Who Was Capt. John Howard of Oxford, MA?
by Marilyn Labbe published in THE CONNECTICUT NUTMEGGER, DECEMBER 1997
Permission to print was granted by Marilyn Labbe, THANK YOU MARILYN!!!

According to the History of Oxford, Capt. John Howard was b. about 1740, was of Oxford, MA 1785, soldier in French & Indian War and also
"an officer in the Revolutionary Army" (Headstone, West Sutton, MA), an intelligent, worthy and influential man, a Baptist, and constant church goer at Sutton; by trade a shoemaker; one of the parties who purchased Dudley's farm north of the Sutton Rd., and settled at H. 10, where he died 285ept l814 aged 74 yrs. His death is reported in the Worcester Spy of 5 0ct1814 "In Athol, on the 28 ult. Capt. John Howard of Oxford, MA, age 74." He is buried in West Sutton Cemetery, Sutton, MA. His gravestone reads: In memory of Capt. John Howard a soldier in the Fren(c)h war at 16 an officer in the army of the Revolution & a worthy Member of the First Baptist Church in Sutton who d Sept. 28, 1814 age 74. On the back of his gravestone: Huldah Sibley wife of Capt. John Howard buried 1832 Jones Cemetery, Orange, MA. He m. at Sutton, MA 26 Junel765 Huldah Sibley, daughter of Jonathan & Hannah (Burnap) Sibley of Sutton. After John's death she married int. Oxford, MA. l5 Febl816 Daniel Harwood of Barre, MA. She died 5 Oct l832 and is buried in Jones Cemetery, Orange, MA. Her gravestone inscription: Huldah, wife of Daniel Harwood, formerly wife of Capt. John Howard, d. 50ct1832 age 87. All of the Howard children are written up in the History of Oxford, ie: John, Huldah, Stephen, Ruth, Simeon, Hannah, Abraham, Sarah, Lydia & Lucy.

I knew that many of the families who came to Sutton were from the Salem, MA area. I decided to look at the Salem vital records as well as
surrounding towns to see if there was some connection to a family there and one in Sutton, MA. In the Beverly, MA vital records a Ruth Haward (Mrs. Ruth Hayward in int) m. 8Jan 1745/6 Jephthah Putnam of Sutton, MA. Upon more investigation I found that an Ezekiel Hayward/Haward had married in Beverly 19 0ct 1725 Ruth Rea of Salem and that he had died in Beverly in 1744. They had 8 children born in Beverly: Kezia, Nathaniel, Emme, Ruth, Ezekiel, Eunice, Lydia, and John bp 145ept1740. This looked very promising as Capt. John Howard was age 74 yrs. when he died on the 28th of Sept. 1814 which would make his birth in 1740. Also as Jephthah Putnam was of Sutton, MA it would explain how John Howard got there.

Ezekiel Hayward left a will dated Beverly 20 July l744. "I give to my Ruth the improvement of all my real estate in Beverly during the terme of her widowhood. I give to my children immediately after my wife's termes death or remarriage) all my real estate that I have in Beverly to be divided amongst them according to the province law for intestate estates. My will is & I do authorize & impower my executor - after named to sell my first division of my right in a township called Sowhegan adjoining on the meetinghouse there to pay my just debts & funeral charges. I give unto my three sons (viz) Nathaniel, Ezekiel & John my lands at Sowhegan (excepting the first division) to be to them & their heirs in equal proportion But if either of my sd sons dies before he arrives to the age of twenty one in such case my surviving male children shall enjoy the whole lands. I give to my wife Ruth my indoor moveables to be disposed of as she thinks best & the other part or parcel of my personal estate I order my sd wife to dispose of the same to defray necessary charges & support my children. And lastly I do hereby constitute & appoint my loveing wife Ruth to be my sole executrix of this my last will and testament." The witnesses to the will appeared in Court on l0 Dec l744 and testified that they saw Ezekiel Hayward make this will. Ruth Hayward made oath to the inventory on l3May l745.

On the 3rd of Dec. 1753 before the Judge of Probate in Essex County Ezekiel, Lidia & Eunice Hayward, minors upwards of fourteen years of age all children of Ezekiel Hayward late of Beverly, deceased, chose their brother Nathaniel Hayward to be their guardian. The witnesses were Jephthah Putnam and Samuel Putnam. Below this on the same page is:
Worcester, Dec. 20th 1753 Personally appeared Eunice Haward & Lyddia Haward and acknowledged the above written to be their free act and deed. Below this is written: John is one of the children a minor under the age of 14.

