Wilkins Family in New Hampshire

This genealogy of the Wilkins family comes from a four volume set of genealogy research compiled in the early 1900s. Each generation is shown in parentheses ( ). Begin with one individual and continue that line through the furthest generation currently known before starting a new descendancy for the next sibling. This method keeps each family group intact, while presenting the families of siblings separately but under the same generational number.

This family is traced from very early times in English history, and was founded in New England by an ancestor who was one of the most prosperous men of his time in the Colony. The oldest families of this name in the United States are all from one ancestor and include many members of prominence.

The ancestor of the Wilkins family in Wales, Robert de Wintons, went from England to Glamorganshire (now Brecknock county), Wales, in the year 1090. He was one of the nobles sent by William Rufus, the King, to subdue the Welsh who caused him much trouble. The expedition was led by Robert Fitz Hamon. After the Welsh had retreated to the mountains Robert de Wintons remained and built a castle and was lord of the manor. The line of the Wilkins family in Wales is published in several histories of ancient Wales, with the crest and coat-of-arms—a Wyvern.

(I) Bray Wilkins

Bray Wilkins, the ancestor of the Wilkins family in New England, was born in 1610. He came from Wales and settled in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1628 or 1630. There is a record of his being there in 1630, and the family tradition in Salem states that he came in 1628 with Endicott. As the list of passengers on that vessel has not yet been found, there is no documentary proof that he came with Endicott, but it is probably true, as the ancient tradition during the generations has so positively asserted it to be so. Bray Wilkins went to Dorchester and was one of the first land owners, or proprietors, as they were called in Colonial times in Dorchester. He took the freeman’s oath, May 14, 1634. Fifteen years or more he lived in Dorchester, and then returned to Salem and purchased a tract of seven hundred acres of land which had been granted to Governor Richard Bellingham by the general court. Afterward he added smaller tracts of land to this until he owned nearly a thousand acres, and his domain extended two miles along the line of Reading. His estate was known as Will’s Hill, as the hill on the place had formerly been the home of an Indian known as Black Will. On this estate Bray Wilkins spent the remainder of his life, living, according to the records, “like a patriarch surrounded by his children and children’s children, and their children,” for he died January, 1702, at the age of ninety-two, most highly esteemed by all. The record of the baptism of his children is found in the book of the First Church in Dorchester. After returning to Salem, he and his wife and older children were members of the First Church in that town, and Bray and Anna Wilkins are the first signatures to the petition for permission to withdraw from the church in Salem for the purpose of forming one at Salem Village, as his estate was nine miles from Salem and but two and a half miles from Salem Village (now Danvers), where a church was founded when a sufficient number of families had settled in that part of the town. This was the church of which the minister, Samuel Parris, took so active a part in the witchcraft delusions in 1692. About twenty-five years after the death of Bray Wilkins, his estate and some of his neighbors were set off to form the town of Middleton. Bray Wilkins’ wife’s name was Anna Gingell, and they had eight children, six sons and two daughters:

1. Samuel Wilkins, born in 1636, and baptized November 5, 1639, in Dorchester, Massachusetts; married Jane _____.
2. John Wilkins.
3. Lydia Wilkins, baptized September 25, 1644 in Salem, Massachusetts; married John Nichols.
4. Thomas Wilkins.
5. Margaret Wilkins, baptized December 12, 1648 at Dorchester, Massachusetts; married Phillip Knight.
6. Henry Wilkins, baptized January 7, 1651 at Salem, Massachusetts; married Rebecca _____.
7. Benjamin Wilkins, married Priscilla Baxter.
8. James Wilkins, married Margarett Braye.

(II) John Wilkins

John Wilkins, second son and child of Bray and Anna (Gingell) Wilkins, was baptized March 22 (2), 1642, at the first church in Dorchester, Massachusetts, and died in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1723 ^[1]The Genealogical and family history of the state of New Hampshire improperly states that “he died before the completion of his thirtieth year, in January, 1672. It further improperly states … Continue reading. Children born in Salem, Massachusetts:

1. John Wilkins.
2. Esther (Hester) Wilkins, born June 25, 1690. Living in 1718.
3. Daniel Wilkins, born May 12, 1692 married Mary Bailey.
4. Betty Wilkins, born December 29, 1695. Living in 1718.
5. Jonathan Wilkins, May 6, 1697, baptized June 9, 1712.
6. Lydia Wilkins, born December 23, 1699; married December 20, 1725, Mark How of Boxford, Massachusetts.
7. Mercy Wilkins, born March 13, 1701; married Benjamin Cheever.
8. David Wilkins, born March 17, 1704; married Annah Thomas.
9. Joseph Wilkins, baptized June 7, 1719; married Rebecca Yell.
10. Solomon Wilkins, born about 1710, baptized June 7, 1719; married Patience Lambert.
11. Stephen Wilkins, born in 1712, baptized June 7, 1719; married Hannah Curtice.

(III) John Wilkins

John Wilkins (2), son of John (1) and Mary Wilkins, probably resided for a time in that part of Salem now called Danvers, and subsequently lived for several years in Middleton, Massachusetts, whence he removed to the northerly part of Marlborough, Massachusetts, and there resided for the remainder of his life, and died May 14, 1763. The church records of Salem show intention of marriage, published October 24, 1713, of John Wilkins and Mary Goodale. Their children, born in Middleton, were:

1. Edward Wilkins, baptized October 16, 1715 in Danvers; married Lydia Smith.
2. Samuel Wilkins, baptized July 21, 1717; died in 1790.
3. Josiah Wilkins.
4. John Wilkins, born December 29, 1720.
5. Edward Nichols Wilkins, born November 14, 1723, baptized April 19, 1724; died November 27, 1763.
6. Daniel Wilkins, married September 9, 1736, Sarah Fuller.

