Individual Details

Of Lynn CT.


Great Migration Newsletter
Vol 19, No.1, Jan-Mar 2010
"The Age of Discretion"
The Colonial Laws of Massachusetts. Reprinted from the Edition of 1672, With the Supplements Through 1686. Containing Also, A Bibliographic Preface and Introduction, Treating of all the Printed Laws From 1649 to 1686. Together With The Body of Liberties of 1641, and the Records of the Court of Assistants, 1641-1644 (Boston 1890).

The Body of Liberties of 1641 consists of a series of numbered statutes, two of which relate to our concerns here:

11. All persons which are of the age of 21 years, and of right understanding and memories, whether excommunicate or condemned shall have full power and liberty to make their wills and testaments, and other lawful alienations of their lands and estates.

53. The age of discretion for passing away of lands or such kind of hereditaments, or for giving of votes, verdict or sentence in any civil courts or causes, shall be one and twenty years.

These two stated liberties pertain for the most part to matters of estates and conveyances, and would appear to be quite definite. We must, however, always guard against taking a too legalistic approach in our interpretation of the records. Sometimes liberties were taken with the dates and ages involved.

Jared Spencer was baptized at Stotfold, Bedfordshire, on 25 April 1614, son of Gerald and Alice (Whitbread) Spencer [TAG 27:84, 164; GM 2:6:419-28]. By 1634 he had settled in Cambridge. Our evidence for this is that on 1 September 1634 “Garrad Spencer” was granted four acres “on the west side of the river” in Cambridge [CaTR 10].

Records of the Town of Cambridge
p.10 prime of Septembr 1634
Lots granted one the west side the River:
Michaell Spencer, 4 Ackrs; Garrad Spencer, 4 Achrs [William's other brothers]

I wonder if their older brothers set aside this land for Michael and Gerard - Gerard was accepted as a freeman, 9 Mar 1637; Michael in Mar of 1638.


At the time of Jared’s baptism, English ecclesiastical law required that a child be baptized within a week of birth, and this requirement was adhered to in most cases. Thus, at the time he was granted land in Cambridge, Jared Spencer was about eight months short of his twenty-first birthday. Perhaps Jared did not know his own age accurately; perhaps the Cambridge town fathers were content with knowing that he was in his twenty-first year. In any case, strictly speaking, Jared should not yet have been eligible for a grant of land. On the other hand, we should not expect to find examples where even greater liberties are taken with the age at which one could be granted land.


The line of descent given here is from an Ancestry family tree - I have a DNA match to this person "donniejanb's tree".
The website has a picture of a marker from Haddam showing Gerard as one of the original proprietors.
Gerard and his siblings were raised in Stotfold, Bedfordshire, England and Gerard came to America about 1634. He was a Freeman on 9 March, 1637) settling first at New Town (later Cambridge) Mass. , then Lynn, Mass. until 1659. He then moved to Haddam, Conn. where he became one of a small group of pioneers who founded Haddam.
He was Rep. Gen. in CT., 1674 and served in King Phillips War. The townspeople of Haddam, CT presented him for an Ensigne for their Trayn Band and commended themselves to him according to law.
Gerard achieved a degree of affuence greater than that of any of his three brothers. He seemed to have great skill as a land developer and farmer. The presence of thirteen living children which provided him with an unexcelled labor pool was a contributing factor. It was routine practice in that day for children (especially boys) of 14 to enter the labor force as apprentices.
From New Town records: December 1635: Gerard Spencer on the west side of ..........fouracres.
Source noted on webpage:
"Genealogical Notes First Settlers of CT and MA." He is listed in"Seventeenth Century Colonial Ancestors", Lawrence Public Library. Another book from Lawrence Library is "The Spencers of the GreatMigration" 119.35 and "First Settlers of CT & MA". Both in Genealogy room.

