Compiled by Mr. Walter K. Watkins, Genealogist, and read at the meeting of May 22, 1901.

Edward Devotion, a single man, joined the First Church of Boston 22 March, 1645. He became a freeman in May, 1645. He was a planter, and lived at Muddy River (Brookline). He married shortly after, and it was probably her weak condition that necessitated his wife's baptism, by John Eliot of Roxbury, while her four days' old infant, Mary, was baptized at the First Church in Boston on the same day, 25 Feb. 1648. (Mary, mar. 5 Feb. 1668, John Davis.) Three other children were baptized in Boston, Elizabeth, 20 Apr. 1651, d. 17 Feb. 1679 (mar. Joseph Weld); Deborah, 17 May, 1657, bur. 20 Oct. 1682; John, 24 June, 1659, d. 1732 at Suffield. While there were baptized at Roxbury, Martha, 13 Mch. 1653 (mar. 2 Sept. 1674, John Ruggles) : -

Mary, the mother, joined the Roxbury Church 6 June, 1652.

Edward Devotion occupied a house owned by Cotton Flacke of Boston, which Flacke, with his wife, Jane, conveyed in 1654 to Devotion with 11 acres of upland. Previously, Devotion had bought, in 1650, from Henry Stevens 20 acres, and about this same time 8 acres, formerly William Salter's, and 12 acres in the 3d division of William Townsend in 1651.

In 1654 he also acquired from William and Margery Colburn 4 acres of meadow.

In 1660 Edward and Mary Devotion sold 8 acres of meadow and upland to Joshua Scottow.

In 1663 he bought from William and Hannah Townsend 10 acres, and in 1677, from John and Margaret Odlin, 10 acres, and in 1682 2 1/2 acres.

There were other acquisitions unrecorded, as in 1696 we find he had land formerly owned by John Cranny, who was the John Gramme allotted 16 acres in 1637. The above grants account for 84 of the 102 acres in his inventory.

Edward Devotion was active in town affairs, his name appearing in 1651 as one of a committee to perambulate the town bounds. In 1654 as overseer of fences and constable. In 1661, 1665, a member of the committee to perambulate the bounds. In 1663, 1671, 1676, again constable. In 1681 a tythingman.

His possessions in land were on both sides of the road from Boston to Cambridge (Harvard street), which was laid out 6 Feb. 1662, to go without the Common Field by Goodman Devotion's and Goodman Steven's houses, following an old way.

His inventory shows three horses, five cattle, and over forty-two sheep and lambs. Debts were due the estate of £277, and the whole valued at £708.14.0.

He left his dwelling and barns (the homestead with lands improved and cattle) to his widow for subsistence, and the bringing up of Edward and Thomas, while she remained a widow. This she enjoyed till her death, 19 Dec. 1713.

His lands were to be to his "sons, equally interested, not to be aliened to others, but to fall to their successors."

Debts due him were proportioned equally to the sons after a payment of five pounds to each grandchild. The good debts to be allowed to continue at interest till Edward and Thomas were twenty-one. Any child or grandchild contesting the will was to forfeit his portion.

He seems to have been subject to fits at the time of his decease, which affected his mind, but signed his will by his mark, during a lucid interval, as testified by the overseers of the will and Rev, James Allen, minister of the First Church in Boston, who was visiting him on the day he signed his will.

He is buried in the Eustis-street Burial Ground, where his gravestone can still be seen with the simple inscription.



There is no recorded division of the lands of Edward Devotion, but a satisfactory division was probably made by the two surviving sons, John and Edward, which, perhaps, is remotely referred to by Edward, jun., in his will in 1744, when his brother's descendants were to quitclaim any rights they might have or pretend to have to the testator's father's estate, John2 Devotion (Edward1), b. 1659, d. 1733, married Hannah Pond, and had baptized at Roxbury Church : -


John Devotion was also active in town matters. In 1685, 1690, 1693, 1696, on committee of perambulation. In 1685, 1695, 1699, a tythingman. In 1690, 1700, 1701, a surveyor. In 1703 a fence viewer.

