📄 Clement History Document
My archives include an 11 page handwritten document of various Clement history, unsigned. It's also undated, though the text mentions 1896 as "now" at the top of page 6. The pages are also not numbered-- page numbers here reflect the order in which they were arranged when found.
Page 1
From article on Clement Family Reunion
1891At the 250th anniversary of the settlement of Haverfill Mass celebrated last year (1890) a com. [committee?] of the descendants of Robt. Clement, who was a leader aming the founders was appointed to form a family organization. Today the parlors of the unreadable House were filled by a gathering of members of the family representing all parts of the country.
A reception at 10 am was followed by a formal address of welcome delivered by Judge Nathaniel H Clement of Brooklyn N.Y. after which Mr. EH Clement of this city delivered the historical address detailing what is known of the emigration of Robt. Clements family from unreadable, Warwickshire, in 1638.
The political and religions ferment of the time in England, the trials of the long voyage and the hardships and perils of the first settlers on the frontier of the Merrimac was summarized from the local chronicles. Robert Clement owned the ships in which he arrived at Ipswich in 1638 and was a man of education & position, having a father who was a professor in Oxford. He bequeathed an estate and unreadable in England on his death in Haverhill in 1658.
He was first deputy of the town to the General [?] Court, was appointed to make allotment of lands & to fix the limits of the public lands, was associate-judge of the county and county commissioner for many years. His grist mill was the first industry established in Haverhill. His eldest son Job married into the Drummer family of Newbury and removed to Dover N.H. where he was a mandamus councilor. Robert Jr. married Elizabeth daughter
Page 1 notes:
- Robert Clement (1595-1658) seems to have come from Cosby, Leicestershire.
- mandamusm "a writ issued by a superior court commanding the performance of a specified official act or duty". "Mandamus councilor" was a term used in the latter part of the 1700s, so it probably doesn't apply to Job Clements (1615-1682).
Page 2
of John Fawne, genl [?], who was a kinsman of Sir Henry Vane having come over in the same vessel with that famous new England governor and English statesman, and from their eleven children most of the Clements of New England are descended.
A daughter of the 1st Robt., Mary, who married John Osgood of Andover, was in her old age accused as a witch and suffered from months imprisonment at Salem, but was released in 1693 on the passing away of the popular delusion, at the intervention of Dudley Bradstreet of Andover, sone of unreadable Bradstreet & Anne Bradstreet, the poetess. A sone of Gregory Clement, the regicide, executed at Charing Cross in 1660, settled in Long Island in 1670. The wife of William Penn was a Clement.
The circumstances & vicissitudes of the first half century of the family in Massachusetts were deduced from the history of the times, and the conclusion drawn, that Robt. Clement the founder, was a Puritain of moderate or liberal stripe.
A whole nation was summoned [?] to select the choice 20,000 for New England from 1630 to 1643.
A poem by Jesse B. Clement of New York concluded the exercises.
Mrs. Mary Clement Smith of the old Hopkinton NH family distinguished unreadable of the WC7N [?] described her recently completed journey around the world several unreadable words
Page 2 notes:
- Sir Henry Vane here seems to be Henry Vane the Younger.
- The poem mentioned is 📄 A Poem for the Clement Dinner.
Page 3
Lineage
The family of Clements claims descent from Albert Clements, Marshall of France in 1183 and who is supposed to have settled in Ireland sometime in the reign of James 1st.
Amesbury set off from Salisbury 1650. In 1701 there were 25 families in Dracut. The name Clement is not found among them-- Clements come soon after in the records. First record of Clement in Dracut was in 1723 when Nathaniel Clement was chosen fence viewer.
Clement Family Reunion (June 26 1891)
Reception held at Revere House, Boston Mass. Historical address delivered, dinner-- at the 250 anniversary of the settlement of Haverhill Mass celebrated last year (1890)
Page 3 notes:
- Albert Clement appears to be Albéric Clément. I can't find any King James I who would have existed during his life. Also it doesn't seem that he actually went to Ireland.
- A fence viewer is a town or city official "....who administers fence laws by inspecting new fences and settles disputes arising from trespass by livestock that have escaped enclosure" in some New England states.
