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History of Amesbury - Merrill.org

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80 HISTORY OF AMESBURY.<br />

towne part <strong>of</strong> that which was formerly Thos. Macys niext the<br />

country road that go from town up to Hefriell."<br />

This was the eastern part <strong>of</strong> the cemetery next the late<br />

Joseph Bartlett's, and here the oldest stones may be found,<br />

dating far back in the past. Up to this time Golgotha had been<br />

the only burying ground in town.<br />

On the 1 6th <strong>of</strong> March a town meeting was held for the dis-<br />

position <strong>of</strong> land, and five hundred and twenty acres were given<br />

out to the inhabitants. To scatter the grants judiciously would<br />

be likely to occupy the time <strong>of</strong> the meeting pretty closely, but<br />

in this instance the doings were not satisfactory ; and seven who<br />

received no land entered " their contrary desent to the giving<br />

out <strong>of</strong> the land which is disposed on above."<br />

v^ Ezekiel Wathen* who was probably one <strong>of</strong> the ancestors <strong>of</strong><br />

the <strong>Amesbury</strong> and Salisbury Worthens, first appears as townsman<br />

this year by a grant <strong>of</strong> land near his house. In 1644<br />

Widow Wathen's estate was settled, and Ezekiel, then a boy<br />

eight and a half years old, was "put out apprentice to Thos. Abie"<br />

till twenty years old. The next that is known <strong>of</strong> him is in 1661,<br />

when he married Hannah, daughter <strong>of</strong> Ge<strong>org</strong>e Martyn. It seems<br />

that after completing his apprenticeship he came to <strong>Amesbury</strong>,<br />

married, and purchased land at Pleasant valley where his descend-<br />

ants still live. In 1665 Ge<strong>org</strong>e Martyn gave to "Ezekiel<br />

Wathen my well beloved son in law & unto Hannah his now<br />

wife my dearly & well beloved daughter" eight acres <strong>of</strong> land at<br />

the " Lyons Mouth." The ancestor <strong>of</strong> Ezekiel is not fully known,<br />

but on the County Court records is found the name <strong>of</strong> Ge<strong>org</strong>e<br />

Wathen in a case <strong>of</strong> " Wm. Peturs vs. Ge<strong>org</strong>e Wathen bringing<br />

into court a contract whereby about an acre <strong>of</strong> land a garden<br />

& s d l<br />

court agreed y 2 indifferint<br />

w<br />

men shall judge betwixt them<br />

l satisfaction Mr. Peters is to e give y s d Wathen & if Mr.<br />

Peters can prove ag l he may recover <strong>of</strong> him 5 m. 1640."<br />

Ge<strong>org</strong>e has been a family name, and it is very probable this<br />

person was the father <strong>of</strong> Ezekiel, or, perhaps a brother.<br />

Deputies :<br />

Robert<br />

Pike and Jeremiah Houchin.<br />

This year Salisbury voted to pay back the expenses which the<br />

*In 1669 there was a Joseph in town— probably a brother.

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