sable requisite that a person must be a church member, before he could be admitted a freeman. At what time he joined the church, I have not been able to ascertain. In the year 1645 he was chosen one of the Selectmen, and also in the years 1647 and 1651. In 1645, according to "Blake's Annals," "they agreed upon ye Building of a new Meeting-house, and granted a Rate of £250; the Committee Mr. Glover, Nathl. Duncan, Mr. Atherton, Mr. Jones, Dea. Wiswell, Dea. Clap and Mr. Howard; Raters, Edwd. Breck, Wm. Sumner, Thos. Wiswell, William Blake and Roger Clap." Whether the rate of £250 was granted expressly for building the meeting-house, or was for the yearly town expenses, inclusive, I cannot by the record satisfactorily decide. In 1656, Blake says in his "Annals," "This year Wm. Blake, Sen. was chosen Recorder for ye Town & Clerk of ye Writs for the County of Suffolk; he was to have 20s. per year & be ratefree." In 1663 he says, "This year Died Mr. William Blake, who had been Clerk of ye Writs for the County of Suffolk, & Recorder for ye Town, near 8 years. He was also Clerk of ye Training-band. He Died ye 25th of ye 8th Mo. 1663, in ye 69th year of his age." In 1678" This year, Agnes, the Widow of William Blake, died July 22d." I have no means of knowing what was her maiden name, or when or where she was born.

Tradition has told us that two brothers, William and Richard, came together in the ship Mary and John in 1630, but I cannot find any proof of the assertion. There was Richard Blake, servant, aged 16 years, came in the ship Confidence, from London, in 1638. In 1644, Richard Blake, of Dorchester, was creditor of the estate of Samuel Sherman, of Boston, deceased. In 1645, by the History of Andover, Richard Blake was the 15th in order as they came into the town to settle, and he was a church-member the same year. He died in Andover in 1695, and left no children in that town. I have not been able to ascertain what relation these two were to each other. Richard could not be son of William, for we have the names and whereabouts of his five children; and he could not be his brother, for William's brother of that name was

born about 1598. He might have been cousin or ne phew, and in all probability was such. It is my impression, though I may be mistaken, that this Richard was the ancestor of many of the name who now reside in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

The following is an exact copy of William Blake's Will, as it stands on the Records, in the Probate Of fice, Suffolk County. It was without doubt written by himself. It is short and explicit, and shows the ability and character of the man.

"The last will and testament of William Blake, (being of perfect memory & understanding ye good lord god bee blessed and praysed therefor) made ye third day of September in ye year, one thousand six hundred sixty & one, as followeth.

Imprs. My will is yt my body bee decently buried in hope of A joyfull Resurrection at ye Last day;

It. I give & bequeath unto ye town of Dorchester, twenty shillings to be bestowed for ye Repairing of ye Buringplace, so yt swine & other Vermine may not Anoy ye Graves of ye saints; pvided it be Repared wthin one yeare after my Decease. The Rest of My Land Goods & estate after My funerall Expenses & debts discharged; my will is And I doe give & bequeath Unto My five Children ye one halfe of My Lands Goods & estate to bee equally divided Amongst them by Equal p-portions; not that I disrespect My eldest son, for he hath ben and is soe dutifull a child unto mee as any of my children, but because he hath Least neede of it & he hath no charge: ye other halfe of my lands goods & estate I doe give & bequeath Unto my beloved wife & do make her sole executrex of this my last will & testament. And I doe Intreat my beloved breathren, Brother Edw: Clapp & Jno. Capen y they would bee pleased to bee ye ov'seers of this my Last will & testament, to see yt it bee fullfilled and prformed. finally my will is yt my wife doe not dispose of Any of her estate left her by this my last will & testament during ye time of her life w-thout ye Advise and consent of my overseers & My four sones or yo Major part of them, yet nev'yelesse in her Last will she may dispose of it Unto whome shee please; In Wittnesse

whereof I have hereunto sett my hand & Seale In ye WILLIAM BLAKE with a seale:

presence of

John Capen

Jno Minott.

Att a County Court held Att Boston 28. January 1663 Jno. Capen & Jno. Minott deposed that having subscribd their names to this paper was p'sented & did both see and heare Wm Blake to signe & publish ye same to bee his Last will & testament, yt when he so did he was of A sound disposing minde to their best knowledg: EDWARD RAWSON, Recorder."

