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 Leonard WeeksBorn 1633 at ,, , England May have been from Devonshire or Somerset County, in Southwestern England, died 1707 at Greenland, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States, age 73 or 74 years THE name Weeks is said to have been a Devonshire name of Saxon origin; but it was also common in parts of Somersetshire. Tradition says that Leonard came from Wells, in that county. The parish records of Compton Martin contain the name of Leonard Wyke, bapt. 1639, and his brother William about two years earlier, sons of John Wyke of Moreton, which is in that parish.?? In the old records the name is spelled in many different ways, as Wick, Wicks, Wyke, Weicke, Weaks, Weekse, Weekes, etc. Wells, Somerset County, England, fifteen miles southwest of Bath, is an ancient city, beautifully situated at the foot of the Mendip hills with extensive and fertile meadows on the south, east and west. It is said to have received its name from a remarkable spring, called St. Andrews' well. Its cathedral, a stately pile, 381 feet long by 131 feet wide, with a tower 178 feet high, is a beautiful edifice, commenced in A. D. 704 and enlarged in 1138. The bishop's palace, founded in 1088, is surrounded by a wall and a moat, abundantly supplied with water from St. Andrews' well. The city is small, neat and clean, with water flowing through its principal streets. The population in 1872 was 4,518. There must have been a great contrast between this city and the forests of Greenland, where Leonard Weeks toiled so hard and endured so much to secure comfortable homes for himself and his descendants. We know nothing more of the father of Leonard, nor of the time when Leonard landed in America. His name appears first as witness to a bond in York County, Me., 6 Dec. 1655, and next in the Portsmouth Records, 29 June, 1656, when he received a grant of eight acres of land, in Portsmouth. ["When he first went to the part of Portsmouth now called Greenland, he lived one year on a farm owned by Capt. Champernoon."--A. M. H.]. July 5, 1660, he received grants, of 44 acres, of 34 acres and 10 acres of land. In February 1660-61, he had settled at Winnicut river, now in Greenland, where he spent the remainder of his life, dying in 1707. In June, 1682, Leonard Weeks testified that "20 yrs. ago, he put his horse into his father Redman's pasture, by leave & license of sd. father Redman," "which pasture joineth to the east end of ye planting of lot of John Redman Jr." John Redman, sen., is named, about the same time. From this it seems that he may have married, first, a daughter of John Redman, sen., or more probably his widowed mother may have married John Redman, sen., who is said to have come from the same vicinity, and settled in Hampton, not far from the place occupied by Leonard Weeks. In 1667, he had married Mary, daughter of Deacon Samuel Haines of Portsmouth, his neighbor. She was the mother of six children. During the political contest in 1665 respecting the separation of New Hampshire from Massachusetts, "Leonard Weeks stood for Massachusetts rather than for the crown." We find in the court records, 1660, 4th mo. 26. "Leonard Weeks, for swearing by God and calling John Hall of Greenland, ould dog, & ould slave, & that he would knock him in ye head," fined "10 shillings for swearing, & to have an admonition for his reviling and threatening speeches, & fees of court, 3 shillings." In the year following, he was elected one of the selectmen of Portsmouth. He was afterwards constable and for several years sheriff. In 1669, he "was on a committee" with men from Dover and Hampton, "to lay out the highway between Greenland & Bloody Poynt." His seat in the church, at Portsmouth, was No. 4 in front of the pulpit. After quietly occupying for more than twenty years the lands he had purchased, he was called into court to resist the claims of some heirs who hoped to eject him on the ground of a defective title. I find records of four deeds, made on 23 April, 1706, and acknowledged 15 May, 1706, probably instead of a will, in which he conveys to his four younger sons, Samuel, Joseph, Joshua and Jonathan, his lands, retaining possession himself during life and making also some provision for the elder son John, and for his now wife Elizabeth and three daughters, Mary, Margaret and Sarah (see Appendix, Note I). He died before March 1707-8 (see Appendix, Note II); but much of the land he owned in Greenland has remained in the possession of his descendants till the present day. It seems reasonable that his descendants should feel an interest in the history of the persons from whom they have inherited not only their names and their blood, but many of them