was one of four persons who met at an early period to deliberate upon the matter of the formation of a church, and at its organization, Jan. 21, 1721, was chosen deacon, which office he held to the close of his life, and was then succeeded by his son Jonathan. His estate was administered upon in 1740.*

III. JACOB TOWNE, son of Jacob and Catherine (Symonds) Towne, was b. at Topsfield, Feb. 13, 1660, and June 24, 1684, m. Phebe, dau. of Robert Smith. She was b. Aug. 26, 1661, and d. Jan. 14, 1740, aged 79 years. He was admitted to the church Sept. 1, 1717, and d. Oct. 4, 1741, aged 81 years.

III. JOSEPH TOWNE, son of Joseph and Phebe (Perkins) Towne, was b. at Topsfield, March 22, 1673, and Nov. 9, 1699, m. Margaret Case, of Salem.

* Topsfield Town Records. Essex Probate Records. Barry's His. of Framingham. Barber's His. Col. of Mass. Oxford Town and Church Records. Worcester Probate Records.

III. JOHN TOWNE, son of Joseph and Phebe (Perkins) Towne, was b. at Topsfield, Feb. 20, 1678, and in Jan., 1708, m. Elizabeth Rae, who

d. Dec. 14, 1711. July 12, 1712, he m. Abigail Stanley, and d. March 28, 1714, aged 36 years.

IV. EDMUND TOWNE, son of Thomas and Sarah (French) Towne, was b. at Topsfield, Jan. 28, 1686, and d. there unmarried in 1741, aged 55 years, leaving his property to his four sisters, Experience, Sarah, Edna and Mercy.

38.

IV. RICHARD TOWNE, son of Thomas and Sarah (French) Towne, was b. at Topsfield, July 16, 1700, and m. 1st, Elizabeth Bixby; 2d, Hannah Bixby. He was Town Clerk at Topsfield from 1749 to Feb. 21, 1765, the date of his death.

IV. ISAAC TOWNE, son of William and Margaret Towne, was b. at Topsfield, April 10, 1701, m. Lydia Estey, Jan. 7, 1738, and d. at Sutton, where the estate of his widow was settled in 1796.

Children:

103. Lydia, b. April 5, 1739; m. Robert Fitz, June 2, 1767. 104. Isaac, b. Aug. 4, 1741.

IV. JEREMIAH TOWNE, son of William and Margaret Towne, was b. at Topsfield, May 27, 1705, and m. Elizabeth

Children:

107. Jeremiah, b. Sept. 6, 1743. 108. Susannah, b. July 8, 1745. +109. Nehemiah, b. Oct. 15, 1748. 110. William, b. Jan. 16, 1751.

49.

IV. BENJAMIN TOWNE, son of Joseph and Amy (Smith) Towne, was b. at Topsfield, May 10, 1691; m. 1st, Catharine, dau. of Jacob Towne, Jr., by whom he had two children, both of whom died in infancy; 2d, April 12, 1722, Susannah Wildes, who d. July 5, 1736, and who about two months before her death became the mother of three healthy male children, all of whom are known to have lived beyond the meridian of manhood; 3d, May 2, 1738, Mary Perkins; and 4th, April 15, 1761, Mrs. Mary Clark. He acquired a large estate for the time in which he lived, and from the records seems to have been a prominent man in town affairs, frequently officiating as Town Clerk, Selectman, Assessor of Taxes, &c. &c., and d. Feb. 11, 1772, aged 81 years.

IV. NATHAN TOWNE, son of Joseph and Amy (Smith) Towne, was b. at Topsfield in 1693; m. Phebe resided at Boxford for a time, and then removed to Andover, where she d. Jan. 5, 1762, aged 62 years, and he soon after, aged about 70 years.

IV. DANIEL TOWNE, son of Joseph and Amy (Smith) Towne, was b. at Topsfield, Aug. 22, 1695, and m. Dorothy.

52.

