Person:Theophilus Shatswell (1)

The year of Theophilus Shatswell's birth is not known. Davis (p. 285) states he was born about 1614. Macdonald (NEHGR, 150:185) estimates 1599 based on evidence not available to Davis.

He received payment from the town of Haverhill, Mass in 1643 for service against the indians. He removed to Haverhill in 1648, was a proprietor and a town officer in 1649 and after.

Theophilus was an English emigrant who located in Ipswich, MA, and 1646 removed to Haverhill where he held several important offices. He was a surveyor and was one of the lot layers when Haverhill was divided into towns, including Methuen, MA and Salem, NH.

"His name first appears upon the Ipswich records in 1639, and in 1642 he was one of the young soldiers sent by the town to disarm the Indian chief Passaconoway. With Edward Chapman and Thomas Perkins he sued Roger Cheston in the court of March, 1646. In 1648 he was a subscirber to Major General Denison's salary. By 1650 he had moved to Haverhill where he took the Oath of Fidelity and served on a Norfolk county trial jury, as he did in 1652 (dismissed) and 1653. He was possibly not a man of average good health, for in 1653, when he would have been only thirty-nine years old [54 by Macdonald's estimate], the town of Haverhill gave him 'liberty to train or not according as he is able, provided he pay 12d. a day to the Haverhill company.' In 1653 he also sold his dwelling house in Ipswich, near the north end of the town, to William Marchent who had been his tenant. He was not often in the courts. In 1653 he was sued by Job Clement for mowing and carrying away Clement's hay in the Hawkes meadow and in 1654 he sued Tristram Coffin for not insuring him three acres of accommodation according to promise. He lost both cases. He was appointed Edward Clarke's attorney in 1659. In 1659, aged forty-five, he testified that he had made an agreement for the sale of a house between merchant Joseph Jewett of Rowley and his kinsman Richard Shatswell. A partner in a Haverhill saw-mill as early as 1651, he and Daniel ladd erected a mill at Spiggot river in 1659. He was a signatory to the petition in favor of the liberal Robert Pike."^[2]

Estate of Theophilus Shatswell of Haverhill

"'The Last will of Theophelus Satswell: Datted y^e twenteth day of y^e fourth: m^o in yeare of o^r lord one thousand six: hundred Sixty & thre Memorandum: In y^e name of y^e Lord Amen. I Theophelus Satswell being but weake in bodey, but of perfitt memory doe Bequeath my soull to god that Gaue it & in his time my bodey to y^e graue in a christian & deasent maner of buriall & my goods to be: Dispozed of as followith viz: I giue to my eldist Daughter Mary dureing her life one hundered & tenn: Acres of Adishon to y^e 3^d deuishon of upland with all privledges to it belonging, & one & thirty Acers of 2^nd deuishon Adjoyneing to wilya: Deales Land & six: aceres of planting Land adjoyneing to his Land by y^e great riuer And one partiell of y^e East meadow with a 3^d partt of my Salt marsh at Salsbury & hogghill meadow Also half of my 4^th deuishon of vpland for quantity and quallity it being in y^e whole thre hundred & 15 acers w^th all Preuiledges therevnto belonging & a young gray hors & y^e vse of a payer of bullocks two years ║allready receiued║ w^th other things Allso I giue unto my daughter Lidea: during her lif ║y^t farme║ beyond Spickitt riuer as it is bounded bettwen Steuen Kentt And Wilyam Simons & y^e meadow y^t lyeth out of y^e farme vpon y^e brook at y^e head of Thomas Dauises 3d Deuishon half y^e meadow being gourg corlis & half mine not yett parted & a white mare & y^e coult y^t cam of The mare calle[d] her mothers mare with other things alreadey receiued Also I giue Hanill Clark my whole pportion of hauks meadow & y^e 3d deuishon of vpland belonging To Sauages Land Laved out beyond haukes meadow vpon a chaing betweene Robertt Swan & I & tenn pounds al if he stay w^th me or mine untill he be one & twenty years of age: ║or else null all║ And I make my wif Susanah & my Daughter Hannah Executors & Administrato^s all my other Lands houseing catle & all other herrediments And at y^e Death of my wif then my will is y^t my Daughter Hannah shall be sole Administratour & if hannah dye then y^e other sisters Adminestring. Also my will is in all aboue written y^t my lands after the desease of my daughters Shall goe to there children by y^e heade to part alike & if any of my daughters dye leaueing no child nor children Then her partt so dyeing shall be to all y^e liueing children alike pportion pseeding from her other Sister Further I Desire my Brother Wilyam Sargent: & my Kinsman Lefttenent Philip challis To be my ouer Seers To Se this my will fulfillid accord: to y^e tennor of it.'