their homes and a portion of their personal property. NOTE I. DEEDS BY LEONARD WEEKS. DERD OF LEONARD TO JOSHUA WEEKS, RECORDED 4 SEPT., 1707, PER WM. VAUGHN, RECORDER To all Chistyan People to whoom this prent Deed may com I Lenard Weekes of Greenland, Belonginge to Portsmouth, in ye Province of New Hanpshere, in New England, Planter, Send Greetinge. Know ye that the said Lenord Weekes, as well for and in consideration of the naturall affectyon and fatherly Love w'h I have & do Bare unto my well belove son, Joshawa Weekes of the same town and Provins abovefaid as allso for other good causes & consideratyons mee hereunto moovings (and in confiderasion yt. hee Paye and Performe what I hereafter order him in this Deed) Have Given, & Granted and by these prefents doe Give, Grant and confirme unto the Above mentyoned Jofhewa Weekes all and Singuler thofe severall Parfells of Land and other moovables hereafter mentyoned, viz. Thirty Acres of Land adjoyning to a Place called Turning Poynte be the same moore or Lefe, and six acres of Salte Marfh adjoining to the Above faid land, be the same more or Lefe, Lying on the Westerly side of William ffurburo I allso Give to him two oxen and two cowes, & the one halfe of my Right in a new Saw Mill Lately Bulte upon Weenecut River. I also give unto him, the Said Joshewa Weekes the one halfe of all my Implements of Husbandry, when they shall be Equally Divided betwene my Son Sam'l Weekes and hee the said Joshewa Weekes. The above Joshewa Weeks, To Have and to hoold an Peaceably to Injoy the one mentyoned Thirty Acres of Land be the Same More or Lefe. wth all the ffences Timber, trees wood and underwood thereunto belonging And the Six Acres of Salt Marfh be the Same more or Lefe, and the one halfe of my Right to the Said Saw-mill, as also the one halfe of my Implements of Husbandry as above said, To him, the Above mentyoned Joshewa Weekes, his Heirs Exec'rs Adm'rs and Assignes, to his & their owne Propper use, Benefits & Behoofes for ever. Hee the Said Joshewa Weekes To Enter Upon and poffefe the above Mentyoned Premefef, all Imedyatly after my Deaceafe, but not Before, Excepte I Shall See Cause to Lett him to Improve Parte thereof Before. In Consideratyon of the above mentyoned premefes, the Said Joshewa Weekes Shall Paye, or Cause well & Truely to be paid unto his Brother John Weekes, the sum of Ten Pounds in, or As money, to be Paid to him Within three yeares after my Deceafe, as allso to pay to my Son Samewell Weekes In Provifyon Paye as money, Twentie Shillinges a yeare towards the maintenaufe of Elisabeth, my now Wife, for so longe as shee Shall Remaine a Widdow, after my Death, and Consideratyon thereof the said Joshua Weekes Shall Have Hoold and Pofsef the above Mentyoned Premefes ffully and quietly wth out Any matter of Challinge, Claime or Demand of Anny of my Heires, Exe'rs Adm'rs or Afsigines or of Anny Monny or other Things therefore to be yelded, Paid, or Done anny otherwaies than the Above mentyoned Payment mentyoned in this Deed wch are to be faithfully an carefully Paid and Don as is above mentyoned & for the confermatyon of all above written, I the Said Lenord Weekes have Hereunto Putt my Hand an affixed my Sele this twenty-third Day of Aprill in this year of our Lord Seventeene Hundred & Six an in the ffifth yere of the Reigne of our Soveraigne Lady Anne, by the Grace of God of England, Scotland ffrance and Ireland, Queen, Defender of the ffaith, &c.-- Signed by a Mark and acknowledged before Henry Dow, Justice of Peace, the 15 May, 1706. In the deed, 23 April, 1706, to his son Samuel, Leonard Weeks makes a condition: "That the Said Samll Weekes Shall Paye . . . for Elizabeth my now wife, after my Decease (So longe as Shee shall continue a Widdo) a Convenyent ffier Room, Warme & Comfortable, for her to liue in and to paye -- her Seuen Pounds a Yere, in Provityon paye or Monny . . and allso find her wth wood, brought hoome to her House, Cut, fit and Convenyent for her ffier, and to find her the Milke of two Cowes wch two Cowes are to be found for her, wintered and Somered for her, in the Pasture, or So as She may Have them, &c. The Said Samll Weekes Shall Pay or cause to be paid to my Daughter, Mary Weeks Ten Pounds as Monny wth in one yere after my Decease; and to my Daughter Margaret Weekes the Som of Ten Pounds as monny wth in two yeares after my Decease. as allso to my Daughter Sarah Weekes the Som of Ten Pounds as money wth in three years after my Decease &c." NOTE II. "Nov. ye 24, 1708,-- at Meeting of ye selectmen, pursuant a town order, at last gen'll Town Meeting [in March]. In answare to what Samuel Weickes proposed, at sd. Meeting, for ye exchange of twentey acors of lande, granted by sd. town to his father, Leonard Weekes, deceased &c." The Selectmen of Portsmouth ordered to "exchange 16 acres on the East of Winnicut River for 20 acres West of it at the request of Samuel, son of Leonard Weeks dec'd. This land had been granted to Leonard Weeks."