Three other papers are in this file. All dated the 20th of Dec. 1753 whereby Nathaniel Hayward, Anthony Wood and John Rea all of Beverly
are holden and stand firmly bound and obligated unto Thomas Berry in the sum of one thousand pounds to be paid unto Thomas Berry, in the Office of Judge of Probate of Wills in case Nathaniel Hayward did not perform and discharge the Trust and Office of Guardian unto the said minors... Emme Hayward, minor, upwards of 14 years of age, daughter of Ezekiel Hayward late of Beverly, deceased; John Hayward, a minor, under 14 years of age, son of Ezekiel Hayward late of Beverly, deceased; Lydia Hayward, a minor upwards of 14 years of age daughter of Ezekiel Hayward late of Beverly, deceased.

Two of Ezekiel's daughters married sons of Jephthah Putnam by his first wife Ruth Fuller, ie: Kezia Hayward m. Sutton 22 Sept 1757 Samuel Putnam and Eunice Hayward m. Sutton 23 Nov l756 Fuller Putnam. I believe that the above evidence makes it pretty certain that Capt. John Howard of Oxford, MA is indeed the John Hayward bp in Beverly, Ma 14 Sept 1740. And he, along with several of his sisters, were taken to Sutton, MA by his mother and step-father, Jephthah & Ruth (Rea) (Hayward)Putnam.

This is the Hayward ancestry of Capt. John Howard.
Nicholas I Hayward, husbandman & fisherman, in Salem 23Jan 1642/3 when he was granted 10 acres. He d 24 Feb 1682/3.
Children:
Nehemiah m. Salem 1l Aug l657 Anna Dixcy
*Nathaniel bp Salem 13 Nov 1642

Nathaniel 2 Hayward bp Salem l3 Nov 1642; carpenter, died in Beverly 19 Dec l720; m Elizabeth Corning who was his wife in 1719. (her maiden name is listed in the Baptisms of 1st Church of Beverly records).

Children:
Elizabeth bp Salem 26 Aug 1666
Abigail bp Salem 5 May 1667
*Nathaniel bp Beverly 30 May 1669
Nehemiah bp Beverly lO July l67O
Sarah bp Beverly 19 Nov 167l
Jonathan bp Beverly 6 July 1763
Nicholas bp Beverly 10 0ct 1675
Samuel bp Beverly 26 May 1678
Hannah bp l6 May 1680
Stephen bp Beverly 24 Aug 1684

Ref. for above 2 generations: History of Salem, MA by Perley and the Beverly 1st Church Records.

Nathaniel 3 Hayward bp Beverly 30 May l669; died by 25 Feb l708/9
married Beverly, MA 17Aprl689 Hannah Raimen/Raymont bp Beverly 18 May l673 daughter of William & Hannah Raiment. Hannah joined the 1st Church Beverly 22 Sept 1695.
Children born Beverly:
Hannah b. 21 Sept 1689
Nathaniel b l6 Marl69l/2
Ebenezer b. 2 Sept 1694
Elizabeth b. 18 Dec l696
Lydia bp 22 Mar l702
*Ezekiel bp 4 July 1703

Ref: Beverly vital and church records

Ezekiel 4 Hayward bp Beverly 4 July l703; d. Beverly 1744; married Beverly 19 0ct 1725 Ruth Rea bp Salem 6 Apr 1707 daughter of John &
Ruth Rea; (By his will dated l8 Aug 1776 and proved 3 May l784, Bartholomew Rea of Danvers left L6.13.4 to his sister Ruth Putnam
of Sutton (Essex Co. Probe #23302)). She married second Beverly 8 Jan l745/6 Jephthah Putnam of Sutton, b. Salem 24 Aug l699 son
of Eleazer and Hannah (Boardman) Putnam. He died Sutton 23 Apr l772 age about 72 yrs. Ruth died Sutton l7 Jan l779 age about 73 yrs.
Children of Ezekiel & Ruth (Rhea) Hayward born Beverly:
Kezia bp 30 Nov l729; m.Sutton 22 Sept 1757 Samuel Putnam (son of Jephthah Putnam by his first wife Ruth Fuller)
Nathaniel bp 30 Nov 1729
Emme b 27 0ct l731; m. Beverly 4 Sept 1753 Wells Standley
Ruth bp l8 Mar l73l; m. Beverly l4 Dec l749 Ebenezer Cox
Ezekiel bp l8 May l735
Eunice bp l2 Feb l737/8; m. Sutton 23 Nov l756 Fuller Putnam (son of Jephthah Putnam by his first wife Ruth Fuller)
Lydia bp l2 Feb l737/8
*John bp 14 5ept 1740

Ref: Beverly, MA vital records; History of Salem by Perley and History of Sutton, MA by Benedict & Tracy;

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