said to have been a son of Sir Richard Houghton of Houghton Tower, Lancashire, England. who was made a Baronet by King James I. It is also said that he and his wife Jane came to America in 1635 at the same time as his cousin John Houghton. Such could not have been true because he would have been only 12 years old and his wife 9 years old, if their ages at death are anywhere near correct. It is also said that they settled in Watertown, where they are found in 1647. The Watertown records fail to make any mention of them. It is more probable that they came to America about 1647 to 1650. Perhaps before his arrival or very soon after-wards, he joined with John Houghton and eight others in the purchase from the Nashaway Indians of a tract of land ten miles long and eight miles wide. By 1652 he had settled in Nashaway, now Lancaster, in which year he was one of the four men who signed the Lancaster Covenant. In 1652 there were nine families settled at Nashaway and the General Court appointed Edward Breck, Nathaniel Hadlocke, William Kerley, Thomas Sawyer, John Prescott, and Ralph Houghton, of any four of them, to be a Prudential committee to manage the affairs of the plantation until enough more were settled there to make it a township. William Kerley, John Prescott and Ralph Houghton were ancestors. Being the best penman, Ralph Houghton was always called if anyone wanted a will written or a deed drawn up or to send a petition to the General Court. A single ragged and discolored leaf of his original, beautiful penmanship was found in 1826 among family papers and is now preserved in the town's archives. He was chosen the first Town Clerk, which office he held until the Indian massacre in 1676. In 1654 his property in Lancaster was valued at £274. The land included the ground now occupied by the Brick Church and the public buildings at Lancaster Center. On 25Je1658 Richard and Elizabeth Linton, in consideration of 20 acres of upland lying at the west ends of 'my home-lott and the two home-lotts of Ralph Houghton, already in my possession', deeded to Houghton 'all of my home-lott of 20 acres of upland' bounded by the home-lots of 'Edward Brick' and Houghton, 'Ralph Houghton having built his house on the east end of it'. Also 3 3/4 acres, all of wet meadow, being lot No.12 in the first division of meadows and 1 1/4 acres on the east side of 'hempe swampe'. On 16Jy1662 Houghton sold l0 1/2 acres of meadow at 'Quasaponikin'. Major Simon and Mary Willard, on 27D1665, in consideration of 3 1/2 acres of intervale land on the west aide of 'hempe swamp', deeded to Houghton 3 1/2 acres -of 'brushie wett meadow' in the second division of meadows, located northeast of Hemp Swamp, bounded by Houghton'a second division meadow and land of Steven Gates, another ancestor. On 2Ag1669 John Prescott, blacksmith, sold to Ralph Houghton, husbandman. 20 acres of upland for a house-lot 'in the necke, being the fourth in that range', bounded south by his own lot, north by James Atherton and east by the 'Panicooke River', also 50 acres of intervale on the east side of the 'Penicooke river', 10 acres of wet meadow at 'the ponds' and 1 acre of meadow ' lying in that meadow by the house of John Moore'. Mary Wilder, Sr. witnessed the deed. Houghton was a Deputy to the General Court in 1673 and, the same year, witnessed the will of John Prescott. He was away from town at the time of the burning of Lancaster by the Indians in 1676. After the massacre, he fled with his family to Dorchester where, on 10F1678, he bought of Samuel Jones, 35 1/2 acres on the Neponset River and also 1 3/4 acres and, on 27Je1679, he bought 52 additional acres on the Neponset river. On 28F1682 ho petitioned the General Court for abatement of taxes because of loss in the burning of Lancaster. His taxes were remitted for two years. He owned a large tract of land in what is now Berlin, Clinton and Bolton, extending from near Clam Shell Pond to William Fife's land, including Baker's Hill. In 1682 he moved to Milton where he and his wife joined the church on l8Je1682. In 1685 ho returned to Lancaster where he was again Town Representative in 1689. About 1690 he returned to Milton, where he settled pernmnently at 'Scotch Woods unto Brush Hill'. The homestead buildings were occupied by the family for many generations. His farm was later purchased and fitted up as a public park when Boston so expanded that Milton became a suburb. On 31Mr1692 Ralph Houghton, for a piece of meadow on the east side of Still River, named Bridge meadow, for which he had received a deed from John Prescott, deeded to Prescott part of his third division meadow on the west side of 'great Pine plain'. His son James witnessed the deed. On 5S1692 Ralph and Jane Houghton of Milton gave to their son Joseph one-half of their home-lot in Lancaster, one-half of an intervale lot on 'Penycock River' and all of the second division upland at 'Little Walaquaddock' and common rights. On 3Jel699 he deeded to Joseph 80 acres on the 'Naponset' river in Milton. On 11N1701 he sold to Jeremiah Wilson of Lancaster all of his lands, meadows and rights in Lancaster, being 14 acres of upland on the east side of Still River, near a meadow called Bridge meadow, four acres at Bridge meadow, 10 acres of intervale and another piece of intervals, 2O acres of second division upland purchased of Ephraim Roper, and £2O of town rights. His son Joseph witnessed the deed. REF. - The Houghton Family, - J. W. Houghton, 1912. Snow-Estes Ancestry, - M. M. Jillson, 1939. Suffolk County Land Records.

Allan Houghton: 2002: "Here is the Ralph/Ratcliffe discussion I mention in a previous message. Obviously, too, Ratcliffe took the side of his Brother, Sir Gilbert, in the English Civil War. I might add that Ralph was noted for his penmanship hence his Clerks' duties but he certainly kept quiet about any military prowess.

Allan N. Houghton
60 Ferry Street
Marshfield, MA 02050-2408
(781) 834-7683

2 November 2002.

Dear Allan,
Sorry to have flooded you with reply emails but did try to follow each one of yours with the relevant response,do hope they made sense. Turning to this interesting historical one can I tell you the following

1.Ralph Hoghton .

Ralph was one of the younger sons of Sir Richard the First Baronet and therefore a younger brother of Sir Gilbert who like his father had been knighted before succeeding as the Second Baronet of the family. Ralph was knighted himself on the battlefield during the English Civil War and on our family tree is shown as having fled to Germany thereafter we know nothing.This is obviously where you come in via the Wilderness period of American history. He clearly dropped his Title but was very useful with his military knowledge and prowess so was accepted over there.

2.Radcliffe Hoghton.

Radcliffe was the youngest of 5 sons of Sir Richard.He took the side of his father [d.1630] and his elder brother Gilbert in the Civil War and was killed at the first battle[small]of Preston in 1643.It is interesting to note that Sir Richard had living 5 sons and 7 daughters.

3.Roger Hoghton.
Roger was the third son of Sir Gilbert and like the second son also Gilbert took the Royalist side with his father. He was killed like his uncle at the battle of Hessam Moor 1643.

I believe there are two Johns ,one in Mass and the other in NJ.

Here in London I do not have the detailed Family Tree but I have to say other than the John who died in 1699 and is buried in the Temple Church, Lincolns Inn area, London, the name in the main part of the family is and has been little used. That does not mean to say these 2 Johns cannot be cousins from Cadet branches of the Lancashire family. There are 3 other branches of the Family in East Anglia, Hampshire and Sussex plus another based around Bristol,from whom I believe the African Explorer of River Niger fame is descended?
I hope that is useful and interesting,and will see if I can find anything more at the end of the coming week when I go up to Hoghton.

P.S.You mentioned both Gilbert and now Henry Bold re Lancaster Gaol, but of course the former is of the mid 17th Century while the latter is of the mid 19th century so which do these papers belong in the ohio archive?

Regards Sir B.

From: To: "heartfan" Sent: Saturday, November 02, 2002 1:24 PM
Subject: Re: Who was Ralph Houghton???

Quoting heartfan
Dave, I'm also sending this to Sir Bernard to see if he has any ideas from that perspective.

The question is, were Ralph Houghton/Ratcliffe Hoghton one? Were they brothers? Or what?

Dave, one resource for the Houghtons is the Houghton Genealogy: Descendants of Ralph and John Houghton of Lancaster, Mass., Dr. John Houghton, 1912 That volume discusses the Association that existed in theearly 19th century, the commissioner's report from England. At the time, there was thought to be an unclaimed inheritance of some sort.

Within the context of that search, one Francis W. Houghton, of New York, proposed a theory of Ralph. Basically, F.W.H. claimed:
That Ralph was the youngest son of Sir Richard Hoghton.
That Ralph aided the attack on Hoghton Tower Feb. 9, 1643
and fled England to escape the King's wrath afterward
That Ralph burned the meetinghouse at Lancaster to destroy
the records, further covering his trail.
The other version of this is the same, except that "Ralph" was Ratcliffe, who supposedly was killed in the fall of the Tower, changed his nam and fled. (these two stories have been taken at face value that they've nearly become "engraved in stone".)

The Genealogy refutes these theories:
1. There is no record of Sir Richard having a son, Ralph.

2. Ralph's acknowledged age at death, 1705, was 82, making his birth1623. If I remember (the M.D.C. has my book), Katherine (Gerrard) Hoghton died before 1618 or 19.

3.Ratcliffe was Sir Richard and Katherine's fourth eldest. Hisbirth date would have been 1607 or '08. Named, I believe, for his maternalGrandmother, Ann (Ratcliffe) Gerrard. It is possible that he lived to the age of 98. (I've found he was Knighted for "physical bravery" while on a hunt. Later, a Captain of a troop of(King's?) horse.)

4.If one were to change their name, to hide, would they not change their surname, as well?

5. Ralph and John, with wives and children, made their way to Cambridge, MA, c.1648-9, moving to settle Lancaster, 1650. Hardly a departure in haste, fleeing a King's wrath.

6.Regarding the burning of the meetinghouse/records: First, Ralph was the town Clerk: He had access to the records to retain or destroy. Second, one desiring to destroy documents under cover of an Indian raid must have despaired: Lancaster was at peace 25 years before the first attack. Even then, the meetinghouse and 2 other buildings survived the 1676 "Massacre" (it did burn in 1704).

The Genealogy reasons that the theory that Ralph was Ratcliffe was based on scant evidence and that he was the unknown youngest child of Sir Richard, on no evidence. (At that mid-19th century point, I believe Sir Henry Bold Hoghton acknowledged that a relationship existed, which gave these theories some credence.)

The best guess of the compiler of the Genealogy was that Ralph was a Grandson of Sir Richard, likely son of the second eldest, Thomas.

Personaly, I agree with the Genealogy.

As an aside, Ratcliffe died (supposedly) in the explosion of powder that damaged the Keep. My personal theory is that the Parliament forces "slighted" the Keep, the powder either not placed properly of went off prematurely.

Allan N. Houghton
60 Ferry Street
Marshfield, MA 02050-2408
(781) 834-7683

Ron White: In Debrett's
Baronetage of England~1828, under the references to Sir Richard Hoghton, 13 children are attributed to him including Ratcliffe. I am separately sending to you a copy of an e mail I received from a Mr. David Holmes, LFHHS, Preston, England. Mr Holmes makes references to a number of children of Sir Richard Hoghton including, "Ralph chr.l.5.1623 and Radcliffe.chr 1597+1602+1604."

Early Records of Lancaster, MA 1643 to 1725 by Henry S.Nourse, A.M., Lancaster 1884

p.312
Births, Marriages & Deaths in Lancaster Families 1645 to 1700 A yellow and torn leaf from original records in the hand writing of Ralph Houghton was in
1826 discovered by Josiah Flagg, town clerk, among the papers of Captain Hezekiah Gates and has been carefully preserved - it contains the dates and names of fifty births in Lancaster previous to 1666

From: Farns10th@aol.com
Subject: John Houghton & Ralph Houghton, Early Records of Lancaster, Mass. by H.S.NourseTo: charlesvella@comcast.net

Subject: John Houghton & Ralph Houghton
Source: Early Records of Lancaster, Mass. by Henry S. Nourse, A.M.
Lancaster, 1884.
p.29-30
The Rules and Orders for divisions of land at Lancaster from a true f the Laws and orders first enacted and made by those appointed and im-
powered by the General Court, as it is found in the Old Book. Ralph Houghton (one of those who subscribed first) John Houghton subscribed 7th month, 24th day, 1653.
p.42
The meaning, descriptive of the Bolton range of hills, hidden in the Indian word Wataquadock, has not bee found though long sought. Of the
local names about Lancaster, none has experienced more varied spelling at the hands of Clerks and historians. The later methods seem in no way
improvements upon Ralph Houghton's first attempt to render into English syllables the word as he heard it from native lips in 1653. In the town
records we find Wataquadoke 1656 and 1659; Wataquadocke in 1658; Wadaquadock in 1718; all nearly the same in sound with the first, above. Joseph
Willard, Esquire in 1826, preferred Wataquodoc. Rev. Peter Whitney gave us in 1792, Wattoquottock. It was not until the Indian tongue was for-
gotten in Lancaster and the recorders were unusually illiterate, that such outre' orthography as Waterquaduc and Wattoguoddoc crept in.
p.54
27th, first Monday, 1658.
The Selectmen met at goodman Prescott's and chose Ralph Houghton and Jacob Farrer to renew the markes of and for the highways; according to the order made December 15, last past no. 7th order.
p.67
The wading place of the Nashaway.
In the transcript of the oldest records of the Proprietors, John Prescott's "Entervail Lott" is described as "on the west side of Nashaway River, part
whereof lyes between - is named in the Court Grant for the center of the town at the meeting of the rivers" Thus the evidence seeme likely to remain
forever imperfect but fortunately John Prescott,
p.68
of the early proprietors was so careful a man of business that he had all his land grants and contracts duly recorded in the County Register by Ralph
Houghton, in 1669, and there the missing words are found to be "the wading place which," and the word "at" to be an error for "and." And the
description of Prescott's intervale prove to be the same generally known today as the Thayer Intervale we must conclude that Noyes' starting point
was a wading place that existed very near indeed to the site of the Atherton bridge.
p.69
Orders & Directions Given to Ralph Houghton About the Laying Out The 2nd Division of Meadow.
Monday the 5th: ffebruarie, 1659.
The towne met at the house of Major Simon Willard to consider of a way to set forward a 2nd division of meadow; and forasmuch as there was by a former act of the towne were made for the effecting the work of laying out a 2nd devision of meadow first by surveying the meadowes, and men chose to do it, therefore the towne put it to vote whether that way should stand or not which vote was as followeth: They that are minded to carry an end the 2nd devision of meadow according to the true intent of the order formerly agreed on by the towne, and here read before the town, for the manner of it, only a new time set for the accomplishment of it, in regard the time that was sett is past, only the towne hath their liberty to choose new men and to agree with them upon as easy terms as they can. They that are thus minded, let them manifest it by holding up their hands - (the hands help up were 14). They that are otherwise minded let them manifest the Contray by hold up their hands (the hands held up were 16): which being done this following vote was confirmed by the towne. If the towne be minded that a man shall be made choice of, and agreed with, forthwith to go on with laying out the 2nd division of meadow, according to such orders and directions the towne shall agree to be his rule therein, and that four acres of meadow to 100th estate be laid out to begin in such a place and so to proceed from (p.70) meadow to meadow according to such instructions as the towne shqll give in
writing. This was confirmed by a vote - none desenting.
Ralph Houghton chosen Surveyor.
And Ralph Houghton is chosen to carry and end the worke and he is to have a third of an acre paid within a month after the worke is done in
merchantable wheat or Indian corne and this worke to bee finished by the 24th of June.
p.71
Which work being finished and all the orders and instructions aforesaid agreed on, and the Lord being sought unto for his blessing upon his owne
ordinance - Lots were taken as followeth without any disturbance or distraction:
William Kerley, Senior
Ralph Houghton
Master Joseph Rowlandson
William Lewis
Edward Breeke
John Prescott
John ffarrer
Edmund Parker
John Johnson
Thomas James
Phillip Knight
Jonas ffairbanke
Thomas Sawyer
John Lewis
John Whetcombe, Jun'r
Steven Gates, Sen'r
John More
John Houghton
John Smith
Jacob ffarrer
John Roper
Gamaliell Beman
Mordicai Muke Load
Thomas Joslin
Nathaniel Joslin
John Whetcombe, Sen'r
James Atherton
Richard Wheeler
p.72
William Kerley, Jr.
Jerimiah Rogers
Lawrence Waters
Daniel Gains
John White
John Rigby
Henry Kerly
Thomas Wilder
John Rugg
Roger Sumner
James Butler.
p.76
The grant of the town was that Major Willard, Roger Sumner and Ralph Houghton are by vote of the towne chosen to supervise the transactions
of the second devision and to put things into such shape as may be for the comfort and peace of the towne for the present and the future, and
to make return thereof to the towne that so may be made for the Recording Lands in the 2nd division, this was granted on the 2nd of the 12th month,
1663.
p.80
John Houghton's Grant:
It was ordered by a vote of the Towne that John Houghton should have liberty to fell timber in the commons for his trade use and if he take the bark of
it, and set his mark upon it, then it is not lawful for any to take or make use of any such timber.
p.82
John Houghton's Grant in Acts of the Towne in the Yeare 1670.
John Houghton's Grant.
It was granted John Houghton to lay downe twenty acres of the 2nd Division land for a highway on the south side of Dean's Brooke, and to take it up
againe in the Plain near his meadow, this also was confirmed by a vote of the Towne. Deans Brook seems to have derived its name from that of Samuel Dean, who signed the town Covenant in 1653, but has no after connection with Lancaster history.
p.118
Sept. 6, 1676.
In answer to the petition of Ralph Houghton of Lancaster it is ordered that the petitioner by payed for his disbursements mentioned in his petition
by the executors of the late Treasurer. His own rate amounting to six pounds to the country being discounted. [Massachusetts Records]
p.176
1716. Monday, Feb. 4th, 1716-17. Att a Meeting of the Propratee of Lancaster it being there stated Meeting, and first made choyce of Jabez
Fairbank as Moderator for said Meeting. Several propositions were read before the Town brought into ye Selectmen: 3. John Houghton Senior, desires the Town would let him have the intervale above the Red Spring which was formerly granted to Daniel Gaines to make up his intervale lot - the said Houghton having purchased said Gaine's 2nd division intervale lot and cannot find where it was layed out; or if he cannot have said intervale then that the towne would grant him some other land in lew thereof.
Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth

From: Farns10th@aol.com
Subject: John & Ralph Houghton - Part 2 of 2 - by Henry S. Nourse
Date: Fri, 7 Apr 2006 16:53:39 EDT

Subject: John Houghton & Ralph Houghton
Source: Early Records of Lancaster, Mass. by Henry S. Nourse, A.M.
Lancaster, 1884.
Part 2 of 2 Parts
p.248
The estates of the first inhabitants of Lancaster.
Ralph Houghton £264.15s.0d.
John Houghton £250.00s.0d.
p.250
The Lands of Ralph Houghton
His pp lott.
The pp house lot of Ralph Houghton is the 3rd lot in that range of upland lots lying on the neck on the west side of Penicook River being bounded
south by Richard Linton's lot and north by the lot where he bought of John Prescott butting easterly upon Penicook River and west upon the range of
lots that lyeth on the west side of the neck where Goodman Whitcomb liveth. A lot bought of John Prescott - his house lot which he bought of John
Prescott being the 4th lot in the same range of lots bounded south by his own pp lot and north by the lot of James Atherton butting easterly upon
Penicook River and west upon another range of lots that lie on the west side of the neck according to the Record of Grants in the old town book. Which
lots being eight score rods in length and twenty rods wide; but now upon exchange he stands possessed of the east end (p.251) of Richard Linton's Lott which is the 2nd lott in that range of lots and lyes on the north side of Edward Bricks lot which is the first lot upon which he hath planted his house; in lew whereof Richard Linton hath his 20 acres at the west end of his own and the two lots of the lots of the said Ralph Houghton being and lying for twenty acres be they more or less being two home lots. His intervail given him by the town. His intervail lot which was given him by the town, lying on the east side of Penicook River being the 3rd lot in that range of lots wherein Edward Brick's lot is the first lying bounded by the lot or Robert Brick (so called in the old town book) on the south side and north by the lot of Ralph Houghton which he bought of John Prescott butting east on the Still River and west upon Penicook River and lyeth for twenty acres be it more or less. His Intervail he bought of John Prescott, lyes bounded south by his own pp
lot which was given him by the town and bounded north by James Atherton's lot butting easterly upon the Still River and west upon Penecook River which is by estimation and also by his Deed of sale from John Prescott fifty acres. Ralph Houghton was one of the four who first signed the Lancaster Covenant in 1652, coming here, it is said from Watertown, Mass. He was then about 29 years of age. Being the best penman of the pioneers, he was made clerk of Records and held that position until the massacre. (Note: See the Destruction and Rebuilding of Lancaster file at my pages online):
He was admitted a freeman in 1668, and elected deputy in 1673 and 1689. The date of his death is not found, but must have been after 1692 as in that
year with wife, Jane, transferred the northern half of his house lot to his son Joseph Houghton. His children were:
Ralph Houghton, Jun'r
James Houghton
Mary Houghton b. April 11, 1653.
John Houghton b. Feb 28, 1655.
Joseph Houghton b. May 1, 1657.
Experience Houghton b. August 1, 1659.
Sarah Houghton b. Dec 17, 1661.
Abigail Houghton b. May 15, 1664.
Hannah Houghton b. Oct. 16, 1667.
All but Ralph and James were born in Lancaster.
John and Hannah Houghton died October 1679 at Charlestown.
Joseph Houghton sold his half of the homestead to John Glazier and he sold it to Simon Stevens.

p.212
John Houghton was the son of John and Beatrix Houghton. On the south side of the Narrow Lane, lived Jacob Farrar whose only daughter, Mary, must have been John's nearest playmate. February 22, 1672, when John was about twenty-one and Mary Farrar twenty-three years of age, she became his wife. Their home, at least after the massacre of 1676, was on the Old Common as it is now called, though then and long after known as Bride Cake Plain. Their house stood on the south side of the highway opposite the grounds of the State Industrial School. After fifty two years of married life, the wife died April 7, 1724, and January 27, 1725, John Houghton at the age of seventy-five, married Hannah Wilder, aged seventy-two. The Boston Evening Post for Monday, February 14, 1737 thus briefly records his death:
Lancaster, February 8th 1736/7
"On the 3d Instant died here (after a few Day's Indisposition) John Houghton, Esq: in the 87th Year of his age. He was a sensible, religious, peaceable and useful man. He was serviceable (in several Capacities) for many years among us. A constant and devout attender on all the Ordinances and Worship of God in his House. Tho' his Eyes were dim some Years before his Death, yet his Bodily strength and Intellectual Powers remained with him to an uncommon Degree. He hath left behind him a sorrowful Widow in the 84th year of her Age, under bodily blindness, and who hath been confined to her Bed for more than three Years past: Also a numerous offspring. There are now living of his children seven, of his grandchildren 54 and of his Great Grand Children, 73 - in all 134."

Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth
Subject: Houghton - Lancaster
Source: History of Lancaster, Mass., by Rev. Abijah P. Marvin, Lancaster, 1879.
p.42
By the spring of 1653 there were nine families on the ground, not one of whom was an original proprietor except John Prescott. On the 18th of May, 1653, there being nine families in the place, they petitioned the General Court for an incorporation and obtained it by the name of Lancaster. This petition was probably signed in addition to the five names already given (John Precott, Richard Linton, Lawrence Waters from Watertown and John Cowdall of Boston) by Robert Breck, Nathaniel Hadlock, William Kerley and Ralph Houghton.
p.43
May, 1653
In answer to the petition of the inhabitants of Nashaway the court finds according to a former order of the General Court in 1647, that the ordering of the plantation at Nashaway is wholly in the court's power. Considering that there is already at Nashaway about nine families and that several both freemen and others, intend to go and settle there, some whereof are named in this petition, the court doth grant them the liberty of a township, and order that henceforth it shall be called Lancaster. "That the bounds thereof shall set out according to a deed of the Indian Sagamore, viz. Nashaway River at the passing over to be the center, five miles north, five miles south; five miles east and three miles west, by such commissioners as the court shall agree to to see these lands defended and their bounds limited. "That Edward Breck, Nathaniel Hadlock, William Kerley, Thomas Sawyer, John Prescott, Ralph Houghton or any four of them, whereof the main part are freemen, to be for the present, the Prudential Managers of said town etc etc.
p.46
Then follow the ten names, viz., Edward Breck, John Prescott, William Kerley, Ralph Houghton, Thomas Sawyer, John Whitcomb, John White, William Lewis, Richard Smith, Edmund Parker - of these are freemen - Edward Breck William Kerley, Thomas Sawyer, William Lewis and John Whitcomb." - 1654 - regarding a petition of the inhabitants of Lancaster - "being now about 20 families and Hadlock being dead entreat the court that power be granted be granted to the town in general that they may act together as in other towns and the court appoint such men who in wisdom you think meet, to lay out our town bounds etc - the names subscribed are: William Kerley, William Lewis, William Kerley, Jr., Richard Smith, Henry Kerley, John Johnson, John Lewis, Edmund Parker, Thomas Sawyer, John Whitcomb, 2nd, Lawrence Waters and Richard Linton.
p.59
John Houghton came from England when a little boy about four years old. His last Will was presented in 1684. His wife was Beatrix. His sons were Benjamin, Robert, Jonas and John. Mrs. Beatrix Pope was his daughter and there were others. Ralph Houghton was a cousin to John Houghton and probably older. He left three sons, John, James and Joseph and perhaps others; and four daughters. He with his cousin and their families went to Woburn at the massacre but returned. He was Town Clerk as early as 1656 and for many years after. In 1668 he became a freeman and was a Representative in 1673 and perhaps in 1689.
p.85
1664.
There began to be an expression of opinion in favor of self-government which led the townsmen or selectmen to call attention of the people to the subject. Simon Willard having moved hither, was immediately made chairman of the Selectmen. The town felt confident of their ability to with his guidance to manage their own affairs. "If any be grieved at anything that has been acted, that then and there they may be eased; and if the committee please to return liberty into the towns' hands we hope it will be acceptable to us and unto yourselves." Letter dated January 14, 1664 - was signed by Simon Willard, John Prescott, Wilder, Sumner and Ralph Houghton.
p.137
July 31, 1704 - Indians beset the town in several places - of John Houghton, Jun'r, three swine, one large dwelling house with three fireplaces, belonging to him and Philip Goss and about sixteen pounds of personal estate belonging to said Houghton, but in the house. Jonas Houghton lost one oxe.
p.140
A petition signed by John and Jonas Houghton bearing date, November 13, 1704, which "sheweth that the distressed inhabitants of Lancaster being under the awful rebukes of God's hand in the manifest tokens of his displeasure towards us, etc" stating in particular that many had sustained losses and some "were almost ruined as to their estate."
p.143
The town had a Representative this year (1706) in the person of John Houghton.
p.150
I, George Tahanto, Indian Sagamore, for and in consideration of what money, namely - twelve pounds, was formerly paid to Sholan my uncle, sometime sagamore of Nashuah, for the purchase of said township and also forty-six shillings formerly paid by Ensign John Moore and John Houghton of said Nashua to James Wiser alias Quenepenett, now deceased but especially for and in consideration of 18 pounds paid part, and the rest secured to be paid by John Houghton and Nathaniel Wilder, their heirs, executors and assigns forever - a certain tract of land on the west side of thw westward line of Nashua township adjoining to said line, and butts southerly for the most part on Nashua River bearing westerly towards Wachusett Hills etc etc., to the said Ensign John Moore, John Houghton and Nathaniel Wilder. 1701.
Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth

Subject: Ralph Houghton

Source: Birth, Marriage, and Death Register, Church Records and Epitaphs of Lancaster, Mass., 1643-1850,
by Henry S. Nourse, A.M., Lancaster, 1890.

p.3
The returns of the town of Lancaster's first Clerk of the Writs, Ralph Houghton until October, 1674, were made to the Recorder of the Middlesex County Court as required by a law enacted June 14, 1642.

A single ragged and discolored leaf of his original manuscript, containing the record of fifty births before 1666, is preserved in the Town's archives, having been fortuitously discovered in 1826 among family papers. More than ten years had elapsed after the setting up in the Nashua valley, of the first roof-tree by white men, before Ralph Houghton entered upon his duties as Clerk of the Writs, and his records are chargeable with some ommissions.

p.4
The first birth certified to by Ralph Houghton was that of Joseph, son of Lawrence Waters, April 29, 1647. As both the Prescott and Waters families were resident on the Nashua two years before, and the births of Adam Waters and Jonathan Prescott were not recorded at Watertown, there is good reason for supposing that they were born in Lancaster during 1645 or 1646. Ralph Houghton also omits the birth of Jonas Prescott in 1648.

p.6
Ralph Houghton Cler of the Writs 1656-1682.

p.9 A Record of Birthes and Deathes.
Marie the daughter of Ralph Houghton and Jane his wife, was borne the 4th of November, 1653.
John the sonn or Ralph Houghton and Jane his wife, was borne February 28, 1655.
Joseph the sonn of Ralph Houghton and Jane his wife, was borne May 1, 1657.
Experience the daughter of Ralph Houghton and Jane his wife, was borne August 1, 1659.

p.10
Abigaill the daughter of Ralph Houghton and Jane his wife, was borne May 15, 1664.

p.11

Sarah, daughter of Ralph Houghton & Jane his wife was born December 17, 1661.

p.12
Hannah, daughter of Ralph & Jane Houghton borne October 16, 1667.

p.20
Hannah Houghton, daughter of Ralph Houghton, aged 12 years, died at Charlestown, Mass. Oct 10, 1679.

John Houghton son of Ralph Houghton, aged twenty years, died at Charlestown Oct 10, 1679.

Ralph Houghton (founder) died at Milton, Massachusetts April 15, 1705.

Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth

Bond's History of Watertown, Mass.
Vol. II p.795

HOUGHTON.
Ralph and John Houghton very early settlers of Lancaster, Mass., are said to have first settled at Watertown, but their names are not found in the town records.

Ralph H. Houghton, 2013:

FROM THE INTERNET

Read, but be aware, without documentation, there is no solid academic proof any of this is true.

Family Notes

Received from a discussion board post by rich_Houghton@thomas.senate.gov.

I thought it might be helpful to post the biographical information I have on the progenitor of our Houghton line. Although I have documentation for each factual statement, the format in GenForum does not allow for footnotes. So if you would like to know the sources for any statement or conclusion, please e-mail me and let me know.

RALPH1 HOUGHTON

Ralph Houghton, the immigrant ancestor, was
born in England -- possibly the Preston area of Lancashire -- around 1623. Despite several early and persistant attempts to link him to the English Baronets de Hoghton, the identity of his parents remains unproven [for a discussion of this point, refer to my earlier posting titled "The Ralph/Ratcliffe Houghton Myth"].

There is, unfortunately, no credible information about Ralph prior to his emigration to New England, which is thought to have occured around 1647. After his arrival in the Massachusetts, he settled in the outskirts of Boston in areas variously proposed as Charlestown, Watertown, and Dedham, Middlesex County.

He married JANE STOWE around 1646 or 1647; it is unclear whether the marriage took place in England or Massachusetts. Jane was born in England in 1626; her parentage is unknown. Ralph and Jane had several children:

Ralph b.c. 1648 m. Mary Blackburn
James b.c. 1650 m. Mary (Sawyer/Willard)
Mary b. 4 November 1653 m. William Bently iv John b. 25 August 1655 d.s.p. October 1679
Joseph b. 6 July 1657 m. (1) Jane Vose
m. (2) Margaret Reding
Experience b. 1 October 1659 m. Ezra Clapp
Sarah b. 17 December 1661 m. (1) Caleb Sawyer
m. (2) Daniel Goble
Abigail b. 15 July 1664 m. John Hudson
Hannah b. 16 October 1667 d.s.p. 8 October 1679

By the mid-1600's, many of the Massachusetts Bay coastal towns were becoming sufficiently populated so as to make the acquisition of land difficult. As a result, many of their inhabitants began to cast a covetous eye towards the wild interior portion of what is

today the State of Massachusetts. During this period Sholan, the Sachem of the Nashaway Indians, occasionally visited Watertown to trade with Thomas King. King was looking to move inland, and the Sachem recommended a place called Nashawogg as
well-suited for a plantation. "'He told King of the choice intervales, the woods and waters abounding in supplies -- that the Great Spirit had been very bountiful to the place, and that his people would rejoice in the presence of that great people who had come from a distant world.'"

King decided to visit the place for himself. He was so enamored of the locale that he returned to Watertown and made an enthusiastic report to his fellow citizens. In 1643, he entered into an association with John Prescott of Watertown, Thomas Skidmore of Cambridge, Stephen Day of Cambridge, a Mr. Simonds, and others for the purpose of purchasing a ten-by-eight mile tract from Sholan. The General Court sanctioned the deed with Sholan, but a series of circumstances combined to retard the full settlement of the plantation. Although they chose to retain their interest in the tract, many who signed the association failed to live up to its terms by settling there.

On 18 May 1652, Ralph and John Prescott and four others petitioned the General Court to incorporate the new town; Ralph's home is given as Watertown on the petition. In 1653, there were only nine families living in the area: one of those was Ralph's. On 18 May 1653, the town was incorporated by the General Court. The citizens had requested that it be named "Prescott" in honor of John Prescott, but the Court thought that such a name "smacked too much of man-worship or man-service." A compromise was reached, and the town was named "Lancaster," after the English County of Prescott's birth. Edward Beck, Nathaniel Hadlock, William Kerley, Thomas Sawyer, John Prescott, and Ralph -- or any four of them -- were appointed to be "prudential managers of the town" and to see that "all allotments to be laid out in due proportion to the estate each brought to the town; all new inhabitants were to take an oath of fidelity; no evil persons or enemies to the Laws of [the] Commonwealth [were to] be admitted as inhabitants; Lancaster was to be within the County of Middlesex and they were to choose a Constable; and a Godly minister was to be maintained."

The first grant of lots was recorded on 30 November 1653:

Memrndm, That we Edward Brek Jno Prescott William Kerly Ralph Houghton and Thomas Sayer, being Chosen by the Generll Court, To lay out Allotments and to order the prudential affaires of this Plantation at Nashaway now named Lancaster do Lay out and Appoynt Lands and severall Lotts with all the privilledges and Appurtinances thereof onto these severall persons whose Names and Allotments are mentioned and described. To have and to hold to them their heirs Executors and Assignes for ever. The Lotts of this Plantation are Laid out partly on the west side tof the Rivers of Nashaway and the North River, and partly on a parcell of Land called the Neck Lying betweene the North River and that which hath bin Named and Hereby is named Penecuck River which Taketh his name and beginneth at the meeting of Nashway and the North Rivers."

Ralph "possessed a large land estate situated in Berlin, Clinton and Bolton as the territory of old Lancaster is now divided, and extending from near Clam Shell Pond to the William Fife lands, then southerly including Baker Hill." The lands were described in the town records as follows:

[His House Lot.] The house Lott of Ralph Houghton is the third Lott in that Rang of upland Lotts lying on the neck of the west side of Penicook river being bounded south by Richard Lintons Lott and north by the Lott where he bought of John Prescutt buting easterly upon Penicook River and west upon that Rang of Lotts that Lyeth on the west side of the neck whare Goodman Whitcomb Liveth.

at an unknown age Lott He Bought of John Prescutt. his house Lott which he bought of John Prescutt, being the fourth Lott, in the same Rang of Lotts, bounded south by his own Lott, and north by the Lott of James Atherton buting Easterly upon Penicook River, and west upon another Rang of Lotts, that Lyes on the west side of the neck according to the Record of Grants in the old town Book, which Lotts being Eight Score Lotts in Length, and twenty Rods, but now upon Exchange Possessed of the East end of Richard Lintons Lott, which is the second Lott in that Rang of Lotts, and Lyes on the north side of Edward Bricks Lott, which is the first Lott upon which he hath planted his house; in Lew whereof Richard Linton hath his twenty acres at the west of his own, and the two Lotts of Ralph Houghton as appears by a deed of Exchange betwext them. Both the said Lotts of Ralph Houghton being and Lying for twenty acres be thay more or Less thay being two home Lotts.

[H]is Entervail Given him by the town. His entervail Lott which was Given him by the town lying on the East side of Pennicook River being the third Lott in that Rang of Lotts wherein Edward Bricks is the first and Lying bounded by the Lott of Robert Brick (so called in the old town Book) on the south side and north by the Lott of Ralph Houghton which he bought of John Prescutt buting east on the Still River and west on Pennicook River and Lyeth for twenty acres be it more or less.

[H]is Entervail he bought of John Prescutt. and his entervail which he bought of John Prescutt Lyes bounded south by his own Lott which was Given him by the town bounded north by James Athertons Lot buting Easterly upon the Still River and west upon the Penecook River which is by Estemation, and also by his deed of sale from John Prescutt fifty acres."

The purchase from John Prescott was land called "The Centre," on the north side of Dean's Brook east of the Nashua River on the south side of old Lancaster.

Ralph occupied a prominent position in the new town. He was a man of some means, bringing an estate of £254.04.00 with him to Lancaster. From the day of incorporation until 1682, Ralph served as the town clerk and "seems to have had entire charge of the town business for more than thirty years." Although he served as town clerk, for some unknown reason he was not a freeman and under the laws of the Colony could not vote. He finally petitioned for admission as a freeman on 18 May 1668: "Ralph Houghton, a

member of ye Church of Lancaster of Full Communion, a settled inhabitant and householder above twenty four years of age, desires to be a freeman of the Colony." He was made a freeman on 18 March 1668/9, and served as a Deputy to the General Court in 1673 and 1689.

Although originally settled with the acquiesence of the local tribes, Lancaster "in common with other frontier towns, suffered greatly by Indian depredations whenever there was a war between the mother country [England] and France," with whom the Indians were allied. The first Indian raid on Lancaster took place in August 1675, and resulted in the death of eight persons. The Indians were driven off, but returned on 10 February 1675/6 in an early-morning raid that saw twenty-four killed and twenty-one taken prisoner. One of the captives later described the raid:

"On the tenth of February, 1675[/6] came the Indians with great numbers upon Lancaster. Their first coming was about sunrising. Hearing the noise of some Guns, we looked out; several Houses were burning, and the Smoke ascended to Heaven. There were five Persons taken in one Home, the Father, and the Mother, and a sucking Child they knock'd on the head, the other two they took, and carried away alive. There were two others who being out of their Garrison upon some occasion, were set upon; one was knock'd on the head, the other escaped. Another there who was running along was shot and wounded, and fell down; he begged of them his life, promising them Money (as they told me); but they would not hear unto him, but knock'd him on the head, stripped him naked, and split open his Bowels. Another seeing many of the Indians about his Barn, ventured and went out, but was quickly shot down. There were three others belonging to the same Garrison who were killed. The Indians getting up upon the Roof of the Barn, had advantage to shoot down upon them over their fortification. Thus these murtherous Wretches went on, burning and destroying before them."

The remaining Lancaster settlers fled back east to the towns around Boston, and the Indian returned to burn the remaining buildings completely destroying the settlement.

Ralph and his family fled to Woburn, Middlesex County, in 1675/6 and then on to Dorchester. In 1682, they settled at Milton, Norfolk County, just to the south of Boston. On 28 February of that year, he petitioned the General Court for an abatement of his tax assessment because of the Indian attack; they were remitted for two years. A few months later on 18 June, he and his wife were admitted to full communion in the Milton church. That same year he was elected a Deputy to the General Court, and served as a selectman from 1682 through 1684.

Around 1679, the dispersed settlers had begun to return to Lancaster, which had remained uninhabited since the attack in 1676. Ralph removed there around 1685, but did not remain long. By 1690, he had returned to Milton where he settled at "Scotch Woods nigh unto Brush Hill" in the southwest corner of Milton and built a homestead. There was a spring-fed pond on the property called "Hoosic-Whisick" by the Indians, which later became known as "Houghton's Pond."

Jane died in Milton on 10 January 1700/1, at the age of seventy-five. Ralph died in Milton a few years later on 15 April 1705, at the age of eighty-two. No probate documents have yet been discovered for him.

Received from a discussion board post by rich_Houghton@thomas.senate.gov.

The Ralph/Ratclife Myth More From Richard Houghton:

Despite several early and persistant attempts to link Ralph-1 Houghton to the English Baronets de Hoghton of Hoghton Tower, the identity of his parents remains unproven. Still, I continue to see references to this link as though it were a fact. While no one would like to see such a link established more than I (I'm a descendant of Ralph in the 10th generation), let me set out my reasoning here.

It has been theorized by many of the early Houghton genealogists -- based almost entirely on later family tradition, and frankly in my view wishful thinking -- that Ralph was actually Ratcliffe de Hoghton, son of Sir Richard Hoghton, 1st Baronet de Hoghton, of Hoghton Tower, Preston, Lancashire. See Peter Townend, ed., Burke's Peerage, Baronetage, & Knightage 750-51 (London 1970). Sir Richard was born in September 1570, and knighted in January, 1589/90. Id. In 1599, he was created Sheriff of co. Lancaster, and was created a baronet on 22 May 1611. Id. He represented Lancaster in Parliament for several years, and entertained King James I at the ancestral seat -- Hoghton Tower -- for several days on the latter's return from Scotland in 1617. Id. He married Katherine, daughter of Sir Gilbert Gerard, Kt., of Gerard's Bromley, Staffordshire, Master of the Rolls. Id. Sir Richard and Katherine had five sons and eight daughters. Id. Katherine died on 17 November 1617, and Sir Richard died on 12 November 1630. Id. For an overview of the descent of Sir Richard from Adam de Hoghton, who held lands at Hoghton in 1203, which is beyond the scope of this posting, refer to Burke's. It should be noted that the variance between "Hoghton" and "Houghton" is not at all marked; many contemporary records refer to the Hoghtons by the latter spelling. See, e.g., George C. Miller, Hoghton Tower in History & Romance 39, 40, 49, 53 (Preston 1954).

While there is some very circumstantial evidence which might support such a theory, I remain unconvinced by it for several reasons. First, there is no documentary evidence supporting such a claim. In the absence of documentation, I am inclined to believe that the theory rests primarily on a combination of tenuous circumstantial evidence and pure conjecture, and a late-19th early 20th Century tendency for American families of English descent to claim noble lineage.

Second, there are contemporaneous reports that Ratcliffe was killed in the Civil War. A history of Hoghton Tower notes that Sir Richard's son Redcliffe was "killed during the capture of Preston by Sir John Seaton" on February 7, 1642/3. The author quotes the contemporaneous "Discourse of the Warr in Lancashire:"

"Ratcliffe Hoghton brother to Sir Gilbert [the son and heir of Sir Richard] being in the street with Doctor Westby a phisitian and twoo buchers of the towne one of them called Mitton making resistance were all sleyne."

In 1862, Francis W. Houghton, a family historian, noted that a Houghton Association report stated "that Ratcliffe . . . was killed at the taking of Preston on 9th February, 1642- 43 . . . ." She then off-handedly dismisses that fact by stating that "Sir Henry Bold Houghton [the 8th Baronet], on the contrary, informs us that "the records do not so state it." Miller clearly contradicts this latter assertion.

Third, as J.W. Houghton points out in his "Houghton Genealogy", the dates for Ralph and Ratcliffe do not match. The records indicate that Ralph was eighty-two when he died; that makes the year of his birth around 1623. Ratcliffe, however, was born around 1608 -
- a difference of several years. English records give the date of Ratcliffe's mother's death as 1617, six years earlier than the 1623 birth date. There is no record of Sir Richard having married a second time, and his biographers note that he fathered fourteen children, all of whom are accounted for by name in the list of Katherine's children.

Fourth, I note that the names of Ralph's children do not include Richard (Ratcliffe's father), Katherine (his mother), Gilbert (his maternal grandfather), Alexander or Thomas (the name of several of Ratcliffe's ancestors), Ratcliffe, or any other name which would support the Ralph-Ratcliffe theory.

Thus, I agree with J.W. Houghton, who concludes that while Ralph may have descended from the principle Hoghton line -- Sir Richard was possibly an uncle or grandfather -- he was not the son of Sir Richard.

Unfortunately, I also agree with him that we will probably never know for sure. Richard Houghton,

Information below is from a family record of George Wheeler – who was a contemporary of Ralph Houghton

EIGHTH GENERATION

34. George WHEELER was born about 1605 in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, England. Baptized on 23 Mar 1605/1606 in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, England. Died in 1687 in Concord, Mass. At Cranfield in 1633, this George Wheeler was called "of Wharley Inn" to distinguish him from George Wheeler "of East End," who married Mary Studd at Cranfield, 12 May 1628. Both George Wheelers had children baptized in 1633. Consequently the note by Coddington that George had a second wife, no longer applies, not does the statement to that effect in Torrey's "New England Marriages Prior to 1700."

Geoge Wheeler was made Freeman in Mass. on 2 Jun 1641. He was not among the Wheelers petitioning the Mass. Bay General Court for land in 1643, but was among those on the Oct 1654 petition. Even before 1654, he, along with John Smedley for Concord, and John Roper and Ralph Houghton for Lancaster, laid out the road between the two communities. George Wheeler on one of the overseers for the "South Quarter" of Concord in 1654. By 1666, George owned 24 lots consisting of 434 acres, which included his 1660 purchase of one fourth the estate of Grace Bulkeley, widow of Rev Peter Bulkeley, including "Nine Acre Corner." He was selectman for Concord in 1660. When Rev John Jones left Concord for Fairfield, CT, he put his house up for sale, but he was not paid until 1659, its third sale. George Wheeler subsequently owned this house and he sold it to Jonathan Prescott in 1678, probably then building the mansion house which he left to his sons Thomas and John. The 28 Jan 1684/5 will of George Wheeler, Sr., of Concord, was proved 2 Jun 1687, witnessed by Samuel Merriam, Jonathan Hubbard and John Scotchford.

Brother of Capt. Thomas Wheeler. He came to Concord, Massachusettes approx. 1638 with wife Katherine. Remained in Concord.

He settled in Concord as early as 1638, perhaps as early as 1635, and became a prominent citizen. His name appears often on petitions for various purposes to the general court on the town records to the time of his death. He was a selectman in 1660. He owned land in every part of the town-Brook meadow, Fairhaven meadow, the Cranefield, by Walden, Goose and Flint's pnds, on White pond..etc. His will was dated Jamuary, 1685, and proved June 2, 1687. He married Katherine Pen, who doubtless came from England with him. The three youngest children are recorded as born in Concord.

He married Catherine PIN on 8 Jun 1630 in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, England. Catherine PIN, died on 2 Jan 1684/1685 in Concord, MA. Name may have been Katherine Pen or Catherine Ping, Pyng; at Holcote, Pinge; at Kempston there Penns, but no Pins; the surname may be a variant of Penn. They had the following children:

55 i. William WHEELER, b. about 1631, England; d. 1683, Concord, MA 56 ii. Thomas WHEELER, b. about 1633, England; d. 1687 Concord, MA 57 iii. Elizabeth WHEELER, b. about 1635, England; d. 1704, Concord, MA 58 iv. Sarah WHEELER, b. 1640, Concord, MA; d. 1713, Concord, MA
+59 v. John WHEELER
60 vi. Mary WHEELER, b. 1645, Concord, MA; d. 1678/1679, Concord, MA. 61 vii. Ruth WHEELER, b. about 1647, Concord, MA; d. 1713, Concord, MA. 62 viii. Hannah WHEELER was born about 1654 in Concord, Mass.

URL: http://members.bellatlantic.net/~dinabart/genealogy-pages/wheeler.htm

Some of the Amazing History of The Houghton Towerand the Houghtons Surrounding
it.

Where do I start? I will start at the beginning, but first I want to explain the link that the immigrants John and Ralph Houghton have the Houghton Tower. (Hoghton is an old way of spelling Houghton)

Thomas Hoghton, owner of Hoghton Tower (b. 1540 England) is John Houghton the immigrant’s (b. 1624) Great Grandfather. Many people believe that it is Ralph who was related to the Thomas who lived there. I believe that too. They say that John and Ralph were distant cousins. Wouldn’t it then make them 3rd cousins? Also, John’s Grandparents are related by blood. They are Thomas Houghton and Catharine Houghton (maiden name) That makes it more complicated. In a nut shell, it both doubles the
chances that John and Ralph are cousins and makes it harder to figure out how. They later sailed together to Lancaster Mass. on the Ship Abigail.

Now at the beginning

Houghton/Hoghton Tower, also called Ho(u)ghton Castle has been well known in Lancashire for several centuries. The Houghton family is an old one of Norman descent, with a history dating from 1065. That is when documents show that the earliest Houghton came over on the same ship with William the Conqueror. The Houghton coat of arms is the oldest Cheshire coat of arms and the second oldest in England. It’s mainly a
shield with horizontal strips going across it and an animal standing above the shield with intricate detail all around it. The latin motto means - "In spite of wrong."

In the 1500s, the Catholic Houghtons of Lancashire England were underground supporters of Catholicism. These were the days when the Catholic Faith was outlawed.

They formed a secret underground society called The Gunpowder Plot. William Shakespeare, Thomas Houghton his brother Alexander Houghton, their cousin Richard Houghton his brother in law Barthotomew Hesketh John Cottom's, Cottom’s cousin, Thomas Jenkins, Father Edmund Compain , John Finch, Debdale, Hunt, Robert Catesby were some the recruited members of this secret society of gunpowder plotters who’s
base was Houghton Tower. Many were Lancastrians. All roads lead to Houghton Tower.

In his book Shakespeare: The "lost years", Ernst Honigmann revealed to the public a theory - first proposed in 1937. That the dramatist William Shakespeare spent some early years in Lancashire, as a servant in a chain of Catholic households; and that he is identifiable with William Shakeshafte1, a player kept by the Hoghton family of Hoghton Tower near Preston. The theory now appears to be substantiated by the discovery that
John Cottom, Stratford schoolmaster from 1579 to 1581, who was William’s teacher, belonged to the secret Lancashire gentry who were relatives and clients of the Hoghtons.

The English professors here at Albion College (Jim Detrick et al) tell me this theory has NOT been proven. The discussion about this was in October 2000.

But no one has been able to explain is what tied Hoghton Tower to Stratford (a little midland town where Shakespeare was from) and why, if Shakespeare was Shakeshafte, it should have become such a secret. The reason they were not able to do so is that no one explored the Catholic context. 10 years age, Ernst Honigmann, did in his book. It is infact a famous Jesuit mission in the winter of 1580-1 which connects the two places. It provides the answers for Shakespeare's "lost years", and suggests a solution to the mystery of Shakeshafte's vanishing. Above all, it is the dramatic story of the Jesuits' doomed children's crusade which confirms, beyond reasonable doubt, the identification of the Stratford boy with the servant at Hoghton Tower.

Cottom and Shakeshafte were legatees when Alexander Hoghton, who was either a play writer or actor and the head of the family, made his will on August 3, 1581, bequeathing his stock of theater costumes and musical instruments to his brother, and enjoining his neighbor, Sir Thomas Hesketh (related to a Houghton’s brother in law), "to be friendly unto Fulke Gillam and William Shakeshafte now dwelling with me, and either take them into his service or help them to some good master". Hesketh retained Gillam, a player from Chester, but recommended Shakeshafte began his career in London, where his earliest admirers included the Lancashire poet John Wever (aka R. Wever), a cousin of the Hoghtons. The questions it begs are why an ambitious and talented young Midlander should have beaten a path and gone to the remote Lancashire instead. Why under the name of William Shakeshafte? Shakeshafte had been his grandfather’s name.

It has been established, by various writers, that the Houghton family was directly responsible for the establishment of the English Colony in Douai, France which was a Jesuit educational facility on profits from their alum mines. Biographers agree that one of their first recruits was the master who taught Shakespeare from the ages of seven to eleven

Thomas Cottom, who, having been freed on bail, a martyr, having been tortured and releases, was carried to Houghton Tower by Lord Cobham, bringing with him a secret letter from Rome, written by a school friend, Robert Debdale. This was a net that was to accidentally entangle them both.

In 1586, Debdale would follow Cottom to the gallows Shakespeare rode north at exactly the same time as another journey linked Stratford to Hoghton, when Edward (later became a Saint) Campion departed Lapworth Park, leaving behind a knot of Midland gentry who would seal the Gunpowder Plot.

This was the moment when the politics crossed the Channel (to Douai in France), with the swearing of a Sodality of "young gentlemen of forwardness and zeal", whose "joy and alacrity" in vowing poverty and chastity, "and ardour to fly overseas to seminaries", mimicked the Catholic League. With both Shakespeare’s father and teacher so close to this secret society, it would be odd if the star of Stratford Grammar School were not pressed to join the "boys who for this cause have separated from their parents" and who "give up their names", Campion exulted "as veterans offer their blood". Historians

interpret this phrase to mean that the Sodality adopted aliases taking the names of their grandfathers. Which explains Shakeshafte.

William Shakespeare stayed with the Hoghtons and their neighbors until May 15, 1581, when he was 17.

At Hoghton Tower, Shakespeare, Shakespeare’s Father, Thomas Houghton, and others in the secret society were equipped with all the "scriptures, fathers, councils, histories, and works of natural and moral reason" needed to prepare for a public debate. "The day is too short, and the sun must run a greater circumference", (St.) Edmund Campion boasted, before he could "number all the Epistles, Homilies, Volumes and Disputations" amassed at Hoghton.

In 1582, a priest informer noted, to Cardinal Allen many of the members. It was no accident, then that nine of the twenty-one Catholics executed under Elizabeth were Lancastrians. The county was a springboard for missionaries like Thomas Hoghton and Thomas Cottom, who both taught there before sailing to Douai; or the Hoghton protégé, John Finch, hanged at Lancaster in 1584 for operating a Jesuit liaison chain disguised as a tutor. The son of the Stratford recusant had models for such a vocation in his master, Hunt, and school fellow, Debdale; Shakespeare had run between the two most active cells in Catholic England. Like the Gunpowder Plotter Robert Catesby, his route ought to have taken him from Stratford to Douai via the Jesuit clearing-house at Hoghton Tower.

Peter Levi demurs said "In fact, far from obscurity, the aristocratic Catholicism harbored behind the walls of the Renaissance palace at Hoghton was much like the culture of Shakespeare's early plays in flitting between England and Europe, and the oaths and aliases, subscribed by the Sodality had the arrogance of those assumed by the "little academe" of students in Love's Labor’s Lost who "war against the huge army" of the world.

