Person:Garrett Church (1)

While it is known that Garrett migrated to this country in 1633, it is not known from what part of England he came. Garret was born about 1611 (deposed December 17, 1662 aged about 51) and died in Watertown after July 20, 1684 (when he acknowledged two deeds) and before 3 Feb 1685/6 (deed acknowledged by John Stone, one of the witnesses). He was admitted to the Watertown, Massachusetts church (Puritan) before May 2, 1649, on which date he was made Freeman. [MBCR 2:295]. His occupation was that of a planter, or farmer, and he signed his deed by a mark. He rarely appeared in town records, just one Watertown committee "for the seeing unto the sufficiency of fences," 31 March 1651, 3 February 1651/2 [ WaTR 23, 30].

By 1637, he married Sarah (____). The records of births of Garret Church's children Mary and Jonathan give the mother as Mary, whereas the mother for all other children, both before and after these two, is given as Sarah. In the absence of other evidence, it is better to assume a simple scribal error rather than three wives for Garrett Church. Sarah Church was one of those who complained against John Chenery "for his defect in not regulating his swine according to town order"; no further record of her.

On March 2, 1640/1 "Garret Church" stood as surety for Christopher Grant, a Watertown man. In 1652 Grant sold land to Church, and other lands of Grant and Church were adjacent to one another. On April 1, 1634 Garrett Church gave 200 four-inch planks toward the construction of the sea fort; Phillip Tabor gave the same amount. On the same day "Garrett Church & Phillip Tabor hath bound themselves [in] 40s. apiece, to appear then to give testimony against Mr. Ch[ester] for selling commodities contrary to order". These records indicate that Garret Church had arrived in New England prior to 1634, and also connect him with two other men who resided at that time in Watertown.

He received assorted grants around Watertown 1636-1642. In the Watertown Inventory of Grants Garrett Church held six parcels: eight acre homestall; twenty acres upland in Great Dividend; six acres upland beyond the further plain; three acres Plowland; three acres Remote Meadow; and one acre of meadow at Beaverbrook [ WaBOP 113]. In the Composite Inventory he held the first five of these parcels, and also the farm granted to him in 1642; the acre of meadow was now in the hands of Isaac Stearns [ WaBOP 66, 22].

He left no will, but there are transactions to his sons Samuel and David transferring some of his land. . On 11 December 1671 Garrett Church of Watertown sold to "my son Samuel Church" for "some considerations half my now dwelling house" and that "parcel of land which I bought of Christopher Grant" together with an acre of meadow adjoining [ MLR 4:277]. On 13 February 1684[/5?] Garrett Church of Watertown sold to "my loving son David Church of the same town" one house, barn, orchard and eighteen acres of upland and meadow, five acres of pasture, a farm of sixty acres, and thirty acres of Great Dividend [ MLR 10:576]. (This deed was acknowledged by John Stone, one of the witnesses, on 3 February 1685/6.)

The deed of 13 February 1684[/5?], inasmuch as it transfers the remainder of Garrett Church's real estate to his younger surviving son, stands in the place of a will, and Church was dead within a year. The deeds to sons Samuel and David are the only evidence for children surviving past infancy, but they do not preclude the possibility that one or more of the daughters may have married, since Church preferred to provide for his sons during his lifetime, and may have done the same with his daughters, but with personal estate instead.

Sarah's maiden name has not been found nor has any indication of the date or place of death of either Garrett or Sarah, though presumably both died in Watertown.

1.   Garrett Church, in Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995).

   ORIGIN: Unknown MIGRATION: 1633 FIRST RESIDENCE: Watertown
   BIRTH: About 1611 (deposed 17 December 1662 aged about 51 [ Pope , citing Middlesex Court Files]).
   DEATH: Watertown after 20 July 1685 (acknowledged two deeds [ MLR< /A> 9:407, 409]) and before 3 February 1685/6 (deed acknowledged by John Stone, one of the witnesses [ MLR 10:576]).
   MARRIAGE: By 1637 Sarah _____; on 6 February 1662/3 Sarah Church was one of those who complained against John Chenery "for his defect in not regulating his swine according to town order" (unless this is the daughter of the same name) [ WaTR 76]; no further record.

2.   Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England: Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692, on the Basis of Farmer's Register. (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co, 1860-1862)
   1:385.

   GARRETT, or JARED, Watertown 1637, was b. 1611, freem. 1649, by w. Sarah had John, b. 10 Mar. 1638; Samuel, 12 June 1640; Sarah, 10 Mar. 1643; Mary, 15 May 1644; Jonathan, 13 Dec. 1646; and David, 1 Sept. 1657.

Founders of Watertown, MA

Located along the Charles River, Watertown was one of the first settlements in Massachusetts Bay Colony. After a brief stay by Roger Clapp and others who then went on to settle Dorchester. In late July 1630, Sir Richard Saltonstall led a group of about 115 households to settle at Watertown, which at the time included parts of present-day Cambridge and much of the surrounding area; the population approached Boston's in the mid 17th century. In 1632 the residents of Watertown protested against being compelled to pay a tax for the erection of a stockade fort at Cambridge; leading to the establishment of representative government in the colony. Full list of original heads of households See also: History of Watertown - Wikipedia entry - Richard Saltonstall on Wikipedia Watertown Founders' Monument Current Location: Middlesex County, Massachusetts   Parent Towns: None   Daughter Towns: Cambridge, Weston, Waltham, Belmont, Lincoln