Rev. Richard MATHER

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: Son of Thomas, and grandson of John Mather of Lowton, Winwick Parish, Lancashire, England

Richard married Katherine HOLT on 29 Sep 1624 in Bury, Lancashire, England. Katherine died in 1655. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Richard married Sarah HAWKREDD on 26 Aug 1656 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. Sarah (daughter of Anthony HAWKREDD and Isabel DOWSE) was born in England; died on 27 May 1676 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Name:
Rev. Samuel Mather, the elder brother of Timothy, was born in Lancashire, May 13, 1626, and accompanied his father to America. He graduated at Harvard in its second class in 1643, and was appointed the first Fellow of the College. After preaching for a short time in Boston, he returned to England where he became noted as a clergyman. He was Chaplain to the Lord Mayor of London, and afterwards of Magdalen College, Oxford. He preached two years in Leith, Scotland, and then in 1655 went to Ireland where he was made Senior Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin.Though a most liberal non-conformist, he was suspended soon after the Restoration on the charge of sedition. Returning to England he was minister at Burton Wood till ejected by the Bartholomew act in 1662. He afterwards gathered a church at his own house in Dublin, where he died Oct. 26, 1671, in his forty-sixth year. As a preacher he held the first rank and his name was known throughout the kingdom.

He married the sister of Sir John Stevens of Dublin, Ireland.

He had 4 or 5 children; all died young but a daughter.

mr. Mather was born in Much-Woolton, Lancashire, and came to America when nine years of age with his father. He became hopefully pious before he was six years of age, and is represented as an extraordinary instance, not only of early developed intellectual ability, but of "discretion, seriousness, prayerfulness, and watchfulness." He took such a view of life that when asked to play he would decline by saying,"I was not sent into the world for sport." In the year 1643, at the age of 17, he graduated at Harvard College. he was the first Fellow of the college. Those who were under his tuition held him in very great esteem, and it was said by them "such was the love of all the scholars to him, that not only when he read his last philosophy lectures in the college hall, they head him with tears, because of its being his last, but also, when he went away from the college, they put on the tokens of mourning in their very garments for it." When Mr. M. began to preach he assisted the Rev. Ezekiel Rogers in Rowley, and was invited to settle with them, but, owing to his extreme youth, probably, declined. The Second or north Church when it as formed invited Mr. M. to preach for them. He preached for them their first service and through the following winter. After that this church was for a long period, until 1741, under the charge of his brother, rev. Dr. increase, or rev. Dr. Cotton, or rev. Dr.Samuel, the son of the latter, with the exception of a few years when the Rev. M. Mayo and Joshua Gee were settled over the church. In England the Rev. Mr. Mather became quite noted; he was appointed, on his arrival in London, chaplain to the Lord Mayor of London, where he made the acquaintance of eminent ministers in that country. Such was the demand for him that he was overtaxed in work, and came near losing his life. He rested awhile from his labors, and was again restored. He then preached at Gravesend, and then in the city of Exeter in the Cathedral. At one time was chaplain of Magdalen College, Oxford, near by the college, Brazen-Nose, in the same city, where his father studied before settling in Toxteth Park, Liverpool. he made a tour in Scotland with English commissioners, where for two years he preached. In the year 1655 he went with Dr. Harrison, Dr. Winter, and Mr. Charnock, and the lord deputy, Henry Cromwell, into Ireland. He was appointed senior fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, and joint pastor, with Dr. Winter, of the Church of St. Nicholas. An opportunity was now presented for the exercise of charity, and for the display of that true Christian liberality for which he was ever distinguished; for when his patron, the lord deputy, gave him a commission for the displacing of several Episcopal ministers, he refused to do it, saying, "I came into this country to preach the gospel, not to hinder others from preaching.".......

