Moses Saunders (1714 - bef. 1748)

Born 23 May 1714 in Haverhill, Essex, Massachusetts

Ancestors

Husband of Sarah (Martin) Saunders — married 3 Apr 1740 in Amesbury, Essex, Massachusetts

Descendants

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Susannah Zemke [send private message]

Biography

Ancestry of Moses Saunders is NOT PROVED - I am working on this theory based on evidence available:

Moses Saunders lived in Monson, NH, from about 1738 until 1747?

He was supposedly from Marlborough, but I have found no trace of a Saunders in Marlborough during this time period. A more likely case maybe that he is the Moses Saunders (possibly of Haverhill, son of Avery & Abigail (Green) Sanders ) who married Sarah Martin ( daughter of John & Jane (Flanders) Martin of A.) in Amesbury in 1740.

This is my hypothesis based on data available: there is the marriage of Moses & Sarah in 1740, and then baptisms for three of the children (Abigail, Sarah, & Stephen), each following a few weeks or months from the date of birth recorded in Monson. There was no church in Monson. It may be that close family ties brought Moses & Sarah Saunders back to Amesbury for the baptisms of their children. Or did Sarah go back “home” to Amesbury to give birth?

IF he is son of Avery Sanders, then Moses' brother, Jonathan also migrated to New Hamshire in 1732 - first to Hampton, then Chester, thenHaverhill NH. Also, his sister Abigail Sanders m. John Atwood and they went to NH.

More importantly, two brothers of his wife Sarah Martin, appear to have gone to Hollis, NH - John Martin (m. Rachel ---) Stephen Martin (m. Anna Blanchard, Patience Pope in Hollis, d. 1777 in Hollis)

In the Amesbury records, there is a record for baptism of twins, Avery & John, 1 May 1748, widow Sarah Saunders.

I cannot find any other Sarah Saunders in previous Amesbury records except for our Sarah (Martin) Saunders - we know that Moses Saunders supposedly left Monson/Hollis, NH around 1747 - where did they go? If these are his twins, then he died before May 1748, leaving widow Sarah with 6 young children (if all the children survived - we only know of Abigail reaching adulthood …but possibly also Stephen who may have been the Stephen Saunders of Temple NH who married Lucy Pierce)

old Monson records

References to Moses Saunders & Thomas Powers (his son-in-law Isaac's father) in old Monson records:

early Monson settlers: Moses Saunders 1738 Bailey Place Federal Hill Rd (1st saw mill) Thomas Powers 1/2 mi East of Patch Corner (Minot Wheeler Place)

Town Meeting of 1753 held at home of Thomas Powers

Thomas - Constable in 1768 Field drivers Thomas 1757 and Isaac 1768

Surveyors of Hwy Thomas 1765 Fence Viewers Thomas 1752 and 1766 Births Abigail dau of Moses Saunders and Sarah 7 May 1740 Sarah 20 Sep 1742 Moses 22 Apr 1744 Stephen 16 Jan 1746

another section has: Abigail Saunders, dau of Moses Saunders and wife Sarah, b 4 or 5 May 1741? Sarah b 22 Apr 1744 Stephen b 16 Jan or Jun 1746?

Amesbury Records

Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury Massachusetts vol 2

Persons baptised From the Wingate records. Not found on the church records. Second Congregational Church - West Parish of Amesbury (present day Merrimac)

Feb. 9, 1745-6 Stephen of Moses & Mary Saunders. (Mary could be typo - could be Sary?) Aug. 16, 1741 Abigail of Moses & (???) Saunders.

Oct. 17, 1742 Sarah of Moses & Sarah Sanders. --- Records of Second Church of Amesbury (Hoyt)

1 May 1748, John & Avery of Wido Sarah Saunders, two sons born at a birth.

--- Amesbury VR

Avery, s. twin, wid. Sarah, bp. May 1, 1748. PR1 John, s. twin, wid. Sarah, bp. May 1, 1748. PR1

Excerpts from Local Histories

From "History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire" Philadelphia: J.W. Lewis & Co., 1885, 878: The first settler within the territory above described (NW section ofHollis & part of Milford) was MOSES SAUNDERS, of Marlborough, Mass, who came here in the spring of 1739, having purchased the south end of the Lemmon grant, and commenced a clearing, built his log hut and erected asaw mill about this time, which is supposed to be the first one in town.... Mr. Saunders reared a family of four children here , the births of whom are found recorded in the old Monson records. In the spring of 1747, fearing an Indian invasion, he became alarmed for his personal safety, and left with his family, and returned toMarlborough. Tradition says that he thought he saw Indians lurking in the woods for several days before he left; they seemed bent on the destruction of every saw mill and its owner, and quite a number of mills were destroyed about this time in various sections of the State. Their motive for doing this, as Dr. Belknaps says, "was to retard the settlements, and prevent the clearing off their hunting-grounds." Mr. Saunders sold his property here, and after a few years, to DanielBailey, of Marlborough, who moved with his family in the spring of 1761,and the property has ever since remained in the Bailey family.

Sources