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go to Priscilla Gatchell's page


On 9 February 1702/03, a little before his 21st birthday, one hundred acres was laid out in Rochester to Benjamin based on his father's share. The bounds don't place it specifically, but it was adjacent to land he already owned.1
There is no apparent deed for that earlier property.
     Benjamin and his sister Dorothy bought their mother's right to a share of land in Middleborough that was a bequest from Gov. Thomas Prence, their great grandfather.2 Benjamin is called a yoeman in this deed. He sold his right to land in Rochester to Ichabod Nye on 23 February 1726/27.3 It was north of land he sold to James Winslow "which was my homestead lot & so home to Benjamin Bartlett's lot." The bounds then went west to the road to Charles Neck, continued on the road to land sold to Winslow, reserving twelve acres sold to Zechariah Hossur?. He is called a husbandman in this deed. Benjamin gave land to Anthony Savory, described as "all my twenty acres of land yt I have in the Town of Rochester...being where ye sd Anthony Savory now dwelleth & where his now dwelling house now standeth be it more or less within ye bounds mentioned in the draft of land laid out to me & entered on ye record kept for the Proprietors of Rochester."4 He added the stipulation that if Savory sold it, Benjamin or his heirs be given first choice to match whatever Savory might have otherwise gotten for it. Benjamin Dexter deposed on the third Tuesday in May that he saw Benjamin, now deceased, make and sign the deed.
     On 28 and 29 December 1720, Benjamin, with the consent of Priscilla, and Benjamin's mother sold their most important real estate interests to James Winslow, a wealthy newcomer to Rochester.5 Patience (Freeman) Burges sold her dower right to Joseph Burges's real estate.6 Benjamin sold "all my homestead which I now live upon."7 This bordered on the salt water "bay" or "harbor." He had previously sold to Winslow, while he was still living in Swansea, half a salt meadow lot and half a share in a cedar and spruce swamp that was his father's.8 The swamps were higher north in the town to the west of the center of Rochester. He sold Winslow thirty acres of a two hundred acre right to land in Rochester that was his father's.9 On 10 February 1714/15 he sold Winslow another piece of cedar and spruce swamp in Bear Swamp that was his father's.10
     At the Rochester town meeting on 19 Mar 1717/18, "Benjaman Burg" was chosen a "hoge constable or howards or filddrivers." 13
     Benjamin and his family were sick with an unidentified illness in the Winter of 1729/30. It was bad enough that the family needed relief from the town.14 Mention of this started in the minutes for the town meeting on 23 December 1729

an acct of what perticulir persons have subscribed for the us of Benja. Burges famely to releive their preasent necesaty as followeth

Elisha Wing 1/2 bushel of corn att 6 s pr bushel 0-3-0
& 3 pound of pork att 8d pr opund & 3 pound of beef att 5d pr 0-3-3
Nathan Jenne on bushel of Indian corn 0-6-0
Stephen Wing 1/2 bushel of corn 3d & 3 pound of porck at 8d pr lb 0-5-0
Ebenezar Barlow 2 pound of butter att 1 d 3d pr pound 0-2-6
John Clapp 0-5-0
Savrie Clifton one peck of wheat 0-2-3
John Mendal Junr one peck of wheat 0-2-3
Saml Wing one gallond of melasses 0-4-6
John Wing 5 pecks of Indian corn at 6s pr bushel 0-7-6
James Foster 10 pound of pork att 8 pence pr pound 0-6-8
Also voted att sd meeting that Saml Look shall receive sd goods and deliver ye same to the use of sd family as they shall stand in need. Also voted that the sd sum or sums so delivered shall be repayd to each & every parson out of ye money that is in perticuler mens hands that belongeth to ye poor of ye Town


Reimbursements were made to constables John Freeman and Joseph Blackmer in April 1730 for money given to the family on behalf of the town. Doctor "Morss" was paid £1, 15 shillings for "medesons & attendance for Burges family." In May a committee was set up to "settle the accompts between the Town and those persons to whome the Town is indebted to for what they did for Burgs & his family the Winter last past viz to attendance in their sickness & providing necessaryes for their support etc."
The committee gave this account in June:

