Holbrook line: Zachariah Eddy 1664-1737

 If this name seems familiar, it's because I've previously written about Zachariah's father, also named Zachariah Eddy.  But this Zachariah is also an ancestor, and he has his own story to tell.  I just wish I knew more of it!  

Zachariah was born April 10, 1664 at Swansea, Massachusetts, which is actually just 12 miles or so from Providence, Rhode Island.  His parents were Zachariah and Alice Paddock Smith, who were each born in the New World to immigrant ancestors.  Zachariah was the first of at least 8 children in his family, which is a good position to be in as the oldest child generally got a larger share of whatever estate there was, as well as being taught his father's trade.  Unfortunately, his father died with a small estate, but he had already given land to his children so the younger Zachariah may have had something to start with, anyway.  

Probably the stories that Zachariah would want to tell us about his youth would have revolved around King Philip's War.  He was about 11 years old when the war broke out, and Swansea was attacked by the native Americans very early in the war.  Most of the townspeople fled to local garrisons and then, as the war continued, many, including our Eddy family, went further east to Plymouth Colony where they found refuge, some with family members.  Zachariah would have probably been tasked with helping to care for the three brothers and sisters who were part of the family at this time (the others were born later).  He must have been very glad to return to Swansea, where the family picked up the pieces of their home and farm and continued their life.  

Zachariah married Mercy Baker on February 13, 1684 and had five children with her before her death.  He next married Amphillis (various spellings) Smith, daughter of Edward and Amphillis Angell Smith, a widow of Noah Whipple of Providence, about 1707.  (The two may not have lived far apart, as Providence covered a good deal of land at the point and so did Swansea.)  They are located in Providence for the next several years, where they had four children together. Amphillis' two children by Noah Whipple were probably also part of this household, as they went by the surname of "Eddy". Zachariah was admitted as a freeman on March 4, 1708, where he left records at least through 1716.  He was a waywarden in 1710 and had various other responsibilities during his time at Providence.

By 1731, when Zachariah would have been 65 years old, the couple had moved to Glocester, Rhode Island, which may have been as much as 20 miles from Providence.  Or, again, since the town was formed in 1731, it's possible that this is where the couple lived after their marriage and only the town name changed. Zachariah was the town's first constable.  It was considered frontier country at the time, so if this was a new location, it would have required considerable labor to clear land, build a home, and establish a farm.

We don't have a record of Zachariah's religion but his father had been a Baptist and it's likely that this couple also followed that religion.  I've not found his name on any military lists but it is more than possible that he was involved in one way or another in the ongoing conflicts that occurred during his likely period of military service.  

There is apparently a will for him at Glocester but I am unable to find a copy on line.  There are a lot of questions about Zachariah that a will or/and inventory might help answer.  For instance, was he literate? Did he have books in his home?  Did he have arms and ammunition other than a musket used for hunting?  And did he have a trade other than farming?

Amphillis died in 1726 and Zachariah died April 12, 1737.  The next generation in our story, Elisha Eddy, lived and died in Glocester, but that is a story for another time.  We have deep roots in Rhode Island, and the Eddy family is one of those rooted families.

The line of descent is:

Zachariah Eddy-Amphillis Smith

Elisha Eddy-Sarah Phetteplace

Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown

Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine

Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire

Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard

Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick

Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook

Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Their descendants

Holbrook line: Zachariah Eddy 1638-1718

I've written earlier of Samuel Eddy, Zachariah's father, and of John Eddy, his uncle (although I now think that John Eddy was not an ancestor on the Allen side, pending further study).  But Zachariah has been neglected until now, probably because he wasn't in the first generation of immigrants.  But hey, we was born in Plymouth Colony and probably knew, or at least knew of, our Mayflower ancestors.  So his history, to me, is interesting. 

Zachariah (also seen as Zechariah and Zachary) was born March 7, 1639 to Samuel and (probably) Elizabeth Savory Eddy, in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts.  He was the second of seven children his parents are known to have had.  Samuel was a tailor, but he apparently was not hugely successful because he asked the court to find an apprenticeship or other training opportunities for his children.  Zachariah was just 7 years old when the court approved his placement with John Browne, to train to be a husbandman or whatever else Mr. Browne desired.  John Browne was a man of considerable wealth and talent, so it was a good opportunity for Zachariah to learn much from him.  We are not sure whether that happened.  At any rate, 7 year old Zachariah said good-by to his parents and presumably moved to Rehoboth, where the Brownes lived.  His term of service was for 14 years, until Zachariah was 21 years old. 

Peter Browne was involved in the founding of Swansea, Massachusetts, and Zachariah and his brother, Caleb, are also considered among the first founders of the town.  He married Alice Paddock, daughter of Robert and Mary Holmes Paddock, on May 7, 1663, in either Plymouth or Middleboro, Massachusetts.  They may have settled immediately in the land that became Swansea, although the town itself wasn't founded until 1667.  The town selected him to be one of three waywardens in 1671, roughly these men were superintendents of highways. 

I didn't find any record that he was ever made a freeman, perhaps because he became a member of the Baptist Church in Swansea, which is one of the oldest Baptist churches in America.  I wonder whether Peter Browne influenced his decision one way or the other, to join this church.  Or his wife could have had some influence.  Nevertheless, it may have been hard to leave the Puritan church that had been a part of his early life.

I didn't find an occupation for Zachariah, although it is likely to have been as a husbandman, as he was trained to do.  He did own some marsh land, and probably other land, too, so it's easy to think he did at least some farming.  He and Alice had at least eight children, apparently all born at Swansea.

Life in Swansea was probably good, but also probably not easy.  It got even harder when King Philip's War broke out.  Swansea was one of the first villages attacked, although apparently everyone made it to the local garrison safely.  Some of the homes were burned, and there was fighting in the area for quite a while.  The little village escaped back to Plymouth for the most part, and it is believed that our family was part of this group.  I found no record that Zachariah was part of the militia but it's hard to believe that he would not have responded to protect his home and home town. He was of the right age and unless he had a physical infirmity, which I haven't seen mentioned, he would have had some role to play in either the defense or the offense.

The Eddy family was back in Swansea about 1678, rebuilding whatever had been lost to the native Americans.  Alice Paddock Eddy died October 24, 1692 and Zachariah then married Abigail, the widow of Dermit or Jeremiah Smith.  She brought children to the marriage, too, although they may have been close to grown, as Zachariah's own children were.  (I'm not finding a date for the second marriage, so perhaps Zachariah married when some of his own children were preteens or teenagers.

When Zachariah died, his estate was very small, valued at close to 65 pounds.  He mentions the lands that he had previously given to each of his sons, and adds that any money owed him by his sons should be forgiven.  His wife Abigail is to live in the homestead granted son Caleb for the rest of her natural life, and he left her money, also.  He left his great Bible to a grandson.  His will specifically grants a carbine to one son, a musket to another, and a fowling piece to yet another.  Zachariah died September 4, 1718 and is buried at the Eddy family burial grounds at Swansea, where his parents and many other family members are also buried. 

Although we know quite a bit about Zachariah, there is also much we don't know, especially about his life in Swansea.  But it is interesting to find another early Baptist in the family, and it's intriguing that our Pilgrim fathers would have known him.  This was a time when much of what was to become America was being constructed, day by day and town by town.  We are privileged to feel a little of this through reading about the lives of Zachariah Eddy and other of our ancestors.

The line of descent is

Zachariah Eddy-Alice Paddock
Zachariah Eddy-Amphillis Smith
Elisha Eddy-Sarah Phetteplace
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants