This text is part of:
‘ [549] lamentation. He was a person of a grave and austere countenance and conversation, mixed with much of the gentleman and the Christian.’ His w. d. 4 July 1721, a. 56. He d. 31 Dec. 1727, a. 70. He was an Episcopalian, and was buried with the forms of that church; but for nearly thirty years he had worshipped and communed with the Congregational Church here. 2. Daniel, s. of Francis (1), was Register of Probate 1710-1714, and Subcommissary in the expedition against Canada, 1711. He removed to England, and as early as 4 May 1723, was at ‘Rawdon near Leeds, in the west riding of Yorkshire.’ Between 14 May 1730, and 24 Aug. 1731, he removed from Rawdon to ‘Plaistow, near London,’ where he died, and his brother Francis was appointed administrator on his estate in New England 13 Aug. 1741. He prob. d. unm. as his property descended to his relatives here. 3. Francis, s. of Francis (1), grad. H. C. 1712, m. Mehetabel Coney of Boston 5 Nov. 1722, and had Mehetabel, b. 19 Aug. 1723, m. Rev. Jonas Meriam of Newton 25 Jan. 1759, and d. 22 Ap. 1770; Francis, b. 11 May 1725, d. young; Daniel, b. 11 Feb. 1726-7; Elizabeth, bap. 30 Mar. 1729, m. Benjamin Brandon 4 Jan. 1750, and d. before 1765; Thomas, bap. 24 Jan. 1730-31, d. young; Martha, bap. 4 Feb. 1732-3, d. young; Francis, bap. 29 June 1735, d. young; George, bap. 6 June 1736, ‘fell into scalding wort’ 19 Aug. 1739, and d. the next day; Katherine, bap. 24 Ap. 1737, d. young; William, bap. 16 Ap. 1738, d. young; Layton, bap. 11 Mar. 1738-9, d. young; John, bap. 30 Mar. 1740; George, bap. 5 July 1741, d. young; Phebe, bap. 14 Aug. 1743, m. Hon. Samuel Phillips, Jr., of Andover 6 July 1773 (who was elected Lt.-gov. of Mass. 1801), and d. 1812; Francis, bap. 18 Nov. 1744. Francis the f. spent most of his life in the public service. It is stated in an obituary notice, published in the Boston News Letter, 31 Mar. 1768, that ‘he was early appointed Register of Probate for the County of Middlesex, which office he sustained for many years [1719-1731]; was clerk of the Hon. House of Representatives; was Register of Deeds forty-four years [forty-five years, 1721-1766]; was one of his Majesty's Council for twenty-six years [1732– 1757]; the eldest Justice of the Peace and Quorum through the Province, and First Justice of the Court of General Sessions of the Peace, and Inferior Court of Common Pleas, for the County where he lived [1737-1764], till by reason of bodily infirmities, and from a great scrupulosity and tenderness of conscience, fearing he should not do his duty by not giving a constant attendance, he resigned his seat at the Board and on the Bench. He abhorred arbitrary power, on the one hand, and a mobbish plebian spirit, on the other.’ Judge Foxcroft occupied the paternal mansion, and in his will expressed a strong desire that it should be retained by his family. He d. 28 Mar. 1768, a. 73. His w. Mehetabel d. at Andover 4 May 1782, a. 79. 4. Thomas, s. of Francis (1), grad. H. C. 1714, was selected by Pres. Leverett to salute the Governor in a Latin Oration, on a formal visitation of the College, 1716, was ordained minister of the First Church in Boston 20 Nov. 1717, m. Anna Coney 9 March 1718-9, and d. of apoplexy 16 or 18 June 1769, a. 72. He was eminent in his profession, and well sustained the character of his family. His son Samuel, grad. H. C. 1754, was ordained minister at New Gloucester, Me., 16 Jan. 1765, was honorably dismissed, 1793, Justice of the Peace for the County of Cumberland, and ‘died suddenly 2 Mar. 1807, in the 72d year of his age.’ Alden's Epitaphs, and Winthrop's (Ms.) Catalogue. 5. Daniel, s. of Francis (3), grad. H. C. 1746, and d. unm. 3 Jan. 1756, aged 29. 6. John, s. of Francis (3), grad. H. C 1758, m. Sarah [Deane?], and d. without issue 23 Dec. 1802, a. nearly 63; his w. Sarah ‘fell from her chair and instantaneously expired,’ 2 July 1800, a. 53. Mr. Foxcroft was Justice of the Peace, and was Register of Deeds ten years (1766-1776). Being suspected, and probably with sufficient cause, of a strong sympathy with the British Government during the Revolutionary struggle, he became unpopular nd lost office. He remained here, however, and spent his days in luxurious ease, which appears to have been much more congenial to his natural disposition
Boston. Houghton and Mifflin. 1877.
Tufts University provided support for entering this text.
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.
An XML version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer Perseus any modifications you make. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system.