In her study of the Gunpowder Plot, Antonia Fraser describes this "small world" of "perpetual aliases", in which "everyone was related to everyone else", as "schizophrenic" in its oscillation between the glittering light where prizes were won and the spectral darkness of a forbidden religion; but to the brightest and the best who signed up for Campion's mission, the prospect would have seemed like that of Shakespeare's two gentlemen of Verona, who would rather "see the wonders of the world abroad" than "Wear out youth in shapeless idleness". Cottom, who carried letters from Italy to Shottery like some Valentine or Proteus, had lodged in Rome with the composer Victoria;"

On August 4, 1581, the day after Alexander Hoghton commanded Shakeshafte to Thomas Hesketh in his will, the Privy Council commanded a search for "certain books and papers which (St) Edmund Campion has confessed he left at the house of one Richard Hoghton of Lancashire"

The Gunpowder Plotters were never able to follower through with what they were planing.

Campion had been hurrying north to safeguard his library when he had been persuaded to say mass at Lyford in Berkshire, where on July 16 he was, ambushed

One of those arrested with him was another relative of Shakespeare's schoolmaster, his namesake, John Cottom, who was to suffer months of interrogation for names. (Which was the Houghtons) So it cannot be chance that by the end of the year the master had left his post and himself retired to Lancashire (to be replaced by yet another Hoghton nominee, Alexander Aspinall from Clitheroe). His brother had been tortured in December to divulge the Catholic network; and on July 31 Campion was racked to discover "At those houses had he been received? Who assisted him? Whom had he reconciled? Where did they live, and what had they talked about?" (Which was the Houghtons.)

Very soon, Burghley could crow that "We have gotten from Campion knowledge of all his peregrinations and have sent for his hosts". As Edmund Campion’s biographer admits, "By August 2 the government had suddenly acquired a flood of light about his doings. They knew where he had lodged in Lancashire and where he had hidden his library"; The entire Catholic Houghton family was arrested. Why they were let free
instead of executed is a mystery. Also arrested was Bartholomew Hesketh (brother in law of a Houghton), the sister of a priest, and everyone suspected of concealing Campion or his books. Honigmann deduced that when he wrote his will, Alexander Hoghton "may have hoped to disperse family property to forestall confiscation", but even he does not seem to have grasped the dire emergency in which, among more desperate measures, William Shakespeare was protected: on the very day between Campion's confession and the raids on the Hoghton estates. Even as Thomas Houghton, the master of Hoghton Tower helped his servants to new identities, in the Tower of London Campion was being tortured for their names.

Meanwhile at Houghton Hall, located in Norwich in eastern England. Henry Walpole, having connections with the Houghtons, was also arrested for harboring priests in his travels.

Thomas Cottom (Shakespeare’s teacher) yelled from his cell:

"Indeed they are searchers of secrets, for they would needs know of me-what mysins were for which penance was enjoined me. Where upon they sore tormented me, but I persisted that I would not answer, though they tormented me to death."

Shakespeare’s father hid his Spiritual Testament beneath the tiles of his house, where it was to remain, a dusty secret from his son's admirers. Some time after the raids on Hoghton, Shakespeare wandered out of his so called "lost years."

In 1617, King James I while staying at the tower, was so impressed with the loin of beef he was served here, that after a few drinks he took his sword and knighted the meat thereby giving the name to sirloin steak! To remember the event the local pub was

renamed "The Sirloin" and still goes by that name today. Sir Richard de Hoghton was forced to entertain the King for three days at great expense. Unfortunately this left him penniless and he was sent to prison due to his debts.2

Back to the Immigrants

The voyage sailed in may of 1635. John was born in 1624 and Ralph was born in 1623. That would make them 11 and 12. I immediately thought that I had the date of the voyage wrong but I didn’t. Here’s a web site that names all of Abigail’s voyages http://www.primenet.com/~langford/ships/shp-a01.htm.

From ship records, it shows that it was only to two of them together. Why would the parents of John and Ralph, let two boys sail to Wild America all alone forever? John Houghton lived on Dean’s Brook but moved due to the Indian massacre of 1676 to Woburn Mass. His house there is describe as an extending estate. Which meant that he had money so my theory is that the boys had some sort of care taker that came with them. Weather it was a family friend or someone else, the persons name on the ship records probably didn’t seem to link him or her to the boys. It appears that Ralph and John were Protestant yet their parents were such devoted Catholics?

Abigail Houghton was born a generation after John and Ralph sail the Mass on the Abigail.

BACK IN LANCASTER
And Protestant vs Catholic ended, Royalist vs Parliamentarian began Sir Gilbert Houghton, taken from Regimental Newsletters

At age 51 in 1642, Sir Gilbert Houghton, as a army officer and a Lancashire Royalists, living in The Houghton Tower, was just beginning his conflict as the Lancashire Civil war began.

Sir Gilbert was famous for not only marching with the troops assigned to him, but with clubman, trained bands, and his own tenants! That is why the uniforms they wore was never confirmed. Some say they wore all black, red coats, regular clothes or white and yellow, which were the Houghton colors. Maybe a little of each.
Gilbert and his royalist regiment seized Manchester, yet it still remain Parliamentarian Near the end of November 1642 Sir Gilbert led the first skirmishes in the Blackburn area.
In order to raise his troops from the Fylde a beacon was flared at the top of Hoghton
Tower and having gathered his troops he marched against Whalley, where there was a large store of arms as a result of the disarming of Roman Catholics in 1641. Whalley fell without a struggle and then his forces moved onto Blackburn. Hearing of Hoghton's activities Colonels Shuttleworth and Starkie (the name that has plagued Houghton's down

This story is also a good yarn, but probably not the truth. A more accurate version is one quoted with permission of Andy Freeman of London.

the centuries) raised a force of 8,000 men and attacked Sir Gilbert's force by night. After a hard fought defense, Sir Gilbert Houghton and his men fled leaving behind all their arms.

Having lost Blackburn , Sir Gilbert Houghton had no other choice but to retake it because of the fact that Blackburn was so close to Houghton Tower, his home. He brought his force, on Christmas Eve, to the outskirts of Blackburn. Probably feeling uncertain of his men after their last defeat Sir Gilbert failed to close on the Blackburn garrison and the one small canon that they possessed did no damage. At nightfall they retreated so that "they myght eet theyr Chrystmas pyes at home" as the records have it. The only damage that Blackburn sustained was when a bullet entered a house and shot out the bottom of a frying pan. Thus Sir Gilberts only campaign ended somewhat ignominiously, but worse was to follow.

Preston, near Lancaster was the center of the Royalist cause. This was where Sir Gilbert Houghton and his family were staying. In February 1642-3 the Manchester garrison led by Sir John Seaton and the force commanded by Col. Shuttleworth attacked. After two hours of hard fighting the defense collapsed.

Sir Gilbert managed to escape to Wigan but his wife, Margaret, was captured and his brother, Radcliffe, who had command of the Preston garrison along with Capt. Farrington, was killed.

Following the capture of Preston an expeditionary force under the command of none other but Starkie was sent out to take Hoghton Tower.
Seeing that the odds were against them the garrison at Houghton Tower Surrendered. As Starkie was sieging the tower an accidental explosion of gunpowder destroyed an
inner tower and killed Starkie, whose ghost haunts Houghton Tower to this day, and 60 of his troopers. The last act of Sir Gilbert in the Civil War was at Chester in October 1643. He had been sent there to await the arrival of the King's Irish army. With this force he was probably engaged, with Lord Byron, in the surprise attack on Col. Ashton's. Of his other two sons involved in the war, Gilbert was a Captain in a company of Col. Gerards regiment and later became the governor of Worcester and Henry was a Captain of Horse under Derby.

Unfortunately Sir Gilbert does not appear to have been on very good terms with Byron and after a quarrel he appears not to have taken any further part. His unwillingness to continue the fight was probably also compounded by the loss of his son, Roger, at Hessam Moor in 1643 as well as by the fact that his eldest son and heir, Richard, was fighting on the side of Parliament.

Sir Gilbert Hoghton died in 1647. The Baronetcy was inherited by his son Sir Richard, who was unlike his father, a Parliamentarian.

In the late 1960's about twenty shoe boxes of documents were deposited in the County Records from Downham Hall. In the boxes were muster rolls, color details, regimental order books etc. making it possibly the best recorded regiment. The documents were seen and then sent to London but soon after were lost.

From Kayla

Sirloin of Beef -
A corruption of Surloin. (French, surlonge.) La partie due baeuf qui
reste aprèsqu'on en a coupél'épaule et la cuisse. In Queen Elizabeth's “Progresses,” one of the items mentioned under March 31st, 1573, is a “sorloyne of byf.” Fuller tells us that Henry VIII. jocularly knighted the surloin. If so, James
could claim neither wit nor originality when, at a banquet given him at HOGTON Tower, near Blackburn, he said, “Bring hither that surloin, sirrah, for tis worthy of a more honourable post, being, as I may say, not sur loin, but sir loin.”

“Dining with the Abbot of Reading, he [Henry VIII.] ate so heartily of a loin of beef that the abbot said he would give 1,000 marks for such a stomach. `Done!' said the king, and kept the abbot a prisoner in the Tower, won his 1,000 marks, and knighted the beef.”- See Fuller: Church History, vi. 2, p. 299 (1655).

Reprinted from The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable by written permission of Anthony Freeman, Data Text Publishing Ltd, UK.^{18,60,5,61,62,63,64,54,65,66,8,67,68,69,70,71,72,22,73,74,75,19,76}

Research

In various documents, Ralph Houghton was named Houghton, Haughton, Holton, but Houghton was clearly the most consistent by his own hand.

JWH 1912 Genealogy

Ralph Houghton is listed in JW Houghton's 1912 Houghton Genealogy as the ancestor of one of the two largest Houghton lineages in United States.

Research

2018

Research

1624

13383 descendants in 2021

Research

1624

Lancaster, MA, USA

Ralph Houghton is listed in JW Houghton's 1912 Houghton Genealogy as the ancestor of one of the two largest Houghton lineages in United States.

Pedigree

Citations

[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 85 #117.
[S3] Vivian Imogene Uran, Houghton Genealogy - V.I. Uran, p. 88, 105, 122-129, 552, 572.
[S12] Nourse, Early Records of Lancaster, multiple pages; p. 83-84.
[S42] Torrey, New England Marriages, p. 391.
[S83] Farmer, Geneal. Reg. of First Settlers of NE, p. 151.
[S150] Savage, Genealogical Dictionary, II, p. 469.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 18, 49 #1 (Francis Walter Houghton's Genealogy).
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 2.
[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 85, 88.
[S12] Nourse, Early Records of Lancaster, p. 90.
[S32] Milton VRs, p. 228.
[S96] NEHGR, 85 [1931]: 454.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 49, 62 (Genealogy of Francis Walter Houghton).
[S458] A.K. Teele, Hx of Milton MA, p. 565.
[S459] Marita Houghton Savage, Dinsmore Genealogy, p. 24.
[S670] Nora E. Snow Snow-Estes Ancestry, p. 359.
[S747] Rev. Frederick Lewis Weis Lancaster MA Early Families II- Weis, p. 336.
[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 85-89.
[S199] D. A. Keizer, Houghton Hx & Gen - Keizer, p. 5.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 49, 62.
[S355] Milford MA VRs, p. 565.
[S637] Parker McCobb Reed, Bath ME Hx - Reed, p. 346.
[S1547] Henry Bond, Early Settlers of Watertown, Mass., p. 795.
[S151] Savage, Genealogical Dictionary, III, p. 469.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 18, 50 (Francis Walter Houghton's Genealogy).
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 4.
[S415] E-mail from Win Cope, Oct. 27, 2002, based on data of Addison Foster and Winslow Foster.
[S96] NEHGR, 3 [1849]: 401.
[S12] Nourse, Early Records of Lancaster, p. 251.
[S12] Nourse, Early Records of Lancaster, p. 250-251.
[S30] Massachusetts Archives, CVI, 486.
[S418] Henry S. Nourse, Lancastriana, p. 33.
[S819] And Walter G. Davis Sybil Noyes Charles T. Libby, Gen. Dict. of ME and NH, II, p. 469.
[S904] Houghton Family Records;, Letter to Francis W. Houghton from Eben Tolman, Town Clerk, Dorchester, MA, 1853.
[S595] Rev. Abijah P. Marvin, Lancaster Hx - Marvin, p. 59.
[S12] Nourse, Early Records of Lancaster, p. 82.
[S12] Nourse, Early Records of Lancaster, p. 89-90.
[S1260] New England Ancestors Website, online http://www.newenglandancestors.org, Sanborn, Melinde Lutz, comp. Middlesex County, Massachusetts Deponents, 1649-1700. [database online] Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, 2000-. Original data: Index to the Deponent Records of the County of Middlesex, Massachusetts. Columbia Point, MA: Massachusetts Archives, 1930-.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 49.
[S458] A.K. Teele, Hx of Milton MA, p. 566.
[S12] Nourse, Early Records of Lancaster, p. 251, 333.
[S1085] Joseph Willard, Lancaster MA Hx - Willard, p. 80.
[S489] D. Hamilton Hurd, Worcester Co. MA Hx I, p. 45 (Lancaster section by Henry S. Nourse).
[S1387] Www.familysearch.org, online www.familysearch.org, https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/…
[S1387] Www.familysearch.org, online www.familysearch.org, Massachusetts Land Records, 1620-1986 Middlesex Deed index (grantee) 1639-1799 H-R, p. 193, image 119.
[S954] Mrs. Alice G. Busiel, Middlesex Probate Records - Busiel, p. 145.
[S904] Houghton Family Records;, Letter to Francis W. Houghton from Town Clerk, Milton, MA, 1855.
[S954] Mrs. Alice G. Busiel, Middlesex Probate Records - Busiel, p. 147.
[S96] NEHGR, 22 [1868]: 262.
[S670] Nora E. Snow Snow-Estes Ancestry, p. 360.
[S904] Houghton Family Records;, no page, 1853, letter of Jason W. Houghton.
[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 85.
[S11] Lancaster MA VRs, p. 20.
[S418] Henry S. Nourse, Lancastriana, p. 34.
[S1548] John Atherton Tucker, Wadsworth, Houghton and Sumner of Milton.
[S595] Rev. Abijah P. Marvin, Lancaster Hx - Marvin, p. 668.
[S415] E-mail from Allan N. Houghton, Nov. 12, 2002.
[S13] "Ancestral File of LDS, Version 4.13", Ancestral File.
[S199] D. A. Keizer, Houghton Hx & Gen - Keizer, 5.
[S12] Nourse, Early Records of Lancaster, p. 22, 25, 30, 32, 35, 36, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 50, 61, 65, 69, 70, etc.
[S149] Savage, Genealogical Dictionary, I, p. 469.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 42-45, 49, 62.
[S415] E-mail Richard Houghton, 1997 [son of Richard Hamilton Houghton]; June 1999.
[S415] E-mail from David Houghton Barber, Aug. 28, 2001.
[S448] Rev. William A. Houghton, Berlin MA Hx - W. A. Houghton.
[S458] A.K. Teele, Hx of Milton MA, p. 565-6.
[S461] Peter Townend (ed.), Burke's Peerage, p. 750-51.
[S462] George C. Miller, Houghton Tower In History & Romance, p. 48.
[S463] William Prescott, Prescott Memorial, p. 35-40.
[S464] Marian F. Safford, The Story of Colonial Lancaster, p. 46.
[S587] John Atherton Tucker, Wadsworth, Houghton and Sumner of Milton and sometime of Lancaster 1653-1904.
[S595] Rev. Abijah P. Marvin, Lancaster Hx - Marvin, p. 46, 51, 54, 67, 72, 722.
[S814] Marshall L. McClanahan, Houghton, John & Beatrix - MLM;, M, p. 2-3.
[S914] Pedigree of Marshall L. McClanahan;, p. 2.
[S904] Houghton Family Records;, no page, circa 1828 notes by Jason Houghton on Lineage of the Houghton family.
[S1407] Committee of the Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society, Dorchester MA History, p. 145.
[S12] Nourse, Early Records of Lancaster, p. 250-1.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 18 (Francis Walter Houghton's Genealogy).
[S11] Lancaster MA VRs, p. 9.
[S460] Marshall L. McClanahan, Ralph & Jane (Stow) Houghton - MLM, p. 9.
[S11] Lancaster MA VRs, p. 11.
[S11] Lancaster MA VRs, p. 10.
[S11] Lancaster MA VRs, p. 12.

John Houghton^{1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15}

M, #102, b. 1624, d. 29 April 1684

Family: Beatrix (?) d. 8 Jan 1720

Marriage*: John Houghton married Beatrix (?) on before 1650.^{25,3,8,10,11,26,27,28,19,24}

Justice John Houghton Jr & Sr+ b. c 1650, d. 3 Feb 1736/37
Robert Houghton+⁶⁷ b. 28 Mar 1659, d. 7 Nov 1723
Mary Houghton+ b. 22 Mar 1660/61, d. b 1721
Jonas Houghton+⁶⁸ b. Apr 1663, d. 20 Sep 1723
Beatrix Houghton+⁶⁹ b. 3 Dec 1665, d. a Apr 1725
Benjamin Houghton Sr⁷⁰ b. 25 May 1668, d. b 1721
Sarah Houghton+⁷¹ b. 30 Jul 1672, d. b 1733

Biography

Notable

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project

Corresponded with author

Notable

John Houghton (~1624-1684) was the founding ancestor of the John Houghton line of Lancaster, MA. YDNA Haplogroup from descendants: R-M269: R-BY108230 --

Birth

1624

England^{16,3,17,18,19,20}

Immigration

between 1647 and 1650

MA, USA, 1620-1650, 275, p. 1 (CJV: English Civil War: 1642-46 & 1648-51); Keizer: circa 1651-2 "with wife Beatrix and son John and Cousin Ralph Houghton with his wife Jane"; Marvin: 1653; Anderson: 1647-1658^{21,22,23,20,24}

Marriage

before 1650

^{25,3,8,10,11,26,27,28,19,24}

Note

Sep 24, 1653

Lancaster, Worcester Co., MA, USA, "Two men named John Haughton and Samuel Deane subscribed to the Lancaster covenant on the same day (24 Sept. 1653) with John and Jacob Farrer. Both Haughton and Deane were doubtless relatives of the Farrer brothers." (CJV: There is only one John Haughton listed in the incorporation; Farrars came from Sowerby township, not Lancashire. Jacob Farrar married Grace Deane. Jacob's father was married to Mary Haughton in Halifax, Yorkshire, Eng. Note that Mary (Platt) Prescott, wife of John Prescott, the founder of Lancaster, MA, was a native of Sowerby, Co. York, England, where four of her children were born and baptized.)^29,30,31

Note

Jan 7, 1669

each contributed half an acre of meadow land to Goodman Lewis³²

Deed

Oct 6, 1677

Lancaster, Worcester Co., MA, USA, All the children of Jacob and Hannah (Hayward) Farrar united in a deed of all the real estate in Lancaster inherited from their grandfather to their uncle, John Houghton.³³

Will

Apr 8, 1684

Lancaster, Worcester Co., MA, USA, "The Last Will and Testament of John Houghton Sen. of Lancaster, in the county of Middlesex, New England, being very weak of body, but in strength of memory and understanding; who doth first will and desire his body to be decently buryed in the decent burying place in Lancasster.
Secondly, he doth give in a willing submission to God his soul to him that gave it in and through Jesus Christ Amen.
his will as followeth vist.
After the funeral expenses discharged and debts paid: first I do give to Beatrix my loving wife, my home lott and Intervale [CJV: tract of low-lying land, especially along a river.] belonging to my home lott and all Entervalle and entervale on Second division and all of my meadow on first division and lost, and this I give to Beatrix my wife for her use, viz. Mary, Benjamin, Sarah now with her for their help and succor and this to be at my wives decease so long as she remains a widow and if she marry to have her thirds through all here specified in my will and as to moveable housings I give to my wife during her widowhood and after to be equally divided according to my estate on Towne book to my children; and
First, to my son John Houghton I will and require that he have forty pounds Estate on Town books and fourteen acres that I bought of James Butler and twenty-six acres out of my Second division which makes that up forty acres and John to have it where it best suits him.
Secondly, to Robt my son fourty pounds Estate on Towne book; as also that forty acres that he now dwells upon according to Butts and bounds [lot boundaries] on Town book.
Thirdly, to Jonas my son forty pounds Estate on Towne book with four acres, his house place which I bought of John Beecher with the lotts with the upland belonging to the same and what these two pieces want of forty acres to be made up of my second division.
Fourthly, to Benjamin my son forty pounds on Towne book with my house and second division and orchards after my wive's Decease, except a parcel of apple trees I gave to my son John's wife during her life, the true meaning of this last gift is whilst she remains my son John's wife. And, to Benjamin my son I give of second division more over the swamp, to make this above mentioned forty acres.
Fifthly, I do give to Mary my daughter Thirty pounds Estate on Towne book and thirty acres also on Rigby's plaine. [CJV: Daughter Beatrix not listed as Sixth child]
Seventhly, Sarah my daughter I do give thirty pounds Estate on Towne book, Thirty acres of Second division, where conveniently to be found. And what of the estate as to lands, Entervales Second division is left after my wive's decease, the true Intent of my meaning is, that it may be disposed of to all my seven children according to their Estate given by me on Towne book.
I constitute my wife Soul Executrix.
I do desire and betrust my true and well beloved friends Mr. Samuel Carter and John Prescott to oversee that every particular be fulfilled according to the Tenor of the same and this is my Last Will made the Eighth day of April, one thousand six hundred Eighty-four witness my hand and seale."

John Houghton and seale.

in presence of us
Sam'l Carter.
John Prescott.
Cyprian Stevens."

"The last will of John Houghton of Lancaster deced was prsented to ye Court on oath of Samuel Carter and John Prescott, witnesses ye to whose Relict widd. Beatrix Houghton Exer made oath to ye Inventory of his estate exhibited in Court) (at a County Court 17.4.1684)(See also No. 11929 files of Probate Court) (Middlesex Probate #11929); States 7 children

CJV: Total of 220 acres & 220 pounds (conversion: 45,000 dollars related to British pounds in 1750)^{34,35,36,37,11,19,38,39}

Death

Apr 29, 1684

Lancaster, Middlesex Co., MA, USA^{40,41,3,42,43,8,17,21,27,19,44,45}

Burial

Old Burial Field Cemetery (Old Settler's Burial Yard), Lancaster, Worcester Co., MA, USA^{46,47,43,11,48,49}

Probate1

Jun 17, 1684

Lancaster, Middlesex Co., MA, USA, "The last will of John Houghton of Lancaster deced was prsented to ye Court on oath of Samuel Carter and John Prescott, witnesses yr to whose Relict widd. Beatrix Houghton Exer made oath to ye Inventory of his estate exhibited in Court. " (At a County Court 17.4.1684) (See Also No. 11929 files of Probate Court) (Vol. 4 Page 122).^{34,36,37,10,39,50}

Source

Farmer (1829): "John, Watertown, thence to Lancaster as early as 1652, and was representative 1690, and perhaps for 13 years afterwards."

Savage, p. 469 (1860): "Houghton, John, Lancaster, came in the Abigail from London 1635, with certif. of two Justices, and the min. of Eaton bray, near Dunstable, Co. Bedford, at the age of 4 yrs. says the custom ho. rec. yet it is doubtful what those dignitaries could certify; was not of Watertown, as Farmer had said, for Dr. Bond finds not the name, so that we may assign him to Concord or to either of the three or four towns then inhab. between the seashore and the central wilderness; rem. to Lancaster, a. 1652, had w. Beatrice...and was rep. 1690, and sev. yrs. after new Chart."
CJV: John died 1684, so Farmer and Savage are in error; John Jr was rep. 1690. First reference to Eaton Bay as bp

Bolton Town Records, p. 195: From Memoranda furnished by Marshall Wellington Houghton, Jan, 1876 R.S.E.: "John Houghton, Yeoman, sailed from England, 1658. born Lancashire, Eng...Landed at, or near Cape Ann in October. Two sons accompanied him, viz. John, the Justice, & Jacob, and one daughter, Molly. Jacob & Molly died some time after."

Marvin (1879): "John Houghton came from England when a little boy, about four years old...Ralph Houghton was a cousin to John, and probably older...He and cousin and families went to Woburn at the massacre, but returned ."; p. 73, he had a house in what is now Bolton, but his land extended into Lancaster. Later Home on the Old Common; p. 722, John Houghton, his cousin, lived on west side of Waltoquaddoc hill in Bolton, but moved to Old Common where family resided 1-2 generations."; p. 740, "[Ralph Houghton] His cousin John seems to have first settled in the southwest section of Bolton, but not long after, he made his home on the south side of the Old Common."

Keizer, (1896): "After making twelve voyages across the Atlantic Champlain died, December 25th, 1635. In this year the "Abigail" 300 tons, Captain Sir David Kirk's flagship again sailed from London with many passengers for New England, many of whom fled with their families and servants because of the religious troubles then disturbing old England.
Many of those who came out were Puritans and others had Puritanical leanings and amongst those who sailed from London in the "Abigail" was John Houghton, progenitor of Captain Timothy. This gentleman was christened 19th May 1593 in St. Mary's at Eaton Bray, Bedfordshire where his father John Houghton was buried 28th April 1618.
The following is a transcription of the passenger list: "20th June, 1635, passenger form London to New England in ship "Abigail" Hackwell, master, John Houghton 40 years old, certificate of his conformity from justices of the Peace and minister Eaton Bray in County Bedford, England.
This gentleman did not remain in New England but returned to England, after the trouble had subsided, where he had left his family. In those days, as now, it was and is the practice of many to make a home in America for the family who came later.
December 24th 1624, John Houghton the son of John who sailed in the "Abigail" was born, he came to New England about the year 1651 or 2 with his wife Beatrix and son John, born 1650, and Cousin Ralph Houghton with his wife Jane. Ralph moved from Waterton, near Boston, to Lancaster in 1652 at which place he had been a leading man. He died at Milton, Mass, 15th April 1705, aged 82; he was John's senior by about a year. See sketches of Lancaster by J. Willard, Worcester 1826, p. 88. John died at Lancaster April 29th 1684...
The following table gives the line of descent down to Captain Timothy.
1. John Houghton, buried at Eaton Bray 28th April 1618.
2. John " christened 19th May 1593, passenger on "Abigail" 1635.
3. John " christened 24th Dec 1624, settled at Lancaster, Mass.
4. John " 1650, justice of Lancaster, Mass...
Marriage connections of the above.
2nd John Houghton married Damaris Buckmaster, and had ten children.
3rd John Houghton married Beatrix...? and had five children, married in England.
4th John Houghton married Mary Farrar, and had seven children, married in England...
p. 45:
"The progenitor [CJV: John Houghton of Lancaster MA??] of John, the U.E. L. [CJV: John Verge, the United Empire Loyalist] came to New England during the Puritanical troubles in England. Their original family seat was named the "Green Bay Tree" near Woolwich, from which their progenitor fled to Christchruch, Hants, whence he sailed for the New World, leaving his all behind, rather than to undergo the prevailing persecution.
Many old legends are attached to their ancient mansion called the "Green Bay Tree,"set forth in the MSS. now held by young Dr. Charles [Verge]...This occurred 27th September, 1282 between Joan, daughter of Philip de Bamville and William the son of master John de Stanley and Adam de Hoton. One of the witnesses to the ceremony was of the ancient house of Houghton, who descended from Joo Taylboys, Count of Anjou and Baron Kendal, whose wife, Lucia, was sister of Edwin and Morcar, Earls of Northumbria, at the time of the conquest. From this union says the pedigree, descended Houghton of Houghton. It was at Houghton Tower that King James knighted the loin of beek, and knighted many gentlemen and granted the people of the "merry county (Lancashire) license to indulge in "lawful recreation and hones exercises on Sunday" which provoked the ire of the Puritans and precise people. This fatal concession was made by King James 16th August, 1618, at Houghton tower, built by Thomas Houghton in Elizabeth's time. this tower crowns a high hill, from which the perspect on clear days ranges from the Old Man of Corniston to the Great Orme's Heas, in Caernarvonshire, and is bounded, inland by the Yorkshire hills."