--A. M. H. Ten years after this, Sam'l Weeks, eldest son of Leonard, was appointed administrator upon a part of the estate not divided, and Samuel Chapman, commissioner, to "examine claims &c. due from the estate," which were settled according to the law as we learn from the Probate Records. NOTE III. THE OLD BRICK HOUSE. It stands on the Weeks place, a little West of the Parade, in Greenland. It is over 36 feet long, 22 feet wide, and the walls of the lower story are 18 inches thick. The bricks in the front wall are of different colors laid in order so as to appear something like the spots on a checker board. There was a rent in the walls, at each end of the house, supposed to have been made by the great earthquake, in 1755. But the walls are now covered by cement, which covers the rent. The lower story is 8 feet and 6 inches high. The second story is 8 feet, and the steep pitch of the roof affords ample room for the attic. The windows were originally of small, diamond-shaped glass, set in lead; but have been changed to a later style. The timbers are hard wood,-- oaken beams, hewn 12 X 14 inches, and the sleepers of red oak, with bark still on, about 10 inches in diameter. It is supposed that one object in erecting, at that early period, a house so expensive, was to provide more security from the attacks of the Indians. Some twenty years before this was built, Samuel Haines, jr., a brother to the wife of Leonard Weeks, had erected a garrison house not far from this place. There has been much discussion about the date when this house was built, and the question is not yet positively decided. About 1873, Enoch H. Clark, an aged citizen of Greenland, said, "The owners of the Brick House, told me, it was built by Leonard Weeks' son. As their father told me, it would be, in 1873, 160 to 170 years old." Tradition says, that a committee from Newmarket visited Greenland, to examine this house before erecting one of the same pattern for Jeremiah Folsom, on an eminence half a mile south of Newmarket village. It was not quite so large as the Weeks' house, and was taken down after standing about one hundred and sixty years. The granddaughter of the builder told me that her father, Col. Jeremiah Folsom, was born in that house before the workmen had finished the roof. He was born 25 July, 1719. If Leonard Weeks had built the house, he would probably have given some intimation of it, in describing the property, houses and lands, which he conveyed to his children in 1706; but there is no allusion to it. The conclusion most probable is that his son, Capt. Sam'l Weeks, who inherited the homestead, finding the old house insufficient to accommodate the stepmother and his two unmarried sisters, together with his own large and growing family, erected this house about the year 1710 or 1712, and that in 1890 it will be about one hundred and eighty years old. J. C. NOTE IV. The settlement of the estate of Joshua Weeks, jr., was an occasion of much trouble between two families. Old Capt. Joshua Weeks seems to have been a quiet farmer with ten children, who was not often noticed in the Court Records. But his oldest son Joshua. jr., married Sarah the daughter of Richard Jenness, a lawyer, and died soon. Nine days after his death, the widow removed back to Rye, the home of her father, taking (it is to be supposed) her property with her. One year afterward she was appointed administratrix upon the estate of her late husband and showed the appraisers property which they estimated at œ411-11s. But as he had received no title to the house and lands where he lived, and most of the stock on the place came from his father's, only œ91-11s. were allowed upon that œ411-11s. Two years and a half after her husband's death, the widow had her father-in-law, Capt. Joshua Weeks, cited to appear in court at Portsmouth, and declare upon oath, if he had not in his possession, some of the goods of his deceased son. He appeared; but found it rather hard to tell what had become of all the old clothes, shoes and stockings, etc., of this son who had gone out from home four years before to set up housekeeping for himself. I have copied a few specimens of the questions put to the old man. 1. About five suits of clothes. He could not tell, 2 1/2 yrs. after the death of his son, how many suits of clothes he had. He knew nothing of the 8 pairs of stockings which he was charged with taking. Knew nothing of the two pairs of shoes. As to the two pairs of boots, he remembered "only