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     John Denison was born circa 1690








(n.b. he died 25 November 1724 in the 34th year of his age; his father died 1689; his mother remarried 1690).² He was the son of Rev. John Denison and Elizabeth Saltonstall.¹ John Denison graduated in 1710 from Harvard.³ In 1713/14 was librarian of Harvard College; studied divinity and preached one year but was never ordained; afterwards settled in Ipswich as a lawyer and attained the rank of Colonel.³ He married Mary Leverett, daughter of Hon. John Leverett and Margaret Rogers, on 9 April 1719.³ John Denison died on 25 November 1724 in Ipswich.^3,4

     Mary Leverett was born on 29 October 1701.¹ She was the daughter of Hon. John Leverett and Margaret Rogers.¹ Mary Leverett married John Denison, son of Rev. John Denison and Elizabeth Saltonstall, on 9 April 1719.¹ Mary Leverett died on 27 June 1756 in Ipswich at the age of 54.¹

      President of Harvard.³ Hon. John Leverett was born on 25 August 1662 in Boston, Massachusetts.² He was the son of Hudson Leverett and Sarah Peyton.² John Leverett was prepared for college at the Boston Latin school and was graduated at Harvard, A. B. 1680, A.M. 1683, S.T.B. 1692. He was a tutor in Harvard, 1685-97, and a fellow of Harvard, 1685-1700. He preached occasionally for several years, but abandoned the ministry for law, and practised in Boston, Mass. He represented Cambridge in the Massachusetts legislature, 1698-1701; was speaker of the house of representatives in 1700; a member of the governor's council, 1701; judge of the superior court in September, 1702, and judge of the probate court by appointment from Governor Dudley, 1702-07. He was one of the commissioners from Massachusetts to visit and strengthen the alliance with the Five Nations Indians, 1704, and a commissioner to superintend and direct the army returned from an unsuccessful expedition against Port Royal, N.S., 1707. He served as president of Harvard College from Jan. 14, 1708, until his death in 1724. He was elected a member of the Royal Society of London, March 11, 1713.² Hon. John Leverett married Margaret Rogers, daughter of Rev. Dr. John Rogers and Elizabeth Denison, on 25 November 1697.^1,2 Hon. John Leverett married secondly Sarah Crisp, daughter of Richard Crisp, in 1722?² Hon. John Leverett died on 3 May 1724 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the age of 61.²

     Margaret Rogers was born on 18 February 1664 in Ipswich.³ She was the daughter of Rev. Dr. John Rogers and Elizabeth Denison.² Margaret Rogers married firstly Capt. Thomas Berry on 28 December 1682.³ Margaret Rogers married secondly Hon. John Leverett, son of Hudson Leverett and Sarah Peyton, on 25 November 1697.^1,4 Margaret Rogers died on 7 June 1720 at the age of 56.⁵

     (?) Denison was the son of John Denison and Mary Leverett.¹

     (?) Denison was the daughter of John Denison and Mary Leverett.¹

     Daniel Bliss was born in 1740 or 1742 in Concord, Middlesex County.¹ He was the son of Rev. Daniel Bliss and Phoebe Walker.¹ Daniel Bliss graduated in 1760 from Harvard. He died in 1806 in New Brunswick.¹

     Capt. Thomas Berry married Margaret Rogers, daughter of Rev. Dr. John Rogers and Elizabeth Denison, on 28 December 1682.² Capt. Thomas Berry died before 1697.¹

     Sarah Crisp was the daughter of Richard Crisp.² Sarah Crisp married secondly Hon. John Leverett, son of Hudson Leverett and Sarah Peyton, in 1722?¹

     Hudson Leverett was baptised on 10 May 1640 at Boston aged 8 days.² He was the son of Governor Sir John Leverett and Hannah Hudson.¹ Hudson Leverett married firstly Sarah Peyton, daughter of Capt. Bezaleel Peyton and Mary Greenough, on 20 August 1661 at Boston.³ Hudson Leverett died in 1694.³

