Edward Converse

Grandfather of Maj. James Converse, and the first of the family in New England. Savage: "EDWARD, Charlestown, came in the fleet with Winth. 1630, with w. Sarah, and childr.," was admitted freeman in May 1631, "was selectman 1634-40, had gr. of first ferry to Boston in 1631, rem. 1643 to Woburn, was rep. 1660, and deac." His will of August 1659 "names w. Sarah, s. Josiah, James, and Samuel, Edward, s. of James, as well as alludes to others, childr. of d. Mary Thompson ... kinsm. Allen C. and John Parker" (source).

The ferry and Woburn. Kith and Kin, from the Converse family books, tells more: "In consideration of forty pounds per year rental, he received a Legislative Grant, in 1631, of a franchise for a ferry from Charlestown to Boston, on the site of the present Charles River Bridge. The enterprise was under his control for several years when he surrendered his rights for the benefit of Harvard College ... His name heads the list of Seven Commissioners appointed to settle the town of Woburn." The church there "was organized circa 1641 and Edward Convers was chosen one of the first Deacons, serving as such until his death." "In January, 1640 (O. S.), he completed the erection of his home, at a cost of $650.00 ... It was the first residence constructed in Woburn ... Here he lived the remainder of his life," with "the 'Convers Mill'" across the street (source). The grant of the ferry, the selectmen's office, the deaconship and the deputyship are in Savage; the rest is the family's account and goes beyond the town records. His wife Sarah died on 14 Jan 1662; that September he married Joanna Sprague, and he died at Woburn on 10 Aug 1663 (source).

His children named by Savage and Kith and Kin were Deacon Josiah (b. 1617), Lt. James (b. about 1620), Mary (Mrs. Simon Thompson, then Mrs. John Sheldon) and Samuel (b. 1637 at Charlestown).

Origin. Kith and Kin (pp. 38-40), after W. G. Hill, makes him Edward Conyers, son of Christopher and Mary (Halford) Conyers of Wakerley, Northamptonshire, and descends the family from the Conyers of Sockburn and "Roger de Coigneries ... He came to England with William of Normandy." No document links Edward to that family, and the pedigree is not used here. WikiTree has him baptized at Navestock, Essex, in 1589, a son of Allen Convers (source); Savage thought Allen Convers of Woburn, the "kinsm. Allen C." of the will, perhaps his brother.

Research: Patricia Hatten's Browne–Chapin side: the pedigree, notable ancestors and famous kin.

Open questions

• His English origin. The Navestock baptism and parentage on WikiTree have not been checked here.