The names, Payson and Eliot, are in the records of the Parish Church of Nazing, a rural village in Essex County, England, in the northwest corner of Waltham Half-hundred on the Lee River twenty miles east of London.

Speculation concerning the parents of Edward Payson and his brother Giles have not provided any conclusive evidence. The records of baptisms, marriages, and burials in the parish records of Nazeing give the baptism of Giles as 14 May 1609, and of Edward on 30 October 1613, but unfortunately, those records do not mention who their parents were. However, Michael Roos, local historian for Nazeing and a member of the Nazeing History Workshop, reports on a book by John Gervis that states, "Prominent among these non-conformists were John Eliot and the Payson brothers, all of whom were Cambridge graduates and had probabl come under the influence of Thomas Hooker, a fellow of Emmanuel College and an inspiring member of this sect. Lawrence Payson married Joanne Webb in 1605. They were the parents of Giles and Edward Payson and possibly resident at Nazeing Bury."

Mary Eliot's parents died when she was a baby. Mary was 11 years old when she came to America in the company of her three older brothers, Philip, John, and Jacob. They came aboard the ship Lyon, William Pierce, master, in 1631 when the ship left England with the first group of Nazing Pilgrims on board. Later, in 1635, a large number of "Nazing Christians" came to America in the ship Hopewell. Giles Payson is listed as a passenger on this ship but it has not been determined when or on which ship Edward Payson arrived in the Colonies.

These Nazing Pilgrims were among the first-comers to Roxbury, MA, and settled chiefly in the easterly part of town next to Boston, MA. The first mention of the town as one of the plantations on which a part of the general tax of 50 pounds was levied is in the records of the Third Court of Assistants, held on 28 September 1630. Roxbury was the sixth town incorporated in Massachusetts.

Both Edward and Giles Payson are listed in the Record of Homes and Lands in Roxbury (MA) in 1654 as among the "dwellers in this quarter at that time."

In the town of Roxbury, MA, Edward Payson was a proprietor, was made "freeman" on 13 May 1640, and was a member of the church as early as 1634. His will was proved 3 September 1691.

Edward and his first wife Ann (Parke) Payson had one child:

• Marah, b. in Roxbury, MA, 2 Sept 1641; d. at age one month, two days.

Edward and his second wife Mary (Eliot) Payson had eleven children, the first eight born in Roxbury, MA, and the last three born probably in Dorchester, MA:

• John, b. 11 June 1643; m. (1) Bathsheba Tilerton; m. (2) Hannah -----.
• Jonathan, b. 19 Dec 1644.
• Ann, b. 26 April 1646; d. 15 Feb 1650.
• Joanna, b. 5 Feb 1649/50; d. 1668.
• Ann, bpt. 30 Nov 1651; m. Benjamin Tucker.
• Susan, bpt. 28 Aug 1653; d. 29 Sept 1654.
• Susanna, b. 27 June 1655; m. Samuel Capen.
• Edward A. (the middle initial "A" may be in question), b. 20 June 1657; d. 22 Aug 1732; m. (1) 7 Nov 1683 Elizabeth Phillips, dau. of Rev. Samuel Phillips; m. (2) 10 Sept 1726 Elizabeth (Whittingham) Appleton, dau. of William Whittingham, widow of Samuel Appleton of Ipswich, MA. Edward graduated from Harvard College in 1677, was the fourth minister of Rowley, MA, and preached for more than 51 years. He was the father of 17 children and many of his children and grandchildren were ministers.
• Ephraim, bpt. 20 Feb. 1659; m. Katherine Leadbetter.
• Samuel, bpt. 21 Sept. 1662.
• Mary, bpt. 19 March 1665; m. Preserved Capen.

The only information I have about this couple was that they lived in Dorchester, MA.

Ephraim and his wife Katherine (Leadbetter) Payson had eight children, all born in Dorchester, MA:

• Mary, b. 23 July 1685.
• Sarah, b. 22 Oct. 1686.
• Ruth, bpt. 3 March 1688/9; died young.
• Ephraim, b. 26 March 1693; bpt. 2 April 1693; m. Judith Clapp.
• Ruth (again), b. 7 April ?; bpt. 14 April 1695; m. John Wales.
• Henry, bpt. 23 May 1697.
• Jonathan, b. 19 Sept. 1699; m. 11 March 1724/5, Ann Blake.
• Susanna, b. 28 June 1703; m. Jonas Humphrey.

