Eleazer was Northampton's first Reverend. He and Esther Warham were married Sep. 29, 1659. After he died, his widow Esther married Northampton's second minister, the Reverend Soloman Stoddard, on Mar. 8, 1670. For 57 years Esther was thus the only minister's wife in Northampton. Through her two husbands, she was a pastor's wife for 69 years.
Her father had been the Rev. John Warham. He'd been with his first congregation at Boston's south edge, Dorchester, circa 1630, following them circa 1637 as they moved out of the Bay Colony, down the coast, to the mouth of the Conn. River. (Nearer to New Amsterdam than to Boston, their new settlement would become Windsor. Northampton was up the Conn. River from there, just past Springfield, so back in the Bay Colony. Her father's burial would be at Palisado Cem. in Windsor.)
The old congregation's departure left an opening for Rev. Richard Mather, Eleazar's father, to begin a new congregation at Dorchester. A Dorchester history indicates the leaving by Rev Warham and others was not abrupt, but took several years. She and Eleazar thus had their first chance meeting as children while at Dorchester.
Esther had three children with Mather and twelve children with Stoddard.
The 77 years of her life spent in Northampton showed great changes. Esther came in 1659 when the town was first settled in the wilderness. At the time of her death the population numbered 1100, and their church had 600 members.
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Granddaughter Eunice Williams -born Sept 7, 1696, daughter of John Williams and Eunice Mather, was captured at the 1704 Raid of Deerfield Massachusetts. She was re-baptized a Roman Catholic under the name of Marguerite and in 1713 married the Mohawk Native- Francois Xavier Arosen {d.Jan 22, 1765}. She died November 26, 1785- ironically the last survivor of the Deerfield Raid, having outlived her brother Rev Stephen Williams.
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MATHER Children of Esther Warham and 1st husb. Rev. Eleazer:
___Eunice Mather b Aug 02, 1664, married Rev. John Williams of Deerfield (parents of Rev. Eleazer Williams, Rev. Stephen Williams, and Rev. Warham Williams). As noted previously, Eunice Mather-Williams was killed by the Indians after the Deerfield massacre.
___Rev. Warham Mather married Elizabeth Davenport;
___Eliakim Mather died young.
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Her father had been the Rev. John Warham. He'd been with his first congregation at Boston's south edge, Dorchester, circa 1630, following them circa 1637 as they moved out of the Bay Colony, down the coast, to the mouth of the Conn. River. (Nearer to New Amsterdam than to Boston, their new settlement would become Windsor. Northampton was up the Conn. River from there, just past Springfield, so back in the Bay Colony. Her father's burial would be at Palisado Cem. in Windsor.)
The old congregation's departure left an opening for Rev. Richard Mather, Eleazar's father, to begin a new congregation at Dorchester. A Dorchester history indicates the leaving by Rev Warham and others was not abrupt, but took several years. She and Eleazar thus had their first chance meeting as children while at Dorchester.
Esther had three children with Mather and twelve children with Stoddard.
The 77 years of her life spent in Northampton showed great changes. Esther came in 1659 when the town was first settled in the wilderness. At the time of her death the population numbered 1100, and their church had 600 members.
======================
Granddaughter Eunice Williams -born Sept 7, 1696, daughter of John Williams and Eunice Mather, was captured at the 1704 Raid of Deerfield Massachusetts. She was re-baptized a Roman Catholic under the name of Marguerite and in 1713 married the Mohawk Native- Francois Xavier Arosen {d.Jan 22, 1765}. She died November 26, 1785- ironically the last survivor of the Deerfield Raid, having outlived her brother Rev Stephen Williams.
=======================
MATHER Children of Esther Warham and 1st husb. Rev. Eleazer:
___Eunice Mather b Aug 02, 1664, married Rev. John Williams of Deerfield (parents of Rev. Eleazer Williams, Rev. Stephen Williams, and Rev. Warham Williams). As noted previously, Eunice Mather-Williams was killed by the Indians after the Deerfield massacre.
___Rev. Warham Mather married Elizabeth Davenport;
___Eliakim Mather died young.
=============================
Eleazer was Northampton's first Reverend. He and Esther Warham were married Sep. 29, 1659. After he died, his widow Esther married Northampton's second minister, the Reverend Soloman Stoddard, on Mar. 8, 1670. For 57 years Esther was thus the only minister's wife in Northampton. Through her two husbands, she was a pastor's wife for 69 years.
