Aaron Bancroft (1755 - 1839)

Born 10 Nov 1755 in Reading, MIddlesex, Massachusetts

Ancestors

Husband of Lucretia (Chandler) Bancroft — married 24 Oct 1786 in Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts

Descendants

Died 19 Aug 1839 at age 83 in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA.

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Biography

Aaron Bancroft (November 10, 1755^[1] – August 19, 1839) was an American clergyman. He was born on 10 November 1755 in Reading, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay, to Samuel Bancroft and Lydia Parker.^[2]

Aaron married Lucretia Chandler on 24 October 1786 in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States.^[3][4]

He began his studies during the American Revolution, and served as a minuteman,^{[citation needed]} and was present, at the battles of both Lexington and Bunker Hill.^{[citation needed]} He graduated from Harvard in 1778 and subsequently taught, studied theology and spent three years as a missionary in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. In 1785 he settled in Worcester, Massachusetts as pastor of the Congregational church, and remained in the same post until his death in 1839. During the middle of his life his theological views leaned toward Arminianism and by his advocacy of liberalism he became a noted leader in the early period of the Unitarian schism. He published a eulogy of George Washington in, 1800 and wrote a subsequent biography of Washington in 1807.[1] He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1805.[2] Although president of the American Unitarian Association, he adhered to the name and system of Congregationalism until his death in Worcester, Massachusetts.

His son was George Bancroft, American historian, United States Secretary of the Navy and United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Reverend Aaron Bancroft died (age 84) on 19 August 1839 in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States.^[5] Dr. Aaron Bancroft was mentioned on a memorial in Worcester Rural Cemetery, Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States with a death date of 18 August 1839.^[6]

Aaron wrote his will on 3 April 1837. His estate passed probate on 1 October 1839.^[7]

Beneficiaries:

• my beloved wife Lucretia Bancroft
• my deceased son John Chandler Bancroft
• my daughter Elvira Bancroft
• my daughter Jane Bancroft
• my daughter Sarah Bancroft
• my daughter Lucretia Bancroft
• my daughter Mary Bancroft
• my son Thomas Chandler Bancroft
• my son George Bancroft
• my grandson Aaron Bancroft Gheradi, son of my daughter Jane

Sources

1. ↑ Baldwin, Thomas W., Vital Records of Reading, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850 (Boston, Mass. 1912)(Free e-book) (Records are also available at ma-vitalrecords.org) p. 16
2. ↑ Birth: "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915"
   citing FHL microfilm: 873745;
   FamilySearch Record: FZD9-Z21 FamilySearch Image: 3QS7-L979-3ZHL image 69 of 298; (accessed 23 December 2022)
   Aaron Bancroft born on 10 Nov 1755, son of Samuel Bancroft & Lydia, in Reading, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay.
3. ↑ Marriage: "Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988"
   Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT: Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook)
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2495 #7783306 (accessed 23 December 2022)
   Aaron Bancroft marriage to Lucretia Chandler on 24 Oct 1786 in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA.
4. ↑ 'The Chandler family. The descendants of William and Annis Chandler who settled in Roxbury, Mass., 1637 by Chandler, George, 1806-1893', 1883, pp 468, archive.org (accessed 23 December 2022)
5. ↑ Death: "Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988"
   Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT: Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook)
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2495 #4548062 (accessed 23 December 2022)
   Reverend Aaron Bancroft death 19 Aug 1839 (age 84) in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA.
6. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
   Find A Grave: Memorial #66031917 (accessed 23 December 2022)
   Memorial page for Dr Aaron Bancroft (10 Nov 1755-18 Aug 1839), citing Worcester Rural Cemetery, Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA; Maintained by kdkb (contributor 47120392).
7. ↑ Probate: "Massachusetts, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991"
   Massachusetts, Worcester County, Probate Estate Files; Author: Massachusetts. Probate Court (Worcester County); Probate Place: Worcester, Massachusetts
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 9069 #6271454 (accessed 23 December 2022)
   Aaron Bancroft probate on 3 Apr 1837.

See also:

• Wikipedia: Aaron_Bancroft
• Christie, Francis Albert. "Bancroft, Aaron." Dictionary of American Biography. Vol. 1, Charles Scribner's Sons. 1928; Page 560-561
• Bancroft, Samuel. Family Record of Dea. Samuel Bancroft, 1715-1782, of Reading, Mass. (Vineland, New Jersey, 1922) Page 2-3 & Page 7.
• 'Ancestry of John Davis, governor and U. S. Senator; and Eliza Bancroft, his wife; both of Worcester, Massachusetts by Davis, Horace, 1831-1916', 1897, pp 56, archive.org (accessed 23 December 2022)
• A Discourse on the Life and Character of the Rev. Aaron Bancroft, D.D. Delivered at his interment 22 August 1839, by Alonzo Hill https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=Q1Y3AAAAMAAJ&pg=GBS.PP2&hl=en
• Bancroft, Lucretia Chandler, 1765-1839, Jane Putnam Bancroft Gherardi, Horace Davis, and Andrew McFarland Davis. A Letter to Her Daughter Mrs. Gherardi With Introduction by Horace Davis And Historical Notes by Andrew McFarland Davis. Worcester, Mass.: Press of Charles Hamilton, 1901. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/hvd.32044086354396?urlappend=%3Bseq=18%3Bownerid=4332547-20
• American Antiquarian Society ANNUAL MEETING, OCTOBER 24, 1900, AT THE HALL OF THE SOCIETY IN WORCESTER. Page 6 https://www.americanantiquarian.org/proceedings/44806416.pdf
• Appletons' Cyclopedia of American Biography; Volume: Vol. I
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 61360 #1666 (accessed 23 December 2022)
  Name: Aaron Bancroft; Birth Date: 10 Nov 1755; Birth Place: Reading, Massachusetts; Death Date: 19 Aug 1839; Death Place: Worcester, Mass; Occupation: Clergyman.
• Colonial Families of the USA, 1607-1775
  Page number: 32
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 61175 #70439 (accessed 23 December 2022)
  Name: Rev Aaron Bancroft; Birth Date: 10 Nov 1755; Birth Place: Reading, Massachusetts; Marriage Date: 24 Oct 1786; Spouse: Lucretia Chandler.