(IV) Josiah Wilkins

Josiah Wilkins, eldest son of John (2) and Mary (Goodale) Wilkins, was born July 1, 1718 and baptized August 10, 1718 in Danvers, Massachusetts. He went with his parents to Marlborough, Massachusetts, in 1740. He married, in Marlborough, Lois Bush ^[2]History of Pembroke says Louisa _, who was born in Marlborough, March 8, 1721, daughter of Jonathan and Sarah Bush. Lois died May 25, 1796, surviving her husband, whose death occurred August 21, 1784 ^[3]History of Pembroke says 1783. Their children, all born in Marlborough, were:

1. John Wilkins, born February 21, 1745; married April 4, 1769, Elizabeth Bruce, daughter of William and Abigail Bruce of Marlborough, who was born February 20, 1749/50. She was a sister of Rev. John Bruce, who married her husbands sister, Lois Wilkins. They lived in New Ipswich after 1814; he died March 3, 1841.
2. Jonathan Wilkins, born June 28, 1747; died November 20, 1750.
3. Mary Wilkins, born January 17, 1750; married in 1774, Silas Taylor of Stow, Massachusetts.
4. Josiah Wilkins, born July 11, 1752; married 1st, Judith Fox, and 2nd, Miss Bruce.
5. Jonathan Wilkins.
6. Levi Wilkins, born August 3, 1758; married Hepzibah Darling.
7. Lois Wilkins, born December 31, 1760; married Rev. John Bruce.
8. David Wilkins, born September 1, 1783; married Sarah Taynter.

(V) Jonathan Wilkins

Jonathan Wilkins, fifth child and fourth son of Josiah and Lois (Bush) Wilkins, was born in Marlborough^[4]History of Pembroke says Concord, Massachusetts, June 19, 1755. He was a student in theology at Dartmouth College, from which he was graduated in 1779, and subsequently went to Concord, New Hampshire, as a candidate for the pastorate. He continued to preach in that capacity until December 17, 1786, when he received a unanimous call from the church to become its regular pastor, and on the following day a similar invitation was tendered him by the town, guaranteeing a salary of one hundred pounds, with the use of the parsonage (excepting the Meadow lot) and the sum of two hundred pounds towards a settlement. This offer he declined, and abandoning the pulpit he turned his attention to agriculture, purchasing a farm at the “Eleven Lots” (so called), located at the juncture of the roads on the west side, in the immediate vicinity of the residence of the Countess of Rumford. His house was still standing in 1855. Jonathan Wilkins served as a selectman for Concord for the years 1801-03-04-05, was commissioned a justice of the peace in 1802, and frequently officiated as moderator at town meetings. In 1797 he was chosen clerk of the church, and in 1811 was made a deacon, in which capacity he continued to serve until his death, which occurred March 9, 1830. On July 3, 1787, he married Sarah Hall, who was born August 29, 1770, and died February 16, 1826, daughter of Jeremiah and Esther Whittemore (Woodman) Hall, and granddaughter of Deacon Joseph Hall, Senior. She became the mother of thirteen children, namely^[5]In the list of children in The family of Bray Wilkins, the names of Sophia and Janette are combined into one person, Sophia Janette Wilkins, leaving only 12 children total.:

1. Sophia Wilkins
2. Janette Wilkins
3. Jeremiah Hall Wilkins
4. Joseph H. Wilkins
5. Sarah Wilkins.
6. Esther Wilkins.
7. Fanny Wilkins.
8. Cynthia Wilkins.
9. Caroline Wilkins.
10. Rufus Wilkins.
11. Mary T. Wilkins, born May 23, 1809, married Thomas Carter and resided in Lowell, Massachusetts.
12. Erastus Wilkins.
13. Charlotte Wilkins.

(VI) Sophia Wilkins

Sophia Wilkins, eldest child of Jonathan and Sarah (Hall) Wilkins, was born May 21, 1788, married John White of Chester, New Hampshire; resided in Chester; she died about 1830. Children:

1. Caroline White, born September 25, 1812, died December 28, 1819.
2. William H. White, born September 8, 1814, died November 23, 1843.
3. Caroline White, born October 26, 1819, died September 13, 1821.
4. Anna Maria White, born June 6, 1823; James White, born February 8, 1826.

(VI) Janette Wilkins

Janette Wilkins, second child of Jonathan and Sarah (Hall) Wilkins, was born October 13, 1789, married December 28, 1809, Jonathan P. Webster; they resided in Salisbury, New Hampshire. Children:

1. Francis B. Webster, born May 27, 1816.
2. Frederic Webster, born January 5, 1825, died November 11, 1832.

(VI) Jeremiah Hall Wilkins

Jeremiah Hall Wilkins, third child and eldest son of Jonathan and Sarah (Hall) Wilkins, was born in Concord, December 25, 1791. He went from Concord to Pembroke about the year 1815, and for a period of forty years was a prosperous merchant dealing in dry goods, groceries and other merchandise. At the time of his death, which occurred October 20, 1864, he was considered one of the wealthiest residents of Pembroke, and he was also one of the ablest business men and astute public officials, possessing to the fullest extent the esteem and confidence of his fellow-townsmen. As selectman, town treasurer and representative to the legislature, he was instrumental in forwarding the interests of the community of which he was for half a century a prominent and honorable member. In politics he was originally a Whig, but his opinions in relation to the slavery question led him into the ranks of the Republican party at its formation, and he was a loyal supporter of the Union during the Civil War. He was a Congregationalist and an active church member. On September 16, 1817, he married Mary Thompson, who was born in Bow, New Hampshire, December 4, 1799, daughter of Robert and Judith (Noyes) Thompson, of that town (see Thompson, V). She died in Pembroke, May 19, 1879, having been the mother of fourteen children, whose names are:

