♂Edward Spalding

Edward Spalding (died 26 February 1670) was an early settler of Braintree and then of Chelmsford in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. A Spalding family genealogy published in 1897 records that he was one of the three inhabitants whose letter led the General Court^W to name the new town Chelmsford in 1655, and that he was chosen a selectman at its first town meeting. He was the eighth great-grandfather of Nancy Jane Blanchard (1929–2006), through his son Andrew Spaulding (1652–1713).

Braintree

The 1897 genealogy places Edward and his family at Braintree, Massachusetts, probably from about 1634, and prints the Braintree entries sent to the recorder at Boston, where his name is written “Edward Spalden”. According to that genealogy, he was made a freeman^W on 13 May 1640. His first wife, Margaret, died at Braintree in August 1640, and their daughter Grace was buried there in May 1641. The same book gives his name, written “Edward Sparlden”, among the petitioners of 1 October 1645 to whom the court granted up to ten thousand acres for a new town.

Chelmsford

As the 1897 genealogy tells it, Edward moved to Chelmsford at or just after its first settlement in 1653. He was not among the original grantees, but at the first town meeting, held at William Fletcher’s house on 22 November 1654, he was one of the seven men chosen to order the public affairs of the place. When the town was incorporated in May 1655, the court acted “upon information by letter from Esdras Reed, Edward Spalding and William Fletcher” that enough inhabitants had settled, and granted the name Chelmsford, after Chelmsford in Essex, England. The genealogy records that he signed the petition of 1656 that extended the town’s bounds to the Merrimack River.

The same book lists his later town offices: selectman again in 1656, 1660 and 1661, surveyor of the highways in 1663, a member of the committee to lay out the meadows in 1665, and one of four surveyors for the Newfield in 1666. A division of 28 acres of land was recorded to him on 4 February 1661, and he held 6 acres as a proprietor of the Newfield in 1667. The genealogy notes that the first settlers gave early attention to growing apple trees, and makes special mention of Edward Spalding’s orchard in 1664.

Family and will

According to the 1897 genealogy, his children by Margaret were John, Edward and Grace. By his second wife, Rachel, he had Benjamin, born at Braintree in 1643, Joseph in 1646, Dinah in 1649 and Andrew in 1652. The birth of Andrew in 1652 has not been found in a town record.

The genealogy gives his death as 26 February 1670 and prints his will, dated 13 February 1666, which he signed with his mark. He left his house, its land and meadow to his wife Rachel for her life, “and after her decease to Andrew Spalding, my youngest sonne”. Rachel also had his lot in the Newfield and his movable goods for life, with the lot then to go to John and Edward and the goods to be divided among all the children, and Dinah was to have his feather bed. Benjamin and Joseph were not named; the genealogy explains that they had already received their portions. He made Rachel his sole executrix, but, as the genealogy records, she died soon after him, and when the will was proved on 5 April 1670 administration was given to John and Edward. The inventory of his estate, taken in March 1670, lists a house, a barn, land and meadow, oxen, a horse, cows, sheep and swine, a cart and plow, books, a fowling piece, spinning wheels and shoemaker’s tools.