Ebenezer Breed (1676 - bef. 1754)

Born 15 Apr 1676 in Lynn, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Ancestors

Died before 14 Jan 1754 before age 77 in Charlestown, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay

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Biography

Ebenezer was a Master Mariner

Ebenezer was born in Lynn on April 14th, 1676. He and settled in Charlestown and married Hannah Marshall Cary on December 4th, 1712 by the Reverend Minister Mr. Simon Bradstreet in Charlestown. ^{[1] [2]}

They had 5 sons, 4 named Ebenezer but none surviving for more than a year. Their son John survived to adulthood and followed in his father's footsteps by becoming a mariner. ^[3]

In a genealogy for The Essex Genealogist, Marcia Lindberg let's us know that: Captain Ebenezer Breed and his brother Captain Ephraim Breed were master mariners. The Massachusetts Archives Collection lists Ebenezer's various ships:

• 1 March 1707/8, Master of brigantine Elizabeth of Boston (7:82).
  
• 5 May 1709, part owner of a sloop, Society of Boston (7:346).
  
• 11 Sept 1711, Master of brigantine Society of Boston (7:84).
  
• 16 Oct 1711, part owner of sloop Diamond of Boston (7:409).
  
• 2 Apr 1713, Master of brigantine, Society, deposition (7:461).
  

The Massachusetts Archives Collections also note the following:

• 18 April 1735, he was a grantee of Narragansett township in the name of his father. (114:108).
  
• 23 March 1751, he was a Westminster grantee (115:765).
  
• 13 June 1751, he was a proptietor of Narragansett No. 2 (116:113).
  
• 1 Nov 1757, he was included in the Lynn account for care of French neutrals (23:491).

Capt. Ebenezer accumulated considerable wealth, both by inheritance and purchase. Between 1722 and 1729, he bought five tracts of field and pasture, latter called "Breed's Hill" where today stands "Bunker Hill Monument". ^[4]

In 1771, Ebenezer bought "The Great House" from Samuel Long. ^[4] An article in the Breed Family Association by Gertrude C. Newhall titled "The Breeds of Charlestown, Mass" tells us "The house in which they [Ebenezer and Hannah] lived has an interesting history, being in fact, the earliest historic building erected within the present limits of Boston. It was built to serve as a residence for the Governor and high officials of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1629 when, under the direction of Governor Endicott a town was laid out at Charlestown in preparation for the colonists expected to arrive with Governor Winthrop the following year. In August and September 1630 it was occupied by Gov. Winthrop and the Court of Assistants (the legislative body of the Massachusetts Bay Colony) and for this reason, it became known as the "Great House"... In April 1635, when the seat of Government was removed to Boston, the "Great House" was bought by the town from Gov. Winthrop and the Mass. Bay Company officials to be used as a Meeting House and what grew to be the present First Church of Charlestown was organized... It was from a grandson of Increase Nowell, Samuel Long, that Capt. Ebenezer Breed, in 1711, bought half of the "Great House" which at that time had been divided into two parts, each serving as a separate residence. It had come down to Samuel from his grandfather, Robert Long, who bought it in 1636, after the building of the new Meeting House. During his ownership it became a tavern, called "The Three Cranes" because of its sign... Robert Long and his sons after him kept this tavern for three-quarters of a century... The property which Capt. Ebenezer purchased from Samuel Long in 1711 remained in the possession of his descendants for generations, until it was bought by the town of Charlestown to form part of what is now City Square." ^[3]

The "Great House" was burned down by the British during the battle of Bunker Hill in 1775, however the outline of the "Great House" can still be seen in the square today and is now a historical landmark. ^[5]

The Great House

Ebenezer wrote his will on December 31st, 1753 but he added a codicil to the will on January 1st, 1754. His will and codicil were submitted to the court on January 14th so we know that Ebenezer passed away sometime between January 1st and the 14th. ^[6]

It is believed that Hannah died before her husband as she was not named in his will.

In 1923 a tablet was erected on Breed's Hill in Charlestown, marking the actual site of the battle of Bunker Hill. ^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ * Breed Family Association 5th Midwinter Meeting (1926), Breed, Sarah Ellen, ed.; p. 126, no. 16.
2. ↑ *"Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, (FamilySearch : 13 July 2016), Suffolk > Charlestown > Births, marriages, deaths 1629-1843 > image 122 of 447; town clerk offices, Massachusetts.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Breed Family Association Ninth Midwinter Meeting (1930), Breed, Sarah Ellen, ed.; p. 305, 311, no.9.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} The Essex Genealogist. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2018.)
5. ↑ Waymarking.com Massachusetts Historical Marker
6. ↑ *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 mages provided by FamilySearch.org).
7. ↑ Breed Family Association Second Midwinter Meeting (1922 ), Breed, Sarah Ellen, ed.; p. 15- 27 (and insert), no.1.