Emmigrants: "1635...from Eaton Bray, Beds: John Houghton 4" [CJV: The Abigail record]

Cutter (1913): "John (3), son of John (2) Houghton, was born December 24, 1624. He came to New England probably about 1647-50 with wife Beatrix. He first resided in Dedham, but about 1652 removed to Lancaster, Massachusetts. His first home was between Clinton and South Lancaster on Dean's Brook; after the massacre he settled on the old Common sourth of the road nearly opposite the reform school. He had a very large landed estate in the present towns of Berlin, Clinton and Bolton. After the massacre he lived at Woburn until Lancaster was resettled."

Nourse, Early Records of Lancaster, 1884: Mentions John Houghton on p. 30 (signature of covenant, John Haughton, 1653), 71 (John Houghton #18), 76, 80 (Jo: Houghton's grant. It was ordered by a voate of the towne that John Houghton should haue Libertie to fall Timber in the Comons for his trade..), 82, 108 (1673 signed letter to governor, both he and son), 118 (1676 reference to his oxen), 248 (Estates of the First Inhabitance of Lancaster, John Houghton, 250 lbs), 325 (death: John Houghton, Senior: 1684 April 29).

Nourse, Early Records of Lancaster, 1884, p. 293-294:
"The Lands of John Houghton

his house Lott his house Lott where upon he hath built and planted Lyeth on the north side of deans Brook bounded Southerly by the said Brook and northerly by the Lott of richard Wheeler and easterly it buts upon the mill path and westerly it buts upon sum Land of his own that is part of his second deuision and it Lyeth for twenty acors be it more or Less.

his enteruail Lott His enteruail Lott [is] on the east side of Penicook Riuer and is boudned westerly and norwest by the said Riuer and it is bounded easterly by the eneruail swamp a highway of two Rods and half Runs through it to Go to the meadows and to Groten and that part of it that Lyeth on the east side the path buts southerly by sum Land of James butler and northherly it buts upon a high way that Goes into Goodman Wateres Little Round Meadow that Way Lying betwen it and sum Land of John More now in the possession of jeremiah Rogers and the other part of it that Lyeth on the west side the path is bounded southerly by the bent of the Riuer and it buts northardly with an angle upon Goodman White his feild so called both percels of enteruail Lyeth for his Lott and for twenty acors be it more or Less.

John Houghton came from England in the Abigail, 1635, being then a mere boy. A rude slate stone in the old yard records his death April 29, 1684. His wife's name was Beatrix. Although he signed the covenant in 1653, it is doubtful if he came here to reside for several years, as the records of his childrn's births are not found as of Lancaster until that of Beatrix, in 1665. In his will he mentions his "seven children." They were John, born about 1650; Robert, 1658; Jonas; Mary; Beatirx, 1665; Benjamin, 1668; Sarah, 1672. During the desertion of the town the family sought refuge in Charlestown. At the re-settlement the sons established new homes east of the river, upon Bridecake Plain, now known as the Old Common. The intrusion of so fanciful a baptismal name as Beatrix among the otherwise rigidly scriptural designations of the family denotes, perhaps, an imaginative tendency in some members of it, and this found freer scope in the naming of real estate acquired. Thus we find in John Houghton's various parcels of land, "Rosemary meadow," "Horse swamp," "Houghton's park," "Cranberry meadow," "The meadow of the three fountains," "Job's corner conviency," and "Tobacco pipe meadow." The daughter Beatrix married John Pope, Sept. 20, 1683. The oldest son, John, became the most prominent citizen of Lancaster in his day, for many years serving in various town offices, and as representative, and justice."

[CJV: Ralph Houghton, who is mentioned frequently in Early Records, John is mentioned rarely. Ralph survived him by 31 years, although born in same year? of 1623-1624. Nourse uses John age 4/came in Abigail theory, which F. Rice, JWH, Marvin used.]

Lancaster VRs, p.4: "The oldest book containing continous registry of "Marriages, Deaths, Births and Pubishments in Lancaster," was opended by Jonathan Houghton, fourth town-, upon his election to office in 1726."

I - J.W.Houghton, Houghton Genealogy, p. 8 , quoting the F.M. Rice Report of 1848:

"In 1635 John Houghton, aged four years, came from Bedfordshire, England, in the ship 'Abigail,' of London, to Salem, and although the name of J. Houghton (and Joseph Houghton) appears on the town records, in some of the subsequent years, still no furthe trace of him or his descendants can be found." (It has since been ascertained that the John Houghton above mentioned was the father of the John, who, with his cousin Ralph, settled in Lancaster, Mass., in 1647 , as will appear hereafter, and that his age was 40 instead of 4 years.)".

J.W.Houghton, Houghton Genealogy, p. 8:

"About the year 1646 or 1647 John and Ralph Houghton (supposed to be cousins) emigrated to America from England, from Lancashire, according to tradition, and first settled in Watertown, Mass. John brought with him his wife, Beatrix, and three children, John, Jacob and Mary. Ralph brought his wife, Jane Stowe, and his sons, Ralph and James. Nearly all the Houghtons in the United States and Canada are sprung from these two families... Not remaining long in Watertown, John and Ralph, in 1647, in conjunction with eight others, brought a tract of land from the Indians, ten miles long and eight broad, and called the town Lancaster. (This was incorporated in 1652 and records begin from that date.) Additional grants of land adjoining Lancaster afterwards received the names of Sterling and Bolton. These towns and some others in Worcester County gave birth to the original Houghtons who were born in America... Who was the father of John or Ralph, or from what parish in England they came, were two points about which not the slightest information could be obtained.."

II - J. W. Houghton, Houghton Genealogy, (quoting from R.H. Curtis) p. 69:

"John Houghton the Emigrant, son of Catherine and Thomas, married Beatrix, was born in Lancaster, England, in 1624, died in Lancaster, Mass, April 29, 1684. It is assumed by Francis Houghton in his record of the Colonial Houghtons that John the Emigrant was the fifth and youngest child of Thomas and Catherine."

"b. according to Francis Houghton, in 1631. He makes this claim probably owing to his faith that the record of the ship Abigail, which gave John's age as four years, and date of arrival 1635, was correct. Note: If the foregoing record is correct Ralph and John were cousins, being the sons of the brothers Richard and Thomas. No date is given of the birth of Thomas, father of John, the Emigrant as is claimed, but as Richard was born in 1570 and Thomas was the Third in Sir Richard's line it may be inferred that his birth was about 1573. Then John's birth occurred when his father was 52 years of age, a not improbable interval, and since we havee no history of Catherine and do not know when her death occurred it cannot certainly be said to be incorrect, but we incline to the belief that the record furnished by the descendants of Timothy.." [CJV: ref. to Keizer]

[Uran?: On the 20th June, 1635, "John Houghton 4 yrs. old." landed at Charlestown in Massachusetts Bay from the "Abigail de London" Captain Hackwell. His certificate was signed by the minister of Eaton Bray, near Dunstable, County Bedford, England. ]

Francis W. Houghton in 1869 (J.W. Houghton, p. 70-72) fancifully proposes that John was probably abducted to America in order to guarantee that the estate of his grandfather (Catherine's father, John Houghton of Pendleton) would not go to the only male heir (by the four husbands who married the four daughters).

III - J.W.Houghton, Houghton Genealogy, p. 70-71:

"A later genealogical record published in 1896 [CJV: Keizer's] by the descendants of Timothy Houghton, gives more probable and reasonable account of the advent of John into this country...we quote:"In the year 1635 the ship Abigail, 300 tons, Capt. Sir David Kirk's flagship, sailed from London with many passengers for New England, some of whom fled with their families and servants because of the religious troubles distrubing Old England.

Many of those who came out were Puritans, and others had Puritanical leanings and among those who sailed from London in the Abigail was John Houghton, the progenitor of Capt. Timothy Houghton. This John was christened May 19, 1593, in St. Mary's church at Eaton Bray, Bedfordshire, where his father John Houghton was buried April 28, 1618.
The following is a transcription of the passenger list: June 20, 1635, passenger from London to New England in ship Abigail, Hackwell, Master, John Houghton four years old, certificate of his conformity from Justice of the Peace and Minister of Eaton Bray, in the county of bedford, England.This gentleman did not remain in New England but returned to England, where he had left his family, after the trouble had subsided. In those days as now it was the practice of many to make a home in America for the family who came later.

December 24, 1624, John Houghton, son of John who sailed in the Abigail, was born. He came to New England about the year 1647, with his wife, beatrix, and his cousin, Ralph Houghton, with his wife Jane..." By reference to the Rice pamphlet as given in the introduction it will be found that this account and the one there given practically agree. The error which has caused so much difficulty was the giving of the age of John who came in the Abigail as four years.

It should have been noticed that a child of four years of age surreptitiously sent into a far country by designing relatives who desired the utmost secrecy would not have been likely to be furnished a Certificate of Conformity signed by a Justice of the Peace and Minister of Eaton Bray. Besides a child of that age would hardly need a Certificate of Conformity either to the Government or a State Religion.

A full correspondence of a descendant of Timothy Houghton with the Rector of St. Mary's Church at Eaton Bray near the close of the last century, when some repairs were about to be made to the tower of that church, soliciting subscriptions from John's descendants on the ground of his former relation to that church, pretty nearly establishes the correctness of the foregoing reord. Whether it may conflict with the tradition that John and Ralph were cousins is uncertain, though it may have that result.

It should be added that the foregoing account agrees with that published by J. Willard in his sketches of Lancaster, Mass."

IV - J.W.Houghton, Houghton Genealogy, p. 295: "FAMILY OF JOHN HOUGHTON
Generation I.
Notwithstanding the following is largely a repetition of the early history of John the emigrant, it seems appropriate that it should occur in connection with the record of John and we accordingly give it a place. Owing to an erroneous entry in the passenger list of the ship Abigail of the name of John Houghton, giving his age as four years, under date of June 20, 1635, there has been much speculation regarding the time when he landed in America. It has beeen surmised that he was clandestinely sent off in order that some of his relatives might inherit his estate. The record as published in a pamphlet by the descendants of Timothy Houghton gives a solution which appears entirely reasonable.
The following is probably a correct transcription of the passenger list June 20, 1635:"Passenger from London to New England in ship Abigail, Heckwell, Master, John Houghton forty years old, certificate of his conformity from Justice of the Peace and Minister of Eaton Bray, in County Bedford, England. This gentleman did not remanin in New England, but returned to England, after the civil trouble had subsided, where he had left his family. In those days, as now, it was and is the practice of many to make a home in America for the family who should come later.
December 24, 1624, John Houghton, the son of John who sailed in the Abigail, was born. He came to New England probably about 1647 to 1650 with his wife, Beatrix, and cousin, Ralph, and his wife, Jane. John died at Lancaster April 29, 1684. The following gives his line of descent:
1 John Houghton, buried at Eaton Bray, April 28, April 28, 1618.
2 John Houghton, christened May 19, 1593. Passenger on the Abigail in 1635.
3 John Houghton, the emigrant, christened December 24, 1624. Settled at Lancaster, Mass., 1650, after a brief previous residence in Charlestown and Watertown, Mass...
This settles the ancestry of John two generations back in England and their location in the east part of England, a considerable distance from Lancaster, which is located further to the north. We think that the tradition that Ralph and John were cousins, of some degree, is probably correct and that while John's ancestors were located in Bedfordshire, that Ralph's more likely resided in Lancashire. This whole question, however, is one of probabilities and we think has not, and cannot be, settled with any degree of certainty. It may be added that a statement in a genealogical paper concerning the Houghton Conquest House in Bedfordshire, England, gives that place as the residence of the ancestry of John.
According to the inscription on his tombstone found in the old Granary Burying Ground, John died on the old Common April 29, 1684, aged 60 years, which would make the date of his birth some time in 1624. Notes furnished by Mrs. Charles H. Knapp and taken from a New England genealogical paper say that John was born in Eaton Bray, Bedford County, England, and in this particular corroborates the record published by the descendants of Timothy Houghton. The paper also publishes the story that he came in the ship Abigail in 1635, aged four years. This is of course an error because the inscription on the monument given above proves his birth to have been in 1624. Previous to his settlement in Lancaster he lived in Dedham, Mass., till after his marriage, adn settled in Lancaster soon after.
He married Beatrix about 1648-9, who died Jan. 8, 1711-12. After her husband's death she married Benjamin Bosworth. [CJV: incorrect] The graves of both are to be found in the burying ground at Lancaster and the inscriptions on the head stones are still legible. His first home was between Clinton and South Lancaster on Dean's Brook; after the massacre he settled on the old Common south of the road, nearly opposite the present reform school. He had a very large landed estate, situated in Berlin, Clinton and Bolton, as the territory of old Lancaster is now divided. After the Indian massacre in 1675 n he removed with his wife's family to Woburn, where he remained some years. His estate extended from near Clamshell Pond to William Fife's land, thence to and including Baker Hill.
Hougthon chose as names for his property such titles as "Houghton's Park," "Rosemary Meadows," "Cranberry Meadow," "Three Fountain Meadow," "Little Meadow Plain," "Job's Conveniency." Three Fountain Meadow was in the region of the N.M. Allen place. Cranberry Meadow was the northwest cornerr of the Alden Sawyer farm. Little Meadow included the meadow and upland near the Bolton railroad station. The Beaver Dams mentioned in his deeds have been recognizable to a recent date.
His will was dated April 8, 1684, only a few days previous to his death, and proven June 7, 1684. His wife, Beatrix, and children, John, Robert, Jonas, Benjamin, Mary and Sarah, are mentioned in his will. After the death of his widow the heirs agreed upon a division of his estate.
The descendants of John Houghton have a record taken from the town record of Lancsaster, Mass., inserted at the request of a member of the family, which says: "John Houghton and his wife, Beatrix, fled from Lancashire, England, to America to enjoy their religion, they being the parents of John Houghton, who came with them in his infancy." An incidental proof of his connection with the Houghtons of Lancashire, England, is found in the fact that one of his descendants in this country has now a sword said to have been brought from England by John, as the eldest son and heir. It has the rose and thistle on it, previously mentioned as belonging to the family coat-of-arms granted by King James I, in 1612, by writ under the privy seal, to Sir Roger as an augmentation to his coat armour. This sword is now in the possession of his descendants living in Washington, D.C."

IV - "John Houghton of Lancaster, Mass., And Some of His Descendants" by Annie Lane Burr and Thomas Hovey Gate. The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, October 1925, Boston, p. 393:

"1. John Houghton, of Lancaster, born probably in England died 29 Apr. 1684 (gravestone at Lancaster). He married Beatrix ---, who, with seven children, survived him.

Nothing definite is known of the antecedents of John Houghton. It has been said that he was a cousin of Ralph Houghton, the first town clerk of Lancaster (History of Lancaster, by Joseph Willard; Worcester Magazine and Historical Journal, vol. 2, p. 281 (September, 1826)), but no verification of this relationship has ever been offered. It is said that he came to this country in the Abigail in 1635, aged 4 years, with a certificate from two justices and the minister of Eaton Bray, Co. Bedford, England (Savage, Genealogical Dictionary, Vol. 2, P. 469; cf. Pope, Pioneers of Massachusetts, p. 241). The passenger list of this ship contains an entry which reads, according to Hotten, "Jon Houghton 4 years old," and according to Drake, "Joh Houghton 4 yers old.". Savage seems to doubt the accuracy of this entry, as far as the age is concerned; and, according to information received from Eaton Bray (History and Genealogy of the Houghton Family, Halifax, N.S., 1896), there are but two John Houghtons recorded in the parish registers who could have sailed in the Abigail, one being a married man who was 42 years old and had ten children, and the other, aged 11 years, being a son of the former. Probably the emigrant in the Abigail was the elder of these two, and the customs officials made an error, writing "4" instead of "42". It is certain that the emigrant in the Abigail was not identical with John Houghton of Lancaster. Whether this emigrant of 1635 returned to England, as has been stated, is not known. If he left a wife and ten children there, his return is entirely probable. His son John, baptized 24 Dec 1624 may have come to America, but no record of his sailing has been found. It has been stated that John Houghton of Lancaster married his wife, Beatrix, in England. and that his eldest son, John, was born there; but this is mere conjecture, and proof for any of these assertions is lacking.

John seems to have been early in Dedham. Dedham records contain the births of two of his children, Robert and Mary. Soon thereafter he removed to Lancaster, where he took a prominent part in the affairs of the town. After the massacre he lived for a while in Charlestown, and his son "Jonathan" (doubtless an error for "Jonas") is mentioned in the records of the Charlestown selectmen. He returned eventually to Lancaster.
In his will, dated 8 Apr. 1684 and proved 17 June 1684, he bequeathed to his wife Beatrix and his children John, Robert, Jonas, Benjamin, Mary, and Sarah (Middlesex probate). On 4 Apr. 1721, after the death of the widow, the estate was divided between John (the "eldest son"), Robert, and Jonas Houghton, John Harris (who had married Mary Houghton), and Beatrix Pope. No mention was made in this division of John Houghton's daughter Sarah, because her share in the estate had been conveyed to her brothers. Benjamin Houghton's share, "had he survived" was divided among the other children; and it is therefore clear that he had died s.p. [without issue] before 1721 (Middlesex Probate, Vol 16, p.264)."

One of the founders (7 in number) of the First Church of Christ (now Unitarian) in 1653. The pew the Houghton family occupied in church was number 73.

Had a large landed estate in Lancaster, MA, which he named "Rosemary Meadows', "Houghton Park," "Cranberrry Meadow," "Three Fountain Meadow" and "Little Meadows Plain." He took part in King Phillips War. He is buried in Granary Cemetey, Lancaster MA and his tombstone is still standing.

Deed from Indians to incorporators of Lancaster of 1701 is in J. W. Houghton, Houghton Genealogy, p. 74-75.

V - H. Nourse, Early Records of lancaster, MA, 1884: Signed church covenant in Lancaster in 1653, but the first evidence of residence is the birth of daughter Beatrix in 1665. His son Robert was born in Dedham in 1659. John moved with his family to Charlestown during King Philip's War. The Houghton sons returned to Lancaster soon after and settled east of the Nashua River (at Bridecake Plain, now Known as the Old Common). The elder John evidentely also returned.

NEHGR (6:320): He signed the petition for tax relief of 1675-6 Mar 11 from the burned-out residents of Lancaster.

Charles Anderson: In the Bolton, MA town records, information is recorded: "From memoranda furnished by Marshall W. Houghton, January, 1876" that states: "John Houghton, yeoman, saided from England, 1658; born Lancashire, Eng. Landed at, or near, Cape Ann in October. Two son's accompanied him, John, the Justice, & Jacob, and one daughter, Molly. Jacob & Molly died some time after." CJV: not accurate; John is in Lancster by 1653; no son Jacob documented; Mary survived til 1700.

C. Pope, Pioneers of Mass., 1900: Will: 8 Apr 1684, Lancaster, MA

John Chandler: There is a large stone marker in the Old Settlers' Burial Field erected in 1913, bearing John Houghton's name, but not necessarily marking his grave. It stands among the graves of several grandchildren.

Pope & Middlesex Probate (V16: 264): Probate: 17 Jun 1684, Middlesex Co, MA Will mentions w-Beatrix, s-John, Robert, Jonas, Benjamin, d- Mary, Sarah; subsequent division of widow's portion 1721 Apr 4 to s-John, Robert, Jonas, sil-John Harris, d-Beatrix Pope

Nourse, Early Records of Lancaster: Nourse says the will mentions all seven children, including Beatrix; Even after death, he [was known as John Sr: in the 1704 Lancaster "census" and garrison assignments, he was mentioned with a household of two adult males. That household was known as "Mrs Houghton's" in 1711, and the garrison had four families, five men (25 souls in all). [Later is son John ]

Nourse, Birth, Mar Death Reg, Lanc,1890: p. 398: oldest dated gravestone, 1684 Inscr. from Burial Grounds of Nashaway Towns,1989, p. 1: oldest dated gravestone in Old Burial Field adjoining meeting house, 1684.

Boston Transcript, 1/7/1925: a John Houghton appears on Dedham records from 1651 until 1663, the presumable date of the removal to Lancaster, judging from the places of birth of the children. From 1663 to 1666 no one of the name appears.

Boston Transcript, 11/12/1924: W.B.B.N.: "John Houghton, the ancestor of the line we are studying, died at Lancaster, April 29,1684, aged sixty years. His wife Beatrix, died Jan. 8, 1711-12, aged eighty-nine. This brings up the old puzzle--who was the John Houghton who came in ship Abigail in 1635, "aged four years." This record is usually considered as incorrect and various interpretations have been given, such as the age being forty or forty-four. But these ages do not fit John of Lancaster, but might well fit for his father. My own idea is that the age was really fourteen, which fits well with the known birth of the Lancaster John. If we found the record of any earlier John of age to buy property or as freeman we might think otherwise, but if a father came, he mysteriously disappears. It appears to me more probable that our John came with other relatives. This upsets another story in the Houghton [Genealogy] book. One great stumbling block in this matter has beeen the constant repetition of the story that John Houghton signed the original list of proprietors rights in Dedham in 1636.
If examined closely it will be seen that his name on this document apperars with those added in years later than 1636. It would appear more likely to have been about 1651 when his name first appears in the Selectmen's Day Book in the list of Valuations of Houses...
The will of John Houghton of Lancaster, dated April 8, 1684, inventory June 17, 1684, names wife Beatrix and three children, mary, Benjamin and Sarah, now with their mother; also John, Robert, Jonas. The will states that there were seven children...
In an agreement of the heirs dated April 4,1721, there signed John and Jonas Houghton, Beatrix Pope, and John Harris. This last had married Mary Houghton."

Cutter (1913): "John (3), son of John (2) Houghton, was born December 24, 1624. He came to New England probably about 1647-50 with wife Beatrix. He first resided in Dedham, but about 1652 removed to Lancaster, Massachusetts. His first home was between Clinton and South Lancaster on Dean's Brook; after the massacre he settled on the old Common sourth of the road nearly opposite the reform school. He had a very large landed estate in the present towns of Berlin, Clinton and Bolton. After the massacre he lived at Woburn until Lancaster was resettled. Beatrix Houghton died January 8, 1711-12. She had married (second) Benjamin Bosworth. [error] He was a prominent citizen, deputy from Lancaster to the general court in 1660. He died April 29, 1684, aged sixty, and was buried in the Old Granary, burying ground, Boston. [error] He made his will, April 8, 1684, and it was proved June 7 following. His wife Beatrix and children John, Robert, Jonas, Benjamin, Mary and Sarah, were mentioned in the will."

Wyman: "Houghton, John 1. From Lancaster, with family: wife Beatrice...(who m. (2) B. Bosworth), and chn. John, Robert, Jonathan and Beatrice (m. John Pope), April 15, 1676 (per Selectmen's records). Estate. - Had grant of common."

Pope: ae 4 yrs, came in the Abigail in June 1635, cert. from Eaton Bray, co Bedford, England.

Little: "During King Philip's war, when the town was destroyed with frightful loss of life and property by the Indians, February 10, 1676, both he and his son John were members of the garrison on the east side of the North river. He went ot Charlestown, Massachusetts, along with others of the fleeing and homeless settlers, under escort, for time to secure the safety of his family, but returned later to Lancaster, making his home on Bridecake Plain, now the Old Common, opposite the present Girl's Reform School, where he died. His estate was situated in what are now the towns of Lancaster, Bolton, Milton and Clinton."

BT, 1935, GRTB: "It is indispensible for mutual understanding to know just what John or other Houghton is referred to in the following and I, therefore, list those of the Massachusetts colony of the 1635-1650 period:
a. John Houghton of Lancaster and Dedham
b. John Houghton of Dedham, who married Abigail Fisher, generally omitted in John Houghton discussions.
c. John Houghton, aged 4 years, who was listed among the passengers on the Abigail, Harkwell, master, for its mid-summer vogage of 1635.
d. Ralph Houghton of Lancaster and Milton.
The transatlantic commuting theory suggested by W.A.R. [BT: Sept 21, 1934] appears to have come originally from "History and Genealogy of the Houghton Family,", Halifax, 1896, in which some of our Nova Scotia kinsmen, descendants of Timothy Houghton of Bolton, Mass., attempted to show that John Houghton (c) was the father of (a), and so designed to account for a four-year-old infant crossing the ocean in the early seventeenth century without obvious guardianship. As I have before remarked, this theory "has only served to confuse rather than elucidate" (9539, Houghton, Barron. P.R.T.B., Feb. 19, 1935). So, let us re-examine the records, and give this genealogic corpse a decent burial, hoping that it will not be disinterred.

The authors of the Nova Scotia theory to identify John (a) make four new statements (i.e. new in 1896) and presumably they are accurately taken from the registry at Eaton Bray.
1. A John Houghton was buried April 28, 1618.
2. A John Houghton was christened May 19, 1593; he married Damaris Buckmaster, and she had ten children, the date of the marriage not being given. How he could hve been forty years old in 1635 is not indicated.
3. A John Houghton was christened Dec. 24, 1624.

Furthermore, to strengthen their theory, the authors quote S. G. Drake's copy of the Abigail's passenger list of 1635, originally published in the N.E.H. & G. R., October, 1860, and without indicating in any way what they were doing, changed the age of (c) from "4 y'rs" to "40 y'rs," on the persumption that a prior suggestion of a clerical error in the records warranted it. This change has often been assumed as permissive by other genealogical writers before and since. Personally, I never could understand why the assumed age should always be 40 years, when it could be changed to 14 or 24 or any other number of years consonant with the material in hand provided it had a "4" in the figure. All of this arithmetical acrobatics because a youngster crossed the Atlantic at 4 years of age! It does not seem to have occurred that this precocious infant may have been an oprhan and in charge of relatives of a different name! Or that the mother may have remarried!
Based on these abstracts from the Eaton Bray registry, the Nova Scotia authors make the following dogmatic statements:
John Houghton, No. 2, did not remain in New England but went back home where he had left Damaris and the chidlren.
John Houghton, No. 3., son of No. 2, came to New England about 1651 or 652 with his wife Beatrix (marriage date from the registry not being given) and son, John, born 1650 (no official birth record being given) and with his cousin Ralph (d), above, and his wife Jane.

