Timothy Dwight (Massachusetts)
Captain Timothy Dwight (1629–1718) represented Dedham in the Great and General Court[1] of Massachusetts and was the progenitor of the Dwight family.[2]
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Personal life
Dwight was born in England in 1629 to John and Hannah Dwight[1] and was brought to Dedham, Massachusetts in 1635 as a child.[3][1] John Dwight, one of the first settlers of Dedham.[4] Timothy was made a freeman in 1655 and was a member of the First Church and Parish in Dedham beginning in 1652.[1]
Dwight was married six times. The first time was on November 11, 1651 to Sarah Perman, who died in childbirth on May 29, 1652.[5][6] On May 3, 1653, he married Sarah Powell, who died on June 27, 1664; she gave him four children.[5][6][lower-alpha 1] Anna Flynt, his third wife on January 9, 1664-5, gave him 10 children.[5][lower-alpha 2]
His fourth wife, the widow Mary Endwind of Reading, Massachusetts, married him on January 7, 1686-7 and died August 30, 1688 without any children.[7] Esther Fisher became his fifth wife on July 31, 1690 and died on January 30, 1690-1.[lower-alpha 3] Bethia Morse, his final wife, married him on February 1, 1691-2 and died on February 6, 1717-18.[6] He had 14 children.[3]
Military and public service
Dwight served in the Great and General Court from 1691 to 1692 and perhaps later.[1] He also served for 10 years as Town Clerk and 25 years as sele (ctman.[1] His public service was praised by Rev. Samuel Dexter, who called him "a man of renown."[1]
Dwight, with Richard Ellis served as the agent of the Town when negotiating with King Phillip for title to the land today known as Wrentham, Massachusetts in 1660.[8] He was also town clerk for a total of 10 years, having first been elected in 1661.[9] He served 24 terms as selectman, beginning in 1644.[10]
He was a cornet of a cavalry troop as a young man and later served as a captain of foot soldiers later.[1] He fought against the native peoples on the area ten times, and either killed or took prisoner nine.[1]
Death
Dwight built the first tomb in the Old Village Cemetery around 1700.[11][8] In that tomb are laid his body, Eleazer Lusher, William Adams.[2] He died on January 31, 1718 and was buried on February 7, 1718, the same day as his wife,[2][1][7] Bethia, who died the day before.[6] His pallbearers included Governor Joseph Dudley and Judge Samuel Sewall.[2]
Notes
- Sarah was the daughter of Michael Powell[4][5]
- Flynt was born September 11, 1642. Her maternal uncle was Leonard Hoar, President of Harvard College.[5]
- Esther was the daughter of Daniel Fisher[4]
References
- Dwight 1874, p. 102.
- Smith 1936, p. 147.
- Goodwin 1982, p. 41.
- Goodwin 1982, p. 40.
- Dwight 1874, p. 104.
- Goodwin 1982, pp. 40-41.
- Dwight 1874, p. 105.
- Dwight 1874, p. 103.
- Worthington 1827, p. 79.
- Worthington 1827, p. 79-81.
- Smith 1936, p. 146.
Works cited
- Smith, Frank (1936). A History of Dedham, Massachusetts. Transcript Press, Incorporated. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
- Goodwin, Nathaniel (1982). Genealogical Notes Or Contributions to the Family History of Some of the First Settlers of Connecticut and Masschusetts. Genealogical Publishing Com. ISBN 978-0-8063-0159-4. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
- Dwight, Benjamin Woodbridge (1874). The History of the Descendants of John Dwight, of Dedham, Mass. J. F. Trow & son, printers and bookbinders. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
- Worthington, Erastus (1827). The history of Dedham: from the beginning of its settlement, in September 1635, to May 1827. Dutton and Wentworth. Retrieved November 8, 2019.