IV. JESSE TOWNE, son of Joseph and Amy (Smith) Towne, was b. at Topsfield, Dec. 5, 1697, and removed to Arundel, now Kennebunk, Maine, where, in 1725, he was a proprietor. He finally settled at Wells, near the "Upper Falls," where he built a house in 1740, and in 1754, when crossing the river, he broke through the ice and was drowned. He was a member of the church at Wells in 1750, and from the records seems to have been active in the parish affairs: beyond this, but little is known of him. He, however, had a descendant, residing near the original homestead, who was Selectman in Kennebunk in 1847. In 1750 he had sons Joseph and Thomas, who were taxed; and the house which he built was standing in 1770.

+137. Joseph.

+138. Thomas.

Children:

53.

IV. NATHANIEL TOWNE, son of Joseph and Amy (Smith) Towne, was b. at Topsfield, June 1, 1700, and m. Jemima

- IV. AMOS TOWNE, son of Joseph and Amy (Smith) Towne, was b. at Topsfield, July 2, 1709; m. Mary Smith, May 30, 1732, and removed to Arundel, now Kennebunk, Me. He was one of the brave men who, under Sir William Pepperrell, captured Louisburg, and, in 1747, was wrecked on Mount Desert and drowned, at the age of about 38 years. Children:

143. Samuel.

+144. Amos, b. Oct., 1737.

145. Daniel, b. Oct. 28, 1742.

58.

IV. SAMUEL TOWNE, son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Knight) Towne, was b. at Topsfield, July 5, 1702; m. Elizabeth Allen, Dec. 21, 1722, and was drowned, May 18, 1771, aged 69 years.

Children:

146. Mary, b. July 19, 1723. 147. Elizabeth, b. Nov. 10, 1724. +148. Samuel, b. Aug. 8, 1727. 149. Hannah, b. Sept. 24, 1733.

59.

IV. PHILIP TOWNE, son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Knight) Towne, was b. at Topsfield, June 22, 1707, and July 30, 1728, m., at Salem, Dinah Hobbs.

ZECHARIAH PADDOCK.

YARMOUTH (County Barnstable), May 1st. This day dyed here Mr. Zechariah Paddock, in the 88th y of his age, was born at Plimouth in the begining of the year 1640; was m. in 1659 to Mrs. Deborah Sears, born in this town, and now survives him, having liued together almost 68 yrs, and by her, God blessed him with a numerous offspring, especially in the third and 4th generations, having left behind him of his own posterity, 48 g.-ch., 38 g. gr. ch., and of this latter sort no less than 30 descend from his 2d son; the old gentleman, his wife, one of his sons and his wife, lived for a considerable time in a house by themselues without any other person; when their age if computed together amounted to above 300 years. Mr. Paddock's widow survives near four score and 8 years old, and is well reported of for good works.-N. E. Weekly Jour., 5 June, 1727.

APPEAL FOR ASSISTANCE IN BUILDING A PRESBYTERIAN MEETING HOUSE IN PHILADELPHIA.

[From the WENDELL PAPERS.-Communicated by the Family.]

COLONEL WENDELL.

Honored and Dear S',

After respectfull salutation to your Self and Spouse, I have made bold to give you the trouble of this. Our fears as to the new-Building are at last come upon us. It is given up into the hands of Trustees of a Colledge to be erected in this citty, we obliges us to build another House for religious worship; but the charge thereof, together with buying ground to build on and bury in being very great, no less [than] between 3 and 4000 pds. this currency, we cannot possibly go through with it our Selves without the assistance of our Brethren. I therefore beg you would do what you can among your friends and acquaintances to our assistance. I dont doubt but, upon your application to them, they will compassionate our circumstances, and do something handsome for their Brethren, tho at a Distance. Nothing but what is extraordinary would induce me to aply in this maner. You know the moment and consequence of having a decent house here, to the credit and interest of our Profession in this Province. Four year agone, when we were like to be cast out of the aforesaid Building, all our Society Subscribd for a new one; but the lands have risen so much since, that if all our Subscriptions then were payd (which cant be expected), they would want between 3 and 400 pds. to purchase ground to build on and bury in, without so much as laying one stone or brick in the Building. I expect and depend upon your care to promote this, we so much concerns the church of Christ in these Parts of the world.