Person:Alexander Edwards (23)

NOTE: As of 3 February 2015, the various links to web pages provided below are no longer functional.

1)The following is from My Davis & Young Ancestors by George Richard Ott on GenCircles, Oct 2002. http://www.gencircles.com/users/dickott/3/3data/1033

FACTS: 1643 Town Officer of Springfield, Massachusetts. About 1654 removed to Northampton, Massachusetts. Original member of Northampton First Church. Lived in "Welsh End" near the hospital. ("Early Northampton" US/Can 974.423/N1 82e FHL 1/2003)

IMMIGRATION: Came to America and settled in Springfield.

Individual: THE EDWARDS LINE Though both were prominent in Northampton, no relationship appears to have existed between Jonathan Edwards and the family of Alexander Edwards. Both were of Welsh origin. Alexander Edwards having embarked at Bristol, reached America about 1640. He settled in Springfield, where he married 28 February, 1642(3) (28 April, 1642, so Mrs. Bement), Mrs. Sarah (Baldwin) Searle.2 He was one of the founders of... (Source: Strong Genealogy) 2 The wife of Alexander Edwards, Sarah (Baldwin) Searle, has been identified by the eminent genealogist, J. L. Chester, in his research concerning the Baldwins of Aston Clinton. See N. E. H. and G. R., 38. On page 164 he gives the substance of the will of a Richard Baldwin of Cholsbury, weaver, dated 23 May, 1630; the will was proved by his son Timothy 16 May, 1633. He names his wife Isabell; sons, Timothy, Nathaniel, and Joseph; daughter, Mary Pratt, and her daughter Mary, "+ her other 2 children"; daughter Hannah, "+ my other 2 daughters Christian and Sarah." Now there were three Baldwins, Timothy, Nathaniel, and Joseph, in New Haven and later in Milford. They were associated both in New Haven and in Milford with the family of Sylvester Baldwin who came from Aston Clinton, the family having lands in Cholsbury near-by. The identity of names, especially when one of them is the unusual name of Timothy--a unique occurrence in the Baldwin family of Aston Clinton--the association with another branch of the family with whom doubtless they were intimate in England--these considerations make the identification seem certain. The ages of the children are not known, though Joseph, Christian, and Sarah are under twenty-one. Joseph had a wife, Hannah, in Milford, a second wife, Isabel (Ward) Catlin Northam of Hadley, and a third, Elizabeth Hitchcock Warriner of Springfield; his will is dated 26 December, 1680; he died 2 November, 1684, at Northampton. This family illustrates the complicated relations that sometimes ensued from the frequent remarriages in New England. For example, Joseph's daughter Elizabeth was married to James Warriner, son of William and his first wife, Joanna Searle, sister-in-law of Joseph's sister Sarah, while William Warriner's second wife became third wife to Joseph Baldwin. By Chester's conjecture Sarah and Joseph were second cousins to the children of the widow Baldwin. The first of the family certainly identified in England was Richard, whose will was 16 January, 1552(3), though there were other Baldwins of the vicinity for a generation or two earlier, but their relationship cannot be determined. This first Richard had wife, Ellen, children, Henry, John,

2) BAPTISM-MARRIAGE: From PHELPS FAMILY OF AMERICA, on GenCircles, October 2002. Credits the Ancestral File for information. http://www.gencircles.com/users/btphelps/1/data/9871 (18 Mar 1621 St.Botolph, Bishopsgate,London ENGLAND)

3) "The Scott Genealogy" by Mary Lovering Holman, Boston, Mass. 1919. FHL US/Can book 929.273 Sc84h, p. 246. FHL film 1033607 (1/2003)

"...settled in Springfield in 1648, but removed to Northampton in 1653 where he had received a grant of land. He was granted land in Springfield in 1643 and 1645, "& besides ye 3d allotments to Alexander Edwards....there is 7 akrs now granted to him at his request as a free gift: in all he is to have 18 akrs, he requested ye said 7 akrs in recompence of a houselott which he thought was due to him when he married the widdow Searles" (Springfield Town Records). He held a minor town office in 1648 and 1649. After his removal to Northampton he was granted land there until he finally owned a considerable acreage. In 1658 he contributed toward the settling of the Rev. Mr. Mather, as the minister. With three others he built a gristmill in 1659 but sold his share in 1661, and in that same year he signed the church covenant. He also owned part of a lead mine. He lent his financial aid to Harvard College in 1672-3. In 1690 a fatal fever prevailed in the River towns, and eleven of the original settlers were its victims and among them was Alexander Edwards.

Alexander Edwards made his Will 30 Aug. 1690, proved 24 Oct. 1690. He gave to his sons, Samuel Edwards; Benjamin Edwards; Nathaniel Edwards; daughters, Mary Field; Elizabeth Clark; to Sarah North; to John and Samuel Davis." (John and Samuel Davis were the sons of his deceased daugher Hannah Edwards Davis)

4) Early Settlers of Northampton website, by Dave Clark, 505 Church Street,Belmont, NC 28012 http://www.uftree.com/UFT/WebPages/DavidAClark/EDWARDS/index.htm#toc (Jan.2003)

Edwards was born in Llandabog, Wales 10 Feb 1613. (There are also towns Llandedrog and Llandawg-SHG April 2004)

Alexander married the widow of John Searle, an immigrant from England to Springfield, Sarah Baldwin. Their original home lot was located along Pleasant St. & bounded by Main St. It was small, something less than 2 acres, and in 1660 the town granted him another lot "in lieu of land he was to have in the meadows". At that time he also purchased some additional land from others, and moved to this new lot at the corner of West & Green Sts. Over a period of time, Alexander Edwards owned nearly all of the land lying between Green St. and Mill River. All of this area was included in the new fortifications that were raised in 1690.

When a town inventory was performed about 1675, Edwards was shown as having a home lot of two acres, plus 72 more of meadow land. He appears to have been quite active in the buying & selling of land throughout his life in Northampton, and there are many records of his transactions. Alexander Edwards was among the owners of the 1st grist mill built in Northampton. The others included William Clarke, Samuel Wright Sr., and Joseph Parsons. The 1st miller was Robert Hayward, who in 1661, bought out the owners.

Edwards was one of the signers of the church covenant in 1661, but strangely, his wife was not. He had earlier promised 5 acres of land to attract a minister to the town. When the colony demanded subscriptions to Harvard College in 1672/73, Alexander Edwards offered 8lbs of flax, worth 8 shillings. His sons, Samuel & Edward also offered a pound of flax each.

5) BIRTH: Daniel Postellon, "Postellon and Chamberlain Ancestors" on GenCircles, 12 August 2003. <http://www.gencircles.com/users/pustelnik> Gives 1610 birth and 1620 baptism.

BIRTH-MARRIAGE-DEATH: IGI v5.0 various dates from 1610 to 1621 are given for his birth. Some say Springfield, Wales. Others say St Botolph, Bishopsgate, London. (There is a St. Botolph in Wales according to Google.) All agree his father is Giles Edwards.

TRUMBULL'S NORTHAMPTON GENEALOGIES CAME FROM A BORDER TOWN IN WALES IN 1640, TO SPRINGFIELD, TO NORTHAMPTON IN 1655.

Info from "Illustrious Robisons" Immigrant ancestor, 1640 Freeman 1690, "Had a Garrison House at Northampton 1690". Will dated 30 Aug 1690

per book Antiquities, Historicals and Graduates of Nothampton, ma, by Solomon Clark: pg 112: Alexander Edwards, from Wales, one of the early settlers of Northampton. He was of Welsh descent.