Ephraim Wight (1645 - 1723)

Born 27 Jan 1645 in Dedham, Suffolk County, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Husband of Lydia (Morse) Wight — married 2 Mar 1668 in Medfield, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay

Descendants

Died 26 Feb 1723 at age 78 in Medfield, Suffolk County, Massachusetts Bay Province

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Biography

Ephraim Wight was born 27 (11) 1644 (27 January 1645) in Dedham, Suffolk County, Massachusetts Colony.^[1][2] He was the son of Alice and Thomas Wight. Ephraim died on 26 February 1722/3 in Massachusetts Colony.^[3][4]

Ephraim married Lydia Morse on 2 March 1667/8 in Medfield, Middlesex County, Massachusetts Colony. (ancestry.com in Massachusetts, Marriages, 1633-1850 gives year as 1678 while citing Family History Library, Film #0721179. This is an error; all of Torrey and FamilyHistory and Vital Records give 1668.)^[5][6][7].

Dedham was settled in the fall of 1635 by people from Watertown and Roxbury. One hundred twenty-five men signed the covenant that established the community and included Samuel Bulleyn, Anthony Fisher (grandfather of Ephraim's future wife), Cornelius Fisher, John Fisher, Joshua Fisher, Samuel Fisher, Thomas Fisher, Thomas Fisher, Jr., Daniel Morse (father of Ephraim's eventual wife), John Morse, Joseph Morse, Samuel Morse, Thomas Wight (Ephraim's father).

In 1650, a portion of land previously part of Dedham was split off and laid out in family lots. A committee of seven men was chosen to manage the affairs of the new town of Medfield: Ralph Wheelock, Thomas Wight (Ephraim's father), Robert Hinsdell, Henry Chickering, John Dwight, Peter Woodward, and Eleazar Lushar. The first thirteen house-lots were laid out 19 June 1650 and the first thirteen settlers were Ralph Wheelock, John Ellis, Samuel Bullen, [brother-in-law of] Daniel Morse, James Allen, Joseph Clark, Francis Hamant, John Turner, John Frairy, Timothy Dwight, Robert Hinsdale, [Ephraim's father] Thomas Wight, and [Thomas' son] John Wight.

Thomas and John Wight were assigned lots number twelve and thirteen. Ephraim Wight's future father-in-law, Daniel Morse, was given number four and Daniel's brother-in-law, Samuel Bullen received number three. [p 174]^[8]

Dedham relinquished its authority and the town of Medfield was incorporated in May 1651 [pp 440-441].^[9]

Ephraim and Lydia had the following children, all born in Medfield^[10]:

1. Lydia Wight was born 14 March 1669^[11]; m. Nathaniel Partridge, 24 Nov. 1686^[12]; d. 30 Oct. 1741^[13]
2. Esther Wight was born 13 January 1671^[11]; m. Robert Daniels, 1696^[14]; d. 12 Sept. 1737^[15]
3. Ephraim Wight was born 25 January 1673^[11]; m. Sarah Partridge, 14 Sept. 1702^[16]; d. 1 Feb. 1744^[17]
4. Miriam Wight was born 22 August 1675^[11]; m. Joseph Allen, 4 Nov. 1701^[18]
5. Nathaniel Wight was born 12 September 1678; m1. Sarah Ellice, 3 March 1704^[19]; m2. Mehitable Hinsdale 30 Dec. 1706^[20]
6. Daniel Wight was born 19 November 1680^[11]; m. Lydia Eastee, 18 April 1721^[21]; d. 19 Sept. 1744^[22]
7. Bethia Wight was born 8 March 1683^[11]; m. Malachi Bullard, 28 Jan. 1708 (Boston)
8. Deborah Wight was born 1 December 1685^[11]; m. Thomas Boyden, 29 April 1707^[23]; d. bef Sept. 1717
9. Ruth Wight was born 20 July 1688^[11]; m. Abraham Harding, 2 Dec 1715^[24]

