| BIRTH | Edmund was born circa 1600 in England[1,2,3,4]. His birth year is estimated from a June 1660 deposition in which he is said to be aged about sixty years; a March 1671 deposition, in which he is aged about seventy years; and a 10 October 1678 deposition, in which he is aged 78 years. |
| DEATH | Edmund died in Beverly, Essex co., MA on 11 June 1682; he was most likely 82[4,5]. Edmund's death record (Early Beverly Records, p. 70) reads: "Edmund Grover, Aged aboute Eighty two years, Deceased on the Eleauenth Day of June Anno: Domine 1682". |
| MIGRATION | Edmund supposedly emigrated from England to America in 1633[4]. This is borne out by the following explanation be Robert Anderson: "On 10 October 1678, during the seemingly endless haggling over the boundaries of John Endicott's estate, Edmund Grover, aged 78 years, deposed that 'above forty-five years since I ... wrought much upon Governor Endecott's farm called Orchard'[7]. This places Grover in Salem by 1633 or earlier, and is the only indication we have that he was in New England before 1636."[8] Other sources claim that he was "of Salem, MA" in 1628-1633, but I would trust Anderson on this one. |
| RESIDENCE & REAL ESTATE |
In the 1636 Salem land division "Edm: Grover" received twenty
acres[18]. Anderson further explains that "The 1637 Salem grant
numbered Edmund Grover's household as only two. This could have been Edmund
and his eldest son, John. His wife may have followed from England later, or he
may have been a widower at that date."
At the 13 February 1642/3 Salem, Essex co., MA town meeting, Edmond Grover was granted two little parcels of fresh meadow of about an acre and a half near Beaver Pond[19]. At the 21 January 1649 Salem town meeting, Edmond Grover was granted another forty acres[20]. This grant encompassed that spot of ground between his own ten acres lot and Henry Herrick's in recompence for his land which was taken for a highway[21]. On 3 July 1677 "Edmund Grover of Beverly, yeoman," granted to Nehemiah Grover for love and natural affection "five acres of land or my houselot," twenty acres of land next to the farm that was formerly Roger Hascall's, and five acres of land on the east side of Beaver Pond[22]. |
| CHURCH MEMBERSHIP & THE "NAOMIE/NEHEMIAH" BAPTISM DEBATE | He "...was one of those 'belonging to the Church and Town of Salem' who petitioned to be able to erect a new town at Jeffrey's Creek, 13 May 1640..."[8,25]. He must have been a member of the Church, since he was allowed to become a Freeman. However, his wife was clearly the church-goer in the family, as seen by this statement by Anderson: "Two weeks after she joined the Salem church in 1646, Margaret Grover had baptized 'Naomie, Mary and Liddea, children of Edmond Grover'[32]. Assuming that these children were born at the usual two-year intervals, the earliest would have been born about 1642. From his age at death Nehemiah would have been born about 1644, from which we would expect him to be among those baptized in 1646. It may be that "Naomie" (for whom there is no other record) is really Nehemiah in disguise." She joined the Salem church on 3 May 1646, with her record acquiring the later annotation "dead"[34]. |
| FREEMANSHIP | Despite living in Salem, Essex co., MA, he took the Oath of Fidelity at neighboring Beverly, Essex co., MA on 3 December 1677[4,23]. However, Edmund didn't take the Freeman's Oath until 8 May 1678[9]. |
| OCCUPATION | He was a Cordwainer (cordwinder)[4] |
| EDUCATION | As seen by the fact that he only made his mark to the deposition of 14 November 1664, he could apparently neither read nor write[4,6]. |
| LEGAL MENTION |
In June 1638 Edmund Grover sued Thomas Scruggs and William Alford and won a verdict of
seventeen bushels of corn at harvest[10]. He was also among the neighbors
who witnessed against Hugh Laskin and his wife at court in July 1644 for "hard
usage" of their young servant, Edmund Grover "said he had come to their house
and...[the servant boy] had eaten nothing that day"[11].
