Staggs Family History

My ancestors in the United States

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    David Bosworth Jr (1699-1747)

    BIRTH: 21 May 1699, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA
    DEATH: 12 JUN 1747, Massachusetts, USA
    FATHER: David Bosworth Sr. (1669-1747)
    MOTHER: Mary Sturtevant (1676-1707)
    SPOUSE: Priscilla Shaw (1702-1743)

    When David Bosworth was born on May 21, 1699, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, his father, David, was 29 and his mother, Mary, was 23. He married Priscilla Shaw on December 22, 1720, in Plympton, Massachusetts. They had nine children in 20 years. He died in Massachusetts.

    His story


    The following is an excerpt from the book, A History of the Descendants of EDWARD BOSWORTH Who arrived in America in the year 1634, PART IV, FIFTH GENERATION, Compiled by Mrs. Mary Bosworth Clarke.

    David Bosworth, JR., son of David and first wife, Mercy (Sturtevant), born in Plymouth, Mass., May 21, 1699; (date and place of death unknown); married in Plympton, Mass., Dec. 22, 1720, by Rev. Isaac Cushman, PRISCILLA SHAW, daughter of Jonathan and first wife, Mehitable (Pratt) Shaw; born in Plymouth, Aug. 18,1702; (place and date of death unknown.)

    David, Jr. and wife Priscilla, resided first in Plympton, on land owned by his father and was living there on Sept. 30, 1729, for on that date the elder David sold land in Plympton and in the deed, it is stated: “Being that land whereon David Bozworth Junr. now dwelleth.” (Plymouth Deeds, 26-190). On Oct. 17, 1729, David, Jr., selling land in Middleborough to Ichabod Cushman, which he had bought Apr. 24, 1729, of Francis Curtis, was called “of Plympton” (Plym. Deeds 24-182), but very soon after this they must have removed to Killingly, Conn., for on Jan. 11, 1730, a child of theirs was baptized there.

    The first mention made of David, Jr. on the town records of Plympton, was on July 16, 1716, when a committee appointed to assign different members of the church to seats in the new meeting house, reported: “att ye North east Corner on the west end James Bears Jun’ Mosses Sturtevant John Holmes Junior and David Bosworth Junior.” (Plympton Town Records, Bk. 1, p. 24)

    Marcia 29, I725/5 Henry Rickard and David Bosworth, Jr. were chosen “Tythingmen” of the town of Plympton. (Plym. Rec., Bk. 1, p. 48) March 16, 17256 Ignatius Loring, David Bosworth, Jr., Jabez Edye and five others were chosen “Surveyors of Highways.” (Plvm. Rec., Bk. 1, p. 61)

    David Bosworth, Jr. was a miller and a millwright. This no doubt led to his frequent removals from one place to another. It seems to have been his habit to buy a mill site in some town where a mill was needed, build one, run it awhile, then sell it, buy a site in another town and move on. He first moved from Plympton to Killingly, Conn., this being shown by the fact that he and his wife were dismissed from the Plympton Church to that in Killingly and the Church records in Killingly show that they were received into that church May 8, 1730. Two children had been born to them in Plympton, a daughter Elizabeth and a son Amaziah. In Killingly two more were born, a son Isaac and a daughter Priscilla.

    May31, 1731, David bought 60 acres of land in Killingly on the Five Mile River of John Leavens. (Killingly Deeds, 3-115)

    In this deed David is called “of Killingly.” Oct. 28, 1732, David sold this land to John Winter, Jr. (Killingly Deeds, 3-163)

    The next move they made was to Lebanon, Conn., about 20 miles from Killingly, sometime between Oct. 28, 1732 and April 27, 1733, when “Joseph Loomisse of Lebanon in the County of Windham, Colony of Connecticut” for £220 deeded to “David Bosworth now residing in Lebanon,” 23 acres of land “lying at the upper end of the Town Street.” (Lebanon Deeds, 4-482)

    Jan. 18, 1734, “David Bozworth of Lebanon” sold the above land for £235, to John Loomis, a brother of Joseph, of whom he had bought it. The deed mentions: “with the appurtenances.” (Lebanon Deeds, 5-126)

    During David and Priscilla’s stay in Lebanon three children were baptized in the church there: Lydia, Zadock and David, the latter on Jan. 8, 1738. Not long after this they removed to Norwich, Conn., a little over ten miles from Lebanon, and were living there on March 12, 1739/40, when their daughter Hannah was born.

    Oct. II, 1742, Samuel Badger of Norwich for £12 deeds to David Bosworth of Norwich, two acres of land in Norwich “lying upon a Brook that Runs out of Mr. John Gagers farm a Little Below the Saw mill.” (Norwich Deeds, 9-502)

    Nov. 4, 1742, David sold the same two acres for £250, “Together with a Grist Mill Standing on ye sd Brook . . . with all & Singular the appurtenances Privileges . . . to ye sd Mill Belonging with the Mill house, also a boulting Standing in sd Mill house toGether with a Dwelling house” etc (Norwich Deeds, 9-14)

    During the time the family resided at Norwich, some of the older children formed attachments that afterward resulted in marriage. This same year (1742), Elizabeth, the eldest of the children, married in Norwich, Jonathan Weston; later, in 1746, Amaziah, the eldest son, married there Tabitha Hartshorn; and in 1750 Priscilla married Andrew Miner.

