Genealogical notes of Barnstable families - citizen hylbom blog

376 GENEALOGICAL NOTES OF BAKNSTABLE FAMILIES.
55. VII. Seth, May 29, 1734.
56. VIII. Hannah, April 9, 1736.
3S. Ebenezer Fuller, brother of the preceding, married
Martha Jones, and had,
57. I. David, born Feb. 6, 1725.
68. II. Jonathan, April 9, 1729.
59. III. Daniel, Sept. 16, 1731, married Martha Phinney
Nov. 1, 1753.
60. IV. John, June 3, 1734.
61. V. William, Sept. 27, 1737.
62. VI. Jean, Jan. 12, 1739.
Matthew Fuller was one of the prominent men of the Old
Colony—and his name is inseparably connected with her annals.
I have neither the time nor the ability to write his biography—to
recount in detail the various services which he rendered to the
country. He was an able man ; but he had his faults, which I
shall not, in this sketch, attempt to palliate or conceal.
He was the son of Edward and Anne, and brother of
Samuel, who came over in 1620, in the Mayflower. His parents
died soon after their arrival at Plymouth. Samuel went to reside
with his uncle, and Matthew remained with his friends in England
till about the year 1640, when he came over. Though he
was then nearly thirty years of age, probably a married man and
a parent, yet he was accounted to be "one of the first born
of the Colony," and had lands assigned in virtue of his right of
primo-geniture. Edward and Anne Fuller had no child born in
this country to claim the lands granted to "the first born ;" and in
all such cases the right was transferred to the eldest child of the
same parents, though born in the mother country.
Little is known of his early history. This is to be regretted ;
because we delight to trace the successive steps by which an orphan
boy became eminent. It is not known whether he studied
medicine before or after he came over, or whether he was then a
married man and a parent. The best authorities give the year
1640, as the date of his coming to Plymouth. The earliest "date
I find is April 5, 1642 ; but it is evident that he had been in the
country some little time, probably two years. If he
come before 1640, he was certainly a married man and a
because his daughter Mary was born as early as 1635.
did not
parent,
In 1642 he had ten acres of land assigned to him near Thurston
Clark's, in Plymouth, and as this is the first grant made to
him the presumption is that he had not then been long in the
country. The same year he was a juryman, and propounded to
be a freeman of the Colony ;
but was not sworn and admitted till
June 7, 1663.
In 1643 a "military discipline" was established by the Colony
Court, embracing the towns of Plymouth, Duxbury and Marsh-