     Sarah Peyton was born in 1643.² She was the daughter of Capt. Bezaleel Peyton and Mary Greenough.¹ Sarah Peyton married Hudson Leverett, son of Governor Sir John Leverett and Hannah Hudson, on 20 August 1661 in Boston.² Sarah Peyton died on 7 June 1679.²

      Governor of Massachusetts 1673-79.³ Governor Sir John Leverett was born in 1616 in Boston, England.² He was the son of Thomas Leverett and Anne Fitche.² Governor Sir John Leverett was baptised on 7 July 1616 at Boston, Lincolnshire. Leverett migrated to Massachusetts, with his parents, in 1633 on the Griffin. He engaged in foreign trade and had a distinguished military and public career on both sides of the Atlantic. He joined the Ancient and Honourable Artillery Company in 1639 and continued as a member of it for 32 years. He became a freeman of Boston in 1640. Four years later he went to England, where he received a command in the Parliamentary army and gained distinction in the war. He returned to Boston, Mass., by 1648. In 1651 he was elected to the General Court and became one of the selectmen of the town of Boston. By 1653-54 the apprehensions felt in Massachusetts respecting Dutch, Indian, and French neighbours had resulted in plans for an expedition against the Dutch in Manhattan. Cromwell sent out three or four ships, and the General Court of Massachusetts took steps to enlist 500 volunteers, to be commanded by Major Robert Sedgwick and his son-in-law Capt. John Leverett. Before the expedition was ready, peace was signed with the Dutch, and it was decided to turn it against the French in Acadia. Sedgwick captured the forts at Saint John, Port-Royal (now Annapolis Royal, N.S.), and Penobscot, the last capitulating on 2 Sept. 1654; and designated Leverett as commander of these forts. Leverett was not with Sedgwick's expedition, as we know from his letter dated at Boston on 8 Sept. 1654 (Rawlinson MSS A18, f.58).

Although the documentary evidence is inconclusive, it is to be presumed that Leverett went to Acadia, for he was addressed by Cromwell in a letter of 3 April 1655 as "Commander of the Forts lately taken from the French" and was urged to use "your utmost care and circumspection, as well to defend and keep the forts above said." He continued to be regarded as commander until the forts were delivered up to Col. Thomas Temple on 1 May 1657, although Leverett had been appointed a colonial agent in England on 13 Nov. 1655. Several of Leverett's petitions for compensation for his expenses as commander in Acadia were among the many faces the Council of State during these troubled years and after the Restoration Leverett was still petitioning for his losses.

On his return to Massachusetts, Leverett was again elected to the General Court for 1663-65. He was major-general of all Massachusetts forces from 1663 to 1673. From 1665 to 1670 he was a member of the council and from 1671 to 1673 he was deputy governor of Massachusetts. He was elected governor of that colony in 1673 and was re-elected annually until his death.³ He firstly married Hannah Hudson, daughter of Ralph Hudson and Mary Thwing, on 18 June 1639? At Boston.^1,4 Governor Sir John Leverett married secondly Sarah Sedgwick, daughter of Robert Sedgwick, in 1647.² Governor Sir John Leverett died on 16 March 1678/79 in Boston, Massachusetts.⁵

     Hannah Hudson was the daughter of Ralph Hudson and Mary Thwing.² Hannah Hudson married Governor Sir John Leverett, son of Thomas Leverett and Anne Fitche, on 18 June 1639? At Boston.^1,3 Hannah Hudson died in 1646.⁴

     Capt. Bezaleel Peyton married Mary Greenough.¹

     Mary Greenough married Capt. Bezaleel Peyton.¹

     Sarah Leverett was born on 15 June 1673 in Boston.² She was the daughter of Governor Sir John Leverett and Sarah Sedgwick.^1,2 Sarah Leverett married Nathaniel Byfield, son of Richard Byfield, in 1718.¹ Sarah Leverett died in 1730.¹

     Thomas Leverett was born circa 1585 in England.¹ He married Anne Fitche on 29 October 1610 in Boston, Lincolnshire.^2,3 Thomas Leverett emigrated in 1633 from Boston, Lincolnshire; where he had been an alderman. He died on 3 April 1650 in Boston, Massachusetts.¹

