Gregory Baxter (abt. 1606 - abt. 1659)

Born about 21 Jun 1606 in Sporle, Norfolk, England [uncertain]

Husband of Margaret (Unknown) Baxter — married 6 Mar 1631 in Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts

Descendants

Died about 21 Jun 1659 at about age 53 in Braintree, Norfolk County, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Puritan Great Migration Project WikiTree [send private message], US Presidents Project WikiTree [send private message], and Michael Soliday [send private message]

Gregory Baxter migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See Great Migration Begins, by R. C. Anderson, Vol. 1, p. 137) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Gregory Baxter is an ancestor of a US President/Vice President Join: US Presidents Project Discuss: Presidents

Ancestor of US President John Adams

Biography

Arrived on Winthrop's Fleet, in Roxbury 1630 & Braintree 1640. From Bank's Dictionary: came from Sprole, England to Roxbury, MA A Freeman, Mar. 6, 1631/2 [131] Baxter, Gregory (d. Jun 21, 1659) prob. from nr. Rowton, England., in Winthrop's fleet, 1630.^[1]

He settled at Roxbury, Mass, 1630; freeman 1632; removed to Braintree, poss. 1640, but could be as late as 1644; m. Margaret Paddy (d. Feb 13 1661/62), possibly sister of William Paddy, treasurer of Plymouth Colony, 1640-53. (Virkus) Founders & Patriots: Baxter, Gregory, Roxbury (Mass.) 1630. d. there 21 June 1659, Freeman. See: Savage; Pope; Banks Member #2140.

Note: Brian McCullough's BDM7-7-11.ged had the death date as 21 Jan 1659/1660 in Quincy, Massachusetts (no further sources). Another profile had the death date of 21 Jun 1659 before merging.

Gregory Baxter is first of record at Roxbury when he was made a freeman of the colony Mar.6,1631/2. His children were born there and he came to Braintree about 1640. He died at Braintree Jun.21, 1659 and left a will dated -, proved Jul.14,1659 mentioning wife Margaret, son John, son-in-law (Samuel) Dearing, and daughter______, wife of Joseph Adams, grand children Bethia Dearing & Joseph Adams.

Widow Margaret died Feb.13, 1661.

William Paddy of Plymouth and Boston in his will dated Aug.20,1658 gives 50/ to his sister, Margaret Baxter. (Register Vol.8, P.356)

Gregory Baxter was selectman about 1640 when the Coddington land recovered by the town of Braintree was recorded on page 1 of the town records. His homestead was near the spot now occupied by the Thomas Crane Public Library, Quincy.

Dr. Charles E. Banks Mss. says he probably came from Sporle, Co. Norfolk.

There was also a John Baxter assessed at Sudbury Co. Suffolk in 1592 from whence several Braintree settlers came. (Genealogical Magazine Vol. 3

S.P.1-323: Will of Gregory Baxstar of Braintree, Jun.2,1659 - Jun.14,1659: being sick. Wife & son John executors. To my sonne Dearing my little piece of salt meadow adjoining his own house, about an acre; to his daughter Bethia £10 at age 16 also one black calf 1 yr. old, 1 black ewe to be delivered to her father till she is 16. To son Joseph Adam & my dau. his wife 6 a. in great field on the right side the cartway to the ferry, also my little island salt marsh at the head of salt creek that cometh up toward the town land lying near the end of Peter George's lot, also half my lands at Captaine's Plaine. To his son Joseph child of my daughter & if he die without heir to my daughter's next eldest son or daughter if she have no sonne. Also to my sonne Joseph Adams my old mare. All rest to my wife & my sonne John my wife to have all ye use of it while she liveth, after her decease John to have all, & my wife to have two cows to dispose of at her death, only I give my horse, two oxen, one cowe & one steare to sonne John. Witness: John Gurney, Moses Payne, Richard Brackett. Whereas I gave my sonne Dearing a little piece of salt marsh I now make voyd that act and give it to my wife and sonne John together while she liveth and then to John. I give my sonne Dearing in the room of that two weather sheepe 19:4:1659 (sic) (9:4:1659?)

3-146, Inventory, 7:5th 1659 (Jul.7,1659) by John Gurney, Moses Paine, Edmund Quincy £417/19/1.

Margaret Baxter relict of Gregory & John their son deposed Jul.14,1659.

Sources

1. ↑ Source: #S58 Page: 121.

• S58 Topographical Dictionary of 2885 English Emigrants to New England, 1620-1650. Author: Charles Edward Banks. E.E. Brownell, Philadelphia, PA, 1937. Repository: Lynnfield Public Library.

• S005146 Title: Genealogies of the Families Of Braintree, Norfolk, Mass., 1640-1850 Author: Waldo Chamberlain Sprague, AB Publication: Including the modern town of Randolph & Holbrook and the city of Quincy, after the separation from Braintree in 1792-3.

Research Notes

Additional Research that agrees that the parents of Gregory Baxter are Unknown

• Massachusetts Historical Society
• Adams, Andrew N., A Genealogical History of Henry Adams, of Braintree, Mass., and His Descendants; also John Adams of Cambridge, Mass., Rutland, VT: The Tuttle Company (1898), 7, Internet Archive (Digital Library).
• Anderson, Robert Charles, Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633, Vol. 1, A-F, Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society (1995), 137-9. AmericanAncestors (subscription)
• Bates, Samuel A., ed., Records of the Town of Braintree, 1640 to 1793, Randolph, MA: Daniel H. Huxford (1886), 659.
• Chase, Charles A. and others, Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, Volume 7, October 1890 - October 1891, Worcester, MA: Charles Hamilton (1892), 410.
• Crane, Ellery Bicknell, ed., Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Vol. 4, Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company (1907), 109, Google Books (Digital Library).
• Lancaster, Daniel, The History of Gilmanton, Embracing the Propietary, Civil, Literary, Ecclesiastical, Biographical . . ., Gilmanton: Printed by Alfred Prescott (1845), 255, Google Books (Digital Library).
• Little, George Thomas, ed., Genealogical and Family History of the State of Maine, New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company (1909), 1308.
• Roberts, Gary Boyd, Notable Kin, Volume 1, Santa Clarita, California: Carl Boyer, 3rd (1998), 139.
• Vinton, John Adams, The Giles Memorial: Genealogical Memoirs of the Families Bearing the Names of Giles, Gould, Holmes, Jennison . . ., Boston: Henry W. Dutton and Son (1864), 502, Google Books (Digital Library).
• Williams, Alicia Crane, ed., Mayflower Families through Five Generations: Vol. 16, Part 1, Family of John Alden, Plymouth, Massachusetts: General Society of Mayflower Descendants (1999), 142.