2I. ROGER (RALPH 1)
b. 26 Aug. 1594, bpt. 1 Sept. 1594 St. Peter's, Cornhill,
London
m.1. ANN ______
2. Susanna ______ (m.1. William Tilton of Lynn, MA, d. 28 Jan. 1654/5)
d. 29 May 1661 Hampton, NH
Roger was first mentioned as appearing at the General Court from Cambridge, MA in 1636 and was made a freeman on 14 Mar. 1638/9 having previously purchased 200 acres of land and built a house on the south side of Arrow St. In 1639 he was on the jury and in 1640 he was elected town clerk for Cambridge. He was a selectman for that town from 1641-3 and in 1645.
Deed From John Crosse- 1640
Roger signed the petition to the General Court to authorize a settlement at Hampton, NH in 1638. In 1640 he purchased land and a house from John Crosse and 15 Nov. 1647 he received a grant of land in Hampton.(1) In 1648 he finally moved to Hampton and sold his house and 200 acres in Cambridge and settled on the land he had purchased in 1640. The house was enlarged and improved by his son Benjamin and grandson Edward and was used as a garrison. It was torn down in the 1850's to make room for a "modern one".
In 1650 seats in the "new meeting house" were appointed as follows: "Mens Settees at the table to be occupied by Rodger Shaw Christopher Husse John Moulton Philemon dolton Robert Page Willyam Easte Willyam ffuller Robert Tuck Womens Settees: Rodger Shaw for a wife John Moultons wife goody Marston goody Tuck goody Dolton goody page goody ffuller." About 1657 the town chose a committee consisting of Roger Shaw, Robert Page and Thomas Marston "to attend to the business of accommodating the minister both with housing and land his dwelling to be repaired at the towns expense."(2)
Roger was a representative to the General Court from 1651 until 1653 and was a selectman in 1649 and in 1654. He was the "Commissioner for trying small Cases". On 26 Sept. 1658 the town appointed Roger one of three on a committee "to examine all grants and appointments of lands highways and such like and to recorde the same in ye new Towne Book." On 9 Feb. 1659 the same committee was appointed "to lay out and record convienient highways to mens land in the towne and to allow satisfaction to the proprietors for the same according to their discretion."(3)
Roger was for a time a vintnor as was his father and kept an ordinary in Hamton and in 1650 he was allowed by the General Court "to sell wine or any sort of strong liquors to Christians and the Indians as in his judgement shall seem meet and necessary on just and urgent occasions and not otherwise."(4)
In The Name of God Amen The 25th day of August 1660 I Roger Shaw of Hampton in the County of Norfolk being sick and weake in body but of sound and prfect memory praise bee given to God for the same and knowing the uncertainty of this life on earth and being desirous to settle things in order to make this my last will & Testament in maner and forme following: That is to say first and principally I comend my soule to Almighty God my Creator, assuredly beleiving that I shall receive full pdo and free remission of all my sins, and be saved by the pretious death and merritts of my blessed Savior & redemer Christ Jesus, And my body to the Earth from whence itt was taken, to be buryed in such decent and Christian manner as to my executor hereafter named shal be thought meete and convenient. And as touching such worldly estate as the Lord in mercy hath lent me, my will and meaning is: The same shall be imployed and bestowed as hereafter by this my will expressed And first I do revok renounce, frustrate and make void all wills by me formerly made and Declare & appoint this my last will and Testament ffirst I give unto my son Joseph Shaw my ffarme that is to say one hundred Ackers of upland bounded as followeth from the Towne bridge & goodman Lovitt in pt. Comon Country way in part, & the Comon in part on the South east : ffifteene Ackers of Land of my owne on the South West, and Mr. Daltons ffarme North west medows belonging to the ffarme north east And ffive and Twenty Ackers of fresh medow surrounded wth the Taylors River and the upland of the ffarme, the medow lying north east. And all my Salt Marsh (excepting) ffive Ackers of that marsh to lye adjoining to Thomas Wards marsh on the South side of Taylors River with all preiveledges belonging to the ffarme.
