Jonathan Powers (1744)

Born 22 Jul 1744 in Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay

Ancestors

Husband of Love (Pearson) Powers — married 23 Jan 1767 in Lancaster, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Died [date unknown] in Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Alice Glassen [send private message]

Biography

Jonathan Powers Jr. was born on the 22nd of July, 1744 in Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay. He was the son of Jonathan Powers and Hannah Moore.^[1]He was Christened on the 26th of August, 1744 in Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts. ^[2][3]

In 1762 Jonathan's father gifted him with 60 acres of land. The land deed is transcribed as follows; ^[4]

• Know all Men by these Presents That I Jonathan Powers of Lancaster in the County of Worcester Yeoman in Consideration of the natural love and affection which I have and bear to my Son Jonathan Powers of said Lancaster yeoman and for his advancement Have given ... Sixty Acres of Land situate in the Northeasterly part of Princtown and the Easterly Corner of what was Called Watertown Farm ... this fourteenth Day of Anno Domini one Thousand seven Hundred and Sixty Two.

• Worcest Ss Lancaster Oct'r ye 27 1762 then Jonathan Powers abovenamed appeared personally and owned ye above written Instrument to be his free act & Deed. Coram David Osgood Just's Pac's. Received May 3'd 1764 & accordingly Entered & Exam'd pr Tim'o Paine Reg'r.

On 23 Jan 1767 in Lancaster, Massachusetts Jonathan Powers of Lancaster filed a declaration of his marriage intention to Love Pearson, also of Lancaster, Massachusetts. ^{[3][5] [6] [7]}

It is uncertain if Jonathan and Love Pearson had any children. Jonathan's death date and exact location are also uncertain as no reliable source has been found so far. It is believed that he likely died in Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts.

Research Notes

Wives of Jonathan

These two pages (links below) contain research notes on the question of Jonathans wives.

• https://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person:Jonathan_Powers_(3)
• https://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person:Jonathan_Powers_%281%29

There are three women, Bridget (UNKNOWN) Powers (1729-1763), Susanna Willoughby (1744-1828) and Love Pearson (1745-), that have been noted as a wife of this Jonathon in other family trees.

Susannah Willoughby

All of the children by Jonathan Powers and wife Susannah Willoughby suggest (by birth date, last child b. 1787) that Jonathan Powers could not have married Love or Lave? Pearson in 1767 if he was married to Susannah Willoughby. I don't believe it was this Jonathan that married Susannah based on the following;

• The parents of Jonathan, Johnathan Powers and wife Hannah Moore, lived out their lives in Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts. All of their children were born there including their son Jonathan Powers b. 1744. He was of Lancaster.

• Many believe that it was this Jonathan of Lancaster , b. 1744, that married Susannah Willoughby of Hollis, New Hampshire in 1764.

• However the record for that marriage says that she married Jonathan Powers of Dunstable. Jonathan Powers and Susannah Willoughby settled in Dunstable and raised 11 children, so it would seem that Susannah left her home in Hollis to live in Dunstable after her marriage, not Lancaster where this Jonathan was living.

• Johnathan and Susannah had the following known children;

John Powers (1765-1815)

Susannah Powers (1768-1839)

David Powers (1770-1849)

Anna Powers (1772-1849)

Lucy Powers (1775-1859)

Jonas Powers (1777-1805)

Hannah Powers (1778-1781)

Noah Powers (1781-1785)

Joseph Powers (1783-abt.1865)

Rebecca Powers (1785-1846)

Mehitable Powers (1787-1787)

• In a Land Deed in 1762 Jonathan's father identifies his son as "of Lancaster" and gifts him with land in Princeton, Lancaster. See bio for details and source.

• There is a military record for a Jonathan Powers of "Princeton, Lancaster" dated 19 Apr 1775. See notes below under "Military"

• The death of this Jonathan is uncertain as no source has been found to confirm it yet... but his death is believed to have occurred in Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts, not Dunstable.

• The evidence so far strongly suggests that this Jonathan is Not the husband of Susannah Willoughby. And since it is believed that whoever married Sussanah Willoughby also was married to Bridget first, that would rule out Bridget as a wife as well...see notes under "Bridget Unknown"

• Marriage Record Jonathan Powers of Dunstable married Susannah Willoughby of Hollis, on the 28th of November, 1764 in Hollis, New Hampshire, Massachusetts.

• • "History of the Town of Hollis N.H." by Samuel Thomas Worcester 1804-1882. Publisher: William & Co. of Boston, 1879: Marriage 28 Nov 1764 Jonathan Powers of Dunstable, Worcester, Mass to Susannah Willoughby of Hollis, Mass. Page: 344, https://archive.org/details/historyoftownofh00worc/page/344/mode/2up

• • Book Title: Lineage Book : NSDAR : Volume 116 : 1915, Source Information, Ancestry.com. North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.

Bridget Unknown

It is believed that the Jonathan Powers who married Sussanah had a previous wife by the name of Bridget Powers, maiden name unknown because her headstone is beside the graves of Jonathan and Sussanah. However that marriage to Bridget would have taken place before 1754, which is the birth date of her oldest child. This Jonathon would only have been 10 years old at the time.

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/29647424/bridget-powers : accessed 10 July 2022), memorial page for Bridget Powers (unknown–21 Aug 1763), Find A Grave: Memorial #29647424, citing Pine Hill Cemetery, Hollis, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, USA ; Maintained by Sandra Wamsley (contributor 47045804) .

So we can rule out (for this Jonathan), Bridget completely. And it is another reason, if Susannah was the second wife to rule out the marriage to Susannah Willoughby.

