Hopestill Foster

Personpeople/hopestill-foster-1645.md

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name
Hopestill Foster
aka
[Ensign Hopestill Foster]
sex
male
access
public
summary
Ensign and soap boiler of Boston, eldest son of Capt. Hopestill Foster of Dorchester, where he was baptized in 1644/5 and married Elizabeth Payson in 1666/7. In King Philip's War, in May 1676, he was made ensign of Capt. Thomas Clarke's Boston company. Father of Samuel Foster, born in 1676; he was dead by January 1677/8.
born
date
bp. 10 Mar 1644/5
place
Dorchester, Massachusetts
basis
documented
confidence
proven
sources
[church-records-first-church-dorchester]
note
"Hopstill ffoster : 10 1 mo 44" (Records of the First Church at Dorchester, p. 156; also quoted on WikiTree, Foster-2330).
died
date
by 28 Jan 1677/8
basis
documented
confidence
proven
sources
[book-pierce-1899-foster-genealogy]
note
Administration granted to his widow Elizabeth, 28 Jan 1677/8. Mollie has Boston, 1678.
residences
date
1669
place
Boston, Massachusetts
basis
documented
confidence
probable
note
A soap boiler of Boston; his daughters were born there in 1669 and 1671 (Boston RC 9).
father
id
hopestill-foster-1620
basis
documented
confidence
proven
sources
[vital-records-roxbury, will-hopestill-foster-1676]
note
His marriage record calls him "eldest s. Capt. Hopestill, of Dorchester"; the Captain's will names son Hopestill and "young Hopestill, my grandson."
mother
id
mary-bate-1618
basis
inferred
confidence
probable
sources
[will-hopestill-foster-1676]
note
The Captain's wife Mary, named in his will. No record seen names his mother, though Roberts calls him "son of Capt. Hopestill and Mary (Bates) Foster" (the colonial tree marks the link documented).
spouses
id
elizabeth-payson-1645
married
date
15 Feb 1666/7
place
Dorchester, Massachusetts
basis
documented
confidence
proven
sources
[vital-records-roxbury]
note
"Hopestill, eldest s. Capt. Hopestill, of Dorchester, and [blank] Pason, at Dorchester, 15 : 12m : 1666" (Roxbury church record, VR 2:152).
basis
documented
confidence
proven
sources
[vital-records-roxbury, vital-records-boston]

The Captain's eldest son made his life in Boston, as a soap boiler. He was made a freeman in 1673, joined Boston's Second Church, and was a Boston constable in 1674-75; he joined the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company in 1673 and was its first sergeant in 1675 (Roberts, History of the AHAC 1:223). He and his wife Elizabeth (Payson) had Elizabeth, born 26 July 1669, and Mary, born 22 July 1671, who married Timothy Nash on 2 Apr 1694 (Boston RC 9).

King Philip's War. At the Court of May 1676, "In ans. to the motion of Capt Thomas Clarke, Ensigne Pen Townsend is appointed leiut, & Sarjt Hopestill Foster to be ensigne to sajd Capt Tho Clarks company" (Mass. Bay Records 5:127). Clarke's was the third of the eight Boston companies (Soldiers in King Philip's War, p. 473), and not an eager one: when its men were pressed for Capt. Samuel Wadsworth's march of April 1676, which ended in the Sudbury fight, some "hid away," and two said they "would rather be hanged, drawne and quartered than goe" (Bodge p. 222 n.). His brother Elisha probably rode in Capt. Thomas Brattle's troop, and in 1678 married Elizabeth's sister Sarah Payson; his brother John printed the first histories of the war.

His son Samuel was born on 27 Dec 1676 (Boston RC 9), a month after the Boston fire of 27 Nov 1676, which "consumed about fifty dwelling-houses and the North Meeting-house" (Hull's diary, p. 242). On 28 Dec he was put on the committee "to guard the town against a conflagration" (Roberts 1:223). He was dead by the next winter: on 28 Jan 1677/8 his widow Elizabeth was granted administration. His inventory "mentions money due from Father Payson" (Pierce p. 505).

A deed of 1726 sets apart "the portion set apart for the thirds of Elizabeth Brown, grandmother of Samuel Foster," his widow's dower, in a family house on Fitch's alley, fronting east on "the lane leading from the town dock" (Suffolk Deeds 40:22-23, abstracted in NEHGR 178:35). It was probably his Boston homestead.

Mollie's typescript has him fined as a Baptist in 1672, 1675 and 1678 (p. 120); that was Hopestill Foster of Billerica, son of Thomas.

