THE SAWYERS

Captain Ezekiel Sawyer, born May 9, 1743, came to this town from Rowley, Mass., about the year 1795, and purchased the farm on Connecticut River next south of Rowells ledge, the same which is now owned and occupied by his grandson, Deacon John H. Sawyer, to whom we are indebted for this and the following information.  Captain Sawyer there remained, an industrious farmer and worthy citizen, the rest of his days. He died January 13, 1817, in the seventy-fourth year of his age.  Mrs. Mary (Payson) Sawyer, his wife, died July 6, 1819.  The venerable old two-story house which they occupied was succeeded some years since by a nice cottage in modern style.

Captain Sawyer and wife on their coming into this town for settlement brought with them a family .of four sons and seven daughters, who lived to be men and women, and all, with the exception of one daughter, to marry and have children of their own.

1 Elliott Sawyer, born about 1766, married Lucy Young, and settled in Stanstead, Canada East. They had but one son, Elliott, Jr., who lived to manhood. He married Lydia Abbott, who died in Bradford village.  They had several sons and daughters namely: Samuel, who was drowned at the age of fourteen, while the family were living in Canada. Homer died in New Orleans.  Emily married Ormand Jenney; they live in Methuen, Mass. Elzina married George Peters, of Bradford; they have one son, Harry Malcom, and one daughter, Anna Gertrude. Silas Sawyer lives in New Orleans. Maria married John Bicknell, and settled in Methuen. John lives in Boston, engaged in livery business. James married Ellen Cummings, of Bradford. She died in this place in 1874, leaving one daughter, Carrie. Several of the members of this family were distinguished singers of sacred music. Mr. Sawyer, the father, is at this date living in Methuen. His parents had several daughters, of whom one gave these brief notices. Narcissa married a Mr. Bangs, and died here. Mary married James McDuffee. See account of the McDuffee family. Betsey married Albert Woodworth, had several children and died.  Mr. W., her husband, was subsequently killed or died in the service of his country, during the late war. Lucy died here in maidenhood, having long been unable to walk. Maria married Ogden Fox, had five children, and died.

2 Ezekiel Sawyer, the second son of the first of that name in Bradford, born January 13, 1768, married Ruby Tabor, of this town; had two sons, who died in childhood, and six daughters, who lived to womanhood, namely: Ruby, Almira, Mary Ann, Hannah, Jane and Harriet. Hannah became the wife of a Mr. Carr. Captain Benjamin Celley, a prosperous farmer and highly esteemed citizen of Fairlee, married Jane Sawyer, and they had a son William, and a daughter Mary. William married Jane Moore, daughter of Jasper Moore, of West Fairlee, and had a daughter Emma Jane, and Georgi E. The daughter Mary married Marshall Rugg, and they have one son.  Captain Celley with his children and their companions live in close and happy proximity, being all partakers of the same precious faith. After the death of his first wife he married her sister Mary Ann: and after her decease, so happy had been his connection with these two good wives that he married for his third wife their no less worthy sister Harriet, with whom at this date he is still living in prosperity and happiness. He attends worship with the Methodist church in Bradford, as his son and wife also do.   Mr. and Mrs. Rugg worship at Fairlee. 

3 Mary Sawyer, of the original family here, born November 30,1770, married John Gage, of Hopkinton, N. H., and had two sons and one daughter. The parents both died there.

4 Mehitable Sawyer, born March 31, 1773, died in maidenhood, January 22, 1862, in the eighty-ninth year of her age. She and her sisters, Elizabeth, Jane, Mercy and Anne, were all members of the Congregational church in Bradford.

5 Elizabeth Sawyer, born February 13, 1775, married Jesse Johnson, of this town, and had four sons and two daughters. She died May 23, 1855, at the age of eighty years.

6 Joseph Sawyer, born March 28, 1777, married Azubah Chamberlin, and had four sons and four daughters.  He settled in Newbury, but died here in 1818. 

7 Hannah Sawyer, born March 26, 1779, married Jonathan Johnson, and lived and died in South Newbury.  They had an only son, Haynes Johnson, who was graduated at Dartmouth College in the class of 1822, became a worthy minister of the gospel of the Methodist order, and died in 1856, at the age of fifty-five years, leaving two sons.