Notes:

Name:
Timothy Mather, second son of Rev. Richard Mather and his wife Catharine Holt, was born in Liverpool in 1628 and came to Boston with his father in 1635 when he was but seven years of age. He was not educated at Harvard as all his brothers were, nor did he like them become a preacher, but for some reason he took a bent contrary to the rest of the family and gave himself up to the care of his father's large landed estate. Hence, and as if to emphasize this contrary bent, he became known as the "Mather Farmer." Apparently he was the business head of the family and kept things going while his brothers were fitting themselves to become preachers and his father was struggling with the versification of the "Bay Psalm Book". In his will his father very thoughtfully and considerately provides: - "And concerning my son Timothy, inasmuch as he hath not had so much cost bestowed upon him in his education as his brothers have had, therefore I think it meet that I should otherwise bestow upon him and his a greater portion of my outward estate," and then proceeds to give Timothy a life interest in the bulk of his real estate, remainder over to his children, and to make him also his residuary legatee.

Family/Spouse: Catharine ATHERTON. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Timothy married Elizabeth WEEKS on 20 Mar 1678. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Name:
Rev. Nathaniel Mather, the next younger brother of timothy, was born in Liverpool, march 20, 1630, and came to this country with his father. He graduated at Harvard in 1647 and afterwards went to England, where he was presented with a living at Barnstable by Oliver Cromwell in 1656. Upon his ejectment in 1662, he went to Holland and was minister at Rotterdam. About 1672 he succeeded his brother Samuel at Dublin, whence he removed to London where he was pastor of a dissenting church and one of the lecturers at Pinner's Hall. he died July 26, 1697, aged sixty-seven years, and was buried near Bunhill Fields. On his tombstone is a long Latin inscription written by Dr. Watts, which ascribes to him a high character for learning, piety and ministerial fidelity.

Family/Spouse: Maria BENN. Maria died in 1705. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Name:
Rev. Eleazer Mather, the fifth son of Rev. Richard Mather, was born in Dorchester, Mass., may 13, 1637. He graduated at Harvard in 1656 and was minister at Northampton where he died, July 4, 1669, at the age of thirty-nine years. He was a man of talents and exalted piety and a zealous and eminently useful preacher. His father died the same year. His daughter, Eunice, married rev. John Williams, and was a victim of the Deerfield massacre. Her daughter was carried off into Canada with other prisoners, and subsequently married an Indian and was the ancestress of Rev. John Williams, a missionary in the Northwest, who was supposed by many to be the lost Dauphin, sons of Louis XVI, of France.

Eleazer married Esther WARHAM on 29 Sep 1659. Esther (daughter of Rev John WARHAM and Jane DABINOTT) was born in 1644; was christened on 8 Dec 1644; died on 10 Feb 1736. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Minister of the North Church of Boston, Mass., and President of Harvard University

Notes:

Name:
Rev. Increase Mather, so named from "the never-to-be-forgotton increase of every sort wherewith God favored the country about the time of his nativity," the youngest and by far the most distinguished brother of timothy, was born in Dorchester, June 21, 1639, and died in Boston, August 23, 1723, in the eighty-fifth year of his age, having been a preacher for sixty-six years, sixty-two of which were spent in the ministry in Boston. He graduated at Harvard in 1656, and being invited by his brother to Dublin, remained abroad four years studying and preaching. In 1664 he was ordained pastor of the North Church in Boston, and continued such until his death. He was President of Harvard College from 1685 to 1701, and enjoyed the distinction of having received from the college the first degree of Doctor of Divinity ever conferred in British America. In April 1688, he was sent to England as agent of the Provinces, to lay their grievances before King James himself. he had five interviews with the King in about six months, and at his request prepared and presented a memorial and petition, but all ended in good words and fair speeches. After the accession of William and Mary in November of that year, his efforts were rewarded with better success, for although he was unable to obtain a restoration of the Old Charter, he procured a grant of the New Charter of Massachusetts, and to him was entrusted the nomination of Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, and the Board of Council, who were to be appointed by the King. In the spring of 1692, after an absence of four years, he returned to Boston, accompanied by the new Governor, Sir William Phipps, and the new government, under the new charter, was quickly put in operation.

Increase married Maria COTTON on 16 Mar 1661/2. Maria (daughter of Rev. John COTTON and Sarah HAWKREDD) was born on 16 Feb 1640/1 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts; died on 04 Apr 1714 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Increase married Anne LAKE on 30 May 1715 in Brookline, Massachusetts. Anne was born on 12 Oct 1663 in Hampton, New Hampshire; died on 29 Mar 1736/7 in Brookline, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]