Ephraim Howard (1667 - 1750)

Born 1667 in Bridgewater, Plymouth Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Keith) Howard — married about Nov 1688 in Bridgewater, Plymouth County, Plymouth Colony

Descendants

Died 11 Aug 1750 at about age 83 in Bridgewater, Plymouth County, Province of Massachusetts Bay

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Biography

Parentage; Date and Place of Birth

Ephraim Howard, son of John Howard and Martha (Hayward) Howard, was born in Bridgewater, Massachusetts in 1667.^[1][2]

Marriage

Ephraim married Mary Keith in Bridgewater in 1688/9.^[1][2] No record of their marriage has been found. However, a bond for the marriage of Ephraim Howard of Bridgewater, husbandman, and Mary Keeth of the same place, spinster, was posted October 24, 1688, with Jonathan Howard of Bridgewater, husbandman, as surety. ^[3]

According to Ziba Keith's Genealogy of the Keith Family, Mary's father, Rev. James Keith (then 45), was initially opposed to Ephraim marrying his daughter:

[Mary Keith] was courted by Ephraim Howard, not much to the acceptance of the old minister. Notwithstanding his objection, they were secretly married, and were pursued by the irate father. Arriving too late to prevent their marriage, he returned, and, complying with the prevailing custom, preached the following Sabbath from Hosea 4:17- "Ephraim is joined to idols let him alone." Time, however, softened his spirit, and the reconciliation which followed inclined him to preach from Jeremiah 31:20 - "Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still."^[4]

Children

Ephraim and Mary had the following children, all born in Bridgewater:

1. Jane, b. September 17, 1689, m. March 26, 1713 Nehemiah Washburn in Bridgewater, d. January 26, 1715 in Bridgewater
2. Susanna, b. March 8, 1692, m. December 22, 1720 Samuel Jacobs, d. September 4, 1766 at Pembroke, Massachusetts
3. Martha, b. August 7, 1695, m. December 26, 1714 Josiah Williams, d. September 2, 1746
4. Ephraim, b. March 25, 1697, m. by 1722 Abigail Tisdale
5. Daniel, b. October 3, 1699, m. January 16, 1723 Damaris Williams of Taunton, d. April 16, 1779 in North Bridgewater
6. David, b. March 3, 1703, m. 1st February 7, 1727 Bethiah Leonard of Taunton, m. 2d October 19, 1748 Elizabeth Oakman, d. June 4, 1751 in West Bridgewater
7. Silence, b. June 3, 1705, m. November 7, 1722 John Burr, d. May 6, 1773 in West Bridgewater
8. Mary, b. December 21, 1707, m. 1st November 15, 1726 John Field in Bridgewater, m. 2d April 29, 1738 Elisha Pierce

Public Life

Ephraim Howard was representative to the General Court in 1723.^[1] He inherited the land on which his father's house stood.^[1]

Death

Ephraim Howard died in Bridgewater, Massachusetts on August 11, 1750, at the age of 84.^[5][1][2] He was buried in the Old Graveyard also called South Street Cemetery in Bridgewater.^[1] His Find-A-Grave memorial has a photo of his headstone and links to those of family members.^[6]

Will; Estate

Ephraim's will was dated August 21, 1749 with a codicil dated April 17, 1750 in Bridgewater, and proved on September 3, 1750 in Plymouth. His will mentions his wife Mary and his children, Ephraim, Daniel, David, Martha Williams, decd., Silence Burr, Mary Peirce, the children of Jane Washburn, decd. (Silence Haward and Jane Dean), and his grandson, David Haward, Jr.^[7]

^{[6] [5] [4] [1] [2] [3]}

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6} Howard, Herman. The Howard Genealogy: Descendants of John Howard of Bridgewater, Massachusetts, from 1643 to 1903. Standard Printing Company, 1903. pp 8-9. Link to pages at archive.org.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Mitchell, Nahum. History of the Early Settlement of Bridgewater, in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts. 1840. p 192. Link to page at archive.org.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Notes, The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (NEHGS, Boston, Mass., 1910) Vol. 64. pp. 189-190. Link to pages at books.google.com.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Ziba Keith, Ziba. Genealogy of the Keith family. Goodall, 1889. pp 13-14. Link to page at books.google.com.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Vital Records of Bridgewater, Massachusetts to the Year 1850, Volume II - Marriages and Deaths. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1916. p 482. Link to page at archive.org.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Find A Grave: Memorial #40440503
7. ↑ "Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G97D-FXCH : 20 May 2014), Probate records 1749-1752 and 1848-1853 vol 12-12C > image 57-58 of 596; State Archives, Boston.