1. Sarah Wilkins.
2. Charles Wilkins, December 21, 1819, died November 2, 1820.
3. Alanson Wilkins, March 31, 1822, died June 16, 1863.
4. Sophia Wilkins, August 5, 1824, married Samuel Chandler, of Peacham, Vermont, June 23, 1847, and died November 24, 1869.
5. Francis Wilkins, April 23, 1826, married Ann George of Warner, New Hampshire, July 30, 1854, in Warner, and died March 15, 1901 in Concord, New Hampshire. Resided in Boston, Massachusetts.
6. George Wilkins, December 29, 1827, died July 22, 1829.
7. Caroline Wilkins, September 15, 1831, married, January 23, 1854, Franklin Hale, of Chester, New Hampshire, died September 15, 1857.
8. Thompson Wilkins, December 27, 1832, died October 3, 1833.
9. Henry, July 7, 1836, served as a marine in the United States navy during the Rebellion; teacher, Ottawa, P. Q.; resided in Suncook, New Hampshire.
10. Charlotte Wilkins, June 27, 1838, died June 13, 1840.
11. Mary Esther Wilkins, March 23, 1840, married Dr. John Sullivan of Exeter, New Hampshire, December 7, 1863; resided in Boston, Massachusetts.
12. Hall Wilkins.
13. Joseph Wilkins.
14. Harriet Wilkins, April 25, 1848, married Dr. Frederick E. Potter, United States navy (see Potter, VIII).^[6]History of Pembroke does not list this child.

(VII) Sarah Wilkins

Sarah Wilkins, born February 28, 1818, married January 1, 1838, David Austin of Hookset, New Hampshire (See Austin VI. 4); and died October 11, 1887. He was born March 20, 1808 and died February 2, 1884. Children:

1. George Augustus Austin, born January 5, 1841.
2. Mary Wilkins Austin, born March 18, 1850, married June 11, 1872, Edmund E. Truesdell, and had David Edmund Truesdell February 5, 1876.

(VII) Hall Wilkins

Hall Wilkins, born September 14, 1842, married December 19, 1866, Lizzie H. Eastman of Sanbornton, New Hampshire; resided in Suncook, New Hampshire, died in Concord, New Hampshire. Children:

1. George Hall Wilkins, born October 10, 1870.
2. Austin Eastman Wilkins, born June 29, 1873, died October 17, 1873.
3. Clarence Prescott Wilkins, born June 6, 1876, died April 25, 1879.

(VII) Joseph Wilkins

Joseph Wilkins, youngest son of Jeremiah Hall and Mary (Thompson) Wilkins, was born in Suncook, New Hampshire, May 24, 1844. After concluding his attendance at the public schools he went to Chicago, and in the summer of 1864 enlisted as a private in Company F, One Hundred and Thirty-second Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, with which he served in the Civil War until December of that year, when he was honorably discharged and mustered out. He participated in the battles of guerrilla warfare. Learning the art of photography he has followed it continuously from 1867 to the present time, and for the past thirty years has been identified with that business in Suncook, having attained a most gratifying success. Politically he acts with the Republican party. He is a comrade of the Grand Army of the Republic and belongs to Louis Bell Post, No. 3, of Manchester, New Hampshire. On June 23, 1897, Mr. Wilkins was joined in marriage with Lora Emery, who was born in Allenstown, New Hampshire, daughter of Seth and Lorinda H. (Ames) Emery.

(VI) Joseph H. Wilkins

Joseph H. Wilkins, second son and fourth child of Jonathan and Sarah (Hall) Wilkins, born January 22, 1794; married May 15, 1817, Susan Morgan Low; resided in Matanzas, Cuba; he died July 14, 1819. Child:

1. Joseph H. Wilkins, born in March 1818.

(VI) Sarah Wilkins

Sarah Wilkins, fifth child of Jonathan and Sarah (Hall) Wilkins, born July 24, 1796, married Dr. John L. Sargent (see Sargent, VI) of Moultonboro, New Hampshire, November 7, 1869; he died May 17, 1840. Children:

1. Sarah Hall Sargent, born August 10, 1817; married January 1, 1840, Parker Pillsbury; child: Helen Buffum Pillsbury, born June 14, 1843; married September 22, 1889, P. Brainard Cogswell; resided in Concord, New Hampshire.
2. Zadoc Howe Sargent, born February 11, 1819, died October 13 1830.
3. Charles Woodman Sargent, born October 20,1823, died June 1, 1875.
4. _ Sargent, son, born May 20, 1827, died in May 1827.
5. Frances Ann Brown Sargent, born August 11, 1829; married January 31, 1849, George Blanchard.
6. Caroline Wilkins Sargent, born July 5, 1832, died August 6 1833.

(VI) Esther Wilkins

Esther Wilkins, sixth child of Jonathan and Sarah (Hall) Wilkins, born July 5, 1798, married in 1829, Dudley S. Palmer; children:

1. Frederick Palmer, born December 23, 1830.
2. Clara Ellen Palmer, born July 23, 1832; married Rev. A. B. Lyon of West Newbury, Vermont.

(VI) Fanny Wilkins

Fanny Wilkins, seventh child of Jonathan and Sarah (Hall) Wilkins, born January 21, 1800, married in 1824, Stephen Brown of Concord, New Hampshire; children:

1. Frances Ann Brown, born in 1825, died in 1829.
2. Henry Kirk Brown, born in 1827, died in 1831.
3. Ellen Brown, born in 1828, died in 1828.
4. William Stover Brown, born in 1829.
5. Georgianna Brown, born in 1831.
6. Edward Brown, born in 1833, died in 1835.
7. Henry Kirk Brown, born in 1835, died in 1838.
8. Eveline Brown, born in 1837, died in 1837.
9. Helen Brown, born in 1839.
10. Ellery Channing Brown, born in 1842.

(VI) Cynthia Wilkins

Cynthia Wilkins, eighth child of Jonathan and Sarah (Hall) Wilkins, born September 13, 1802, married in 1830, Moses Clement of Salisbury, New Hampshire; children:

1. Rufus W. Clement, born February 14, 1832, died in 1834.
2. Mary W. Clement, born November 23, 1835.
3. Sarah Jane Clement, born January 7, 1838.
4. Rebecca Clement, born July 21, 1841.
5. Joseph Clement, born July 15, 1843; died 1843.

