Following the challenge from Amy Johnson Crow to write a post weekly, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, here is my 40th installment, Sylvester Eveleigh / EVELETH. The surname has many variations such as Evelie, Evely, Evilly, Evylith, but the next generation or two seem to have slid to Eveleth spelling. [Having grown up in the early rock'n roll days, my brain skips directly to "The Everly Brothers", but I'm fairly certain there's no relationship.] Sylvester's name is also spelled in various ways, often as Silvester. Sylvester EVELETH is the 9th great-grandfather for my children, on their father's side.
Much of what I have found on Sylvester comes from the following sources: "A History of the HEVERLY family: including the spellings: Hever, Heverle, Heverley, Everle, Everley, Everleigh, Eveleigh, Evelegh, Eveley, Everly, and Eveleth"; comp. Neal F. Mears A.M.; 1945, The Bates Publishing Co., Chicago IL; also, "The Eveleth Family of Colonial New England", Jonathan B. Butcher; and others.
Sylvester EVELETH was known to be baptized in the Parish of Exeter, St. Thomas, 16 Feb 1603/4 as "Evelie, Silvester". More research is needed for additional details of his parents.
In Exeter, St. David, on 21 Sept 1630, he married Susan NUBERY, who seems to have been born in about 1607 (from later depositions). I have no further information on her family.
Sylvester and his first wife immigrated to Boston, Massachusetts, in approximately 1641, and he was apparently a baker in 1642. However less than 2 years later, they had moved to the town of Gloucester.
He was chosen as a "Selectman" in Gloucester, in 1647-1649, and was made a freeman in 1652. In addition he was chosen as Constable 29 June 1652, again serving in 1656 and in 1669. He seems to have been well thought of, and was a Representative in the General Court 1673 and onwards. In addition, he held a licence for a Public House in 1666-1670, and possibly later years.
The book "A History of the Heverly Family" states that he resided in Boston from 1673-1685; and that he joined the Old South Church in 1674. He moved from Boston back to Gloucester around 1687 or so, and died with a year or so, aged 85.
Sylvester and Susan (1st wife) had the following six children (I have not researched the children of my ancestor's siblings):
1. Margaret, b. abt 1631, Exeter; d. 11 Aug 1698, Boston; m. 11 Jun 1652 in Boston, Nathaniel Gallup
2. Mary, b.30 Jun 1633, Exeter; d. 7 Jan 1687/8, Gloucester MA; m. 21 May 1655 in Gloucester, Thomas Millett
3. Susanna, b. est 1636, Exeter; d. abt 1689; m. 31 Dec 1656, Gloucester MA, James Stevens
4. Joseph, b. June 1641 [ancestor] Boston MA; d. 1 Dec 1745, Ipswich MA; m. 1 Jan 1667/8, Gloucester MA, Mary BRAGG; 11 children
5. Hannah, b. 8 Oct 1643, Boston MA; d. 19 Nov 1670 Charlestown, MA; m. 13 Jun 1669 Charlestown MA, Nathaniel Kettell
6. Isaac, b. abt 1645/6, Gloucester MA; d. Nov 1685 Gloucester MA; m. 13 Nov 1677, Gloucester MA, Abigail Coit.
Sylvester's first wife, Susan died 14 Sep 1659 in Gloucester. He married for a second time to a widow, Bridget Parkman, on 6 Sep 1662 in Gloucester. She had 7 children at the time, although I am not certain of their ages; Sylvester's 3 older daughters were all married at the time. It is believed that Bridget died soon after 1683, the last time her name is mentioned on property lists. Sylvester married a third time to a widow Pilgrim (Eddy)(Baker) Steadman, likely about 1685, who died about 1697.
Sylvester died, aged 85, in Gloucester 5 Jan 1688/9, intestate. This required detailed inventory and appraisal of the estate, and administration of his estate was granted to his eldest son, Joseph in the Suffolk County Probate Court on 7 Mar 1688/9. The real estate passed intact to Joseph, as the younger son, Isaac had died before his father. Note that Hannah had also predeceased her father.
Massachusetts has incredibly detailed easy-to-use genealogy pages for records held in a variety of repositories, and I have yet to look at more than a few as yet. Click here Suffolk County MA for an overview of those records which would include Sylvester Eveleth's details.
If you have more information or details, or corrections to offer, please contact me via calewis at telus dot net or, in the Comments section below. Thank you for stopping by.
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