George FELT b. Feb 1610 Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, England d. 1693 Malden, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonies: Our Family History

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1610 - 1693 (~ 82 years)

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Name	George FELT [1]
Born	Feb 1610	Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, England [1]
Christened	10 Feb 1610	Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, England [1]
Gender	Male
FamilySearch ID	LYV8-8JP
Sailed with John Endicott	6 Sep 1628	Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States [2]
	Arrived in Salem on the ship Abigail
Immigration	1633	Charlestown, Massachusetts Bay Colony [2]
	on Abigail
Occupation	[2]
	Mason
Died	1693	Malden, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonies [1]
Person ID	I594779081	Carney Wehofer 2024 Genealogy
Last Modified	29 Sep 2024

Father	William FELT, b. 1575, Bedfordshire, England , d. Abt 8 Oct 1657, Heath, Leighton Buzzard, Befordshire, England (Age 82 years)
Mother	Mary Ann SMITH, b. 1586, St Giles Cripplegate, London, England , d. 26 Nov 1641, England (Age 55 years)
Family ID	F536732072	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family 1 Elizabeth WILKINSON, b. 1609, Bedford, Bedfordshire, England , d. 1694, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America (Age 85 years)

Children

	1. Humphrey FELTS, b. 1648, Surry County, Virginia, British Colonies , d. 1716, Surry, Surry County, Virginia, British Colonies (Age 68 years)
	2. David PHELPS, b. 1658, d. 1729, Stafford, Kansas, United States (Age 71 years)

Last Modified 29 Sep 2024

Family ID F536732071 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Family 2 Elizabeth WILKINSON, b. 1615, England , d. 1694, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America (Age 79 years)

Married 1635 Charlestown, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America [2]

Children

	1. Margaret FELT, b. 1632, North Yarmouth, Cumberland, Maine, United States , d. 1651, Kittery, York, Maine, United States (Age 19 years)
	2. Elizabeth FELT, b. 1635, Charlestown, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America , d. Aft 11 Feb 1692, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America (Age 57 years)
	3. George FELT, II, b. 26 Nov 1638, Charlestown, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America , d. 23 Sep 1676, Mount-Joyes Island, Casco Bay, District of Maine, British Colonial America (Age 37 years)
	4. Mary Ann FELT, b. 26 Jan 1639, Charlestown, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America , d. 13 May 1725, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America (Age 86 years)
	5. Moses FELT, b. 20 Dec 1641, Charlestown, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America , d. 1650, Province of Maine, British Colonial America (Age 8 years)
	6. Aaron FELT, b. 1645, Charlestown, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America , d. Aft 1685, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America (Age 41 years)
	7. Peter FELT, b. 1648, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States , d. Yes, date unknown
	8. Moses FELT, b. 20 Oct 1651, Charlestown, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America , d. Oct 1733, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America (Age 81 years)

Last Modified 29 Sep 2024

Family ID F536732073 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Notes

THE FELT GENEALOGY. A RECORD OF The Descendants of George Felt of Casco Bay
Compiled by John E. Morris.
HARTFORD, CONN. Press of The Case, LockWood & Brainard Company 1893

(pg 9) George Felt is found in Charlestown, Mass., in 1633. He was born in 1601, and tradition relates that he came to America with Endicott.'(John Endicott reached Salem with a small party in September, 1628) He was not among the first settlers of Charles- town, there being a few persons there in 1628, but the following year about one hundred people came with Thomas Graves from Salem, and laid the foundation of the town, which they named in honor of Charles the First. Charlestown was incorporated June 24, 1629, and the first church was organized November 2, 1632. The original town was laid out in two-acre divisions, and each settler was granted one of them for a homestead. We have the testimony of George Felt himself that the year of his advent in this town was that already named, for in 1681 he describes himself as ab^ut 80 years of age, and testifies "that the town of
Charlestown gave him an house plott of two acres of land lying in the common on the left hand as you go to Cambridge betwixt
the ground that was Rice Morrisses and Coble's, which is now in the hands of Thomas Welch Senr, which plott was given him about forty-eight years since."

