Southworth in Massachusetts

1600s

From Savage (Vol. 4:143-144):

SOUTHWORTH, CONSTANT, Plymouth, s. of Edward, b. 1610, was not brot. in the Ann 1623, by his wid. mo. when she came to m. Gov. Bradford, but came, it is presum. in 1628, was made freem. of the col. and m. 2 Nov. 1637, Elizabeth d. of William Collier, resid. in Duxbury, was rep. in 1647 and 22 yrs. foll. and on the d. of his br. Capt. Thomas, was chos. an Assist. till his own d. 11 Mar. 1679, and once was a Commiss. for the Unit. Col. He left s. Edward; Nathaniel, b. 1648; and William, 1659; ds. Mercy, wh. m. 12 May 1658, Samuel Freeman; Alice, wh. m. 26 Dec. 1667, famous Benjamin Church; Mary, wh. m. David Alden; Elizabeth m. William Fobes; and Priscilla. EDWARD, Duxbury, eldest s. of the preced. m. 16 Nov. 1669, Mary, d. of William Peabody, had Thomas; Elizabeth b. 1672; Constant; Mercy; Benjamin; Priscilla; and John; but their dates of b. are unkn. was rep. 1689 and 91 at Plymouth, and under the new chart. at Boston 1692 and 3. NATHANIEL, Plymouth, br. of the preced. m. 10 Jan. 1672, Desire, d. of Edward Gray, wh. d. 4 Dec. 1690, had Constant, b. 12 Aug. 1674; Mary, 3 Apr. 1676; Ichabod, Mar. 1678; Elizabeth; Nathaniel, 10 May 1684; and Edward, 1688. He liv. at Middleborough, was a lieut. rep. 1696, and d. 14 Jan. 1711. THOMAS, Plymouth, br. of Constant, prob. younger, came with him, was a milit. lieut. and capt. an Assist. 1652 and twelve times aft. until 1667, d. 8 Dec. 1669, in his 53d yr. He and his br. Constant were among the purch. of Dartmouth. He m. Sept. 1641, Elizabeth d. of Rev. John Reyner, had only d. Elizabeth wh. m. 7 Dec. 1664, lieut. Joseph, s. of John Howland of the Mayflower's glorious comp. WILLIAM, Little Compton, s. prob. youngest of Constant, by w. Rebecca, wh. d. 3 or 23 Dec. 1702, in her 43d yr. had Benjamin, b. 18 Apr. 1681; Joseph, 1 Feb. 1683; Edward, 23 Nov. 1684; Elizabeth 23 Sept. 1686; Alice, 14 July 1688; Samuel, 26 Dec. 1690; Nathaniel, 31 Oct. 1692; Thomas, 13 Dec. 1694; and Stephen, 31 Mar. 1696; and by sec. w. had Gideon, 21 Mar. 1707; and Andrew, 12 Dec. 1709; and d. 2O June 1719. The name is not now seen at Little Compton, but is well diffus. in other parts of N. E.

It was sometimes Southwood, in the early days, and belong. to "eminently a BassetLaw fam." by wh. I am constrain. to doubt the deduct. of pedigree, as print. in Winsor, 31G. Sir Gilbert, Sir John, Sir Thomas, Sir Christopher, may well have flourish. in Lancash. on the West Coast of the kingdom, but Edward, the h. of Alice Carpenter, wh. bec. w. of our Gov. Bradford, liv. on the E. side; and of a line, however humble, long estab. there, so would not prob. draw his blood from them. A very long l. of most val. public serv. in Mass. Conn. and N. Y. proves, that honors from the Ct. of Queen Elizabeth were not need. Much benefit to thousands of inquirers on our side of the ocean may be deriv. from wise use of a few words in the note of Mr. Hunter, on pp. 6 and 7 of "The founders of New Plymouth," Ed. 1854: "mere possess. of a surname wh. coincides with that of an Eng. fam. is no proof of connex. with that fam. Claims of alliance found. on this basis are not the legitimate offspring of laborious genealog. inquiry, but of self-love and the desire to fvund a reputa. for ancestorial honor where no such honor is really due." Well is the topic explain. in further remarks, found. on experience of more than one gross case of indecent pretension.