Love Pearson Love Pearson b. 1745 in Newbury, MA was the daughter of Bartholomew Moses Pearson and Love (Hutchins) Boynton Pearson. She married Jonathan Powers in Lancaster in 1767. In the marriage record they are both noted as "of Lancaster". Her family likely relocated to Lancaster at some point. The fact that this Jonathan clearly resided in Lancaster makes a strong case that he is the one who married Love Pearson. See bio for marriage record.

Burley-204 04:12, 11 July 2022 (UTC)

Maiden Name of Mother Uncertain or Conflated

This source (Citation #5 in the Bio) contains some information on the Parents of Johnathan. It is not well sourced. Need to find the actual document that supports the statements. It names the parents of Hannah Moore as Johnathan Moore and Hazadiah Fairbanks, which seems to be an error according to the publication by Bolton which follows this source below;

• Earll, Lee and Powers Amidon, Viola, "The Powers Family, A Record of Walter Power of Concord, Massachusetts and Related Families, 1937", Source: Internet Archive, online publication (www.archive.org), accessed 2022-07-09, #12, Johnathan Powers (Daniel)(Walter), Third Generation, Pg 15, digital image #40 of 508, https://archive.org/details/powersfamilyreco00amid/page/n39/mode/2up

This source from Ancestry is from the collection called "North American Histories", The page is from what appears to be a publication called "The Powers Family", however I have seen the original publication and there is no page or section of information that matches what Ancestry is showing. The maiden name of Johnathan's mother is given as Sawyer, not Moore as in the original publication... which suggests that they also use private ancestry trees to cobble things together.

• Ancestry Share

This publication, by Bolton, says a John Moore b. 1662 (John, John) m. 1st Mary Whitcomb and 2nd Hasadiah Fairbanks dau of Jonas and Lydia Fairbanks

His brother was Johnathan Moore b. 1669 who married Hannah Unknown, now believed to be Hannah Sawyer. They had daughter Hannah Moore who married Jonathan Powers.

• Bolton, Ethel Stanwood. “Some Descendants of John Moore of Sudbury, Mass.”, Source: Internet Archive, online publication, accessed 2022-07-10, Reprinted from The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol 57 & 58, Published: 1904, Contributor: Library of Congress, https://archive.org/details/somedescendantso00bolt/page/n11/mode/2up

The Littleton Town Record cited below says Daniel Powers and Elizabeth Whitcomb were the parents of Johnathan Powers b. 1704 who married Hannah or Mary Sawyer and that his wife remarried after his death to Unknown Sawyer.

*"Littleton Town Records, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch, viewed 11/25/20, > image 216 of 604; citing Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9XF-ZRCP?i=215&cc=2061550

At this point, I think that the source by Bolton is the more correct one.

Burley-204 03:34, 10 July 2022 (UTC)

Military

It is uncertain that the Jonathan in this record is the same man as this Jonathan. Jonathan was residing in Lancaster in 1767, and owned land in Princeton, Lancaster. The war started in 1775, ended 1783.

Jonathan Powers

Gender: Male

Military Date: 10 Sep 1778

Military Place: Massachusetts, USA

State or Army Served: Massachusetts

Regiment: Nixon's Company of Horse

Rank: Sergeant

• "Military Record", Source: Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/22191511?h=3ddb4e&

• "United States Rosters of Revolutionary War Soldiers and Sailors, 1775-1783," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG2M-KT8P : 18 March 2018), Jonathan Powers, 02 Mar 1777; citing Military Service, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States, Citing various published state rosters, United States; FHL microfilm

It's more likely that this record is the same man as this Jonathan

• "Massachusetts, Revolutionary War, Index Cards to Muster Rolls, 1775-1783," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2RH-NTMW : 17 March 2018), Jonathan Power, 19 Apr 1775; citing Military Service, Princeton, Princeton, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay, British Colonial America, Massachusetts State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 2,031,792.

Sources

1. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG1K-WZ3Q : 6 May 2022), Jona Powers, 22 Jul 1744; citing Birth, , Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007578571.
2. ↑ "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FZK1-Q5T : 15 January 2020), Jonathan Powers, 1744.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Earll, Lee and Powers Amidon, Viola, "The Powers Family, A Record of Walter Power of Concord, Massachusetts and Related Families, 1937", Source: Internet Archive, online publication (www.archive.org), accessed 2022-07-09, #12, Johnathan Powers (Daniel)(Walter), Third Generation, Pg 15, Pg 19, digital image #40, #48, Pg 15, Pg 19
4. ↑ "Massachusetts Land Records, 1620-1986," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9ZH-K7XG?cc=2106411&wc=MCBL-CNG%3A361612201%2C361715601 : 22 May 2014), Worcester > Deeds 1765-1767 vol 55-56 > image 212 of 618; county courthouses and offices, Massachusetts.
5. ↑ Transcription Error, Marriage location is Massachusetts, "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPCC-Z47F : 31 October 2019), Jona Powers and Love Pearson, 23 Jan 1767; citing Marriage, Lancaster, Lancaster, South Carolina, United States, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007011279.
6. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP8N-8XZ3 : 31 October 2019), Jona Powers and Love Pearson, 23 Jan 1767; citing Marriage, Lancaster, Lancaster, South Carolina, United States, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007011027.
7. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP8K-XQMY : 31 October 2019), Jonathan Powers and Love Pearson, 23 Jan 1767; citing Marriage, Massachusetts Bay, British Colonial America, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007011028.

See Also;

• "Jonathan Powers, 13 Oct 1704", Source: WeRelate (www.werelate.org), online genealogical website, various contributors, accessed 2022-07-11, (note: this site is well sourced) https://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person:Jonathan_Powers_%282%29#S1