This cousin theory conjures up more genealogical history and is one promulgated by the late Francis W. Houghton of New York city and published in 1869 by Columbus Smith in his "Report to the Houghton Association." (page 41.) Mr. Houghton was evidently anxious to connect up American descendants of John (a) and (d) with British aristocracy and sought to identify Ralph (d) with a certain Ratcliff Hoghton, captain of horse, of Hoghton Tower, Lancashire, who was brother of Sir Gilbert Hoghton, then head of the house. Ratcliff is supposed to have run away to Massachusetts owing to political differences. Early in the nineteenth, Henry Hamilton Houghton of Putney, VT., caused to be inserted in the records of Lancaster, Mass., some ideas which gave plausibility to the last part. In any event Francis W. Houghton makes this concluding statement: "If it can be proved that he (i.e. John Houghton (a) above) was the son of Thomas and Katherine, as we suppose--and if Ralph (d) was the son of Sir Richard, as our traditions declare--then Ralph and John were blood cousins, their parents, Sir Richard and Thomas being brothers." I submit that this is perfectly good, true statement. The only trouble with it is that neirther suppositions have been realized; on the contrary, there is a good deal of evidence to disprove them. Furthermore, what evidence have we that John (c) ever actually arrived in this country at any age? None that I know of. Charles Edward Banks in his vey useful and accurte "Planters of the Commonwealth" (p. 161) says that the Abigail was listing its passengers in the Plymouth roadstead from June 4 to July 24. Its actual sailing date was Aug. 1. Here was a sufficient time, mayhap, to have caused many who had "checked in" to take stock before sailing, become faint-hearted or disgusted and "check out." The Abigail arrived in Boston Oct. 8, 1635, according to Banks, with 220 passengers aboard, many cattle, and infested with the small pox. This four-year-old infant (c) in order to land must have lived in that crowded and lathsome environment with a dubious supply of vitamines for more than two months. To be fair, it must be said that some children less than four did make the grade. It seems to me sufficient has been said to indicate that up to the present no theory based on proven facts has been presented which definitely shows relationship between any of the individuals listed in the first group, or definitely connects any of the first group with those in the second. It is to be regretted that W.A.R. gave the christening place of John (3) Houghton as Lancaster, England when Eaton Bray was intended, as someone may copy the error..."

BT, 1913 - 1467 "Nauset" [discusses John Houghton] "I consulted two books on the Houghton family: "The Houghton Family," by D.A. Keizer (published 1896)...From page 5 I quote: "In 1635 the Abigail, 300 tons, Captain David Kirk's old flagship...again sailed from London with many passengers for New England, many of whom fled because of religious persecution. Among them who sailed in the Abigail, was John Houghton, who was christened May 19, 1593, in St. Mary's Church at Eaton ray, Bedfordshire, where his father, John, was buried, April 28, 1618. This gentleman did not remain in New England, but returned to England, after the trouble had subsided, where he had left his family. Dec. 24, 1624, John Houghton, the son of the John Houghton who came in the Abigail, was born, he came to New England about year 1651-2, with wife Beatrice and son, John, born 1650, and cousin Ralph Houghton with wife, Jane. Ralph was John's senior by about one year. John died at Lancaster April 29, 1684....Data furnished by the authorities of the St. Mary's Church...Hotten's "Original Lists" state: --th June, 1635. In the Abigail de ho m "Hackwell bod for New Engld P. Cert. from --- of his conformity from Justices of Peace, Minister Eaton Bray (Township in Hundred of Manshead in County Bedford. John Houghton ---4 (40?) yrs. old....

From Selectman's Records: First, signers to Dedham Covenant. Cov't of original county in Dedham, 163, Sept. 10 (circa) signed "John Houghton." Second, probated at third recorded meeting, "Names of all which are admitted into our Society," Sept. 5, 1636. Subscribed to a petition for additional grant of land, some 22 names, it is stated, though they do not appear. Mass. Col. Records, vol. i., page 179, referred to. Third. town meeting firt of (11) 1651. Admitted townsman, John Houghton. Fourth, Assignment or Division of Common Land. 20 (12m) 1656, John Houghton. Sum of estate 12.5. Cow Commons 0. Sheep Commons 3. Devident acres 0. Parts acres 1/2. Rodes 28. Fifth, 10 (1m) 1656-7., John Houghton signs a grievance relative to land and is granted cow commons 2, sheep commons 2. Sixth, 30 (10m) 1651, Roll of Townsman. John Houghton. Seventh, valuation of houses taken 1651, 0.4s.0. Eight, 29 (6m) 1653, Country Rate, John Houghton (out of chronological order) 0.5s.0. Ninth, 6 (10m) 1653, Country Rate and Town Was Rate, john Houghton, 00.06.03. Tenth, 20 (12) 1659, Common Rights Tax, John Houghton, 02.03. Eleventh, 10-1-1659-60. School Rate, John Houghton, 00.06.09. Twelfth, 18-5-1660, a list of those interested in a deuvident to be laid out in 1660 with number of their lotts. John Houghton, No. 7. Thirteenth, 14-9-'60, Country Rate, John 00.03.10. Fourteenth, 31 (10) 1660, Highway deficiency, John Houghton 3 days. Fifteenth, in 1660 John Houghton had two acres of upland granted him on east side of highway leading to Foule meadows. Sixteenth, School Rate, 11 (12) 60, John Houghton, 0.5.6. John Houghton, 0.8.10. Eighteenth, 16 (10) 1661, Common Proprietors' Rate, 0.3.0. Nineteenth, 1-10-'62, Rate 0.12.0. Twentieth, 30 (11) 1662, Rebate 2s. Twenty-first, Dec. 31, 1663, John trice, Houghton's rechoning received for mendling cart bridge to island. Twenty-secon, 30-6-1664. Country Rate 3 [pounds]. twenty-third, james Mack Nab declares land is due him upon his purchase of John Houghton's Natick deuvident, 22-12-1664. Twenty-fourth, 28-10-1666, John Houghton is allowed to sojourn at house of Lieft. Fisher. Twenty-fifth, 2-9-1669. Rate, 0.10.0. Twenty-sixth, 15-9-1669. Rate 02.00. Twenty-seventh, 9-11-1670, Rate 00.03.10. Twenty-eight, Pastor's Rate, 9-11-1671. J.H., 01.03. Twenty-ninth, persons defective highway work, 13-10-1672, payed by raseng the meeting house, J.H., 1 day, 00.02.00. This ends the two volumes of printed records relative to town affairs.
Referring now to these items from the Dedham Records, relative to John Houghton and bearing in mind references found elsewhere to this name, the question arises, Who was the Joh Houghton who signed the Dedham Covenant in September, 1636? Was he the John Houghton who, quoting from Hottens Original Lists, came in the Abigail, sailing June 20, 1635, arriving here probably two months later, but who seemingly does not fit into the case unless the age given, four years (questioned in this record by the way) is in error. Keizer in "History and Genealogy of the Houghtons" has quite a tale about the comings and goings of the early John Houghtons. Are they founded on fact or tradition? (Evidently Keizer believes that the age given on the passenger list is wrongly stated or defaced.) A John, born 1593, coming over in 1635 and then returning and then his son, John, born 1624, coming over about 1652 with family. Pope's Pioneers, on the other hand, makes no such distinctions, but has it that the John who came in 1635, aged four, was the John who married Beatrice, had two children at Dedham, 1659-1661, and then removed to Lancaster later. The Dedham Records show admission of a John Houghton as Townsman 1-11mo, 1654, thought before that date, odd enough, the records show that a John Houghton appears on List of Townsmen 30-10m 1651., also in valuation of houses 1651 and a rate made 29-6mo 1653.
If the John Houghton who came over in 1635, was identical with John of Dedham in 1651-2, as Pope seems to believe, where was he during the intervals of which the Dedham Records are silent? Watertown Records show nothing (at least in Bonds book), though possibly something may be hidden in records of meetings, etc. Woburn shows nothing early, likewise Charlestown and Cambridge, Concord, Sudbury, etc., or lancaster, even previous to 24-7mo 1653, when a John Houghton subscribed to their Covenant, though does not appear on list of estates in 1654, according to Historical Lancaster, which tells nothing particular outside of the brief notices we find elsewhere as well. To return to Dedham, we find a further complication by the notice of marriage of a name spelled John Houlton and Abiagil Fisher, March 1, 1666-7, but when the birth of a John is record to this couple, 1669..."

Banks: "Abigail of London, Richard Hackwell, Master. She listed passengers for New England from June 4 until July 24, and sailed from Plymouth, as her last port of departure, about August I, with two hundred and twnety persons aboard and many cattle. She arrived at Boston about October 8, infected with smallpox...[CJV: listed] John Houghton, 4 (sic) of Eaton Bray, county Bedford [to Dedham]"

Tepper, Hotten: "xxth June 1635 In the Abbigall de Lo. m' Hackwell, bod for New Engld p Cert from of his Conformity from Justices of Peace Ministr Eaton Bray in Co Bedford Jon Houghton...4 [?40] yers old." [Eaton Bray is a Township in the Hundred of Manshead]

MLM: John's lot is now in Bolton, but extends into Lancaster. In 1675 his home was on the Old Common. His house was destroyed by Chevalier Beaucort's army of the French Jul. 13, 1704.

MLM, p. 0-3:
" According to tradition this John Houghton came to America with his cousin Ralph Houghton. It is not definitely known that they were related, but they resided for a time in Charlestown, later in Dedham, Massachusetts, before leaving to help found the town of Prescott, later called Lancaster, Massachusetts, in 1650/1, they appear to have arrived in 1647; Ralph was first to Lancaster. From the story of Colonial Lancaster by Fuller, pr. 1937, pg. #6 "He bot the land of John Prescott called "the Centre" on the north side of Dean's brook, now "Goodridge," east of the Nashua River on the south side of Lancaster, ca. 1652.
Lancaster was first settled by John Prescott of Lancashire, England, who md. Mary Platte Gowkroger? in 1746 [sic]. The plantation of nashua was eight by ten miles in extent.
Vide The Ralph and Jane (Stowe) Houghton of Lancaster, Massachusetts & some of their Descendants for Preston and Hoghton Tower Story.
There was a John Houghton to Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1635. In John Houghton of Lancaster etc. by Miss Annie Lane Burr and Thomas Hovey Gage - in New England Historical and Genealogical Register v. 79, p. 392, they point out that this was not the John Houghton who married Abigail Fisher in 1666/7 and had Robert and John in the Dedham Register.
John Prescott was born Shevington, Lancashire, less than five miles away from Preston on the river Douglas, and Ralph Houghton and John were lifelong friends. He md. Mary January 21, 1629. Other early settlers of Lancaster were also from Lancashire, viz: the brothers John and Jacob Farrar.
British Baronet, 63, kin of Lady Godiva, weds secretary, 19, Preston, England, January 30, 194-. U.P. Rich Sir Cuthbert of Hoghton, 63 years old holder of the second oldest baroncy in England, married his 19 year old secretary, Philomena Simmons, today. It was the first wartime wedding to crash the front pages of British newspapers...
John Houghton came to Lancaster shortly after the original settlement was made .
Sir Cuthbert Houghton seems to agree with old Sir Harry Bold Houghton that Ralph was Radcliffe Houghton, a soldier in Cromwell's army, who kidnapped his brother's wife and set Houghton Tower afire. Mrs. Amelia Houghton Telford in sending this added: I am also ... from John Prescott, Thomas Sawyer, and the Wilders. Prescott has a wonderful ancient lineage. Not Questioned." (letter dated April 12, 1948).
John Houghton signed the covenant in Lancaster September 24, 1653, along with Samuel...Of the first three men of the first purchase, only John Prescott seems to have settled there.
John Houghton had a lot in what is now Bolton, but it entered into Lancaster...John Houghton's house was destroyed by Chevalier B??'s army of French and Indians July 13, 1704, as well as the meeting house. Hence, the gap of twenty years - 1671 to 1717, after Lancaster was rebuilt John Houghton was probably the only magistrate for many years... John lived on Wattoquodoc Hill in Bolton, on the old common, Lancaster, his family resided one or two generations - neither branch of Houghtons spread in Lancaster, save for a few exceptions. Silas and Edward Houghton came from other towns.
In a petition to the General Court October 25, 1705 for remission of taxes - John had lost one swine, one large dwelling house with three...belonging to him and Philip Goss, and about 15 pounds in personal estate. son, Jonas, lost an ox...

Garrison List of 1711
Name                         Families               Men Inhabitants               Soldiers                    Souls
William Houghton               4                    5                              1                    25
Mr. (John) Houghton               2                    4                              1                    13
Henry Houghton               5                    2                              0                    13
Mr. John Houghton, Jr.          1                    1                              1                    3

Garrisons: 1 Old Common, east side of neck                         6 Old Common
           2 Sprague Bridge                                             7 Slope of Wataquodoc Hill, now Bolton
           3 South Lancster                                             8 Still River Village (now Harvard)
           4 George Hill
           5 Hill just above George Hill, School Hill

Settlement of Garrisons, 1691/2: James Houghton, etc. #6 Robert Houghton, Jonas Houghton, John Houghton

Lancastria, by H.S. Nourse, p. 26: "On the inquest of the death of Reverend Andrew Gardner, shot as a prowler when everyone was believed to have beeen in the garrison, John Houghton, foremand; Robert, Jonas, John Houghton, Jr., and several other persons."
Of Estates for support of a minister the constable's list: John Sawyer, Ralph Houghton, John Roper, John Rugg, Sr. & Jr., James Houghton, John Houghton, Jonas Houghton, Robert Houghton, Widow Houghton, Gamaliel Beaman, and John Bailey.

Proprietors of the new Grant of Leominster (at which time the rights of the original settlers to the roads of Lanaster had been settled): John Houghton, Sr., Jonas Houghton Sr., and Jr., James Houghton, William Houghton, John Houghton, Jr., Gamaliel Beaman, Henry Houghton, Jacob Houghton, Jonathan houghton, Robert Houghton, Sr. and Jr., and Josepsh Branrook.
In the claim against the non-residents in the new grant: John Houghton claimed #201; Robert Houghton and Stephen Gates claimed 314.
John Houghton was granted eighty acres of land lying above Red Spring for working as town clerk. Jonas Houghton received five S. per day for measuring the stated common. Assistants got three shillings. Payment was in land at the ratge of 4 S. per acre.
In the church covenant of Lancaster, pledged March 29, 1708 (old style), Jonathan, Jonas, Thomas, and John Houghton also signed...
John Houghton Sr's first home lay between Clinton and South Lancaster on Dean's Brook. After the Massacre of ...1675 he removed to Woburn along with the family of Ralph Houghton, remaining there some years. His estated extended from Clarshell pond to William Fife's land, thence to Baker Hill..."

MLM, p. 6: "Traditionally he was a cousin of Ralph Houghton, the first town clerk of Lancaster, but this statement has not been verified. Two of their children were born at Dedham, Massachusetts, doubtless soon after the birth of daughter, Mary, March 22, 1660/1. He removed to lancaster, where he became a prominent citizen. he had already signed the town and church covenant, September 24, 1653, and was, therefore a freeman. He possessed a large estate for the time in the present towns of Lancaster, Bolton, Clinton and Berlin. After the massacre he removed to Charlestown, Massachusetts, but later returned to Lancaster and helped rebuilt it., v. p. 13 for Beatrix' baptism, Lancaster Vital Records."

FWH (in C. Smith, p. 45): "Another traditon obtains among the posterity of John Houghton, who was contemporaneous with Ralph, which, though it would seem, at first, to be incompatible witht the traditions we have cited [CJV: Ralph as son of Sir Richard of Hoghton Tower], is yet not irreconcilable with them. It is to the effect that Ralph and John were cousins, and were descended from John and Jonathan Houghton, of Lancashire, England. A statement to that effect was inserted in the town records of Lancaster, Mass., some years ago, at the request of one of the Houghtons. Whast evidence exists for the statement I know not.
Of Jonathan Houghton, I can learn nothing; but the ancestor John referred to, was probably the John Hoghton of Pendleton, in Lancashire, whose pedigree is set forth on the accompanying chart. It is possible that by "Jonathan" is meant John's grandfather John. To avoid confusion, we will designate the latter, John I, the former, (his grandson) John II, and the John who emigrated to America, John III.
I. John I married Elizabeth -----, and had issue---
II. 1. Henry, the heir, mentioned in 1569...
2. Alexander, married Maud, daughter of James Aspinwall.
3. Roger, married Elizabeth, daughter of Wm. Lester, of Midhope
II. Henry Houghton, named above, had issue --
III. 1. Robert Hoghton, of Extwistle, 1567
2. George
3. John II, the heir, married Agnes, Asmull, 1584.
III. John II, by Agnes, his wife, had ---
IV. 1 Mary, married first, to George Singleton, and secondly to Livesay Conor, of Stayning.
2 Katherine, married to Thomas Hoghton, a younger brother of Sir Richard Hoghton, of Hoghton Tower, who was created a baronet, by James I, May 22,
          1611.
IV. Thomas and Katharine Hoghton, had issue --
V. 1. Christian (or Christiana) married to Thomas Woolfall, of Woolfall
2. Anne, married to Simon Blakely, of Blakely
3. Jane, married to John Ben.
4. Katharine, married to John Whiteside.

John III arrived in Massachusetts Bay, June 20, 1635, at the age of four years. If it can be proved that he was the son of Thomas and Katharine, as we suppose --- and if Ralph was the son of Sir Richard, as our traditions declare ---then Ralph and John III were blood-cousins, their parents, Sir Richard and Thomas, being brothers.

Upon the death of John II, his daughters Mary and Katharine, and his granddaughters Christiana, Anne, Jane and Katharine, became his co-heirs. It Thomas and Katharine, however, had had a son in the way, the estates would have been inherited by him, to the exclusion of the daughters. This fact, in connection with John's shipment to America in infancy, affords grounds for a strong suspicion that he was foully wronged by an abduction, form interested motives, instigated, perhaps, by the four husbands who married the four daughters.

At this time Ralph, cousin of the infant John, was about eleven years of age, just old enough to know and remeber passing events, without having a just appreciation of their significance and intent. This satisfactorily accounts for the transmission of the traditon to us. No doubt the relations of the cousins to the family and officals in England, precluded the possibility of their taking any steps to obtain their rights during their lifetime.

The co-heiresses of John Hoghton, II, sold Pendleton to Saville Radcliffe, Esq. Joshua Radcliffe, of Thodmorden, grandson of Saville, died in 1676, leaving one child and heiress, Elizabeth. She was married to Roger Mainwaring, who "wasted his estates." In 1836 Pendleton Hall was occupied by a yeoman.

Francis W. Houghton, New York, April 8, 1869."

Hx of Westminster MA, Heywood, 1893: "In the year 1635 John Houghton, a child 4 years of age, was brought to this country in the ship Abigail. It is not known with whom he came nor by whom he was cared for during his dependent years. The story is that he was s. of Thomas and Katherine of Lancashire, Thomas being bro. of Sir Richard of Houghton Tower, and that the lad was clandestinely expatriated by interested relatives, in order that they might secure certain estates or properties belonging by right of entail, or otherwise, to him. Whether or not he was ever himself cognizant of this, has not transpired. Upon arriving at maturity he appears at Lanc., in connection with his assumed-to-be cousin Ralph Houghton, as one of the arly settlers, becoming there an active and influential citizen. By his w., Beathrix, he had several chn., among whom were John, the first magistrate of the town, and Benjamin, who was b. May 25, 1668."

Subject: The Lands of John Houghton at Lancaster
Source: Early Records of Lancaster, Massachusetts 1643-1725 by Henry
S. Nourse, A.M. Lancaster: 1884
p.293-294

John Houghton came from England in the Abigail, 1635, being then a mere boy. A rude slate stone in the old yard records his death April 29, 1684. His wife's name was Beatrix. Although he signed the covenant in 1653, it is doubtful if he came here to reside for several years, as the records of his children's births are not found as of Lancaster until
that of Beatrix, his daughter, in 1665.

In his will he mentions his "seven children." They were: John Houghton Jr. b. about 1650; Robert Houghton b. 1658; Jonas Houghton b. ____; Mary Houghton b. ____; Beatrix Houghton b. 1665; Benjamin Houghton b. 1668; Sarah Houghton b. 1672.

During the desertion of the town the family sought refuge in Charlestown (MA). At the re-settlement the sons established new homes east of the river, upon Bridecake Plain, now known as the Old Common.

The intrusion of so fanciful a baptismal name as Beatrix among the otherwise rigidly scriptural designations of the family, denotes perhaps an imaginative tendency in some member of it, and this found freer scope in the naming of real estate acquired. Thus we find in John Houghton's various parcels of land, "Rosemary meadow," "Horse Swamp," "Houghton park," "Cranberry meadow," "The Meadow of the three fountains," "Job's corner conveniency," and "Tobacco Pipe Meadow."

The daughter Beatrix married John Pope, Sept 20, 1683. The oldest son, John became the most prominent citizen of Lancaster in his day, for many years serving in various town offices, and as representative and justice.

THE LANDS OF JOHN HOUGHTON
p.293
his house Lott
his house Lott where upon he hath built and planted Lyeth on the north side of Deans Brook bounded Southerly by the said Brook and northerly by the Lott of Richard Wheeler and easterly it buts upon the mill path and westerly it buts upon sum Land of his own that is part of his second devision and it Lyeth for twenty acors be it more or Less.

his entervail Lott
His entervail Lott is on the east side of Penicook River and is bounded easterly by the entervail Swamp a highway of two Rods and half runs through it to go to the meadows and to Groton and that part of it that Lyeth on the east side the path buts southerly by sum land of James Butler and northerly it buts upon a high way that Goes into Goodman
Wateres little round Meadow that Way Lying betwen it and sum Land of John More now in the possession of Jeremiah Rogers and the other part of it that Lyeth on the west side the path is bounded southerly by sum entervail Land of Goodman Wateres runing with a Corner up into the bent of the River and it buts northardly with an angle upon Goodman White his
feild so called both percels of entervail Lyeth for his Lott and for twenty acors be it more or less.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth

Colonial Families of the United States of America: Volume 6

page 260
Tradition says the American founder of this family is descended from Sir Richard HOGHTON, Bart., of Houghton Tower, Lancashire, England. His family fought for the King although Ralph HOUGHTON of Lancashire is said to have fought against [p.260] the King. The HOGHTONS of Hoghton Tower are descendants of Roger DE BUSLI, one of the followers of William the Conqueror, A.D. 1066. The earliest ancestors of John the emigrant, known in the genealogy and his descent through three generations is: John HOUGHTON, I, buried at Eaton Bray, 23d April, 1618, no further record. John HOUGHTON, II, christened May, 1593, m. Damaris BUCKMASTER and had ten children. He was a passenger on the Abigail, 1635, where his age was entered by mistake as four years, an error probably through carelessness. He was in 1629 and 1630 Warden of St. Mary's Church, Eaton Bray. During his wardenship the tower of this ancient church was repaired. This church was built in the beginning of the twelfth century. In the year 1635 the ship Abigail 300 tons, Capt. Sir David KIRK'S flagship, sailed from London with many families and servants because of the religious troubles disturbing old England. Many of those who came out were Puritans and others had Puritanical leanings, and among those who sailed from London in the Abigail was John HOUGHTON, II, the progenitor of Capt. Timothy HOUGHTON. This John was christened 19th May, 1593, in St. Mary's Church at Eaton Bray, Bedfordshire, where his father, John HOUGHTON, I, was buried 28th April, 1618. The following is a transcription of the passenger list 28th June, 1635, passengers from London to New England in the ship Abigail, HACKWELL, Master, John HOUGHTON, III, four years old, certificate of his conformity from Justice of the Peace and Minister of Eaton Bray, in county of Bedford, England. This gentleman did not remain in New England but returned to England, where he had left his family, after the trouble had subsided. 24th December, 1624, John HOUGHTON, III, son of John II, who sailed in the Abigail was born. He came to New England about the year 1647 with his wife, Beatrix and his cousin Ralph HOUGHTON, with his wife Jane STOWE. The inscription on his tombstone in the old Granary Burying Ground, shows that John, III, died on the old Common 29th April, 1684, aged sixty years. An incidental proof of John HOUGHTON'S connection with the Houghtons of Lancashire, England, is found in the fact that one of his descendants in this country has now a sword said to have been brought from England by John, as the eldest son and heir. It has the rose and thistle on it, previously mentioned as belonging to the family coat of arms granted by King James I in 1612, by writ under the privy seal, to Sir Roger as an augmentation to his coat of arms. This sword is now in the possession of one of his descendants in Washington, D. C. He m. Beatrix, surname unknown, circa 1648-1649; after her husband's death she m. Benjamin BOSWORTH and d. 8th January, 1711-1712. [CJV: many errors]

Frederick L. Weis's Lancaster Families:
"1. John Houghton was born, probably in England, and he died at Lancaster, April29, 1684 (Grave Stone). He married Beatrix, who with seven children, survived him. Nothing is known of his antecedents, save that traditionally he is said to have been a cousin of RALPH HOUGHTON, the firt Town Clerk of Lancaster, but this has never been verified.
John Houghton was an early settler of Dedham where two of his children were born. Doubtless soon after the birth of his daughter Mary, March 22, 1660/1, he removed to Lancaster, where he became a prominent citizen. He had already signed the town and church covenant, September 24, 1653. He lived on the Old Common, and possessed a large estate in the present towns of Lancaster, Bolton, Clinton and Berlin. After the massacre, the family went to Charlestown to live, but returned later to Lancaster. Beatrix Houghton was baptized as an adult, February 12, 1709/10, "upon her owning the Covenant," of the First Church in Lancaster. [CJV: his daughter Beatrix, not wife]
In his will, dated April 8, 1684, proved June 17, 1684, Mr. Houghton left bequests to his wife Beatrix and his children: John, Robert, Jonas, Benjamin, Mary and Sarah. (Middlesex Probate). On April 4, 1721, after the death of the widow, the estate was divided between John, Robert, and Jonas Houghton, John Harris, husband of Mary Houghton, and Beatrix Pope. (Mx. Probate). (see Gen. Reg. 79: 400; Nourse: Births, Marriages and Death Register.. of Lancaster ; Willard: History of Lancaster; Wor. Mag. & Hist. Journal, 1826, II. 281)."

Dorothy Adams Fifield, 1953, Lancaster librarian: John Houghton was one of the founders (7 in number) of the First Church of Christ (now Unitarian) in 1653. The pew the Houghton Family occupied in church was No. 73. The church now is a beautiful colonial church.

Hx of Berlin MA:
Two Houghtons came to Lancaster in its beginning in 1652-60. Ralph and John, cousins, were both eminent in public esteem and in public service. The family of Ralph mostly disappear on the records after the Indian massacre in 1676. The families of this region are almost wholly of the John Houghton line. John was b. in Lancashire, Eng., about 1620. His wife's name was Beatrix. Had John, b. 1650; Robert, b. 1658; Jonas, b. 1660; Benjamin, b. 1668; Mary, Beatrix and Sarah were the daus; his first home was between Clinton and South Lancaster on Dean's brook; after the massacre he settled on the Old Common, south of the road, nearly opposite the present Reform School; he possessed a large land estate, situated in Berlin, Clinton and Bolton, as the territory of old Lancaster is now divided, and extending from near Clamshell pond to the William Fife lands; thence southerly, including Baker hill. These lands were designated in ancient deeds by names which forcibly remind one of their English origin, such as "Houghton's park," "Rosemary meadow," "Cranberry meadow," "Three Fountains meadow," "Little Meadow plain," "Job's Corner conveniency." I can locate most of these pieces, but the last named piece staggers me. The Fountains is in the N. M. Allen region; "Cranberry meadow" is the northwest corner of Alden Sawyer's farm, and "Little Meadow plain" joins it and takes in the upland to near the Bolton depot. The Beaver dams, named in a deed of Cranberry meadow, were visible in our day. John, Sr., d. on the old Common in 1684, and on the division of his lands his s., John, retained the homestead on the Common and gave the land for a meeting-house there; Robert settled on what is now called the "Acre" in Clinton; Jonas on Vaughn's hill in Bolton, and Benjamin on Little Meadow plain, south of Bolton depot. Of the next generation I can only locate Jonathan, s. of John, Jr., on the homestead on the Common; Benjamin, Jr., on the Little Meadow plain; Cyrus, s. of Ebenezer and grands. of Robert, just west of Benjamin, across the Causeway; and John, 3d, s. of John, Jr., on the Ephraim Goddard farm, which he sold to Benjamin Bailey in 1718; John, 3d, d. in 1724.

