Samuel Willard

Samuel was born in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts. Samuel's father was Simon Willard and his mother was Mary Willard. His paternal grandfather was Richard Willard and his paternal grandmother is Margery Willard; his maternal grandparents are Henry Sharp and Jane Feylde. He had two brothers and six sisters, named Josiah, Simon, Elizabeth, Mary, Elizabeth, Sarah, Abovehope and Dorothy. He had six half-brothers and three half-sisters, named Joseph, John, Benjamin, Henry, Jonathan, Daniel, Hannah, Mary and Hope.

General Notes
- Samuel - b. Jan. 31, 1639/40, Concord, Massachusetts; d. Sep. 12, 1707, Boston, Massachusetts; bur. Old Granary Burying Ground. Graduated Harvard 1659. Minister at Groton, Massachusetts and the Old South Meeting House of Boston. Vice-president and acting President of Harvard 1700-1707. Author of Complete Body of Divinity. His maidservant (1670), Elizabeth KNAPP (b. 1655; daughter of Elizabeth WARREN and James KNAPP), was the subject of his 8000 word treatise 'A Brief Account of a Strange and Unusual Providence of God Befallen to Elizabeth Knapp of Groton,' relating the events of a three month period beginning in late 1671, during which she wasa victim of 'a diabolical distempter' attributed to Satan. (See Entertaining Satan, by John Putnam Demos, 1982, pages 97-131.) Married first Aug. 8, 1664, Groton, Massachusetts Abigail SHERMAN, daughter of Rev. John SHERMAN and Mary LAUNCE; and second about 1679 Eunice TYNG. Children: Abigail married first Rev. Benjamin ESTABROOK, married second Rev. Samuel TREAT; Rev. Samuel; Mary; John, grandfather of Joseph WILLARD, astronomer, Hellenist, and president of Harvard 1781-1804; Elizabeth; Simon; Edward; Josiah; Eunice; Richard; William; Margaret; Edward; Hannah; Sarah; and Eunice.