Mark White, Jr.

Notes:

He turned out with the Minute Men and held several offices in Acton, MA; where he lived while raising his many children. He was a Representative to the General Court. He was a cooper by trade, and also had an inn along The Great Rd. to Groton for several years. He was Representative to the State Assembly during the Rev. War. He later moved to Westford, MA which is just north of Acton and west of Groton.

Notes:

[maryabwhiteanc.ged]

Mark and his family moved to Concord, MA on 25 Aug 1719, and they stayed with Elizabeth's aunt Mercy MOUSALL Buttrick. A Buttrick house is now the Headquarters for the Lexington-Concord National Battlefield Historical Site near the North Bridge where the first battles of the Revolutionary War was fought. Other Buttrick houses are and were in the same general area. They were "warned out" of Concord while at her house, which means that the town was worried about them later becoming a burden so they must have been very poor. "Warning out" was common practice in the 1700's when a town did not want to become resposible for anyone later on. Mark and Elizabeth had the rest of their children in Concord, so they obviously stayed. In 1726 Elizabeth and Mark signed over her rights to her Father's Estate in Charlestown to her brother, John, for L40, and that may have helped them gain financial security. He was at Concord until the Spring of 1732, when he went to Westford. There is no indication that he owned any land in his own right until 14 Feb 1733 when Mark White of Westford, husbandman, bought 30 1/2 acres in the nothern part of Concord. That part became Acton in 1735. He is also mentioned in the Acton Town Meeting Minutes as owning land and as having held the office of Constable, in 1736. He was also on some town committees and held the office of highway surveyor, tytheman, and perhaps others at various times. Usually only landowners held office. It appears from some records that he and some other landholders formed a land bank in 1740 and Mark invested 100 Pounds. Shortly after, he claimed the title of Gentleman. He apparently became an Ensign about 1745. In those days an Ensign was just under a Lt. in the Militia. Deeds show that he bought a total of 88 acres in Acton and sold 41 acres while living in Acton.
Mark was originally said to have been the son of Perigrine, Jr. & Susanna White and have been born in Middleborough, MA. No records have been found proving this and he was probably an immigrant from England to Charlestown, MA in the early 1700s, rather than being the grandson of Perigrine White who was the first child born on the Mayflower after it reached Plymouth, MA. No records of Mark White's parents have been located so far in MA or England. The records for Middleborough, MA for 1689 burned, but there are no later records like wills or land records that link Mark to Peregrine White, Jr. More research needs to be done in English records to find Mark's parents.
No deeds show a settlement of his or his widow's estate. It appears that he helped his son Mark, Jr., buy land as early as 1737, deeded his home place to son Thomas in 1747, and bought other land from Mark, Jr. on which to settle. Mark, Jr. was also a cooper and an innkeeper in Acton before moving to Westford. On 24 Feb 1758, Mark White of Acton, gentleman, with dower release from wife Elizabeth (the 1/3 of the estate that she owned as her dower rights), sold to son, Samuel, of Acton, cooper, 33 acres in Acton with dwelling house, barn, and cooper's shop, plus 22 acres near the Acton meeting house, "and the whole of my personal estate." Although not stated, the intent of this last deed was to assure that son Samuel would care for his parents as long as they lived, after which the place would be his. Samuel lived up to this bargain, remaining unmarried until the month after his mother's death, by which time he was almost 40 years old. These property arrangements were quite common at the time, and account for the lack of probate records for Mark and his widow Elizabeth. (From an article about Mark White in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly written in 1973).[maryabbywhite.FTW]

Mark and his family moved to Concord, MA on 25 Aug 1719, and they stayed with Elizabeth's aunt Mercy MOUSALL Buttrick. A Buttrick house is now the Headquarters for the Lexington-Concord National Battlefield Historical Site near the North Bridge where the first battles of the Revolutionary War was fought. Other Buttrick houses are and were in the same general area. They were "warned out" of Concord while at her house, which means that the town was worried about them later becoming a burden so they must have been very poor. "Warning out" was common practice in the 1700's when a town did not want to become resposible for anyone later on. Mark and Elizabeth had the rest of their children in Concord, so they obviously stayed. In 1726 Elizabeth and Mark signed over her rights to her Father's Estate in Charlestown to her brother, John, for L40, and that may have helped them gain financial security. He was at Concord until the Spring of 1732, when he went to Westford. There is no indication that he owned any land in his own right until 14 Feb 1733 when Mark White of Westford, husbandman, bought 30 1/2 acres in the nothern part of Concord. That part became Acton in 1735. He is also mentioned in the Acton Town Meeting Minutes as owning land and as having held the office of Constable, in 1736. He was also on some town committees and held the office of highway surveyor, tytheman, and perhaps others at various times. Usually only landowners held office. It appears from some records that he and some other landholders formed a land bank in 1740 and Mark invested 100 Pounds. Shortly after, he claimed the title of Gentleman. He apparently became an Ensign about 1745. In those days an Ensign was just under a Lt. in the Militia. Deeds show that he bought a total of 88 acres in Acton and sold 41 acres while living in Acton.
Mark was originally said to have been the son of Perigrine, Jr. & Susanna White and have been born in Middleborough, MA. No records have been found proving this and he was probably an immigrant from England to Charlestown, MA in the early 1700s, rather than being the grandson of Perigrine White who was the first child born on the Mayflower after it reached Plymouth, MA. No records of Mark White's parents have been located so far in MA or England. The records for Middleborough, MA for 1689 burned, but there are no later records like wills or land records that link Mark to Peregrine White, Jr. More research needs to be done in English records to find Mark's parents.
No deeds show a settlement of his or his widow's estate. It appears that he helped his son Mark, Jr., buy land as early as 1737, deeded his home place to son Thomas in 1747, and bought other land from Mark, Jr. on which to settle. Mark, Jr. was also a cooper and an innkeeper in Acton before moving to Westford. On 24 Feb 1758, Mark White of Acton, gentleman, with dower release from wife Elizabeth (the 1/3 of the estate that she owned as her dower rights), sold to son, Samuel, of Acton, cooper, 33 acres in Acton with dwelling house, barn, and cooper's shop, plus 22 acres near the Acton meeting house, "and the whole of my personal estate." Although not stated, the intent of this last deed was to assure that son Samuel would care for his parents as long as they lived, after which the place would be his. Samuel lived up to this bargain, remaining unmarried until the month after his mother's death, by which time he was almost 40 years old. These property arrangements were quite common at the time, and account for the lack of probate records for Mark and his widow Elizabeth. (From an article about Mark White in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly written in 1973).

