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Samuel

Josiah was the 8th child of John, the 6th son, born in Hingham on May 4, 1653 of John and his second wife, Sarah. Josiah was a cooper by trade and a farmer, residing on Leavitt Street in the old homestead. He married a Hingham girl, Margaret Johnson on October 20, 1676. Josiah was a freeman 1679, a constable 1684, selectman 1689-98, and representative to the General Court 1705.

Josiah and Margaret had 9 children, 7 boys and 2 girls. All seven boys, Josiah, Joseph, Jeremiah, Joshua, David, Asaph and Hezekiah married at least once. Between them they had 32 children. The daughters, Margaret and Mary, each married twice.

Josiah died Sept. 14, 1708 in Hingham. He and Margaret are both buried in the First Settlers cemetery beside the Old Ship Church.

Moses Leavitt was the 7th child of John, the 5th son, born August 12, 1650. He was the 2nd child of John and his second wife, Sarah Gilman Leavitt. Moses moved to the Exeter, NH area as a young man - his name first appears on town records in 1664, when he would have been 14 years old. His father may have owned land in Exeter and sent Moses to represent him there but there could be another explanation. When land was given as homesteads in those days very young sons of a family were sometimes recorded as taking a share, agreeing to settle there when they became of age.

Moses was a surveyor and became a very prominent man in the town of Exeter. He was representative to the General Court of Massachusetts, Selectman of Exeter, Moderator and Deacon of the First Church of Exeter. Moses served in the British Army during the French and Indian Wars. In 1717 the Province authorized an issue of paper money to amount to 15,000 pounds, which was to be lent to the inhabitants in small sums and the town chose S. Thing, N. Gilman and Moses Leavitt as the committee.

Moses married on October 26, 1681, Dorothy Dudley, born 1664 at Exeter, daughter of Rev. Samuel and Eliz. Dudley and granddaughter of Thomas Dudley, second Governor of the Mass. Bay Colony. They had 12 children, 7 boys and 5 girls. This Third generation themselves married, had children, lived and died in Exeter or the nearby towns without straying far from home. Moses died June 17, 1731 at the age of 80 "being aged and feeble" (according to his will)

GENERATION TWO

"Pilgrims Going to Church" by George Henry Boughton

THE SAMUEL LINE

Samuel was the 3rd child of John, the 2nd son, born April 7, 1641 of John and his first wife, Mary Lovit Leavitt. Samuel was born in Hingham but moved to Exeter, NH as a young man. The town of Exeter granted him 15 acres of land in 1664. He married Mary Robinson whose parents, John and Eliz., deeded a house, barn and 7 acres of land to the couple in June, 1667. He was a Representative to the General Court five different years, Selectman of Exeter ten years and an Assembly man in 1692. The town granted him an additional 100 acres of land in 1698 and he increased his holdings further through purchases in the area.

Samuel and Mary had 10 children, 4 girls and 6 boys. The oldest girl, Elizabeth, married James Dudley, brother of Moses' wife, Dorothy. She also married two more times after James' death. Sarah, the 4th daughter, married Moses Leavitt (3), the son of Moses (2). There was lot of "family" around. Two of the sons, John and Samuel died without issue but the other four, Jeremy Benjamin, James, Ephriam and Daniel married and produced between them about 40 grandchildren for Samuel and Mary.

In King Philip's War Samuel served in the Exeter Company as a Lieutenant. He died August 6, 1707 leaving a will that gave most of his estate to his relatives and appointing his brother Moses as executor.

Israel was the 6th child of John, the 4th son, and the first with his second wife Sarah Gilman. Israel was born April 23, 1648 in Hingham. He died 48 years later in the same town. On Jan. 10, 1677, he married Lydia Jackson, daughter of Abraham and Remember Jackson. After Israel's death Lydia remarried, this time to Preserved Hall. Israel and Lydia lived in Hingham on Leavitt Street where he farmed for a living. He was a soldier in King Philip's War in 1675 and was in garrison in Mendon, Mass.

Israel and Lydia had 9 children, first 5 boys and then 4 girls. John, the eldest son, married Joanna Bisbee and had 5 children including two sons named Jacob who lived only 2-3 years each. John's daughter, Joanna, married her cousin, Abraham Leavitt. Israel's second son, Israel, married first, Eliz. Mowry, and second, Mary Bate. Eliz. died less than two years after their marriage. Israel and Mary Bate had 7 children. Third son, Solomon was a sailor and apparently never married. Elisha was the 4th son, lived on Leavitt Street in Hingham, and had two wives, Sarah Lane and Eliz. Beal. He had 2 children with each that survived infancy. Abraham was Israel's 5th son. He married first Hannah Lane who bore him one child, Abraham (who married John's daughter Joanna). His second wife was Rebecca Lincoln. The genealogy notes that Abraham Lincoln descended from the Hingham Lincolns. Abraham and Rebecca had a daughter, Rebecca, who married Samuel Gill. The Gills had a daughter they also named Rebecca, who married Elisha Lane and had a son, Leavitt Lane (not to be confused with Leavitt Street).

Israel died Dec. 26, 1696 and is buried in the Plain Burying ground near the family tomb.

THE ISRAEL LINE

THE JOSIAH LINE

THE MOSES LINE

THE NEHEMIAH LINE

Nehemiah was the 9th child of John, the 6th and last son. He was born in Hingham on Jan. 22, 1656 of John and his second wife Sarah Gilman Leavitt. He was another of John's sons to move to Exeter, NH. Records show him living there as early as 1689 when he would have been 33 years old. He married Alice Gilman, widow of Daniel Gilman who had married into the family of his brother Moses. He was a shipwright. He received a grant of land at Exeter in 1703; Court files at Concord, NH: “Whereas there was granted unto Nehemiah Leavitt at a town meeting held in Exeter.. .of fifty acres of land where he could find it clear of all former Grants, Highways, and Pine Timber...”. Nehemiah was in the Colonial Wars, under Col. Shadrach Walton, 1710, probably on expedition to Port Royal.

Nehemiah and Alice had 8 children, 3 boys and 5 girls. Two of the sons, Nehemiah and Selah, married, settled in the Exeter area, and raised their children. The third, Daniel, never married, and died as a young man. Of the daughters, Alice, Mercy and Abigail married men from the locality and raised families. Mary died in infancy in 1693. A second daughter, born in 1699, was also named Mary.

Nehemiah died May 25, 1715 in Exeter where his will was proved June 25, 1715.

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