Lt. Matthias Ellis

  General Notes:

LT. MATTHIAS2 ELLIS (Lt. John1), born 2 June 1657, died in Sandwich 30 Aug. 1748.

He married about 1678/9 MERCY2 NYE, born 4 April 1652, died after 13 Nov. 1744 and before 7 Nov. 1749, daughter of Benjamin1 and Kacherine (Tupper) Nye.
By a deed, dated 24 Feb. 1678 "Edmond ffreeman the eldest of Sandwich" conveyed "in consideration of the naturall love & affection which I ... bear to Matthias Ellis, being my kinsman by blood, that is to say my grandson, & for diverse other causes & considerations, ... as living with me until he came unto man's Estate, being a support unto me in my old age and weakness; wherefore I doe give unto [him] his heirs and assigns all that my now dwelling house and orchards ... being in Sandwich, with one quarter part of my land belonging thereto both meddow and Upland, being ... thirty acres, lying Easterly of Joseph Dotey his house ... by the cartway that is by Kerby's field ... by a range of fence of Michaell Blackwell's meddow ... by the mouth of the Creek on the further aide of the river and which Creek divideth betwixt the meddow of William Swift Senr. & Thomas Gibbs Senr...." (Plymouth Colony Deeds, vol. 5, p. 169-170).

We thus see that in addition to whatever he may have been given or inherited from his father Matthias2 Ellis was a special beneficiary of his maternal grandfather. The latter's will, dated 21 June and proved 2 Nov. 1682, confirms the land given to "my grandson Matthyas Ellis."

Matthias Ellis, along with his brothers Freeman and Manoah, took the Oath of Allegiance in 1681 (Freeman, op. cit., vol. 2, p. 73). He served on a grand jury 2 June 1685 (Plym. Col. Recs., vol. 6, p. 166). He and his brother Mordecai are listed as Sandwich freemen in 1702 (Freeman, op. cit., vol. 2, p. 85). In 1705 he was named to a committee to act as agents for the settlement of the bounds between Marshpee and Sandwich (ibid., p. 86).

We next come to another puzzle. The Rev. Benjamin Fessenden in his list of "Ye Heads of familys of ye Town of Sandwich taken March 1730" (THE REGISTER, vol. 13, p. 30, January 1859) included as No. 58 Lt. Matthias Ellis and as No. 66 Matthias Ellis "Junr." Now the records show (see below) that the men thus designated could only have been Matthias2 Ellis and his son Matthias3 Ellis because the younger men of that name were in 1730 mere children. It is logical to suppose that the pastor was aware of military service performed by the elder Matthias Ellis. But in 1730 Matthias2 Ellis would have been 73 years old and could not have been in active service, so that the rank which his minister ascribes to him was presumably one that was earned at a much earlier period. To support this supposition we find that Freeman (op. cit., vol. 1, p. 374) states: "Matthias Ellis was granted 150 acres in consideration of services rendered in the expedition to Port Royal, especially guarding artillery at Great Hazard of his life." This award was made, according to Freeman (who gives no references for the source of his information), in the year 1739 so that if the recipient was indeed Lt. Matthias2 Ellis, he would have been about 82 years of age. If this identification is correct, the old man was being rewarded for his bravery during the conquest of Port Royal which took place under the command of Sir William Phipps during King William's War (1689-1697). But there was also the reduction of Port Royal in 1710, in which action Matthias3 Ellis could have taken part. The alternative explanation of the Freeman statement would seem more likely in view of the long lapse of time between the event and its reward, but the Rev. Mr. Fessenden's designation would appear to rule it out, so that it must have been the old man who was rewarded in land by his government some half-century after the event.
The will, dated 13 Nov. 1744 and proved 4 Oct. 1748, of "Mathias Ellis of the Town of Sandwich ... being advanced in years ..." gives:

"to my loveing wife Mercy the use and improvement of the Westerly End of my Dwelling House both lower and upper rooms and the leantwo on the backside of it and the seller under it ... as also the use of my ... Little Orchard ... as long as she remains my widdow ... also ... so much of my household goods as she shall think necessary and Convenient for her use ... during her sd Widdowhood ... to my son Joel ... the two Half Lotts in the woods that were formerly my son John's and also my sheep Pasture Lot in that tract called Snake Pond sheep pasture Lott. I do also give [him] half of my apearell, Cutlash, Belt and Cane and twenty Pounds Old Tenor to be paid within one year after the Decease of his Mother by Malleky ... to my son Mathias my Lott or Share in said town Neck in said Sandwich and do also acquit him and discharge him of all the Money I paid for him to Sherrif Lothrop ... the remaining part of my ... personal Estate (the Tools & Utensils that are used about husbandry only Excepted) I give as followeth ... one quarter thereof to my Daughter Mercy Morton one halfe thereof to my daughter Experience Churchell & the other quarter thereof to my Daughter Mehittabel Merrik and after my wives Decease then the Household Goods which She takes for her use as aforesaid to be alike Divided betwixt my said Daughters ... to my son Mallaky ... all my Householding Lands Meadows and all other my Real Estate which is not before Disposed of ... and also that part of my Housing & Orchard which is left for his Mother's Improvement ... to be alike possessed by him and his heirs ... after the Decease or Marriage of his sd Mother ... also ... all my tacklin & Uttensills that are ... about husbandry worke & one half of my appearell and all my arms and ammunition Except my Cutlash & belt before Given to my son Joel [and] ... my Right in the Common or undivided lands in ... Sandwich ... and do order my sd son Mallaki his heirs Executors, or administrators shall provide for and allow to my said wife Mercy (as long as she remains my widdow) suitable ... cloathing and firewood, diet and all other necesaries & conveniences of life for her comfort and support Both in sickness and in health & I do appoint my sd wife Mercy and my sd son Malaki to be Executors ..." Witnesses: Elisha Tupper, Eldad Tupper Junr, Samuell Jennings (Barnstable County Probate, vol. 8, p. 245-6).
The inventory, taken by Jonathan Freeman, Elisha Tupper, Eldad Tupper, Jr., shows Personal Estate: £444. 17s. 3d. and Real Estate: £2,543; 8d. The accounting has genealogical value. It was presented by the executor, Malachi Ellis, 7 Nov. 1749 (ibid. p. 249):

To Funeral charges 3s.
To Joseph Nye Junr. £4. 18s.
To John Pope, a debt £2. 18s.
To Silas Bourn 6s.
To Mrs. Rebecca Fcssenden £1. 17s. 10d.
To Jn. Freeman £14. 4s. 8d.
To Cornelius Tobey £12.
To Jn Bassett £1. 10s. 2d.
To Samuell Jennings £1.
To Elisha &. Eldad Tupper Junr., as witnesses of the Will & Prisers £4.
To Joel Ellis, cutlash, cain & belt £6.
To Joel, ½ wearing apparrel £11. 10s. 4d.
To Myself, ½ wearing aparrel .£11, 10s. 4d.
To Armes & amminition to Myself £.7. 6d.
To Husbandry uttensils-to Myself £9. 1s.
To Mercy Morton, ¼ personal Estate .£95. 4s. 1d.
To Experience Churchil ½-£190. 8s. 2d.
To Mehitable Merrick-£95. 4s. 1d.

Real Estate Appr.-£2,543.

Allowed to Executor- £3,013. 17s. 3d.
For myself- expenses-£6. 12s. 2d., £6. 5s. and £5.
Total £3,031. 14s. 5d.

This, we believe, proves conclusively that the wife, Mercy Ellis, named in the will was deceased before the date of the of the accounting.

We will now attempt to deal with some errors regarding the family of Matthias2 Ellis which often have appeared in print. The dates of the births of the nine children of Matthias2 Ellis were entered in the original Sandwich Town Record book. In 1865 H. G. O. Ellis, then Sandwich Town Clerk, undertook to transcribe the vital records into a new volume and when he reached the page where these Ellis births were recorded he evidently found that although though the dates were clear enough, the part of the page containing the names of the children had begun to wear away. Therefore the transcription was difficult and to increase the confusion after Ellis had finished his work some one in a different hand and ink made some very poor guesses in attempting to complete the entries. Thus, in The Genealogical Advertiser (1901), vol. 4, p. 13. among many other errors, there appeared in print a number of incorrect identifications of this family group. George H. Nye and Frank E. Best, compilers of the Genealogy of the Nye Family (1907), p. 29, evidently copied and thus contributed to the spread of these errors. However, that careful genealogist George Ernest Bowman in the Mayflower Descendant, vol. 29, p. 1931, caught several of the errors and thus provided a firm basis for a complete identification of the nine children. With the help of probate and church records the present compilers believe that the following list represents the children as the town clerk must have entered them originally.
[Lt. John & Elizabeth (Freeman) Ellis of Sandwich, Mass by Lydia B. (Phinney) Brownson, of Duxbury, Mass & Maclean W. McLean, of Pittsburg, PA]

MATTHIAS ELLIS, along with his brothers Freeman and Manoah, took the Oath of Allegiance in 1681 (Freeman, op. cit., vol.2, p73). He served on a grand jury 2 June1685 (Plymouth Colonial Records, vol6, page 166). He and his brother Mordecai are listed as Sandwich freemen in 1702 (Freeman, op. cit., vol.2, p85). In 1705 he was named to a committee to act as agents for the settlement of the bounds between Marshpee and Sandwich (ibid, p.86). [Plymouth & Cape Cod MA Genealogy http://www.gendex.com/users/hhadaway/hadaway/hadawaypage.htm]

  Noted events in his life were:

• Will, 13 Nov 1744. ⁶⁵

• Alt. Death, 21 Aug 1748. ⁵⁷

Matthias married Mercy [Unknown] in Jan 1678/79 ⁵.^,37