Caleb Moody (abt. 1637 - 1698)

Born about 25 Aug 1637 in Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Sarah (Pierce) Moody — married 24 Aug 1659 in Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Husband of Judith (Bradbury) Moody — married 9 Nov 1665 in Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died 25 Aug 1698 at about age 61 in Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts Bay

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Biography

Caleb Moody was born in Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony about 1637.. He was the son of William Moody and Sarah (Unknown) Moody. (GB:2:5-136)

He was married in Newbury on August 24, 1659 to Sarah Pierce. After her death, in 1665, he was married again, on November 9, 1665, to Judith Bradbury,

Caleb Moody died in Newbury, on August 25, 1698.

Serg. Caleb Moody took the freeman's oath 23 May 1666 ^[1], was a member of the Newbury church in 1670, and took the oath of allegiance in 1678. He was a representative to the General Court in 1677-8.

On 31 Jan. 1670/1 the selectmen authorized Caleb Moody, John Hale, Benjamin Rolfe, John Webster, Abel Somerby, Nathaniel Clarke, Percivall Lowle, Jonathan Woodman, Daniel Thurston, Benjamin Lowle, and John Swett to build at their own charge "a pew in the south east corner of the meeting house" to be assigned to them for the use of their wives and daughters.^[2] As one of the selectmen, Caleb signed a petition to the General Court on 11 May 1670:

To ye Honobe Generall Court assembled at Boston. The Humble request of the Selectmen at Newbury is that inasmuch as their Towne is remote from any Towne where a magistrate dwells; that Mr Woodman may be Impowrd with Magisterriall powr in this Towne as other Townes have to the Eastward.
John Bartlet
William Chandler
Edm. Morse
Sam. Plumer
Caleb Moody"^[3]

The indorsement on the petition shows that it failed to receive the approval of the General Court: "The deputies consent... the magistrates consent not".

On 2 Sept. 1670 the selectment of the town, John Bartlett, William Chandler, Edmund Moores, Samuel Plummer, and Caleb Moody, "received of Nathaniel Clarke a barrell of powder for the Townes use for which they agree to pay ten pounds." The selectmen were required to provide powder and ammunition for the militia and had to keep a supply on hand at all times.^[4]

On 13 Feb. 1672 David Wheeler of Rowley, planter, sold to Caleb Moody of Newbury, maltster, for £28 all his right or freehold belonging to the house lot "lying near to Watts his seller in Newbury" conditionally upon the payment of £14 to the said Caleb Moody before 1 Apr. 1675. The bill of sale to be void and of no effect if the said £14 is paid." ^[5]

At a town meeting 1 March 1674/5 it was voted that a salary of £100 be paid to Rev. John Richardson, each person to pay his portion on or before the first day of November, "one half in merchantable barley at the malt houses of Daniel Pierce or Caleb Moody" and the other half in pork, wheat, butter, or Indian corn, to the satisfaction of Mr. Richardson.^[6] Col. Pierce had two or more malt houses on land at the southeasterly corner of Chandler's land, now Federal St., and the way by the Merrimack River, now Water St., in Newburyport and on the northwesterly corner of the same streets Caleb built a malt house as early as 1673.^[7]

In 1680 Robert Mason, grandson of Capt. John Mason, came over from England and claimed that under the grant made to his grandfather he was entitled to the land from Salem to the Merrimack River and demanded rents from the settlers for that property. On 16 Feb. 1681/2 the inhabitants sent a petition "To the Kings most excellent Majesty", stating that for more than 50 years they and their predecessors had owned and occupied the land now claimed by Mason and had never been molested or disturbed in their possession of the same, and humbly implored his Majesty to interpose his royal authority and protect his loyal and obedient subjects in the maintenance of their legal rights. Caleb Moody, Daniel Pierce, Tristram Coffyn, Nicho: Noyce, Joseph Pike, Richard Dumer, Henry Sewall, Jno. Hale, and Jno. Woodbridge were the folks from Newbury who signed the petition.^[8] At a legall meeting of the towne April nineteenth 1682. There was voted to go to Ipswich to subscribe according to court order about Mr. Mason's clayme, captain Daniel Pierce, mr. Richard Dummer, sergeant [Tristram] Coffin, sergeant [Caleb] Moody, Mr. John Woodbridge, Mr. Henry Sewall, Nicholas Noyes. ^[9] King Charles died in Feb. 1685 and in Dec. 1686 the hated Sir Edmund Andros became governor of all New England and Robert Mason was a member of his council. The people of Massachusetts and New Hampshire tried to maintain friendly relations with the new government, however, Mason was able to get some of his friends in positions of power in various communities. Mason died at Kingston on the Hudson in 1688 and his sons found it impossible to establish their claim to the disputed territory, especially after the "Glorious Revolution" and the ouster of Andros. Mason's heirs sold out their interest in any claims they had in the territory which led to a dispute in the boundary which wasn't settled until 1740 and with some of the surveying left undecided until finally settled in 1899!

