M. 15 Nov 1715 in Newbury, Massachusetts2
Wife: Sarah Wicom
D. 30 Dec 1750 in Coventry, Connecticut3
Zachariah Boynton was part of a generation of New Englanders who left the towns founded by their progenitors, and moved to new towns of the early 18th century. He was born in about 1685 in Rowley, Massachusetts to Joshua Boynton and Hannah Burnap, the third of their five children. Zachariah’s birth is missing from the records, but he was said to be baptized on July 20, 1690 in Rowley.1 His death record later gave his age as 65,3 and this would make his birth year about 1685.
Zachariah was in his late 20s when he married Sarah Wicom, the youngest daughter of a man who had died a few months earlier. The wedding took place in the town of Newbury, just north of Rowley, on November 15, 1715.2 This was the last record of Zachariah living in Massachusetts, and by October 1718, he was in Coventry, Connecticut.4 Established in 1711, Coventry was located about 20 miles east of Hartford.
Why did Zachariah move so far from home? Probably it gave him an opportunity to own land, which he couldn’t get near Rowley with the Massachusetts coast becoming more densely populated. Another factor in his move may have been that as the third son, he wasn’t going to inherit his father’s estate. In his father’s will, which was probated in 1736, his older brother received the homestead while Zachariah was given just 5 shillings, although the will also said that he had been given something from his father earlier.5
Part of Zachariah's father's will bequeathing him 5 shillings.
Between 1718 and 1732, Zachariah and Sarah had seven children, all born in Coventry, only three of whom are known to have survived to adulthood. Zachariah wasn’t prominent in town records, and was only mentioned in 1725 as being hired to supply the minister with firewood.6 For this job, he was to be paid £6 a year, a substantial amount of money, but he would have to chop and deliver the wood at least once a week, and during the winter, the weather could make this hard work.
Zachariah was about 65-years-old when he died in Coventry on December 30, 1750.3 It isn’t known when his wife Sarah passed away.
Children:
1. John Boynton — B. 9 Oct 1718, Coventry, Connecticut;4 M. Tabithy Daves (1720-?), 6 Nov 1740, Coventry, Connecticut7
2. Hannah Boynton — B. 30 Dec 1720, Coventry, Connecticut8
3. Joshua Boynton — B. 26 Feb 1723, Coventry, Connecticut;9 D. 16 Oct 1752, Coventry, Connecticut;10 M. Rachel Carpenter (1729-1816), 9 Nov 1749, Coventry, Connecticut11
4. Sarah Boynton — B. 23 Apr 1724, Coventry, Connecticut;12 D. 6 Oct 1724, Coventry, Connecticut13
5. Mehitable Boynton — B. 21 Mar 1726, Coventry, Connecticut14
6. Abigail Boynton — B. 17 Jun 1729, Coventry, Connecticut;15 D. 5 Mar 1814, Amherst, Massachusetts;16 M. (1) John Palmer, 7 Sep 1748, Coventry, Connecticut;17 (2) James Chamberlain, 27 Jan 1757, Coventry, Connecticut18
7. Wicom Boynton — B. 28 Jul 1732, Coventry, Connecticut;19 D. 7 Nov 1742, Coventry, Connecticut20
Sources:
1 Baptismal record of Zachariah Boynton, Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915, FamilySearch.org
2 Marriage record of Zachariah Boynton and Sarah Wicom, Massachusetts Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, FamilySearch.org
3 Death record of Zachariah Boynton, Connecticut Vital Records, Prior to 1850, FamilySearch.org
4 Birth record of John Boynton, C.V.R.
5 Probate record of Joshua Boynton, Essex, Massachusetts Probate Records, 1648-1840, FamilySearch.org
6 Coventry, Connecticut Town Records, 1692-1853, FamilySearch.org
7 Marriage record of John Boynton and Tabithy Daves, C.V.R.
8 Birth record of Hannah Boynton, C.V.R.
9 Birth record of Joshua Boynton, C.V.R.
10 Death record of Joshua Boynton, C.V.R.
11 Marriage record of Joshua Boynton and Rachel Carpenter, C.V.R.
12 Birth record of Sarah Boynton, C.V.R.
13 Death record of Sarah Boynton, C.V.R.
14 Birth record of Mehitable Boynton, C.V.R.
15 Birth record of Abigail Boynton, C.V.R.
16 Find-a-Grave listing for Abigail (Boynton) Chamberlain
17 Marriage record of John Palmer and Abigail Boynton, C.V.R.
18 Marriage record of James Chamberlain and Abigail Boynton, C.V.R.
19 Birth record of Wicom Boynton, C.V.R.
20 The Boynton family: A genealogy of the descendants of William and John Boynton, John Farnham Boyton, 1897