To Samll Look to going of aments[?] att sundrey times 1-0-0
To horse rent 0-18-0
To cuting & carting 9 cord of wood att 8s pr cord 16s taken out 2-16-0
To attendance att makeing fires etc 1-00-0
---------
total 5-14-0

to Benja Dexter
To 1/2 day makeing cofin 2s/ diging ye grave 4s/ fenceing hay 0-09-0
To half bushel of meal 3/ 6 pound pork 3s/ one pound candles 1s/ 0-07-0

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total 0-16-0

Also to Benja. Hiller
To 1/2 bushels of meal & going to mill 5s/ 3 pound of tallow 2s/9d 0-07-9
To one bottle of melasses 1s-1d/ to part of ye bords for ye coffin 2s/ nails 1s/ 0 -04-0
To 4 pound of pork 2s/ 2 pound beef 10d/ 1/2 bushel of corn 3s 0-05-10
to fetching Burgis daughter from Dartmouth 10s/ 0-10-0
------------
total 1-7-8

Also to James Steward

To 6 days work 3s one bottle of rumm 1/2 pound candles 3-1/ 1-13-1
to 1/2 bushels of apples 1s-6d/ one peck wheat meal 2s-6d/
[?] pound butter 1s-6d/ 0-05-6
To 10 pound of venson 1s-6d/ 3 pound of porck 1s-6d/ 0-03-0
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total 2-1-7
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the whole 9-19-3

Obviously someone in the family died. Priscilla and her children Phebe, Joseph, Patience and Samuel didn't. Elizabeth, Joanna, Thomas, Benjamin and Sarah have no clear evidence of being adults. Thomas may have married in Plymouth and had a family. Benjamin is supposedly the one who moved to Lanesborough, Massachusetts, but that could have been his cousin or nephew of the same name. Sarah is supposed by some to have married Joseph Edwards in Rochester in 1738, but a girl marrying at 14 in New England is extremely unlikely. However, no other Sarah was found as an alternative. It was most likely Benjamin who died.
     Benjamin died without any real estate, which is why there is no probate record for him. He had several debt cases in Plymouth court and at least some of his sale of real estate may have been to pay debts.11


children of Benjamin Burges and Priscilla Gatchell:15

i. Elizabeth, b. 13 March 1706/07
ii. Phebe, b. 16 December 1708
iii. Joseph, b. 15 December 1710
iv. Joanna, b. 24 August 1712, supp. d. y.
v. Thomas, b. 6 October 1714 (there was a Thomas who m. Patience Doty 26 Jan 1744/45, Plymouth, had Elizabeth and Thomas)
vi. Patience, b. 4 October 1716, m. Roger Merithew 24 Feb 1736, Rochester
vii. Benjamin, b. 2 April 1719, supp. moved to Lanesborough, MA, but this could be a cousin or nephew.
viii. Samuel, b. 9 July 1721, lived in Freetown, farm laborer, ch. Priscilla, Mary, Thomas, Benjamin, Jeaheleel (from Bible, Jahleel) and Samuel were warned out of Dartmouth in 1757/ Who was the Benjamin Burge of Rochester who intented to Marcy Wing? of Sandwich, 3 Mar 1770? Who was Mary Burgess who m. Stephen Landers, both of R, m. 1 Apr 1770, Roch? Check Thomas who m. Dolly Newton, both of D, in D 1775
ix. Sarah, b. 24 April 1724





vital records sources:

1. image 58.
2. 10 April 1725, acknowledged 9 March 1725/26, 21:50.
3. 21:120.
4. 21 February 1705/06 25:127.
5.
6.
7.
8. 30 Dec 1707/8 6:188.
9. 8:96.
10. 14:264.
11.
12. "Extracts from Bristol County Sessions of the Peace" 73.
13. Rochester Town Records, with Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 104/96 also 11 Mar 1718/19 image 107/99
14. 131/123.
15. Vital records of Rochester, Massachusetts, to the year 1850, vol. 1 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1914), 64-65, Vital Records of Dartmouth, Massachusetts to the Year 1850, vol. 1 (Boston:1929), 52.


all text and photographs © 1998-2023 by Doug Sinclair unless where otherwise noted