James Cutler Sr (aft. 1606 - 1694)

Born after 1606 in England

Husband of Anna (Unknown) Cutler — married before 1635 in Watertown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts

Husband of Mary (Unknown) Cutler — married 9 Mar 1645 (to 7 Dec 1654) in Lexington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts

Descendants

Died 17 Jul 1694 before age 88 in Cambridge Farms, Lexington, Middlesex, Massachusetts

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James Cutler Sr migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Great Migration (Series 2), by R. C. Anderson, vol. 2, p. 267) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

James Cutler Sr was born in England.

Disputed Origins

James Cutler's ancestry is not proved.

Robert Charles Anderson, in The Great Migration, states that the origins of James Cutler are unknown.^[1] In his 2015 Great Migration Directory, page 85, Robert Charles Anderson, F.S.S.G., repeats the fact that James Cutler's origins are "Unknown".

The following have been suggested as parents for James Cutler, but without proof:

• Thomas Cutler & Anne Doundy
• Roger Cutler & Winifred (Rhybett) Cutler.

Suggested Birth Information

• James Cutler was of Sprowston, a suburb of Norwich, Norfolk, England.
• A James Cutler was born/baptized 21 May 1605 in Sprowston, Suffolk, England and might be the same person^[2].
• A James Cutler was was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, England^[3]
• A James Cutler was born in Suffolk, England on May 21, 1606. ^[4]

• He was baptized 1611 in Ashby La Zouch, Blackfordby, Leicester, England ^{[citation needed]}

James Cutler, Immigrant to Massachusetts

He was a proprietor of Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts. The estate of Samuel was settled in 1700. ^[5]

Birth

A birth date of 1606 can be estimated based on the age he gave -- 78 -- when he made his will in November 1684.

Immigration Prior to 1635

There is no authentic record by which to fix the year of James Cutler's arrival here. His first child, James, was born "y 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.^[4]

He arrived in Watertown, Massachusestts in 1634. ^[6]

Settlement in Watertown

"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. ^[4]

1635 First Marriage to Anna

The maiden name of his first wife is unknown.

James Cutler married Anna Cakebread as his first wife in 1635 in Watertown^[2]. James Cutler was a child of this marriage.

Cakebread as the birth name for first wife Anna is in doubt, however. "If the early claim that Mary, first wife of Ens. John Grout and Anne first wife of James Cutler were sisters, can be proved, it means that Anne was another daughter of Thomas and Sarah (_____) Cakebread" ^[7]. This claim appears only in the secondary literature, and seems unlikely, since the entire estate of Thomas Cakebread seems to have ended up in the hands of John Grout." ^[8]

"He married Anna [Cakebread], tradition says a sister of Capt. John Gront'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. ^[4]

1636 Great Divide

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. ^[4]

In 1642, from the farm lands, he had assigned him eighty-two acres in the fourth division, and four other lots. ^[4]

1645 Second Marriage to Mary King

James Cutler buried his first wife, Anna, September 30, 1644^[9], and married, second, March 9, 1645, Mary^[10], widow of Thomas King.

October 2, 1645, he was one of the petitioners "in relation to Nashaway plantation, now Weston." ^[4]

Further Land Transactions

December 13, 1649, James Cutler and Nathaniel Bowman, for L70, bought of Edward Goffe 200 acres in Cambridge Farms, adjoining Rock Meadow, and near to or adjoining Waltham, "payable in installments of L10 annually, in money, cattle, hogs, wheat, peas, rice, Indian corn or barley, at the dwelling house of Edward Goffe, in Cambridge," and payment secured by mortgage. ^[4]

March 4, 1651, Cutler sold his share (100 acres) to Bowman for L39. 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. ^[4]

He was of Cambridge Farms (Lexington MA.) where he died 17 Jul 1694. ^[11]

1662 Third Marriage to Phoebe Page

His second wife Mary "died December 7, 1654, and he married his third wife, Phebe, 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. ^[4][12]

Death and Will

James Cutler made his will November 24, 1684, at Cambridge Farms, being then seventy-eight, and died May 17, 1694, aged eighty-eight years.^[4]

• 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), L6 5s.;
• to his daughter, the wife of John Parmenter, L7 and a cow;
• to his daughter Sarah Waite, a mare and cow;
• to Mary Johnson, L5;
• to Hannah Winter, L5;
• 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 persevering, 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 his will, whereby sons-in-law and stepchildren share in his estate, manifest a large and liberal spirit.^[4]

Burial

James is presumed to be buried. the Old Burying Ground in Lexington. ^[3]

Children

The birth dates for Thomas, Sarah, Joanna and Jemima are estimates.

Children of James Cutler and Anna

1. James Cutler, b. Watertown Nov 6, 1635^[13]
2. Hannah Cutler b. Watertown Jul 26, 1638^[14], m. John Winter, Jr.
3. Elizabeth Cutler b. Watertown Jan 28, 1640, d. Dec 30, 1644
4. Mary Cutler b. Watertown March 29, 1645, m. Parks

Children of James Cutler and Mary Bernard, widow of Thomas King

1. Elizabeth Cutler b. Watertown Jul 22, 1646, m. John Parmenter
2. Thomas Cutler b. Watertown Oct 1648
3. Sarah Cutler b. Cambridge Farms, Lexington, MA, m. Thomas Waite