Ephraim and Judith were married by the Honorable Samuel Sewall, now known as the "witch" judge, and moved to Stoughton, MA in 1726 or 1727. In 1765, part of Stoughton MA, was set aside and called Stoughtonham. It became a separate town in 1775 and was named Sharon in 1783.

Ephraim was a carpenter. In an article by John Phillips in The Sharon Advocate (1911) we find, "About 1725, Matthew Hobbs sold 50 acres to Benjamin Hewins, John Hixon (a mason) and Ephraim Payson (a carpenter) who formed a company and built a dam and furnace to make wroght iron."

Ephraim and his wife Judith (Clapp) Payson had ten children, order of birth uncertain of the last five children listed, information was taken from Hawes-Payson Genealogical Register found at New England Historic Genealogical Society Library in Boston, MA.

• Ephraim, b. in Dorchester, MA, 13 April 1718; m. 9 May 1745, Margaret Morgan.
• Desire, b. in Dorchester, MA, 13 July 1719; died same day.
• Sarah, b. in Dorchester, MA, 30 Dec. 1722; m. 28 May 1747, Ebenezer Wellman.
• Mary, b. in Dorchester, MA, 9 Oct. 1724; m. 14 July 1748, Thomas Fillebrown.
• Katherine, b. in Stoughton, MA 7 Oct. 1726; m. 5 March 1752, Silas Wellman.
• Susanna, b. in Stoughton, MA, date unknown; m. 5 July 1759, Joshua Whitmore of Stoughton, MA.
• Samuel, b. in Stoughton, MA, 12 March 1735; m. 4 Jan. 1760, Sarah Noyes.
• Judith, b. in Stoughton, MA, date unknown; m. 9 Aug. 1764, Nehemiah Clark.
• Ruth, b. in Stoughton, MA, date unknown; m. ----- Kendall of Nova Scotia.
• Henry, b. in Stoughton, MA, 4 June 1744; m. 3 Nov. 1766, Mary Johnson.

This family apparently lived out their lives in Stoughton, MA, but I have not found any written facts about them.

Ephraim and his wife Margaret (Morgan) Payson had eight children, all born in Stoughton, MA. My source material indicates that there is considerable confusion about the generational placement of some of these children with the names of a few of the children listed as the children of Ephraim (2) and his wife Judith (Clapp) Payson. It is possible that the following list might be changed by a future family historian if more information becomes available.

• Amy, b. probably 1744; m. 28 April 1766, Joseph Evans.
• Asa, b. 1748; bpt. 17 April 1748; m. (1) Elizabeth Holbrook; m. (2) Sarah Lyon.
• Anna, bpt. 22 July 1750; m. John Boylston.
• Mary, bpt. 12 July 1752; m. Peter Gay.
• Ephraim, bpt. 16 June 1754; m. (1) 8 July 1779 Hannah Wentworth; m. (2) Anna -----.
• Judith, bpt. 7 March 1756; m. 27 March 1779, Elijah Lynn (or Lyon).
• Samuel, bpt. 27 Aug 1758; m. 29 March 1784, Abigail Ingraham of Sharon, MA.
• Susannah, bpt. 29 March 1761.

Ephraim lived in that part of Stoughton, MA, then called Stoughtonham, where he was among the men raised by the town of Stoughton to reinforce the Continental Army. He enlisted on 14 June 1778 (discharged 14 May 1779) where he is described as "age 23 years - stature 5 feet 8-1/2 inches, - hair black - eyes black - occupation husbandman - nationality American - residence, Stoughton."

After Ephraim was discharged from the army, he married his first wife, Hannah Wentworth. According to the Wentworth Genealogy, page 683, Ephraim and Hannah moved to Friendship, ME, where their first three children were born. The 1790 census places them in Barrettstown, now called Hope, ME, where their other children were born.

Ephraim and his first wife Hannah (Wentworth) Payson had eight children:

• Asa, b. in Friendship, ME, 2 March 1784; m. (1) Hannah Hewett; m. (2) Mrs. Sarah (Crane) Hewett, widow of William Hewett, Jr.
• Henry, b. in Friendship, ME, 13 March 1787; died young; buried in Friendship, ME.
• Hannah, b. in Friendship, ME, 13 March 1787; m. John Lamb.
• John, b. in Hope, ME, 16 July 1789; m. Abigail Fogler.
• Ephraim, b. in Hope, ME, 28 May 1792; m. Nancy Fogler.
• Susan, b. in Hope, ME, date unknown; m. Robert Coose.
• Sion, (sometimes listed as Simeon), b. in Hope, ME, in 1794; m. Mary St. Clair.
• Sally, b. in Hope, ME, in 1796; m. Jerimiah Lassell.

