Samuel Hastings (1665 - 1723)

Samuel Hastings I, born March 12, 1665, was the youngest of the eight children of Deacon Thomas and Margaret (Cheney) Hastings of Watertown.  He appears for the first time in the history of Watertown in 1672, at the age of 6.  On July 27, 1672, the town paid Samuel 12 shillings and 6 pence "for the bell."  This may refer to Samuel as having been given the responsibility for ringing the town bell.  It was also in 1672 that Samuel's oldest brother Thomas had moved west to Hatfield in the wake of the scandal involving Susannah Woodward (see bio for Thomas Hastings II).  In 1683, two years prior to the death of their father, his brother Benjamin had moved west to Hatfield.  Then in 1685, the year of their father's death, Benjamin moved to Deerfield.      

     Samuel was twenty years old when his father died in 1685, and he inherited the family homestead in Watertown.  As a result of his age, he was appointed a guardian named John Nevinson.  The latter had left his home in East Horsely, Surrey County, England around May 1668. He was the son of Rev. Roger Nevinson of Hambledone, Surrey County, England.  Originally, he left England to serve as attorney for his father, who was the assignee of the heirs of John Fleming.  On August 14, 1678, he purchased 100 acres of land in Watertown for £200.  By 1685, John and his wife Elizabeth were keeping a tavern at their house.  John Nevinson was an important figure in the lives of two sons of Deacon Thomas Hastings- Samuel and his younger brother Nathaniel (see below).

     As noted above, Samuel's brother Benjamin had moved to Deerfield in 1685.  It appears that Samuel had originally intended to follow his brother's example.  In August of 1685, home lots in Deerfield along the street laid out at Plumbtree Playne (Wapping) were granted to Benjamin and Samuel.  Thus it would appear that originally, Samuel had intended to leave Watertown and live in Deerfield.  However, he was still in Watertown in 1687, when he married for the first time. 

     On January 4, 1687, he married Lydia Church, daughter of Caleb Church of Watertown.  Lydia was one of 8 children born to Caleb and Joanna Church, who originally settled in Dedham, where Lydia was born July 11, 1671.  Caleb was originally a miller or millwright, who settled in Watertown sometime during the period 1674-1678.  He was chosen to serve as Surveyor of Highways on September 6, 1676.  He was admitted to full communion on March 4, 1688, and freeman on March 22, 1690.  During the period 1686-1711, he kept a tavern.  The latter is particularly interesting in that Samuel's guardian, John Nevinson, was also keeping a tavern as of 1685, a profession that Samuel would also follow (see below). 

     Any plans Samuel had of living in Deerfield were short lived.  At a Deerfield town meeting on May 30, 1689, Samuel's home lot at Plumbtree Playne was seized by the town because he had not built a house or a fence on the land.  G. Sheldon notes in his work that while Benjamin Hastings became a permanent resident of Deerfield, Samuel "disappeared from the scene." Thus Samuel changed his mind about living in Deerfield, and chose to remain in Watertown. 

     According to the Watertown records, Samuel's daughter Lydia was born January 28, 1690.  However, tragedy soon struck.  By February 9, 1690, both mother and daughter had died.  It is not clear from the Watertown records which Lydia died on which date.  "Leady Hastings" is listed as having died on January 31, 1690.  "Lydia Hastings" died February 9, 1690.  However, the name "Lydia" is definetly used of the daughter in the Watertown records.  Possibly the spelling "Leady" is meant to distinguish mother from daughter.  If so, the Mother died on January 31, 1690 as a result of complications of childbirth 3 days after the birth of daughter Lydia.  The child then died on February 9, 1690.  Sometime during this period, i.e. 1690-1693, a group of townspeople offered to contribute money for work to repair the meeting-house.  Samuel volunteered 4 shillings, as did his brother Nathaniel, while his older brother Joseph contributed 5 shillings.  Before long the decision was made to build a new meeting-house, which would put Samuel at the middle of a controversy regarding its location (see below).    