8 Jane Sawyer, born December 29, 1781; married Haynes Johnson, of this town, where they remained and died. They had a family of ten children. And here we see that three Sawyer sisters, Elizabeth, Hannah and Jane, married three Johnson brothers, Jesse, Jonathan, and Haynes, and all spent the remainder of their days in the same neighborhood. For further notices of the families of Elizabeth and Jane, see the Johnsons. 

9 Mercy Sawyer, born August 1,1784 ; married Isaiah Stone and had a family of ten children.  They lived for some time on the farm in Bradford now owned by Thomas Johnson, but finally removed to the State of Ohio, and died there.

11 Anne Sawyer, born April 8, 1784; married Harvey Smith, of Bradford, where they subsequently lived and died. They had four sons and one daughter. Their eldest son, Charles P., was graduated at Dartmouth, in the class of 1854 ; went South, and became a professional teacher; now residing in Nebraska.

10 John Sawyer, a brother between the two sisters last named; born October 27 1786: married Lydia W. Dike, of Bradford, March 19,1816. They spent the remainder of their days on the old homestead, in the house next South of his father's. They had a family of four sons and five daughters.

1 Mary Dike Sawyer, born February 27, 1817; married George Burroughs, of Newbury, now a worthy deacon in the Congregational church there. Have three sons and three daughters.

2 John Hiram Sawyer, born November 22,1818; married Sarah Hibbard, of Piermont, N. H. Both members of the Congregational church in Bradford.   November 10, 1871, Mr. Sawyer was elected a Deacon in the same, and in that capacity has since officiated, to the entire satisfaction of the church.

3 Emily Payson Sawyer, born January, 1822; married Charles P. Blanchard, of Concord, N. H., September 3,1862, and went there to live.

4 Henry Ezekiel Sawyer, born February 2, 1824; married Amanda Chamberlin. They live in Chicago, and have one son.

5 Lydia Sawyer, born June 13, 1826, has lived for several years in the vicinity of Boston. 

6 Joseph Sawyer, born April 24, 1829; married Susan Sawyer, of Newbury, February 14, 1865; went into the livery business at Chicago, where Mrs. Sawyer died, leaving one daughter and a son. The little daughter died at the house of her uncle, Deacon Burroughs, of Newbury, January 9, 1874. The son, Frank E., remains with his father.

7 Elizabeth Sawyer, born September 14, 1831; married Ellis McDuffee of this town. They had one son and three daughters.   See McDuffee family. 

8 Edward Sawyer, born February 20, 1837, lives in Chicago, engaged in Express business. 

9 Jane Sawyer, born February 20, 1837; married Edward Robie, of Bradford. They have had three children, one son and a daughter still living.

Deacon Sawyer having communicated the above intelligence, I said I should like to add some appropriate incident or anecdote of interest, if he had anything of that sort to give me. He thought a moment, and then replied substantially as follows: "Well, I shall never forget that when I was a young man I was, on a certain occasion, driving a team of nine horses attached to a large wagon with a tremendously heavy load of merchant's goods on it, around Ingalls Hill, in Newbury, on my way to Wells River. The road was narrow, and lay on the very brink of a precipice, steeply descending into the Connecticut river. To my amazement, I had perceived my wheels next to the river to be sinking deeper, and yet deeper, into the ground, and my wagon, with its load, in utmost danger of going over and dragging the horses with it into the river! The load had indeed swayed heavily over, and was resting against a tree, which was every moment in danger of being up-rooted. There I was in deep trouble, with no one to help me, when I saw you coming around the hill on horseback, on your way towards home. You instantly sprang from your horse, threw off your coat, and promptly afforded me all the assistance in your power. We got the horses free, then mounted the load, and persevered in throwing off article after article, till all were cleared away, with the exception of two heavy looking barrels at one end of the wagon, which had been placed at the bottom of the load.  When you said "John, what have you in these barrels." He replied something exhilarating, I suppose. "Then let them go into the river" said you, thinking, no doubt, it was better the drunkard's drink should go there rather than down men's throats. I was, however, as a teamster, anxious to save my whole load, and having again hitched on ray strong team of horses they drew out the wagon, and so, through your assistance, all was saved, much to my gratification, and that of the owner of the goods. Biographies Index

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