(VI) Caroline Wilkins

Caroline Wilkins, ninth child of Jonathan and Sarah (Hall) Wilkins, born February 21, 1805, married in 1829, Benjamin Grover of Concord, New Hampshire; children:

1. Abel W. Grover, born in 1830, died in 1832.
2. Walker Grover, born in 1833, died in 1837.
3. Edward M. Grover, born January 10, 1840.

(VI) Rufus Wilkins

Rufus Wilkins, tenth child of Jonathan and Sarah (Hall) Wilkins, born March 27, 1807, married September 29, 1832, Mary Jane Wilson, resided in Lowell, Massachusetts, and died October 18, 1864. Children:

1. Rufus Monroe Wilkins, born July 12, 1835.
2. Henry Kirk Wilkins, born October 25, 1837.
3. Charles Albert Wilkins, born in 1840, died in 1840.
4. Albert Wilkins, born September 28, 1841.

(VI) Erastus Wilkins

Erastus Wilkins, twelfth child of Jonathan and Sarah (Hall) Wilkins, born December 16, 1811, married in 1832, Margaret George; resided in Boston, Massachusetts. Children:

1. Clarence Wilkins, born November 12, 1833.
2. Isabel De Veu Wilkins, born May 17, 1835, died February 20, 1843.
3. Ada Augustus Wilkins, born January 4, 1837.
4. Stephen G. Wilkins, born May 31, 1838.
5. Mary Helen Wilkins, born December 30, 1839.
6. Edwin Eustis Wilkins, born August 12, 1841.
7. child, born July 12, 1843 and probably died young.

(VI) Charlotte Wilkins

Charlotte Wilkins, youngest child of Jonathan and Sarah (Hall) Wilkins, born in May 1818, married in 1838, Perkins Gale of Concord, New Hampshire; resided in Ottawa, Canada. Children:

1. Georgianna Gale, born October 2, 1841.
2. Charles Gale.
3. Harriet Gale, born April 25, 1848; married October 2, 1873, Frederick E. Potter of Pembroke, resided in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

(V) David Wilkins

David Wilkins, eighth child and sixth son of Josiah and Lois (Bush) Wilkins, was born in Marlborough, Massachusetts, September 1, 1763. He married March 8, 1786, Sarah Taynter and moved to New Ipswich, New Hampshire. Children, born in New Ipswich:

1. Lucretia Wilkins, born August 3, 1786.
2. Lavina Wilkins, born December 30, 1788; married November 13, 1803, John Fox of New Ipswich.
3. Luther Wilkins, born December 30, 1789.
4. Silas Wilkins, born December 25, 1791.
5. Lois (Louisa) Wilkins, born March 29, 1793; married Dea. Moses Davis of New Ipswich. He went to Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1822 to become a merchant. Had 1 child, Lois Davis who died in 1841.
6. Sarah Wilkins, born February 11, 1795.
7. Nabby Wilkins, born February 21, 1797.
8. George Wilkins, born June 22, 1799.
9. Abraham Wilkins, born May 3, 1801.

(II) Thomas Wilkins

Thomas Wilkins, third son of Bray and Anna (Gingell) Wilkins, was baptized March 16, 1647, in Salem, Massachusetts, and died in October, 1717. He married Hannah Nichols, May, 1667 in Salem. She was the sister of John Nichols who married her husband’s sister, Lydia Wilkins. She was the daughter of William Nichols and Mary (Southwick) Trask. Thomas was made a freeman in Salem, March 22, 1689/90. His wife survived him. Their children, born in Salem, were:

1. Hannah Wilkins, born November 14, 1669; may have been the second wife of Nehemiah Wilkins, son of Henry Wilkins.
2. Thomas Wilkins, Jr., born May 26, 1673; married December 19, 1694, Elizabeth Towne of Topsfield, Massachusetts, daughter of William Towne, born November 2, 1699. While they resided in Topsfield, their children were recorded as born in Boxford, Massachusetts. Thomas was a selectman in Boxford in 1707 and 1720 and one of the proprietors of the farms at Will’s Hill, Middleton.
3. Elizabeth Wilkins, born in 1676 (found in some lists of children).
4. Bray Wilkins.
5. Joseph Wilkins, baptized July 20, 1690; married 1st, November 22, 1705, Mary White, and 2nd, July 8, 1708, at Salem, Margaret Nichols. He was living in Middleton, Massachusetts, in 1728. Had eight children born in Middleton.
6. Isaac Wilkins, baptized July 20, 1690. Isaac is mentioned in the will of his uncle Henry Wilkins as his “son-in-law” which may mean that Isaac married (1) Susanna Wilkins, daughter of Henry Wilkins, son of Bray Wilkins. Isaac married 2nd, Anna Wilkins Foster, his cousin, and widow of Ebenezer Foster who died in 1721. Isaac was one of the partners in the Land Bank of 1740 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Isaac’s will was signed July 22, 1743 and allowed February 10, 1752, indicating he likely died early in 1752. The will of Anna, his wife, was probated June 28, 1773 (No. 29870). She died June 5, 1773. Five children born in Middleton.
7. Henry Wilkins, (found in some lists of children).

(III) Bray Wilkins

Bray Wilkins (2), second son and third child of Thomas and Hannah (Nichols) Wilkins, was born in Salem, Massachusetts, September 13, 1678 or November 13, 1678, and was baptized July 20, 1690. He married February 10, 1701-02, Rebecca Knight, of Topsfield, and lived in Boxford and Middleton, Massachusetts. They had nine children, five sons and four daughters: 119-131

1. Rebecca Wilkins, born May 20, 1702, Boxford.
2. Rebecca Wilkins, born May 18, 1703.
3. Penelope Wilkins, September 22, 1704.
4. Israel Wilkins.
5. Margaret Wilkins, baptized July 6, 1707.
6. Phineas Wilkins, December 26, 1708, Middleton; married July 3, 1740, Rebecca Bailey, born December 12, 1712, a sister of Elizabeth Bailey, who married David Wilkins, son of Phinehas Wilkins’ cousin John Wilkins. Lived in Middleton.
7. Ithamar Wilkins, September 15, 1711, Middleton; married Lois _____.
8. Mehitable Wilkins, September 6, 1712, Middleton.
9. Abigail Wilkins, July 28, 1716, born July 28, 1716; married February 6, 1744, Nathaniel Putnam and removed to Wilton, New Hampshire in 1748.
10. Joshua Wilkins, August 26, 1718, Middleton; married Ruth _____.
11. Ichabod Wilkins, July 7, 1720, Middleton; married Mary Clark.