Ephraim and his second wife, Anna, lived in Hope, ME, until they moved to Waldo, ME, sometime between the years 1810 and 1820. In the 1790, 1800, and 1810 census, Ephraim is listed in the town of Barrettstown (Hope), ME. In the 1820 and 1830 census, Ephraim is listed in the town of Waldo, ME, as are his sons Barrack and Samuel.

"In 1820 on his second application for pension as a Revolutionary soldier, Ephraim Payson stated that he was sixty-six residing in Three Mile Square with his second wife, Anna, who is sickly and he has four children living with him, Barrack, 15, Eunice, 12, Samuel, 12, Anna, 7." Hardy, "History of Hope, Maine," p. 77. Ephraim "later went to live in Brooks, ME, with a daughter where he died December 15, 1834." Hardy, "History of Hope, Maine," p. 77.

Ephraim and his second wife Anna (-----) Payson had at least four children:

• Barrack (sometimes spelled Baruch), b. in Hope, ME, ca. 1805.
• Eunice, b. in Hope, ME, in 1808.
• Samuel, b. in Hope, ME, in 1808.
• Anna, b. place either Hope or Waldo, ME, in 1813.

Asa came to Hope, ME, with his parents when he was about 5 years old. At some point in time, perhaps after his marriage, Asa, a shoe maker, moved to Hope Corner to set up his shop. In 1814, he served in the local militia company being a sergeant in Captain Weed's Company, Lt. Col., Foot's Regiment. In 1825 and 1826, he was elected major. In 1827, 1828, and 1829, he was elected colonel. He served as town clerk for 2 years in 1836 and was among the original pew holders in the church which was dedicated in 1861.

Asa became postmaster in 1834, succeeding Wade Sweetland, at which time he built his large home with the third floor having a large enough space for dancing and parties. Some of his family letters indicate that his descendants speculated that the large space for parties was created so that he could keep his stern parental eye on his many daughters and sons and their young guests. This house still stands and is now (1995) the home of Raymond Ludwig.

At the 1876 Fair in Appleton, ME, Colonel Asa, then 92 years old, made and exhibited a pair of shoes.

The following quotes from Asa's and Hannah's granddaughter, Elizabeth (True) Spear, give us a clearer insight to their lives and times:

"When Grandfather Payson was three years old he with his father and mother and two other children went from Warren to Hope on a sled driven by a yoke of oxen. It took them three days. Stopping in one place overnight, there were three children. These six children sat on the floor and ate for their supper pudding and milk from a tin pan." Spear, Letter, 1942, p. 6

"When Grandmother Payson was 19 years old she was the mother of 3 children, Uncle Hewett, Aunt Mary, and Aunt Martha (twins). Then came Aunt Orinda .... Uncle Jesse, then mother (Olive Payson True). When mother was a young baby, grandmother had typhoid fever and apparently died as the Dr. and all others thought. They opened the window where she lay. It rained and the wind blew. The wind blew the rain in till it ran a stream across the floor and grandmother awoke. She got well and ten more children were added to the family." Spear, Letter, 1943, p. 1.

"Of all the good I have written of the different members of the family, I do not suppose one of them had quite the lovely disposition that Grandmother Payson had. One of her sons-in-law said to her, 'Don't you ever feel mad?' She reared 14 children from babyhood to manhood and womanhood, spun and wove much of their clothing. Remember in grandfather's and grandmother's young days they had little to what people have now. She made most of what she had. Mrs. Bartlett, Kate's (Katherine Barnes True) grandmother said that she (Grandmother Payson) could get a good meal out of nothing. I think I wrote you that grandfather was a Colonel of the militia during the war of 1812. I never heard him called Mr. Payson, it was always 'The Colonel.' The same Mrs. Bartlett said he was a handsome officer on his horse." Spear, Letter, 1943, p. 4.

"Grandfather Payson was a handsome man with black eyes and black curly hair." Spear, Letter, 1942, p. 6.