     Nathaniel Byfield was born in 1653 in Long Ditton, Surrey, England.^1,2 He was the son of Richard Byfield.² He emigrated to America in 1664, settling in Boston, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits. He removed to Bristol, R. I., in 1674, and acquired a proprietary interest in one-fourth of the land of that town after King Philip's war. He took an active interest in the growth, development and government of the town, served as speaker of the house of representatives for a season, and as judge of the Bristol county court of common pleas for thirty-eight years. He was judge of the vice-admiralty from 1704-15, and again in 1720. He returned to Boston in 1724, was appointed judge of the court of common pleas of Suffolk county, and later became a member of the Massachusetts council, retaining the latter office for many years. He was the author of an Account of the late Revolution in New England; together with the Declaration of the Gentlemen, Merchants and Inhabitants of Boston (1689).² Nathaniel Byfield married Sarah Leverett, daughter of Governor Sir John Leverett and Sarah Sedgwick, in 1718.³ Nathaniel Byfield died on 6 June 1733 in Boston.¹

      He was a pastor at Long Ditton, Surrey.²

     Colonel John Livingston was born on 26 April 1680 in New York.^1,2,3 He was the son of Hon. Robert Livingston, "First Lord of the Manor" and Alida Schuyler.¹ Colonel John Livingston married firstly Mary Winthrop, daughter of Governor Fitz-John Winthrop, in April 1701 at New London, Connecticut.² Livingston's marriage to Governor Fitz-John Winthrop's daughter was no doubt instrumental in his taking up residence in New London and subsequently receiving a commission in the Connecticut militia. He had served previously in the New York militia. When not occupied by military affairs, Livingston was a merchant. In 1701 he owned the sloop Mary, in partnership with his brother-in-law, Samuel Vetch. They became involved in the illegal but profitable trade with Canada, a trade which soon came to the attention of colonial authorities. As late as 1706 it was rumoured that Livingston was still involved in such nefarious activities. During 1706-7 Livingston represented New London as a deputy to the general assembly. He also speculated in Indian lands during this period.
Livingston's restless nature suited him well for the life of a soldier. Known as "the Mohauk," he acquired great influence among the New England Indians, especially the Five Nations. His ability to control the Indians marked him as a valuable asset to colonial commanders. In August 1704 after the outbreak of Queen Anne's War, he commanded a company of "Volunteers English & Indians to reinforce the Frontiers." A month later Livingston had his "first adventure" in "a publick capassety" when his father-in-law appointed him "to visit the 5 Nations" with commissioners appointed by Governor Dudley of Massachusetts. Though the commissioners gained assurances that the Five Nations would "take up the Hatchet," this support was not utilized at the time.

Livingston was serving as a Connecticut officer on the Massachusetts frontier early in 1705 when he learned that Dudley was sending a delegation to Quebec to negotiate an exchange of prisoners. Livingston volunteered and was sent overland from Albany to begin negotiations. Although "the Expense and Industry of our Commissioners in this Affair was very great," release was obtained for only a few of the 117 captives, most notably the Reverend John Williams. Livingston, termed a "very honourable man" by Governor RIGAUD de Vaudreuil, returned to New England in June 1705 with Captain Augustin le Gardeur de Courtemanche, the French governor's agent for the exchange of prisoners, who continued the negotiations with Dudley.

