Elizabeth Whitcomb Houghton, my 5th great grandmother had lots of siblings. There were twelve children born to her father, John Whitcomb and his first wife Mary Carter and after her death, Rebecca Whitcomb (a cousin). Rebecca was Elizabeth's mother. All of John's children were born in Lancaster, MA and all were living in 1785 the date of the drawing of his will. That is quite amazing when at this time childhood deaths were prevalent. Elizabeth was the 7th child.
General John Whitcomb, my sixth great grandfather, was possibly born in 1713 in Lancaster, MA and died Nov. 17, 1785 in Bolton MA. He served in the French and Indian wars and was active in the REvolutionary War, as was his brother, Colonel Asa Whitcomb. "Before his 7th birthday he lost his father by death, and his mother survived her husband but a few years." He was placed in the guardianship of his uncle, Joseph Sawyer, the village blacksmith. The report that I am reading goes into detail on his revolutionary war background. "He was a republicanized Puritan, a zealous, unselfish patriot, a man of action, ignorant of rhetoric, not given to bluster. Uneducated and not disposed to overrate his own powers, he rose to command by native force of character. He must have been brave in battle, and gifted with personal magnetism and tact, for volunteer soldiers followed him with love and respect through campaign after campaign; exemplary in life, for he was looked up to in the church, and his enemy spoke nothing ill of him - impartial in judgement, for in his day and limited sphere his name stands oftenest in the record as moderator, arbitrator and magistrate - energetic in administration, for those high in authority sought his aid - judicious in legislation and council, for electors did not tire of honoring him with their unsought suffrages." (from "A Forgotten Patriot," by Henry S. Nourse).
The John mentioned above, had a father also named John Whitcomb. He was born in 1684 in Lancaster, mA and died in 1720. He married Rebecca Wilder. They had 4 children. This last John had a father named Jonathan Whitcomb. Jonathan married a Hannah, and after his death in 1692, she was killed in Lancaster by Indians. The story has been shared by several writers.
The father of Jonathan, John Whitcomb, born about 1588, will be dealt with in the next blogspot.
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The account of Hannah Whitcomb's death is a matter of public records. The events surrounding the massacre are given in great detail in the Annals of Ancient Lancaster and the Vital Records of Lancaster. In the Vital Records of Lancaster the death of "Widow Whitcomb" is given as occuring at the home of Peter Joslyn where she was visiting Peter's wife (her relative) Although treated as conjecture, it is a factual event.
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