Capt. Isaac Williams
Isaac Williams was born at Roxbury, Massachusetts, on 1 September 1638, a son of Robert Williams of Roxbury. The Newton history of 1854 calls Robert "the common ancestor of very many distinguished men who have honored this country." Isaac married Martha, a daughter of Deacon William Park of Roxbury.
About 1660 the young couple moved to the west part of Cambridge Village, the outlying farms of Cambridge that became the town of Newton in 1691. Their farm had a history. The proprietors of Cambridge had granted it in 1640 to Major Samuel Shepard, who built a house and barn on it before 1652. In that year Robert Barrington won a judgment of £590 against Shepard, and the tract was appraised at £150 and set off to pay part of it. Deacon Park took the land at the appraisal for his son-in-law.
The farm ran from the Charles River on the north to the common lands on the south. Herbert Pelham owned the land to the west and Joseph Cook the land to the east. Shepard's house stood about ten rods north of Cheesecake Brook and thirty rods northeast of the later West Parish meeting house. A rod was sixteen and a half feet. Isaac took Shepard's house down and built another very near the same spot. It stood until 1818.
Martha bore him eight children: Isaac in 1661, Martha in 1663, William in 1665, John in 1667, Eleazer in 1669, Hannah in 1671, Elizabeth, and Thomas in 1673. She died in October 1674. He married second Judith Cooper, a widow, who bore Peter in 1680, the twins Sarah and Mary in 1688, and Ephraim in 1691.
He was a weaver by trade. He was also a deacon of the church, the captain of the town's militia company, a selectman, and a representative to the General Court, the colony's legislature, in 1692, 1695, 1697, 1699, 1701 and 1705.
In March 1704 he deeded his house, barn and most of his improved land to Ephraim, then twelve years old. He died on 11 February 1707, aged sixty nine, and was "buried under arms by the company of Foot" on 14 February. The children of his first marriage contested the will and it was set aside. Judith died in 1724, aged seventy six.
His children spread widely. William graduated from Harvard College in 1683 and was minister of Hatfield for fifty six years. John settled at Stonington, Connecticut, and died in 1702. Eleazer married a daughter of the Rev. Nehemiah Hobart and moved to Mansfield, Connecticut, before 1715. Ephraim became Col. Ephraim Williams, and his son Ephraim left the bequest that founded Williams College. Four of the daughters married into the Hyde family of Newton.
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Cite: Heirology, "Capt. Isaac Williams (1638-1707)", https://heirology.com/ancestors/capt-isaac-williams-1638-1707-01b589.