one pair pretty much worn--nothing of the three pairs of gloves." Of the three hats, "he knows only one about half worn." He says he has the bedstead & feather bed; but they were his own "lent to his son." "Of the Blankets & coverlets," he "can't say." "Of the 40 bushels of corn, he says, there were not more than ten which was his own & he took it." "As to the 4 bushels of wheat & 4 bush. barley, he knows nothing." As to the 8 barrels of syder, he knows only three, & these were his own." "The oxen, cowes horse & sheep were his own, taken there to winter, his son to have the use of them for looking after them." "There was an old sled, & he took it. The hoes & axes, he knows nothing of--the scythe remains where it was when his son died, & he supposes the meal chest is where it was." "The six cords of wood was about four cords, belonging to the intestate and his brother," etc., etc. Nearly three years after the death of her husband the widow remembered enough more of his wearing apparel to have another inventory appraised at œ57-2s. which was allowed and paid to her. She was not satisfied, but the next year brought suit against her father-in-law, for a large amount of damages, and the sturdy old captain, being only a farmer, perplexed with the cares of a large estate and a great family, had a small chance in a contest with the smart young widow, her brother Richard, law student, and the wily old lawyer, her father. They secured a verdict of œ160 and costs of court, œ3-11s.-6, which the sheriff collected, and she acknowledged at the settlement of the estate. Twelve years afterward the captain made his will and bequeathed a large amount of property to his other children and grandchildren, and twenty shillings in full to the son of the widow in Rye. After all their contention and legal skill, in extorting œ160 from Captain Weeks, it is probable that if they had made a peaceable settlement in the beginning they might have fared much better in the end. This information comes from: Leonard Weeks of Greenland New Hampshire and Descendants Author: Rev. Jacob Chapman published in 1889
Married 1667 at Greenland, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States, age 33 or 34 years (married 11 or 12 years) to:  Mary Redman, age by marriage 17 or 18 yearsBorn 15 Dec 1649 at Hampton, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States, died 1679 at Greenland, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States, age 29 or 30 years Some records show Leonards wife as Mary Haines. Not sure which is correct.
Children:
1.
John WeeksBorn 14 Jun 1668 at Greenland, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States, died before 1711, age at most 43 years 2.
Samuel WeeksBorn 14 Dec 1670 at Greenland, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States, died 26 Mar 1746 at Greenland, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States, age 75 years Capt. Samuel Weeks born 1670, died 1746, farmer in Greenland, and his wife Elinor (Haines) ....who had seven children...He was a man of intelligence, wealth, energy and influence, in the church and in the town. He is said to have built about 1710, the brick house which gave name to his branch of the family called "The Brick House Family" as distinguished from the "Bay Side Family," which descended from his brother Joshua. the same house is now occupied by Robert B. Weeks, one of his descendants. ....In his will, proved 30 April, 1746, he left his house to his son, Walter Leonard Weeks of Greenland,N.H. This information comes from: Leonard Weeks of Greenland New Hampshire and Descendants Author: Rev. Jacob Chapman published in 1889 3.
Joseph WeeksBorn 11 Mar 1672 at Greenland, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States, died 27 Nov 1735 at Greenland, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States, age 63 years 4.
Joshua WeeksBorn 30 Jun 1674 at Greenland, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States, died 13 Jun 1758 at Greenland, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States, age 83 years 5.
Mary WeeksBorn 19 Jul 1676 at Greenland, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States, died 1740 at Greenland, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States, age 63 or 64 years 6.
Jonathan WeeksBorn after 1677 at Greenland, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States, died 27 Jun 1748, age at most 71 years 7.
Margaret WeeksBorn 04 Jun 1679 at Greenland, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States 8.
Sarah WeeksBorn 04 Jul 1679 at Greenland, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States, died 22 Feb 1725 at Greenland, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States, age 45 years | |||