(IV) Israel Wilkins

Israel Wilkins, fourth child and eldest son of Bray (2) and Rebecca (Knight) Wilkins, was born January 6, 1705, in Boxford, Massachusetts, his birth being also recorded in Middleton. He was baptized July 6, 1707. He married September 8, 1726^[7]This marriage is variously recorded, as of September, 8, July 8, July 18, July 28, all in 1726, on different family records, Margaret Case, who was baptized March 10, 1705.They lived in Topsfield and Middleton, Massachusetts. His two sons, Bray and Israel, went to Hollis, New Hampshire, to make their home and responded to the Lexington Alarm from that town. Children born in Middleton: 264-270

1. Israel Wilkins.
2. Bray Wilkins.
3. Mary Wilkins, born January 15, 1730/1.
4. Hannah Wilkins, born November 11, 1732, died young.
5. Margaret Wilkins, born August 13, 1742.
6. Rachel Wilkins, born February 20, 1744.
7. Hannah Wilkins, born July 8, 1745.

(V) Israel Wilkins

Israel Wilkins, eldest son of Israel and Margaret (Case) Wilkins, was born in Middleton, Massachusetts, September 15, 1727. He went to Hollis, New Hampshire, with his brother Bray sometime before January 1, 1775, and like his brother, answered the Lexington Alarm and marched from Hollis, April 19, 1775 ^[8]New Hampshire Revolutionary War Rolls, vol. 1, p. 33.. A search of Middleton and Hollis records fail to reveal the dates of his marriage and births of his children. Records in Hollis give the birth of an Isaac Wilkins, who later married Lucy (Wilkins) French, the latter born in 1779. Assuming Isaac was about the same age as his wife, he may well have been the son of Israel and is so tentatively recorded below.

1. Isaac Wilkins, born about 1779; married in Hollis, Lucy (Wilkins) French.

(V) Bray Wilkins

Bray Wilkins (3), second son of Israel and Margaret (Case) Wilkins, was born April 20, 1729 in Middleton, Massachusetts. He married, April 11 (12), 1750, in Middleton, his second cousin, Lucy Wilkins (No. 247), daughter of Hezekiah and Mehitable (Upton) Wilkins, born March 16, 1729, in Middleton. Bray with his brother Israel, went to Hollis, New Hampshire, to live and they are recorded on the tax lists of January 1, 1775 as living on the “west side” (territory now included in Milford, New Hampshire). Bray responded to the Lexington Alarm of April 19, 1775 and marched to Lexington in the company of Captain Dow, serving ten days.^[9]N. H. Rev. Rolls vol 1. p 33, 247, and N. H. State papers vol xiv. He enlisted August 1, 1775 in the company of Capt. Archelaus Towne, regiment of Col. Ebenezer Bridge, for eight months and was made sergeant, going to Amherst to enlist.^[10]Bray Wilkins’ name appears on an order for a Bounty Coat, or its equivalent in money, due for 8 mos. service In 1775 in Capt. Arehelaus Towne’s Co., Col. Ebenezer Bridge’s 27th … Continue reading The regiment later was made the 27th Massachusetts, commanded by Col. Hutchinson, and in which Bray Wilkins served as sergeant at the Battle of Bunker Hill.^[11]Mass. Soldiers and Sailors of the Am. Rev. vol xvii, p 365 and 370. He was on duty at the siege of Boston. According to one muster roll he served five months and seven days, while another record states he served eight months “at Cambridge.” Bray’s name also appears in Capt. William Harper’s company, Col. Isaac Wyman’s regiment, mustered in July 16, 1776, to reinforce the army in Canada. Also Bray Wilkins was on the payroll for Capt. William Boyc’s company, Col. Kelley’s regiment, for the expedition to Rhode Island, August 7, 1778.

Later Bray Wilkins went into the navy and served on board the frigate Hague, Captain John Manly, and a receipt dated June 12, 1783, accounts for wages paid him for services to May 20, 1783.

Children born in Middleton:

1. Phoebe Wilkins
2. Bethia Wilkins
3. Bray Wilkins, Jr.,
4. Lucy Wilk

(VI) Bray Wilkins

Bray Wilkins (4), son of Bray (3) and Lucy (Wilkins) Wilkins, was born April, 1755, in Middleton, and lived in that town. He was a soldier in the Revolution. He was married, March 6, 1781, to Lucy French Blanchard, of New Boston, New Hampshire, and afterward lived on Wolf Hill, in Deering, that state. She was born April 21, 1755, a daughter of Nicholas and Priscilla (French) Blanchard, of Hollis. They had children:

1. Lucy Wilkins.
2. Sally Wilkins.
3. Ann Wilkins.
4. Betsey Wilkins.
5. Polly Wilkins.
6. David Wilkins.
7. James Wilkins.
8. John Wilkins.
9. Isaac Wilkins (twin).
10. Rebecca Wilkins (twin).

