Holbrook line: Peter Holbrook 1656-1712

Peter Holbrook has been a favorite of mine, ever since several years ago, when I read the will of his grandfather, Thomas, who died in 1677.  Peter was just about 21 at the time.  Thomas's will states that because Peter took care of him and of his wife in their old age, he was leaving his dwelling house, orchard, and arable land in Weymouth to Peter.  I don't know many young men who would care for their grandparents for such a long time, so I am already favorably impressed with this ancestor.

But let's back up and start at the beginning.  Peter was the son of Thomas and Joanna Kingman Holbrook on September 6, 1656 by the dating method most sites are using.  Peter was of the first generation born in New England, in Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony.   His father was about ten years old when he came to America with his father, so Peter may or may not have heard many stories about life in the home country.  He was raised a Puritan, so he knew how to read and write, and he'd learned enough about how to run a farm to take care of his grandparents; land.  He was probably a bright and hard working young man.

We don't know what he looked like, but he had enough going for him to capture the heart of Alice Godfrey, daughter of Richard and Jane Turner Godfrey.  Peter and Alice were married about
1677, apparently in Mendon.  It's hard to know the exact timeline because Peter was caring for his grandparents until March (grandfather) or April (grandmother's date of death, of 1677.

His responsibilities in caring for his grandparents probably explains why I don't find his name listed as a soldier in King Philip's War.  He had more immediate duties.  The town the young couple went to, Mendon, was totally burned by the Indians during the War, so it's just as well that the couple wasn't there yet.  They apparently did move to town soon after the war, though  Peter's name starts showing up in town records at least by 1685, when he is charged a high "rate" of one pound and five shillings to support Mr. Rawson, the town pastor, for sixx months.  Only a handful of men had a rate higher than Peter's.

While Peter and Alice were raising a large family of at least eleven children, Peter was making his way in the world.  I'm not sure just when, but at some point he went from being "Peter Holbrook" to being "Deacon Peter Holbrook".  He was a commissioner in 1685 and was a selectman several times over the next 25 years.  He was appointed to a committee to "run the lines" between Mendon and Sherburn in 1699, which may have required some diplomatic skill.

In 1694, Peter received a 7 year lease to the "training field", with the stipulation that he was to clear the field of "bushes" and have it ready for pasture.  Apparently the men were no longer using the training field, although I can't think that they were no longer training.  There were small wars in progress and Mendon, while no longer quite as exposed as it had been, would still have been aware of such things.  Military organization did not often make it into the town history books, so we are left to wonder about the training and military service of the town's men.

Peter died May 3, 1712.  Alice had died earlier, in 1705, and Peter married Elizabeth Shaw two years later.  His will makes generous provisions for her care, gives a double share to eldest son John, and leaves bequests to his younger children who had not yet received their land.  The three older sons had received lands by deed prior to Peter's final illness.  His inventory was valued at over 278 pounds, including real estate.  He had a few farm animals, furniture, bookx, and hand tools but there was nothing in the inventory to make me think he was especially prosperous, or at least not much of a spender.  Most of his wealth was in his land, and in his family.

I'm proud of Peter.  He was a good grandson, a deacon in the church, a respected man in his community and a good father.  No wonder Elizabeth Shaw was willing to marry him!

Our line of descent is

Peter Holbrook-Alice Godfrey
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Cook
Jesse Holbrook=Abigail Thayer
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph R Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Fun fact:  Peter Holbrook was the ancestor of William Howard Taft, President of the US, Barbara Bush, and George W Bush, another President.