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The Life and Legacy of Jesse Ellis: A Historical Journey Through South Dedham's Ellis Family

Jesse Ellis (1790-1866) Julia Dean Ellis (1794-1876) Martha Emily Ellis Ellis (1843-1868) Lenore E. Ellis (1868-1868) Jesse Ellis was born on September 12, 1790. His father was Joel Ellis and his mother was Azubah Morse Ellis. He became a farmer and lived in the “Ellis Neighborhood” of South Dedham. His home still stands at 88 Washington Street. Jesse Ellis home as it appears in 2022 in the "Ellis Neighborhood" of South Dedham. On September 8, 1822, Jesse Ellis married

Patricia Fanning

18 hours ago2 min read

Petition for New Town

On November 22, 1871, led by George B. Talbot, men of South Dedham wrote, signed, and sent to the Massachusetts Senate and House of Representatives a petition for a new town, “to be called Lyman, or such other name as may be deemed proper…” The town was, of course, eventually called Norwood. Bryant Tolles writes in his centennial history of the town that the warrant for the Dedham Town Meeting of January 22, 1872 contained the following article: “To see what action the town

Patricia Fanning

Nov 213 min read

The Nelson Family: Service, Loss, and Remembrance in Norwood

Major Jesse Nelson lot 16, Highland lot 141 Flora Louisa Nelson (1870-1871) Albert Stephen Nelson (1872-1872) Jesse Edwin Nelson (1875-1881) Major (his given name) Jesse Nelson was born in 1841 in New Hampshire. During the Civil War, he enlisted as a private in Company D, of the 12 th New Hampshire Volunteers, a famous fighting regiment. He served from August 12, 1862 until June 21, 1865 and was in the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville among others. Nelson

Patricia Fanning

Nov 142 min read

William and Rebekah Coney: A Life of Service and Family Legacy

William Coney (1745-1816) Rebekah Bullard Coney (c 1752-1831) William Coney: A Life of Service and Family Legacy William Coney was born on March 4, 1745 in Stoughton. He was the son of Nathaniel and Sarah Morse Coney. William was the brother of Sarah Coney, who became the wife of Aaron Guild. On January 12, 1771, William Coney married Rebekah Bullard, the daughter of John and Rebeckah White Bullard. Rebeckah Bullard Coney was born around 1752. On April 19, 1775, William

Patricia Fanning

Nov 71 min read

The Fragile Lives of the Gay Sisters: A Tale from Old Parish Cemetery

Lucy Gay (1774-1791) Sarah Gay (1775-1794) Sintha Gay (1777-1779) On the slope of Old Parish Cemetery, under the large Eastern White Pine tree, stand the graves of three young girls, Lucy, Sarah, and Sintha Gay. All were the daughters of Jesse Gay (1747-1837) and his wife, Sarah Gould Gay (1749-1836). Jesse was the son of Timothy and Azubah Thorp Gay and the brother of Azubah Gay, who died in 1741, the earliest burial in the cemetery. Jesse Gay married Sarah Go

Patricia Fanning

Oct 311 min read

Percy T. Morse, Founding Member of Norwood Odd Fellows Lodge

Percy T. Morse (1860-1892) Percy T. Morse was born on January 22, 1860 in South Dedham, His parents were Francis Morse (1821-1885) and his second wife, Lucie Grogan Morse (1830-1913). This second marriage brought three children into the family: Belle L. in 1859, Percy T. in 1860, and Jennie in 1868. Francis Morse had two children from his first marriage. Following in the footsteps of that branch of the family tree, Francis Morse was a miller, with his home and mill at the

Patricia Fanning

Oct 241 min read

The Legacy of Jonathan and Anah Fuller: A Journey Through Family History

Jonathan Fuller (1759-1834) Anah Guild Fuller (1762-1843) Jonathan Fuller was born on December 19, 1759. He was the son of Seth and Sarah Fuller, and the brother of Eliphalet Fuller, whose widow, Elenor Ellis Fuller is interred in lot 38. On February 21, 1784, Jonathan Fuller married Anah Guild. Anah Guild was born on March 19, 1762. She was the daughter of Aaron Guild and Anna Coney Guild (Guild’s second wife). The couple had four children: Samuel Gould Fuller, Jason F

Patricia Fanning

Oct 171 min read