Sources

1. ↑ Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT: Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook).
2. ↑ Early Records of Boston, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 8 (1854), Page 347| NEHGS 8:237, Birth and Parentage of Ephraim Wight
3. ↑ "Massachusetts, Deaths and Burials, 1795-1910," index, FamilySearch Ephraim Sen'R. Wight: (accessed 12 Nov 2014), 26 Feb 1722; citing, reference; FHL microfilm 721179.
4. ↑ Vital Records of Medfield Massachusetts to the year 1850, NEHGS, Boston, 1903| Medfield Vital Records, Deaths, Page 241
5. ↑ "Massachusetts, Marriages, 1695-1910," index, FamilySearch Ephraim Wight and Lydia Morse, 02 Mar 1668; (accessed 12 Nov 2014), citing reference; FHL microfilm 0721179.
6. ↑ Torrey, Clarence Almon, New England Marriages Prior to 1700; Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1985, Seventh printing, 2004. P 813
7. ↑ Vital Records of Medfield Massachusetts to the year 1850, NEHGS, Boston, 1903| Medfield Vital Records, Marriages, Page 182
8. ↑ Cook, Louis A., Ed., History of Norfolk County Massachusetts 1622-1918. Volume 1. New York-Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1918| Page 174.
9. ↑ Hurd, D. Hamilton, comp. History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men. Philadelphia: J. W. Lewis & Co., 1884| Pages 440 -441
10. ↑ Vital Records of Medfield Massachusetts to the year 1850, NEHGS, Boston, 1903| Medfield Vital Records, Births, Pages 103 thru 106
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7} "Massachusetts, Births and Christenings, 1639-1915," index FamilySearch (accessed 12 Nov 2014); citing , FHL microfilm 721179.
12. ↑ Vital Records of Medfield Massachusetts to the year 1850, NEHGS, Boston, 1903| Medfield Vital Records, Marriages, Page 183
13. ↑ Vital Records of Medfield Massachusetts to the year 1850, NEHGS, Boston, 1903| Medfield Vital Records, Deaths, Page 227
14. ↑ New England Marriages Prior to 1700, by Clarence Almon Torrey, Baltimore, 1985, Page 203
15. ↑ Vital Records for Sherborn, Massachusetts, Boston, 1911, Compiled by Thomas W Baldwin. Page 198 (Deaths). "Esther w. of Robert, Sept. 12th, 1737"| Sherborn Death Records, Page 198
16. ↑ Vital Records of Medfield Massachusetts to the year 1850, NEHGS, Boston, 1903| Medfield Vital Records, Marriages, Page 183
17. ↑ Vital Records of Medfield Massachusetts to the year 1850, NEHGS, Boston, 1903| Medfield Vital Records, Deaths, Page 241
18. ↑ Vital Records of Medfield Massachusetts to the year 1850, NEHGS, Boston, 1903| Medfield Vital Records, Marriages, Page 183
19. ↑ Vital Records of Medfield Massachusetts to the year 1850, NEHGS, Boston, 1903| Medfield Vital Records, Marriages, Page 183
20. ↑ Vital Records of Medfield Massachusetts to the year 1850, NEHGS, Boston, 1903| Medfield Vital Records, Marriages, Page 182
21. ↑ Vital Records of Medfield Massachusetts to the year 1850, NEHGS, Boston, 1903| Medfield Vital Records, Marriages, Page 182
22. ↑ Vital Records of Medfield Massachusetts to the year 1850, NEHGS, Boston, 1903| Medfield Vital Records, Births, Page 241
23. ↑ Vital Records of Medfield Massachusetts to the year 1850, NEHGS, Boston, 1903| Medfield Vital Records, Marriages, Page 182
24. ↑ Vital Records of Medfield Massachusetts to the year 1850, NEHGS, Boston, 1903| Medfield Vital Records, Marriages, Page 183

See also:

• Wight, William Ward. The Wights: A Record of Thomas Wight of Dedham and Medfield, Page 9. Milwaukee, Swain & Tate, 1890. Digital book from www.Archive.org.
• The Wight Family - Memoir of Thomas Wight of Dedham, Mass., by Danforth Phipps Wight, Boston, 1848| Sons of Thomas and Alice Wight
• Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692. Vol. I-IV. Boston, MA, USA: 1860-1862. Vol. 4, p 543
• Vital Records of Medfield, Massachusetts to 1850. Marriages, p. 182. "Wight... Ephaim and Lidia Morse, Mar. 2, 1667-8."
• History of the Town of Medfield Massachusetts, Edited by William S. Tilden, Boston, 1887 | History of Medfield, Wight Family, Pg. 512
• Some Ancestral Line, collected by Raymon Meyers Tingley, Tuttle Publishing, Rutland, Vermont, 1935 | Page 438

Acknowledgments

• Thank you to Dave Bailey for authorship of this biography (March 2018)