Family of John + VINTON and Hannah + GREEN

Husband:	John + VINTON (1650-1727)
Wife:	Hannah + GREEN (1660-1741)
Children:	Job VINTON (1680- )
	Hannah + VINTON (1682-1753)
	Rebecca VINTON (1683- )
	Thomas VINTON (1686- )
	Mary VINTON (1689- )
	Samuel VINTON (1695- )
	Abiathar VINTON (1700- )
Marriage	16 Aug 1677	Malden, Middlesex, MA, US1,2,3,4

Husband: John + VINTON

Name:	John + VINTON
Sex:	Male
Father:	John + VINTON (1619-1664)
Mother:	Ann + MOORE (1622-1664)
Birth	2 Mar 1650	Lynn, Essex, MA, US5,6
Occupation		forgeman
Death	13 Nov 1727 (age 77)	Woburn, Middlesex, MA, US

Wife: Hannah + GREEN

Child 1: Job VINTON

Name:	Job VINTON
Sex:	Male
Birth	1680

Child 2: Hannah + VINTON

Child 3: Rebecca VINTON

Name:	Rebecca VINTON
Sex:	Female
Birth	26 Mar 1683

Child 4: Thomas VINTON

Name:	Thomas VINTON
Sex:	Male
Birth	31 Jan 1686

Child 5: Mary VINTON

Name:	Mary VINTON
Sex:	Female
Birth	20 Aug 1689

Child 6: Samuel VINTON

Name:	Samuel VINTON
Sex:	Male
Birth	3 May 1695

Child 7: Abiathar VINTON

Name:	Abiathar VINTON
Sex:	Male
Birth	10 May 1700

Note on Husband: John + VINTON

JOHN VINTON, son of John Vinton, of Lynn, b. March 2, 1650;

m. Aug. 26, 1677, Hannah Green,=' b. Feb. 24, 1659-60, dau. of

Thomas and Rebecca Green, of Maiden. Her father, Thomas Green,

was son of Thomas Green, also of Maiden.* John Vinton and Han-

nah Green were m. by Rev. Michael VVigglesworth.

 

* There were from Ihe beginning, or nearly so, two or three families of Greens in Maiden.

It is not known whether they were related. There were also Greens in Woburn, and in

other places.

 

It is difficult to disentangle the Green family, there being several of the same name. The

following stntemcnt is sulislantially correct.

 

Thomas Green/ grandfather of Hannah (Green) Vinton, above, was undoubtedly born in

 

 

 

SECOND GENERATION. 15

 

John Vinton resided in Maldeu at the time of his marriage. He

probably began to reside there not long before ; perhaps the year

previous. He was not of Maiden (Middlesex Co.) but somewhere

in Essex Co. in 1675, at which date he appears, aged 26, in a Court

held at Salem in that County. This indicates that in 1675 he still

resided at Lynn, his native town, in Essex Co. But his marriage is

recorded 1677 as a resident of Maiden. In the last named town he

dwelt till 1695, nearly twenty years.

 

He was a worker in iron, a " forgeman" ; which gives rise to the

inquiry whether he might not have been employed in the Iron Works

at Lynn ; of which more elsewhere. The Lynn Iron Works were in

that part of Lynn which is now the town of Saugus ; a town now lying

between Lynn and Maiden. It is but an hour's walk from those Iron

Works to Maiden village.

 

He was a man of capacity and energy, as appears from the property

he acquired, and the position he held in society. The Vinton family

in this country are nearly all his descendants.

 

The name Vinton does not occur in a list of eighty names of Maiden

people, made out in May 1695, when 2300 acres of common lands

were distributed by lot to all the fre;cholders in that town. This omis-

sion is easily accounted for on the supposition that John Vinton was

then intending a speedy removal to Woburn, which took place the

ensuing summer.

 

1695. August 2. Henry Merrow| of Woburn, tailor, in considera-

tion of .£115 " in money current silver of New England," conveys to

John Vinton of Maiden, " forgeman," several parcels of Real Estate,

viz., a Barn, and eleven acres of Land, part orchard, part arable, and

part pasture, situated in said Woburn, and bounded S. E. by the king's

highway leading to Reading. Also, three and one half acres of mead-

ow land, with skirts of upland, lying on both sides of the River, and

abutting upon said highway. Also, thirty acres of Land, with Man-

England. He had two wives. (1.) Elizabeth, who d. Aug'. 1658. (2.) He then m. Sept. 5,

1639, Frances, widow of Richard Cook. Thomas Green,* senior, d. Dec. 19, 1667.