Her father had been the Rev. John Warham. He'd been with his first congregation at Boston's south edge, Dorchester, circa 1630, following them circa 1637 as they moved out of the Bay Colony, down the coast, to the mouth of the Conn. River. (Nearer to New Amsterdam than to Boston, their new settlement would become Windsor. Northampton was up the Conn. River from there, just past Springfield, so back in the Bay Colony. Her father's burial would be at Palisado Cem. in Windsor.)
The old congregation's departure left an opening for Rev. Richard Mather, Eleazar's father, to begin a new congregation at Dorchester. A Dorchester history indicates the leaving by Rev Warham and others was not abrupt, but took several years. She and Eleazar thus had their first chance meeting as children while at Dorchester.
Esther had three children with Mather and twelve children with Stoddard.
The 77 years of her life spent in Northampton showed great changes. Esther came in 1659 when the town was first settled in the wilderness. At the time of her death the population numbered 1100, and their church had 600 members.
======================
Granddaughter Eunice Williams -born Sept 7, 1696, daughter of John Williams and Eunice Mather, was captured at the 1704 Raid of Deerfield Massachusetts. She was re-baptized a Roman Catholic under the name of Marguerite and in 1713 married the Mohawk Native- Francois Xavier Arosen {d.Jan 22, 1765}. She died November 26, 1785- ironically the last survivor of the Deerfield Raid, having outlived her brother Rev Stephen Williams.
=======================
MATHER Children of Esther Warham and 1st husb. Rev. Eleazer:
___Eunice Mather b Aug 02, 1664, married Rev. John Williams of Deerfield (parents of Rev. Eleazer Williams, Rev. Stephen Williams, and Rev. Warham Williams). As noted previously, Eunice Mather-Williams was killed by the Indians after the Deerfield massacre.
___Rev. Warham Mather married Elizabeth Davenport;
___Eliakim Mather died young.
=============================
Her father had been the Rev. John Warham. He'd been with his first congregation at Boston's south edge, Dorchester, circa 1630, following them circa 1637 as they moved out of the Bay Colony, down the coast, to the mouth of the Conn. River. (Nearer to New Amsterdam than to Boston, their new settlement would become Windsor. Northampton was up the Conn. River from there, just past Springfield, so back in the Bay Colony. Her father's burial would be at Palisado Cem. in Windsor.)
The old congregation's departure left an opening for Rev. Richard Mather, Eleazar's father, to begin a new congregation at Dorchester. A Dorchester history indicates the leaving by Rev Warham and others was not abrupt, but took several years. She and Eleazar thus had their first chance meeting as children while at Dorchester.
Esther had three children with Mather and twelve children with Stoddard.
The 77 years of her life spent in Northampton showed great changes. Esther came in 1659 when the town was first settled in the wilderness. At the time of her death the population numbered 1100, and their church had 600 members.
======================
Granddaughter Eunice Williams -born Sept 7, 1696, daughter of John Williams and Eunice Mather, was captured at the 1704 Raid of Deerfield Massachusetts. She was re-baptized a Roman Catholic under the name of Marguerite and in 1713 married the Mohawk Native- Francois Xavier Arosen {d.Jan 22, 1765}. She died November 26, 1785- ironically the last survivor of the Deerfield Raid, having outlived her brother Rev Stephen Williams.
=======================
MATHER Children of Esther Warham and 1st husb. Rev. Eleazer:
___Eunice Mather b Aug 02, 1664, married Rev. John Williams of Deerfield (parents of Rev. Eleazer Williams, Rev. Stephen Williams, and Rev. Warham Williams). As noted previously, Eunice Mather-Williams was killed by the Indians after the Deerfield massacre.
___Rev. Warham Mather married Elizabeth Davenport;
___Eliakim Mather died young.
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Inscription
In Memory of/Rev Eleazar Mather AM/Born at/Dorchester/May 13 1637/Graduated at Harvard College in 1656 invited by this town to be the minister June 7 1658. Ordained as Pastor of the First Church on the day of its organization June 18 1661/Died July 21 1669/verse