The wife of George Felt was Elizabeth,(Rev. Joseph B. felt states that an Elizabeth Felt died in 1662, aged 50 years. If this was the wife of George Felt, he subsequently married another of the same baptismal name) ^ daughter of widow Prudence Wilkinson,^(Widow Prudence Wilkinson in her will, dated " 1655, 11 : Mo : 9, day," names her son John and her daughter Eliza. Felt.) whose home in Charlestown was on the south side of Mill Hill, nearly adjoining that of her son-in-law. Whether he married in Charlestown, or was already married when
he came, is cause for conjecture, but it is probable that they were already ma ried and brought children with them.

The town of Charlestown, although at the time of its annexation to Boston in 1873, the smallest in the State, covering only about 600 acres, originally embraced within its limits the territory now contained in Woburn, Burlington, Stoneham, Maiden, Somerville, and parts of Reading, Medford, Cambridge, and Arlington. On the loth of January, 1634, it was agreed at a meeting of. the inhabitants, "Y' y^ inhab. und"" mentioned have planting ground laid out unto them bet. the east end of the lotts above mentioned at the Creek, having new town pale on the south." Of this division " George ffelt " received four acres. This was on the " Mistick side," or beyond the river of that name and within the confines of the present town of Everett. On this side of the river he subsequently acquired considerable land, as will appear presently.

Up to this time all public business had been transacted by a general convention of the people, but this practice having become cumbersome and unsatisfactory, it was thought best to organize a new form of town government ; consequently, on the 10th of February, 1634-5, the following "town order" creating a board of selectmen was passed : -

"An ord' made by the Inhabitants of Charlestowne At a ffull meeting, for the Governm* of the Towne by Selt-ctmen :

" 1634. In consideration of the great trouble and chearg of the Inhabitants of Charlestowne by reason of the Frequent meeting of the townsmen in generall, and y' by reason of many men meeting things were not so easily brought unto a ioynt Issue: It is therefore agreed by the sayde townesmen ioytly that these eleuen men whose names are written on the other syde, with the advise of Pastor and teacher desired in any case of conscience, shall entreat of all such busines as shall concerne the townsmen, The choise of officers excepted, and what they or the greater part of them shall conclude of, the rest of the towne willingly to submit Vnto as their owne pper act, and these 13 sic) to contineu in imployment for one yeare next ensuing the date hereof, being dated this: loth of February 1634.

" In wittnes of this agreement wee whose names are vnder written haue set to o' hands."

pg 11: There were thirty-three signers to this order, among them George Felt, and it will be observed that his signature, which
may yet be seen upon the ancient records of Charlestown, is written Felch. This, or Feltch, is thought to have been the original name, which was easily and naturally contracted into Felt. All the descendants of George have written the name Felt.

By the year 1638 the necessity of an accurate public record of their possessions was felt by the people of Charlestown, and on the 26th of the first month (March) Abraham Palmer was " chosen by the Towne for keepeing the Towne Booke, as also to Record all pprieties of Houses, Lands, Meadow or Pasture, as any Inhabitants of y^ 'J'owne are, or shall bee possest of accord*^ : to an ord' of Court provided in y' behalfe."

Mr. Palmer, who was the second incumbent of the town clerk's office, having accomplished this, the following entry appears upon
the records : -

" 1638. On the 28th day of the X month was taken A True Record of all such houses & Lands as are possessed by the inhabitants of Charlstown, wheth' by purchase, by gif^t from the Towne, or by allottments as they were devided amongst them by a Joynt Consent aff the Gen" Court had setled theire Bounds, by granting eight miles from the old Meeting house into the Contry Northwest North"'ly, &c. the bounds of the s'^ Towne Lying or being bettwixt Cambridge alias New Towne, on the West Southwest, & Boston Land on the East as it app" upon Record by the sever" grants of Gen" Courts to all the affores^ Bounds."