In his Will, (dated Nov. 12, 1667, proved Jan. 15, 1667-8, recorded Midd. Prob. 5 : 297,)

he mentions eldest son Thomas,^ sons John,^ William,'^ Henry ,^ Samuel,^ and daughters

Elizabeth,- Mary,* Hannah,^ Martha,^ Dorcas.^ Sons William and Henry were appointed

Executors.

 

Of the above sons, Thomas.^ m. Rebecca ; John^ m. Sarah Wheeler, Dec. 18,

 

1660; William^ m. Elizabeth Wheeler, March 13, 1659-60; Henry^ perhaps m. Esther

, and had Jacob, May 9, 1689.

 

Thomas Green,^ Junior (lather of Hannah Vinton) son of the preceding Thomas, (sen.) in

his Will, dated Feb. 13, 1671-2. proved April 2, 1672, recorded Rlidd. Prob. 4 : 116— gives

his estate to wife Rebecca, and children Rebecca.^ Hannah,^ Thomas,^ Samuel,-''— all minors.

His brother John Green,* and his brother Waite are desired to counsel and advise the widow

Rebecca, who is appointed sole Executrix. John Wayle and John Green and another, are

witnesses.

 

Of the above children, Hannah,^ b. Feb. 24, 1659-60, m. John Vinton^ Aug. 1677. Thorn-

 

as,3 b. Feb. 1655-6, prob. m Mary , and had Elizabeth, 1689. SamueP m. Mary

 

, and had Isaac,* May 20, 1690. Probably he had also Samuel.

 

There was another and a different Thomas Green, of Maiden, who died between Feb. and

May, 1674, who had sons Thomas, John, Ephraim. But he must have been of a different

family.

 

It appears that the father of Hannah^ (Green) Vinton died while yet a young man, leaving

four young children.

 

i Is this the name now spelled Merry ? " Merry's Meadow" is near " New Bridge" in

the north part of the present town of Woburn.

 

 

 

16 THE VINTON MEMORIAL.

 

sion-House and Garden, on the S. E. side of the highway, right against

the piece of eleven acres first mentioned ; [i. e. on the opposite side of

the road.] Also, twenty acres of Woodland, adjoining to the last

piece, where the Mansion-Hoiise is ; bounded W. by Samuel Richard-

son, N. E. by John Richardson, S. W. by Ezekiel Richardson. Also,

a " Right of Pines," belonging to ihe above premises. Also, one

eighth of a Saw-Mill, near said Mansion-House, and standing on land

of John Bateman. Also, fifteen acres of Land, " at a place called

Bare Hill in the township of Charlestown" — that is to say, in " Charles-

town End," within the limits of the present town of Stoneham. Re-

corded, Midd Deeds, Lib. 10: folio 440.

 

This is the first conveyance of land to any person of the name of

Vinton, that I have been able to find. I have copied the deed almost

verbatim, except the technical and formal part ; but with some abridg-

ment. The money with which the land was purchased, was doubtless

acquired, at least most of it, by the grantee's personal labor, in his

business of " forgeman."

 

The above deed marks a most important epoch in the history of the

Vinton family, viz., the removal of that family to Woburn in 1695.

Previous to this date, there is some dimness and obscurity ; but after

this all is plain and clear. John Vinton resided in Woburn from this

time till his death in 1727, a period of thirty-two j^ears.

 

The pecuniary consideration paid by John Vinton — <£115 — may

seem small to us : but it was a large sum for those days. It was paid

" in current silver money," a phrase distinguishing it from the " Bills

of Credit," which had been just issued by the Province, and which (and

the like of which) were the common currency, after this, for more than

half a century. The " king's highway leading to Reading" is part of

the great road running north from Woburn village to Lowell. The

" River" spoken of is called on the maps " Mystic River," but was

known to the Indians also by the name of Aberjona, which may be

supposed to have affinity with Abergijiian, the name of an Indian tribe.

