Genealogical and Family History
of the
STATE OF MAINE

Compiled under the editorial supervision of George Thomas Little, A. M., Litt. D.

LEWIS HISTORICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY
New York
1909.

[Please see Index page for full citation.]

[Transcribed by Coralynn Brown]

[Many families included in these genealogical records had their beginnings in Massachusetts.]

SAWYER James Sawyer, a weaver by trade, settled in Ipswich, Essex county, Mass., in January, 1669. He was probably the son of William Sawyer, who came from England in 1640. The records show that his first wife was Martha. In 1677 the Gloucester records show that a son Nathaniel was born to him and his wife Sarah, and in his will dated May 25, 1703, he mentions his wife Sarah and his children in the following order: My eldest son, Thomas Sawyer; second, John; third, Nathaniel, b. 1677; fourth, Abraham, b. 1680; fifth, Isaac, b. 1684; sixth, Jacob, b. 1687; seventh and youngest, James, b. 1691, and my two daughters, Mary, wife of Wiliam Ring, and Sarah, b. 1683. (II) John, son of James Sawyer, married in 1701 Rebecca Standford, and resided at Cape Ann, Mass. until 1719, when he removed to Falmouth, Maine. He settled on the Neck, opposite Portland, called Cape Elizabeth, and in 1719 the town granted him the privilege of the ferry on the cape side, which he kept many years. Children: John, Job, Jonathan, Daniel, Joseph, Mary, Sarah, Rebecca, Bethiah. (III) Joseph, son of John Sawyer, was born in Gloucester, 1711, and went with his parents to Falmouth in 1719. The York county records show that he was appointed special justice of the court of common pleas, Dec. 27, 1734, April 8, 1743, special justice of superior court in 1749, and judge of the inferior court Sept. 11, 1765. He married Joanna Cobb. Children: Ebenezer, Mary, Lemuel, Jabez, John, Rachel, Mercy and Rebecca. Joanna (Cobb) Sawyer was the daughter of Ebenezer and Mary Cobb, of Cape Elizabeth. Ebenezer COBB was born April 10, 1688, d. Oct. 28, 1731. He was the son of Jonathan Cobb, b. April 10, 1660, married March 1, 1682, Hope Chipman. Jonathan Cobb was the son of Elder Henry Cobb, who died in 1675, and his second wife, Sarah (Hinckley) Cobb, daughter of Samuel Hinckley. Hope (Chipman) Cobb was the daughter of Elder John CHIPMAN, born 1621, died April 7, 1708, son of Thomas Chipman and Hope (Howland) Chipman. Hope (Howland) Chipman was the daughter of John Howland, who came in the "Mayflower" and died 1673, and Elizabeth (Tilley) Howland, who also came in the "Mayflower" and died in 1687. Her father, John TILLEY and his wife, who is supposed to have been a daughter of Governor Carver, came over in the "Mayflower" and the records show that they died in 1621. Joseph Sawyer died March 31, 1800, aged eighty-nine years. (IV) Jabez, son of Joseph Sawyer, was born at Cape Elizabeth, 1744. He married, March 8, 1765, Mary Pennell, whose grandmother was Sarah Sawyer, sister to Joseph Sawyer. The Rev. Paul Coffin, who was for so many years pastor of the Buxton Lower Corner church, united them. Jabez with his brother John went from Cape Elizabeth to Blue Hill, now called Sedgwick, where they resided several yars on adjoining farms. When the Indians became troublesome in that locality they returned to Cape Elizabeth, and when the times became more peaceful they went to Narraganset No. 1, now Buxton, and cleared adjoining farms, where they lived and died. Jabez Sawyer was a revolutionary soldier and a pensioner. Children: 1. Jabez, see forward. 2. Thomas Pennell, married Nancy Cobb, daughter of Eben and Rachel Cobb, of Cape Elizabeth; ten children; those who lived were: i. Eben; ii. Priscilla, married Nathaniel Johnson, of Westbrook; iii. Mary, married Joseph Hanson, of Buxton; iv. Syrena, married Joanna Cobb, of Cape Elizabeth; children, i. Eliza, m. Isaac Stevens; ii. John; iii. Mary; iv. Joseph Stillman; v. James. Joseph married (second) Mary Ridlon, one son, vi. Phineas. 4. James, married (first) Betsey Merrill: children: i. Samuel; ii. Hannah, m. Christopher Dyer; iii. Mary Ann, married L. Douglass; iv. Eliza, married a Douglass. James married (second) Abigail Milliken; children: i. James Thornton; ii. Eunice, married Albert Jose; iii. Ellen, married Jeffeson Cole; iv. Rebecca, died unmarried. 5. William, married Betsey Knight, of Buxton; children: i. Eben; ii. William; iii. Samuel; iv. Eliza, married Jeremiah Mason, of Saco; v. and vi. died young. 6. Eben, married Betsey Knight, of Westbrook; children: Jabez, Nathaniel Knight, Thomas Pennell, Lafayette, Washington, Mary Jane, Ruth Knight and John Knight. 7. Rebecca. 8. Mary, married William Elwell, of Buxton; children: i. William; ii. Salome, married Peter Williams of Gorham; iii. Jabez; iv. Joseph; v. Polly, married Nathaniel Strout, of Raymond; vi. John; vii. Sarah, married Stephen Brown, of Guilford, Maine. 9. Joanna, married Joseph Hanson, of Buxton; children: Moses, Joseph Sawyer, Thomas, Joanna, married Phineas Libby, of Buxton, and three who died young. 10. Sarah, married Isaac Deering, of Saco; children: i. Mary, married Eben Sawyer; ii. Ann; iii. Sarah, married Nathaniel Boothby; iv. Jabez; v. Joseph; vi. Thomas; vii. David; viii. Rufus; ix. Arthur. 11. Lydia, married John Lord, of Buxton; children: Abraham Nathaniel and Mary Ann, married Elbridge Tarbox, of Salmon Falls. 12. Mercy, married John Knight, of Wesbrook; children: Ruth Alden, Nathaniel, Priscilla, died young, John Adams. Jabez Sawyer died April 19, 1816; his wife died March 10, 1814. (V) Rebecca, eldest daughter of Jabez Sawyer, was born July 15, 1765. She married Joseph Hobson and was the mother of ten children and the great-grandmother of Dr. Cousins thorough that line. (V) Jabez (2), eldsest son of Jabez (1) Sawyer, was born in 1768. Married, 1793, Elizabeth Hanson, of Buxton. Children: 1. Jabez, died young. 2. Phineas, died young. 3. Thomas, died young. 4. Enoch, married Hannah Norton; son Phineas. 5. Alvin, married Elizabeth Hanson, grandparents of Charles Moore, of Steep Falls. 6. John, married Elizabeth Smith, parents of Susan, m. Fred Yates, of Biddeford; Almeda, married Henry Anthoine, of Biddeford; and Mary, unmarried. 7. Hannah, married Samuel Hobson, parents of Samuel D. Hobson, who married Mary Elizabeth, daughter of Eben (son of Joseph) and Sarah (Haley) Sawyer, of Saco. 8. Mary, married Oliver Smith, parents of Jennie (Peabody), widow of John Marshall. 9. Deborah, see forward. (VI) Deborah, youngest daughter of Jabez (2) Sawyer, and grandmother of Dr. Cousins, was born in Buxton, April 20, 1816, died at Steep Falls, March 12, 1899. She was married in Buxton in 1837 to Joseph Cousins. The Rev. C. Wellington Rogers, who was her pastor at the time of her death, said of her: "She was a mother in Israel. To her the bond of friendship was almost equal importance to the family ties, and Christian fellowship."