William Cogswell

In 1676 he won a suit against his nephew John over the estate of his brother John Jr. (d. 1653). Witnesses said the orphan “lived with his uncle William” and that “Said William and his wife had a fatherly” care of him; William answered that the young man “doubtless forgets that he has been brought up from the cradle” in his care (Essex Quarterly Courts 6:152-162). One of the witnesses for William was Thomas Varney, whose son later married William’s granddaughter Abigail Cogswell (6:152, 155).

The Chebacco church started in his house. The first meeting to seek a minister was held there in February 1677; he gave the land for the meeting house (a lot thirteen rods by three); and he entertained the council that organized the church and ordained John Wise on 12 Aug 1683 (Jameson pp. 9-10).

His will, dated 5 Aug 1696, says his wife had died; it left his land to his four sons and his personal estate to his four daughters. He was buried on 17 Dec 1700, and a town meeting called for that day was adjourned “to give opportunity for citizens to attend Mr. Cogswell’s funeral” (Jameson pp. 10-11).

His daughter Susanna married Benjamin White in 1681. Through her daughter Ann (White) Boylston she was a great-grandmother of President John Adams (WikiTree Hawkes-12 and Cogswell-72).