Hurd, Hx of Worcester Co MA:

The deed of purchase should appear here as a voucher for these statements. It was first taken from the Worcester Magazine of 1826, but is now a part of several printed documents: Indian Deed of the New Grant.

“ Know all men by these presents, That I, George Tahanto, Indian Sagamore, for and in consideration of what money, namely, twelve pounds, was formerly paid to Sholan, my uncle, sometime Sagamore, of Nashuah, for the purchase of said township, and also forty-six shillings formerly paid by Ensigne, John Moore and John Houghton, of said Nashuah, to James Wiser, alias Quenepenett, now deceased, but especially, for and in consideration of eighteen pounds, paid part, and the rest secured to be paid, by John Houghton and Nathaniel Wilder, their heirs, executors and assigns forever, a certain tract of land on the west side of the westward line of Nashuah township, adjoining to said Hue, and butts southerly for the most part on Nashuah River, bearing westerly towards Wachusett Hills and runs northerly as far as Nashuah township, and which landeand meadows, be it more or less, to be to the said Insigne, John Moore, John Houghton and Nathaniel Wilder, their heirs and assigns, to have and to hold forever, and I, the said George Tahanto, do hereby promise and engage to procure an order from, the honored General Court for their allowance and confirmation of the sale of said lands as aforesaid, and also that I will show and mark out the bounds of said land in convenient time, not exceeding four months, and also to make such deeds and conveyances as may be necessary for the confirmation of the premises, and that also I, the said George Tahanto, do by these presents, fully notify and confirm, all and every, the said township of Nashuah, alias Lancaster, to the Inhabitants and proprietors thereof, according as it was formerly granted to them, or their ancestors, by my uncle Sholan, and laid out to them by Ensign Thomas Noyes and confirmed by the Hon. General Court. For the performance of all the above said, I, George Tahanto, have set my hand and seal this twenty-sixth day of June, in the thirteenth year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord, William the Third, over England, &c, King

Anno Domino, 1701.

Signed and sealed in the presence of John Wonsqon, his ? mark. John Acquittiuus, his F mark. George Tahanto, his O mark. Peter Puckataugh, his P mark. Jonathan Wilder. Mary Aunsocamog, her ? mark. John Guild.

This deed bears the date of 1701; but it seems that the purchase was not considered complete in 1711; for it is said in another document, executed in that year, that considerable money had been paid to George Tahanto for the purchase of said lands, though not yet consummated. We may understand that part of the money was not due until the “ General Court” should approve the possession to Lancaster.

The next public action in regard to the “New Grant” was at a town-meeting held in Lancaster, February 5,1711. By vote of this meeting the inhabitants of Lancaster secured the right to join in the purchase of this Indian land by subscribing to the following contract:

Know all men by these presents that we, ye subscribers, being desirous to joine in ye purchasing of a tract of land which lyeth on the west side of the township of Lancaster, which lands have been formerly petitioned for to the General Court which the Inhabitants of said Lancaster are still in pursuance of, and their petition is now with ye Court for granting the same, and considerable money hath already been paid to George Tahanto and other Indians towards the purchasing of said land, though not as yet consumated. Wee, the subscribers, do hereby bind ourselves, our heirs, executors and administrators firmly by these presents each one his and theire equall share of the purchase of said land and of all charges that have or shall be necesseirely expended about the same; and to run equall hazard of obtaining ye said land, Provided that if the said land be obtained we shall have each one an equall share of it, considered as to quantity and quality; and the whole of the money to be paid unto such person of the town as shall be appointed by them to receive the same: at or before ye fifth day of March next; and shall subscribe hereto at or before the 15th day of February current: or els* to lay no claim to the said land.

Dated February ye fifth, 1710-11.

Some of ye persons subscribed y« same day; and others had their names entered afterwards, the whole being ninety-eight that were the purchasers of said land.

It is to be noticed that in this document the petition for the “ new grant” is referred to as being with “ the General Court; “ but it appears from the records of the confirmation, and would seem evident, also, from the fact that Thomas Wilder and John Houghton were appointed to manage this petition, that the “ General Court” had hastened very slowly in the matter. The survey was not made till November, and the confirmation nearly three years later.

Upon the petition of the inhabitants of Lancaster, the General Court appointed a committee to survey the land and report. This report wras received May 27, 1713, and was as follows:

In Concil:—The report of the Committee upon the surveys of land prayed for by Lancaster, Nov. 21 and 22, 1711.

Whereas, we, the subscribers, viz., Jonathan Prescott, John Farns-worth and Samuel Jones, are a committee appointed to view a tract of land, petitioned for by the Inhabitants of Lancaster, and to make report to the General Court for their consideration, we have accordingly been upon the spot the days above dated and proceeded thereupon as follows:—Imprimis. We began at the proper bounds of the Lancaster plantation, and thence ran our line upon a Northwest point or thereabouts, along by the Southwest side of Manbapange and Unkachenalwick Ponds, extending said line three roiled ; from thence we made an angle running near upon a S. W. point, crossing a river called the North River, and so running over hills called Monnoosuck Hills, said line being about six miles in length, till it meets with the middle branch of Lancaster river, at or near a little hill on which the Indians had marked a tree for a corner of said land, being near five miles wide. At the southward end bounded partly by Capt. Davenport’s farm, to the S. W. corner of Lancaster Old bounds The land included within these bounds is rocky and mountainous and very poorly accommodated with meadow.

JONATHAN PRESCOTT. JOHN FARNSWORTH. SAMUEL JONES.

This action is endorsed upon the report:

Bead and ordered that the tract of land above discribed be added and confirmed to the town of Lancaster as part of the township, not prejudicing any former grants. Concurred by the Representatives.

Consented to, JOSEPH DUDLEY. ISAAC ALDINGTON, sec’ry.

From the foregoing records it appears that while Leominster was a part of Lancaster from 1713 to 1740, the connection was only nominal. The land was owned by certain of the inhabitants, who as proprietors laid out and disposed of it as they saw fit, and no doubt from the first proposed to make it a separate town. More than this, there were no settlements there earlier than 1725, and so soon as such settlements were numerous enough to make a community, a movement was started to divide from Lancaster.

Mr. Wilder says that the Beamans, the Sawyers, the Houghtons, the Osgoods, the Carters, the Joslins, the Whites, the Whitcombs and the Wilders were the principal proprietors.

Source below: Anna Burr and Thomas Gage, “Some Descendants of John Houghton of Lancaster, Massachusetts”, NEHG Register, Oct. 1925, pp. 392-400.:

John HOUGHTON (1630 – 1684) was a founder of the town of Lancaster, Mass.

John Houghton was born on 24 Dec 1630 in Eaton Bray, Bedford, England. His parents were John HOUGHTON and Damarius BUCKMASTER. He married Beatrix WALKER on 24 Feb 1647/48 in Elland, Yorkshire, England. John’s father may have paid a visit to New England as early as 1635, in the ship “Abigail,” from London, but returned later to his native land. John Houghton again arrived in New England in 1651 or 1652, with his wife Beatrix; his son John; and his cousin Ralph; and settled on a large landed estate in Lancaster, west of Boston, where he died 29 Apr 1684.

Beatrix Walker was born about 1623 in Elland, Yorkshire, England. Her parents were William WALKER and [__?__]. Beatrix died on 8 Jan 1711/12 in Lancaster, aged eighty-nine.

John’s father, John HOUGHTON was christened on 19 May 1593 in Eaton Bray, Bedford, England and had ten children. His father was also John HOUGHTON (c. 1653 – 28 Apr 1618 Eaton Bray, England)

He may have been a passenger on the ship Abigail, Heckwell, Master, fron London,England to New England in 1635. Maybe the age 4 was a misprint and it should have said age 40. He did not stay in New England, but returned to his family in England. In 1629 and 1630, he was warden of St. Mary’s church, Eaton Bray, Bedfordshire, England. During his wardenship of the church, which was built in 1205, the tower was repaired under Bishop Ely and Vicar Mr. Sutton. The ancestry of John give Houghton Conquest, about 15 miles from Eaton Bray as his ancestrial residency.

The name of the village Houghton Conquest originated from the Conquest family who held a manor and lands in the area from the 13th century to the 18th century The church of All Saints was constructed in the village during the 14th Century, and is today the largest parish church in Bedfordshire.

John’s mother, Damarius BUCKMASTER was christened on 8 March 1593 in Eaton Bray, Bedford, England. Her parents were Andrew BUCKMASTER and Mary ROBERDS.

Children of John and Damaris:

i. John HOUGHTON, b. 24 Dec 1624, Eaton Bray, Bedford County, England; d. 29 Apr 1684, Lancaster,Ma..

ii. Damaris Houghton, b. 1627, Eaton Bray,Bedford County England.

iii. Mary Houghton, b. 1629, Eaton Bray,Bedford County England; d. 1638, Eaton Bray,Bedford County England.

iv. Daniel Houghton, b. 1632, Eaton Bray,Bedford County England; d. 1648, Eaton Bray,Bedford County England.

v. Deborah Houghton, b. 1634, Eaton Bray, Bedford County England.

vi. Thomas Houghton, b. 1640, Eaton Bray,Bedford County England; d. 1640, Eaton Bray,Bedford County England.

vii. Jonathan Houghton, b. 1644, Eaton Bray, Bedford County England.

viii. Richard Houghton, b. 1646, Eaton Bray, Bedford County England.

There are a couple alternate traditional stories of John’s arrival in America. These are fun, but can’t be verified, so I think it’s most likely that William and Beatrix married in England and came together.

Story 1 - John immigrated as child with father John and mother in 1635 , in the ship “Abigail,” from London, but returned later to his native land. John Houghton again arrived in New England in 1651 or 1652, with his wife Beatrix; his son John; and his cousin Ralph; and settled on a large landed estate in Lancaster, west of Boston, where he died April 29, 1684..

Story 2- John traveled with the family of Ralph Shepherd on the ship “Abigail” from Plymouth England to Boston, arriving about 8 Oct 1635 and infected with smallpox. There was a John’s age was listed as 4, “of Eaton Bray, county Bedford”, bound for Dedham. Sworn June 20, 1635 at Eaton Bray, Bedfordshire, Houghton Jo. 4, #25

Ralph Shepard b. 1603 -1606 in Stepney, London, England. d. 11 Sep 1693 m. Thank ye the Lord 21 May 1632 in Towcester, England. (daughter of Dr. Thomas Lord and Dorothy Bird)

I can’t find any mention of John Houghton in Ralph’s story. With the exception of two or three facts, we know little about Ralph before his departure for America. He was a tailor, and probably an officer in the Draper’s (tailor) Guild. The first Lord Mayor of London was a draper. For citizenship of London it was required by Edward II that it must be obtained through Craft. So, due to Ralph being a member of the Drapers’ guild we can supose that he was also a citizen of London.

24 Apr 1634 – When Archbishop Laud was persecuting the non-conformists, Ralph was summoned before the Court of High commissions. This was an “ecclesiastical court” of very extensive jurisdiction. The sentence pronounced against “Ralph Shepard of Limehouse, Midd,” it is not given what his offense was, but it is most probable that he left England on account of the sentence of the court.

30 Jun 1635 – Ralph Shepard age 29, with his wife Thanklord aged 23 and his daughter Sarah, aged 2 came to America from Stepney Parish, London, England. on the ship “Abigail” (and the captain was Robert Hackwell.), He was furnished with a certificate from the minister of Stepney Perish. (note grave stone may indicate he was 32). After living for a short time in Dedham, Waymouth and Rehoboth, settled in Malden, MA.

Ralph was the 8th signer of the petition to have the town named Dedham. He was one of twenty who instituted a government of nine men, in founding of Rehoboth. Ralph was admitted a “Freeman” at Malden, MA in 1651.

John removed to Lancaster, where he became a prominent citizen. He had aleady signed the town and church Covenant, 24 Sep 1653, and was therefore a freeman. He possessed a large estate for the time in the present towns of Lancaster, Bolton, Clinton, and Berlin. Lancaster, Bolton and Milton were names of the villages around Hoghton Tower in England.

5 Feb 1659 - John received the 18th lot in the second division of meadow.
On 1 (12) 1663 John Houghton, who had been given one and a half home lots, was given permission to lay down another half.
On 30 (12) 1666 John was given the right to take timber from the commons for his trade use.
On 7/8 (12) 1670 John was granted 20 acres of second division land to lay down a highway.

Ralph Houghton was also a founder of Lancaster, Mass. It is tempting to think John and Ralph were cousins, but the exact relationship has not been proven. Ralph’s relationship with Hoghton Tower and the Hoghton Baronets is clearer than John’s. For example, John’s family originated in Houghton Conquest Bedfordshire, while Ralph’s orginated in Lancashire.

Ralph Houghton was born 1 May 1623 in Lancaster, Lancaster, England and died 15 Apr 1705 in Milton, Hampshire, Mass. His parents may have been De Sir Richard Houghton and Catherine Gerard. Sir Richard and Catherine had 12 children between 1590 and 1613. Ralph would have been the 13th child born ten year later in 1623 when Catherine was around 50 years old.

Ralph married Jane Stowe in 1653. Ralph Houghton came to America because of his religious and political opinions. Ralph Houghton fought under Cromwell against King Charles I of England. He landed at Charlestown, MA sometime between the years 1645 and 1647 and was briefly at Watertown, near Boston. Ralph Houghton took oath of fidelity in 1652. Later with John Houghton and eight others, purchased land from the Indians and founded the town of Lancaster, Massachusetts in 1653. Being the best penman of the pioneers, he was made Town Clerk and held that position until the massacre.

De Sir Richard Houghton was born Sep 1570 in Hoghton Towers, Lancashire, England and died 12 Nov 1630 in England. His parents were Thomas de Houghton and Anne Keighley. Sir Richard Houghton, baronet, of Houghton Towers, Lancashire, England, was a progenitor of the Houghton family, of Worchester county. Sir Richard fought against King Charles, although the rest of the family fought for the king. The Houghton ancestors are traced to Roger de Bushi, one of the followers of William the Conqueror, and according to to the National Biography published in London, England, in 1898, he was descended from Adam de Houghton, Bishop of St. David and Chancellor of England, who died in 1389.

Thomas de Houghton was born 1541 or 1549 in Hoghton Tower, Lancaster, England, and died 21 Nov 1589 in Lea Hall, Preston Parish, Lancashire, England. His father was Richard de Houghton. He built Hoghton Tower during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Hoghton Tower is fortified manor house near the village of Hoghton in the Borough of Chorley to the east of Preston in Lancashire, England. It has been the ancestral home of the De Hoghton family since the time of William the Conqueror. It features a mile long driveway to the main gates. The original driveway extended far further and the cost of lining it with red carpet for the arrival of King James I of England nearly bankrupted the family.

The Hoghton family has been at Hoghton since the 12th century, but the dramatic manor house that you can see today is primarily a product of the mid-Tudor period. The house is built in an elongated figure-8, encompassing two inner courtyards entered through a fiercely castellated gatehouse.

The house was completed by Thomas Hoghton in 1565, but Thomas, a Catholic, stayed in it only four years before fleeing to the Low Countries, where he died.

There are several romantic tales about the Hoghtons. In the 1500s, the Catholic Houghtons of Lancashire England were underground supporters of Catholicism. These were the days when the Catholic Faith was outlawed. They formed a secret underground society called The Gunpowder Plot. William Shakespeare, Thomas Houghton his brother Alexander Houghton, their cousin Richard Houghton his brother in law Barthotomew Hesketh John Cottom’s, Cottom’s cousin, Thomas Jenkins, Father Edmund Compain , John Finch, Debdale, Hunt, Robert Catesby were some the recruited members of this secret society of gunpowder plotters who’s base was Houghton Tower. Many were Lancastrians. All roads lead to Houghton Tower.

In his book Shakespeare: The “lost years”, Ernst Honigmann revealed to the public a theory – first proposed in 1937. That the dramatist William Shakespeare spent some early years in Lancashire, as a servant in a chain of Catholic households; and that he is identifiable with William Shakeshafte, a player kept by the Hoghton family of Hoghton Tower near Preston. The theory now appears to be substantiated by the discovery that John Cottom, Stratford schoolmaster from 1579 to 1581, who was William’s teacher, belonged to the secret Lancashire gentry who were relatives and clients of the Hoghtons.

However,

Thomas’ nephew Richard enjoyed rather more politically correct views, and earned the favour of James I, who made him a Baronet in 1611 (see de Hoghton Baronets) and visited Hoghton in 1617. Sir Richard, who was hoping to convince the king to relieve him of money-losing alum mines, laid out the red carpet for James’ visit – literally. Red carpeting was laid for the entire length of the half mile avenue leading to the house. The king must have been impressed by the lavish welcome, and the feasting which followed, for he did buy the mines.

An amusing but unsubstantiated tale has it that at the feast in the banqueting hall given in James’ honour the king was so moved by the excellent loin of beef he was served that he took his sword and knighted it “Sir Loin”, giving us the term ‘sirloin’ (now also the name of a local pub). Richard’s good fortune did not last long; only a few years later he was imprisoned in Fleet Prison for debt.

Richard’s son, Sir Gilbert, fought for Charles I in the Civil War, though Gilbert’s own son (named Richard, like his grandfather), chose the Roundhead cause, and Hoghton Tower was besieged by Parliamentary troops in 1643. Eventually the defenders capitulated, but when the Roundheads entered the house the powder magazine in the tower between the two courtyards exploded with terrifying force, killing over 100 Parliamentary men. The tower was never rebuilt.

Following in Richard Hoghton’s footsteps, succeeding generations of Hoghtons were fervent Presbyterian Dissenters, and the banqueting hall was often used as a Dissenting chapel (quite a change from the gaiety of entertaining the royal court).

Richard de Houghton was born 1473 in Hoghton Tower, Lancaster, England, and died 1558 in Hoghton, Lancashire, England. His parents were William de Houghton and Mary Southworth.

Lancaster is the oldest town in Worcester County, and was the original “mother town” for much of north central Massachusetts, including what are now Leominster, Sterling, Harvard, Bolton, Clinton, Berlin, Boylston and West Boylston. The first early settlers came to what is now Lancaster in 1642, and the town was officially incorporated in 1653 with nine families including the Houghtons.

John removed to Lancaster, where he became a prominent citizen. He had aleady signed the town and chruch Covenant, Sept. 24, 1653, and was therefore a freeman. He possessed a large estate for the time in the present towns of Lancaster, Bolton, Clinton, and Berlin.

On 9 Aug 1675, the Native Americans attacked at Lancaster The New England Confederation officially declared war on the Native Americans on 9 Sep 1675. Of all the towns affected by King Philip’s War, Lancaster probably fared the worst. Being on the western edge of the English settlements, with a huge gap between Lancaster and the Connecticut River settlements, the town was easy prey for the Indians. The first attack occurred on Aug 22, 1675, when eight persons were killed. In six months, on Feb 10, 1675/6, came the massacre. There were about 50 families living in Lancaster at this time,with five garrison houses. The Indians attacked three of the garrisons, with the worst outcome at the house of the minister, Mr. Rowlandson, where 42 people fled. After two hours of attack in the early morning, the Indians found a way to set fire to the rear of the house. Only one person escaped; the rest either died or were taken prisoners. In the entire town, 50-55 people were slain. The survivors congregated in two of the remaining garrison houses, and included John Houghton’s family. A petition was immediately sent to Boston requesting carts to remove them all to a place of safety. Every white person left, and when they did, the Indians finished the job and burned all of the remaining houses except for the meeting house and one dwelling. Later that spring, most of the captives including Mrs. Rowlandson were ransomed. But the town of Lancaster was gone, completely empty for a year or two. The return of settlers happened slowly, until 17 or 18 families had returned by 1681. Lancaster was attacked by Indians one more time in its history, during Queen Anne’s War in 1704. Four men were killed in that raid.

At sunrise on 10 Feb 1676, during King Philip’s War, Lancaster came under attack by Narragansett, Wampanoag, and Nashaway/Nipmuc Indians and was destroyed. Both John and John Jr. were members of the garrison on the east side of the North river. Mary Rowlandson and her three children, Joseph, Mary, and Sarah, were among the hostages taken. For more than eleven weeks and five days,she and her children were forced to accompany the Indians as they fled through the wilderness to elude the colonial militia.She later recounted how severe the conditions during her time of captivity were for all parties. On May 2, 1676, Rowlandson was ransomed for £20 raised by the women of Boston in a public subscription.

After her return, Rowlandson wrote a narrative of her captivity recounting the stages of her odyssey in twenty distinct “Removes” or journeys. She witnessed the murder of friends, the death of her youngest child Sarah, and suffered starvation and depression, until she was finally reunited with her husband. During her captivity, Rowlandson sought her guidance from the Bible; the text of her narrative is replete with verses and references describing conditions similar to her own. She saw her trial as a test of faith and considered the “Indians” to be “instruments of Satan”. Her final escape, she tells us, taught her “the more to acknowledge His hand and to see that our help is always in Him.”

Rowlandson’s book became one of the era’s best-sellers, going through four editions in one year. The tensions between colonists and Native Americans, particularly in the aftermath of King Philip’s War, was a source of anxiety. People feared losing their connection to their own society. They had great curiosity about the experience of one who had been “over the line”, as a captive of American Indians, and returned to colonial society.

Her book earned Rowlandson an important place in the history of American literature. A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson is a frequently cited example of a captivity narrative, an important American literary genre used by James Fenimore Cooper, Ann Bleecker, John Williams, and James Seaver. Because of Rowlandson’s close encounter with her Indian captors, her book is interesting for its treatment of cultural contact. Finally, in its use of autobiography, Biblical typology, and homage to the “Jeremiad“, Rowlandson’s book helps the reader understand the Puritan mind.

After the massacre, John Houghton fled to Charleston, along with others of the fleeing and homeless settlers, under escort, for a time to secure the safety of his family. The Houghtons returned to Lancaster soon after and settled east of the Nashua River on Bridecake Plain, now the Old Common, opposite the present (1908) Girls’ Reform School, where he died. John’s estate was situated in what are now the towns of Lancaster, Bolton, Milton and Clinton.

John’s gravestone has the oldest engraved deathdate in the cemetery. (Source: Anna Burr and Thomas Gage, “Some Descendants of John Houghton of Lancaster, Massachusetts”, NEHG Register, Oct. 1925, pp. 392-400.)

Children

1. After the massacre of 1675 at Lancaster, John’s son John Jr. fled to Woburn. There, he was appointed to and served the General Court for fourteen years, between 1693-1724 and was often referred to as Justice Houghton.

2. Robert Houghton is buried at the Old Common Burial Ground, Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts

John had a will on 8 Apr 1684 in Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States.

From New England Historical and Genealogical Register Vol. 79:393-394:
1. JOHN¹ Houghton, of Lancaster, born probably in England, (died 29 Apr. 1684 (gravestone at Lancaster, MA). He married Beatrix who, with seven children, survived him*.

Nothing definite is known of the antecedents of John Houghton. It has been said that he was a cousin of Ralph Houghton, the first town clerk of Lancaster, but no verification of this relationship has ever been offered. It has also been said that he came to this country in the "Abigail" in 1635, aged 4 years, with a certificate from two justices and the minister of Eaton Bray, co. Bedford, England (Savage, Genealogical Dictionary, vol. 2, p. 469; cf. Pope, Pioneers of Massachusetts, p. 241). The passenger list of this ship contains an entry which reads, according to Rotten, "Jon Houghton 4 yers old," and, according to Drake, "Joh Houghton 4 yers old." Savage seems to doubt the accuracy of this entry, as far as the age is concerned; and, according to information received from Eaton Bray there are but two John Houghtons recorded in the parish registers who could have sailed in the Abigail, one being a married man who was 42 years old and had ten children, and the other, aged 11 years, being a son of the former. Probably the emigrant in the Abigail was the older of these two, and the customs officials made an error, writing "4" instead of "42" But, at any rate, it is certain that the emigrant in the Abigail was not identical with John Houghton of Lancaster. Whether this emigrant of 1635 returned to England, as has been stated, is not known. If he left a wife and ten children there, his return is entirely probable. His son John, baptized 24 Dec. 1624, may have come to America, but no record of his sailing has been found. It has been stated that John Houghton of Lancaster married his wife, Beatrix, in England, and that his eldest son, John, was born there; but this is mere conjecture, and proof for any of these assertions is lacking.

John Houghton seems to have been early in Dedham, but he must not be confused with the John Holton or Houghton who married Abigail Fisher in 1666/7. The Dedham records contain the births of two of his children, Robert and Mary. The latter was horn 22 Mar. 1660/1, and it is likely that soon thereafter John Houghton removed to Lancaster, where he took a prominent part in the affairs of the town. After the massacre he lived for a while in Charlestown, and his son "Jonathan" (doubtless an error for "Jonas") is mentioned in the records of the Charlestown selectmen. He returned eventually to Lancaster.

In his will, dated 8 Apr. 1684 and proved 17 June 1084, he bequeathed to his wife Beatrix and his children John, Robert, Jonas, Benjamin, Mary, and Sarah (M. P.) On 4 Apr. 1721, after the death of the widow, the estate was divided between John (the "eldest son"), Robert, and Jonas Houghton, John Harris (who had married Mary Houghton), and Beatrix Pope. No mention was made in this division of John Houghton's daughter Sarah, because her share in the estate had been conveyed to her brothers, John, Robert., and Jonas Houghton. Benjamin Houghton's share, "had he survived," was divided among the other children; and it is therefore clear that Benjamin had died s.p. before 1721. (M. P., vol. 16, P. 264.)

*Wyman in his Genealogies and Estates of Charlestown, states that Benjamin Bosworth of Hull married Beatrix Houghton, who died 8 Jan 1711/12 æ 89 and it has been supposed that she was the widow of John¹ Houghton. but Judge Samuel Sewall wrote in his diary: "Sixth day of Jan. 1711: Mrs Benj. Bosworth is buried aged 89 years. Her first husband's name was Joslin by whom she had her daughter," etc. Nourse in his Annals of Lancaster p. 321, gives this entry: "1671: 9, 16 Benj. Bosworth and widow Beatrix Joslin [married]. "But in 1671 John Houghton was living. There is , therefore, no evidence of the marriage of his widow.

The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume III, G-H, pp. 423-424
by Robert Charles Anderson
JOHN HOUGHTON
ORIGIN: Eaton Bray, Bedfordshire.
MIGRATION: 1635 on the Abigail (on 20 June 1635, "Jo[h]n Houghton," aged 4 [sic], with a certificate of conformity from the justices of the peace and the minister of Eaton Bray, Bedfordshire, was enrolled at London as a passenger for New England on the Abigail [Hotten 89]).
FIRST RESIDENCE: Unknown.
COMMENTS: Savage says that this immigrant 'was not of Watertown, as Fanner had said, for Dr. Bond finds not the name, so that we may assign him to Concord or to either of the three or four towns then inhabited between the seashore and the central wilderness; removed to Lancaster about 1652" [Savage 2:469]. Pope states that "He seems to be the John, of Dedham, who m. Beatrix .; removed to Lancaster" [Pope 241].
Both of these writers apparently assume that the age at migration, four years old, is correct (even though Hotten himself suggests that the age should be forty [Hotten 89]) and that John Houghton does not appear in New England records until attaining adulthood. The first record for him in New England is in 1651, when he is included in a Dedham tax list [DeTR 1:184].
The problem with this argument is that the justices of the peace and the minister of Eaton Bray would not have issued a certificate of confomity to a four-year-old boy (and examination of the original passenger list shows that to be the age recorded). Nor would they have issued such a certificate to a fourteen-year old, so the youngest that this immigrant can be in 1635 is twenty-four, and so he would have been born in 1611, or earlier if some other age is actually correct.
If, then, he was an adult in 1635, where did he hide during the sixteen years before 1651? We conclude that the passenger of 1635 was not the John Houghton of Dedham and Lancaster.