    We next find David and wife in Brimfield, Hampshire county, Mass., but it looks as if the older children did not accompany them to their new home.

    Aug. II, 1743, David Bosworth of “Norage”, New London county, Conn., “Housewright”, for £32 “old Tenor,” buys land of Robert Moulton; six acres in Brimfield, in the southerly part of the town “on both sides the Brook called the Saw Mill Brook or the brook that runs out of the South Pond & is ye Place called ye Mill Place, lying near too & a little up ye Brook from Jabez Warrins land”, etc. Recorded Aug. 30, 1753. (Springfield, Mass. Deeds, 10-74)

    May 6, 1746, “David Bozworth of Brimfield in the County of Hampshire in the province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England. Millar alias House Right” for 250 pounds, deeds to Elnathan Munger of Brimfield, “HouseRight”, the above six acres of land with the following change in the deed— “& is ye Place where the Grist Mill Stands being near to Jabez Warrins House . . . To Have and To Hold the said . . . premises with the Grist Mill and Stream”, etc. (Springfield Deeds, 10-76)

    Also in March 1746 David sold seven acres of land in Killingly to Samuel Green, and in this deed David is called—”late of Lebanon, more lately of Norwich Now of Brimfield County of Hampshire & province of Massachusetts.” (Killingly Deeds, Vol. 8)

    This was the last trace of David found at Brimfield.

    CHILDREN of David, Jr. and Priscilla (Shaw) Bosworth.

    • Elizabeth, b. at Plympton, Mass., Apr. 11, 1722; m. Jonathan Weston; dare of death not found.
    • Amaziah, b. at Plympton, about 1726; d. Feb. 20, 1805, aged 79 years; m. Tabitha Hartshorn.
    • Isaac, bapt. at Killingly, Conn., Jan. 11, 1730. No further records found.
    • Priscilla, bapt. at Killingly, May 16, 1731; m. Andrew Miner; date of death not found.
    • Lydia, b. at Lebanon, Conn., Oct. 2, 1733. No further records found.
    • Zadock, b. at Lebanon, Oct. 14, 1735, bapt. Nov. 9, 1733; d. July 5, 1810; m. Joanna Raymond.
    • David, bapt. at Lebanon, Jan. 8, 1738. Nothing further.
    • Hannah, b. at Norwich, Conn., Mar. 12, 1739/40.
    • Rebecca, b. at Norwich, Mar. 24, 1743.

    Nothing further was found about Hannah or Rebeckah.

    Legacy of David Bosworth

    Parents

    Father: David Bosworth Sr. (1669-1747)

    Mother: Mary Sturtevant (1676-1707)

    Married

    Married Priscilla Shaw (1702-1743) on 22 Dec 1720, in Plympton, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

    Children

    • Elizabeth Bosworth (1722-1805) married Jonathan Weston (1717-1790)
    • Amaziah Bosworth (1726-1805) married Tabatha Hartshorn (1726-1815)
    • Isaac Bosworth (1730-?)
    • Priscilla Bosworth (1731-1817) married Andrew Miner (1727-1810)
    • Lydia Bosworth (1733-1820) married Thomas Rawdon (1734-1816)
    • Zadock Bosworth (1735-1810) married Joanna Raymond (1737-1819)
    • David Bosworth (1738-?) married Mary Strong (1722-?)
    • Hannah Bosworth (1740-1820) married Ephraim Hall (1732-1816)
    • Rebecca Bosworth (1743-?)

    Documents

    • Birth Records
    • Death records
    • Marriage Records
      • Massachusetts, U.S., Compiled Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1700-1850 > Plympton Marriages > Name: David Bosworth; Record Type: Marriage; Marriage Date: 22 Dec 1720; Marriage Place: Plympton, Massachusetts, USA; Spouse: Priscilah Shaw
      • Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 > Plympton > Town Records, with Births, Marriages, and Deaths > Name: David Bosworth; Record Type: Marriage; Marriage Date: 22 Dec 1720; Marriage Place: Plympton, Massachusetts, USA; Spouse: Priscilah Shaw
      • Massachusetts, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1633-1850; Name: David Bosworth; Gender: Male; Marriage Date: 22 Dec 1720; Place: Plympton, Plymouth, Massachusetts; Spouse: Priscilah Shaw
      • The New England Historical & Genealogical Register, 1847-2011; Name: David Bosworth; Event Type: Marriage; Marriage Date: 22 Dec 1720; Marriage Place: USA; Spouse Name: Priscilla Shaw; Page number: 424; Volume Number: 151
    • Other
      • Mayflower Births and Deaths, Vol. 1 and 2 > Volume 2 > Howland, Lists children of David Bosworth and Priscilla Shaw
      • American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) > Name: David Bosworth; Birth Date: 1699; Birth Place: Massachusetts, USA; Volume: 16; Page number: 203; Reference: Gen. Column of the “Boston Transcript”. 1906-1941.
      • A History of the Descendants of EDWARD BOSWORTH Who arrived in America in the year 1634, PART IV, FIFTH GENERATION, Compiled by Mrs. Mary Bosworth Clarke. (Select pages)

    Relation of David Bosworth Jr. to Steven Barry Staggs: 6th great-grandfather

    Page last updated November 22, 2025

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