vital records sources
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Top: Ebenezer's signature and his wife's mark on one of her father's probate papers (1720); bottom: from the probate papers of his brother John (1750). The difference between "Redding" and "Reding" only shows the fluidity of spelling that was common in 17th and early 18th century New England.

The earliest document found that likely mentions Ebenezer is the adult baptism of a man with that name at the First Church at Cambridge on 15 September 1700.1 He was one of the "Persons Adult wo own'd the Covenant & were Baptized." This year may be significant given that his death record points to a birth year of 1679. If so, he came of age in 1700. He is generally thought to have been the son of John Redding and Mary Bassett. John and Mary married and had a daughter in Sandwich whose birth is recorded in 1677. The family was in Weymouth, Massachusetts Bay Colony, in February 1678/9 and November 1680.2 The birth records for Weymouth are missing between 15 January 1676/77 and March 1677/78, but the Reddings may not have been there long enought to have Ebenezer's birth recorded, which was often done only periodically in New England towns in the 17th century. They were in Casco Bay area of what is now Maine at least between 1691 and 1693 and then in Gloucester, Massachusetts Bay Colony, by 1711, when John and his second wife Jane's son Benjamin was born. Obviously their life at sea led them to live in various ports. Ebenezer was not a seaman. There are no other Redding families to stand as alternatives to that of John and Mary to which Ebenezer may have been attached.
     In the article "Redding Grandsons of Thomas Redding," Fred Bowman suggests that Ebenezer may have benefitted obliquely from a bequest from William Pennoyer3 to fund Harvard students, perhaps being tutored in Cambridge. Pennoyer was the grandfather of John Redding. Ebenezer signed his name with competent handwriting, showing he had some schooling. His being in Cambridge, the location of Harvard, lends credence to this theory.
     Ebenezer moved to Middleborough, in what had become the Province of Massachusetts Bay, by At the First Church in Middleborough, Ebenezer "made a relation consented to ye confession of faith & was admitted into full communion" on 10 July 1715.4 His first four children were baptized there on 22 January 1715/16 as were the other children as they were born.5 Ebenezer was very active in Middleborough town offices, committees and as a juryman at the Plymouth County Court:

*His most frequent service was as a sealer of weights and measures, elected at the following town meeting dates: 1 Mar 1733/34 (the previous sealer was his father-in-law Joseph Vaughn, who died the day after this meeting),6 3 Mar 1734/35),7 1 Mar 1735/36,8 1 Mar 1738/39,9 17 Mar 1739/40,10 25 March 1741,11 15 Mar 1741/42,12 21 Mar 1742/43, 13 14 Mar 1743/44,14 29 Mar 1745,15 4 Apr 1746,16 and 7 Apr 1747.17 The following explains some of the aspects of weights and measures at the town level:

"In 1705, the treasurer of the province was required by law to procure a beam, scale, and a nest of troy weights from 128 ounces down, marked with a mark or stamp used at the exchequer, for a public standard. Every town was to he provided with a nest of troy weights of different form from the avoirdupois: and a penalty was annexed to the use of any other than sealed troy weights, for weighing silver, bullion, or other species whatsoever, proper and used to be weighed by troy weights." "At the first session of the general court under the charter of William and Mary, in 1692, two laws were enacted; one, re-ordaining the London assize of casks, and specifying that the butt should contain 126 gallons, the puncheon 84, the hogshead 63, the tierce 42, and the barrel 31 1/2 gallons; the other, for due regulation of weights and measures, declaring that the brass and copper measures, sent out of England, with certificate out of the exchequer to be approved Winchester measure, according to the standard in the exchequer, should be the public allowed standard throughout the province for the proving and sealing all weights and measures thereby, and re-enacting, with an additional clause, the colonial law of 1647." "In 1730 a new set of brass and copper avoirdupois weights, and of measures, was imported from the Exchequer, with certificate of their being approved Winchester measure, according to the standard in the Exchequer. These were, by a new statute, declared to be the public standards of the province: and they continue to be those of the commonwealth at this day. It does not appear that the troy weights were renewed at the same time. The standards of them had been imported only twenty-five years before, and could not need renewing." 17.5

*chosen to be on the jury of trials at the Plymouth court, 7 May 171718 2 Mar 1732/33, grand jury,19 26 Feb 1739/40, grand jury,20 20 Feb 1744/45, jury of trials, "chosen by drawing from a box as the law directs"21

*pound keeper, 9 Mar 1718/19,22 9 Sep 1729, paid 6 shillings for repairing the pound and stocks23 29 Sep 1740, paid 8 shillings for repairing the pound24 29 Mar 1745, paid £3 for finding timber and making the pound25

