M. 5 Nov 1702 in Beverly, Massachusetts2
Wife: Ann Morgan
D. 26 Nov 1739 in Beverly, Massachusetts3
Hezekiah Ober spent his entire life in the coastal colonial town of Beverly, Massachusetts using both land and sea to make a living. Beverly was a farming community near the coast, where men also took boats out on the water to catch cod and mackerel. Hezekiah was born there on November 9, 1681 to Richard Ober and Abigail Woodbury, the fifth of their nine children.1 He likely learned the fishing business from his father, and when he grew up, he took it up himself.4
When Hezekiah was 21, he married Ann Morgan, the daughter of one of the founders of Beverly, Samuel Morgan. When Ann’s father died in 1698, Hezekiah’s father was appointed her guardian,5 so they had an intertwined relationship. The wedding took place on November 5, 17022 at house built by Ann’s uncle Joseph in 1671. Ann brought this property into the marriage and it passed down through their descendants; the house was standing in 1930,5 but it seems to be gone today.
Hezekiah wasn’t prominent in civic records of Beverly, only noted as having served on a 1707 jury at the court in neighboring Salem.6 Church records showed that he fathered at least 8 children, baptized between the years 1704 and 1724. His son Hezekiah (born in 1714) was said to have died in 1738 while in the West Indies;7 several young men from Beverly seemed to have been together when they were killed in a hurricane, probably onboard a ship.
Most of the information about Hezekiah’s life came after he died in the form of a thick probate file. He passed away on November 26, 1739 at the age of 58,3 and he hadn’t written a will. The courts had to go over his estate in great detail before any of his family could claim their inheritance, and an inventory that was several pages long offers a glimpse into his life. Along with his wife’s inherited land, Hezekiah owned of a lot of other property. The total of his land was about 60 acres divided up into 14 different parcels, with the largest being 11 acres.4 Besides Beverly, he owned property in the nearby towns of Wenham and Manchester. His real estate added up to a value of £1,125.4
Hezekiah’s list of clothing was typical for a colonial New England man in the mid-18th century: 3 coats, 3 jackets, 3 pairs of “breeches,” 4 shirts, 1 pair of shoes and 1 hat. He had a substantial amount of furniture, enough to fill a sizable house, including 4 beds plus a trundle bed to accommodate his family, and several chests and desks. Hezekiah was literate because he was shown to have had many books, although they were mostly religious: 3 bibles, 9 sermons books, a psalm book and “one other book.”
Hezekiah had a modestly stocked farm, including all forms of livestock, but by far his biggest possession was a schooner with cables, sails, anchors and rigging valued at £390. This was listing was followed by equipment used in fishing: scales, hooks and beam, and lead weights. No doubt he had a serious interest in the fishing business.
A typical schooner of 18th century New England.
The estate inventory also showed that Hezekiah had a female slave with a six-month-old baby daughter; the value of both slaves was £108. Unfortunately, slave ownership was common in New England at the time, and the practice wasn’t phased out for another few decades. Aside from the inventory of his estate, no other mention was made of the woman and her child, so it’s unknown what became of them.
After the inventory was complete, it took several years to process Hezekiah’s estate. A long list of debts had to be taken care of by his wife Ann before any property division could be made. Ann lived a long time as a widow, and never remarried. She died in 1774.8 Hezekiah was the ancestor of First Lady Grace Coolidge.
Children:
1. Elizabeth Ober — B. 15 Aug 1703, Beverly, Massachusetts;9 D. 15 Jan 1750, Beverly, Massachusetts;10 M. John Thorndike (1701-1769), 15 Sep 1723, Beverly, Massachusetts11
2. Samuel Ober — B. 13 Sep 1705, Beverly, Massachusetts;12 D. 29 Feb 1764, Beverly, Massachusetts;13 M. Elizabeth Butman (1707-1788), 13 Aug 1727, Beverly, Massachusetts14
3. Anna Ober — B.1 Dec 1708, Beverly, Massachusetts;15 D. 14 Mar 1787, Tewksbury, Massachusetts;16 M. James Thorndike (1706-1787), 21 Jan 1728, Beverly, Massachusetts17
4. Joanna Ober — B. 17 May 1711, Beverly, Massachusetts;18 D. 31 Mar 1786, (probably) Beverly, Massachusetts;19 M. Elisha Woodbury (1706-1751), 25 Feb 1727, Beverly, Massachusetts20
5. Hezekiah Ober — B.5 Jun 1714, Beverly, Massachusetts;21 D. (probably) 18 Aug 1738, West Indies;7 Abigail Baker (1717-1768), 20 Mar 1734, Beverly, Massachusetts22
6. Thomas Ober — B. 27 Jul 1718, Beverly, Massachusetts;23 D. 17 Mar 1777, (probably) Beverly, Massachusetts;24 M. Abigail Pitman (1721-1779), 16 Mar 1739, Beverly, Massachusetts25
7. Judith Ober — B. 30 Apr 1721, Beverly, Massachusetts;26 D. about 1758, Beverly, Massachusetts;27 M. Samuel Woodbury (1717-1756), 24 Feb 1739, Beverly, Massachusetts28
8. Benjamin Ober — B. 14 Jun 1724, Beverly, Massachusetts;29 D. 27 Nov 1818, Manchester, Massachusetts;30 M. Anna Foster (1728-1793), 20 Sep 1750, Wenham, Massachusetts31
Sources:
1 Birth record of Hezekiah Ober, Massachusetts Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
2 Marriage record of Hezekiah Ober and Ann Morgan, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
3 Death record of Hezekiah Ober, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
4 Probate file of Hezekiah Ober, Massachusetts, Essex County probate records, 1638-1881, FamilySearch.org
5 Colonial Families in America, Vol. 8, Ruth Lawrence, 1930
6 Essex County Court records, 1686-1726. FamilySearch.org
7 The Generations of Jaffrey, N.H., Albert Annett and Alice Lehtinen, 1934
8 Death record of Ann (Morgan) Ober, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
9 Birth record of Elizabeth Ober, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
10 Find-a-Grave listing for Elizabeth Thorndike
11 Marriage record of John Thorndike and Elizabeth Ober, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
12 Birth record of Samuel Ober, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
13 WikiTree listing for Samuel Ober
14 Marriage record of Samuel Ober and Elizabeth Butman, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
15 Birth record of Anna Ober, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
16 WikiTree listing for Anna (Ober) Thorndike
17 Marriage record of James Thorndike and Anna Ober, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
18 Birth record of Joanna Ober, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
19 Death record of Joanna Ober, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
20 Marriage record of Elisha Woodbury and Joanna Ober, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
21 Birth record of Hezekiah Ober (younger), M. T. C., V. & T. R.
22 Marriage record of Hezekiah Ober and Abigail Baker, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
23 Birth record of Thomas Ober, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
24 WikiTree listing for Samuel Ober
25 Marriage record of Thomas Ober and Abigail Pitman, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
26 Birth record of Judith Ober, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
27 WikiTree listing for Judith (Ober) Woodbury
28 Marriage record of Samuel Woodbury and Judith Ober, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
29 Birth record of Benjamin Ober, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
30 Find-a-Grave listing for Benjamin Ober
31 Marriage record of Benjamin Ober and Anna Foster, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
