#102 How Legacy
THE HOW FAMILY
The Hows were among the founding families of Marlborough, Massachusetts Bay Colony. Though only 40 miles from Boston, Marlborough, in the 1650s, was still Indian territory—untamed, sparsely settled, and dangerous. It was here that John How (-1687) established himself as a pioneer farmer, settler, and proprietor of the first public house on the Boston Post Road, a critical travel route connecting the colony.
John How fathered fifteen children, a lineage marked both by growth and tragedy. Two of his children—his son John and daughter Sarah—were killed in separate Indian attacks. His youngest daughter, Elizabeth How, suffered a more haunting fate. While visiting her sister Sarah's home, the house was attacked. Elizabeth alone survived; the rest of the family was murdered. Elizabeth was captured and held by Native tribes for three or four years before being ransomed by colonial authorities. At the time of her abduction, Elizabeth had been engaged. Believing her dead, her fiancé vowed never to marry—only to reverse course when she was miraculously returned. Though reunited, Elizabeth was never the same; she carried the trauma of her captivity for the rest of her life.
Generation Two: Col. Thomas How (1656–1733)
Thomas How, son of John, inherited not just land and family reputation but a civic-minded spirit. He played an active role in town affairs, rose to the rank of Colonel in the colonial militia, and fought in the early Indian wars. He also followed in his father’s footsteps as an innkeeper. Puritan society was wary of inns as centers of temptation and disorder so to operate legally, Thomas had to agree to a lengthy bond with strict conditions: no gambling, no idleness, no loitering, no harboring of strangers, rogues, or vagabonds; no “tippling” or drunkenness past 9 pm; no children, servants, Indians, or negroes allowed to drink on the premises; no harboring of “persons of jolly conversation.” It was a business carefully monitored by both church and state.
The How descendants ran this inn through successive generations until 1861. Later known as Longfellow’s Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts, the establishment remains one of the oldest operating inns in the United States, located on one of its oldest commissioned roads.
Generation Three: Jonathan How (1687–1738)
Unlike his father, Jonathan How had little interest in politics or inn-keeping. A large-scale farmer, he turned his energy toward economic development, most notably introducing tanning and shoemaking to the Marlborough region. His initiative planted the seeds for what would become a regional industry. By 1890, Marlborough, with a population of 14,000, had become a national center for shoe production, making boots for Union soldiers and civilian markets alike. In the mid 19th, century, it was believed to be the second largest shoe and boot producer in the world. The city’s seal features a factory, shoebox, and pair of boots—a direct tribute to the industry Jonathan helped begin.
Jonathan and his wife Lydia (1691–1757) had nine children, seven of whom reached adulthood.
BEZALEEL HOW & ANNA WILKINS
Generation Four: Bezaleel How (1717–1750)
With a distinctive Biblical name uncommon even among Puritans, Bezaleel How was born in Marlborough on June 19, 1717. Despite the expectation of moral order and discipline that raised him, Bezaleel proved to have a restless and unruly spirit. As a young man, he stood trial for “riot, rout, trespass or tumultuous disorder,” an early sign of his rebellious and impulsive nature. Ever seeking opportunity, he shifted occupations and towns, believing prosperity lay just beyond the horizon.
One such opportunity appeared in the form of marriage. Anna Wilkins Foster was born on April 3, 1715 in Salem, Massachusetts, the daughter of Ebenezer Foster and Anna Wilkins. After her father died in 1721, Anna’s mother married her cousin Isaac Wilkins, so Anna grew up in two influential Salem families—the Wilkinses and the Baxters. Her maternal grandparents, Benjamin Wilkins and Priscilla Baxter, were prominent and well-connected. The match between Bezaleel and Anna was thus a union of potential—a restless but industrious man with a well-bred, socially elevated bride.
The couple was warmly received when they returned to Marlborough to live. Bezaleel worked as a cordwainer, a shoemaker, in the family’s now-flourishing industry. With seven children born and fertile farmland purchased in Leicester, Worcester County, the How family seemed poised to rise further.
But Bezaleel’s ambition outpaced his caution. In 1750, at only 33, he died suddenly—without a will. Though he had purchased 100 acres, creditors quickly claimed the land to satisfy debts—despite only a third being necessary to clear the mortgage. His widow, Anna, just 35, was left with five young children aged two to ten, and a sixth child unborn. The community that had once embraced her now turned away.
Cast out of their home, Anna and her children returned to Marlborough and took shelter with her mother-in-law, Lydia How. There, in the grandmother’s home, Anna gave birth to her youngest son—Bezaleel Jr. The family lived on the charity and bond of Lydia, who stood as surety for their presence in the town.
But when Lydia died, the town authorities—fearful of rising poorhouse expenses—acted swiftly. The How family was officially “warned out” of Marlborough, a legal maneuver used to prevent impoverished families from claiming poor relief. The two youngest boys were placed under the guardianship of an uncle in New Hampshire, and worked as farm laborers for their bed and board; they received no education. One daughter had married, one son joined the British Army, and one emigrated to western Massachusetts, so Anna was left with only one daughter, her sixteen-year-old companion. Anna and her daughter retreated to Salem and the protection of her maternal kin.
Fifteen years after Bezaleel’s death, his estate was finally settled. Anna was granted a third of the proceeds as dower rights—money that came too late to ease her hardest years. And she never again saw three of her children. The two sons, whom Anna had farmed out to the uncle-guardian, resented being sent away from family. Anna eventually relocated to New Hampshire with her daughter, where she died around 1790.
No family is perfect, but this one surely cried out for an intervention. Bezaleel's restless and checkered past, and Anna's inability--or unwillingness-- to create stability left her children scattered and resentful. Nonetheless, their legacy endured as the six children married and together produced 53 grandchildren. In the generation to follow, four of their sons would fight in the American War of Independence, cementing the Howe name not just in local, but in national history.
Anna and Bezaleel's four sons--Timothy, Darius, Baxter and Bezaleel, all served in the American Revolution. I have used the book Four Brothers in the American Revolution by Herbert Howe as my source for the How biographies.
Anna Wilkins Foster b. Apr. 3, 1715 in Salem, Mass m. Bezaleel How in 1738 or 1739 in Marlborough, MA d. abt 1790 likely in New Hampshire my 1st cousin 8x removed (Netterfield-Farnum line)
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Impressive research. Quite a story!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting and a little sad.
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