Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 08.pdf/262

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Daniel Webster. mental as well as physical traits are in herited, it may be, from generations far back. It does not appear that Mr. Web ster had much interest in the subject, though he employed Joshua Coffin, the historian of Newbury, to trace back his ancestry. He was so poorly informed that Mr. Coffin told me he gave him the name of his grandfather incorrectly. Different ac counts have been given of the Webster an cestry. By request of Gen. dishing, Horatio

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in Hampton, where he married in 1656, and died in 17 1 5, aged 83. His children were Ebenezer, Thomas, Nathaniel and some others. Ebenezer, son of Thomas, was a grantee of Kingston, in 1692, and settled there in 1700, where Ebenezer his son was born. Ebenezer, son of the last named Ebenezer, was born in 1739, and was the father of Ezekiel and Daniel. He enlisted in the French War as a private, rose to be a captain, returned home and was married.

WEBSTER'S HOUSE IN BOSTON.

G. Somerby, the well-known antiquarian, looked it up in England, and found that Thomas Webster was one of a colony that came from Ormsby, a village near Yar mouth, in the county of Norfolk, and settled in Hampton. The history of Gilmanton states that the first American ancestor of Mr. Webster was John Webster, who came from Ipswich, England, settled in Ipswich, Mass., and was made freeman in 1635. His children were John, Thomas, Stephen, Nathan, Israel and four daughters. He died in 1647. Thomas, born in 1632, lived

A large tract of unimproved land had been given by the Masonian proprietors to Ebenezer Stevens, Oct. 25, 1749. Young Webster went there with a colony to settle in 1763, to whom was assigned the most northern portion. Originally called Bakerstown, then Stevenstown, it was incorporated as Salisbury in 1768. He built a log cabin which he occupied for seven years. Mr. Webster thus spoke of his father's early condition, which cannot be too often quoted : "A man who is not ashamed of himself, need not be ashamed of his early condition. It