This river rises in the extreme south of Wilmington, and passing through

the towns of Woburn and Winchester, and expanding itself into Mystic

Pond, a beautiful lake in Medford, makes a wide embouchure between

Charlestown and Maiden, where it mingles with the waters of Boston

Harbor. On that river, in the extreme eastern part of Woburn, two

miles N. E. of Woburn village, not far from the N. W. corner of Stone-

ham, John Vinton had his residence. It was very near, perhaps upon,

the locality, where arc now the dwelling house and mills of his de-

scendant Deacon Stephen Richardson. [1278.] The saw-mill, de-

scribed in the foregoing deed as " near said Mansion House," must

have been at the outlet of Stephen Richardson's Mill-Pond. The

Lowell Railroad passes about a quarter of a mile west of it. Samuel

Richardson, on whose land the purchase bounded, was the third son of

Samuel Richardson, one of the original founders of Woburn. [S.

RicHAKDSON, 6.] John Richardson was the eldest son of the same

founder. Ezekiel Richardson was grandson of Ezekiel Richardson,

also an original founder of Woburn. [E. Richakdson, 20.] John

Bateman was the husband of Abigail Richardson, sister to Ezekiel.

Stephen Richardson, two of whose children married two of John

 

 

 

SECOND GENERATION. 17

 

Vinton's family, was a brother of Samuel and John, mentioned in the

deed, and probably lived in the neighborhood. Bear Hill, erroneously

spelled " Bare Hill" in the deed, is N. W. of Spot Pond, and not far

from it, in Stoneham.

 

From the time of his removal to Woburn, John Vinton seems to have

devoted himself to agricultural pursuits. Three of his sons were black-

smiths, succeeding him in his original occupation ; though all of them

united with this employment that of husbandry.

 

I have said that John Vinton resided at Woburn from 1695 till his

death in 1727. And yet I think it pretty evident that a small part of

this period was spent in Braintree. My reasons are the following.

There are three deeds on record in the Middlesex Registry, in which

" John Vinton of Braintree''' is named. Subjoined are synopses of

these deeds.

 

A. 1709. Api'il 9. Jonathan Richardson,* now resident at Provi-

dence in New England, late of Woburn, in consideration of six shil-

lings paid him by John Vinton of Braintree, conveys to said John

Vinton " all the upland and meadow at Woburn left him by his late

father, Isaac Richardson, deceased." Deed acknowledged at Mendon,

in the County of Suffolk, April 9, 1709. Reed, at Charlestown, June

13, 1709. [Midd. Deeds, 15 : 30.

 

B. 1709. July 19. Nathaniel Richardson^ and Mary his wife,

Benjamin Richardson§ and Lydia his wife, all of Woburn, for fifteen

pounds, convey to John Vinton of Braintree, " forger," one third part

of a certain parcel of meadow land and upland in Woburn ; containing

seven and a half acres, bounded E. by a river, S. and W. on land of

Samuel Richardson, N. on John Swan, &c. Deed acknowledged at

Charlestown, July 19, 1709. Witnessed by Samuel Green, Joseph

Phipps, and Samuel Burr. [Midd. Deeds, 15 : 54.

 

C. 1709. July 19. Nathaniel Richardson| and Benjamin Richard-

son<^ of Woburn, and John Vinton of Braintree, having had " differ-

ences, contests, and contentions concerning some certain parcels of

lands now in their possession and improvement, and which the said

Nathaniel Richardson and John Vinton claim by virtus of a purchase

from Jonathan Richardson* and Joseph Richardson, || who are sons and

legatees of Isaac Richardson, late of Woburn deceased, and which the

said Benjamin Richardson claims by virtue of the last Will and Testa-

ment of his honored father the said Isaac Richardson ; Now to put an

end to their differences, the aforesaid parties severally release and

quitclaim to each other the lands severally in each other's possession

and improvement." The above instrument was acknowledged at

Charlestown, July 19, 1709. Witnesses, Joseph Phipps, Samuel

Green, Samuel Burr. [Midd. Deeds, 15 : 170.

 

Compare with these three deeds, another bearing date the same day

with two of them, and having the same witnesses..