Theophelus Shatswell.

Witness: Jonathan Singltary, Edward clarke. Proved in Hampton court 13: 8: 1663 by Edward Clark.

Jonathan Singltary, aged forty nine or thereabouts made oath July 1, 1680 that he wrote the above at the desire of Theophilus Satchwell and saw him sign it.

Inventory taken Sept. 8, 1663 by John Eaton, sr. and John Emmerry, sr.: … total. 759li. 10s. More for five Comonages,—. Attested in Hampton court 13: 8: 1663 by Susanah Satchwell relict and executrix of Theophilus Satchwell. Essex Co. Probate Files, Docket 25,121.

Petition of Edward Clarke of Haverhill to the court at Boston. May 29, 1671 shewing that Theophilus Satchwell in his will gave to his youngest child nothing in particular but left her to be joint executrix with his wife. The said daughter being afterward married, died in childbed, and her husband also died a few months afterward leaving a young child; the estate all being the mothers during life it was thought that by the daughter being executrix, after the mother's death that she would have all the lands and the mother gave the son-in-law a deed of land but the relations opposed it asserting that it was entailed land to the other children. Now the son in law has left no estate only this land and many debts and as executor Edward Clark appeals to this court for advise and direction in the matter as there is nothing to care for the child with.

Referred to the County Court of Norfolk to find the true state of the case and return to this court that they may be better enabled to order the settleing of the estate. Mass. Archives, vol. 15B, page 241.

Petition of Haniell Bosworth of Ipswich to the Ipswich court Apr. 10, 1683, he being guardian of Abiall Messer of Haverhill and administrator of the estate requesting that the estate may be settled on the said Abiall according to the will of Theophilus Shatswell of Haverhill, his grandfather, and also that Isarell Ela may be appointed guardian and administrator in his place, he being very weak of body, till he come of age to choose for himself. He also states that he has received but one small warming pan and three smale puter platers, the rest of the moveables John Grifin had and hath not yet given account of.

Bond of Abiall Mercier of Haverhill of 1500li. administrator, with James Sanders and Elisha Davis, both of Haverhill as sureties. Signed and sealed June 10, 1704. Witness: John How, Daniel Rogers.

Inventory of the estate of Theophilus Satswell, Abial Mercer administered on which was not otherwise disposed of by the will, taken June 20, 1705 by Jonathan Handick (Hindrick. copy) and Samuel Dalton: his homelot six acres, 40li.; Land in The great plaine, 40li.; Three accres of Est medow, 15li.; five acre of north medow, 10li.; medow at bare medow. 13li.; Twenty two acres of ox comon. 301l.; Land on the Ileland, 15li.; nine rights in the comon, 20li.; a percel of Land. 12li.

Sworn to by Abiall Mercier, admr., July 9, 1705. Essex Co. Probate Files, Docket 25,121.

Theophilus Satchwell in his will appointed his wife and Hannah his daughter to be executors and they both dieing before they had completed their trust and the two surviveing daughters having renounced their right of administration the Court appointed Abiall Mercier of Haverhill only child of said Hannah and grandson to said Theophilus Satchwell administrator of the estate. Signed and sealed at Ipswich June 19. 1704 by John Appleton. Essex Co. Probate Records, vol. 308, page 230."^[5]

1. ↑ 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)
   4:61.

   Theophilus Shatswell, Ipswich 1642, was at Haverhill 1646, but back to I. in 1648, had w. Susanna, and d. 1668. He may have been f. of a William, wh. d. there a. 1663.

2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7} Shatswell, of Ipswich, in Davis, Walter Goodwin, Compiler, and Introduction by Gary Boyd Roberts. Massachusetts and Maine Families in the Ancestry of Walter Goodwin Davis (1885-1966): A Reprinting, in Alphabetical Order by Surname, of the Sixteen Multi-Ancestor Compendia (plus Thomas Haley of Winter Harbor and His Descendants). (Baltimore, Maryland, United States: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1996)
   3:285-87.
3. ↑ MacDonald, David A. A New Look at the Corwin and Shatswell Families. New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (New England Historic Genealogical Society, Apr 1996)
   150:185.
4. ↑ Haverhill, Essex, Massachusetts, United States. Vital Records of Haverhill, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849. (Topsfield, Mass.: Topsfield Historical Society, 1910)
   2:470.

   Shatswel, Theophilus, [died] Aug. 17, 1663.

5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3} Estate of Theophilus Shatswell of Haverhill, in Massachusetts, Probate Court (Essex County). The Probate Records of Essex County, Massachusetts. (Salem, Massachusetts: The Essex Institute, 1916, 1917, 1920)
   1:424-28.