Family:Samuel Reed and Hannah Wright (1)

Samuel's will mentions a daughter Molly, listed last, so presumably youngest daughter, i.e., born after Jane who was born 1770. There appears to be no birth record for Molly.

Additional confusion surrounds the sons named Samuel. In particular, the two sons born 1763 and 1764 (and following Bridget born 1762) seem so close together, one suspect an error in one of the dates, but no obvious answer presents itself. Then there is no death or gravestone for the Samuel b. 1764, for a family that was very good about providing gravestones for the other children who died, further suggesting some sort of confusion. The will mentions a son Samuel, so we know one survived.

More research into son Samuel and daughter Mary/Molly is needed. Ages at death would be particularly helpful.

It is possible Molly was born after the other two daughters died, missing whatever illness appears to have circulated Sept 1775, but given the age of the mother (even though a younger wife, born 1730, so in her mid to late 40's) births much later than 1775 seem less likely.

One possibility: the Samuel b. 1764 lived, and the 1774 birth is for Molly, misrecorded?

Jacob Whittemore Reed is his usual confusing, unreliable self, showing a Samuel b. 15 Aug 1774 on p. 164 to Samuel and Hannah, and then on p. 165 the same Samuel to Samuel and Abigail (note: the Westford VRs show the son of Samuel and Hannah Underwood as born 15 May 1774). On one of the entries he says Samuel now lives in Littleton, suggesting he corresponded with him. And on p. 126 talks about a different Samuel, s/o Samuel and Hannah, immediately after discussing Samuel and Hannah Raymond, who are contemporaries to Samuel and Hannah Underwood, but he lists no son Samuel in Samuel and Hannah Raymond's family, though according to his dates, they are married 1762, and don't have a child until 1768, suggesting a Samuel b. 1764 would fit nicely, though a Samuel b. 1774 would conflict with James.

1. ↑ Westford, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. Vital records of Westford, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849. (Salem, Mass: Essex Institute, 1915)
   p. 249.

   UNDERWOOD, Hannah, wid., and Samuel Read, June 22, 1757.