*field driver 5 Apr 172026 and 10 Mar 1723/2427

*constable, 1 Mar 1727/28,28 24 Mar 1741/42,29 and 10 Mar 1728/29.30 1 Sep 1738, a record of Ebenezer's rates collected as constable31

*tythingman, 17 Mar 1717/18,32 16 Mar 1736/37 and 1 Mar 1737/3833

*fenceviewer, 1 Mar 1738/3934

*28 Sep 1741, paid 6 shillings for mending the stocks35

*surveyor of highways, 18 Mar 1724/536

*town meeting moderator, 16 June 172737

*1 Mar 1722/23, he was one of three men "improved to have an inspection over the boys at the meeting house on the sabbath days and to prevent their playing at meeting"38

Ebenezer's will, transcribed in modern form of words and punctuation:

In the name of God Amen, I Ebenezer Redding of Middleborough in the county of Plymouth in New England, being sick and weak of body but of a sound and disposing mind memory and understanding blessed be God, therefore calling to mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die do make and ordain this to be my last will and testament to stand firm and remain inviolable forever. Principally and first of all I give and recommend my soul unto the hands of God that gave it and my body I recommend unto the dust to be buried in decent Christian burial at the discretion of my executor nothing doubting but at the general resurrection I shall receive the same again, and as touching such worldly estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this my life with I do dispose of the same in the following manner and form

Imprimis, I give and bequeath unto my true and well-beloved wife Joanna Redding all the household goods that is [---] to be found of them she brought to me when she came to me to be at her disposal forever. I also give her one of my fire rooms below and room in the chamber to set her warping bars and one third part of the room in the cellar and one third part of the room in my barn and one third part of the improvement of my farm and so much of my household stuff besides what I gave her forever if she stands in need of for her comfortable keeping house so long as she shall remain my widow and I also order my two sons William and Thomas to find her one cow so long as she is my widow

I give and bequeath unto my sons William Redding and Thomas Redding all my land with the buildings and fences thereon equally to be divided the length ways of the lot according to quantity and quality.

Item I give and bequeath unto my son Ebenezer Redding the sum of two lbs, thirteen shillings and 4 pence lawful money to be paid him in two years after my decease by my two sons William and Thomas

Item I give and bequeath unto my son Moses Redding the sum of two lbs, thirteen shillings and four pence lawful money to be paid him in two years after my decease by my two sons William and Thomas

Item I give and bequeath unto my daughter Mercy Hatch the sum of two lbs lawful money to be paid her two years after my decease by my two sons William and Thomas

Item I give and bequeath unto my daughter Margaret Cain the sum of two lbs lawful money to be paid two years after my decease by my two sons William and Thomas

Item I give and bequeath unto my daughter Deborah Williamson the sum of two lbs lawful money to be paid her two years after my decease by my two sons William and Thomas

Item I give and bequeath unto my daughter Lydia Core the sum of two lbs lawful money to be paid her two years after my decease by my two sons William and Thomas

Item to give and bequeath unto the heirs of my daughter Hannah White deceased the sum of two shillings and eight pence lawful money to be paid them two years after my deceased by my two sons William and Thomas

Item I give and bequeath unto my granddaughter Silence Redding the sum of two shillings and eight pence lawful money to be paid her two years after my deceased by my two sons William and Thomas

Item I give and bequeath unto my grandson David White the sum of two shillings and eight pence lawful money to be paid him two years after my decease by my two sons William and Thomas

Item I give and bequeath all my movable estate within doors and without unto my two sons William and Thomas besides what I disposed of to my wife and the said movables to be at the disposal of my executor until he hath paid my just debts and funeral charges with what he can call in that is due to me and then what remains equally to be divided between William and Thomas. Finally I constitute my son Thomas Redding to be my executor of this my last will and testament hereby confirming this and no other to be my will as witness my hand and seal the 29th day of April Anno Domini 1751

Ebenezer Redding

Signed and sealed and declared by Ebenezer Redding to be his last will and testament in presence of us

Noah Thomas
Peter Tinkham
Ephraim Wood

Plymouth June the third AD 1751

This will being presented by the executor therein and for probate Peter Tinkham and Ephraim Wood made oath that they saw Ebenezer Redding sign seal and deliver and heard him declare this instrument to be his last will and testament and that they together with Noah Thomas in the testator's presence subscribed and witnessed and that according to the best of their judgment he was then of sound mind39

Ebenezer's estate inventory is extant only in condensed form as recorded in the Plymouth County probate volumes, transcribed as above:40