(VII) James Wilkins

James Wilkins, second son of Bray (4) and Lucy French (Blanchard) Wilkins, was born in Deering, New Hampshire, November 10, 1791. He moved to Henniker, New Hampshire, April 18, 1831, and erected the buildings near the center of the town, where his son James afterwards lived. He was a wheelwright by trade, a man of skill and an excellent citizen. He was a Republican in politics, but never cared to hold office, and was a member of the Congregational Church. He was a strong advocate of the temperance and anti-slavery movements. He married (first) Abigail Chase, of Deering, New Hampshire. They had one daughter, Abigail. On November 28, 1820, Mr. Wilkins married his second wife, Sarah Fulton, daughter of Alexander and Sarah (Blair) Fulton, the last named a native of New Boston. Mrs. Wilkins was born in Deering, New Hampshire, February 10, 1804, and was a woman of fine taste, excellent judgment and high ideals. Most of her married life was spent in Henniker, where she was a member of the Congregational Church, and where she reared a family of ten children, six of whom she was called to bury in infancy and youth. In later years Mrs. Wilkins found a home with her daughter, Mrs. Oliver Pillsbury, at Concord, New Hampshire, where she was devotedly cared for and where her well spent life came to a peaceful close, January 21, 1892, at the age of eighty-eight years. Mr. James Wilkins died June 7, 1869. The ten children of James and Sarah (Fulton) Wilkins are thus briefly described:

1. Gawn Wilkins, born January 16, 1822, wheelwright, merchant, postmaster, served in the Civil War, where he was first lieutenant of the Seventeenth Illinois Regiment; married Lucy W. Cogswell, November 17, 1870, and resided in Henniker.
2. Sarah Wilkins, born July 19, 1824, died October 21, 1825.
3. Betsey Jane Wilkins, born January 9, 1827, died August 11, 1869.
4. Sarah Wilkins.
5. James Wilkins, born January 10, 1831, married Charlotte A. Abbott, December 23, 1858; was a wheelwright, farmer, selectman and town treasurer in Henniker.
6. George May Wilkins, born October 10, 1833, died in the Civil War. Charles, born July 7, 1835, died in the Civil War.
7. Henrietta Wilkins (twin of William), born November 21, 1837, married James S. Taylor and (second) Charles A. Sayward, of Ipswich, Massachusetts.
8. William H. Wilkins (twin of Henrietta), born November 21, 1837, died March 13, 1839.
9. Mary Childs Wilkins, born March 13, 1840, died July 6, 1859.

Few parents made a larger sacrifice for their country than Mr. and Mrs. James Wilkins. Of the four sons who lived to maturity three served in the Civil War, and two gave their lives during the summer of 1863. Lieutenant Charles Wilkins enlisted in Company B, Second Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, June 1, 1861, for three years. He was severely wounded at the first battle of Bull Run. Before his wound was healed he received a commission in the First Regiment, United States Infantry, and joined his command then stationed at Corinth, Mississippi. He took part in several battles and skirmishes, was fatally wounded during the siege of Vicksburg, and died at a hospital in St. Louis, June 20, 1863. His body was brought home and was buried with Masonic honors amid the mourning of the whole town. His was the first body buried in the new cemetery. Lieutenant George M. Wilkins enlisted as a private in Company K, Sixteenth Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers. He entered the service November 20, 1862, and saw active duty with his regiment in Louisiana; was promoted to quartermaster-sergeant and second lieutenant, and died at Bellefontaine, Ohio, on the return of the regiment by way of the Mississippi river. His death occurred August 26, 1863, and his body was brought home and buried with Masonic honors, barely two months after his younger brother had been laid away.

(VIII) Sarah Wilkins

Sarah Wilkins, third daughter and fourth child of James and Sarah (Fulton) Wilkins, was born in Deering, New Hampshire, January 6, 1829. She was married to Oliver Pillsbury, December 24, 1850 (see Pillsbury, VII).

(VI) Hezekiah Wilkins

Hezekiah Wilkins, son of Bray and Lucy (Wilkins) Wilkins, was born in Middleton (formerly a part of Salem) and baptized May 22, 1763. He moved to New Hampshire, and settled in Deering, where he died November 10, 1837, aged seventy-four years. He married Margaret Armor, born 1762, daughter of Andrew and Margaret (Spear) Armor, of Windham, New Hampshire, who died December 26, 1841, aged seventy-nine. Children:

1. Gawn Wilkins.
2. Polly Wilkins.
3. Sally Wilkins.
4. Isaac Wilkins.
5. Rodney Wilkins.
6. Andrew Wilkins.

(VII) Rodney Wilkins

Rodney Wilkins, son of Hezekiah and Margaret (Armor) Wilkins, was born in Deering, New Hampshire, July 26, 1805, and died at Hillsborough Bridge, November 3, 1861. He married, April, 1842, Harriet L. Ellinwood, daughter of David and Alice (Aiken) Ellinwood, born August 28, 1819, died January 16, 1893. They had four children:

1. Harriet Alice Wilkins, born September 17, 1843.
2. Charles Taylor Wilkins, February 15, 1846.
3. Eudora Calista Wilkins, December 29, 1847, died January 13, 1857.
4. Clarence Herbert Wilkins, May 12, 1855, married, June 11, 1889, Alice Wade, born October 19, 1860.

(VIII) Charles Taylor Wilkins

Charles Taylor Wilkins, son of Rodney and Harriet L. (Ellinwood) Wilkins, was born on a farm in Deering, February 15, 1846. He resided for a time at Lebanon, and later removed to Manchester where he has since lived. He learned the trade of wood-molder, and is an ingenious man and expert workman. He married, December 13, 1871, Emma A. Stewart, born May, 1850. They have one child,

1. George Clarence Wilkins.

(IX) George Clarence Wilkins

George Clarence Wilkins, M.D., only son of Charles Taylor and Emma A. (Stewart) Wilkins, was born at Lebanon, New Hampshire, March 8, 1876, and came with his parents to Manchester when a boy of four years of age. He acquired his literary education in the schools of Manchester, and graduated from the high school in 1894. As a youth he was fond of athletic sports and popular among his fellows. He was first lieutenant of the Manchester High School Cadets, business manager of the school paper and a manager of the baseball and football teams. He spent a year taking a special course in preparation for the Harvard Medical School, having Dr. William W. Parsons as his medical preceptor. Entering Harvard in 1895, he graduated M.D. magna cum laude in 1899, being tenth in a class of one hundred and ten students. After graduation he was house surgeon to Carney Hospital, Boston, for a year; then house physician to the Boston Lying-in Hospital till June, 1901. Taking the position of assistant physician at McLean Hospital he filled that place from June to September, when he became assistant superintendent and resident physician at the Boston Harbor Hospital, where he remained till January 1, 1903. Returning to Manchester at the latter date he opened an office and has succeeded in establishing a paying practice and an enviable reputation in the profession. He is visiting surgeon to Elliott Hospital, member of the New Hampshire Medical Society, Massachusetts Medical Society, New Hampshire Surgical Club, Manchester Medical Association, of which he is secretary, and of Manchester Academy of Medicine. He is also a Mason, a member of Washington Lodge, No. 61, Manchester. He is a political worker, but votes the straight Republican ticket. June 17, 1903, Dr. Wilkins married Sara L. Stuart, daughter of Zachariah B. and Rose L. (George) Stuart, born in Manchester, September 20, 1877.

