Person:John Ayers (27)

Proofs of the Children of Captain John Ayers

"The proofs (of the children of John Ayers) are as follows: - The late Sylvester Judd, of Northampton, sent me a copy of a petition, herein after quoted, made in 1717, by Thomas, Joseph, Mark, Nathaniel, and Edward Ayres for lands formerly granted their father John Ayres. In 1703 also, Samuel, John, and Thomas were appointed executors of John, sr. Again in 1741 there was recorded at Worcester a deed dated 14 Jany 1716, from Thomas, Mark and Edward Ayres, all of Portsmouth, Nathaniel Ayres, of Boston, blacksmith, Samuel Ayres, of Ipswich, son of Samuel of the same, and Robert Day, of New Roxbury, "whose mother was Susanna Ayres," - to Joseph Ayres, of Ipswich; it conveyed the land which was formerly possessed at Brookfield by their honored father John Ayres. The following is the petition above mentioned.

October 28th, 1717. A Petition of Thomas Ayres, Joseph Ayres, Mark Ayres, Natt'll Ayers, & and Edward Ayres, Sons & Heirs of John Ayres heretofore of Quaboag alias Brookfield, Dec'd Intestate, Shewing that in or about the Year 1660, the Petitioners Father with others bought & purchased of the Indian Natives a Tract of Land of about Eight Miles square then known & called by the Name of Quoboag, After which, Viz. in the Year 1673, the General Court erected the said Land into a Township by the Name of Brookfield. That in the Year 1675, A War broke out with the Indians, who kill'd Petitioners Father & several other Inhabitants, And the Rest being drawn off by Order of the Government, the whole Town was left desolate, and all the Houses burnt Down by the Enemy, After which, about 1690, the said Town of Brookfield was in a likely Way to be settled. And in the Year 1703 the Petitioners having obtained Administration on their Fathers Estate lying in Brookfield afore said, petitioned the Gen'll Court that a Committee might he appointed to make Enquiry & Cause a Record to be made of the Lots Rights & Proprieties of Land within the said Plantation belonging to the ancient Settlers thereof, that so the Petitioners might have & enjoy what belong'd to them in Right of their Father, W'ch Prayer of the Petitioners was accordingly granted, & Sam'll Patridge Esq'r & others appointed a Comm'tee were ordered to make Enquiry & Cause a Record to be made of the said Lots, Rights, and Proprieties, But the said Committee neglecting that Service, the Petitioners renewed their Petition to the Gen'll Court, who appointed a Hearing thereon; However the Petitioners withdrew their Petition at the Request of the said Committee, & upon their Promise that they would forthwith proceed to settle the Petitioners in their Rights, Which accordingly they did to the Satisfaction of the Petitioners, who were at the Expence of One Hundred & fifty Pounds at least in Obtaining the said Settlement, But after all the Committee did in March last declare all their Proceedings in the Premisses to be null & void under no other Pretence, but that the said Lands were not improved by the Petitioners, And the very Lots that the Petitioners Father died possess'd of, & particularly his Home Lot which he defended against the Indians to the Loss of his Life are granted by the said Committee to other Persons very unjustly & contrary to the Order of the Gen'll Assembly, By all w'ch the Petitioners are kept out of the Possession of their Fathers Estate.

Upon the Whole the Petitioners pray the Hon'ble Court will confirm to them the Lands which the said Committee have laid out to them Containing by Estimation no more than Fifteen or Sixteen Hundred Acres, Altho' they have heard their Father & many others say That he had Two Thousand Acres of Land in Brookfield. With which Land so laid out by the said Committee they shall rest satisfied & contented, Unless the Court shall please to make them some further Consideration:

Read in the House of Representatives Oct 26. 1717, And Ordered, that the Committee of Brookfield be served with a Copy of this & the Petitioners former Petition, And that they appear before this Court on the second Thursday of the next May Session, to shew Reason why they declared the Petition'rs land to be forfeited. Sent up for Concurrence: Read & Concur'd.

Consented to, Sam'll Shute."^[2]

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Hoyt, David W. The Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury, Massachusetts. (Providence, RI, 1897-1919)
   I:41.

   John(1) Ayres, Capt., of Ipswich and Brookfield, "husbandman;" m. Susanna Symonds [dau. of Mark of Ip]. He was in Ip. in 1648; rem. to Quabog or Brookfield, as one of its first settlers. He was of Ip. in 1669; but of Bk. Nov., 1672; was killed by Indians (at Squakeag or Northfield) when they destroyed Brookfield, Aug. 3, 1675. Inv. est. 1676; 7 sons and 1 dau.

2. ↑ Whitmore, William Henry. A Record of the Descendants of Captain John Ayres of Brookfield, Mass. (Boston, Mass.: T. R. Marvin & Son, 1870)
   10-12.
3. ↑ Bodge, George M. Bodge, George M. Soldiers in ing Philips War. (New England Historical and Genealogical Register (New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Mass.))
   37:37-39, 1884.

   In Bodge's history of the soldiers in the King Philip's War, he describes the events which preceded the destruction of Brookfield on August 3, 1675. On August 1st rumors of a large native force were heard and a party went to treat with them. A group of four was sent and during their dicussions, it was agreed to meet with Capt. Hutchinson at 8 o'clock the next day. On Aug 2nd, Capt. Hutchinson with his troopers and three representatives from Brookfield, proceeded to the agreed upon place. Finding no one there and trusting in their previous good relations with the Nipmucks, they went to find them. At a swamp, about 5 miles from Brookfield, an ambuscade had been laid and Capt. Hutchinson, his troop, and the town representatives were attacked. Among those killed was Sgt. John Ayres. The survivors making their way back to Brookfield, prepared for an attack which came that day, and throughout the night and into the next.

4. ↑ ^4.0 4.1 John Ayres of Brookfield, in Massachusetts, Probate Court (Essex County). The Probate Records of Essex County, Massachusetts. (Salem, Massachusetts: The Essex Institute, 1916, 1917, 1920)
   3:50, 51.

   Administration upon the estate of John Ayres of Qaboag, intestate, was granted Mar. 28, 1676, to Susana Ayres, the widow. There being an inventory brought in amounting to 195 li., and there being seven sons and a daughter, court ordered 951i. to be divided among the children, the eldest son John, with what he already had to be made up a double portion, and the remainder to be equally divided, the widow to have the rest of the estate.
   Inventory of the estate of John Ayres of Brookfield taken Sept. 13, 1675, by John Brewer, sr. and Simon Stace

5. ↑ ""Wheeler's Surprise" " - Ambush somewhere between Quabog (West Brookfield) and Squakeag (Northfield).