A true inventory of all the estate real and personal that Ebenezer Redding late of Middleborough in the county of Plymouth died seized of taken by us the subscribers June the 12th 1751 agreeable to lawful money

To his real estate at 100 lbs
To all his personal estate 45 lbs, 13 shillings, 4 pence

Ephraim Wood
Joseph Tinkham
William Cushman

Plymouth July 20th 1751

The above named Ephraim Wood, Joseph Tinkham and William Cushman personally appeared and made oath that the above inventory is a just and true apprizement according to the best of their judgement

Plymouth July 10th 1751 Thomas Redding executor on said estate made oath that this inventory contains all the estate that he knows of and that when he shall know of more he'll give it in

     William and Thomas came to an agreement as to how to divide the homestead land in November 1755. 46:108 William's portion was sold by the administrator of his estate in December 1792. Based on this description and subsequent Federal censuses, Ebenezer's homestead evidently was near the four corners composing what was called "The Green," with the First Church and oldest cemetery in Middleborough at it's center. He is buried in The Cemetery at the Green and has a gravestone there.

Children of Ebenezer Redding and Mercy Miller:41

i. William, b. 7 November 1706
ii. Mercy, b. 30 March 1708
iii. Hannah b. 8 February 1709/10
iv. Ebenezer, b. 11 October 1713
v. Margaret, b. April 1716
vi. Moses, b. 8 October 1717
vii. John, b. August 1719
viii. Deborah, b. April 1722
ix. Lydia, b. July 1724
x. Thomas, b. 29 March 1727

vital records sources: Ebenezer's first marriage is recorded in "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," FamilySearch image database online (Salt Lake City, UT: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1972), "Births, marriages, intentions of marriage, deaths, indexes, and miscellaneous town records, 1674-1854," FHL film 4934231, image 196 of manuscript p. 3, published in Barbara Lambert Merrick, Alicia Crane Williams, Middleborough, Massachusetts vital records (Boston, MA: The Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1986), 10. The second marriage is in the same manuscript source, 247/59, see also The Mayflower Descendant, vol. 5 (1903), 40, married by Rev. Peter Thacher, minister for the Middleborough Congregational Church. Joanna was the widow of Elisha Vaughn. Ebenezer's death appears in First Church of Middleborough, Massachusetts; Mr. Putnam's Century and Half Discourses (etc.), 83, "aged ab't 72."

1. Records of the Church of Christ at Cambridge in New England, 1632-1830 (Boston, MA: E. Putnam, 1906), p. 59.
2. York Deeds, 3:53, 3:94.
3. Fred Q. Bowman, "Redding Grandsons of Thomas¹ Redding,"The Genealogist, (1982) 3:161-171.
4. Congregational Library and Archives (congregationallibrary.org), "Church records, 1707-1821, First Congregational Church of Middleboro, Mass.," image 6.
5. See note 4.
6. "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," familysearch.org database online (2020), Middleborough, Births, marriages, intentions of marriage, deaths, indexes, and miscellaneous town records, 1674-1854," FHL film 4934231, image 294 of manuscript p. 146 (hereafter image/page).
7. 297/152.
8. 301/160.
9. 318/191.
10. 321/198.
11. 323/202.
12. 328/211.
13. 332/220.
14. 339/233.
15. 353/255.
16. "Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988," ancestry.com database online (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011), Middleborough, Town Records, with Births, Marriages, and Deaths" (vol. 1746-1772, begins at image 600), 622/2.
17. 626/10.
17.5. John Quincy Adams, Report on Weights and Measures (Washington, DC: Gales & Seaton, 1821), 97-8.
18. 232/41
19. 286/130
20. 321/197
21. 350/250
22. 240/52
23. 276/111
24. 322/200
25. 353/255
26. 248/60
27. 260/82
28. 248/60
29. 149/212
30. 275/109
31. 263/89
32. 263/89
33. 312/180
34. 318/191
35. 327/209
36. 267/94
37. 273/104
38. 254/71
39. Plymouth Co., MA, probate 12:183.
40. Plymouth Co., MA, probate 12:274
41. "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," FamilySearch image database online (Salt Lake City, UT: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1972), "Births, marriages, intentions of marriage, deaths, indexes, and miscellaneous town records, 1674-1854," FHL film 4934231, William, image 194 of manuscript p. 1; Mercy, 222/29; the rest, 259/80. Published in Barbara Lambert Merrick, Alicia Crane Williams, Middleborough, Massachusetts vital records (Boston, MA: The Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1986), 9, 15, 40.