Person:Nicholas Wood (4)

Summary

• Born say 1620
• Arrived 1638 Braintree later moved to Dorchester, Medfield and Natick
• His origins and parents are unknown
• Married first Mary Pidge and second Hannah (Unknown) See below. No other wives
• Eight Children (see below)
• Detailed Will (transcript below)

Biography

Nicholas Wood born say 1620 arrived in 1638 in Braintree later moved to Dorchester, Medfield and Natick [Great Migration Directory 383]. His origins and parents are unknown. He married first Mary Pidge (or Pigg) (1622-1662) daughter of Thomas Pidge of Roxbury and his wife Mary Sothy [Great Migration Begins: Thomas Pidge 1465. Mary Pidge had been misidentified by earlier authors as Mary Williams which is wrong. The evidence is laid out in The American Genealogist 36:112, 36:117 and NEHGR 40:324 both available on AmericanAncestors.org. After Mary Pidge in 1662/3 died Nicholas Wood married second to Hannah (Unknown) widow of William Page who had died in 1664. She is thought to have married third to Edward Winn. Note I can't find any evidence for Hannah's maiden name. See NEHGR 48:457 for the will of Nicholas Wood and sources in Torrey 3:1710. He's also in Sherborn Hist.:261 and GMB 1465. But the best treatment I could find of him is in Waldo Chamberlain Sprague, Genealogies Of the Families of Braintree, Mass. 1640-1850s page 1943 published by NEHGR in 2001 which includes all the previously published updates to this family:

The two wives of Nicholas Wood

NICHOLAS1 WOOD married by 1642 or earlier Mary Pidge, daughter of Thomas Pidge of Roxbury as shown by the church records there. She died Feb. 19, 1662/3 at now Sherborn (Medfield V.R.) and he died there Feb. 7, 1669/70 (Medfield V.R.). His will dated Jan. 16, 1669 "at my farm in Natick bounds" was proved Apr. 2, 1670. It mentions wife Anna "my now loving wife" and his children Jonathan, Eleazer, under age, daughters Abigail, Bethiah, Mehitable, now in their minority, daughter Mary Thurston, grand child Abraham Harding son of daughter Hannah

Harding deceased. Residue to six daughters and two sons, wife Anna. and John Thurston Jr. and Thomas Bass, both my sons in law, executors with friend George Barber of Medfield supervisor, and signed on 18th of 4th mo. 1669. (Register 48-457).

For the location of his homestead in Sherborn see History of Sherborn and Holliston by Rev. Abner Morse (1856).

His second wife Anna or Hannah was the widow of William Page of Watertown who died Dec. 9, 1664. On Nov. 16, 1665 widow Hannah Page made a marriage contract with Nicholas Wood of Boggestow with John Coolidge Sr. and Henry Bright as trustees of her property. After his death these trustees or feoffee? of the widow Annah Wood had a law suit with John Thurston of Medfield executor of Nicholas Wood's estate (See Bond's History of Watertown, etc.).

Did she m. 3rd Edward Winn of Woburn who d. 1682??? - F.A. Bates says so.

Children

Children of Nicholas & Mary (Pidge) Wood, born 1st two at Roxbury, others recorded at Medfield:

1. Mary, twin, bapt. Dec. 25, 1642 at Roxbury, m. Oct. 4, 1660 at Medfield, John Thurston Jr of Medfield.
2. Sarah, twin, bapt. Dec. 25, 1642 at Roxbury, m. Oct. 4, 1660 at Medfield, Dea. Thomas Bass of Medfield & Braintree.
3. Hannah, m. Nov. 28, 1665 at Watertown (Medfield VR) Dea. John Harding of Medfield & Braintree.
4. Jonathan, Jan. 3, 1651/2. Killed by Indians Feb. 21, 1675/6 at Medfield or Sherborn, m. May 26, 1674 at Dorchester, Mary Daniel of Milton.
5. Mehitable, Jul. 22, 1655, m. Oct. 17, 1671 at Medfield, Capt. Joseph Morse.
6. Abigail, Sep. 13, 1657
7. Bethiah, Jul. 28, 1660, m. Ephraim (Cutler?) Feb. 8, 1678/9.
8. Eleazer, Mar. 14, 1661/2. He was scalped by the Indians at the time his brother was slain, recovered, but was afterwards depressed and strange, left a family. He died May 20, 1704 at Sherborn. Roxbury Records (Boston Returns) say Mary ye daughtr of ____ Wood of Braintree borne 1642 25 -(10), Sarah ye daughtr of - of Braintree borne 25 (10) 1642 (Reg. 6:377-8). He married Dorothy (_____). Her maiden name is unknown and was not Babcock. Morse just made that up. See NEHGR 40:104, 41:24, 41:32. and after he died Dorothy married second to Capt John Ware 1646-1718. Eleazer Wood and Dorothy had only two children Abigail and Hannah. Hannah married Joseph Ware son of John Ware above - her step-brother. They had no daughter Dorothy as Morse assumed. The Dorothy who married John Ware was the widow of Eleazer Wood and not their daughter.

