Felt, George

Birth Name Felt, George
Gender male
Age at Death 92 years

Events

Event Date Place Description Notes Sources
Birth 1601    
 
Death 1693 Malden, Middlesex, MA  
 

Parents

Relation to main person Name Birth date Death date Relation within this family (if not by birth)
Father Felt, William1585
         Felt, George 1601 1693

Families

    Family of Felt, George and Wilkinson, Elizabeth
Married Wife Wilkinson, Elizabeth ( * 1615 + 1693 )
   
Event Date Place Description Notes Sources
Marriage 1633 Charlestown, Suffolk, MA  
 
  Children
Name Birth Date Death Date
Felt, Elizabeth1634
Felt, George1638-11-261676-09-23
Felt, Mary1639-01-26
Felt, Peter1640
Felt, Moses1641-10-20about 1650
Felt, Aaron1645
Felt, Peter1648
Felt, Moses1651after 1744

Narrative

George Felt is found in Charlestown, Mass., in 1633. He was bornin 1601, and tradition relates that he came to America with JohnEndicott (who reached Salem with a small party in September,1628.) He was not among the first settlers of Charlestown, therebeing a few persons there in 1628, but the following year aboutone hundred people came with Thomas Graves from Salem, and laidthe foundation of the town, which they named in honor of Charlesthe First. Charlestown was incorporated June 24, 1629, and thefirst church was organized November 2, 1632. The original townwas laid out in two-acre divisions, and each settler was grantedone of them for a homestead. We have the testimony of GeorgeFelt himself that the year of his advent in this town was thatalready named, for in 1681 he describes himself as about 80years of age, and testifies "that the town of Charlestown gavehim an house plott of two acres of land lying in the common onthe left hand as you go to Cambridge betwixt the ground that wasRice Morrisses and Goble's, which is now in the hands of ThomasWelch Senr, which plott was given him about forty-eight yearssince."The wife of George Felt was Elizabeth, daughter of widowPrudence Wilkinson, whose home in Charlestown was on the southside of Mill Hill, nearly adjoining that of her son-in-law.Whether he married in Charlestown, or was already married whenhe came, is cause for conjecture, but is probable that they werealready married and brought children with them. (Note that theRev. Joseph B. felt states that an Elizabeth Felt died in 1662,aged 50 years. If this was the wife of George Felt, hesubsequently married another of the same baptismal name. Also,the widow Prudence Wilkinson, in her will, dated "1665, 11, Mo:9, day," names her son John and her daughter Eliza. Felt.)The town of Charlestown, although at the time of its annexationto Boston in 1873, the smallest in the State, covering onlyabout 600 acres, originally embraced within its limits theterritory now contained in Wobrun, Burlington, Stoneham, Malden,Somerville, and parts of Reading, Medford, Cambridge, andArlington. On the 10th of January, 1634, it was agreed at ameeting of the inhabitants, "Yt ye inhab. undr mentioned haveplanting ground laid out unto them bet. the east end of thelotts above mentioned at the Creek, having new town pale on thesouth." Of this division "George ffelt? received four acres.This was on the "Mistick side," or beyond the river of that nameand within the confines of the present town of Everett. On thisside of the river he subsequently acquired considerable land, aswill appear presently.Up to this time all public business had been transacted by ageneral convention of the people, but this practice havingbecome cumbersome and unsatisfactory, it was thought best toorganize a new form of town government; consequently, on the10th of February, 1634-5, the following "town order" creating aboard of selectmen was passed: ---"An ordr made by the Inhabitants of Charlestowne At a ffulmeeting, for the Governmt of the Towne by Selectmen:"1634. In consideration of the great trouble and chearg of theInhabitants of Charlestowne by reason of the Frequent meeting ofthe townsmen in generall, and yt by reason of many men meetingthings were not so easily brought unto a ioynt Issue: It istherefore agreed by the sayde townesmen ioytly that these eleuenmen whose names are written on the other syde, with the adviseof Pastor and teacher desired in any case of conscience, shallentreat of all such busines as shall concerne the townsmen, Thechoise of officers excepted, and what they or the greater partof them shall conclude of, the rest of the towne willingly tosubmit Vnto as their pper act, and these 13 (sic) to contineu inimployment for one yeare next ensuing the dtae hereof, beingdated this: 10th of February 1634.""In wittnes of this agreement wee whose names are vnder writtenhaue set to or hands."There were thirty-three signers to this order, among them GeorgeFelt, and it will be observed that his signature, which may yetbe seen upon the ancient records of Charlestown, is writtenFELCH. This, or FELTCH, is thought to have been the originalname, which was easily and naturally contracted into FELT. Allthe descendants of George have written the name Felt.By the year 1638 the necessity of an accurate public record oftheir possessions was felt by the people of Charlestown, and onthe 26th of the first month (March) Abraham Palmer was "chosenby the Towne for keepeing the Towne Booke, as also ato Recordall pprieties of Houses, Lands, Meadow or Pasture, as anyInhabitants of ye Towne are, or shall bee possest of accord: toan ordr of Court provided in yt behalfe."Mr. Palmer, who was the