Timothy Dwight (Massachusetts politician)

Captain Timothy Dwight (1629–1718) represented Dedham in the Great and General Court^[1] of Massachusetts and was the progenitor of the Dwight family.^[2]

Dwight was born in England in 1629 to John and Hannah Dwight^[1] and was brought to Dedham, Massachusetts in 1635 as a child.^[3][1] John Dwight was one of the first settlers of Dedham.^[4] Timothy was made a freeman in 1655 and was a member of the First Church and Parish in Dedham beginning in 1652.^[1]

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.^[5][6] On May 3, 1653, he married Sarah Powell, who died on June 27, 1664; she gave him four children.^[5][6][a] Anna Flynt, his third wife on January 9, 1664 – 1665, gave him 10 children, including Josiah Dwight.^[7][5][b]

His fourth wife, the widow Mary Endwind of Reading, Massachusetts, married him on January 7, 1686 – 1687 and died August 30, 1688, without any children.^[8] Esther Fisher became his fifth wife on July 31, 1690, and died on January 30, 1690 – 1691.^[c] Bethia Morse, his final wife, married him on February 1, 1691 – 1692 and died on February 6, 1717 – 1718.^[6] He had 14 children.^[3]

Dwight served in the Great and General Court from 1691 to 1692 and perhaps later.^[1] He also served for 10 years as Town Clerk and 25 years as selectman.^[1] His public service was praised by Rev. Samuel Dexter, who called him "a man of renown."^[1]

Dwight, with Richard Ellis, served as the agent of the Town when negotiating with King Phillip for title to the land today known as Wrentham, Massachusetts in 1660.^[9] He was also town clerk for a total of 10 years, having first been elected in 1661.^[10][11] He served 24 terms as selectman, beginning in 1644.^[12]

He was a cornet of a cavalry troop as a young man and later served as a captain of foot soldiers.^[1] He fought against the native peoples in the area ten times, and either killed or took prisoner nine.^[1]

Dwight built the first tomb in the Old Village Cemetery around 1700.^[13][9] In that tomb are laid his body, Eleazer Lusher, William Adams.^[2] He died on January 31, 1718, and was buried on February 7, 1718, the same day as his wife,^[2][1][8] Bethia, who died the day before.^[6] His pallbearers included Governor Joseph Dudley and Judge Samuel Sewall.^[2]

• Smith, Frank (1936). A History of Dedham, Massachusetts. Transcript Press, Incorporated. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
• Goodwin, Nathaniel (1982). Genealogical Notes Or Contributions to the Family History of Some of the First Settlers of Connecticut and Massachusetts. Genealogical Publishing Com. ISBN 978-0-8063-0159-4. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
• Dwight, Benjamin Woodbridge (1874). The History of the Descendants of John Dwight, of Dedham, Mass. J. F. Trow & son, printers and bookbinders. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
• Worthington, Erastus (1827). The history of Dedham: from the beginning of its settlement, in September 1635, to May 1827. Dutton and Wentworth. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
• Hanson, Robert Brand (1976). Dedham, Massachusetts, 1635-1890. Dedham Historical Society.