Children of James Cutler and Phoebe Page

1. Joanna Cutler b. Watertown, 1660, m. Russell
2. John Cutler b. Cambridge, Mar 18 1663
3. Samuel Cutler b. Cambridge, MA, Nov 8, 1664
4. Jemima Cutler b. Watertown, 1670, m. Zerubabbel Snow

Sources

1. ↑ Anderson, Great Migration 1634-1635, C-F, Vol II, pp 267
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Yates Publishing, U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 (The Generations Network, Inc., Provo, UT, USA, 2004) on Ancestry.com
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Find a Grave:Find A Grave: Memorial #33451491
4. ↑ ^{4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11} A Cutler memorial and genealogical history : containing the names of a large proportion of the Cutlers in the United States and Canada, and a record of many individual members of the family, with an account also of other families allied to the Cutlers by marriage Compiled by Nahum S. Cutler, Compiled by Nahum S. Cutler, Greenfield, Mass., Press of E. A. Hall & Co., Greenfield, Mass., 1899, pg 17-20
5. ↑ references: "The Great Migration" vol. 2. pp. 267--271; "the Cutler Genealogy" Ephraim Mower; "History of Lexington MA." Hudson; "Dawes-Gates ancestral Lines" Ferris
6. ↑ Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s Author: Gale Research Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009.Original data - Filby, P. William, ed.. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2009.
7. ↑ Ferris, Dawes-Gates, 1:663
8. ↑ Anderson in GMB, quoting Ferris.
9. ↑ Watertown Records Comprising the First and Second Books of Town Proceedings with the Land Grants and Possessions also the Proprietors' Book also the First Book and Supplement of Births Deaths and Marriage (Prepared for Publication by the Historical Society)(Watertown Mass Press of Fred G Barker 1894)(Free e-book)(Records are also available at ma-vitalrcords.org) p. 11
10. ↑ Watertown Records Comprising the First and Second Books of Town Proceedings with the Land Grants and Possessions also the Proprietors' Book also the First Book and Supplement of Births Deaths and Marriage (Prepared for Publication by the Historical Society)(Watertown Mass Press of Fred G Barker 1894)(Free e-book)(Records are also available at ma-vitalrcords.org) p. 12
11. ↑ Anderson, Robert Charles, F.A.S.G., The Great Migration Directory, (Boston, Massachusetts, NEHGS, 2015), "Concise entries for all immigrant families for the entirety of the Great Migration, from 1620 to 1640." Includes all entries from The Great Migration Series, the Study Project, The Pilgrim Migration 1620-1633 and the The Winthrop Fleet 1629-1630. page 85
12. ↑ Snow-Estes Ancestry: Vol. 1, Page 59,
13. ↑ Watertown Records Comprising the First and Second Books of Town Proceedings with the Land Grants and Possessions also the Proprietors' Book also the First Book and Supplement of Births Deaths and Marriage (Prepared for Publication by the Historical Society)(Watertown Mass Press of Fred G Barker 1894)(Free e-book)(Records are also available at ma-vitalrcords.org) p. 4
14. ↑ Watertown Records Comprising the First and Second Books of Town Proceedings with the Land Grants and Possessions also the Proprietors' Book also the First Book and Supplement of Births Deaths and Marriage (Prepared for Publication by the Historical Society)(Watertown Mass Press of Fred G Barker 1894)(Free e-book)(Records are also available at ma-vitalrcords.org) p. 5

• Anderson, Robert Charles, Great Migration 1634-1635, C-F. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume II, C-F, by Robert Charles Anderson, George F. Sanborn, Jr., and Melinde Lutz Sanborn. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001. Vol II, pp 267

• Hudson, Charles. History of the Town of Lexington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts Vol 2, (Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston and New York, 1913) (Free e-book. Available at Google Play)

• U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700 for James Cutler, Third Supplement to Torrey´s New England Marriages Prior to 1700 [1]

See also:

• Snow, Nora Emma. The Snow-Estes Ancestry (Hillburn, New York, 1939)

• Find A Grave, database and images (findagrave.com : accessed 06 January 2019), memorial page for James Cutler (21 May 1606–17 Jul 1694), Find A Grave: Memorial #33451491, citing Old Burying Ground, Lexington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA ; Maintained by Bonnie Huish (contributor 46938507) .

• Watertown Records Comprising the First and Second Books of Town Proceedings with the Land Grants and Possessions also the Proprietors' Book also the First Book and Supplement of Births Deaths and Marriage (Prepared for Publication by the Historical Society)(Watertown Mass Press of Fred G Barker 1894)(Free e-book)(Records are also available at ma-vitalrcords.org)

• Ferris, Mary. Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines (Privately Printed, 1943) Vol 1, Pages 198-237

• Mower, Ephraim. Cutler Genealogy: 1606 to 1897. Place of publication not identified: publisher not identified, 1897. View on FamilySearch

Further research:

• J Gardner Bartlett, Bushnell Ancestry p 7 [sorting children among three wives]

• Bate, Kerry, TAG 53:58 1977. Attempt reconcile ages of Cutler's youngest children with identities of their mothers, "with mixed results" according to Anderson.

• Burgess, Marjorie C. A Genealogy of the Cutler Family of Lexington, Massachusetts: James and Some of His Descendants, 1634-1964. Concord, N.H: Evans Printing Co, 1965. Borrow from Internet Archive.

• Cutler, Nahum S., A Cutler Memorial and Genealogical History, Published 1889 E.A. Hall & Co, Springfield, MA; Hathitrust.org Link https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2496/images/42521_b158313-00369?pid=744