On 11 Oct. 1681 John Richardson, Daniel Poore, Richard Dummer, Tristram Coffin, Caleb Moody, Thomas Noyes, Anthony Somerby, Francis Brown, and others petitioned the General Court for the appointment of John Woodbridge as magistrate to take depositions and acknowledgments, and also to have authority to reform abuses and solemnize marriages. "In consequence of the largeness of the town and the frequent concours of vessels," they consider the appointment of a special magistrate necessary and recommend "Mr. John Woodbridge as ye fittest and most able person for such a work in this place." The magistrates voted to grant the petition, but the deputies "consented not".^[10] In 1684 "Caleb Moody and Daniel Pierce were licensed to boil sturgeon in order to a market".^[11]

On 5 May 1686 Sergt. Caleb Moody was a member of the committee "to agree upon a meete way of dividing the commons and bring in theyr result and conclusion to the towne." ^[12]

During the Andros administration, Caleb was imprisoned for five weeks in 1688 and Joseph Bayley put under a bond of £200 for an alleged offence:

"Caleb Moody of Newbury aged fifty-two years testifyeth that some time in January 1688 Joseph Baylie of ye same towne gave me a paper, which he told me he had taken up in the king's highway, the title of it was,

New England alarmed,
To rise and be armed,
Let not papist you charme,
I mean you no harme, and so forth.

The purport of the paper was to give notice to the people of the danger they were in, being under the sad circumstances of an arbitrary government, sir Edmund Andros having about one thousand of our souldiers, as I was informed, prest out of the Massachusetts colony and carried with him to the eastward under pretence of destroying our enemy indians (although not one Indian killed by them that I heard of at that time). We had no watching nor warding at our towne by order of those yt sir Edmund put in command there. Justice Woodbridge and Justice Epps sent me a warrant to bring a paper that was in my hands, which I did, and told them I received the paper from Joseph Baylie, who owned it to them, whereupon I was cleared, and they bound said Joseph Baylie in a bond of two hundred pounds to answer it at Salem court ye fifth of March following and they took me for his bondsman. Notwithstanding this, about a week after the said justices by a warrant brought me before them and then committed me to Salem prison (though I proffered ym bayle) they would not take it but I was to be safely kept to answer what should be charged against me upon the king's account for publishing a scandalous and seditious lybell. After I had been in prison a whole week then judge Palmer and Mr. Grayham, ye king's attorney came to Salem and examined me and confined me to close imprisonement ordering that neither my friends, or acquaintance nor fellow prisoners to come to me, which continued for about a week's time, and then judge P. and Mr. G. came againe, and said G. sent for me, and after some discourse he refused any bayle, but committed me to close prison, and after, Charles Redford, the high sheriff, came to prison and told Joseph Baylie and myself that he had orders to examine us, and to put a new mittimus upon us and charge us with treason, and the time came when the court should have sent to try us and there was no court. Afterwards there came news of ye happy arrival and good success of ye prince of Orange, now king of England, and then by petitioning I got bayle. The time of my imprisonement was about five weeks, and I doe judge my dammage one way and another was about forty pounds.

Boston New England, January ninth, 1689/90
Caleb Moody appeared personally January ninth, 1689/90 and gave evidence upon oath of the truth of the above written before me.

