Captain Timothy Dwight (1629–1718) represented Dedham in the

Great and General Court The Massachusetts General Court, formally the General Court of Massachusetts, is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts located in the state capital of Boston. The name "General Court" is a holdover from the earliest days of ...

of Massachusetts and was the progenitor of the

Dwight family The Dwight family of New England had many members who were military leaders, educators, jurists, authors, businessmen and clergy. Around 1634, John Dwight came with his wife Hannah (1604-1656), daughter Hannah (1625-1714), and sons Timothy (1629 ...

Personal life

Dwight was born in England in 1629 to

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

and Hannah Dwight and was brought to

Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a New England town, town in, and the county seat of, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Located on Boston's southwestern border, the population was 25,364 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. First settled by E ...

in 1635 as a child. John Dwight was one of the first settlers of Dedham. Timothy was made a freeman in 1655 and was a member of the

First Church and Parish in Dedham The First Church and Parish in Dedham is a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Dedham, Massachusetts. It was the 14th church established in Massachusetts. The current minister, Rev. Rali M. Weaver, was called in March 2007, settled in July, and ...

beginning in 1652. Dwight was married six times. The first time was on November 11, 1651, to Sarah Perman, who died while giving childbirth on May 29, 1652. On May 3, 1653, he married Sarah Powell, who died on June 27, 1664; she gave him four children. Anna Flynt, his third wife on January 9, 1664 – 1665, gave him 10 children, including Josiah Dwight. His fourth wife, the widow Mary Endwind of

Reading, Massachusetts Reading ( ) is a New England town, town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, north of central Boston. The population was 25,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Settlement Many of the Massachusetts Bay Colony ...

, married him on January 7, 1686 – 1687 and died August 30, 1688, without any children. Esther Fisher became his fifth wife on July 31, 1690, and died on January 30, 1690 – 1691. Bethia Morse, his final wife, married him on February 1, 1691 – 1692 and died on February 6, 1717 – 1718. He had 14 children.

Military and public service

Dwight served in the

from 1691 to 1692 and perhaps later. He also served for 10 years as Town Clerk and 25 years as selectman. His public service was praised by Rev. Samuel Dexter, who called him "a man of renown." Dwight, with Richard Ellis, served as the agent of the Town when negotiating with

King Phillip King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by fi ...

for title to the land today known as

Wrentham, Massachusetts Wrentham ( ) is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,178 at the 2020 census. History In 1660, five men from Dedham were sent to explore the lakes near George Indian's wigwam and to report back to th ...

in 1660. He was also

town clerk A clerk (pronounced "clark" /klɑːk/ in British and Australian English) is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in ma ...

for a total of 10 years, having first been elected in 1661. He served 24 terms as selectman, beginning in 1644. He was a

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...

of a

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

troop A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troo ...

as a young man and later served as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of foot soldiers. He fought against the native peoples in the area ten times, and either killed or took prisoner nine.

Death

Dwight built the first tomb in the

Old Village Cemetery The Old Village Cemetery is an historic cemetery in Dedham, Massachusetts. History The first portion of the cemetery was set apart at the first recorded meeting of the settlers of Dedham on August 18, 1636, with land taken from Nicholas Phillips ...

around 1700. In that tomb are laid his body,

Eleazer Lusher Major (rank), Major Eleazer Lusher (died 1672) was a politician and military leader from Dedham, Massachusetts. Political career Lusher had unmatched political influence in Dedham and was one of the most powerful men in the Massachusetts Bay Colo ...

, William Adams. He died on January 31, 1718, and was buried on February 7, 1718, the same day as his wife, Bethia, who died the day before. His pallbearers included Governor

Joseph Dudley Joseph Dudley (September 23, 1647 – April 2, 1720) was a colonial administrator, a native of Roxbury in Massachusetts Bay Colony, and the son of one of its founders. He had a leading role in the administration of the Dominion of New England ...

and Judge

Samuel Sewall Samuel Sewall (; March 28, 1652 – January 1, 1730) was a judge, businessman, and printer in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, best known for his involvement in the Salem witch trials, for which he later apologized, and his essay ''The Selling ...

Notes

References

Works cited

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dwight, Timothy Dedham, Massachusetts selectmen 1718 deaths 1629 births English emigrants to Massachusetts Bay Colony Military personnel from Dedham, Massachusetts Burials at Old Village Cemetery Town clerks of Dedham Members of the colonial Massachusetts General Court from Dedham Signers of the Dedham Covenant