In 1709 Livingston, now a major, prepared to take part in the still-born Vetch expedition against Quebec. A year later he was again with Vetch, this time as commander of a party of Indians which flanked the main body of troops in the successful expedition led by Francis Nicholson against Port-Royal (Annapolis Royal, N.S.). With Auger de Subercase's surrender in October 1710, a council of war resolved that Livingston, accompanied by the Baron de Saint-Castin Ernard-Anselme d'Abbadie, "should go to the Governour of Canada, about the exchange of Captives, and inform him how Matters were" at Annapolis Royal. Livingston was, as Vetch put it, "perhaps the only Brittish subject of any figure or character capable of such extraordinary undertakings." The "Journall" that he kept attests to the arduous nature of this mission, which would have come to an early end had not Saint-Castin intervened to save Livingston from death "in a barbarous manner" at the hands of a distraught Indian. After almost two months' hard travel, Livingston arrived in December 1710 at Quebec where he was received "with all imaginable marks of civillity." His time in Quebec was well spent. While awaiting the arrival from Montreal of Hertel de Rouville and Simon Dupuy, agents whom Vaudreuil was sending to New England to continue the negotiations and "to obtain information through them of the movements of our enemies," Livingston prepared notes for "A View of Canada," an account of the fortifications and troops at Quebec. This was probably the chief purpose of the mission, for a successful expedition against Quebec had long been in Vetch's mind.

Livingston returned to New England late in February 1710/11 and at Vetch's urging prepared to leave for England. It was hoped that his knowledge of Canada could be used to persuade the court to renew plans for a general assault on New France. Stormy weather postponed his trip and word from England that another expedition was under way made it unnecessary. As preparations for the Walker expedition began, Livingston's knowledge of Quebec was utilized by both Admiral Walker and General John Hill. Livingston was questioned by the general "about the situation and works of Quebec, and was thought to give a very good account of it." The failure of Walker to navigate the St Lawrence successfully meant that Livingston's knowledge of Quebec could not be put to use.
Having "a verry great sway amongst them," Livingston, now a colonel, spent the better part of the next year and a half recruiting Iroquois for scouting work around Annapolis Royal and as a result was "considerably out of pockett." The fort was deprived of the officer best able to control the Indians when Livingston left at the end of 1712. He returned to New London where he was granted the right to erect a saw-mill in 1713. He liquidated his holdings there in 1718 and sailed for England where he hoped to recoup the money he had lost in supplying the garrison at Annapolis Royal. His early death denied him the honour of succeeding his father as the second lord of the Livingston manor in New York.

Although he was tied by blood or marriage to some of the most important families in New England, Livingston remains an obscure figure who moved only at the edges of the important events of his time; a figure who appeared to be more at home with the Indians than with his fellow colonials.⁴ Colonel John Livingston married secondly Elizabeth Knight, daughter of Mrs Sarah Knight, on 1 October 1713 at Boston.² Colonel John Livingston died on 19 February 1719/20 at the age of 39 s.n.p.²

     Mary Winthrop was the daughter of Governor Fitz-John Winthrop.² Mary Winthrop married Colonel John Livingston, son of Hon. Robert Livingston, "First Lord of the Manor" and Alida Schuyler, in April 1701 in New London, Connecticut.³ Mary Winthrop died on 8 January 1712/13.³

     Elizabeth Knight was the daughter of Mrs Sarah Knight.² Elizabeth Knight married Colonel John Livingston, son of Hon. Robert Livingston, "First Lord of the Manor" and Alida Schuyler, on 1 October 1713 in Boston.³ Elizabeth Knight died on 17 March 1735/36.³

     Margaret Livingston was born on 5 November 1681.² She was the daughter of Hon. Robert Livingston, "First Lord of the Manor" and Alida Schuyler.¹ Margaret Livingston married Colonel Samuel Vetch, son of William Veitch and Marion Fairley, on 20 December 1700.² Margaret Livingston died in June 1758 at the age of 76.³

     Colonel Samuel Vetch was born on 9 December 1668 in Edinburgh.^1,2 He was the son of William Veitch and Marion Fairley.² Colonel Samuel Vetch married Margaret Livingston, daughter of Hon. Robert Livingston, "First Lord of the Manor" and Alida Schuyler, on 20 December 1700.³ At the age of 15, Vetch and his brother William were sent to Holland to join their father who had fled Charles II 's persecution of the Covenanters. There they studied at Utrecht until they joined the forces of William of Orange bound for England in 1688. Vetch later acquired military experience in the battles of the War of the League of Augsburg, rising to the rank of captain. At war's end, he sailed in the ambitious Scottish expedition to Darien (Central America), was elected to the council of that ill-starred colony, and in August 1699 arrived in New York with the starving survivors of the project.

