Individual Details

From the New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of Commonwealths and the Founding of a Nation, Volume 1, by William Richard Cutter, Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1915:
"(II) Abraham, son of John Staples, was born October 20, 1638, in Weymouth, and died October 20, 1703, in Mendon, Massachusetts, where he was one of the original settlers and proprietors. He resided for some time in Dorchester, where he learned the trade of weaver, and joined the church March 20, 1658. Returning to Weymouth he was dismissed to the Weymouth church January 13, 1660. In 1662 he was associated with other Weymouth men in a petition for the grant at Mendon, Massachusetts, and settled there as early as 1663, in which year his son Abraham was born, the first in the new town. His farm was situated near the present site of the Congregational church, on Main street, long known as the Stone Tavern, and was owned by the family about one hundred and forty years. He was a man of influence and good character, was admitted a freeman in 1673, and served on -various important town committees. In 1697 he removed to Taunton, but returned to Mendon in 1700, and died there October 20, 1703. When King Philip's war broke out in 1675, the Mendon settlers were forced to flee, but Staples returned with most of the others and built a new house to replace that destroyed by the Indians. In 1685 the town granted him the "Staples farm," on the border of Little pond, and this estate is still owned by his descendants. He was sergeant of the military company, and probably served in the Indian war. Only twenty of the graves of pioneer settlers of Mendon are known and marked. The dates on the original gravestones of Abraham Staples and wife are proved to be wrong, and in 1877 his descendants erected a monument at his grave, which was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies October 31 of that year. He married, September 9, 1660, Mary Randall, born March 20, 1642, in Weymouth, died March 9, 1712, in Mendon, daughter of Robert Randall, who came from Berkshire, England, and settled at Weymouth before 1640. Children: Abraham, born June 14, 1663; John, 1667; Mary, April II, 1668, died young; Jacob, mentioned below; Ebenezer, 1677, inherited the Mendon homestead; Ephraim, September 2, 1678; Mary, February 8, 1681; Benjamin, December 27, 1682; Hannah, May 13, 1886."
The marriage date for Abraham/Mary is recorded in the Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England as 17 September 1660, History of Robert Randall as 19 September 1660, Historic Homes and Places as 7 July 1660, and in New England Families as 9 September 1660.

Birth	20 Oct 1638	Weymouth, Norfolk County, Massachusetts
Marriage	17 Sep 1660	Weymouth, Norfolk County, Massachusetts - Mary Randall
Burial	1703	Old Cemetery, Mendon, Worcester County, Massachusetts
Death	20 Oct 1703	Mendon, Worcester County, Massachusetts

Spouse	Mary Randall (1639 - 1713)
Child	Jacob Staples Sr. (1669 - 1724)

Father	John STAPLES (STAPLE) (1610 - 1683)
Mother	Rebecca UNKNOWN (1614 - )

Notes