WILL: Lancaster was part of Middlesex at the time of this will.

Wikipedia, 2021:
Biography

John Houghton (~1624-1684) was the founding ancestor of the John Houghton line of Lancaster, Massachusetts.[1][2]

As J. W. Houghton states in his 1912 Houghton Genealogy, “Nothing definite is known of the antecedents of John Houghton”. Very little is actually known about him. He was born circa 1624, probably in England. He probably immigrated between 1647 and 1650 to Massachusetts. He married Beatrix Unknown before 1650, and had seven children.

The first record of John Houghton in New England is his subscribing to the Laws and Orders of the act of the Massachusetts General Court which founded the town of Lancaster, Massachusetts.[3] He may not have immediately removed to Lancaster, however, as he has children born in Dedham, Massachusetts in 1659 and 1661.[4]

He attested copy of an entry from the Lancaster Book of Records regarding the location of the original meeting house Houghton, John autograph, on 18 Aug 1653 at Lancaster, Mass.[5] He was one of the founders (7 in number) of the First Church of Christ in 1653. The pew the Houghton Family occupied in church was No. 73.

He was listed 18th in the second division of meadow on 5 Feb 1659.[6] Nourse, in his Early Records of Lancaster, notes: "The Lands of John Houghton. his house Lott where upon he hath built and planted Lyeth on the north side of deans Brook bounded Southerly by the said Brook and northerly by the Lott of richard Wheeler and easterly it buts upon the mill path and westerly it buts upon sum Land of his own that is part of his second deuision and it Lyeth for twenty acors be it more or Less. His enteruail Lott [is] on the east side of Penicook Riuer and is boudned westerly and norwest by the said Riuer and it is bounded easterly by the eneruail swamp a highway of two Rods and half Runs through it to Go to the meadows and to Groten and that part of it that Lyeth on the east side the path buts southerly by sum Land of James butler and northherly it buts upon a high way that Goes into Goodman Wateres Little Round Meadow that Way Lying betwen it and sum Land of John More now in the possession of jeremiah Rogers and the other part of it that Lyeth on the west side the path is bounded southerly by the bent of the Riuer and it buts northardly with an angle upon Goodman White his feild so called both percels of enteruail Lyeth for his Lott and for twenty acors be it more or Less.”

Name and Origins

John Houghton, of Dedham and Lancaster, Massachusetts.

The origins and parents are unknown and certainly not proven.

He has been said to be the John Houghton of Eaton Bray, co. Bedford, aged 4, who immigrated to New England on the Abigail in 1635. This is incorrect.[7] First of all, the age is wrong as no 4 year old could receive a Certificate of Conformity from the parish minister. The 1635 immigrant was 40 years old with the "4 yers" being a clerical error.

The only candidate for the passenger on the Abigail is John Houghton of Eaton Bray, born 19 May 1593; and was baptised on 24 December 1624; he married Damaris Buckmaster and had ten children. It has been said then that John Houghton of Lancaster was this John Houghton of Eaton Bray. [8] While possible, there is no actual evidence which connects John Houghton of Lancaster to the family at Eaton Bray. Their profiles have been disconnected from this man's profile. Please use G2G to discuss evidence for his origins.

Birth

Born: About 1624, presumably in England.

The date is based on the statement in the Houghton Genealogy that his gravestone says he died 29 April 1684 aged 60. There is a problem with this in that the current gravestone in the Old Settlers Burial Yard in Lancaster simply says "John Hovhton Decaesed 1684". Though appearing ancient, this gravestone almost certainly is not the original; however, since the secondary sources actually cite the wrong graveyard and the stone does not say what they say it does, this date may be wrong. Multiple authors say a prior gravestone existed that did give that full date given in the "Houghton Genealogy". It is close to what would expected someone marrying c1649 and having children until 1672.

Marriage and Children

Married: Beatrix Unknown about 1649 (based on first child being born c1650). Note that she is not known to be either Beatrix Walker or Beatrix Josselyn as is sometimes said.

Children: of John Houghton and Beatrix Unknown:[9]
(First child no birth record, second and third born Dedham, remaining born in Lancaster).[10]

John Houghton. Born about 1650 (died Feb 1736/7 in his 87th year). This John was a noted figure in the history of Lancaster, holding many important positions during his life. John died 3 February 1736/37.
Robert Houghton. Born on 28 March 1659 in Dedham.[11] he married Esther Leffingwell- and had 12 children. Robert died on 7 November 1723 in Lancaster.
Mary Houghton. Born on 22 March 1660/61 in Dedham.[12] She married John Harris. She died before 1721 when it was her son who was part the agreement to settle the estate of John Houghton.
Jonas Houghton. Born April 1663 (gravestone at Lancaster). Died 20 Sep 1723)
Beatrix ( 3 Dec 1665- c Apr 1725)
Benjamin (25 May 1668 - before 1721)
Sarah (30 Jul 1672 - before 1733)

Death
"John Hovhton
Decaesed
1684"

Died: 29 April 1684 in Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts.[13]
Buried: Old Settlers Burial Yard, Lancaster, Massachusetts.[14]

Estate settlement: In 1721, the heirs of John Houghton signed an agreement as to the settlement of his estate.[15] The agreement followed the death of their mother Beatrix Houghton, who held all of estate of John Houghton during her life. The agreement does refer to the will of John Houghton. Signing the agreement were:

John Houghton
Robert Houghton
Jonas Houghton
John Harris (husband of Mary Houghton)
Beatrix Pope, widow of John Pope
Benjamin Houghton's share "had he survived" to be shared by other children.
No mention is made of daughter Sarah Houghton, because her share had already been conveyed to her brothers John, Robert and Jonah.

Will: of John Houghton Sen. of Lancaster
Summary:
- Dated 8 April 1684; proved on 17 June 1684.
- wife Beatrix
- Children John, Robert, Jonas, Benjamin, Mary and Sarah.

"The Last Will and Testament of John Houghton Sen. of Lancaster, in the county of Middlesex, New England, being very weak of body, but in strength of memory and understanding; who doth first will and desire his body to be decently buryed in the decent burying place in Lancasster.
Secondly, he doth give in a willing submission to God his soul to him that gave it in and through Jesus Christ Amen.
his will as followeth vist.
After the funeral expenses discharged and debts paid: first I do give to Beatrix my loving wife, my home lott and Intervale [CJV: tract of low-lying land, especially along a river.] belonging to my home lott and all Entervalle and entervale on Second division and all of my meadow on first division and lost, and this I give to Beatrix my wife for her use, viz. Mary, Benjamin, Sarah now with her for their help and succor and this to be at my wives decease so long as she remains a widow and if she marry to have her thirds through all here specified in my will and as to moveable housings I give to my wife during her widowhood and after to be equally divided according to my estate on Towne book to my children; and

First, to my son John Houghton I will and require that he have forty pounds Estate on Town books and fourteen acres that I bought of James Butler and twenty-six acres out of my Second division which makes that up forty acres and John to have it where it best suits him.

Secondly, to Robt my son fourty pounds Estate on Towne book; as also that forty acres that he now dwells upon according to Butts and bounds [lot boundaries] on Town book.

Thirdly, to Jonas my son forty pounds Estate on Towne book with four acres, his house place which I bought of John Beecher with the lotts with the upland belonging to the same and what these two pieces want of forty acres to be made up of my second division.

Fourthly, to Benjamin my son forty pounds on Towne book with my house and second division and orchards after my wive's Decease, except a parcel of apple trees I gave to my son John's wife during her life, the true meaning of this last gift is whilst she remains my son John's wife. And, to Benjamin my son I give of second division more over the swamp, to make this above mentioned forty acres.

Fifthly, I do give to Mary my daughter Thirty pounds Estate on Towne book and thirty acres also on Rigby's plaine. [CJV: Daughter Beatrix not listed as Sixth child]

Seventhly, Sarah my daughter I do give thirty pounds Estate on Towne book, Thirty acres of Second division, where conveniently to be found. And what of the estate as to lands, Entervales Second division is left after my wive's decease, the true Intent of my meaning is, that it may be disposed of to all my seven children according to their Estate given by me on Towne book.

I constitute my wife Soul Executrix.
I do desire and betrust my true and well beloved friends Mr. Samuel Carter and John Prescott to oversee that every particular be fulfilled according to the Tenor of the same and this is my Last Will made the Eighth day of April, one thousand six hundred Eighty-four witness my hand and seale."
John Houghton and seale.
in presence of us
Sam'l Carter.
John Prescott.
Cyprian Stevens."

"The last will of John Houghton of Lancaster deced was prsented to ye Court on oath of Samuel Carter and John Prescott, witnesses ye to whose Relict widd. Beatrix Houghton Exer made oath to ye Inventory of his estate exhibited in Court) (at a County Court 17.4.1684)(See also No. 11929 files of Probate Court) (Middlesex Probate #11929); States 7 children

Common Errors to Avoid

Name of wife: John married a woman named Beatrix, who was apparently the mother of his children. Candidates for her identity have included:

Beatrix Walker. This theory comes from a marriage record in Elland, York, England (Johes Haughton married Betericia Walker, 1 February 1647).[16]
Beatrix Josselyn. This theory seems comes from a misprint in Wyman's Genealogies and Estates of Charlestown which said that Benjamin Bosworth of Hull married Beatrice Houghton.[17](Benjamin Bosworth married Beatrice (Hampson) Josselyn.

There is no documentary evidence that either of these Beatrices were his wife. [10]

First appearance in Dedham: He is not the John "Houghton" who first appears in a tax record in Dedham, Massachusetts. This record actually pertains to John Holton of Dedham.[18]

This story has been discredited: :Incidental proof of his connection with the Hoghton of Hoghton Tower, Lancashire family was one of his descendants in the US has a sword which supposedly was John, and had the Coat of Arms granted to 'Sir Roger' as an augmentation to his coat of arms by King James I in 1612. Sir Richard Hoghton, 1st Bt was raised to the Baronetage in 1611 so the change in Coat of Arms makes sense for him - not sure who 'Sir Roger' was but he was at least a 4th cousin of Sir Richard, not sure why he would have given a distant cousin an expensive ceremonial sword.[19]

Son Eleazer?: Holmans in America states that John and Beatrix had a son Eleazer.[20] This is incorrect. The Eleazer Houghton referred to was in fact a grandson.

Cousin Ralph Houghton: It had been reasonable to suppose that Ralph Houghton, another founder of Lancaster, was a close of relative of John Houghton. There has never been any evidence that this is true. Recent Y-DNA studies (Houghton Surname Project DNA Project) has shown the men are different haplotypes and are unrelated.[10]

Research Notes

Entry for Torrey, NE Marriages before 1700: " HOUGHTON, John (?1624-1684) & Beatrix ____; by 1650; Dedham/Lancaster

Sources

? Houghton. The Houghton Genealogy. (1912): pages 72, 296 #3.
? Nourse. Early Records of Lancaster'' (1884): page 293.
? Nourse. The Early Records of Lancaster. (1884): page 30.
? Dedham. Dedham Births, Marriages and Deaths. (1886): page 7 and 8.
? Massachusetts Archives, Vol. 11, p. 210A.
? Nourse. The Early Records of Lancaster. (1884): page 71.
? Great Migration 1634-1635, G-H. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009.) Originally published as: The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume III, G-H, by Robert Charles Anderson. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2003. p 423-424
? "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NYBP-Q9R ), John Houghton, 21 Dec. 1624.
? New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 75 no. 4 (October 1925): 392-400. John Houghton of Lancaster, Mass., and Some of His Descendants, by Anne Lane Burr and Thomas Hovey Gage.
? 10.0 10.1 10.2 Houghton Surname Project Compiled by Charles Vella PhD.
? Dedham. Dedham Births, Marriages and Deaths. (1886): page 7.
? Dedham. Dedham Births, Marriages and Deaths. (1886): page 8.
? Nourse, Henry S. , ed. The Birth Marriage and Death Register, Church Records and Epitaphs of Lancaster, Massachusetts 1643-1850. (Lancaster, MA: 1890): page 401.
? Find A Grave: Memorial #6238458, citing Old Settlers Burial Yard, Lancaster, Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA ; Maintained by Kevin Avery (contributor 47024642).
? Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives. Digitized images provided by FamilySearch.org) Case 11929: Settlement of estate of John Houghton.
? "England Marriages, 1538–1973 ," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NL8G-K4X : 10 February 2018), Johes Haughton and Betericia Walker, 01 Feb 1647; citing Elland, York, England, reference , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 0924208 IT 1, 962116, 962117.
? Burr, Annie Lane and Gage, Thomas Hovey. John Houghton of Lancaster, Mass. and Some of His Descendants, The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (NEHGS, Boston, Mass., 1925). Vol 79, Pages 392-400. NEHGS Subscription Link
? Hunter, Joan A. Clarifying John2 Holton of Northampton and Dedham, Massachusetts, and His Wife, Abigail Fisher. in New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 159 no. 1 (January 2005): page 25.
? Mackenzie, George N. Colonial Families of the United States of America: In Which Is Given the History, Genealogy and Armorial Bearings of Colonial Families Who Settled in the American Colonies from the Time of the Settlement of Jamestown, 13th May, 1607, to the Battle of Lexington, 19th April, 1775. Baltimore: The Seaforth Press, 1917. Pages 260+
? Holman, David Emory. The Holmans in America : concerning the descendants of Solaman Holman, who settled in West Newbury, Massachusetts in 1692-3, Volume one. (New York: The Grafton Press, 1909): Page 22. NOTE: This citation refers to Eleazar Houghton who married into the Holman family. Eleazar was grandson of John and Beatrix.

Source list:

Dedham. Don Gleason Hill, ed. The Record of Births, Marriages and Deaths, and Intentions of Marriage, in the Town of Dedham 1635-1845. (Dedham, MA: Office of the Dedham Transcript, 1886).
Archive.org LINK Books.Google.com HathiTrust.org LINK

Houghton, John Wesley M.D. The Houghton Genealogy: Descendants of Ralph and John Houghton. (New York: Frederick H. Hitchcock Pub. Co., 1912): pages 72, 296 #3. Internet Archive Link.

New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 75 no. 4 (October 1925): 392-400. John Houghton of Lancaster, Mass., and Some of His Descendants, by Anne Lane Burr and Thomas Hovey Gage.

Nourse, Henry S., ed. The Early Records of Lancaster, Massachusetts. 1643-1725. (Lancaster, 1884). HathiTrust Link.

Nourse, Henry S., ed. The Birth Marriage and Death Register, Church Records and Epitaphs of Lancaster, Massachusetts 1643-1850. (Lancaster, MA: 1890).
Archive.org LINK Books.Google.com HathiTrust.org LINK

Vella, Charles J., Houghton Surname Project, 2020: http://www.charlesjvellaphd.com/HoughtonSurnameProject/g0/p4.htm#i102

[edit]^{51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,18,60,61,62,11,63,64,9,7,4,65,66,36,2}

AFN

B6CC-HO

JWH 1912 Genealogy

John Houghton is listed in JW Houghton's 1912 Houghton Genealogy as the ancestor of one of the two largest Houghton lineages in United States.
as the ancestor of one of the two largest Houghton lineages in United States.

Notable

is the original emigrant of the John Houghton of Lancaster MA line.

Research

This parentage (John and Damaris Houghton) is the most commonly given for the Emigrant John Houghton of Lancaster MA. There is no real genealogical evidence for this parentage.

Research

CJV: The John "Houghton" of Dedham is John Holton

Research

CJV: Strong case that John Houghton was related to Farrars of Heptonstall, Halifax, Yorkshire, Eng. Dave Anderson sent a document to CJV discussing the significant relationship between John Houghton of Lancaster MA and the Farrars of Lancaster MA, postulating a possible family relationship: John Houghton, in 1653, signed the Lancaster covenant with among others Jacob and John Farrar (whose mother was a Mary Haughton). John’s son Justice John Houghton married Mary Farrar, sister of these two brothers. All Farrars were born in Halifax, Yorkshire county, England. This raises the possibility that John Houghton of Lancaster MA was related to Mary Haughton of Halifax, Yorkshire England. Halifax is 37 miles from Preston, which is 26 miles from Lancaster. John Prescott, founder of Lancaster MA came from Lancashire county.

Research

who married Beatrice Walker; No evidence these are same men

Pedigree

Citations

[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 72, 296 #3.
[S12] Nourse, Early Records of Lancaster, p. 293.
[S42] Torrey, New England Marriages, p. 391.
[S46] Boston Transcript, Feb. 21, 1935 - 9617.
[S46] Boston Transcript, 1/7/1925.
[S80] Chandler, Houghton Genealogy, #4380.
[S83] Farmer, Geneal. Reg. of First Settlers of NE, p. 151.
[S117] Burr & Gage, "John Houghton of Lancaster, Mass." , pp. 392-400, p. 393.
[S150] Savage, Genealogical Dictionary, II, p. 469.
[S156] Pope, Pioneers of Massachusetts, p. 241.
[S166] Cutter, New England Families II, p. 962.
[S199] D. A. Keizer, Houghton Hx & Gen - Keizer, pp. 5, 86-94.
[S367] Peter Wilson Coldham, The Complete Book of Emmigrants, 1607-1660, p. 72, sec. 30.
[S814] Marshall L. McClanahan, Houghton, John & Beatrix - MLM;, M, p. 6 #1.
[S1549] Herbert M. Cheever, John Houghton of Lancaster, Mass.
[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 69, 296.
[S164] Little, Gen. and Family History of Maine, II, p. 900.
[S344] Peter Wilson Coldham, The Complete Book of Emmigrants, 1661-1699, p. 72, sec. 30.
[S814] Marshall L. McClanahan, Houghton, John & Beatrix - MLM;, M, p. 6.
[S595] Rev. Abijah P. Marvin, Lancaster Hx - Marvin, p. 740.
[S199] D. A. Keizer, Houghton Hx & Gen - Keizer, p. 5.
[S514] P. William Filby (Ed.) and with Mary K. Meyer, Passenger & Immigr. Lists, p. 959.
[S624] Frank R. Holmes, NE Ancestral Heads, p. cxxiv.
[S36] Letter, from Charles D. Anderson, Apr 21, 2003.
[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 72.
[S199] D. A. Keizer, Houghton Hx & Gen - Keizer, p. 6.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 30 (Francis Walter Houghton's Genealogy).
[S415] E-mail from Roger Peterson, Oct. 17, 1999.
[S96] NEHGR, 95 [1941]: "The English Ancestry of Jacob Farrer", p. 8.
[S600] Timothy Farrar Clary, Farrar Family, p. 2.
[S12] Nourse, Early Records of Lancaster, p. 30.
[S12] Nourse, Early Records of Lancaster, p. 82.
[S814] Marshall L. McClanahan, Houghton, John & Beatrix - MLM;, M, p. 9.
[S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 298.
[S46] Boston Transcript, 1935.
[S46] Boston Transcript, 11/12/1924 #2311, WBBN.
[S117] Burr & Gage, "John Houghton of Lancaster, Mass." , pp. 392-400, p. 394.
[S852] Samuel H. Folsom and William E. Rogers, Middlesex MA Probate Index, p. 249.
[S954] Mrs. Alice G. Busiel, Middlesex Probate Records - Busiel, p. 216.
[S11] Lancaster MA VRs, p. 401.
[S12] Nourse, Early Records of Lancaster, p. 294, 325.
[S46] Boston Transcript, 1913, #1467.
[S75] Whitcomb, Nashaway Burial Grounds, p. 2.
[S1085] Joseph Willard, Lancaster MA Hx - Willard, p. 80.
[S747] Rev. Frederick Lewis Weis Lancaster MA Early Families II- Weis, p. 281.
[S11] Lancaster MA VRs, p. 398, 401.
[S46] Boston Transcript, 1935 #9617.
[S595] Rev. Abijah P. Marvin, Lancaster Hx - Marvin, p. 668, 740.
[S415] E-mail from Hayward S. Houghton, Mar 26, 2004: Notes of Dr. Arthur Wellington Clark, critiques of JWH's Houghton Genealogy of 1912.
[S955] Middlesex Probate Records 2l, p. 377.
[S1447] D. Hamilton Hurd, History of Worcester County, MA, p. 1201.
[S448] Rev. William A. Houghton, Berlin MA Hx - W. A. Houghton, p. 385.
[S930] George Norbury Mackenzie, Colonial Families of the USA, Vol. 6, p. 260.
[S762] Charles A. Bemis, Marlborough NH Hx, p. 711.
[S814] Marshall L. McClanahan, Houghton, John & Beatrix - MLM;, M, p. 0-6.
[S734] Michael Tepper, Passengers to America, p. 28.
[S733] John Camden Hotten, Hotten - The Oiriginal Lists, p. 89.
[S731] Charles Edward Banks, Planters of the Commonwealth, p. 161-162.
[S595] Rev. Abijah P. Marvin, Lancaster Hx - Marvin, p. 59, 73, 137, 722.
[S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association.
[S199] D. A. Keizer, Houghton Hx & Gen - Keizer, p. 5, 7, 45.
[S174] Wyman, Genealogies and Estates of Charlestown, p. 520.
[S164] Little, Gen. and Family History of Maine, p. 900.
[S117] Burr & Gage, "John Houghton of Lancaster, Mass." , pp. 392-400, p. 393-394.
[S46] Boston Transcript, 1917 - 14,004.
[S46] Boston Transcript, 1913, #1467 Nauset.
[S54] Hanson, Vital Records of Dedham, p. 186.
[S11] Lancaster MA VRs, p. 412.
[S11] Lancaster MA VRs, p. 11.
[S11] Lancaster MA VRs, p. 12.
[S11] Lancaster MA VRs, p. 14.

John Houghton^1,2,3,4,5,6

M, #103, b. before 1660, d. 1709

Family: Dyna Phillips b. 18 Sep 1657, d. Oct 1738

Marriage*: John Houghton married Dyna Phillips on Jun 20, 1678? Not in Torrey; The date is from Annie Schaffer's (of Sunbury, PA) DAR application (in Howard Houghton).^12,13,14

John Houghton b. 1688
Joseph Houghton b. 1690
Richard Houghton b. 1692
Jane Houghton b. 1694
(?) Houghton b. 1696
Alice Houghton b. 1698
Thomas Houghton+⁵ b. 14 Sep 1700, d. 1760

Biography

Corresponded with author

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project

Notable

John Houghton (~1660-1709) was the founding ancestor of the John Houghton line of Stony Brooke, NJ.

Birth

before 1660

England, John Houghton could not have been born at Stony Brook in NJ (what would later be MSEX county) because the first permanent settlement in NJ didn't occur until 1660 at Bergen.

Primm: bef. 1660; Kunce: Aug. 28, 1655, Stoney Brook, NJ; SAR application: 4-28-1655^5,7,8,9,10

Note

between 1674 and 1687

NJ, USA, MLM: "John Houghton probably came directly from England and settled on 200 acres of land at bend of Stoney Brook about two miles SW of Princeton NJ, possibly the same John who on June 16, 1688 bought 250 acres at Lower Hooke, Gloucester Co., described in deed as "Chirurgeon".";
H. Houghton: "King Charles II confirmed title and power to Carteret over the eastern half of New Jersey in June of 1674. Berkeley had sold the west half in March of 1674 to John Fenwicke, a Quaker, and Edward Byllinge, a Quaker brewer of London. Financial embarrassment caused Byllinge to assign his share to a group of Quakers led by William Penn. This group later acquired Fenwicke's share. These Quakers gave Thomas Budd permission to buy land from the Indians in 1687. In Revel's Book of Surveys, John Houghton's land is described as being part of Thomas Budd's purchase."
John Houghton arrived around 1687 or so with a large wave of Quakers and settled near what is now Princeton, New Jersey. None of his offspring was ever known to have been Quakers. Three generations stayed in NJ, left for KY after the Revolution and then to Indiana and Illinois.^11,7

Marriage

Jun 20, 1678?

Not in Torrey; The date is from Annie Schaffer's (of Sunbury, PA) DAR application (in Howard Houghton).^12,13,14

Census

1684

Burlington Co., NJ, USA, John Hooton

Living

Jan 11, 1696/97

NJ, USA, NJ Patents: "1696-7 Jan. 11. Deed. Thomas Warne of Monmouth Co. to John Houghton of Middlesex Co., for 200 acres in Middlesex Co., as surveyed for said grantee by Daniel Leedes, along the line of partition." [item 171, page 256). 1697 April ___ Return of Survey for the same, of 200 acres on the Northside of Stony Brook, between Joshua Ward and John Houghton. (item 15, page 393).]

BT: "bought land on the Delaware River near Princeton in 1696-7"^3,13,15,16

Deed

1709

In 1709 four Houghton (Hooten) deeds: John Jr., Joseph, Richard & Thomas; also deeds for Joshua Ward, Samuel Allen, Robert Tindall, Robert Stockton and Joseph Hixson. (TheTindalls, Hixons and Houghtons settled in the NE (predominantly Baptist and Quaker) part of the township). Several prominent English families settled on Stony Brook c1719, making it likely they arrived together: the Houghtons, Robert Stockton, William Olden, Benjamin Clark and Joseph Worth. Genealogical Society of New Jersey, History ofHunterdon Co., N.J., p. 50.¹⁷

Will

Jan 24, 1709

Stony Brook, Burlington, NJ, USA, H. Howard (MLM): "The will of John Houghton was dated January 24, 1709 and is filed in the office of the New Jersey Secretary of State at Trenton. John gave as his residence "Stony Brook in ye county of Middlesex and Sate of New Jersey." The will was written before all his children had attained their majority. He mentioned his children as follows: John, the eldest; Joseph; Richard and Thomas the youngest. He also named one daughter, Alice, and left property to two other daughters whose names where not given. He gave his two sons, John and Joseph, 320 acres of land on "Stony Brook at Hopewell in the county of Burlington." (MLM: between Joshua Ward and Samuel Allen, divided by a line running from Stoney Brook to Thomas Smith's land) His dwelling house and plantation he left to his wife and son Thomas Houghton, "when he comes of age...John Houghton, the father, died in 1709 and the Stony Brook farm was inherited by Thomas."

Primm: "The will of John Houghton, residence "Stony Brook", dated January 24, 1709, mentions his children, John, the eldest, Joseph, Richard, and Thomas, the youngest and Alice and two other daughters not named. He leaves the dwelling house and plantation to his wife and Thomas "When he comes of age."