Item. I give unto my son Benjamin Shaw my dwelling house houses Orchards Garden and all the lands I have on the North side of Taylors River, medow, upland or Swamp with all comonages and prveledges there unto belonging wth ffifteene Ackers of upland or Swamp lying att ye South West end of the ffarme, wth ffive Ackers Salt marsh on that side of my marsh towards Taylors River adjoyning to Thomas Wards.
Item. I give to Margarett Ward my Daughter ffive shillings.Item. I give to my Daughter Ann ffogg Thirteene pounds.
Item. I give to my Daughter Hester Thirteene pounds.
Item. I give to my Daughter Marie Twenty pounds.
Item. I give unto my son Daniel Tilton ffive pounds.
Item. I give to my Son Benjamin one horse Coult, Three yearlings one Ewe lamb the bed he lyeth on two puter Dishes, one of curye Ironthing in the house if there be two (or els not) A third part of all husbandry ware half of all Carpenters Tools I have : Six bushels of wheat and ffourteene of Indian Corne but he must be att cost of all labor to itt Also I appoint Benjamin to have for his use my house and Land on the Southeast side of the Country high way now for us use excepting halfe of the Orchard wch I give to my son Joseph Two years and the peece of medow on this side the Towne Bridge And for all these goods I give unto Benjamin my will is that hee shall pay unto Daniell Tilton the sum of Twenty five pounds when hee comes to the age of 21 years. The wch sum is erte pt of itt wch I was to pay by Covent & 5th I gave him more as is above expressed in my will And for want of paymt of this 25 lb I do bind over my sone Benjamins Land for the securitye of itt to be paid out of the rents of the land untill itt be fully paid : Also I do appoint Samuell ffoge & my son Joseph as trustees to order & direct my son Benjamin untill hee come to ye age of 21 years according to Law in all things.
Item. I give all the rest of my goods both moveable & unmovable wth the use of all ffields on the other side on the high way (but two Ackers on the nere side one year) I give unto my son Joseph And my will is that hee is sole executor of this my last will and Testamt and I appoint him to pay all my debts Legacyes that are or shall appeare to be due according to Law, Excepting what is appointed to be paid other ways. And if my executor faile to make paymt I appoint his land shall- then (not by saile) but by the Rent of itt untill they be paid or any pt thereof And my Will further is that if my sons Joseph and Benjamin dye without issue then the Land to goe my other Daughters Ann. Hester. & Mary & to their Heires for ever Considering a Competencye for their wifes att the Discretion of my Sup-visors John Loveritt & Samuell ffogg whome I appoint as trustees to see this my will pformed.
And renouncing all other former wills either by words or writinge The twentient of March one thousand six hundred and Sixty-one I Roger Shaw being ytt in the land of the living & in mind memory & sense doe thinke meet to Ade to this my last will as followeth viz, that whereas theare are two of the children which have thirteen apeece Give them I doe appointe thatt they shall have butt five apeece : and whereas I have given one child five shillings I doe appointe thatt it shall have five pound all which somes are to bee payd within a year after my decease & whereas I did bequeath fourteen bushils of indian corne to my son Benjamin & six bushils of wheatt I doe now appoint the Hee shall have none : & whereas I did appoint yt benjamin should Sow two acres of yt lott on the other side of the way the next yeare I doe now appoint that Joseph shall Have the pfitt thereof the next yeare and whereas I did appoint Benjamin to pay his brother Daniel Tilton twenty five pounds when he came to age I doe now appoint Him to pay to his sister Mary twenty pounds att the time appointed her & to pay five pounds to His brother Joseph when Daniell Comes to age & I doe appoint my son Joseph to pay Abraham & Daniell Tilton their portions according to Covenant when they shall Come to Age and to this my Last addition I doe sett my Hand & Seale the Day & yeere above written.
Roger Shaw
Signed Sealed in
the psents of us
Samuell Dalton
John Clifford- proved 10 Oct. 1661.(5)
Issue-