Meribah Wardwell1

b. 14 May 1637
Meribah Wardwell|b. 14 May 1637|p9656.htm|William Wardwell|b. 4 Jan 1606/7\nd. 25 Apr 1670|p9661.htm|Alice (—?—) (Wardwell)|d. 1657|p9662.htm|John Wardale||p9842.htm||||||||||

6th great-grandmother of Ruth Minerva Fairfield.
8th great-grandmother of Laura Jane Munson.
Family Background:
Fairfield and Allied Families
Appears on charts:
Pedigree for Ruth Minerva Fairfield
     Meribah Wardwell was born 14th 3rd mo. 1637 (14 May 1637) in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts.1,3 She was the daughter of William Wardwell and Alice (—?—) (Wardwell).2 She was baptized 25 day 4 mo. 1637 (25 June 1637) in First Church, Boston.1 She married Francis Littlefield Jr., son of Edmond Littlefield and Annis Austin, by about 1658 in Wells, York County, Maine.
     
     Soon after her husband's death, when King Philip's War broke out, Meribah Wardwell's house in Wells became a garrison, and by September 1677, the colony owed her £38: 5: 0 for maintaining soldiers.4 She was possibly the widow Littlefield whose house was a garrison in 1690, when of six garrisons in Wells, four were owned by Littlefields.5

     In July 1710, the court, in answer to a petition from Jonathan and David Littlefield, who were apparently supporting their mother, ordered that the children and grandchildren of Mrs. Meribah Littlefield should bear their just share in her expenses. It was agreed that Mr. Jonathan Littlefield should contribute £2: 15: 0, Mr. Samuel Emery and Capt. Joseph Hill £2: 10: 0 each, Joseph Littlefield £1: 15: 0, Joseph Littlefield £1: 10: 0, and Samuel Hatch and Thomas Penney £1 each. These were all sons or sons-in-law, except Joseph Littlefield who was her oldest grandson, son of her son Joseph, deceased. How much longer she lived is not known.

Additional Data
Merribah Littlefield was mentioned in her father William Wardell's will dated 18 April 1670 in Boston.6,7,8

Merribah Littlefield was mentioned in her husband Francis Littlefield Jr.'s will dated 5 February 1674 in Wells.9 Click to view image

Merribah Littlefield was mentioned in her mother-in-law Annis Littlefield's will dated 12 December 1677.10 Click to view image

Children of Meribah Wardwell and Francis Littlefield Jr.

Citations

  1. [S185] William S. Appleton, ed., Boston Births, Baptisms, Marriages, and Deaths, 1630-1699, Boston Births, 1700-1800, 2 volumes in 1 (Boston: The Registry Department of the City of Boston, 1883 and 1894; reprint Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1978), 5.
  2. [S876] Charles Henry Pope, The Pioneers of Maine and New Hampshire 1623-1660, A Descriptive List, Drawn from Records of the Colonies, Towns, Churches, Courts and other Contemporary Sources (Boston: n.pub., 1908; reprint Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1997), 222, 223.
  3. [S215] James Savage, A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692, on the Basis of Farmer's Register, 4 vol. (Boston: n.pub., 1860-62; reprint Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1994), 415.
  4. [S890] Walter Goodwin Davis, "Littlefield, of Wells," Massachusetts and Maine Families in the Ancestry of Walter Goodwin Davis (1885-1966): A Reprinting in Alphabetical Order by Surname, of the Sixteen Multi-Ancestor Compendia, (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1996), Vol. III, 485, citing Maine Historical Society, Documentary Series VI: 191, originally published in The Ancestry of Annis Spear (1945).
  5. [S890] Walter Goodwin Davis, "Littlefield, of Wells," Massachusetts and Maine Families, Vol. III, 485, citing Maine Historical Society, Documentary Series V: 91, originally published in The Ancestry of Annis Spear (1945).
  6. [S893] Walter Goodwin Davis, "Wardwell, of Wells," Massachusetts and Maine Families in the Ancestry of Walter Goodwin Davis (1885-1966): A Reprinting in Alphabetical Order by Surname, of the Sixteen Multi-Ancestor Compendia, (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1996), Vol. III, 549-550, originally published in The Ancestry of Annis Spear (1945).
  7. [S761] The New England Historical and Genealogical Register; (Online database: NewEnglandAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001), (Orig. Pub. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, MA. The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 148 vols., 1847-1994) 48: 458.
  8. [S899] "William Wardwell", citing Suffolk Probate 7: 35-36, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633, online http://www.newenglandancestors.org/, printout dated 2005. Previously published in hard copy (Boston: NEHGS, 1995).
  9. [S875] William M. Sargent, comp. and ed., Maine Wills. 1640-1760 (Portland, Maine: Maine Historical Society, 1887; reprint Baltimore: Inc. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1996), 54-56, citing Registry of Deeds, 2, 166.
  10. [S875] William M. Sargent, Maine Wills, 76, citing Registry of Deeds, 5, 25.
  11. [S890] Walter Goodwin Davis, "Littlefield, of Wells," Massachusetts and Maine Families, Vol. III, 486, originally published in The Ancestry of Annis Spear (1945).