Edmond Grover, aged about sixty years, deposed during the June term of the 1660 Salem Quarterly Court that two years ago when Roger Haskell was constable, he demanded his rate twice[1]. This deposition had some bearing on the removal of a "landmark" of Edmond Grover's. Many persons came forward to depose about the fact that Roger Haskell had removed the landmark at Bass River[12]. Joane Hibbert was fined for saying that "Liddea Grover" and Mary Grover were the "veriest liars at Bass River & they were able to lie the devil out of Hell,"[13]. At the November term of the 1660 Salem Quarterly Court, Edmond Grover deposed that he was a near neighbor to Jonathan and Eunice Porter, and that Eunice was more willing to sell her house to Osmond Trask than Jonathan was[14]. Trask evidently bought the house, for at the November term of the 1664 Salem Quarterly Court, Trask was fined for rescuing his hogs and cattle from Edmund Grover as Grover drove them from his corn into the pound[6,15]. On 10 February 1664, along with many other Salem, Essex co., MA men, "Goodman Grover Sr." was on a Topsfield, Essex co., MA list of "those that are in a rate to defray the town's debts,"[16]. |
| TOWN SERVICE | Edmund Grover served on the Coroner's jury into the death of William Ellet, June Term, 1660[4,24]. He also appeared at court several times during 1660. |
| ESTATE | Edmund died intestate and his son Nehemiah Grover, was appointed administrator on 2 August 1682[17]. The inventory of the estate of "Edmand Grover" was taken 2 August 1682 by William Rayment and Exercise Conant, and was valued at £3 14s., but owed £4 10s. and contained no real estate[4,17]. |
| MARRIAGE #1 | Circa 1628 when Edmund was 28, he first married in England[4]. Unfortunately, we know nothing of this wife and she is "not seen in New England"[4]. |
| CHILD | 2. | i. | John GROVER | John was born circa 1628 in England[2,35]. His birth is estimated from a 28 March 1671 deposition, in which he is aged forty-three years. John died in Beverly, Essex co., MA in August 1716 as "Grover, John, Aug. __, 1716, a. 88 y."[8]. On 13 May 1656 when John was 28, he married Sarah BARNEY, daughter of Jacob BARNEY, in Salem, Essex co., MA[8]. |
| MARRIAGE #2 | Before 1628 when Edmund was 28, he second married Margaret [surname not known], in England[26,27,28,29,30,31]. Margaret was born circa 1604 in England and died in Salem, Essex co., MA before July 1674; she was 70. She, as "the wife of Ed. Grover", was a witness in the adultery case of Gervase Garford and Elizabeth Simonds[8,33]. |
| CHILDREN | 3. | i. | Mary GROVER | Mary was born circa 1631 in Salem, Essex co., MA. At the age of 15, Mary was baptized in Salem, Essex co., MA on 17 May 1646[8,32]. On 11 June 1666 when Mary was 35, she married Anthony WOOD, in Ipswich, Essex co., MA[8]. |
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4. | ii. | Lydia GROVER | Lydia was born circa 1634 in Salem, Essex co., MA. At the age of 12, Lydia was baptized in Salem, Essex co., MA on 17 May 1646[32]. She was still living in 1660[36]. |
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5. | iii. | Nathaniel [possibly Nehemiah] GROVER | [According to some sources, this child was born circa 1638 in Salem, Essex co., MA. This child is not acknowledged by Anderson and could be another corruption of Nehemiah's name.] |
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6. | iv. | Deborah GROVER | Deborah was born circa 1640 in Salem, Essex co., MA. At the age of 8, Deborah was baptized in Salem, Essex co., MA on 26 March 1648[32]. |
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7. | v. | Nehemiah GROVER | Please see his own page. |
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8. | vi. | Elizabeth GROVER | According to some sources, Elizabeth was born circa 1642 in Salem, Essex co., MA. She is also not acknowledged by Anderson. |
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9. | vii. | Naomie [possibly Nehemiah] GROVER | [According to some sources, this child was born in 1646 in Salem, Essex co., MA and was supposedly baptized in Salem, Essex co., MA on 17 May 1646[8,32]. There is "no further record (but probably the same as Nehemiah above.)..."[8] It is believed that Naomie is a corruption of Nehemiah's name in the records or that Nehemiah was taken "in disguise" to this baptism. That would be interesting.] |
| GENERATION | Great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great (G8) Grandfather |
| FAMILY NUMBER | 1908 |
| SOURCES |
1. Edward Carroll Death Record,
19 October 1899, Lynn, Essex co., MA,
1866, 192, p. 186, #337.
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Return to the Grover Index page. |
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| Return to the Family Index page. |
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Return to the Surname Index page. |
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Return to the Maddison Side Tree page. |
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