Abraham Morrill and Sarah Clements
Abraham Morrill
- Born
- ABT 1615[1] at Hatfield-Broadoak, Essex, England
- Died
- 20 JUN 1662[2] at Roxbury, Mass.
- Will
- 18 JUN 1662, proved 14 October 1662[3]
- Married
- 10 JUN 1645[4] at Salisbury, Mass.
- Father
- ____ Morrill
We do not know for sure when Abraham Morrill emigrated to New England, however he most likely came on the ship Lyon in 1632 with his older brother Isaac. We think he was young because he did not sign the Oath of Allegiance to the King, and only adult men were required to sign the Oath. We first find Abraham living alone in Cambridge, Massachusetts, paying taxes in 1634. Being a young man in 1632 and a property owner in 1635 puts his birth year at around 1615.
By 1640, Abraham becomes a founding member of the Puritan plantation at Salisbury, Massachusetts. He was granted a house-lot on the “Green.” By 1642, he and Henry Saywood were granted 60 acres to build a corn mill. [5]
Abraham Morrill died in Roxbury while visiting his brother. The will of Abraham Morrill is signed two days before his death, the signature being not much more than a scribble. He is believed to be buried in Roxbury in the Eustis Street Burying Ground, in the same cemetary as his brother, who died less than one year later. This is the same cemetary where Thomas Dudley, first Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, was laid to rest. To his “dear and loving wife” Abraham left one half of the entire estate outright. The other half was to be split between his six surviving children which he mentions by name: Isaack, Abraham, Jacob, Sarah, Moses, and Lidda. His wife Sarah was carrying their youngest child, as yet unborn. Being the eldest, Isaack was to receive a double portion once he reaches the age of 21. Abraham’s wife Sarah and his son Isaack were appointed executors of the estate. The descendents of Abraham Morrill include David L. Morrill, Governor of New Hampshire 1817-23, and Justin Smith Morrill, Congressman from Vermont for 43 years and responsible for the Morrill Land Grant Act that established the country’s agricultural colleges or “aggies.”
Sarah Clements
- Born
- 1626[6] at Ansley, Warwick, England
- Died
- AUG 1694[7] at Salisbury, Mass.
- Father
- Robert Clements
- Mother
- Lydia Drummer
- Also m.
- (2) Thomas Mudgett
Sarah Clements was the daughter of Robert Clements, the pioneer of Haverhill, Mass. He was influential and wealty in that community, and the owner of the first grist mill. He was one of the five to take the deed of the town from the Passagut and Saggahew Indians in 1642. He eventually came to own an island in the Merrimack River that is still known as Clements Island. [8]
The sister of Sarah Clements, Mary (Clements) Osgood, was caught up in the Salem Witch Trials; Mary (Clements) Osgood was accused of witchcraft and spent three months in jail.
Children
- Born
- 14 OCT 1650[13] · Salisbury, Mass.
- Died
- 11 SEP 1731[14] · Salisbury, Mass.
- Married
-
(1) Phillip Rowell — m. in Amesbury, Mass., 05 January 1670[15]
Phillip b. in Salisbury, Mass., 08 March 1648[16]; d. in Salisbury, Mass., 07 July 1690[17].(2) Onesiphorus Page — m. in Salisbury, Mass., 31 July 1695[18]
Onesiphorus b. ca. 1642; d. in Salisbury, Mass., 28 June 1706[19].(3) Daniel Merrill — m. in Salisbury, Mass., 29 May 1708[20]
Daniel b. in Newbury, Mass., 20 August 1642[21]; d. in Salisbury, Mass., 27 June 1717[22].
- Born
- 28 DEC 1655[25] · Salisbury, Mass.
- Died
- 20 MAY 1731[26] · Salisbury, Mass.
- Married
-
(1) Rebecca Barnes family page →
(2) Mary Gove — m. in Amesbury, Mass., 25 November 1727[27]
Mary b. in Hampton, N.H., 14 April 1666[28]; m. (2) in Hampton, N.H., 1682 to Joseph Sanborn.