(I) Stephen Wilkins

The first of whom authentic record can be found in this line was Stephen Wilkins, who was born 1712, in Salem, Massachusetts, as shown by his family record. The records of Salem contain no mention of him and it is quite possible that he was born in some town near Salem. He may have been a son of John (2) Wilkins and his wife Abigail, who were married April 10, 1710, in Salem. On September 15, 1711, Nehemiah Wilkins, of Boxford, was married to Susanna Wilkins, of Salem. We have no record of their children. It is possible that Stephen might have been among them. He died April 1, 1742, aged thirty years. He was married, August 24, 1732, at the age of about twenty years, to Hannah Curtis, who was born in 1714. Their children were: Phoebe and Stephen.

(II) Stephen Wilkins

Stephen Wilkins (2), only son of Stephen (1) and Hannah (Curtis) Wilkins, was born May 17, 1733, in Middleton, Massachusetts. He was a soldier in the French and Indian war and participated in the storming of the fort at Ticonderoga under General Abercrombie in 1758. At the beginning of the Revolutionary struggle he was captain of a militia company at Middleton, Massachusetts. On the night of the 16th of June, 1775, he marched with his company to Charlestown, arriving there on the morning of the 17th after the British had placed batteries to attack Charlestown Neck. The colonel commanding the regiment of which Captain Wilkins’ company was a part, refused to permit his command to pass over the Neck and join their comrades on Bunker Hill in the memorable battle of that day. Soon after this Captain Wilkins was made lieutenant in the Continental army, and was stationed for a period of eight months on Winter Hill in Charlestown. He was subsequently commissioned captain and ordered with his company to Ticonderoga. Returning from the army in the spring of 1777, Captain Wilkins sold his farm in Middleton, Massachusetts, and purchased one in Merrimack, New Hampshire. This was situated on the north bank of the Souhegan river, three and one-half miles above its mouth. His residence on this farm remained standing until within a short period of the present time. It was occupied as a residence for more than one hundred years. Previous to the construction of a meetinghouse in Merrimack, religious meetings were held in this house, then owned by Captain Joseph Blanchard. The farm remained in the hands of Captain Wilkins’ descendants until 1848, when it was sold. He and his wife were for many years consistent members of Rev. Dr. Burnap’s church. Both lived to a good old age and were respected and beloved by their contemporaries. Stephen (2) Wilkins was married, April 11, 1760, to Anna Berry, at Middleton, Massachusetts. He died at Merrimack, August 27, 1832, having survived his wife more than twelve years. She died April 22, 1820. Their children were:

1. Andrew Wilkins.
2. Stephen Wilkins (died young).
3. Hannah Wilkins.
4. Lucy Wilkins.
5. Stephen Wilkins.
6. Levi Wilkins.
7. James Wilkins.

(III) Levi Wilkins

Levi Wilkins, son of Stephen (2) and Anna (Berry) Wilkins, was born January 23, 1776, in Middleton, Massachusetts, and was a child when taken by his parents to Merrimack, New Hampshire, where he grew up and passed his life. He died there August 14, 1845, in his seventieth year. He was a farmer by occupation and resided on the homestead of his father in Merrimack. He was an active member of the Congregational Church, and his example was entirely consistent with his professions. His nature was pleasant and social; he was kind to both his family and his neighbors and was almost universally beloved and respected in the town. For seven years he was elected to the office of selectman, which he filled with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of his constituents. He was married, January 27, 1803, to Ann McCauley, who was born September 15, 1779, in Merrimack, and survived her husband more than eighteen years, dying at Nashua, November 9, 1863, in her eighty-fifth year. They had seven children, namely:

1. Alexander McCauley Wilkins.
2. Roxanna Wilkins.
3. Levi T. Wilkins (died young).
4. Lucy A. Wilkins.
5. Hannah Wilkins.
6. Levi Wilkins.
7. Infant

(IV) Alexander McCauley Wilkins

Alexander McCauley Wilkins, eldest child of Levi and Ann (McCauley) Wilkins, was born February 25, 1806, and died November 28, 1896, aged ninety years. He obtained in the district school an education that enabled him to teach winters for many years. He spent the remainder of his time in cultivating his farm and in lumbering. He owned a mill on Souhegan River, where he cut considerable lumber. In 1856 he bought the farm on which he spent the remainder of his life. He was a man of means and sterling integrity and of much influence in his town. He settled many estates and was a director in the Indian Head Bank of Nashua. In the political affairs of the town he was a central figure. He held the office of justice of the peace thirty years, town clerk, chairman of the board of selectmen five years, and represented the town in the legislature in 1855. He was a member of the committees which had charge of the Thornton Monument and the Soldiers’ Monument. He married, December 2, 1834, Caroline Richmond Stearns, who was born August 13, 1812, daughter of James and Lydia (Glover) Stearns, of Amherst. She died June 13, 1894, aged eighty-three years. Their children were:

1. Lucy Ann Wilkins.
2. Franklin Addison Wilkins.
3. James M. Wilkins.
4. Mary Caroline Wilkins.

(V) Lucy Ann Wilkins

Lucy Ann Wilkins, eldest child of Alexander McCauley and Caroline Richmond (Stearns) Wilkins, was born in Merrimack, January 22, 1836, and was educated in the district schools, at McGaw Institute, and at Nashua and Francestown, graduating from the McGaw Institute at the age of eighteen. She soon afterward began teaching and made that her vocation in life for several years. She taught successfully in every district in Merrimack, continuing her labors until 1879, when she left the school room to become the housekeeper and companion of her father who was then seventy-three years old. She faithfully discharged her duties to him until his death in 1894. December 11, 1895, she became the wife of James W. Fosdick, of Merrimack.

