Sunday, July 8, 2012

Ignatious Perkins (born 1720 Plympton, Mass.) and Keziah Davis (born 1725 Freetown, Mass.

Ignatious (or Ignatius) Perkins was born 15 July 1720 at Plympton, Plymouth Co., Mass., the son of Luke and Ruth (Cushman) Perkins. [MD 3:93]  I wrote about his parents here.


Ignatious married Keziah Davis on 10 November 1743 in Freetown, Bristol Co., Mass. Keziah was born in Freetown on 9 March 1724/25, the daughter of William and Keziah (Cudworth) Davis.

Ignatious and Keziah had six children, recorded at Wrentham, Norfolk County, Mass.  [WrenthamVR 1;159] First four children noted as born in Freetown.


1. David born 1 February 1743/44 Freetown; m. Zilpha Hathaway
2. Ignatious born 18 May 1746 Freetown
3. Luke born 25 January 1747/48 Freetown; m. Margaret Peirce; served in the Revolutionary
War and died from a wound to his foot
4. John born 3 June 1750 Freetown
5. Ruth born 5 August 1752 Wrentham
6. William born 12 October 1754 Wrentham

Some researchers also give them a daughter Sarah who married Ezekiel Raymond, but I have not researched this. I descend from Ruth who married Jesse Pierce. I wrote about Ruth and Jesse here.


Ruth’s birth record shows that Ignatious and Keziah removed to Wrentham by 1752. In 1762 Ignatious was back living in Freetown:  David Stockbridge Esq. (Hanover) attached Ignatius Perkins (Freetown Blacksmith). Trespass on the Case, on 3-month note dated 21 October 1762 for 8 dollars (or 48s.) with interest. Pltf. said that on 18 March 1763 Chase endorsed the note to pltf. or his order, and pltf. notified deft., who promised to pay but later refused to pay, to pltf.'s damage of £10. Default by deft. Judgment for £2.12s.1d. and £2.1s.9d. costs. [Plymouth Court Records 12: 332-334]


I do not know if Ignatious stayed in Freetown or eventually moved elsewhere. Blacksmiths provided a very important service so were in demand and many would move around to where the demand (and money) was.

Ebenezer Peirce wrote that Ignatious is said to have been lacking much of being a saint, but he may have been confusing this with something his son Luke’s widow Margaret said about her husband.

Locations and dates of Ignatious and Keziah's deaths are not known. Other researchers have them living and dying in a variety of places but without providing sources.

Sources Not Listed Above:
Ebenezer W. Peirce, The Posterity of William Davis of Freetown, NEHGR, Vol
20, July 1866
Ebenezer W. Pierce, The Peirce Family, NEHGR, Vol 22, 1867
Paul Stanton Bumpus, Ruth Perkins, daughter of Ignatious Perkins of

Freetown, Mass..., Mayflower Quarterly, September 2006

NEHGS, Mayflower Families Fifth Generation Descendants: Isaac Allerton, online database at americanancestors.org



2 comments:

  1. I'm very happy to have found your site! I have a note written by a Tho. Gilbert to Mr. Tho. Richmond Aug. 26 1759. "Sr. Plesd to pay to or discompt with Ignatios Perkens Seven Shilling as this order shall be your discharge from your frind." I suspect it is payment for some blacksmith work done by Ignatious for Tho. Gilbert.
    Ignatious and Keziah's oldest son, David, married Zilpha Hathaway who was also his first cousin. Zilpha's mother, Mary Davis Hathaway (Benjamin Hathawa), was Keziah's sister.
    Ginny Lehner

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Ginny: Thanks for your comment. What a great, old note to have! Thank you, also, for David Perkins' marriage information. Chris

    ReplyDelete

I'm now moderating comments on this blog. My apologies for any ensuing delays, but the large number of "spam" comments have made this necessary. ~Chris