Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

were legatees of their uncle, Sir Richard
Spencer, of London, England, son of Gerrard
or Jerrard Spencer, of Stotfold, Eng-
land. Ensign Jared Spencer was born in
Stotfold, baptized April 28, 1614, came
to New England in 1632, was living in
Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1637, and
was a made a freeman of the Massachusetts
Bay Colony, March 9, 1637. He
owned land on the south side of the river
in Cambridge, and moved tG Lynn, Mas-
sachusetts, where he was granted the
ferry, March 13, 1638, the grant to continue
for two years. On Christmas Day
of that year he was a juryman from Lynn
at the County Court, was chosen an
ensign of the train band in June, 1656,
was grand juror in 1659, and was living
in Connecticut in 1660. His home was
probably in Hartford for a short time, and
in 1662 he and his son John were among
the twenty-eight purchasers of the town
of Haddam, Connecticut. According to
the records he was the wealthiest man of
the town, was admitted freeman in 1672,
was ensign of the militia, representative to
the General Court for six years, and died
in 1685. His wife's name was Hannah,
and their second son was Thomas Spen-
cer, born about 1650, and lived in the
Westbrook Society of Saybrook, Connec-
ticut. He married Elizabeth Bates, of
Haddam, daughter of James (3) and Ann
(Withington) Bates, born about 1652.
She was descended from Thomas Bates,
a resident of Lydd, parish of All Hal-
lows, County Kent, England, where he
died 1485. His son, John Bates, who died
there in 1522, was the father of Andrew
Bates, who died in 1533. John (2) Bates,
son of Andrew Bates, died at Lydd in
1580, leaving four sons. Of these,
Thomas Bates lived in Lydd with his
wife Mary, and their eldest son, James
Bates, was baptized there December 2,
1552, died there 1614. His second son
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191
was James (2) Bates, born December 2,
1582. He came to America at the age
of fifty-three years, became a husbandman
or planter at Dorchester, Massachusetts,
was admitted a freeman, December
7, 1636, was selectman in the following
year, subsequently deputy to the General
Court, ruling elder of the church, and
died in 1655. His widow Alice died August
14, 1657. Their second son was
James (3) Bates, born December 19,
1624, at Lydd, settled at Haddam, Connecticut,
with other Dorchester men, married
Ann, daughter of Henry Withington,
one of the founders of Dorchester, and
was himself one of the founders of the
church at Haddam. In 1669 he lived in
the adjoining town of Saybrook, was
deputy to the General Court in 1671, and
later. His daughter Elizabeth became the
wife of Thomas Spencer, as above noted.
Thomas Spencer, son of Thomas and
Elizabeth (Bates) Spencer, was born in
1678, lived in Westbrook, and died in
1723-24. He married, in 1702, Ann
Douglas, daughter of Deacon William
and Abiah (Hough) Douglas, of New
London. Deacon William Douglas was
born in 1610, probably in Scotland, son
of Robert Douglas, who was born about
1588. In 1636 William Douglas married
Ann, born 1610, daughter of Thomas
Mattle, of Bingstead, Northamptonshire,
England. They came to New England in
1640, settled at Gloucester, removed to
Boston, where they remained for a short
time, and to Ipswich, Massachusetts, in
1641, and returned to Boston four years
later. Soon after 1660 he removed with
his family to New London, was one of the
deacons of the church there, and died July
26, 1682. His wife died about 1685.
Their youngest child, Deacon William
Douglas, was born April 1, 1645, m Boston,
and married Abiah Hough, born
September 15, 1648, daughter of William