E.F.C./BT: "the John Houghton whose will was made and proved in 1710 in Midddlesex County, N.J....This will is in New Jersey Archives, Vol. 23, page 241. It mentions sons John, Joseph, Thomas, Richard; gives as his residence Stony Brook, Middlesex County, but describes his home farm as on Stony Brook in Hopewell Township, Burlington County. Stony Brook runs its lower course along or near the western and southern boundaries of what is now Princeton Township, early of Middlesex County, later of Hunterdon County, now of Mercer County. Stony Brook, however rises in Hopewell Township, which was in Burlington County until 1714, when Hunterdon County was formed, and since 1838 in Mercer County."^{1,18,19,5,7,6,20}

Death

1709

Kunce: Apr. 14, 1720, New Castle, DE or Stoney Brooke, NJ^21,8

Biography

Stony Brook, NJ, USA, BT: 2/1935, #9539, CWR: Based on Ralph Ege, identifies father of Col. Job Houghton of NJ as Thomas Houghton, son of John Houghton. He notes that Ege is in error in ascribing this latter John Houghton as John, third son of Ralph and Jane Houghton of Lancaster MA. Ralph's John's dates were 1655-1679, dying in Charlestown, MA.

MLM (based on Ralph Ege's 1908 Pioneers of Old Hopewell): John Houghton, who probably came directly from England, and settled near Princeton, New Jersey, purchased on January 11, 1696, two hundred acres of land of Thomas Warne, at the bend of Stoney Brook near Present Port Mercer, New Jersey. He possessed this land as early as 1690, vide New Jersey Archives, v. 21, p. 365. This was ca. two miles south west of Princeton, bounded by the province line on the west. Warne's tract comprised of fourteen hundred acres, twelve hundred of which were sold to Benjamin Clarke on October 28, 1696. Deeds for the tract are on record in the office of the Secretary of State, Trenton, New Jersey. The fact that Richard Stocton, William Olden, John Houghton, Benjamin Clarke, William Worth and several others of prominent families settled at Stoney Brook the same year would indicate, it seems, that they all came together, altho it is possible that the John Houghton who on June 16, 1688, purchased two hundred and fifty acres of land at Lower Hooke, Gloucester County, and was described as "Chirurgeon," or surgeon, in the deed, came before those others mentioned. With rare exceptions, the pioneers of Hopewell township were children of New England, Long Island, Monmouth, Burlington and other settler communities of New Jersey pioneers.

NJ Patents: p. 256: Jan. 11, 1696-7, 200 acres in Monmouth Co. to John Houghton of Middlesex Co; p. 365: "1690...at Stony Brook, adjoining John Houghton";p. 393: "on the Northside of Stony Brook, between Joshua Ward and John Houghton"; p. 450: "near Stony Brook, N.J., along the East Jersey line, next to John Houghton"; p. 488: "1695-6 March 17...adjoining John Houghton, near Stony Brook"

Primm: "John, of the above family [the Immigrant Ralph's son], is thought to be identical with the one, who, on Jan. 11, 1696 purchased 200 acres of land of Thos. Warne, at the head of "Stony Brook," near the present site of Port Mercer..."

H. Houghton: p. iii, "Our immigrant ancestor, John Houghton, first appeared on records in West New Jersey with an early wave of Quakers known to have settled there in the 1680's. We have found evidence that he was a member of the Quaker Crosswicks Meeting, located not far from his farm in "Stoney Brook". This farm was near the present town of Princeton, New Jersey. His neighbors were Quakers, as were the three who witnessed his will in 1709. No evidence, has been found, however, in records available to us, that any of John's children remained in the Quaker faith."

H. Houghton: p. 1, "We believe that our earliest American ancestor was the John Houghton who is known to have owned land in New Jersey in 1690. Revel's Book of Surveys, New Jersey archives, Vol. XXI, places John Houghton in the Stony Brook area at that time.

     1690 August ____ Return of Survey for Richard Ridgeway. of 600. at Stony Brook, adjoining John Houghton and along the line between E. and W. Jersey. "400 hundred of this sold to Jno Bainbridge & recorded amongst Societies Land page 2." (item 87, page 365).
     1690 Oct. 7. Deed. Daniel Coxe of London, by his attorney John Tatham of Burlington, to Richard Ridgeway, late of Bucks Co., Penna. tailor, now of West Jersey, for 600 acres near Stony Brook, N.J., along the East Jersey, next to John Houghton, part of Tho: Budd's Indian purchase, conveyed to present grantor. (item 398, page 450)

This John Houghton married a Dyna Phillips on June 20, 1678. Dyna was born September 18, 1657. It is quite probable John came directly to New Jersey with the very early wave of Quakers and moved up the Delaware River, settling on land that straddled the "Province Line" of New Jersey.

The following mentions John as a member of the "Chesterfield Meeting," a Quaker Church group established in 1684 at Crossicks, New Jersey.

     When John Reid, assisting Keith in his survey, mapped the area in 1685, Henry Greenland from Piscataway was the only property owner. His two hundred acres lay to the north and west of the Millstone River near Kingston. His residence there is confirmed by the Worlidge Map of 1687-1691, which shows his house on the north side of the road. Greenland's only neighbor was his son-in-law, Daniel Brinson, who then owned land between Springdale and Washington Roads north of Stony Brook. Not long after Henry Greenland had come to the extreme eastern end of the township, a group of Quakers from Chesterfield Meeting bought land along Stony Brook at the western edge near the Provence line. Richard Ridgeway, originally from Bucks County, PA, John Houghton, and John Bainbridge each owned several hundred acres of land that lay west of Stony Brook and straddled the Province Line into Lawrence Township. They were all related to the next group of settlers either through Quaker affairs, or in the case of Ridgeway, by marriage. [C. Grieff, et. al., Princeton Architecture, p. 4]

We have reviewed a microfilm copy of those Church records dated September, 1689 and found a reference to a "Yr" Houghton ("Yr" for Yeoman) mentioned. Quoting as best as we can decipher from that document:

     "---to ye before of friend Joan Sikey appeared at this meeting & was willing and ---- at yet ye friends would assist her with their advice how thee might settled sum part of her estate upon her children according to ye desire & will of her husband.
     So this meeting appointed --- at friend to go forth & consider of it whose opinion was if John Warren & Joan Sikey who intended shortly to take each other in marriage should give security to pay Yr Houghton forty pounds and the ---sonn by when they shall come respectively to ye age one and twenty years old and yt her do not make waste upon ye plantation.
     Monthly Meeting of friends at Francis Davenport's 1689 in Chesterfield. [Chesterfield Meeting Microfilm Record, p. 18]

It was most probable that John Houghton made his original land purchase from Thomas Budd, who in 1687 the Quaker proprietors allowed to buy a 15,000 acre Maidenhead tract and a 30,000 acre Hopewell tract from the Lana-Lanapi (Delaware) Indians. It is known that Budd sold several parcels of these lands to individuals, but no records were preserved of any of those transactions. Budd later sold the "balance" of his lands to Dr. Daniel Coxe of London. Coxe thus became a proprietor and one of New Jersey's largest land holders.

John acquired more land when he purchased 200 acres on January 11, 1696 from Thos. Warne at the head of Stony Brook. The land is near the present site of Port Mercer, New Jersey, about two miles southwest of Princeton, bounded by the province line on the west...[CJV: Early land titles of New Jersey were in dispute, until Aug. 26, 1703, when Dr. Coxe agree to quit title for 10 pounds per 100 acres in the Hopewell tract. Four months later John Houghton was one of 38 who agreed to pay. Henry Mershon II, his neighbor, refused to settle until 1713.]

Henry Mershon was the father of Maria, who married John Houghton's youngest son, and our progenitor, Thomas.

In searching for references of John Houghton, we came across this tale of Richard Thatcher and his purloined horse. Daniel Brinson, a neighbor of John Houghton is also mentioned. This tale appears in the Records of the Courts of Quarter Sessions and Common Pleas of Buck County, Pennsylvania, 1684-1700. Bucks County is just across the Delaware River from Middlesex, County, NJ. This was the only reference we found of John Houghton in Bucks County records...[tale is given]..."

A Quaker settlement was started along Stony Brook and Princeton about 1690.

Aitkin:

John Houghton, son of Sir Ralph Houghton, bom August 28, 1655; purchased in 1696 two hundred acres of land on Stony Brook, two miles southwest of Princeton, N. J. His will, bearing date June 24, 1709, and recorded in the Secretary of State's office at Trenton, N. J., mentions his children including sons John, Richard, Joseph, and Thomas.

JOHN HOUGHTON, d 1710 Stony Brook, Middlesex, New Jersey
Source: None adequate. Will dd 10 Jan 1699, proved 28 May 1710. Middlesex Wills, NJSA.
Wife Dyna, 3 dau. Children not of age. One dau = Alice. As there are few Houghtons in the area, it has been assumed that the other two daus were Jane and Ann, but only from lack of alternatives, not from evidence.
Source: Thomas Hooten / Hooton appears around Trenton / Burlington / Philadelphia. Samuel Houghton lived in Burlington, near the meeting house. John Houghton lived near the East/West Jersey line; Stoney Brook. These are the only Houghtons noted in area records so far. Some of the Jersey records refer to Houghtons in Philadelphia, so more of the family can be traced there.
*****
"Pioneers of Old Hopewell" by Ralph Ege, 1908, pp 11-12. NUMBER II.
"In a very valuable work entitled "National Biography," published in London, England, in 1898, we find the first reference to the family of "Houghton."
The very eventful history of Adam de Houghton, who was Bishop of St. David's and chancellor of England would fill a volume. Of his birth and nationality the historian says, "that he was born at Caerforig, in the parish of White Church, near St. David's, but his name clearly shows his Norman or English origin." His death occurred in 1389.
The next reference in the same work is of John Houghton, who was born in 1488, and died in 1535. His biographer says of him that he was "born of honorable parentage, educated at Cambridge, became a very noted minister, and had a great career." He is described as slight of stature, elegant in appearance, shy in look, modest in manner, sweet in speech, chaste in body, humble of heart, amiable and beloved by all.
We have quoted the above from the biography simply to prove the English origin of this branch of the Houghton family, and that Col. Joab Houghton, the Hopewell hero of Revolutionary fame, was a worthy scion of an illustrious family, which was very distinguished and prominent at an early period.
The first record we have of the family in America is found in "The Genealogy of New England Families," and is of Ralph Houghton, who with his wife, Jane, emigrated from Lancaster, England, to Massachusetts, about 1654.
Their children were Mary, born January 4, 1654; John, born April 28, 1655; Joseph, born July 6, 1657; Experience, born October 1, 1659; Sarah, born February 17, 1662; Abigail, born July 15, 1664.
It cannot be stated positively, but there seems to be good reason for the belief that the John Houghton of the above family is identical with the one of the same name who on January 11, 1696, purchased 200 acres of land of Thomas Warne, at the bend of Stony Brook, near the present site of Port Mercer, about two miles southwest of Princeton, and bounded by the Province line on the west. Warne's tract comprised 1400 acres, 1200 of which were sold to Benjamin Clarke on October 28, 1696.
The deeds for the above tracts are on record in the office of the secretary of State, at Trenton, and the fact that Richard Stockton, William Olden, John Houghton, Benjamin Clarke, Joseph Worth, and several other prominent English families, settled at Stony Brook the same year, would seem to indicate that they all came together, although it is possible that the John Houghton who, on June 16, 1688, purchased 250 acres of land at Lower Hooke in Gloucester Co., and who is described in the deed as a "Chirurgeon" or surgeon.
It is a fact very familiar to those who have had experience in tracing the genealogies of the families of the early settlers of this state, that there was a great migration of English families from the New England States to Long Island during the period from 1665 to 1675, and that many of these same families came to New Jersey a few years later, and settled in Monmonth, Middlesex, Burlington and Hunterdon counties, and this Houghton family was doubtless of the number.
With very rare exceptions the pioneers of Hopewell township were the children of the pioneers of New England, Long Island, and of Monmouth, Burlington, and other older settled counties of our own state.
Just over the Province line, only one mile east of our borough, the pioneers were almost exclusively the children of the Holland Dutch Emigrants, who, fifty years previous, had settled on Long Island, and in the vicinity of New Amsterdam.
The pioneers on either side of the line represented the best elements of the sturdy yeomanry of their respective nationalities, and had been reared amid the hardships and privations incident to pioneer life.
The will of John Houghton is dated January 24, 1709, and is filed in the office of the Secretary of State at Trenton.
"Pioneers of Old Hopewell" by Ralph Ege, 1908, p. 110.
"Joshua Ward, who was one of Hopewell's taxpayers in 1722, and is mentioned in the will of John Houghton, Sr., dated January 24, 1709."
*****
"Genealogy of John Houghton of New Jersey" by Charlie Vella would be good to check out.
*****
"I am researching the ancestry and descendancy of the John HOUGHTON (d. 1709) who arrived in west New Jersey with the large wave of Quakers before 1690 and settled on Stoney Brook near Princeton [now Mercer Co.]. John mar. Dyna PHILLIPS supposed date of 20 June 1678 and they had the following children: John, Joseph, Richard, Alice, two other daughters and Thomas. Thomas HOUGHTON m. Maria MERSHON. Their children: John, Absalom, Thomas Jr., Joab, Anne, Sarah, Mary, Alice and Elizabeth. I seek contacts with any of these descendants mentioned. I have information to share." --- Howard Houghton, Jr. (Dec 1996)
*****
1. Mackenzie, George Norbury, "Colonial Families of the United States of America" (New York: The Grafton Press, 1907.), 3:586, Los Angeles Public Library, 929.273 M156.
2. Savage, James, "A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, showing three generations of those who came before 1692" (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1860-62.), 2:469, Los Angeles Public Library, 929.274 S264.
3. Snow, Nora Emma, "The Snow-Estes Ancestry" (Hillburn, New York: N.E. Snow, 1939.), 1:361, Family History Library, 929.273 Sn61s.
4. Houghton, John Wesley, "The Houghton Genealogy" (New York: Frederick H. Hitchcock, 1912.), p. 93, Family History Library, 929.273 H814h.^{3,22,5,23,6,24}

Research

2018

Notable

is the original emigrant of the John Houghton of New Jersey line.

Contributn

Howard Houghton Jr., in Our Houghton Heritage, was the first major researcher of the genealogy of John Houghton the Quaker of New Jersey; He, in personal correspondence with the author, contributed his data to the Houghton project.

Research

See BT, C.W.R., Dec 6, 1934; G.R.T.B., Dec. 27 1934; E.F.C. Jan. 10, 1935: "In addition to five volumes of Abstracts of Wills in the New Jersey Archives covering the period up to 1780, which may be supplemented for later years by the Index of New Jersey Wills (Secretary of State, 3 vols), Hunterdon County. Marriages and Hopewell Town Records (including records of First Baptist Church) are published, and might help in tracing this line.";

BT: "Ege, with suitable reservations, suggests that this John may have been the fourth child and third son of Ralph and Jane Houghton of Lancaster and Milton, Mas. In this, however, Ege is undoubtedly incorrect, as this John Houghton, died at Charlestown Oct. 10, 1679, according to the Lancaster records. Having his thought fixed on John (Ralph 1) as identical with the John of Middlesex County, Ege suggested that this distant change of residence might be accounted for on the ground that John may have joined quite an extensive migration which was going on at the time from eastern Massachusetts to Long Island and thence to New Jersey, where Indian troubles were at a minimum. He suggested a further line of research in the following list of names: Richard Stockton, William Older, John Houghton, Benjamin Clarke, and Joseph Worth, all of whom bought land on Stony Brook in 1696. It was thought that if others than John Houghton could be proven as having followed the paths of this migration, it would be presumptive evidence that John also came from eastern Massachusetts.
I have been able to trace only one in this list, viz., Richard Stockton, who went from Boston to Flushing, Long Island, became a prudential man of Flushing, and then moved to Stony Brook, N.J., later returning to Flushing to marry."^13,4

Research

Hunterdon, NJ, USA, Sarah Houghton, dau. of the Emigrant John of Lancaster MA, wife of Daniel Goble, ended up in NJ circa 1715

Research

Both Quakers

Relative

NJ, USA

Research

Possibly related; John's descendants marry Mershons⁸

Research

Related DNA ???

Pedigree

Citations

[S3] Vivian Imogene Uran, Houghton Genealogy - V.I. Uran, p. 647.
[S46] Boston Transcript, 1/11/1935, #9539 x 2.
[S159] Nelson, NJ Patents and Deeds, p. 256.
[S190] Houghton, Our Houghton Heritage, p. 1.
[S191] Primm, Genealogical Memoirs, p. 33.
[S815] Marshall L. McClanahan, John Houghton, Pioneer of Hopewell NJ;, M, p. 1.
[S814] Marshall L. McClanahan, Houghton, John & Beatrix - MLM;, M, p. 2.
[S415] E-mail from Ruth Ann Kunce, Feb. 15, 2001.
[S1397] A.M., Ph.D. William B. Aitken, Descended from Wilhemus Beekman & Jan T. Van Dyke, p. 65.
[S882] Ancestry.Com, online www.ancestry.com, http://search.ancestry.com/Browse/view.aspx
[S190] Houghton, Our Houghton Heritage, p. 12.
[S27] DAR Application, Annie Schaffer, #91168+91, Dec. 12, 1916.
[S46] Boston Transcript, 1/11/1935, #9539.
[S190] Houghton, Our Houghton Heritage, p. 2.
[S185] Ege, Pioneers of Old Hopewell, p. 12.
[S190] Houghton, Our Houghton Heritage, p. 4.
[S654] Electronic Web Site, , www.tamu.edu/ccbn/dewitt/mckstmerjersey.htm: Origins of the Jersey Settlement of rowan County North Carolina First Families of Jersey Settlement by Ethel Stroupe 1996.
[S46] Boston Transcript, 1/11/1935, #9539 x2.
[S190] Houghton, Our Houghton Heritage, p. 8-9.
[S185] Ege, Pioneers of Old Hopewell, p. 24.
[S190] Houghton, Our Houghton Heritage, p. 9.
[S190] Houghton, Our Houghton Heritage, p. 1-14.
[S238] William Nelson (Ed.) Revel's Book of Surveys of New Jersey, p. 268, 450.
[S46] Boston Transcript, 2/1935, #9539, CWR.

Elijah Houghton^1,2

M, #104, b. between 1746 and 1750, d. 1830

Father*: Joseph Houton b. b 1726

Family 1: (?) Heaton

Marriage*: Elijah Houghton married (?) Heaton Sam Sutton: Eli is also the executor of the Quaker Moses Heaton's estate. I believe Eli's first wife was probably a Heaton. His brother -in-low Ben Heaton settles with him tin the Rush River Valley of furture Rappahannock County.⁷

Family 2:

Anne Houton⁶

Family 3: Sarah Jackson b. 1754, d. b 1820

Marriage*: Elijah Houghton married Sarah Jackson on 1782 at VA, USA.²

William Houghton+¹ b. bt 1779 - 1783, d. c 1860
Sarah Houghton+⁴ b. 1786, d. 1868
Charles Elijah Houghton+¹¹ b. 1791, d. 10 Jun 1877
Richard Houghton+⁴ b. c 1794, d. 8 Jan 1875
Job Reuben Houghton+¹² b. 19 Feb 1796, d. 1870
Mary Houghton⁴ b. c 1797

Biography

Corresponded with author

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project

DNA Project

Elijah Houghton's descendant Thomas Roger Houghton, indicating this is a unique Houghton DNA line

Birth

between 1746 and 1750

VA, USA, Birth date: ~1743-50. Elijah first appears in the Loudoun County Tithable list in 1767. He would have been 16 years old. (See source below). Per his testimony in an 1826 land dispute case, he indicated he was 83 years old or born about 1743. Per his testimony of June 1826, he stated he was near 80; Carol Houghton: c 1759^3,4

Research

1767

1767 Loudoun Co. VA Quaker Tithables, listed with Elijah Houten⁵

Note

Jul 3, 1769

Clifton's Neck, Fairfax Co., VA, USA, Per George Washington's 1769 diary, Elijah was hired for four days to cut straw at his River Farm on Clifton's Neck in Fairfax County, VA. He was retained as a harvester and paid at the rate of 5s. per day, with an allowance of 3 Spanish dollars for travel. Ledger A, 292, shows that on 3 July 1769 he was paid 3 pounds 13 s. [The Diaries of George Washington. Vol. 2. Donald Jackson, ed.]⁶

Marriage

Sam Sutton: Eli is also the executor of the Quaker Moses Heaton's estate. I believe Eli's first wife was probably a Heaton. His brother -in-low Ben Heaton settles with him tin the Rush River Valley of furture Rappahannock County.⁷

Marriage

1782

VA, USA²

Taxation

1800

Culpeper Co., VA, USA, 1-4 horses⁸

Residence

Culpeper Co., VA, USA²

1810 Census

1810

Culpeper, Culpeper Co., VA, USA, 6 Total; 02101-01001; 2 male 10-15, 1 male 16-25, 1 male 45+//1 female 10-15, 1 female 45+⁹

Mil. Enls

1812

War of 1812 Pension Application Files Index, 1812-1815, Ancestry.com

Research

1812

1820 Census

1820

Culpeper Co., VA, USA

Probate

1830

Death

1830

Culpeper Co., VA, USA^2,4

Notable

Elijah Houghton (1746-1830) was the founding ancestor of the Elijah Houghton line of Virginia.

Contributn

Research

Elijah Houghton represents a separate Houghton DNA line (includes 2358 members in 2019)

Contributn

Research

VA, USA

Research

VA, USA

Parentage?

per Sam Sutton⁶

Research

Biography

Sam Sutton: "Elijah Houghton of Loudoun and Culpeper Virginia
The earliest perserved records we have of a Houghton in Loudoun County, Virginia is the 1749 tithables list. One Henry Houton, a Quaker, appears on that list. There are no other Houton or Houten's listed until 1767. At which time, both Elijah and Joseph appear. Per his testimony in Culpeper County, Virginia in June of 1826, Elijah states his age as near 80. A literal interpretation of this statement would suggest a 1746 year of birth. However, since Elijah does not appear as a tithable until 1767, one could guess a 1750 year of birth. He was clearly born at the time that Henry Houton was living in Loudoun. During the summer of 1769, George Washington recorded in his diary the hiring of one Elijah Houghton to cut straw for about four days at the River Farm located at Clifton's Neck in Fairfax County, VA. The next two events in Elijah's life tend to indicate a Quaker affiliation. In 1773 he signed a petition requesting that Loudoun construct a road to the Quaker meeting house. In 1777, he was designated as the executor of the estate of Moses Heaton. The Heaton's were Quakers from New Jersey. In February of 1782, he witnessed the signing of William Jackson of Loudoun's will. Jackson listed two married and three single daughters. It is believed that one of the later, Sarah, married Elijah later that year. Among the names listed in the will, besides Sarah, are Mary, Phebe and Richard. All of which subsequently appear among Elijah's descendants. In 1796, one Anne Houton marries Thomas Adams of Culpeper. They were married by the Reverend Charles Yates, a known minister serving the future Rappahannock County region of Culpeper. One can conclude that Elijah was a widower when he married Sarah. Per his 1826 testimony, he leased 127 acres in what is now Rappahannock County, Virginia located three miles northwest of the town of Washington, Virginia along the Rush River. He purchased the land in 1802. Per the censuses of 1810 and 1820, we know that Sarah was born prior to 1765. She was apparently deceased at the time of Elijah's probable 1830 death. The appraisal of his estate was recorded in 1830. Unfortunately, the Culpeper will book it was recorded in is missing. He and Sarah had seven known children. Of his four known sons, two served in the militia during the War of 1812. After 1861, only only one of their offsprings was living in Virginia.
All Houghtons in Northern Virgina from 1830 to 1930 descend from Elijah's eldest son William. In addition to Northern Virginia and West Virginia, Elijah's other sons spent their final years in McLean and Edgar County Illinois, respectively."

Worked for George Washington:
Eliab Roberts, William Acres, Joseph Wilson, and Azel Martin were retained by GW as harvesters at the rate of 5s. per day, with an allowance of three Spanish dollars each for travel. The men were paid £4 13s., £3 16s. 4d., £1 15s., and £4 13s., respectively, for their work (General Ledger A, folio 292). Besides these men and Elijah Houghton, GW also retained Thomas Williams, Thomas Pursel (Pursley), John Pursel, and “Young Palmer,” probably a son of Jonathan Palmer (General Ledger A, folio 292). Michael, Davy, and Schomberg were GW’s slaves. Michael was a carpenter and tradesman; Davy, a mulatto, was a servant at the home house plantation 1762–64, a field hand on the Mill plantation 1765–69, and subsequently served for many years as overseer of various Mount Vernon farms; Schomberg was a field hand on River Farm. Ned Holt, who appears in GW’s tithable list for 1761 as being at the home plantation, was presumably the dower slave who had been at Ship’s Landing in York County in 1760. Two slaves named Ned appear on GW’s tithable list for 1769, a carpenter and a laborer at Mill farm. https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/01-02-02-0004-0018-0015¹⁰

Research

1759

VA, USA, 2358 descendants in 2018

Pedigree

Citations

[S415] E-mail from Genny Sharrah, Aug. 1989.
[S415] E-mail from Jane Lack, Sept. 19, 2000.
[S415] E-mail from Genny Sharrah, Aug. 1998.
[S415] E-mail from Carol Houghton, June 7, 2003.
[S882] Ancestry.Com, online www.ancestry.com, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/7326651/person/-1117033810/…|pgNum.
[S415] E-mail from Sam Sutton, Sept. 25, 2006.
[S415] E-mail from Sam Sutton, Oct 10, 2010.
[S415] E-mail from Sam Sutton, Sep 29, 2006.
[S1222] 1810 U.S. Federal Census , Culpeper, Culpeper, Virginia; Roll: 68; Page: 97.
[S415] E-mail from Sam Sutton, Sep. 26, 2006.
[S415] E-mail from Ruth Anne Heeter, June 2003.
[S415] E-mail from Carol Sherman Houghton, June 2, 2001.

Merle Elwood Wade^1,2

M, #116, b. 29 November 1891, d. 19 November 1970

Family: Elouise Morgan b. 14 Jun 1896, d. 1976

Marriage*: Merle Elwood Wade married Elouise Morgan, daughter of James Hamilton Morgan and Lydia May Houghton, on Jun 14, 1917 at Des Moines, Polk Co., IA, USA.^1,3

Joy Anne Wade+ b. 30 Nov 1928
Diane Wade+ b. 10 May 1930, d. 2014

Biography

Corresponded with author

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project

Birth

Nov 29, 1891

Osceola, Clarke Co., IA, USA^1,2

Marriage

Jun 14, 1917

Des Moines, Polk Co., IA, USA^1,3

Graduation

1922

University of Lincoln, Lincoln, England

Occupation

in the Sales Dept. of Southern California Gas Co.

Death

Nov 19, 1970

⁴

Biography

Only son of two children of Alice Hodges and Charles Harvey Wade. He graduated from Osceola High School in 1909, and from the University of Lincoln in 1922. He married Elouise in 1917. He was a traveling salesman for Armour Co. He managed a grocery store in Lincoln, NB, and for a year taught in Burwell, NB, schools. For 22 years he worked for Southern California Gas. Co. in the Sales and New construction departments. He was a member of the Congregational church and the Masonic Lodge.

Pedigree

Citations

[S3] Vivian Imogene Uran, Houghton Genealogy - V.I. Uran, p. 388 #389, 396-397.
[S990] E. Beulah Hauser & Vivian Imogene MORGAN (28), Morgan Genealogy - V. I. (Morgan) Uran, p. 191.
[S990] E. Beulah Hauser & Vivian Imogene MORGAN (28), Morgan Genealogy - V. I. (Morgan) Uran, p. 190.
[S22] E.V. Uran, Family Genealogy, p. 24.