 

D. 1709. July 19. John Vinton, Junior, of Woburn and Abigail

his wife, for ten pounds, convey to Benjamin Richardson^ of Woburn,

husbandman, five acres of upland, meadow land, and swamp land, ad-

 

* See T. Richardson, 7. X See T. Richardson. 6.

 

5 See T. Richardson, 10. || See T. Richardson, 9.

 

2

 

 

 

18 THE VINTON MEMORIAL.

 

joining land of said Benjamin Richardson, to be taken off from said

Vinton's land in Charlestown [Stoneham], butted N. on land of Eleazar

Bateman, S. on Francis Richardson, W. on Benj. Richardson, E. on

land of said John Vinton.

 

Deed acknowledged at Charlestown, July 19, 1709. Witnesses,

Samuel Green, Joseph Phipps, Samuel Burr. [Midd. Deeds, 15 : 53.

 

Here are four deeds, which, for distinction's sake, I have marked

 

A. B. C. D. The last three have the same date, were acknowledged

the same day, at the same place, and before the same witnesses, and

Benjamin Richardson is one of the parties in all the three. They seem,

therefore, to have a near and close relation to each other ; if they are

not parts of one and the same transaction.

 

In A. B. C. "John Vinton of Braintree'''' is named. He is certainly

a different person from John Vinton Esq. of Stoneham, of whom we

shall soon hear [16] ; for this man is, in D. above, on the same day,

described as "John Vinton, Junior, o/ Wolurn.'''' In the deed B.

John Vinton of Braintree is called " forger;" which appears to identify

him with John Vinton of Maiden " forgeman," [3] who bought land of

Henry Merrow of Woburn, in 1695, as in the deed some time since

quoted. Moreover, the language of A. B. C. is such as to necessitate

the conclusion that " John Vinton of Braintree" was no stranger in

Woburn, but intimately connected with the people and the place.

 

For a long time I supposed that " John Vinton of Braintree " in A.

 

B. C. was a son of William Vinton', (born 1652), and nephew of John

Vinton^ of Woburn ; and this led me to think that there was a Vinton

in Braintree previous* to my ancestor Thomas Vinton [19] who bought

the Braintree Iron Works in 1720. But I am now convinced that

'?'? John Vinton of Braintree " was no other than John Vinton [3] who

was b. at Lynn, 1650, m. at Maiden, 1677, removed to Woburn 1695,

and d, there 1727. His son Thomas was at Braintree 1708, and prob-

ably two or three years previous. It seems probable that the father of

Thomas went to Braintree after Thomas went there ; perhaps for the

purpose of setting up Thomas in his business ; made a short stay there,

perhaps a year or two, without absolutely relinquishing his residence in

Woburn, for it is certain he did not sell his property in W. ; and after

this temporary abode in B. returned to W., where he certainly lived in

1720 and where he died in 1727. This seems the most probable way

of accounting for a " John Vinton of Braintree" in 1709: a phrase

which has caused me a great amount of perplexity. Since writing the

foregoing, I have found in an old, forgotten MS. of mine, written in

1820, a statement, derived from "Aunt Clark," [148] that both her

grandfatlier, [19] and Ms father, [3] came from Woburn to Braintree.

In this old MS. the statement as to the Huguenot origin of the family

corresponds with that made on page 1 of this book.

 

1720. April 14. John Vinton of Woburn, " yeoman," for seven

hundred pounds " good and lawful money of New England," his wife

Hannah relinquishing her right of dower, conveys to his son Samuel

Vinton of Woburn, all his Real Instate in Woburn, viz., house, barn,

one-fourth part of a Saw-mill near liis house, fifty acres of land, sevcn-

 

• See Appendix B.