(I) Aaron Wilkins

Aaron Wilkins, son of Uriah and Lydia Wilkins, was born in Middleton, Massachusetts, October 20, 1745, and was killed in Amherst, New Hampshire, by a falling tree, April 23, 1800, aged fifty-five. He settled in Amherst with his family in the Spring of 1779. He married Lydia Smith, who was born November 9, 1755, and died March 25, 1837, at the age of eighty-two. Their children were:

1. Aaron Wilkins.
2. Alexander Wilkins, born March 12, 1779; married _____ _____ ; settled in Merrimack, New Hampshire, where he died April 17, 1849.
3. Lydia Wilkins, born May 12 1781; died August 28, 1773.
4. Naomi Wilkins, born March 16, 1783; married Joseph Russell in January, 1805; settled in Lyndeborough, New Hampshire, where she died June 2, 1869.
5. Lydia Wilkins, born June 1, 1785; married Elisha Felton, of Amherst, December 30, 1806; died July 30, 1859.
6. Uriah Wilkins, born November 4, 1788; married Nancy Kittredge; resided in Stowe, Vermont; died February 26, 1874.
7. Eliab Wilkins, born December 24, 1790; married Asenath Howard January 20, 1820; settled in Vermont; died at Morristown, Vermont, November 28, 1879.
8. Clara Smith Wilkins, born March 21, 1792; married Thomas W. Melendy in 1819; died at Jacksonville, Illinois, August 1, 1867.
9. Orpah Wilkins, born August 29, 1794; married George Small February 11, 1819; died at Morristown, Vermont, August 10, 1877.

(II) Aaron Wilkins

Aaron Wilkins (2), eldest child of Aaron (1) and Lydia (Smith) Wilkins, was born in Middleton, Massachusetts, February 17, 1778, and died in Amherst, New Hampshire, June 3, 1862, aged eighty-four. He succeeded to the paternal homestead, and was a substantial, progressive citizen, and an upright and honest man. He married, September 16, 1824, Sarah (Kendall) Flint, widow of Simeon Flint, and daughter of Deacon Jacob and Sarah (Lamson) Kendall, of Amherst. She was a great-granddaughter of Samuel Lamson, who resided in Reading, Massachusetts, in 1676. She was born January 17, 1784, and died September 14, 1861. He occupied the farm left by his father, and was one of the best citizens of the town — an upright, honest man They had but one child, Aaron S. Wilkins, whose sketch follows.

(III) Aaron Smith Wilkins

Aaron Smith Wilkins, only child of Aaron (2) and Sarah (Kendall) Wilkins, was born in Amherst, New Hampshire, January 25, 1827, and died April, 1900, aged seventy-three. He resided on the ancestral acres, and was a man of substance and influence. He was selectman in 1875-76-77, was commissioned justice of the peace in 1874, and elected deacon in the Congregational Church, April 9, 1874, serving until his death. He was a skillful farmer of advanced ideas, and a past master of Souhegan Grange, No. 10, Patrons of Husbandry. He married, November 18, 1852, Martha Abigail McClure, who was born in Merrimack, April 15, 1829, daughter of Asa and Mary (Allen) McClure. They resided on the farm once owned by his father and grandfather They were the parents of eight children:

1. Aaron Milton Wilkins.
2. George Henry Wilkins, born December 28, 1855.
3. Frank Edwin Wilkins, born September 9, 1858.
4. Charles Lincoln Wilkins, born April 23, 1861.
5. Bertha Maria Wilkins, born December 17, 1863.
6. Harry Albert Wilkins, born April 3, 1866.
7. Lizzie Lawrence Wilkins, born November 15, 1870.

(IV) Aaron Milton Wilkins

Aaron Milton Wilkins, eldest child of Aaron S. and Martha A. (McClure) Wilkins, was born in Amherst, January 22, 1854. He was educated in the public schools and at McCollom Institute, Mount Vernon. He was a teamster for a time, and in 1873 began work in the saw mill of Frank Hartshorn. He is now a member of the firm of Wilkins Brothers, box manufacturers, of Milford. For years he has been a leading man in the business enterprises of Milford. He has been a town supervisor, police judge, chairman of the board of education, and was senator from the fifteenth district in 1903. He is a moderator of the town, an office he has filled continuously for eleven years, and is a past master of Souhegan Grange, No. 10, Patrons of Husbandry, and of Custos Morum Lodge, No. 42, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a deacon of the Congregational Church at Amherst, and superintendent of its Sunday school for twenty years. He married, September 23, 1880, Lucy A. Hartshorn (see Hartshorn), who was born in Amherst, December 10, 1860, daughter of Frank and Elizabeth P. (Knight) Hartshorn, of Amherst. She is a member of the King’s Daughters, and active in church work. They have three children:

1. Harold Wilkins, born April 25, 1887;
2. Aaron Wallace Wilkins, August 5, 1889;
3. Miriam E. Wilkins, September 8, 1894.

Source

Stearns, Ezra S., Genealogical and family history of the state of New Hampshire : a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation, 4 vols., New York : Lewis Publishing Co., 1908.

Carter, N. F.; Fowler, T. L.; History of Pembroke, N. H. 1730-1895, vol. II., Concord, N.H., Printed by Republican Press Association, 1895.

Secomb, Daniel F., History of the town of Amherst, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire : (first known as Narragansett township number three, and subsequently as Southegan West) from the grant of the township by the Great and General court of the province of Massachusetts Bay, in June, 1728, to March, 1882, with genealogies of Amherst families and a sketch of the Narraganset fort fight, 19 December, 1675, Publisher Concord, N. H. : Printed by Evans, Sleeper & Woodbury, 1883.