Hugh Stewart1,2

M, b. circa 1650, d. before 24 January 1716
     Hugh was born circa 1650 in Massachusetts. His name is also referred to as Steward & Stuart. It is possible he is the Jugh Steward born aboutr 1636 who testified in Middlesex County 3 February 1656.3 Hugh married Waitstill Denne the 13th day of [page torn] 1672 in Yarmouth, Barnstable County, Massachusetts.4 Hugh was in Yarmouth by the early 1670s and remained there for some time. He was a substantial land owner there as he had the fourth largest tax rate in 1676. He was in Monomoit at least by 1683, as he has a farm there from Thomas Crow. Later, in 1690, he purchased more land adjacent to this farm, from the widow Sarah Covell, the purchased handled thru William Nicierson Sr. He took the oath of freeman there in 1690 and held many offices there including selectman in 1699. He also was one of the first members of the Monomoit church.5 Hugh made his will on 5 March 1710/11.

In the name of God Amen, this fifth day of March 1710/11 I Hugh Stuard of Monomoy in ye County of Barnstable, Yeoman, being well stricken in years and not knowing how soon it may please God to put an end to this my frail and mortal Life and being yet of sound knowledge & understanding do make this my Last will & Testament in manner and form following: that is to say, First of all I recommend my soul to God that gave it and my body to ye earth to be decently buryed att ye discression of my Executor hereafter named.
Item, After my debts and funeral charges paid I give to my loving wife Weit Stuard all and singular my dwelling house Lands and meadows for her to Improved for her maintenance during ye time she continues to be my wife but if in case she shall marry again after my decease thenfor her onely to Improve one third thereof during the time of her Natural Life and after she shall decease my three sons Joseph Steward Ebenezer Steward and Samuel Steward equally to them their heirs & assigns forever, onely what I have heretofor Lotted out to my son Joseph Stuard that to remain to him his heirs and assigns in case he shall come to settle on, otherwise to be equally to my aboved three sons & their heirs & assigns, they paying out ten shillings apiece to my said four daughters and Grandchild Lydia Covell. Item, What I have heretofor given to my son Michael Stuard that to be for his part & portion of my Lands and Estate. Item, My will is that my said three sons pay out to my said daughters with what my personal estate shall amount unto as followth, that is to say, To my daughter Temperance Steward Ten pounds and to my daughter Catherine NIcherson five pounds and to my daughter Joanna Five pounds and to my daughter Marcey Hall eight pounds and to my Grandchild Lydia Covell Five pounds next after my wives decease: Lastly my will is that Joseph Doane Esqr of Eastham & my son Joseph Steward be my executors to this my Last will and Testament hereby declaring this & no other to be my Last will & Testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto sett my hand and seal ye day & year above written.

Hugh Steward
Signed sealed owned &
Declared to be my Last will & Testament
In Presence of Mary Doane, Joseph Doane, Jr, & Mary Doane Jr.6,7

Hugh departed this life in Monomoit. The inventory of Hugh's estate was taken on Friday, 24 January 1716 by Ebenezer Hawes & Samuel Taylor.8 His will was probated on 25 January 1715/16 at Monomoit, Barnstable County, Massachusetts.

Additional Notes: The birth order of the children was derived from the order of their names as they were listed in Hugh's will. It must be kept in mind that children may have died young of which there is no record. There were some birth records in Yarmounth that were well worn & the given name, except for James, had faded to non existance, Since the first known child was a boy, he was given the first noted birth of Yarmouth. One date could only be read as 11 February 167_ & the next as 11 February 1674 - it seems safe to assume that these were the same & they were twins. It is unfortunate there are no other clues as to any of the exact ages of these chldren in order to create a more accurate order of birth. - klm.

Family

Waitstill Denne b. c 1652
Children

Citations

  1. [S1543] Yarmouth, Mass., Vital Records, page 36 - [page 7] [worn], son of Hugh Stuard, born the 20th [worn], James Stuward born the 11th of Febury 167[worn], [worn] born the 11th of February 1674, [worn] born the 2nd of May 1677.
  2. [S1549] Nebraska Filley, , pages 18-19.
    HUGH STUARD OF YARMOUTH
    HUGH STUARD was in Falmouth, Mass., in 1669, and the births of a num-
    ber of his children appear in an obliterated condition on the records of Yarmouth,only James' name being legible. In 1676 he was taxed £12-15-06 "towards the charge of the late war," only three men in Yarmouth paying a heavier tax. He removed to Chatham,*farther out on Cape Cod, where he was living Feb. 11, 1690-1, on the promontory of Monomoy.t He made his will Mar. 5, 1710-1, "well stricken in years." The witnesses were Mary Doane, Joseph Doane, jr., and Mary Doane,jr. ; executors, Joseph Doane, esq., of Eastham and Eon Joseph Stuard. Affidavits as to signatures were made Jan. 25, 1715-6. Children (except James) named in will, with probable fragmentary birth records:

    *The name of Hugh Stewart appears in the Chatham tax list Apr. 29, 1678.

    Hugh Stuard of Monomoy was a signer June 27, 1711, of a petition from said village to have a
    release from "being impressed into remote service" on account of the presence of a French privateer;
    and to remove the province tax because '*twenty>three rateable men" and their families had lately
    gone to a place named Duck creek fai Pennsylvaniaw-N. E. Register, 1880,


    1 Mercy
    [Mercy married Edward Hall, son of Gershom Hall of; Harwich]
    2 James, Feb. 11, 167—
    3 John, Feb. ii, 1674'S
    4 Michael, May 2, 1677
    5 Katherine =*May 13, 1702, Nathaniel Nickerson, son of William
    6 Lydia =^about 1^00 Joseph Covell, son of Nathaniel, and died
    7 Joseph —about 1712 Mary before 1704: daughter Lydia
    8 Samuel l=Nov. 21, 1721, Deborah Lathrop
    9 Temperance
    10 Joanna
    11 Ebenezer =Oct. 17, 1716, Ruth Higgins of Eastham

    Hugh* left widow Wait. John,* not mentioned in his father's will, later appears as part owner with Joseph* and Samuel* of the Steward farm.