Samuel Appleton
Assistant for ye colony of ye Massachusetts by in New England^[13]

1696 February 28th. A rate was made for payment of building and finishing the west end meeting house and ministry house. The expense was twenty-two pounds and three shillings in money, and two hundred and eighteen pounds, eighteen shillings, and twopence in pay. This was due from 64 people, 24 of whom, including Caleb, objected to the continuance of this project and wanted to see it moved to Pipe Stave Hill.^[14]

Caleb built what is now known as the Moody-Ridgeway House on 803 Main St. in West Newbury. The house was originally four rooms and passed to his son Caleb and continued in possession of his descendants until 1937. The 67th Moody Family Reunion was held here in Sept. 1999.

Newbury ye 5th of Octobr 1698
An Inventory of the Estate of Mr Caleb Moody deceased…

To Land A Joyning to ye hows.........................50= 0= 0
To the howsing up on the Land .....................80= 0= 0
To one free hold In Commons........................12= 0= 0
To seaven ackers of Land................................35= 0= 0
To one free hold Lott 28..................................28= 0= 0
To two Rates Lotts............................................25= 0= 0
To seaven akers of meadow...........................25= 0= 0
To ten akers of meadow..................................30= 0= 0
To 4 akers of meadow......................................14= 0= 0
To 3 akers of meadow......................................12= 0= 0
To 4 akers of meadow......................................15= 0= 0
To one ox and three Cows..............................10=15=0
To 2 steers one Bull 2 yearlings one Calfe....08=02=0
To 2 hors and Twenty sheep...........................10=10=0
To 9 pigs 4=10=0 English corn in ye [ ].......13=05=0
To wareing Cloathes and bookes...................08= 0= 0
To Indian Corn in ye husk................................06= 0= 0
To 4 old beeds & 4 old bolsters & 4 old pillows.09=2=8
To Beeding belonging to the beeds...............14=10=0
To 4 pare of old Curtines & 4 beed Heeds....03=10=0
To napkins and Tables Clothes.......................02=04=0
To Tables and Cheers wooling yarn and
Cushings............................................................04=10=0
To one Cubbard 20 one desk & 1 Trunk.......01= 9= 0
To 3 wheels puter dishis and Earthen ware..03=13=0
To brass and ye bell mettle skillet..................03=05=0
To 3 Iorn poots and one Iorn kittle................01=10=0
To 2 drippin pans and two pare of andiorns.01=19=0
To Tramels Tonges and fire pan.....................00=12=6
To box Iorn pot hookes and spits...................00=10=0
To utensils for husbandtry..............................02=00=0
To wooden howsolstuf [ ] and pillon.............01=15=0
To ye [ ] and hare cloth Armeror and Cannew.03=12=0
This is a trew inventory…
Edward Sargent
Daniel Moodey, Jacob Tappin
Joshua Moody, James Noyes

Unfortunately, the following document is badly damaged and difficult to read:

We the subscribers namly Daniel Moodey, Caleb Moodey, Thomas Moodey, Joshua Moodey, William Moodey, Samuel Moodey, Hugh March who maried wth Sarah Moody and Joseph Hale who hath married wth Mary Moodey & [ ] Guardian for Judith ye daughter of sd Moodey, the [ ] son in law and Daughters of Sergt Caleb Moodey late of newbury deceased who dyed [ ] Have now made this as a full & final settlemt of ye estate of our father among our [ ]

Viz That Caleb Moodey [ ] his full part & portion of sd [ ] And Thomas Moodey hath [ ] & Joshua Moodey hath received his full part [ ] Moodey hath [ ] hath received his full part, Also [ ] Moodey hath received his [ ] part in the [ ] wife [ ] Samuel Moodey as guardian [ ] Moodey hath received ye full of sd [ ] And Daniel Moodey to have [ ] parcel of meadow Lying in the Towneship of [ ] about ten acres be it more or less lying [ ] east side of ye Black rock Creek to be so [ ] for ever [ ] is the full of his part of sd [ ]

And to William Moodey [ ] formerly belonging to our father in the [ ] neer Indian River [ ] to him ye sd William Moodey & [ ] in full of his part

And to Hugh March for his [ ] all the [ ] rate land lying in the upper [ ] newbury that our sd ffather serjt Caleb [ ] dyed possess of to enjoy to him ye sd Hugh [ ] his heyres forever wch is the full of his [ ] behalf of Sarah his wife