Asa and his wife Hannah (Hewett) Payson had sixteen children, all born in Hope, ME:

• Samuel Hewett, b. 15 July 1810; m. (1) Mary Boynton; m. (2) Ellen Billington.
• Mary Dakin, b. 26 Feb. 1812; m. John Fogler of Union, ME.
• Martha Reeves, b. 26 Feb. 1812; d. 1895; buried as was her husband in The Hope Grove Cemetery, Hope, ME; m. in Hope, ME, 14 Sept. 1834, Lyman Smith, b. in Candia, NH, 1811, d. in Camden, ME in 1847. "After Lyman Smith passed away...leaving Aunt Martha with four children...she separated her children and Mary (her daughter) was supposed to live with Mrs. Cotton who lived in the house across from father's store. She was sister Mary's age and did not like Mrs. Cotton's home as much as she did our house and she lived with us most of her young days." Spear, Letter, 1942, p. 4. "Aunt Martha taught school many years. In her first teaching, Freeman (her son) was one of her pupils. When Freeman grew to manhood he taught school and Aunt Martha, wanting to know more in one study, went to school to Freeman. Lyman (another son of Martha's) was a smart scholar in school. His first and only position was a teacher of drawing and penmanship in the public schools of Hartford, Conn. He taught 45 years, he could speak four different languages fluently...he was good company socially and quite a joker."Spear, Letter, 1942, p. 5.
• Orinda Bartlett, b. 9 March 1814; m. James St. Clair. "Mother's sister Orinda was a seamstress and she used to go into different families and make the men's coats, vests, and pants. Every stitch was sewed by hand as there were no sewing machines in those days. Mother said if she (Orinda) sewed in the evening they allowed her two candles. She was smart and she worked hard and worked in her own home long after she was married." Spear, Letter 1943, p. 3
• Jesse Wentworth, b. 15 Nov. 1815; d. in Hyde Park, MA, 17 Sept. 1889; m. (1) Abigail Hawes; m. (2) Cordelia Callamore. Jesse was educated in the Hope, ME, schools and The Waterville Institute, ME. He lived in Union, ME, where he was postmaster from 1845-49, constable in 1849, and played E flat bugle in the "Union Brass Band" until about 1851 when his residence was listed at Hyde Park, MA. Hewett, William Hewett and his Descendants, p. 103. From a paper written and read by E. Payson True at a Payson-Fogler Family reunion, we have the following information about Jesse: "Hyde Park, MA, in Jesse's day, was a rather small community on the banks of the Neponset River which divided the town in half, and all the inhabitants lived on the eastern side of the river where the land was flat. On the other side, the land rose up in a steep hill which was called Fairmount Hill. In 1856, twenty men got together and formed an informal group calling themselves the 'Twenty Associates,' and each of them agreed to build a house on Fairmount Hill. Jesse Payson was one of the group and he built his house right on the top of the hill. I (E. Payson True) found in the year book of the Hyde Park Historical Society for 1908, an article about Jesse which shows that he was a fairly important man in his day, as an author of writing books (penmanship books), his name became a household word in this country. He it was who first gave to students a scientific analysis of script writing, and he originated the lithograph copy for common school writing books. He was the author of a popular series of works on bookkeeping, and was called as an expert to adjust accounts in important cases. His skill in writing brought him many medals, including one given him at the Centennial in Philadelphia...He was the originator of penmanship books used in the public schools and a member of the old publishing house of Dunton and Payson.'"
• Olive King, b. 28 October 1817; m. Edward True, Jr.
• Hannah Elizabeth, b. 18 Oct. 1819; m. Lewis Waterman of Appleton, ME. "...in Camden (ME), there was once a paper mill. When mother and Aunt Hannah were perhaps 14 and 16 years old, they worked this mill cutting rags with shears. I think they walked from Hope to the mill every morning and back at night. They probably had one dress (each) and material (for the dresses) grandmother wove from yarn she had spun." Spear, Letter 1943, p. 3.
• Asa Addison, b. 6 Feb 1822; m. Clara Clark.
• Madan King, b. 18 March 1824; place and date of death unknown; m. Abigail A. Hills who died in Portland, ME, 3 Sept. 1886, AE 64 years, buried in Union, ME.
• Leonora H., b. 6 Sept. 1826; marriage intentions published in Hope ME 30 Nov. 1845; married date unknown, Guilford St. Clair.
• Milton, b. 17 Feb. 1829; d. in Hope, ME, 27 or 28 April 1829 (age 3 months on gravestone.)
• George Orrington, b. 7 May 1830; m. (1) Vesta Bills; m. (2) Lavina Greeley.
• Frances Ellen, b. 5 Feb. 1833; d. in Natick, MA, 10 March 1850, age 17 years 1 month.
• Aura Ann, b. 10 Feb. 1835; m. Thomas Spear of Rockport, ME.
• Harriet, b. 2 Aug. 1837; d. 3 Aug. 1837, age 1 day.
• Oraville Amanda, b. 21 Jan. 1839; m. Chester McLain. This couple had eight children.