Edmond Littlefield

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EDMOND LITTLEFIELD (1592–1661)

AGNES AUSTIN (bp. 1614–1677/8)

English Ancestry of Edmond Littlefield [1]

Francis Littlefield of Titchfield, Hampshire was probably born about 1565. He was buried on 22 October 1618. He married first Mary ___. She was buried on 29 October 1605 in Titchfield. He married second Annis Wigg on 14 July 1606 in Titchfield. She is probably the Anne who was buried on 5 July 1619 in Titchfield.

Francis had siblings James of Droxford, Richard, and Mary, who married John Beane of 25 January 1606/7.

Francis had a fulling mill: a mill that pounded woolen fabrics, tightening the weave and removing excess fat and hair.

Children of Francis and Mary Littlefield: Baptisms recorded in Titchfield.

i. Edmond Littlefield was baptized on 27 June 1592.
ii. Nicholas Littlefield was baptized on 24 July 1595. He was buried on 12 August 1595 in Titchfield.
iii. James Littlefield was baptized on 18 June 1598. He married Joan Jeffrey on 17 January 1618/9 in Titchfield.
James inherited his father's mill.
iv. Anne Littlefield was baptized on 8 April 1601. She was buried on 10 April 1601 in Titchfield.
v. Frances Littlefield was baptized on 6 October 1605. She was buried on 29 October 1605 in Titchfield.

Children of Francis Littlefield and Annis Wigg:

vi. Nicholas Littlefield was baptized on 28 August 1608. He was buried on 23 May 1677 in Titchfield.
vii. John Littlefield was baptized on 13 January 1610/1. He married first Joan ___. She was buried on 22 December 1649 in Titchfield. He had an unknown second wife.

Edmond (Edmund) Littlefield, the son of Francis and Mary Littlefield, was baptized on 27 June 1592 in Titchfield, Hampshire. [1] He died between 11 and 24 December 1661. He married Agnes (Annis) Austin on 16 October 1614 in Titchfield. [1]

Agnes Austin was the daughter of Richard Austin. [1] She was probably baptized on 1 February 1596/7 in Titchfield. [1] She died between 12 December 1677 and 2 April 1678.

Edmond probably came to New England with his son Francis the Elder before the rest of his family. [1] Agnes, six of her children, and two servants (John Knight and Hugh Dardell) sailed on the Bevis from Southampton in May 1638. [1]

Reverend John Wheelwright and his followers went to Exeter, New Hampshire. They signed an agreement—the Exeter Combination—on 4 July 1639, pledging loyalty to the crown and differentiating themselves from Massachusetts. Edmond was one of the signatories. [1]

Edmond was a member of the church in Exeter. He was called Edward there; the two names being used interchangeably. [2]

Edward was perhaps the first settler in Wells, building a sawmill and grist mill. [2] A plaque next to the Webhannet Falls in Wells says that his sawmill and grist mill were the first permanent structures in town. [3]

By a deed of 14 July 1643, on behalf of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, Edmond Littlefield of Wells was granted 100 acres adjoining the mill. He was to pay Gorges six shillings a year. [4, 1: 297]

By a deed dated 14 July 1643, Edmond acted as attorney for Lieutenant Governor Thomas Gorges, who acted on behalf of Sir Ferdinando Gorges. [4, 1: 298]

Richard Austin of Titchfield [1]

Richard Austin of Titchfield's will was undated. It was proved on 4 June 1623 and inventory was taken on 20 February 1622/3. He mentioned a wife Annis; sons Daniel, Peter, and Richard; daughters Joan, "Emlen," Annes, and Elizabeth; son-in-law Edmond Littlefield.

Edmond and John Wadleigh were granted 200 acres on the southwest side of the Ogunquit River in November 1645. [3]

Edmond, Francis (Sr.), Anthony, Thomas, and Francis (Jr.) Littlefield are on a 5 July 1653 list of freemen in Wells. [5]

Edmond was licensed to sell liquor and wine to the Indians in 1654. [3]

Edmond was one of those chosen to lay out the boundary of Cape Porpus and Wells. The parties signed their agreement on 10 May 1660. [4, 1: 154]

Cape Porpoise is now a small fishing harbor in Kennebunkport, York County, Maine. In 1653 it was incorporated as Cape Porpus.

Edmond Littlefield made his will on 11 December 1661. He left his eldest son Francis Littlefield, Anthony Littlefield, and his daughter Elizabeth Wakefield his whole tract of land on the north side of the Kennebunk River with the falls, together with marsh lying in the woods between the Cape Porpus River and Kennebunk. He left Francis Littlefield, Sr., ten shillings, Anthony Littlefield his clothes, and Elizabeth Wakefield five shillings.