On April 24, 1694, Samuel married Elizabeth, the daughter of his former guardian John Nevinson.  But it also noteworthy that on March 6, 1694, Samuel was licensed to run the tavern in Watertown which had previously been run by his father-in-law John Nevinson, who died January 25, 1694.  At this time Elizabeth, Samuel's mother-in-law and widow of John Nevinson, was still living at the house, and the approval for Samuel's license was dependent upon Elizabeth leaving the house.  This soon changed when Elizabeth married Capt. William Bond in May 1695, and left the house to Samuel.  But William Bond died shortly thereafter on December 14, 1695, and Elizabeth returned to John Nevinson's house and kept the tavern for the next 20 years.  It appears that Elizabeth and Samuel ran the tavern together for a few years, after which, Samuel returned to the homestead which he inherited from his father.  As noted above, Samuel's first father-in-law, Caleb Clark, was also a tavern-keeper in Watertown.  But the connection between the Nevinson and Hastings families grew closer when John Nevinson's other daughter, Mary Nevinson, married Samuel's brother Nathaniel.  Thus, John Nevinson was father-in-law to two sons of Deacon Thomas Hastings. 

In May 1694, the town was planning to build a new meetinghouse.  The intended location was the eastern part of town.  Samuel, his brother Joseph and mother-in-law Elizabeth Nevinson were part of a group who, on May 9, 1694, refused to pay for the building of the new meetinghouse.  The group was allied with some farmers who wanted the new meetinghouse built in the western part of the town, in order to ensure the farmers easier access.  Although this issue was resolved, a new controversy arose, this time involving the new pastor, Rev. Angier.  On September 28, 1696, Samuel was part of a group who did not acknowledge the vote to settle the new pastor, and refused to recognize him.

Samuel's daughter Elizabeth was baptized November 29, 1697.  First born son Samuel was baptized October 30, 1698.  On March 25, 1700, Samuel was chosen to serve as hayward.  Son Benjamin was baptized November 24, 1700, but died young.  Also born in 1700 was Samuel's last daughter Ursula (tentatively accepted). Tragedy struck that same year when Samuel's wife Elizabeth died in 1700, possibly as a consequence of child-birth.    

On July 10, 1701, Samuel married again, this time to Sarah Coolidge, daughter of Simon Coolidge.  Simon was the son of the eminent John Coolidge, one of the earliest proprietors of Watertown, having settled in the town in 1630.  He served many terms as Selectman during the years 1636-1677, and would have been well known to Deacon Thomas Hastings.    

On July 19, 1702, sons Daniel and Benjamin were baptized.  On March 3, 1704, Samuel was chosen to serve as hayward, and then again on March 4, 1706, and on March 7, 1709.  Finally, Samuel's daughter Elizabeth married a Mr. Henrys, and Samuel's last son, Nathaniel was born, probably sometime between 1708-1710.  On March 2, 1713, Samuel was chosen to serve as constable, while his first father-in-law Caleb Church was chosen Selectman.  Samuel held his last position in 1715, when he was chosen Tithingman on March 4, 1715.   Also in that year, Samuel's name appears in a list of the Proprietors of Watertown who owned the first house lots granted in Watertown.  As noted earlier, Samuel inherited his father's home lot in 1685.

Samuel appears in the history of Watertown one last time on February 17, 1720.  A meeting of the Proprietors of the common-land of Watertown chose Samuel to serve on a committee to oversee the removal of a fence which William Shattuck Jr had erected on a piece of common land known as Kings-Common.  This fence was illegal, and was ordered to be removed.  Interestingly, the Hastings family was connected to the Shattucks.  Samuel's niece Hephzibah, daughter of John Hastings I, had married Nathaniel Shattuck, son of Philp Shattuck.  William Jr was Philip's younger brother.

Samuel Hastings died July 24, 1723.  He is buried in the Arlington Street Cemetery, also called Old Burying Ground in Watertown, and his epitaph reads:

            "Here Lyes the Body of Mr. Samuel Hastings; who Dec'd July ye 24th 1723
in ye 57th Year of his Age." 

His will, dated April 11, 1722, was proved August 19, 1723.  His wife, Sarah (Coolidge) Hastings, died in 1724.  She too is buried in the Arlington Street Cemetery.  Her epitaph reads:

            "Here Lyes ye Body of M's Sarah HASTINGS, Wife to Mr. Samuel
HASTINGS, Who Dec'd Jan'ry 26th 1724, Aged about 55 Years."