Individual Details
Solomon Keyes
(24 Sep 1628 - 28 Mar 1702)
Per the Keyes genealogy Solomon Keyes was town clerk and tything man in Chelmsford (1879) and seems to have been a man of influence. Per "The Great Migration Begins" there is evidence that Solomon was the son of Robert Keyes although his name has been omitted from the list in the Keyes Genealogy by Asa Keyes in 1880. Robert Charles Anderson in "The Great Migration Begins" refers to the fact that Samuel Buswell of Bradford, who had married Sarah Keyes, daughter of Robert, named in his will as one of his overseers "my brother-in-law Solomon Keyes of Chelmsford". Apparently Solo
SOLOMON, eldest known child of Robert & Sarah Keyes, was born say 1631. He married at Newbury 2 October 1653 Frances Grant.
Source: Anderson's Great Migration Begins.
Newly published in NEHGS The Register Vol 176, No 1 - Winter 2022: " The English Connection of Robert Keyes of Watertown and Newbury Mass and John Swett of Newbury" by Randy A. West, Robert Battle and Robert Charles Anderson. The family arrived later than thought, and the early Watertown records were written much later, and are in error concerning the Keyes and Swett families. Solomon was baptised 23 Mar 1632/33 in New Buckenham, Norfolk, England and arrived probably in 1637.
He and his wife Frances, appear to be the first permanent settlers of the town of Westford, Middlesex, MA, and his family was the oldest in town. History of the town of Westford in the county of Middlesex, Massachusetts : 1659-1883, pg. 5.
Events
| Birth | 24 Sep 1628 | Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts | |||
| Marriage | 2 Oct 1653 | Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts - Frances Grant |  |  | |
| Death | 28 Mar 1702 | Chelmsford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts | | |
Families
| Spouse | Frances Grant ( - 1708) |
| Child | Hannah Keyes (1654 - 1717) |
| Child | Sarah Keyes (1656 - 1718) |
| Child | Mary Keyes (1658 - 1715) |
| Child | Jane Keyes (1660 - 1681) |
| Child | Judith Keyes (1662 - 1705) |
| Child | Solomon Keyes II (1665 - 1709) |
| Child | Joseph Keyes (1667 - 1757) |
| Child | Ruth Keyes (1669 - 1671) |
| Child | Moses Keyes (1671 - 1747) |
| Child | John Keyes (1674 - 1768) |
| Child | Stephen Keyes (1678 - 1714) |
| Father | Robert Keyes ( - 1647) |
| Mother | Sarah Blanford Allen (1605 - 1681) |
| Sibling | Peter Keyes (1629 - 1702) |
| Sibling | Sarah Keyes (1633 - 1707) |
| Sibling | Rebecca Keyes (1638 - 1696) |
| Sibling | Phoebe Keyes (1639 - 1701) |
| Sibling | Elias Keyes (1643 - 1665) |
| Sibling | Mary Keyes (1645 - 1668) |
Notes
Marriage
or 17 Oct 1653Death
Said to be buried in Forefathers Burying Ground, Chelmsford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, but the burial is unknown. Find a Grave ID 54994709Endnotes
1. "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG1K-4JX7 : 29 November 2018), Solomon Heyes and Frances Grant, 2 Oct 1653; citing Marriage, Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, , town clerk offices, Massachusetts; FHL microfilm ..
2. "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q29L-Y1MH : 3 November 2017), Sergt. Solomon Keyes, 28 Mar 1702; citing Death, Chelmsford, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States, , town clerk offices, Massachusetts; FHL microfilm 868,435..
3. "Massachusetts Deaths and Burials, 1795-1910," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FHYJ-R8J : 10 February 2018), Sergt. Solomon Keyes, 28 Mar 1702; citing Chelmsford, Middlesex, Massachusetts, reference P 120; FHL microfilm 868,435..