His commanding presence and natural gifts earned him easy acceptance amongst the merchant families of New York.

Vetch shortly began a lucrative, though illegal, trade with New France. Disclosure of his ventures, combined with political disruption of the colony and the outbreak of Queen Anne's War (War of the Spanish Succession), occasioned his removal to Boston, where by 1705 he could see the possibility of undertaking new trading ventures to Canada under the cover of negotiations for prisoner exchange. Governor Dudley entrusted him with returning Augustin Le Gardeur de Courtemanche to Quebec in the fall of 1705; the latter was carrying the rejection of a peace proposal made by Governor Rigaud de Vaudreuil. Vetch used the opportunity to assess the resources of New France and to attempt to re-establish trading connections. He eventually found opportunities for trade in Acadia. Combining trade with espionage, Vetch and other Boston ship-captains continued their activities until public outcry forced an end to this illegal trade. Many people were alarmed that weapons were among the articles going to Acadia. Tried and convicted by the Massachusetts General Court in 1706, Vetch went to England where, the following year, he obtained acquittal from the Privy Council on the grounds that the Massachusetts legislature had exceeded its authority.

At once Vetch advanced a larger project to Queen Anne's court; nothing less than the conquest of New France. With unusual breadth of view, he combined the schemes of 1690 and New England's efforts against Acadia in a sweeping paper, "Canada Survey'd," submitted in July 1708, in which he outlined the advantages and strategy of totally defeating France in the New World. Supported by friends he had made among the Whig lords and by letters from several colonial governors, Vetch won the queen's approval for the "Glorious Enterprise," a commission as colonel, and the promise of the governorship of Canada after it was taken.

With former Virginia governor Colonel Francis Nicholson as a volunteer, Vetch returned to Boston in April 1709 to get the support of the colonists for the expedition while impatiently awaiting the arrival of the promised British ships and sailors. Only in October did the dismal news come to the angered colonists that the enterprise had been cancelled owing to the demands of the war in Europe. Vetch, discredited, urged renewal of the plan, and Nicholson bore the colonial protests to England.

Nicholson returned in the spring of 1710, authorized to make a limited attack against Port Royal in Acadia, with Vetch designated to be commander of the conquered area. The French commander, Daniel d'Auger de Subercase, whose forces were vastly outnumbered, yielded after a brief struggle and early in October Vetch assumed command at Port-Royal (now renamed Annapolis Royal); the post amounted to little more than control of a small area around the fort, in the midst of hostile French inhabitants. The major part of the New England force departed in mid-October and Vetch was left with 200 marines and 250 colonial volunteers. The first winter at Annapolis Royal proved difficult. The fort was in a state of disrepair, necessary supplies were hard to come by, and the Acadians, sensing the precariousness of the British position, became more and more intractable. Vetch returned to Boston in January 1710/11 to seek help for his garrison, only to find that rumours were spreading that he was using his position for personal profit. He angrily denied the charges and finally managed to obtain some support for his post in the form of supplies. Returning to Annapolis Royal, he found the garrison reduced in number (now little more than 200 men) and discouraged about its situation. The Acadians and Indians were becoming more openly hostile. He began to send appeals to the New England colonies for reinforcements and continued to urge the complete reduction of Canada.

In June 1711, Vetch received news that a British regiment, supported by a large force of naval vessels, was ready in Boston and that preparations were being made, on the authority of the new Tory ministry, to revive the strategy he had advocated. Vetch was recalled to Boston and left Sir Charles Hobby in temporary command at Annapolis Royal. The force sailed for Quebec on 30 July, under the command of Admiral Sir Hovenden Walker, with Brigadier-General John Hill as commander-in-chief of the landing forces, and Vetch as commander of the New England troops. Familiar with the St Lawrence, Vetch was asked to lead the fleet, but Walker had not relinquished the van when contrary winds and poor seamanship put nine ships on the rocks off the Ile-aux-Oeufs in the Gulf of St Lawrence. The admiral, unenthusiastic from the start, needed no further excuse to abandon the enterprise, though Vetch used all his powers of persuasion to urge the still powerful force to resume its course.