George Felt was found to be the owner of the following property within the limits of the town : -

" I. One Dwelling house with a garden plott, scituate on the south west of the mill hill, butting southward upon Chads river, northeast upon crooked lane, bounded on the norwest by Nicolas Trerrice, and on the southeast by Ben. Hubbard.'

" 2. One milch cow common.(1 & 2 are within the limits of present Charlestown District of Boston)

" 3. ffive acres of wood land by estimation, more or lesse, scituate in misticke feilde, butting south upon the high way towards the south river, north upon the woodland, bounded on the west by Pru Wilkinson, and on the east by Rob Hayle.^ (Within the present limits of Everett.)

4. Haulf an acre of meaddow by estimation, more or lesse, lying in mistick marshes, butting west towards the north river, bounded on the north by Will Dade, and on the south by George Bunker.' (within the present limits of Everett).

"5. ffive acres of woodland by estimation, more or lesse, scituate in mistick feilde, butting northeast upon Nicolas Stowers, southwest upon Ric. Palgrave, bounded on the north- west by Phillip Drinker, and on the southeast by Rice Morrice.'(in the sixth ward of the city of Malden)

"6. ffifteene acres of woodland, more or lesse, scituate in mistick feilde, butting northeast upon Abr. Palmer and James mathewes, southwest upon Ed Convers, bounded on the northwest by Tho Lynde, and on the southeast by James Pemberton.(in Malden)

"7. Thirtie and eight acres of land, more or lesse, scituate in waterfeilde, butting northwest upon ffrancis Norton, southeast upon Rich Palgrave and Tho Peirce, bounded on the southwest by Edward Sturges, and on the northeast by horne pond."(in the town of Woburn)

Thus it appears that George Felt was the owner of a very respectable property, as has previously been intimated.

On the 19th of January, 1639/40 , Elizabeth Felt, the wife of George, was admitted to the communion of the First Church, and a week later, January 26th, presented her three children, Elizabeth, Mary, and George, for baptism. No record has been found to show that the father was a member of the Charlestown Church. Elder John Green, in his entry of the above mentioned baptisms, calls the name Felch, although he recorded Elizabeth, the mother, at the time of her admission to the church, as Felt.

Some time during the year 1640, George Felt obtained three hundred acres of land from John Philips, a Welshman, at Broad Cove on Casco Bay, in Maine, and by 1643 had become one of the pioneer settlers of North Yarmouth. "The advent of George Felt in Broad Cove may be said to be the birthday of North Yarmouth." This locality was then called Wescustogo by the Indians. Upon this land he built a stone house, or garrison, but his title to the property not proving sufficient, he repurchased it in 1643 of Richard Vines, the agent of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, who held a patent of all the lands embraced within the territory of Maine, east of the Sagadahoc River. After a few years' residence
at Wescustoc:o, George Felt returned to Charlestown and took up his abode on "Mistick side," and when the town of Maiden was incorporated, May 2, 1649, he was found to resi reside within its limits. About this time he disposed of a portion of his " Mistick side " property, as witnessed by the following: deeds : -

"Know all men by these presents, that I Geors: P'elch, Inhabitant of Charlestown, on Mislike syde, doe by this acknowledge that I have soiild, and am full payd for it, unto James Barret, of the same town, three akers of Arrable land, more or lesse, which I bought of ffrancis Mills, which sayd land lyes on Mistik syde, within the rayles, bounded on the east syde by Richard Kettell, and by the cuntry high way on the west syde, bounded on the north by Edward Carrington, and on the south by A high way. And the sayd James Barret is to enjoy and to hould the sayd three akers of land for him and his heighers for ever.

Sources

[S1160] FamilySearch Family Tree (http://www.familysearch.org), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ((http://www.familysearch.org)), accessed 29 Sep 2024), entry for Humphrey Felts, person ID KLX7-JYW. (Reliability: 3).
[S1160] FamilySearch Family Tree (http://www.familysearch.org), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ((http://www.familysearch.org)), accessed 29 Sep 2024), entry for George Felt, person ID LYV8-8JP. (Reliability: 3).