He left his wife six or seven acres of marsh at Ogunquet. His executors were his wife Annas Littlefield, Thomas Littlefield, and Francis Littlefield, his youngest son. He left his upland and marsh, which had not been disposed of, that he bought from his son Anthony and Mr. Fletcher, together with his corn mill, sawmill, housing, stock, cattle, and goods to be equally divided among his executors. The only exception was his island on the south side of the Webhannett River. If Thomas and Francis, Jr. paid his wife four bushels of corn yearly for seven years, they could have it. Otherwise, his wife could let it and "expell them quitte out of it all." Likewise, Thomas and Francis were to pay his wife eight bushels of wheat a year for the corn mill, or she could have it. If Francis and Thomas Littlefield and Francis, his youngest son, were loving toward their mother, they should have it all after her decease, otherwise she could dispose of it how she liked. Thomas and Francis, Jr. were to improve and till the ground and their mother was to have a third of the corn.

Edmond left his daughters Mary Barrett and Hannah 15 pounds each and he gave each of his grandchildren five shillings when they came of age. He left his son John Littlefield ten pounds. The appraisers of his inventory were sworn on 24 December 1661; it amounted to £588-13-04. [4, Wills, 9–10]

Annis Littlefield made her will on 12 December 1677; it was sworn to on 2 April 1678. She left bequests to her daughters Elizabeth Wakefield, Mary Barrett, and Hannah Cloyce; her son John Littlefield; her daughter Meribah; her granddaughter Katherine Wakefield; her son Peter Cloyce; her son Thomas Littlefield, "who hat taken a great deale of care of mee." [4, Wills, 53–54]

Children of Edmond Littlefield and Agnes Austin:

i. Anne Littlefield was baptized on 11 February 1615/6 in Titchfield. [1] She was buried there on 2 January 1616/7. [1]

ii. Edward Littlefield was baptized on 17 February 1617/8 in Titchfield. He was buried there on 18 June 1635. [1]

iii. Francis Littlefield the Elder was baptized on 17 June 1619 in Titchfield. He died between 1700 and 1721. He married first Jane Hill. He married second Rebecca Unknown.

iv. Anthony Littlefield was baptized on 7 October 1621 in Titchfield. [1] He died in 1662. [1] He married Mary Page. [6] Mary, the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Felkin) Page, was born say 1636. [6]

Mary's father died when she was a child and she was apprenticed for five years to John Smythe on 21 October 1645. [6]

Anthony was granted 230 acres of land on the easterly side of Mousam River; he sold it to Hartakendon Symonds in 1658. [2]

According to the judgmental Bourne: [2]

He was a man of little energy and made no other investment in real estate. When he died, he had but a hundred dollars[!] in personal property, as the result of twenty years' labor. We have good reason for the belief that he was not a temperate man. His father, by his will, gave him nothing but his old clothes, or his wearing apparel. He had had no education, and thence would not be likely to have any just appreciation of life and its responsibilities.

v. Captain John Littlefield was baptized on 1 November 1624 in Titchfield. [1] He married Patience ___.

John was a captain in Wells. [1]

John Littlefield of Wells and Patience, his wife, sold to Samuel Austin of Wells his housing, upland and marsh that he bought from Thomas Warriner and 100 acres of upland and ten acres of marsh granted to him by the town for 120 pounds by a deed of 23 October 1661. Some of the marsh was at the upper end of Waidel's Island, owned by Edmond Littlefield. [4, 2: 131]

vi. Elizabeth Littlefield married John Wakefield of Wells. [1][2]

John was a commissioner of Wells in 1648 and later a selectman. [2]

vii. Mary Littlefield was probably born about 1630. [1] She married first John Barrett of Wells. [1][2] He died between 17 April 1662, when he made his will, and 4 July 1664, when it was proved. [1][2, in 1662] She married second Thomas Page. [2]

John was ensign of the military company in Wells. [2]

viii. Thomas Littlefield (twin) was baptized on 10 August 1633 in Titchfield. [1] He died about 1689. [1] He married Ruth ___. [1]

Thomas settled in Wells.

ix, Hannah (Anne) Littlefield (twin) was baptized on 10 August 1633 in Titchfield. [1] She married Peter Cloyse about 1663. [1][2]

v. Francis Littlefield was baptized on 24 March 1635/6 in Titchfield. [1] He died between 5 February 1674/5 and 6 April 1675. [1] He married Meribah Wardwell. [7] Meribah, the daughter of Thomas and Alice Wardwell, was born on 14 May 1637 in Boston and was baptized there on 25 June 1637. [1][7]

Francis settled in Wells. [1]

Endnotes:

1. Elizabeth French, "Genealogical Research in England: Littlefield," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 67 (1913): 343–8.

2. Edward E. Bourne, History of Wells and Kennebunk (Portland: B. Thurston & Co., 1875).

3. Linda Martin, "Edmund Littlefield, 'Father of Wells,'" online article, 6 May 2015, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/15758346 : accessed 17 November 2023).

4. "Maine: Early Wills and Deeds, 1640–1760," database with images, AmericanAncestors.org.

5. Lucius R. Paige, "List of Freemen," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 3 (1849): 193.

6. "Great Migration 1634–1635, M–P," digitized book, AmericanAncestors.org, originally published as: Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634–1635, Volume V, M–P (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2007), 338.

7. "The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620–1633, Volumes I-III," digitized book, AmericanAncestors.org, originally published as: Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, 3 volumes (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995), 1923.

17-Nov-2023 4:03 PM