Married Rebecca Perrimann Mar. 26, 1660
Married Deborah Rediat in 1679
Forbush became the common American spelling of the name
of most descendants of Daniel Forbes. It was often written in the early
records as Farrabas, which is a more literal translation of how the name
Forbes would be pronounced, when spoken by one with a Scottish accent.
So, Daniel is suspected to be of Scottish descent, but not proven.
It is likely that Daniel Forbush was among the 10,000 Scottish
prisoners taken by Lord Cromwell at the Battle of Dunbar on Sept. 3, 1650. Many of these prisoners were exiled to the British colonies.
He moved a bit, but all in Middlesex County, Mass,
having kids first in Cambridge, then Concord and Westborough, and
finally settled in Marlborough, Mass. He had nine children by two wives
(Rebecca Perriman and Deborah Rediat .
Died in Marlborough in Oct, 1687, leaving his widow, only about 27 years
old with nine kids, from age 1 to 23. She then married Alexander Stewart
and had more children.
The first record of Daniel Fforbes, or Forbes, or
Ffarrabas, is
relatively late (for Puritans), is in
Cambridge, Mass. when he married Rebecca Perriman on Mar. 26, 1660. Rebecca was supposed to be the sister of Thomas Perriman, who
was of Weymouth, 1652, an apprentice of Mrs. Dorothy Hunt; and of Frances
Perriman, who married June 8, 1654; and resided in Marlborough, where he was an
early settler.
It was customary in the early colonial times for
males over twenty to be admitted as free men before they became entitled to
suffrage, but it cannot be learned that Daniel was ever made a freeman.
The privilege was earnestly desired by every man, and all freemen at that
early period were required to be “orthodox”, members of the church, twenty
years old and worth $200. The
oath sworn at admission required them to be “true and faithful” subjects of
the commonwealth; to “yield, assistance and support thereunto” with person
and estate; maintain and preserve all her “liberties and privileges”, submit
to her “wholesome laws”, never to “plot and practice” evil against her,
nor “consent to any that shall so do, but “timely discover and reveal the
same to lawful authority for the speedy preventing thereof.”
Moreover, they solemnly bound themselves “in the sight of God,” that
whenever called to give voice “touching any such matter of the State” where
freemen were to deal, they would give their vote and suffrage” as they judged
in their own conscience might best “conduce and tend to the public weal of the
body” without respect of the persons or favor of man.
February 27, 1664, and March 27, 1665, Daniel
Forbes was granted by the town of Cambridge these several lots as follows; and
also agreed that the interest of each person in the low commons shall be in
proportion with the number herein inserted, and that no more proprietors shall
be allowed without unanimous consent (Cambridge town records), Daniel Forbes was
in the employ of Edmund Angier, of Cambridge, and was warned out of town.
“Warned out of town” was a common occurrence in those early days, by
the constable of the town. The high and the low, the rich and the poor, all had warnings
upon moving their residence into another town, or coming to tarry there for a
short time. No offense was taken at
such messages from the constable, they passed unheeded.
Yet not in every instance—for a family of property and good standing
(Daniel and Rebecca!) came in from other States who knew nothing of such a
practice, and upon setting down to abide in one of the towns was warned “by
authority” and “without a what or a wherefore”, to depart town.
The astonished husband laid it to heart, and discussed inquiringly with
his wife what it could mean. She
could not for the life of her imagine what it was for!
“Have you said or done anything here to give offense?” quoth she,
looking up at his face. “I have
done no more than civilly pass the time o’day with the people since we have
been here.” “Well then, who knows but they think we have got the
small-pox?” Thus they queried,
but could not account for it. The
husband, having laid awake upon it during the night told his wife in the morning
that he was going to pack up his things and go somewhere else, “for this is no
great of a place after all!”
(Edmund Angier was licensed to sell liquor, and his
father owned a grocery and bar on the corner of Dunster and Mt. Auburn Streets.
This Edmund was brother of Samson Angier of Kittery and it was thought
that Daniel Forbes went to Cambridge and entered the employ of Edmund through
the efforts of Samson.) But Daniel
Forbes was a man of character, stood well in Cambridge, was doubtless a church
member; had his land set off to him by the authorities.
(The land was sold to Edmund Angier).
March 19, 1671, Daniel and Rebecca Forbes conveyed
five acres of land in Cambridge to Edmund Angier, being land conveyed to Daniel
by the town of Cambridge, Mar. 27, 1665. “ When Daniel Forbes conveyed land to Edmund Angier, on moving to Marlboro,
he signed the conveyance with a cross—his name being put above and below.
Daniel thus X’d the evidence that he could not write and, what more
natural than a clerk, writing the name as it was pronounced for him and copying
the broad Scotch dialect, should spell it Farrabas, writing it in two syllables
as “Farrabas”. (Later spelled
Forbush).
In 1679, Daniel Forbes was married to his second
wife, Deborah Rediat, of Concord, who was the daughter of John Rediat of Sudbury
and who became a freeman in 1645. John
Rediat was one of the original owners to the town of Marlboro.
In the division of house lots, John Rediat was granted 22 ½ acres of
land. There were thirty-eight
owners and 993 ½ acres were divided. In
1664, John Rediat was one of nine petitioners to the magistrate for permission
to establish a church, setting forth that the distance from the church at
Sudbury, of which they were all members, rendered it inconvenient to go there to
enjoy church privileges. A grant
was made by the General Court to John Rediat in 1672, “west of Assebeth River,
northwest of Chauney Great Pond, bounded on the east by a spruce swamp”.
Arrangements were made for the better protection of the inhabitants from
the Indians. Deborah got quite a
little property from her father. Deborah
was born in 1652 and died April 20, 1720 at the age of 68.
