My 4th-great-grandfather, Thomas Freeman, son of John & Abigail (Hopkins) Freeman, was born 6 April 1787 in Eastham, Massachusetts, and died 17 January 1864 in Harwich, Massachusetts. He married in Harwich, 27 December 1810, Roxanna Cash, who was born there 30 November 1789, and died there 28 January 1863, daughter of Samuel & Patience (Phillips) Cash.
Thomas served in the War of 1812 from 18 June 1812 until he was taken prisoner and carried to Halifax with a number of other fishing vessels. He was kept there until 24 December 1814, when peace was declared.
Thomas was a carpenter and Roxanna was a homemaker. The 1850 census shows them living with their 39-year-old daughter, Rosilla, and 10-year-old grandson, Gideon H. Freeman, and Joshua and Hannah Cahoon, both age 40. The 1860 census shows Thomas & Roxanna living with their 19-year-old grandson, Gideon. Thomas & Roxanna lie buried together in the First Congregational Church Cemetery in Harwich.
Church Cemetery,
Harwich
THOMAS FREEMAN
Died
Jan. 17, 1864,
Aged 77 years.
He was of the sixth generation from
Stephen Hopkin, one of the Pilgrims who
came over in the May Flower to Ply-
mouth A.D. 1620
ROXANNA
His wife
Died Jan. 28, 1863,
Aged 73 yr’s. 2 mo’s.
Peaceful be thy rest, dear Mother
All thy trials here are o’er
Weary days and nights of anguish
Never shall afflict thee more.
Roxanna & Thomas were the parents of four children:
1. Rosilla Hopkins Freeman, born 21 November 1811 in Harwich, and died there 10 February 1855. Rosilla is buried in the First Congregational Church Cemetery near her parents.
Miss
ROSILLA FREEMAN
DIED
Feb. 10, 1855,
Æ 43 Years.
Dearest sister, thou hast left us.
Here thy loss we deeply feel.
But ’tis God that hath (illegible) us.
He can all our sorrows heal.
~
2. Warren Freeman (my 3rd-great-grandfather), born 25 July 1814 in Harwich, and died there 16 September 1894. He married (as his first wife) in December 1836, Priscilla Elizabeth Long, who was born 22 October 1817 in Harwich, and died there 7 December 1846, daughter of Isaac & Esther (Ellis) Long.
Warren married (as his second wife) 12 June 1848 in Harwich, Elisabeth Weekes (my 3rd-great-grandmother), who was born 6 November 1822 in Harwich, and died there 18 September 1908, daughter of Isaac & Elisabeth (Allen) Weekes.
3. Sanford Freeman, born 8 October 1818 in Harwich, died there 6 October 1907. He married (as his first wife) 3 May 1840 in Harwich, Mehitable S. Baker, who was born there 13 August 1823, and died there 14 December 1842, daughter of Joseph & Catherine (Ellis) Baker.
Sanford married (as his second wife) 21 October 1847 in Harwich, Sarah Small, who was born there 21 January 1827, and died there c. 1921, daughter of Thomas Crowell and Sally (Allen) Small.
4. Zeruiah Cash Freeman, born 14 June 1825 in Harwich, died there 11 September 1833, age 8. Zeruiah is buried in the First Congregational Church Cemetery. I see a picture of her gravestone on the Find A Grave website, but I haven’t located it myself yet.
Last Revised: 7 September 2024