The Hyphen Family Lineage

[Excerpt from A Cutler Memorial and Genealogical History, pp17-21.]

JAMES CUTLER AND HIS DESCENDANTS.

1. James Cutler, born in England in 1606, settled as early as 1634 in *Watertown, Mass., where the first record of the family name in New England is to be found, and was one of the original grantees of land in the northerly part of the town, on the road to Belmont. He married Anna -- , tradition says a sister of †Capt. John Grout's wife, both of whom were so opposed and tantalized in England for their Puritanism, that they resolved to seek their fortunes in New England, and came unattended by parents or near friends. There is no authentic record by which to fix the year of James Cutler's arrival here. His first child, James, was born " ye 6th day 9th month 1635.'' He had that year passed all necessary probation, had been received an inhabitant of Watertown, and had a house-lot assigned him. It contained eight acres, bounded east by Thomas Boylston, west and north by a highway, i.e., by Common street and Pond road, south by Ellias Barron.

In the first "great divide" (that is, general division of land), July 25, 1636, he was assigned twenty-five acres, and three acres in the further plain (now Waltham), next to the river. In 1642, from the farm lands, he had assigned him eighty-two acres in the fourth division, and four other lots. October 2,1645, he was one of the petitioners "in relation to Nashaway plantation, now Weston." December 13, 1649, James Cutler and Nathaniel Bowman, for £70, bought of Edward Goffe 200 acres in Cambridge Farms, adjoining Rock Meadow, and near to or adjoining Waltham, "payable in instalments of £10 annually, in money, cattle, hogs, wheat, pease, rice Indian corn or barlie, at the dwelling house of Edward Goffe, in Cambridge,'' and payment secured by mortgage. March 4,1651, Cutler sold his share (100 acres) to Bowman for £39. About this time, he settled at Cambridge Farms (now Lexington), on what is now known as Wood street, near the place where William Hartwell resides, not far from the Concord (now Bedford) line. A part of the farm has been in the family until recently, when it was sold by the heirs of Leonard Cutler. He is supposed to have built one of the first houses at the Farms; vestiges of the cellar still remain. The house was located some thirty rods from the present highway, on an elevation commanding an extensive view. **James Cutler buried his first wife, Anna, September 30, 1644, and married, second, March 9, 1645, Mary, widow of ***Thomas King. She died December 7, 1654, and he married his third wife, Phoebe, daughter of ‡John Page, about 1662. Mr. Cutler was too remote from Watertown, and especially from Cambridge, to have admitted of his serving in town affairs in either place. He made his will November 24, 1684, at Cambridge Farms, being then seventy-eight, and died May 17, 1694, aged eighty-eight years. In his will, he bequeathed to his son James Cutler a parcel of land on the north side of the brook and meadow, adjoining land which he had formerly sold him, and ten acres of meadow in the "great meadow,'" and a small parcel of meadow of the upper end of his home meadow as his portion of his estate. To his son Thomas Cutler, twenty acres of upland and meadow, in addition to fifteen acres of meadow previously given him; to his son Samuel Cutler, twenty acres of land, more or less, as may appear by deed under his hand and seal; to the rest of his children, including the two children of his former wife, widow of Thomas King, and to his sons Thomas and John, equal portions of the balance of his estate, notice being made that he had given to John Collar, (the husband of his daughter Mary), twenty acres of upland, and to Richard Parks, (husband of his step-daughter Sarah King), £6 5s.; to his daughter, the wife of John Parmenter, £7 and a cow; to his daughter Sarah Waite, a mare and cow; to Mary Johnson, £5; to Hannah Winter, £5; to his daughter Joanna Russell a feather bed and bolster and coverlid and an iron pot, and to his daughter Jemima, his feather bed and bolster and all that belongs to it; that these things be accounted a part of his estate; that his sons Thomas Cutler, John Cutler and Samuel Cutler have his house and lands not formerly disposed of, paying to the rest of his children their several parts, according to his will, in three annual payments; and that Thomas and John
should be his executors. His will was proved August 20, 1694. Such is the brief, unvarnished record of the James "Cuttler," who came to New England 250 years ago. There is no direct testimony as to his character, his social
standing, or his intelligence. That he was honest and perservering, however, is evident by his acquisition of lands and payment for the same. His early investment with full citizenship shows he had established a fair reputation among his fellow-townsmen; while the provisions of hiswill, whereby sons-in-law and step-children share in his estate, manifest a large and liberal spirit. Are we not justified in finding here a worthy progenitor of our family?

The births of his first five children are recorded at Watertown as follows:

2. i. "James (2), ye son of James and Anna Cuttler , b. ye 6th day 9th mo. 1635;" d. at Cambridge Farms (now Lexington) July 31, 1685.

ii. "Hannah, ye dau. of James and Anna Cuttler, his wife, b. ye 26th day 5th mo. 1638;" m. John Winter, Jr., who d.
at Camb. Farms, Jan.18,1690. His will, dated Dec. 12, 1689, makes no mention of his wife, who probably d. before him, but speaks of sons John (3), Thomas (3), and Samuel (3), and daus. Sarah (3), Hannah (3), and Mary (3). Joseph (3) Winter d. at Camb. Farms Dec. 10, 1689, and his is the first death mentioned in the Lexington records.

iii. "Elizabeth, b. ye 28th day 11th mo. 1640; d. Oct. 30, 1644."

iv. "Mary, b. ye 29th day 3rd mo. 1644 ;" m. John Collar, as his second wife; removed to Sudbury, probably.