"The Inventory of all ye goods & Lands of WM. BLAKE of Dorchester deceased.

Imps. his waring apparell & Money his purse 009. 15. 02

his house & Lands

his Cattle hay & Swine

his plate & spoones

his pewter & brass

154. 15. 00

017. 01. 00

001. 06. 00

007. 08. 04

his bedding&sheets table Cloths & pillow beers 017. 18. 00

his bookes

his apples & quinces & Indian Corn

his tables chests & bedsteads

his Ironpotts pans axes & pott hangers & saws

& hamers & wedges & other Lumber

Att A County Cort held Att Boston 29 January, 1663, Mrs Anis* Blake deposed that this is A true inventory of the Estate of ye late William Blake her late husband to her best knowledge, that when she knows more she will discover itt to ye Court.

Allowed off Ew. RAWSON, Recorder."

The Will decides the question explicitly, about his children, that there were four sons and one daughter, and we also have their names and residence.

I had formerly supposed that our ancestor built a

* Should be Agnes.

house and lived at Dorchester Neck, near the Point, to-
wards the Castle; but by investigation, I think he lived
in the neighborhood of the main settlement. The pre-
cise spot it is not easy to locate at this distance of
time; but we are very sure that he had land at the
Neck granted to him in 1637, and that a part of the
same land has remained in the family to this day.
He appears to have been a man of consequence in the
new settlement, and also of public spirit, as the first
bequest in his will goes to prove. I infer that the
town complied with the provision in the will, as I find
afterwards that the executrix paid it to the town.
At that time the burying-place was small, but a few
rods square, on the corner (now Boston and Stough-
ton Sts.). He and his wife Agnes, in all probability,
were both buried in that enclosure, but, sad to relate,
no memento is to be found to tell the spot where they
repose. This is much to be regretted, and it seems
no more than an act of justice that his descendants
should appropriately mark the spot of the resting-
place of one who was a pioneer to this then wild
wilderness, who without doubt labored and suffered
much, in faith and hope, that his offspring might enjoy
a bounteous harvest. Though his first bequest was
but a trifle, yet it served to show the principle and the
taste of the man, and was much for him and the times
in which he lived. The grave-stones of his descen-
dants, of the successive generations of the family, to
the present time, have been righted up, or re-set, and
cleansed of the accumulated moss which had rendered
them almost illegible for years (by the writer), and
now they stand renovated, telling their short but
truthful story, of the quick succession of the genera-
tions of men; and leading our thoughts back, to the
early settlement of New England, to contemplate their
hardships, their sacrifices and their trials.

II. Chil. of William and Agnes Blake, probably all b. in
England.

2. William, b. 1620; d. 1703, in Milton.
3. James, b. 1623; m. Elizabeth Clap.
4. Edward, b. -; d. 1692, in Milton.
; d. 1688, in Boston.
; m. Jacob Legare, of Boston.

5. John, b.

6. Ann, b.

(2)

SECOND GENERATION.

(2) JAMES BLAKE [3], m. Elizabeth Clap. She was dau. of Deacon Edward Clap, of Dorchester, b. about 1634, and d. Jan. 16, 1693-4, in the sixty-first year of her age. He was the second son of William and Agnes Blake, b. 1623, in England, and d. in Dorchester June 28, 1700, aged 77 years. He was much in public business, as the Records of Dorchester prove. From 1658 to 1685 we find him in some office almost every year; was a Selectman 13 years; Rater, Constable, Deputy to General Court, Clerk of the Writs, Recorder, Serjeant in the Military Company, which was then an office of honor, and was chosen Deacon of the Church, and ordained to that office June 30, 1672. He served as Deacon about 14 years, and was then chosen Ruling Elder, and served about the same length of time, until his death, both making 28 years,

wanting two days. Tradition says, and after the most careful examination of old documents I think there is no doubt of it, that he built the house (now owned and occupied by Mrs. Jane Williams, in the north part of Dorchester, west from Capt. Wm. Clap's tanyard, and north of Mr. Pettee's house, back from the street), and owned a farm adjoining. The house was doubtless built previous to 1650. A sketch of it has been taken as it now appears, and is here presented. The onestory part on the right of the main building has been