John Dexter (1668-1744) and his wife Sarah Clark

John Dexter was born in August 1668 at Barnstable on Cape Cod, then part of Plymouth Colony and now Barnstable County, the son of William and Sarah (Vincent) Dexter. [Barnstable VR in MD 4:223] I wrote about his parents here.He was a third generation mill owner; mill owners were typically important men in their community and made good livings.

About 1702 John Dexter married Sarah Clark at Rochester, Plymouth County. Sarah was the daughter of John and Sarah (Smith) Clark, born 21 August 1683 at Beverly, Essex County, Massachusetts. She was baptized in Beverly on 18 September 1686. [MA VR, Beverly, 1653-1892, p. 60 records birth and baptism] Her maiden name is also spelled Clarke. Although I have not found a marriage record, Sarah’s first name is revealed in John Dexter’s will and her death record; she is called Sarah Dexter in her father John Clark’s will.

John’s father William Dexter moved from Barnstable to Rochester, but later returned to Barnstable, leaving his sons John, James, Thomas, and Benjamin to run the family mills in Rochester. They lived in the Pine Island section of Rochester that later became Mattapoisett.  William’s daughter Mary also stayed in Rochester, his son Stephen stayed in Barnstable and his son Philip removed to Falmouth. [Warden] The Dexters built a sawmill and gristmill at a what became known as Dexter Dam on a stream on William’s farm. [Leonard]

On 9 May 1694 Stephen Dexter, Phillip Dexter, James Dexter, Thomas Dexter, John Dexter, Benjamin Dexter, and Moses Barlow [William’s son-in-law] mutually agreed “to abide contented & satisfied with ye settlement and disposition of ye Estate of our Honnored Father William Dexter” and they all signed the document. It gave a detailed account of William’s assets including land at Rochester and Scotten (Barnstable), housing at Barnstable, a pair of looms, husbandry tools, cattle, horses, and sheep. James, Thomas and John received the Rochester land, to be divided equally. The housing and land in Barnstable was to be divided between Stephen, Phillip and Benjamin, with the latter also receiving housing and was expected to give “sufficient security” for his mother who was to have use of the dwelling house and the livestock. Moses Barlow and his wife Mary [William’s daughter], were to receive all the bedding and household stuff after their mother’s decease. Benjamin was also to receive the looms and husbandry tools. [MD 23:64 and Barnstable County Probate records volume 1:100-101 at FamilySearch.org]

John was involved in multiple land transactions. He sold land to Samuel Arnold and John Hammond, in 1714 sold land to James Winslow, and in 1716 to Thomas Dexter, presumably his brother. [Warden]

Sarah and John had seven children, births recorded Rochester Vital Records: 

1. Gershom Dexter born 1 January 1703/4 [RVR 1:111]; m 1) Ruth Shrive, daughter of John and Mary (Soule) Shrive,  born 20 July 1715, of Portsmouth RI, married 14 January 1738/9 [Warden]; m 2) Mehitable Bolls 1 October 1755 [RVR 2:111]; had five children with Mehitable born Rochester 1756-1766 which is unusually late in his life [Warden]

2. Hannah Dexter born 6 November 1705 [RVR 1:111]; m James Steward 16 April 1730 [RVR 2:111]

3. Rest Dexter born 25 February 1708/9 [RVR 1:115]; died 17 January 1769 [RVR 2:376]

4. Dinah Dexter born 14 October 1711 [RVR 1:109]; m William Irish 16 November 1742 [RVR 2:109]; died after 1798

5. Fortunatus Dexter b 6 August 1715 [RVR 1:111]; died 5 December 1715 in 1st y. [RVR 2:374]

6. Mary Dexter b 3 August 1719 [RVR 1:114]; m. William Sherman 4 February 1734 [RVR 2:113]

7. John Dexter b. 16 December 1727 [RVR 1:112]; m. Sarah Handy 11 December 1746 in Sandwich [RVR 2:112]. Sarah died 15 October 1809 [Warden]; had 10 children born Rochester 1747-1767

I descend from Dinah whom I wrote about here.

 

So far I have not had much success finding information on John in town records. A John Dexter served as a Selectmen, but exact years not known so I do not sure if it was this John. Leonard did write that John and his brother Benjamin “figured prominently in the early town records.” 

In September 1711 Joseph Benson, John Dexter and Ichabod Burg entered a protest that new teacher Mrs. Jane Masshell “was not as the law directs,” meaning she lacked proper qualifications. 

Money was scarce in New England in 1720, so the state government created a £50,000 program to loan money to towns. In 1721 Rochester voted to act on the town’s part of a loan totaling £365. The sum was divided into 15 parts and townspeople drew lots to see who would receive a portion of the loan—John Dexter was selected. [Leonard]

In his 30 January 1726 will, John Clark of Rochester left his eldest daughter “Sarah Dexter ten pounds to be paid to her or her heirs by my son John Clarke his Heirs &c out of his part of Land.” [Plymouth County Probate Records Probate Records 1724-1731 vol 5-5T image 184 available on familysearch.org]

John Dexter wrote his will on 9 June 1744. [Massachusetts State Archives vol 9-9M, image 189, available on familysearch.org] He left the following bequests:

• Dearly beloved wife Sarah, “the whole improvement and income of my whole estate, both within doors and without, so long as she shall be my widow, and in case of her intermarriage to have her thirds of the income of my lands for one year, and this bequest not to hinder her and her son Gershom agreeing for her maintenance if they can agree otherwise.”
• “I give all my real estate, consisting of house and lands, to my sons, Gershom and John, to be equally divided between them after my wife shall have done with it, and it is to be to them and their heirs forever.” If either decide to sell they are to offer the land to their brother.  “And this I give them on condition that they shall pay out the legacies that I order them to pay to their sisters.”
• “I give to my daughter Mary fifteen acres of land out of my grants, to be hers forever, taken up as the grants will allow of.”
• I give to my three daughters, Hannah, Dinah and Mary, £5 each, to be paid in bills or movables within one year.
• I give to my daughter Rest £20 in bills of good credit, old tenor, and a liberty in my dwelling-house during her single life, with firewood and such conveniences for her as she and her mother may order.”

Son Gershom was named executor. John Dexter signed his will

John Dexter died at Rochester on 31 July 1744 in his 77th year. [Rochester VR 2:375] Note he was actually 75 years old.

The inventory of John Dexter of Rochester was taken 14 August 1744. [Massachusetts State Archives vol 9-9M, image 204] It was not totaled and did not itemize land but listed it as “Housing & Land & quarter of a saw mill” worth £1,100. It also included books, an old gun, sheeps wool, sole leather, 500 foot of “Refuge board,” 19 sheep, oxen, two cows, four young cattle, nine swine. It was taken by Jabez Hiller, Stephen Wing and Silas Briggs who swore to the inventory on 17 December 1744. Gershom Dexter made oath to the inventory on 19 December 1744. 

Sarah Dexter, widow of John, died 21 January 1755 at Rochester. [RVR 2:376]

Sources:

William A. Warden, Genealogy of the Dexter Family in America; Descendants of Thomas Dexter Together with the Record of Other Allied Families, 1905

Mary Hall Leonard, History of Mattapoisett and Old Rochester, 1907