Annah SAWTELL

Notes:

Name:
Zachariah Sawtell was born 26 July 1643 at Watertown, according to the record. The year, however, conflicts with the birthdate of his sister Hannah, and perhaps it was 1644 or 1645. Zachariah grew up in Watertown but in his adolescence went with his parents to Groton. He later had a ten-acre proprietor's right there. In April of 1668 he married ELIZABETH HARRIS (Malden, Mass., Vital Records; The Register, 10:239), daughter of John Harris of Boston (Middlesex Co., Deeds, 27:354) Wyman (op. cit.) and Bailey (op. cit.) both give the date of marriage as 13 Apr 1669; in addition, Wyman says she died 1677-8 of small pox. Zachariah married, secondly, ANNA PARKER, daughter of Joseph and Margaret Parker of Chelmsford, Mass. The marriage occurred before 13 July 1684, when Joseph Parker deeded land to Anna, wife of Zachariah Sawtell (Middlesex Co., Deeds, 26:459, 27:325). She was born 16 Nov 1663 at Chelmsford (Vital records) and was thus about 18 years younger than her husband.

Zachariah Sawtell served in King Philip's War in 1675/6 when Groton was burned (Bodge, op.cit., p. 272). He returned after the peace and on 21 May 1688 was chosen one of five highway surveyors for Groton (Green, op.cit., p. 97), his last mention in town records. he died by 17 march 1691/2, when Anna was referred to as the widow Sawtell (The Register, 43:375), and his father's will of 1692 implies that he was dead. His estate, however, was not administered until 1701 when Josiah Parker of Cambridge and Thomas Walker of Charlestown were named administrators, the decedent being referred to as "late of Groton, blacksmith." Again, on 21 Nov 1716, Zachariah Sawtell Jr. and same Josiah Parker were named administrators (Middlesex County Probates, No.19967, 19975). Submitted on 13 Sep. 1716 was an inventory of three parcels of land, with total value of 25 pounds, 10 shillings. Anna was undoubtedly the "Widow Satle" who joined the Cambridge Church on 26 July 1702. On 26 April 1709, Anna Satle received from Josiah Parker land formerly belonging to John Sawtell, which his brothers and sisters had quitclaimed to parker on 21 oct. 1700 (Middlesex County Deeds, 15:575, 6). Anna Sawtell, widow, sold this property to John Knight on 4 June 1711, and by 1727 she was residing in Fairfield, Conn., with her daughter Margaret Wooster (Middlesex County Deeds, 27:715, 26:527).

Zachariah married Elizabeth HARRIS on 13 Apr 1669 in Charlestown, Massachuetts. Elizabeth (daughter of John HARRIS and UNKNOWN) was born about 1649 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts; died in 1677/78. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Richard married Elizabeth ? about 1637. Elizabeth died on 18 Oct 1694 in Groton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Name:
A widely used account of John Harris of Charlestown provides a false maiden name for his wife, does not include all of his children, and fails to mention that he left Charlestown and died in what is now the State of Maine. Amy (also Ame) Harris, the wife of John Harris, was admitted to the First Church in Charlestown on 9 (6) (August) 1656, and was mentioned at the baptisms of four of her children there from 1661 to 1665. She was NOT, however, Amy Hills, a daughter of Joseph Hills of Malden, Massachusetts. The will of Joseph Hills "of Malden now of Newbury", dated 14 September 1687 and proved on 14 March 1687/8, names several children and grandchildren, but no daughter Amy or anyone of the surname Harris. In 1966, Col. Edward M. harris discussed the confusion between John's wife and the wife of the unrelated Anthony harris of Winnisimmet. The maiden name of John harris's wife Amy remains unknown. Moreover, she probably was not John's first wife, as work published in THE REGISTER since Colonel Harris's article shows that John Harris had at least one child, Elizabeth, born several years before his known children with Amy.

In Charlestown in 1658, John Harris was granted 15 acres of woods and "2 1/1 cow commons." He had moved to the early settlement at North yarmouth in what is now Maine by 1682, where he was named in a deed as one of four trustees on 28 June 1684. He died evidently very soon after, as he was replaced as trustee by 26 July 1684 and referred to on 15 November 1685 as "John Harris, sometime of North Yarmouth in Casco Bay, dec(ease)d." About that time, a town grant was laid out on the right of Mr. John Harris "Senior", for ten acres of land and four acres of marsh, which was claimed immediately by John's son Joseph on behalf of himself and his brother Thomas. In 1795, the son Joseph was remembered as being among the inhabitants of North Yarmouth about 1685, soon before Indian attacks forced the settlement to be abandoned. The settlers were conveyed to Boston and dispersed in its neighborhood. The town was not resettled until about 1727, when "Old John Harris's Assigns" had Lot 45 set aside to them in a proprietors' drawing.

John married UNKNOWN. died before August 1656. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

John married Agnes PITTARD on 09 Oct 1599 in Aller, Somersetshire, England. Agnes was born in Jan 1579 in England; died on 21 Dec 1622 in Aller, Somerset, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]