In the Muddy River poor rate for relief of the poor he was rated in 1693 for 13 shillings; in the county rate for house and farm 3 shillings, estate 10 shillings. In the tax list of 1700 he was rated for 1 poll. He was rated in the Province Tax of 1704, and was one of the petitioners that Muddy River be a separate town in that year.

It was perhaps the delay in granting this petition that decided him in changing his residence, as 7 Mch, 1705, we find him spoken of as of Attleboro.

It was at this time he commenced to dispose of his real estate in Brookline, selling within a year all of it, which seems to have been situated both sides of the Cambridge road, and land acquired in the south central part of the town. Deeds recorded show that he sold about 180 acres in Brookline during his life, and of land purchased by him there are records of at least one-third that amount, and it may be inferred a part of the balance was inherited from his father's estate.

Sewall says in his diary, 12 Feb. 1695/1696, "I rode to Brookline with one Ems, a Carpenter, to view the widow Bairstow's house in order to repairing or adding to it. From thence to G. Bairsto's agen to Devotion, to treat with him about a piece of ground to sell it to me and issue the controversy about a way."

8 April, 1706, John Devotion sold to Samuel Sewall, jun., three parcels of land, eight acres of orchard between Sewall's land and Edward Devotion's (south), seven acres of pasture bounded by Sewall and the two brothers, and four acres of marsh. This land was without doubt near the Sewall Farm. It is a question, however, whether any of it was the land desired by Samuel Sewall, sen., referred to in the following letter to Gov. Joseph Dudley, whose daughter the young Sewall married.

Hence he did not buy the Devotion lot nor choose that of George Bairstow, for his son's house. Bairstow, with wife Mercy, 17 Aug. 1704, sold to Samuel Sewall, his dwelling, barns, orchard and lands and three acres at Muddy River he had purchased of John Hull.

It was bounded southwest on a piece of land George Bairstow had purchased of Benjamin Eliot, southeast and north by land of John Hull, and on the west and northwest by land of John Devotion.

In reference to the windmill we find that John and Hannah Devotion of Attleborough on 7 Mch. 1705, conveyed a tenement and 28 acres in Brookline with all buildings, a dwelling- and barn, barkhouse mill and mill gear, garden, orchard, &c., to Henry Winchester.

This was bounded west by Josiah Winchester; south by Dorman Morean; east, part by Roxbury School lands, part by Thomas Bishop, and part by Frances White; north by Frances White.

This was a part of the Buckminster estate and had been conveyed in 1702 by Josiah Buckminster to John Devotion. This will perhaps explain the obscurity as to its ownership at this time, mentioned by Miss Woods on page 362 of her "Sketches of Brookline."

In 1714 we find John Devotion at Wetherfield, Conn., and later he went to Suffield, Conn., where he died. His sons John and Edward are found mentioned in the Suffield records, the following relating to Edward, who had been confounded with Edward of Brookline, who died in 1744:



He was buried 23 Sept. 1685, (Roxbury Church Record), in the Eustis St. Burial Ground, where his footstone can be still seen with the simple inscription Edward Devotion. His headstone rested a dozen years ago against a brick building on the north of the yard entirely out of the ground, and broken on both sides, with the following probable inscription partially preserved:



Edward Devotion2 (Edward1), b. 1668, d. 1744, married and spent his life in Brookline.

Like his father and brother John he was active in town affairs. In 1692 at the age of twenty-four, he was a surveyor of the town, and again in 1697, 1702, and 17 13.

In 1703 and again in 1727, when he was excused, he was chosen constable. In 1706 and 1710 a fence viewer. In 1707, 1723, 1727, 1728, 1729, 1730, 1731, 1735, 1737, 1738, 1742, 1743, a tythingman. In 1709 a hog herd or field driver. In 1714 a grand juryman.

Like his brother he increased his holdings in land, not only in Brookline but in Roxbury, Dorchester and Needham, but his possessions are more easily located.