Page 4
Witchcraft
7 Robert 2 (14
8 Mary (Clements) Osgood was indicted by the grand jury for witchcraft in 1692 upon her own confession, but subsequently withdrew her confission Oct 19 following before Increase Mather. The following is her deposition taken from the Essex deeds vol 10 p 190 reads thus-- "Mary Osgood alias Clements, now of Andover in ye county of Essex in New England formerly of ye city of Coventry in Warwickshire in old England, aged 58 ys, who testified & saith that before the year Anno Dom 1652 I lived in ye city of Coventry & resided [?] in ye home of Mr. Biddle in Hay Lane & was then well acquainted with Mrs. Ann Potter, grand daughter of Thomas Potter Esq who had been mayor of ye city & said Mrs Ann Potter her fathers name as I have been informed Humphrey Potter only son of Thomad Potter Esq ye unreadable Ann Potter (whose parents as I have heard were murdered in Ireland) is now living in Salem New England & wife to Mr. Anthony Needham & also Mary Osgood does further testify that Mrs. Rebecca Bacon aunt to ye unreadable Ann Potter send to Eng for her, whose invitation she accepted. Mrs. Mary Osgood made oath to hat is written this 19 day of July 1695 Before me Dudley Bradstreet Justice of Peace"
This is fairly incomprehensible as the deposition described seems entirely irrelevant to the initial discussion of witchcraft and indeed to almost anything else.
Page 5
Hopkinton Clement Family
Robt^1 Robt^2 Robt^3 Nathaniel^4 Nathaniel^5
born 1726 m. Mary Hills 2 1723 - widow of Jacob Adams, March 27 1751 in Newbury Mass. Moved to Hopkinton N.H. where he died Dec 5 1809. Mary his wife died Nov. 2 1809.Their children were
Elizabeth who m. Benj Wiggin
Nathaniel and John who died in the Revolutionary war, with- Adams, Nathaniels step son
Joshua b 1762 d Feb 27 1840 m Anna Herrick b 1667 d Feb 10 1840 leaving no children -
Benjamin 6th (b Sept 9 1763) Moody married Rachel Herrick all of Hopkinton - Removed to New London N.H. where nine of their eleven children were born and where they died.Children [of Benjamin Moody Clement and Rachel Herrick]
Rachel m Daniel Everett
Benjamin d early
John m Fanny Everett
Baruch Chase m Sally Wood
Nathaniel m Mary
Rufusm Minerva Allen
Joshua m Elizabeth Harvey
Job m Mary Kimball
Jonathan Herrick m Nancy Smith
Mary Hils m Peter WhittemoreOf 115 descendants of Benj Moody & Rachel 33 have passed away
Page 5 notes:
- The first entry is for Nathaniel Clements (1725-1809), who I supposes is "Nathaniel^5" in the heading line.
- Anna Herrick probably didn't live 173 years. More likely her year of birth is wrong and should be 1767.
- "Benjamin Moody" is Benjamin Moody Clements
- The "Benjamin d early" could be a couple of people found at Ancestry-- Benjamin J Clement (1792-1811), the first born, or Benjamin M Clements (1816-1818).
Page 6
leaving 82 now 1896-- living in Mass, NH, NJ, unreadable Il, Minn, Idaho, Calif, Conn, Mich, Penn, Wash D.C.
The rest of page 6 lists "Mrs Talbots family" and then goes on to list children of Joshua and Elizabeth Harvey (mentioned on page 5). I don't know who Mrs Talbot is, if that's even the correct reading of this handwriting.
Page 7
Robt Clement (Chases History of Haverhill) came from England in the early part of 1642 landing at Salisbury, from whence he removed to Haverhill in the following summer with his wife & 4 children.
In 1642 the inhabitants (of Haverhill) among them Robt Clements made a landed purchase of the few Indians there remaining in that territory which became the limits of the future town of Haverhill. The following is a copy of the deed-- which is preserved.
"Know all men by these presents that we Passaquo and Saggahew with the consent of Passaconaway have sold unto ye inhabitants of Pentuckett all ye lands we have in Pentuckett, that is eight miles in length from ye little river in Pentuckett westward; six miles in length from ye aforesaid river. Easward with ye Island and the river that ye island (now called Clement Island) stand in as far in length as ye land lays by as formerly expressed; that is fouteen miles in length, and we ye said Passaquo and Saggahew with ye consent of Passaconaway have sold unto ye said inhabitants all yeright that we or any of us has in ye said ground and Island and River. And we warrant against all or any other Indians whatsoever unto ye said inhabitants of Pentuckett"
Page 8
Items from Histories
From the "Old & New England Times" (By George Lunt)
The following papers were discovered in the home of H W.S. Cleveland Salem Mass. Probably brought over from Eng by the Mary & John or the Elizabeth & Dunreadable, which unreadable in Boston then proceeded to Ipswich the following year 1634 then to Newbury.
An abstract of his unreadable Charter for incorporating the company of Mass Bay in new Eng in America. Granted in the 4th year of his Highness Reign of Eng Sotland France & Ireland A.D. 1628.
Page 8 notes:
- The charter mentioned was granted by King Charles I.
Rest of page skipped; see below.
Pages 9-11
Pages 9-11 skipped as they're not specific to Clements. If you're interested then read any account of the early history of UK settlers in Massachusetts.