    MICHAEL* STUARD (Hugh) had already "received his part," as stated in
    his father's will in 1711. The administration of Michael's estate was granted Sep. 6, 1716, to his brother Samuel— both of Chatham. Widow Mary. Children [of
    Michael and Mary Stewart, recorded[ in Chatham :

    1 Bethiah, Sep. 21, 1704; ^ May 25, 1727, Samuel Hamilton
    2 Patience, Aug. 27. 1713

    [archive.org/stream/stewartclanmaga00lincgoog/stewartclanmaga00lincgoog_djvu.txt].
  3. [S506] Note: A Hugh Steward, aged about 20, gave testimony Feb. 3, 1656. This was taken from a Middlesex County court file. This may or may not be the same man as the Hugh Stuard that becomes a residence of Barnstable in the 1670s.
  4. [S1542] Robert S. Wakefield, Additions and Corrections to Torrey's New England Marriages, page 160 - Stuard, Hugh & Watestill Denne, 13th, [torn], 1672?; Falmouth/Yarmouth; [Underline designates the correction.].
  5. [S1544] William Christopher Smith, History of Chatham, Massachusetts: formerly the constablewick or village of Monomoit, Ensign Hugh Stuard or Stewart was of Yarmouth as early as 1674, where he settled the estate of Thomas Phelps or Phillips. From a tax levied in 1676 to defray the expense of the Indian War, it appears that he, was the fourth largest tax payer in the town. He purchased of Thomas Crow, by deed dated August 13, 1683, the farm of the latter at Seaquanset, with the dwelling house and other buildings erected by Crow thereon, and removed thither soon after. Seven years later, by deed dated September 8, 1690, he purchased of Sarah Covell, widow, a tract west of and adjoining his other land, having bargained for the same with William Nickerson Sen. before his decease. He was constable in 1685, took the oath of freeman in 1690, was selectman in 1699 and held other local offices. He was also one of the first members of the church in Monomoit. His will, dated March 5, 1710-11, was proved January 25, 1715-16. He describes himself therein as being "well stricken in years," and gives his property after the decease of his widow Wait, to his three sons Joseph, Ebenezer and Samuel (his eldest son, Michael, having had his share), they paying legacies to their sisters Temperance, Katharine Nickerson, Joanna, Marcy Hall and their niece, Lydia Covell.

    "Ye first bounds is right against ye said Hugh Stewart's House where ye Cartway which goeth from sd Hugh Stewarts which goeth into ye woods Crosseth ye Cartway which goeth to Joseph Nickersons meadow above sd & so ranging by ye said Cartway side Northwest or thereabouts to ye head of ye Swamp which ye little brook runeth out of which runeth into Joseph Nickerson's meadow to a pine tree standing at ye head of sd Swamp, and from ye sd tree ranging through ye sd Swamp by ye sd brook side till you Come to Joseph Nickerson's marsh & so along by ye side of ye sd marsh to Trustrum Hedges meadow & so ranging Easterly or thereabouts by sd Hedges meadow till you come to ye bounds of ye lands which is sd Hugh Stewarts which was bought before & from thence to ye first bounds above mentioned" along the cartway to the meadow. (M. L. Luce papers.)

    Children of Hugh and Wait Stuard or Stewart (order uncertain): 1. Michael, b. m. Mary - about 1702. 2. Lydia, b. -, m. Joseph Covell, son of Nathaniel, about 1700, died before 1704. 3. Temperance, b.      (single in 1711). 4. Katherine, b. , m. Nathaniel Nickerson, son of William, Jr., May 13, 1702, (Yar.
    Rec.) 5. Joanna, b. (single in 1711). 6. Joseph, b     m. Mary
    about 1712. 7. Ebenezer, b. , m. Ruth Higgins of East. Oct. 11, 1716,
    (East. Rec.) 8. Marcy, m. Edward Hall, son of Gershom, of Harwich, died
    in 1717. 9. Samuel,      m. 1st Deborah Lothrop, probably dam of Thomas of Barnstable, Nov. 21, 1721, (Chat. Rec.), m. 2nd Elizabeth Howes, dau. of Thomas of Chatham. 10. Probably John,m. Elizabeth-. (He is not mentioned in his father's will, but appears later as part owner, with Joseph and Samuel, of the Stewart farm). N B. There is a record, partly obliterated, of this family in the Yarmouth records, from which it appears that there was a son James, b. Feb. 11, 167[2], some child, name lost, b. Feb. 11, 1674, and another child, name lost, b. May 2, 1677. A James Stewart from this part of the Cape was with Sir Wm. Phipps on the Canada Expedition in 1690, but I find no other mention of him. (See page 97 supra). The name of Ensign Stuard's wife is doubtless a short form for Waitstill, a name not uncommon for both sexes.
  6. [S1550] Barnstable, MA: Probate Records 1685-1789, Volume 3 page 198.
  7. [S506] Note: Joseph Doane 1669; m. 1690 Mary Godfrey & 2nd 1728 Desire Berry at Eastam [Legislatures of the Massachustts General Court page 2559].
  8. [S1550] Barnstable, MA: Probate Records 1685-1789, Volume 3 page 199-200.