 Abt 1637 - 1710 (73 years)
-
| Name |
PULSIFER Benedict |
| Birth |
Abt 1637 |
England  |
|
|
| Gender |
Male |
| Death |
1710 |
Ipswich, Essex Co., MA |
| 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.
|
| Person ID |
I6863 |
Freeman-Smith |
| Last Modified |
10 Apr 2024 |
| Family 1 |
unknown d. 16 Jul 1673, Ipswich, Essex Co., MA |
| Marriage |
Abt 1661 |
prob. Ipswich |
| Children |
| | 1. PULSIFER Benedict (Jr.), b. Abt 1663 [natural] |
| | 2. PULSIFER John, b. Abt 1667, Ipswich, Essex Co., MA d. 27 Aug 1737, Gloucester, Essex Co., Mass. (Age 70 years) [natural] |
| | 3. Pulsifer. Elizabeth, b. 04 Dec 1669, Ipswich, Essex Co., MA d. Abt 1754, Hampton Falls, Rockingham Co., N.H. (Age 84 years) [natural] |
| | 4. PULSIFER William, b. 1671, Ipswich, Essex Co., MA [natural] |
|
| Family ID |
F10440 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Last Modified |
10 Apr 2024 |
| Family 2 |
WATERS Susanna, b. 01 Feb 1648, Salem, Essex Co., MA d. 21 Dec 1726, Ipswich, Essex Co., MA (Age 78 years) |
| Marriage |
Abt Feb 1673 |
Ipswich, Essex Co., MA |
|
|
| Children |
| | 1. PULSIFER Richard, b. 31 May 1675, Ipswich, Essex Co., MA d. 09 Feb 1762, Ipswich, Essex Co., MA (Age 86 years) [natural] |
| | 2. PULSIFER William, b. 12 Dec 1676, Ipswich, Essex Co., MA [natural] |
| | 3. PULSIFER Susanna, b. 05 Sep 1678, Ipswich, Essex Co., MA d. Bef 1689, Ipswich, Essex Co., MA (Age < 10 years) [natural] |
| | 4. PULSIFER Joseph, b. 13 Nov 1680, Ipswich, Essex Co., MA d. 04 Apr 1711, Boston, Suffolk Co., MA (from Judge Samuel Sewell's diary) (Age 30 years) [natural] |
| | 5. PULSIFER Benjamin, b. 19 May 1683 [natural] |
| | 6. PULSIFER David, b. 25 Sep 1685, Ipswich, Essex Co., MA d. Abt Dec 1720, Boston, Suffolk Co., MA (Age 35 years) [natural] |
| | 7. PULSIFER Johanna, b. 25 Sep 1687, Ipswich, Essex Co., MA [natural] |
| | 8. PULSIFER Jonathan, b. 25 Sep 1687, Ipswich, Essex Co., MA d. 13 Aug 1763, Ipswich, Essex Co., MA (Age 75 years) [natural] |
| | 9. PULSIFER Susanna, b. Abt 1689, Ipswich, Essex Co., MA [natural] |
| | 10. PULSIFER Elizabeth, b. Abt 1690 [natural] |
| | 11. PULSIFER Margaret, b. Abt 14 Feb 1692, Ipswich, Essex Co., MA [natural] |
|
| Family ID |
F6863 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Last Modified |
10 Apr 2024 |
|
|
