Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of James BADCOCK

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Descendants of James BADCOCK

Generation No. 2

3. John² BADCOCK (James¹) was born 1644 in Portsmouth, RI, and died 1685 in Westerly, RI. He married Mary Lawton, daughter of George LAWTON and Elizabeth HAZARD. She died November 08, 1711 in Westerly, RI.

Notes for John BADCOCK:
John Badcock, the second son of James Badcock, the Immigrant, was born in Portsmouth, RI, in 1644, and died in Westerly, RI, in 1685. He married Mary Lawton, daughter of George and Elizabeth Hazard Lawton also of Portsmouth. After John's death, Mary married Erasmus Babbitt, April 21, 1698. She died in Westerly on November 8, 1711.

"Tradition says that John and Mary eloped from Newport, settled upon the east bank of the Pawcatuck River on Massatuxet Cove (near what is now Avondale, town of Westerly, RI), with no neighbors but the friendly Indians, and that they were not discovered by their parents for several years. Much poetry and romance have been written upon this tradition, but as no history has been found to establish it as a fact, and as authenticated records seem clearly to disprove (it), we must class the elopement story as fiction."

The Misquamicut Company was formed to settle the area that is now Westerly and eighteen persons from Portsmouth were selected to go there in March 1662. John, about 18 years of age at that time, and his father were two of the eighteen. John settled on the banks of the Pawcatuck River near what is now Avondale. Later two brothers, James and Job, also settled in the community.

From the time of its settlement, the Westerly area was claimed by both Connecticut and Rhode Island. On May 17, 1671 Rhode Island ordered the settlers to take an oath of loyalty to "his Majesties and this Colony". John and his father were among the 22 who did so. When King Phillip's War, the most devastating Indian war in New England, broke out (1675-76) most of the settlers in Westerly left their homes and fled to the island of Rhode Island. Indications are that John and his family did not leave their home. As they could receive no protection from Rhode Island, John volunteered to serve in the Connecticut Militia formed for protection against the Indians. Tradition says that he was with the militia at the "Great Swamp Fight", December 19, 1675, and that his son Elihu was born on that date. John was among the members of the Stonington (CT) Militia who received bounty land from the Colony of Connecticut after the war.

John had been declared a freeman of that Colony on May 14, 1676, during King Phillip's War at a time when he apparently was the lone settler left in Westerly. After the war was over, the other inhabitants returned and Rhode Island once again asserted its authority over Westerly. John was elected by the General Court of Rhode Island as "Conservator of the Peace" for Westerly on June 12 1678. On September 17, 1679, just 3 months after their father's death, John, James and Job, along with thirty others, once again took "the oath of allegiance and fidelity to his Majesty's authority, for this Colony (Rhode Island)." John Badcock was Deputy from Westerly to the Colonial Legislature in 1682 and 1684. The exact date of his death is not known but was probably in May or June, 1685.

"When the will of James Badcock, Sr. was written, June 12, 1679, the first syllable was written Bad, and had been so written up to that time. Six years later, when the will of John Babcock was made by the Town Council of Westerly, June 26, 1685, the first syllable was spelled Bab, and has been so spelled ever since." Previous to this John had been known as John Badcock.

All of his ten children were born in Westerly and they are listed in his will in the following order (dates of birth are believed to be approximately correct): James (b. 1663?); Ann (b. 1665?); Mary (b. 1667?); John (b. 1669?); Job (b. 1671?); George (b. 1673); Elihu (b. tradition says the day of the Great Swamp Fight, Dec. 19, 1675); Robert (b. 1678?); Joseph (b. 1681?); Oliver (b. 1683?).

SOURCE: Babcock, Stephen, THE BABCOCK GENEALOGY, 1903. pp. 8-12.

(The following information is from a paper describing the Babcock House in Westerly, RI (see notes under Capt. James Babcock ) that was among the genealogical papers of my father, O.T. Babcock. There is nothing to indicate the source of the information, who wrote it, or when.)

"The first permanent settlers of Westerly were probably John and Mary (Lawton) Babcock (1648). John Babcock was a Plymouth man who moved to Newport where he worked for a Thomas Lawton. John fell in love with his employer's daughter Mary; after several 'delightful trysts.... about
Aquidneck's ancient trees', they eloped from Newport in a small open boat. They built their home near Mastuxet (sic) Brook.

