PULSIFER Richard

Notes:

14 May 1777
Reported dead- Rev. War.

Died:
Bur. at Ipswich, prob. died Rev. War.

Richard married MARSHALL Mary on 26 Sep 1765 in Beverly, Essex Co., MA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married:
(Mar. as "Widow Mary Vennen")

1. PULSIFER Richard was born on 05 Jul 1766 in Beverly, Essex Co., MA; died on 21 Jan 1846 in Rowley, Essex Co., MA.
2. PULSIFER Sarah was born on 04 May 1768.
3. PULSIFER John was born on 10 Sep 1770 in Manchester, Essex Co., MA; died on 31 Mar 1813 in Jay, Essex Co., NY.
4. PULSIFER Unknown was born in 1772.
5. PULSIFER Gerrish was born on 14 Jul 1774 in Ipswich, Essex Co., MA; died after Jan 1841 in Claredon, VT.
6. PULSIFER Unknown was born in 1776.

Benamin married GERRISH Sarah on 30 May 1729 in Ipswich, Essex Co., MA. Sarah was born about 1712; died on 09 Mar 1753 in Ipswich, Essex Co., MA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Richard married GOLD Ruth about 1704 in prob. Ipswich, MA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Benedict was born in England about 1635. We know he was in America by
1659; but possibly could have arrived a few years before. Around the
year 1661, he married his first wife. Unfortunately her name has been
lost to history.
In 1663 we have a record of Benedict buying a home and a son born to
him. He bought a residence with outhouse, orchards, etc. from Moses
Pengry of Ipswich, one of the town deacons; who had obtained the land
in 1652 from Richard Schofield, leather dresser for 17 pounds. The
home was situated on the intersection of East Street and Hovey Lane.
Across from his lot lay what had been the home of John Winthrop Jr.;
son of the founder of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Ownership of
this property entitled Benedict to the right of pasturage in the
domain beyond the "common fence", but the felling of timber or
cultivation of the common land was prohibited.
In the mid 1600's these lands were held by all householders in
common. This system was a vestigial relic of the ancient system of
land holding in England and Germany and was naturally reverted to in
the necessities of primitive colonial life. By 1664, the idea of
permanent individual ownership had gained enough acceptance that the
town voted that Plum Island, Hogg Island and Castle Neck be divided
among those who had rights of commonage, based upon the amount of
personal and property tax paid by each individual determined by lot.
This right belonged to 203 individuals including Benedict.
Benedict's first wife died at Ipswich, Jul. 16, 1673. It was a common
English practice to name the first born daughter after the wife. If
this being the case here, then it is likely his first wife's name was
Elizabeth. No way of proving this however.
Benedict marries 2nd to Susanna Waters 1674.
His children gave him a good deal of frustration and embarrassment.
He had to defend them in court and even took one son to court for
some wrong committed to him by his son.
During the 1690's the notorious Salem witch trials occurred. We can
only guess how Benedict reacted to such goings-on. His wife, Susanna,
was from Salem, so certainly they were aware of the trials.
In 1700 Benedict was assigned a place on "one of ye short seats"
among the elderly in the Ipswich Meeting House and referred to as
"Goodman". On Aug. 1, 1709, Benedict conveyed his property to his
son, Capt. Joseph Pulcifer, of Boston. Benedict died the following
year.

Birth:
BET 1635 AND 1640

Benedict married WATERS Susanna about Feb 1673 in Ipswich, Essex Co., MA. Susanna (daughter of WATERS Richard and PLASSE Joyce (Rejoice)) was born on 01 Feb 1648 in Salem, Essex Co., MA; died on 21 Dec 1726 in Ipswich, Essex Co., MA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

A quaint Ipswich law punished "commoners" for overstepping the bounds
of propriety by daring to wear fine garments which were beyond their
proper rank in life. As early as 1651, the General court of Ipswich
had expressed its "griefe...that intollerable excesse and bravery
hath crept in upon us and especially amongst people of mean
condition, to the dishonor of God, the scandal of its professors, the
consumption of estates and altogether unsuitable to our poverty." It
was later ordered that no person whose visible estate did not exceed
L200, should wear gold or silver lace, or any bone lace above 2s. per
yard, or silk hoods or scarfs. Penalty for each such offense was 10
shillings.
In the year 1675, Ipswich was in a general state of terror over the
string of Indian attacks that became known as King Phillips' War. The
Ipswich General Court saw in such attacks evidence of rebukes from
God Almighty himself, and promptly issued fresh edicts some of the
more flagrant abuses of wearing "finery" and displaying the sin of
pride.
Susanna, the newly wed wife of Benedict, appeared one Sabbath morning
in 1675 meeting house proudly displaying such a silk scarf and hood,
along with a number of other wives of the town. Benedict was duly
fined for the violation of social decorum. The incident implies that
Benedict's estate must have been valued less than L200.

Birth:
1 FEB 1648/1649

Notes:

Married:
FEB 1673/1674