Open questions

  • A record naming his mother; Roberts has Mary (Bates).
  1. ---
  2. name: Hopestill Foster
  3. aka: [Ensign Hopestill Foster]
  4. sex: male
  5. access: public
  6. summary: >-
  7. Ensign and soap boiler of Boston, eldest son of Capt. Hopestill Foster of Dorchester, where he was
  8. baptized in 1644/5 and married Elizabeth Payson in 1666/7. In King Philip's War, in May 1676, he
  9. was made ensign of Capt. Thomas Clarke's Boston company. Father of Samuel Foster, born in 1676; he
  10. was dead by January 1677/8.
  11. born:
  12. date: bp. 10 Mar 1644/5
  13. place: Dorchester, Massachusetts
  14. basis: documented
  15. confidence: proven
  16. sources: [church-records-first-church-dorchester]
  17. note: "\"Hopstill ffoster : 10 1 mo 44\" (Records of the First Church at Dorchester, p. 156; also quoted on WikiTree, Foster-2330)."
  18. died:
  19. date: by 28 Jan 1677/8
  20. basis: documented
  21. confidence: proven
  22. sources: [book-pierce-1899-foster-genealogy]
  23. note: Administration granted to his widow Elizabeth, 28 Jan 1677/8. Mollie has Boston, 1678.
  24. residences:
  25. - date: "1669"
  26. place: Boston, Massachusetts
  27. basis: documented
  28. confidence: probable
  29. note: "A soap boiler of Boston; his daughters were born there in 1669 and 1671 (Boston RC 9)."
  30. father:
  31. id: hopestill-foster-1620
  32. basis: documented
  33. confidence: proven
  34. sources: [vital-records-roxbury, will-hopestill-foster-1676]
  35. note: His marriage record calls him "eldest s. Capt. Hopestill, of Dorchester"; the Captain's will names son Hopestill and "young Hopestill, my grandson."
  36. mother:
  37. id: mary-bate-1618
  38. basis: inferred
  39. confidence: probable
  40. sources: [will-hopestill-foster-1676]
  41. note: The Captain's wife Mary, named in his will. No record seen names his mother, though Roberts calls him "son of Capt. Hopestill and Mary (Bates) Foster" (the colonial tree marks the link documented).
  42. spouses:
  43. - id: elizabeth-payson-1645
  44. married:
  45. date: 15 Feb 1666/7
  46. place: Dorchester, Massachusetts
  47. basis: documented
  48. confidence: proven
  49. sources: [vital-records-roxbury]
  50. note: "\"Hopestill, eldest s. Capt. Hopestill, of Dorchester, and [blank] Pason, at Dorchester, 15 : 12m : 1666\" (Roxbury church record, VR 2:152)."
  51. basis: documented
  52. confidence: proven
  53. sources: [vital-records-roxbury, vital-records-boston]
  54. ---
  56. The Captain's eldest son made his life in Boston, as a soap boiler. He was made a freeman in 1673,
  57. joined Boston's Second Church, and was a Boston constable in 1674-75; he joined the Ancient and
  58. Honorable Artillery Company in 1673 and was its first sergeant in 1675
  59. ([Roberts, *History of the AHAC*](/files/sources/book-roberts-1895-ancient-honorable-artillery-company/) 1:223).
  60. He and his wife Elizabeth (Payson) had Elizabeth, born 26 July 1669, and Mary, born 22 July 1671,
  61. who married Timothy Nash on 2 Apr 1694 (Boston RC 9).
  63. **King Philip's War.** At the Court of May 1676, "In ans. to the motion of Capt Thomas Clarke,
  64. Ensigne Pen Townsend is appointed leiut, & Sarjt Hopestill Foster to be ensigne to sajd Capt Tho
  65. Clarks company" ([Mass. Bay Records](/files/sources/court-records-massachusetts-bay/) 5:127). Clarke's was
  66. the third of the eight Boston companies ([*Soldiers in King Philip's War*](/files/sources/book-bodge-1906-soldiers-king-philips-war/),
  67. p. 473), and not an eager one: when its men were pressed for Capt. Samuel Wadsworth's march of April
  68. 1676, which ended in the Sudbury fight, some "hid away," and two said they "would rather be hanged,
  69. drawne and quartered than goe" (Bodge p. 222 n.). His brother [Elisha](/people/elisha-foster-fl1676/)
  70. probably rode in Capt. Thomas Brattle's troop, and in 1678 married Elizabeth's sister Sarah Payson;
  71. his brother [John](/people/john-foster-1648/) printed the first histories of the war.
  73. His son Samuel was born on 27 Dec 1676 (Boston RC 9), a month after the Boston fire of 27 Nov 1676,
  74. which "consumed about fifty dwelling-houses and the North Meeting-house"
  75. ([Hull's diary](/files/sources/book-hull-1857-diaries/), p. 242). On 28 Dec he was put on the committee "to
  76. guard the town against a conflagration" (Roberts 1:223). He was dead by the next winter: on 28 Jan
  77. 1677/8 his widow Elizabeth was granted administration. His inventory "mentions money due from Father
  78. Payson" (Pierce p. 505).
  80. A deed of 1726 sets apart "the portion set apart for the thirds of Elizabeth Brown, grandmother of
  81. Samuel Foster," his widow's dower, in a family house on Fitch's alley, fronting east on "the lane
  82. leading from the town dock" (Suffolk Deeds 40:22-23, abstracted in NEHGR 178:35). It was probably
  83. his Boston homestead.
  85. Mollie's typescript has him fined as a Baptist in 1672, 1675 and 1678 (p. 120); that was Hopestill
  86. Foster of Billerica, son of Thomas.
  88. ## Open questions
  90. - A record naming his mother; Roberts has Mary (Bates).
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