"The Old Babcock Burying Ground, just south of Mastuxet Brook in the section of Westerly still called Mastuxet, is probably near the site of the home of John and Mary Babcock, the first white settlers in Westerly. This cemetary, probably the oldest in town, contains the remains of John and Mary Babcock and many of their descendants. Two large horizontal tablets mark the graves of James and Joshua Babcock. James was the first white child born in Westerly and Joshua was the owner of the Old Babcock House on Granite St. Many of the (grave)stones bear old-fashioned inscriptions, such as: "Behold and see as you pass by, As you are now so once was I." The cemetary is now (when?) overgrown with trees and shrubbery and in the summer it is difficult to find some of the headstones."

(The above account of the "elopement" is, it seems, a version of the tradition doubted by Stephen Babcock in the Babcock Genealogy. Note: (1) the quote from that source that "much poetry and romance have been written about this tradition" and (2) the phrase in quotes above, "delightful trysts.... about Aquidneck's ancient trees", which sounds like a line from a poem. One can't help but wonder if, in fact, there was (is?) a piece of literature based on this tradition.) -- Bryce Babcock

"In 1660 a tract of land in what is now Westerly, Rhode Island, on the Connecticut border, was purchased from the Indians by the Misquamicut Company, of Newport. James (Badcock) and his second son, John (16544-1685) (by his first wife, Sarah), were members of this company and were among the first permanent setters there. Possession of this area was disputed by Massachusetts and by Connecticut as well as Rhode Island so that in addition to dealing with the Indians, these early settlers had to contend with the aggressions of other colonies. In 1675, King Philip's War, the most vicious of the Indian Wars, broke out. While most of the other inhabitants of Westerly fled to the island of Rhode Island for protection, John and his family stayed put. As late as 1945, John's descendants were living on the original parcel of land on which John and his wife, Mary Lawton, built their first house. John served as Conservator of the Peace and Deputy to the Colonial Legislature. John Badcock died intestate, and when the Town Council of Westerly made up his will they spelled his name Babcock and it has been spelled that way ever since. Among his considerable holdings they listed "one negger boy, two Injin men and Indian garls."

SOURCE: From a paper entitled "A Bristol-Babcock-Weeks Family History" written by a descendant, Christine Salem, June 6, 1989. I'm not sure where she obtained the information, although part - but not all - of the above appears taken from The Babcock Genealogy. -- Bryce Babcock

Notes for Mary Lawton:
About 13 years after John's death, Mary married [Apr. 21, 1698] Erasmus Babbitt (Wheeler].

SOURCE: Babcock, Stephen, THE BABCOCK GENEALOGY, p. 8.

Children of John BADCOCK and Mary Lawton are:

James³ Babcock, Capt., born 1663 in Westerly, RI; died January 17, 1736/37 in Westerly RI. He married (1) Elizabeth ? 1687. He married (2) Content Maxon July 07, 1731.

Notes for James Babcock, Capt.:
"He was buried in the Babcock burying ground at Massatuxet, which is upon the east side of the road about midway between Westerly and Watch Hill. His grave is covered by a horizontal tablet six feet long and four feet wide. The inscription upon the tablet is as follows: 'In memory of Capt. James Babcock, who died January ye 17th, 1736, in ye year of his age. Having been in his life of extensive charity and benificence and not wholly silent at his death.' The year of his age has been, by time or vandalism, completely obliterated."

His title and rank of Captain came from being commissioned Captain of Militia in Westerly, RI, date unknown but prior to 1690.

One tradition says he married (1) Elizabeth Saunders (1687?) the daughter of Tobias Saunders. Another tradition has it that her name was Elizabeth Babbitt daughter of Erasmus Babbitt. Her tombstone is near her husband's grave. He married (2) Content Maxon (July 7, 1731) daughter of Jonathan and Content Rogers Maxon. He is said to have been the first white child born in Westerly.

SOURCE: Babcock, Stephen, BABCOCK GENEALOGY, 1903. pp 14-16.