On the return journey, Vetch received assurances that about 350 men from the force would be detached to replace the Nova Scotia garrison. He stopped at Annapolis Royal and left about 200 men, a military engineer, George Vane and a replacement for Hobby, Thomas Caulfeild. Vetch then went on to spend the winter in Boston, keeping in touch with Caulfeild in the interim. During his stay in Boston and after his return to Annapolis Royal in June, he made continual appeals to London for instructions on his duties, for a regular garrison, and for payment of the colony's sizeable expenses, but to no avail. The condition of the colony worsened as desertions from the garrison increased. About this same time, Vane sent complaints to the home government that Vetch was extorting money from the inhabitants and treating them "more like slaves then anything else."

After passing another hard winter at Annapolis Royal, Vetch learned early in the summer of 1713 that the Tory government in England had appointed Nicholson to replace him. When Nicholson arrived in the fall with a commission as governor, Vetch found that his former comrade-in-arms had turned against him and, following Vane's complaints, was attempting to have him charged with maladministration at Annapolis Royal. To counter these accusations and collect what the government owed him, Vetch sailed for England 16 April 1714, leaving behind his wife and two children, Alida and William.

With the accession of George I and the appointment of a Whig ministry, Vetch was able to discredit the arbitrary Nicholson, justify his management of Nova Scotia, and win the governorship in January 1714/15, but he never returned to America. He was often called to advise the Board of Trade on general matters concerning America, or on the troublesome problems of his own government. Superseded by Governor Philipps* in August 1717, he devoted his final years to futile proposals for developing Nova Scotia, petitions for vacant colonial governorships, and efforts to collect his accounts. Margaret Vetch joined her husband in England in 1717 and remained with him until his death while a prisoner in King's Bench for debt. He was buried at St George s Church in Southwark (London).

Samuel Vetch was one of the few prescient Britons of his time to catch a vision of the imperial future and draw colonists and crown together in plans of action which could command the support of both. He clearly outlined the new resources of forests and furs that would provide commercial opportunities for Britain in Canada. After the capture of Nova Scotia he worked tirelessly for its development, both while he held its command and afterwards when he made personal proposals in London. Throughout his life Vetch saw the relationships between his own interest and the growing administrative, financial, and military problems of the empire. He helped provide the spark that replaced the French empire in Canada by British dominion.

The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada under the chairmanship of Dr. J. C. Webster erected a monument to Vetch in 1928 on the ramparts of the old fort at Annapolis Royal. Large portraits of Vetch and his wife hang in the Museum of the City of New York.⁴ Colonel Samuel Vetch died on 30 April 1732 in London at the age of 63.²

     Alida Vetch was the daughter of Colonel Samuel Vetch and Margaret Livingston.¹ Alida Vetch married Stephen Bayard.³

     Colonel Nathaniel Saltonstall was born circa 1639 in Ipswich, Massachusetts.² He was the son of Richard Saltonstall Jr. and Muriel Gurdon. Colonel Nathaniel Saltonstall graduated in 1659 from Harvard.² He married Elizabeth Ward, daughter of Rev. John Ward and Alice Edmunds, on 28 December 1663 in Haverhill.^2,3 Colonel Nathaniel Saltonstall died on 21 May 1707.⁴

     Rev. Nathaniel Ward was born in 1578 in Haverhill, Suffolk, England.³ He was the son of Rev. John Ward.² Rev. Nathaniel Ward died in October 1653 in Shenfield, Essex, England.³ Author of the Simple Cobbler of Agawam.²

     James Ward was the son of Rev. Nathaniel Ward.¹ Emigrated to New England with his father but later returnd to England.¹

     Susan Ward was the daughter of Rev. Nathaniel Ward.¹ Susan Ward married Giles Firmin in Boston.^1,2