All ye rest of our fathers estate wch is [ ] of us & that we have recerved as our part [ ] we do leave it in the hands of ye Administrator [ ] all our full power and liberty to make sale of any of [ ] either reall or personal for the paying of our [ ] debts, and if there be any of said estate left after [ ] are discharged ye same & every part thereof after [ ] namely Daniel Moodey & Joshua Moodey [ ] trouble & [ ] be equally divided [ ] moodey the one halfe [ ] the other half be equal [ ] William Moodey & Hugh March In wittnes whereof [ ] to our hands & seals this 25th day of September Anno [1701]
Sarah March, William Moodey, Daniel Moodey, Mary hale, Samuel Moody, Caleb Moody, Judeth Moody, hugh march, Thomas moody, Saml: Moody Guardian to Judith [ ], Joseph Hale, Joshua Moody

I Hugh March of Newbury… in Consideration of ye full & just sum of five pounds… payd by Mr. Danll Moody one of ye admr of my ffather Caleb MoodeyLate Decd… Doe by these prsens for my self & Sarah my wife one of ye Daughters of said Caleb Moodey Decd… for ever Discharge ye said Danl Moody… from any Claime… of ye sd Caleb… Left in ye hands of ye administrator… ye 28 of Septemr… 1701…
Hugh March
In ye presence of us
John March
Danl Rogers"^[15]

Sources

1. ↑ Mass. Colony Records- Vol. IV, part II, p. 582
2. ↑ History of Newbury- John James Currier, Damrell & Upham, Boston, 1902- p. 318
3. ↑ History of Newbury- John James Currier, Damrell & Upham, Boston, 1902- p. 107- quoting Mass. Archives- Vol. 39, p. 376
4. ↑ History of Newbury- John James Currier, Damrell & Upham, Boston, 1902- p. 225
5. ↑ History of Newbury- John James Currier, Damrell & Upham, Boston, 1902- p. 95
6. ↑ History of Newbury- John James Currier, Damrell & Upham, Boston, 1902- p. 331
7. ↑ History of Newbury- John James Currier, Damrell & Upham, Boston, 1902- p. 262
8. ↑ History of Newbury- John James Currier, Damrell & Upham, Boston, 1902- p. 194
9. ↑ A Sketch of the History of Newbury, Newburyport and West Newbury- Joshua Coffin, Samuel Drake, Boston, 1845- p. 136
10. ↑ Mass. Archives- Vol. 112, p. 328
11. ↑ A Sketch of the History of Newbury, Newburyport and West Newbury- Joshua Coffin, Samuel Drake, Boston, 1845- p. 113
12. ↑ History of Newbury- John James Currier, Damrell & Upham, Boston, 1902- p.210
13. ↑ A Sketch of the History of Newbury, Neburyport and West Newbury- Joshua Coffin, Samuel Drake, Boston, 1845- p. 150
14. ↑ A Sketch of the History of Newbury, Neburyport and West Newbury- Joshua Coffin, Samuel Drake, Boston, 1845- p. 164
15. ↑ Essex County Registry of Probate- Docket No. 18554, also 18600 for Judith’s guardianship

• Newbury V.R.
• Biographical Sketches of the Moody Family- Charles C.P. Moody, Samuel Drake, Boston, 1847- pp. 10-11
• Old Families of Salisbury & Amesbury- David Hoyt, Snow & Farnham, Providence, 1897- pp.249-50
• James Savage, Geneaological Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England (Originally published Boston 1860-62, reprinted April 1873 and 1884. Reproduced by Genealogical Publishing Company, Balitmore 1981.)
• William Richard Cutter, Historic Homes and Places and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Familes of Middlesex County Massachusetts (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1968), ; digital images, Google, Google Books (http://books.google.com/books?id=xY8sAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA2-PA853&lpg=RA2-PA853&dq=%22john+marston%22+1626&source=bl&ots=E5K3k89yDj&sig=qdYwoTeLTGWS8hzOQT2svCnMzsM&hl=en&ei=xFz1SvOaA5Sd8Ab01LHzCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CBgQ6AEwCDgK#v=onepage&q=%22john%20marston%22%201626&f=false
• Doliber, Donald A., It Happened in Essex County: Rehearsal for Hysteria - Newbury 1680, The Essex Genealogist (Essex Society of Genealogists, Mass., 1981) Vol. 1, Page 74.
• Anderson, Robert Charles: "The Great Migration"; Volume V, page 136 (William Moody)