Caleb Pendleton

Everett Hall Pendleton (1910) says of him (pg. 48): "He was a farmer and settled upon his father's land at Westerly. On the 26th of Jany, 1703, he brothers and sisters agreed, "They having a gift of land given us by our grandfather Bryan Pendleton to be divided amongst us at our father's death, as per deed bearing date 31 Aug. 1674; and our brother Caleb having built upon said land we mutually agree ofr ourselves with full consent of fahter James, that our brother Caleb shall have his part of ladn (given us by grandfather Brian Pendleton) where he now is." This instrument was signed by joseph Pendleton, Edmund Pendleton, Eleanor Pendleton, Dorothy Pendleton, Eleazor and Anna Brown, Patience Pendleton and Mary Pendleton (the last two being the wives of Joseph and Edmund respectively), and is recorded in the Westerland Land Evidences. On the 11th of April 1711, Caleb received a confirmation of this agreement, the deed being signed by Edmund Pendleton, William Walker, Eleazor Brown, Nicholas Cottrell, Anna Brown, 'Eliner' Walker, 'Dorithy' Cottrell. ... "We the proprietors of sd tract of land have ... Devided sd tract of landinto Seven Parts except one Part that Mr. George Lamphear Hath Fenct." (W.L.E., iii, 135.) On the 3d June, 1733, Caleb Pendleton of Westerly, R.I., signed off to James 'Brettan' (Britton) of Bristol [County?], Mass., all his right in the estate of his grandfather, late of Saco, Maine, and of his father, James Pendleton, late of Westerly. This deed was signed by Caleb's wife Elizabeth (Rockingham Co., N.H., Deeds, xx, 228). At a meeting of the Town Council of Westerly, 7 Oct 1699, it was ordered that Caleb Penderton, Constable, 'Doe warne Samuel Younglove and his wife, and Thomas Jossling and Mary Randall to depare out of our towne.' It is a coincidence that while Caleb evicted one Mary Randall from Westerly, his son, Caleb Jr., married another one years later. On the 3rd of March, 1707-8, Caleb Pendleton was chosen "pettit juryman for to attend the Corte of Trials to be held for the Collony att the Collony Hous att Newport the last Tusday in this instant month." He was active in town affairs and repeatedly held office between 1698 and 1720, becoming Town Councilman in the latter year. Caleb was admitted to the church at Stonington, 18 Feby. 1693, and was baptized with his two oldest children the following 23rd of July. (Rec. First Cong. Ch., Ston., Ct.) His wife's name was Elizabeth ---. We lack record of his marriage but Charles H. Pendleton of Westerly thinks she was a sister of George Lanphere, who had fenced part of James Pendleton's land. Caleb's children, as given in the baptismal records of the Stonington church, and as named in his will [See Appendix VIII], were:" [List of children given, with details not transcribed here: James, Sarah, Hannah, Caleb, Jr., Elizabeth, Brian, Anna, Read, Susannah, Ruth] "While these children are not recorded upon the Westerly records they were all born in that town without much doubt as their father was a resident there from a very early age until his death. The descendants of Caleb Pendleton are very numerous and many of them have been difficult to trace. He was the ancestor of a restless race of pioneers who, always hungry for new lands, sought out the frontiers of civilization and often made the frontiers themselves."