v. "Elizabeth, b. ye 2oth day 5th mo. 1646;" m. John Parmenter, 3d, of Sudbury. Had: 1. Sarah (3) Parmenter, b. Aug. 20, 1668; m. Edmund Bowker in 1688. 2. Mary (3) Parmenter, b. Oct. 15, 1670; m. -- Bennett. 3. Elizabeth (3) Parmenter, b. Dec. 9, 1642; m. -- Garfield. 4. John (3) Parmenter, Jr., b. April 9, 1678; m. (1) Martha --, who d.; and his intention of marriage with Mehitable, widow of Daniel Livermore of Weston, was published Dec. 27, 1728. He had: Samuel (4) Submit (4), Jonathan (4), Silence (4), Martha (4), Deliverance (4), Joshua (4), Caleb (4), Nathaniel (4) and John(4). 5. Joseph (3) Parmenter, b. Aug. 24, 1685; m. Lydia Rice in 1717. Had: John (4), Lydia (4), Elizabeth (4), Peter (4), Jason (4), Rebecca (4) and Thankful (4).

vi. Thomas, b. about 1648; d. at Lexington, July 13, 1722.

vii. Sarah, b. 1653; m., in 1673, Thomas Waight of Camb. Farms, b. in 1641. They settled at Weston, Mass., where he d., Jan. 3, 1722; she d. Jan. 17, 1744, aged 91. They joined the church by letter from Watertown, Feb 2, 1690. Had: 1. Richard (3)Waight, b. Jan. 29, 1674-5; d. Oct. 5, 1690. 2. Phoebe (3) Waight, b. July 6, 1676. 3. Thomas (3) Waight, b. March 7, 1677-8. 4. John (3) Waight, b. Feb. 16, 1680-1; d. Aug. 24, 1691. 5. Joseph (5) Waight, b. Feb. 4, 1682-3; d. in Worcester, Oct. 5, 1758, aged 71. He had by wife Sarah: 1. Priscilla (4) Waight, b. April 14, 1707; m. Charles Adams. 2. John (4) Waight. 3. Rebecca (4) Waight, who m. -- Curtis. 6. Sarah (3) Waight, b. Jan. 13, 1687-8; m., Aug. 14, 1712, Ebenezer Allen (his second wife). 7. Mary (3) Waight, b. Jan. 20, 1689-90. 8. Richard (3)Waight, b. June 25,
1691. 9. Abigail (3) Waight, b. Dec. 3, 1697; m., Sept. 18, 1718, Solomon Temple of Concord, Mass.

viii. Joanna, b. abt. 1660; m., April 19, 1680, Philip, son of William Russell; she d. Nov. 26, 1703. Ch.: 1. James (3) Russell, b. abt. 1681. 2. Joanna (3) Russell, b. Dec. 20, 1683; m. Wm. Munroe. 3. William (3) Russell, b. July 23, 1686. 4. Philip (3) Russell, b. Sept. 18, 1688. 5. Samuel (3) Russell, b. Jan. 12, 1690-1. 6. Jemima(3) Russell, b. 1692; m. William Locke. 7. Thomas (3) Russell, bapt. July 3, 1698. 8. Abigail (3) Russell, b. Sept. 11, 1700; m. David Sprague of Charlestown.

ix. John, b. May 19, 1663; d. Sept. 21, 1714.

x. Samuel, b. Nov. 18, 1664; his death was commemorated by his brother John.

xi. Jemima, who m., Sept. 22, 1697, Zerubabel Snow.

xii. Phoebe, who was unm. in 1684.

*Watertown, situated six miles west of Boston, was settled in July, 1630, by Sir Richard Saltonstall, with a large number of emigrants, and Rev. George Phillips as their paster, who sailed from the Isle of Wight, April 8, of that year, in the ships Arbella, Jewell, Ambrose and Talbot, arriving in Salem June 12, 13, 18, and July 2, respectively. Soon after their arrival, June 17, a party, including Gov. John Winthrop and Sir Richard Saltonstall, started out to explore the country about the bay, for the purpose of selecting a place for settlement. Having chosen the peninsular of Charlestown, they returned to Salem, and, as soon as preparations could be made for their accommodation, the passengers of the fleet proceeded to Charlestown. That their stay here was brief is evident from the fact that a church was organized in Watertown, July 30, when forty men, with Sir Richard at the head, signed the covenant.

† Capt. John Grout m., first, Mary --,and, second, Sarah, widow of Thomas Cakebiead; he removed to Sudbury, where he d., 1697.

**James Cutler and others signed a petition to the General Court, in October. 1682, to be set off as a distinct parish, having no ministry without going from five to ten miles. The people of Cambridge zealously opposed the separation and the passage of the petition was not granted. The oldest paper upon the records at Lexington is a subscription list, in 1691, for the purpose of erecting a meeting-house in the precinct. It was signed by forty-one persons, among whom were Thomas Cutler, £2; James Cutler, £1; John Cutler,12s.; and a tax bill for salary for the minister, from May 1, 1692, to May 1,
1693: John Cutler, 10s. 6d.; Thomas Cutler, 18s. 9d.

***Thomas King, aged 15, embarked at Ipswich, April, 1634, with John Barnard's family; he m. Mary, and d. at Watertown, December 3, 1644.

‡John Page, with wife Phoebe, came from Dedham, Eng., in 1630; he d. at Watertown, December 18, 1676.