His acquisitions in land were sold by him before his death and his inheritance of land from his father may be stated as included in 76 acres which he sold to Solomon Hill in 1740 and on which he held a mortgage, not discharged by Hill till 24 May, 1762, when he was released by a committee of towns-men, attornies for the widow. (The original mortgage deed signed by Solomon and Hannah Hill I found in the files of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas of Suffolk.)

Solomon Hill and Hannah Sheldon, both of Brookline, were married in Boston 1 June, 1732. He first appears in Brookline 5 Mch. 1732/3, when he is appointed hogreave, an office often filled by newly married men. His last appearance in the records 10 Dec. 1787, when it was voted to abate his taxes for 1785.

The bounds of the 76 acres granted Hill by Edward Devotion, it "being the Homestead of the said Edward Devotion "were - southerly on the road, or highway; southeasterly upon William Gleason, easterly, northerly and northwesterly upon Samuel Sewall, and westerly on said Hill.

This was passed from Hill to Nathaniel Wheelwright and then to William Marshal, who held it in 1800. In the next century it got into the Babcock family and was known as the Babcock farm.

Edward2 Devotion married previous to 1719, at which date his wife Mary is mentioned as having a seat in the foreseat of the meeting house.

She was doubtless younger than her husband, as she did not die till 1772. She married, 10 May 1745, Philip, brother of Francis Gatcomb of Boston. He had intended marriage 26 Oct. 1734, to Susanna Williams; if solemnized she must have died within a few years, as he married 26 Feb. 1738, Mary, daughter of George and Genevieve Sire of Boston. She died in 1743, and he then married the widow of Edward Devotion.

He died in 1761, aged 63, and his widow in June 1772, when she was called the widow of "Mr. Gatcomb the baker."

Judge Sewall in his Diary between Sept. 1706 and Sept. 1709, frequently mentions stopping at Devotion's to bait his horse, while on his way to and from Bristol.

Of his education we have no record except that he wrote his name in a fair hand, as shown by his signature on a bond with John Ruggles in 1706. Old age or sickness, however, necessitated his making his mark on a receipt to Solomon Hill in 1739.

That he might have been hot-tempered is shown by his being bound over to keep the peace, especially toward Elizabeth Ellis.

He died 7 Nov. 1744, and is buried in the Brookline burial ground not far from the entrance. His gravestone was placed over his grave, probably some years after his death, as it has the appearance of stones of the last of the eighteenth century, and the date is "Nov. 1744" aged 76 years.

His will follows. An error appears in the phrase "my honored father John," probably through the ignorance of the scribe, who assumed his father to have been John rather than Edward.

Rev. Ebenezer3 Devotion, (John2, Edward1) b. 1684, d. 1741, married (I) 9 Aug. 1710, Hannah, daughter of Capt. John Breck of Dorchester; (2) 12 May, 1720, Mrs. Naomi Taylor of Westfield; (3) 8 Oct. 1740, Mrs. Sarah Hobert of , Mansfield. He was dismissed from the church at Dorchester 4 June, 1710, to the church at Suffield, where he was ordained as minister that year. His children were : -

Rev. Ebenezer4 Devotion (Rev. Ebenezer3, John2, Edward1), b. 1714, d. 1771, is the grandchild of his brother John specially mentioned by Edward2 Devotion in his will, 1744.



This is an inventory of the Estate both Reall & personal of Mr. Edward Devotion of Brooklyn, late deceased, Approved by us the subscribers who are hereunder written. Viz :

fifteen Acres and half of land at three hundred and ten pounds	310
Seven acres of land apprized at one hundred and five pounds	105
	415
One Negrow at thirty pounds	30
One Cow at fourteen pounds	14
Wairing Apparil at twenty pounds	20
Beds & Bedding at forty pounds	40
Tabels & Chairs & wooden ware twenty pounds	20
Puter, Iron and brass at twenty five pounds	25
	£149
One Iron bar twenty five shillings

Apprizers:
Samuel White
Samuel Clark
Thomas Aspinwall

Memo : There is sundry Bonds due to said estate with interest as pr acct. of Particulars on file £1735.6.6. old ten'r. Besides some desperate Bonds amounting to £53. 7.
Cash old tener £80.15 S.
Date of Probate . . . March 8, 1744.