Another posted story:
The son of GERARD & ALICE (WHITEBREAD) SPENCER, his name also appears as Jarad, Gerard, Gerrett & Garrett. His father, Gerard, was probably named for his grandmother, ANN MERRILL GERRARD. He was baptized in Stotford, Bedfordshire, Eng. on April 25, 1614.
Jared immigrated with his three older brothers, William, Thomas & Michael Spencer to Cambridge (now Newton), Mass. in 1632 in the party of Rev. Thomas Hooker. He and his brothers were there in 1634, but Jared and Michael removed to Lynn, Mass, while William & Thomas remained in Cambridge and later went to Hartford, Conn.
Jared married HANNAH HILL on December 17, 1636 in Lynn, Mass. and was made a freeman there on March 9, 1637. In 1639, the Court granted "Garrett Spenser" permission to operate "the fferry at Linn for two yeares". The family removed to Hartford about 1660 and to Haddam, Conn. in 1662 where he one of the first settlers.
On October 8, 1668, the Court at Hartford appointed Ens. "Jarrad Spencer" as part of a committee to view land leased by Mr. Richard Lord, Sr. that is thought to be in Haddam Plantation and determine the bounds. He was propounded a freeman for Haddam on June 26, 1672, and was appointed Ensign of the Trainband there in September, 1675, serving in the Narraganset Indian War. He was a deputy for Haddam to the General Court at Hartford from 1674 to 1680 and 1683.
His will, dated September 17, 1683, gave land & houses to his sons, William, Nathaniel, Thomas, and Timothy, and also to his daughter, Rebeckah. To "Jarrad Spencer", the son of his son, Thomas, he gave his Rapier; to Grace Spencer, the daughter of his son, Samuel Spencer, 40 acres; to Alice Brooks, the daughter of my daughter Brooks, 40 acres; to Jarred Cone, the son of my daughter Cone, his Carbine; to the church at Haddam, his pewter Flagon and Urim Bason (if it exists within five years); to Daniel Cone, his son-in-law, and the Cone children equal portions of his estate as his other children; to daughter, Ruth Clarke œ15 and to Joseph Clarke 40 acres of land at Matchemodus.
He request that the "honoured MAJOR JOHN TALCOTT" and Capt. John Allyn would oversee his will, and that Daniel Brainard and William Spencer be administrators.

Children from Colonial Families of the United States of America, Vol III, "Spencer Family", p.536-7
The spouses of Thomas, William & Nathaniel do not agree with other research!
John, m. Rebecca Howard
Hannah, m. Rev. Daniel Brainard
Alice, m. (1) Thos. Brooks, (2) Thos. Shayler
Mehitable m. Daniel Cone
Thomas m. Elizabeth Bates
Samuel, b. 1646, d. 7 Aug 1705, m. (1) 1673, Hanna Blachford Willey and (2) 1689, Miriam (Moore) Willey
William, m. Margaret Clark
Nathaniel, m. (1) Lydia Smith, m. (2) Hannah, surname unknown
Rebecca, m. (1) John Kennard, (2) John Tanner
Ruth, m. Joseph Clark
Timothy, m., wife unknown.

Christen	25 Apr 1614	Stotfold, Bedfordshire, England
Marriage	17 Dec 1636	Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts - Hannah
Marriage	Aft 1677	Haddam, Middlesex County, Connecticut - Rebecca Porter
Death	17 Dec 1685	Haddam, Middlesex County, Connecticut

Spouse	Hannah (1616 - 1692)
Child	John Spencer (1638 - 1682)
Child	William Spencer (1640 - 1712)
Child	Samuel Spencer (1644 - 1705)
Child	Thomas Spencer (1648 - 1699)
Child	Nathaniel Spencer (1658 - 1718)
Child	Living

Spouse

Rebecca Porter ( - )

Father	GERARD SPENCER ( - 1646)
Mother	ALICE WHITBREAD (1578 - 1628)
Sibling	WILLIAM SPENCER ( - 1640)
Sibling	Living
Sibling	John Spencer (1603 - 1646)
Sibling	Henry SPENCER ( - )
Sibling	Thomas SPENCER (1607 - 1687)
Sibling	Richard SPENCER (1608 - )
Sibling	[Son] SPENCER (1610 - )
Sibling	Michael SPENCER (1611 - 1653)