(I found the following typewritten discription of "The Babcock House" among the genealogical papers of O. T. Babcock. There is no indication of where he obtained it, who wrote it, or when. The house was built by, or for, Dr. Joshua Babcock (b. 5/17/1707; d. 4/1/1783), the youngest son of Capt. James and his first wife, Elizabeth. See pp. 30-33 of Stephen Babcock's BabcockGenealogy.)

Babcock House ---- Westerly, Rhode Island

The Joshua Babcock House (Private), 124 Granite St., was built about 1750. It is a fine two-story, white frame, gambrel-roof structure with a central stone chimney. The heavy well-proportioned door is flanked by hand-carved pilasters, and is surmounted by a broken-scroll pediment. In the interior a
fine stair rail is designed with twisted balusters. The parlor, with its corner cupboard, has wooden shutters and paneled walls. The original kitchen, now a living-room, contains a huge fireplace and oven with appropriate fittings for open-fir cooking. Wide plank floors and corner posts in many of the rooms reflect the sturdy construction of the frame. Dr. Babcock, a physician and town leader, was also Chief Justice of Rhode Island (1749-51, 1763-64), a major general in the Revolution and a member of the first board of trustees (1764) of Rhode Island College. Benjamin Franklin was a
frequent visitor here, and he is said to have put lightening rods on the house. In the ell off the main house was the first post office for Westerly (1776).

(For comments in this paper on the Babcock Burial Ground, see notes under John Badcock. It refers to James as "the first white child born in Westerly.")

* * * *
(The Babcock Genealogy (see above) also mentions that Joshua Babcock married 1) Hannah Stanton and 2) Ann Maxon, the great-granddaughter of Elder John Maxon, the first white child born on the island of Rhode Island and the first pastor of the S.D.B. Church of Westerly. Joshua graduated from Yale
College in 1724, the first graduate of that college from RI. He studied medicine and surgery in Boston and London, England. Besides being a practicing physician, he also owned a retail store.

He represented Westerly in the Colonial Legislature nine different years between 1740 and 1778, "serving repeatedly as Speaker". He was one of the corporators of Brown Univ. in 1764. Benjamin Franklin , as Postmaster General, established the first post office in Westerly in 1776 and appointed
Joshua Babcock as Postmaster. Frankin was a frequent visitor and the two men often went fishing together. It is said that George Washington stopped at the Babcock home on more than one occasion.

Dr. Babcock was closely identified with the colonists who demanded freedon from Great Britain, and was a signer of the Declaration of Independence passed by the Rhode Island Legislature severalmonths prior to July 4, 1776. In Nov. 1775, by Act of the General Assembly of Rhode Island, he was
appointed Major General of that colony's forces. In Dec. 1776 he was appointed as a member of the Council of War and was reappointed to that position in 1778 and 1779. "The Rhode Island records of Revolutionary times show that no man was more active in the service of his country, or held more
responsible positions, than did Dr. Babcock. He is buried near the graves of his parents in the ancient Babcock burial ground of Westerly.")

Source: Babcock Genealogy, pp 30-33.

Notes for Elizabeth ?:
One tradition states that she was Elizabeth Saunders, daughter of Tobias Saunders. Another, that she was Elizabeth Babbitt, daughter of Erasmus Babbitt. The date of the marriage is given as "1687 (?)".

SOURCE: Babcock, Stephen, Babcock Genealogy, 1903.

	10	ii.	Ann Babcock, born 1665 in Westerly, RI.
	11	iii.	Mary Babcock, born 1667 in Westerly, RI.
+	12	iv.	John BABCOCK, Capt., born 1669 in Westerly, RI; died March 28, 1746 in Westerly, RI.
	13	v.	Job Babcock, born 1671 in Westerly, RI.
	14	vi.	George Babcock, born 1673 in Westerly, RI.
	15	vii.	Elihu Babcock, born December 19, 1675 in Westerly, RI.
	16	viii.	Robert Babcock, born 1678 in Westerly, RI.
	17	ix.	Joseph Babcock, born 1681 in Westerly, RI.
	18	x.	Oliver Babcock, born 1683 in Westerly, RI.

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