Mark married Elizabeth Mousall on 13 Nov 1712 in Charlestown, Middlesex, Massachusetts. Elizabeth (daughter of John Mousall, Jr. and Dorothy Hett) was born on 26 Mar 1693 in Charlestown, Middlesex, Massachusetts; died on 23 May 1765 in Acton, Middlesex, Massachusetts; was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Acton, Middlesex, Massachusetts U.S.A.. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

She was already a 4th generation resident of Charlestown, MA (which is now part of Boston) on her father's side. Her great-grandfather, Ralph MOUSALL, was an early immigrant to Charlestown coming therre about 1633. He and his wife, Alice, joined the church there on 3 Sep 1634, soon after Charlestown was settled. She was 5th generation in New England on her mother's side, going back to Major Simon Willard who was a co-founder of Concord, MA in 1635 and was very prominent in the Indian Wars. The other founder of Concord was Rev Peter Bulkeley who was an ancestor of Amarilla Peck, a great-granddaughter-in-law.
After her death, her youngest son, Samuel, who was taking care of her on his parents property, was able to marry. He then inheirited the property, as was in the agreement that he had signed. He was in his 40s by the time he was free to marry.

Notes:

It is unclear how Elizabeth met Mark White. There are no records showing that he belonged to any of the White families living in Charlestown during the early 1700s. Perhaps he worked for the Mousall family after he immigrated from Great Britain. The Mousalls had quite a bit of land by this time. Charlestown was the point of entry for many immigrants coming to New England during the great migration of 1635 and after. There were many young men who came to New England to work and establish themselves, when they couldn't get land in England. This was a common practice in the 1600s and 1700s.He may have been a younger son and/or indentured himself to someone in Charleston to earn his passage. No records have been found on any indentureship or on his passage from Great Britain so far. Since the Mousalls were quite well established in Charlestown and Mark White was a poor yeoman, he may have been working for them on their land. The very first mention of Mark White is on their marriage record which is in the Charletown Vital Records.

Notes:

He received his father's land in Charlestown, which he left to his only son, John. His 4 daughters received portions of the personal property. In his will he left 1/2 of his estate to his widow, Dorothy, and 1/2 to John.
On 21 Feb 1722/23 Mark and Elizabeth White quit-claimed their rights to some land near Andover, Reading, and Woburn to her brother, John Mousall, that she had inheirited from her father's Estate. This land had origianally belonged to Deacon Ralph Mousall of Charlestown, John's grandfather and the original settler.

John married Dorothy Hett on 01 Jul 1691 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts. Dorothy (daughter of Thomas Hett, Jr. and Dorothy Edmunds) was born about 1673 in Charlestown, Middlesex, Massachusetts; was christened on 22 Feb 1673/74 in Charlestown, Middlesex, Massachusetts; died after 01 May 1713 in Charlestown, Middlesex, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Dorothy was the first born of the 10 Hett children, and had already married by the time her father drowned. She had at least 5 children, with Elizabeth being the oldest.

Notes:

He was impressed into Philip's war in 1675. He was admitted to the Church in Charlestown in 1696. He and his brother, Thomas, received land from their father's Estate in Charlestown.
aged 74 years.[maryabbywhite.ged]

John married Elizabeth Richardson before 1659 in Charlestown, Middlesex, Massachusetts. Elizabeth (daughter of Samuel Richardson and Joanna Thake) was born on 22 May 1635 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts; died on 16 Aug 1685 in Charlestown, Middlesex, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Their oldest child was born at Charlestown 6 Jul 1659 according to Ch VR 1:39

Notes:

He was also a cooper, like his father. He drowned in June, 1692 by falling out of a canoe, leaving his widow with ten children. His 3rd child, Eliphalet; 4th, Samuel; 9th, Elizabeth; and 10th, John all died young, 3 of smallpox in the winter of 1690/91. All the children were born at Charlestown from 1668-1689.
He died by drowning after falling out of a canoe. He was a cooper by
trade. He left 6 children and his wife. She later maried Deacon Joseph
Kettle 15 Mar 1693/4. 4 children had died earlier of smallpox in 1689-90.

Thomas married Dorothy Edmunds on 08 Jan 1666/67 in Charlestown, Middlesex, Massachusetts. Dorothy (daughter of Joshua Edmands and Mary Willard) was born about 1648. [Group Sheet]