Descent from Colonial Gov. John Webster

Webster, the son of Matthew and Elizabeth (Ashton) Webster, married Agnes Smith in 1609 atCossington, where their first five children were born. They had more children in America.

This Webster family settled at Watertown, MA, in the early 1630s and moved to the present Hartfordin 1636, probably with Rev. Thomas Hookers group. Webster was one of the original Hartfordlandowners.

Webster was involved in the Connecticut Colony government from as early as 1639, when he becameAssistant for the General Court, a post he held until 1655. He was named Commissioner to theUnited Colonies of New England in 1654, became Deputy Governor in 1655 and was namedGovernor in 1656 and Chief Magistrate in 1657. He later was a magistrate at Hadley, MA.

When Hooker died, his congregation became split, first over who the successor would be, then overthe liberalized baptism policy the new minister supported. Webster was part of the dissenting groupthat broke away and moved to Hadley, MA.

Webster and his wife Agnes Smith had these children: Matthew (b. ca. 1608/9; m. Sarah Waterburyand Mary Reeve), Margaret (b1609/10; m. William Bolton and Thomas Hunt), William (b. 1614; m.Mary Reeve), Thomas (b. 1616; m. Abigail Alexander), Robert (see below), Anne (b. 1621; m. JohnMarsh), Elizabeth (b. 1622/23; m. William Markham), Mary (b. 1623; married Jonathan Hunt) andFaith (b. & d. 1627). (Some genealogists do not name Margaret or Faith.) Their most famousdescendant is Noah Webster of dictionary fame.

Line of DescentThe following genealogicaldata was compiled by family researcherElizabeth (Scott) Karpf. This is her line ofdescent from John and Agnes (Smith)Webster.

John Webster and Agnes Smith.RobertWebster (1627-1676) of Hartford; in 1652married Susannah Treat (1629-1705).JohnWebster II (1653-1694), born atMiddletown, CT; m. Sarah Mygatt (1661-aft.1728)John Webster III (1680-bef.1753) ofHartford and Southington, CT, wed on Christmas Day, 1712, Abiel Steele (1693-1789).John Webster

IV (1728-1772) of Hartford and Southington, CT; m. in 1755 Rhoda Lewis (1733-1789).PhilologousWebster (1759-1824) of Southington, CT and Clintonville, OH; m. in 1784 Sarah Scott (1757-1822).Harvey Webster (1788-1847) of Southington, CT and Clintonville, OH; m. in 1809 LucindaBrown (1784-1847).Lewis Harvey Webster (1819-1896) of Columbus, OH, in 1846 wed Susan Agler(1824-1865).Georgianna Medora Webster (1848-1933) was born in Franklin Co., OH, and died atOmaha, NE; married in 1867 Philip Newman Ault (1842-1914).Carrie Adelaide Ault (1873-1954),born in Bartholomew Co., IN and died in Omaha, NE; in 1898 married Frederick James Bolshaw(1870-1960).Helen Dorothy Bolshaw (1901-1969) of Lincoln and Omaha, NE, in 1921 married WrayMoore Scott (1901-1980).Elizabeth Jean Scott, born 1925 at Omaha; in 1948 she married CharlesTiffany Karpf (b. 1921). They were divorced in 1966.Descendants of Gov. John Webster are eligiblefor membership in The Hereditary Order of Descendants of Colonial Governors. Companion articlesgive lines of descent from Colonial Connecticut Governors William Leete and Thomas Welles.

Sources:

Connecticut State Library (biography of Gov. John Webster); line of descent furnished in 1988 byElizabeth (Scott) Karpf of Green Valley, AZ.

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