second incumbent of the town clerk'soffice, having acocmplished this, the following entry appearsupon the records: ---"1638. On th 28th day of the X month was taken A True Record ofall such houses & Lands as are possessed by the Inhabitants ofCharlstown, whethr by purchase, by gift from the Towne, or byallottments as they were devided amongst them by a Joynt Consentaftr the Genll Court had setked theire Bounds, by granting eightmiles from the old Meeting house into the Contry NorthwestNorthrly, &c. the bounds of the sd Towne Lying or being bettwixtCambridge alias New Towne, on the West South west, & Boston Landon the East as it apprs upon Record by the severll grants ofGenll Courts to all the afforesd Bounds."George Felt was found to be the owner of the following propertywithin the limits of the town: ---"1. One Dwelling house with a garden plott, scituate on thesouth west of the mill hill, butting southward upon the Charlsriver, northeast upon crooked lane, bounded on the norwest byNicolas Trerrice, and on the southeast by Ben. Hubbard. This iswithin the limits of the present Charlestown District ofBoston.""2. One milch cow common.""3. ffive acres of wood land by estimation, more or lesse,scituate in listicke feilde, butting south upon the high waytowards the south river, north upon the woodland, bounded on thewest by Pru Wilkinson, and onthe east by Rob Hayle (within thepresent limits of Everett.)""4. Haulf an acre of meaddow by estimation, more or lesse,lying in mistick marshes, butting west towards the north river,bounded on the north by Will Dade, and on the south by GeorgeBunker (within the limits of the present town of Everett.)""5. ffive acres of woodland by estimation, more or lesse,scituate in mistick feilde, butting northeast upon NicolasStowers, southwest upon Ric. Palgrave, bounded on the northwestby Phillip Drinker, and on the southeast by Rice Morrice (in theSixth Ward of the city of Malden.)""6. ffifteene acres of woodland, more or lesse, scituate inmistick feilde, butting northeast upon Abr. Palmer and Jamesmathewes, southwest upon Ed Convers, bounded on the northwest byTho Lynde, and on the southeast by James Penberton (in Malden.)""7. Thirtie and eight acres of land, more or lesse, scituate inwaterfeilde, butting northwest upon ffrancis Norton, southeastupon Rich Palgrave and Tho Peirce, bounded on the southwest byEdward Sturges, and on the northeast by horne pond (in the townof Woburn.)"Thus it appears that George Felt was the owner of a veryrespectable property, as has previously been intimated.On the 19th of January, 1639/40, Elizabeth Felt, the wife ofGeorge, was admitted to the communion of the First Church, and aweek later, January 26th, presented her three children,Elizabeth, Mary, and George, for baptism. No record has beenfound to show that the father was a member of the CharlestownChurch. Elder John Green, in his entry of the above mentionedbaptisms, calls the name Felch, although he recorded Elizabeth,the mother, at the time of her admission to the church, as Felt.Some time during the year 1640, George Felt obtained threehundred acres of land from John Philips, a Welshman, at BroadCove on Casco Bay, in Maine, and by 1643 had become one of thepioneer settlers of North Yarmouth. "The advent of George Feltin Broad Cove may be said to be the birthday of North Yarmouth."This locality was then called Wescustogo by the Indians. Uponthis land he built a stone house, or garrison, but his title tothe property not priving sufficient, he re-purchased it in 1643of Richard Vines, the agent of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, who held apatent of all the lands embraced within the territory of Maine,east of the Sagadahoc River. After a few years' residence atWescustogo, George Felt returned to Charlestown and took up hisabode on "Mistick side," and when the town of Malden wasincorporated, May 2, 1649, he was found to reside within itslimits. About this time he disposed of a portion of his "Mistickside" property, as witnessed by the following deeds : ---"Know all men by these presents, that I Georg Felch, Inhabitantof Charlestown, on the Mistike syde, doe by this acknowledgethat I have sould, and am payd for it, unto James Barret, of thesame town, three akers of Arrable land, more or lesse, which Ibought of ffrancis Mills, which sayd land lyes on Mistick syde,within the rayles, bounded on the east syde bounded on the northby Edward Carrington, and on the south by A high way. And thesayd James Barret is to enjoy and to hould the sayd three akersof land for him and his heighers for ever."In witness hereof, I, Georg ffelch, have set my hand to a billof sale of this same, the 26th day of the 3rd moneth, 1648."This land was within the present limits of Everett.had 1 house, 1 cow, 58 ares of land. 1640: Purchased 300 acresin Casco Bay, ME. 1649: Back in Charlestown where he sold 8acres. 1664: Sold house, barn + 74 acres, closing out his MAholdings. 1670: Purch'd 2, 000 acres at Broad Cove (Casco Bay),ME. 1680: Sold 100 acres of Casco Bay land. 1685: 2, 000 acreholding confiscated to provide holdings for new settlers. Died acharity case, Malden. Married Elizabeth WILKINSON, died 1694,Malden, MA.

Pedigree

  1. Felt, William
    1. Felt, George
      1. Wilkinson, Elizabeth
        1. Felt, Elizabeth
        2. Felt, George
        3. Felt, Mary
        4. Felt, Peter
        5. Felt, Moses
        6. Felt, Aaron
        7. Felt, Peter
        8. Felt, Moses

Ancestors