Will and Probate

NEHGR. 48:457. S. P. #521: Will of Nicholas Wood Jan. 16, 1669 (70) "living at my farm in Natick bounds", To wife Anna my now loving wife one third of real estate bought of Richard Parker and £17 a year till son Jonathan is 21 for the bringing up of my two younger children. To son Jonathan all lands bought of Richard Parker, being the farm I now live on, and 4 acres of English pasture lying on the N. side of the brook that runneth by my house excepted. Also to son Jonathan 10 a. of meadow of the parcel bought of Lt. Fisher of Dedham, beginning at the S. line of the meadow next to John Hall's farm, also cattle, etc.

To son Eleazer all lands bought of Lt. Fisher of Dedham except the 10 a. above mentioned joining to my other farm above said and the 4 acres excepted. To dau. Mehitable Wood all salt marsh in Milton except if it is over £60 in value the surplus to go to my executors. To dau. Abigail Wood lands and meadow at Roxbury and what it falls short of £60 to be made up by my executors. To dau. Bethya all houses & lands in Watertown which I had with my last wife at her decease and all above £60 value to go to my executors. If son Jonathan die before age 21 and single Eleazer to be sole heir of his estate and to pay £10 to his sister Mary Thurston within one year and so annually till he have paid to each of them £10. If son Eleazer die before age 21 Jonathan to be sole heir paying £6 apiece to all his sisters then living beginning with £6 to Mary Thurston within one year and so annually.

If my three daughters now in their minority die before age, being single, then their portions to be divided equally among brothers and sisters. To grand child Abraham Harding son of my daughter Hannah Harding deceased £5 at age paid by son Jonathan. Residue to six daughters and two sons when Jonathan is 21.

Wife Anna & John Thurston Jr. & Thomas Bass both my sons in law executors & friend George Barbour of Medfield supervisor, signed 18th of 4th mo. 1669. Witnesses: Henry Layland, Hopestill Layland. Proved Jun. 2, 1670.

Sources

1. Sprague, Waldo Chamberlain, Genealogies of the families of Braintree, Massachusetts, 1640-1850: including the modern towns of Randolph and Holbrook and the city of Quincy (Boston, Massachusetts: NEHGS, 2001) p 1943+
2. Fourth Report of the Record Commissioners of the City of Boston. 1880. Dorchester Town Records (Boston 1883) 1:38;
3. John S. Fipphen and Richard C. Fipphen, Phippen Genealogy: Ancestors and Descendants of David Phippen (c. 1585-1650) of Melcombe Regis, Dorset, and Hingham and Boston, Massachusetts (Boston, MA: Newbury Street Press, 2017) link
4. Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England , 1628–1686, Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, ed., 5 volumes in 6 (Boston 1853–1854) 1:378;
5. Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Probate Records Case #521;
6. The New England Historical & Genealogical Register, Volume 1 through present (1847+) 40:324; link
7. The New England Historical & Genealogical Register, Volume 1 through present (1847+) 48:457 link
8. The American Genealogist 36:117; link See also 36:112
9. Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633 , 3 volumes (Boston 1995) 1465 Thomas Pidge
10. Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Directory p 383: Wood, Nicholas
11. Torrey 3:1710 WOOD, Nicholas1 (-1670) & 1/wf Mary PIGG/PIDGE/ WILLIAMS? (-1663), ?dau Thomas; by 1642; Roxbury/Braintree/ Dorchester/Medfield {Reg. 34:69, 40:324, 48:457; Stevens-Miller 2:23; Williams (,4) 12; Holman Ms: Pidge 2, 4; Wood 1; TAG 22:210, 36:112, 117; Lexington 154; Hill (#1)) 37; Paul Anc 137; TIngley-Meyers 248, 249; Savage}
12. Torrey 3:1710 WOOD, Nicholas (-1670) & 2/wf Ann/Anna/Hannah (BABCOCK?) PAGE, w William; m/3 Edward WINN ca 1681; m cont 16 Nov 1665; Watertown {Watertown 865; Sherborn Hist. 264; Framingham Hist. 348; Paul Anc. 138; Holman Ms: Wood 1}
13. Morse, Abner, A Genealogical Register of the Inhabitants and History of the Towns of Towns of Sherborn and Holliston (Boston: Damrell & Moore, 1856) 261 link to Sherborn Hist.:261 Wrong

1.   Rootsweb Message Boards.

   link to Rootsweb Message Boards
   
   According to the Rootsweb post, Nicholas Wood had 4 wives:
   
   Dorothy -- m. abt 1622 England 1 child
   
   Mary Pidge/Pigge/Pig m. 1642 Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts 2 ch. (twins)
   
   Mary WILLIAMS m. 1650 Dorchester, Norfolk, Massachusetts 5 ch.
   
   Anna or Hannah BABCOCK the widow of William Page m. 6 Nov 1665 Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts
   
   However, this isn't consistent with peer reviewed sources.