 

 

 

SECOND GENERATION. 19

 

teen acres of woodland, &c. [Midd. Deeds, 20 : 630.] This appears to

be the same property purchased of Merrow in 1695, except the land at

Bear Hill in Stoneham. The " good and lawful money" received for

it, was in " Bills of Credit" of the Province. These had now become

greatly depreciated, twelve shillings of the same being worth only one

ounce of silver ; so that the =£700 for which the Farm was now sold,

were worth only .£390 in silver ; which, however, is more than three

times what it cost 25 years before.*

 

His Will is dated Jan. 15, 1721-2. He calls himself " of Woburn,

gentleman ;" he expresses a firm hope of pardon and etei'nal life " through

the merits, death, and passion" of his Saviour Jesus Christ ; he gives to

his wife Hannah " the use and improvement of all his Household Stuff,

and the improvement of one half of his whole Estate in Lands and

Chattels, during her natural life ; " and the other half of his chattels

he bequeaths " to her and her dispose for ever." To his eldest son

John, whom he appoints sole executor, he gives all his moneys and

bonds, and the rest of his estate, not otherwise disposed of. He had

previously given him fifty pounds ; and now gives him his silver cup,

and one silver spoon, flowered on the bottom. To his son Thomas he

gives fifty pounds, " in passable money," in full, as his portion. To

his son Samuel he gives five pounds " in passable money," which, with

what he had already received, is to be his full portion. To his son

Abiathar he gives fifty pounds "in passable money," "and the other

half of my creatures," in full for his portion. To his daughter Hannah

Green he gives twenty pounds, one third part of his Household Stuff,

after her mother had done with it, and one silver spoon ; which, in ad-

dition to what she had already received, was to be her full portion.

To his daughter Rebecca Richardson, he gives twenty pounds, and one

third part of the Household Stuff, after her mother had done with it.

To his daughter Mary French, he gives twenty pounds, and one third

part of the Household Stuff, after her mother had done with it. To

his son Abiathar he gives his wearing apparel. [Midd. Prob. 18 : 442.

 

" Inventory of John Vinton's Goods and Chattels," taken Dec. 28,

1727. Amount of Personal Estate ^114.5.0. [Ibid. 18: 402.

 

John Vinton of Woburn died Nov. 13, 1727, aged 77. His wife

Hannah, who was about ten years younger, survived him fourteen

years. After his decease, she seems to have resided in Braintree with

her second son Thomas. She died in 1741, se. 82. In her Will,

dated April 21, 1729, she calls herself widow, "of Braintree"; gives

her son John five shillings; her son Thomas five shillings; her son

Samuel five shillings; her son Abiathar five pounds; to her three

daughters, Hannah Pool, Rebecca Richardson, and Mary French, she

gives her wearing appai'el, &c. Appoints her son Thomas executoi'.

Will proved, Nov. 23, 1741. Recorded, Midd. Prob. 22 : 436.

 

The children of John and Hannah Vinton, were —

 

16. t Job n, b. about 1680, m. I.Abigail Richardson; 2. Abigail Converse; 3.

 

Hannah Baldwin.

 

17. tHannah, b. Jan. 26, 1681-2, m. 1. Thomas Green; 2. Pool.

 

18. tRebecca, b. March 26, 1683, m. William Richardson, Sept. 15, 1703.

 

* See Appendix C.

 

 

 

20 THE VINTON MEMORIAL.

 

19. tThomas, b. Jan. 31, 1686-7, m. Hannah Thayer, Aug. 10, 1708.

 

20. tMary, b. Aug. 20, 1G89. Died in infancy.

 

21. tMary, b. Jan. 2, 1692-3, m. John French, Feb. 19, 1711-12.

 

22. tSamuel, b. May 3, 1695, m. Elizabeth French, March 22, 1720-1.

 

The above were b. in Maiden ; the following in Woburn.

 

23. tAbiathar, b. May 10, 1700, m. Lydia Green, April 30, 1723. ⁹

Sources

1	"US New England Marriages prior to 1700".

2	"MA Marriages 1633-1850" (Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Film # 1761394 and 0859998).

3	"US and International Marriage Records, 1550-1900" (on-line, Yates Publishing, Provo, UT).

4	William M. Clemens, "American Marriages before 1699" (Pompton Lakes, NJ Biblio Co, 1926).

5	"MA Town Birth Records" (on-line, Provo, UT).

6	"MA Town and Vital Records 1620-1988 Record".

7	"Find a Grave".

8	Edward West, "Family Data Collection - Individual Records" (on line - published by Provo, UT).

9	"The Vinton Memorial, comprising a genalogy of the descendents of John Vinton of Lynn, 1648" (S.K. Whipple and Co., Boston, 1858).