The Earle family : Ralph Earle and his descendants

Gen.] GENEALOGY. 33
Ralph's will was executed on the 25th of May, 1750. Among the
bequests to his wife is his " negro boy Sharp " ; and he directs that
if the negro be faithful and well-behaved, he shall have his freedom
at her decease. If he be not faithful, he may be sold. But before
Ralph died he manumitted the slave, and on the 6th of April, 1756,
gave him thirty acres of land on the southern declivity of Asnebum-
skit. In the deed of conveyance he says " In consideration of Love,
good will and faithful service to me performed by my negro servant
Sharp " he makes this gift. It appears that Sharp afterwards
assumed the name Freeborn as a surname. Ralph's deed is recorded
in the Worcester Registry, Book 38, p. 2S5.*
The children of Ralph and Mary (Hicks) Earle were:
Si- 1. William Earle, b. Nov. 12, 1690; in. Annah Howard.
82- 2.
83- 3.
84- 4.
85- 5.
S6- 6.
John Earle, b. April 24, 1692 ; in. widow Sarah Borden.
Mary Earle, b. Oct. 24, 1693 ; in. Sheffield.
Elizabeth Earle, b. Dec. 24, 1696; in. Robert Lawton.
Sarah Earle, b. Jan. 18, 169S ; m. Stephen Manchester.
Martha Earle, b. Dec. 21, 1700.
87- 7. Patience Earle, b. Nov. 24, 1702; m. Benjamin Richardson.
•
88- 8.
89- 9.
Ralph Earle, b. March 14,
Robert Earle, b. March 2,
2d, Hepzibah Johnson.
1704.
1706 ; m. 1st, Mary Newhall
90-10.
91-11.
Mercy Earle, b. March 13, 1708 ; in. Jotham Rice.
Benjamin Earle, b. March 14, 171 1 ; in. 1st, Abigail
Newhall ; 2d, widow Deborah (Buffum) Slade.
[14-4]. Thomas3 Earle '( William, 2 Ralph 1
), son of
William and Mary (Walker) Earle; m. before Nov.,
1693, Mary {b. 1670; d. 1759), dau. of Philip and Mary
Taber, of Dartmouth, Mass. ; and d. April 28, 1727.
In 1692, when his father gave him land in Dartmouth, he went
there to live ; in 1696, conveyed his land to John Shaw ; lived a short
time in Portsmouth ;
bought the same year of John Shaw 40 acres in
Swanzey,f to which he removed and added more to it; in 1708, sold
off between one and two acres for a Friends' meeting-house ; in
* On the chart of "Ralph Earle and his Descendants" it is stated that he
held ttvo slaves. This mistake was caused by the differences in the spelling
of Sharp's name in the records, f In the early records the spelling of the
name of this town is S%va?isea, but in this work we have adopted the modern
spelling
—
Sivanzey.
5
;