General Notes

another source says George

The old families of Salisbury and Amesbury, Massachusetts: with some related ... By David Webster Hoyt

Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of ..., Volume 3 edited by William Richard Cutter: I John Worthen immigrant ancestor was born in England. Savage thinks he was the father of Ezekiel mentioned below. He died in 1641, and being in debt to Walter Price for his passage money, Price was appointed administrator and had his estate in payment. Margaret presumably his widow, called a widow in the records, died in 1644. Administration was granted to Charles Gott and John Horne, the deacons of the Salem church and about the same time the court apprenticed her son Ezekiel to Thomas Abre (Avery) to serve until twenty years of age. Her inventory was dated July 20 1644 and presented to the court August 27 following. There was but one other early settler of this name. George a proprietor of Salem in 1640 admitted to the church May 23 1641. John Worthen of Portsmouth New Hampshire appears to be the same as John of Salem though Savage gives the date of the administration there as 1654. II Ezekiel Worthen son of John and Margaret Worthen was born in 1636. When his widowed mother died he was eight years and a half old and seems to have had no near relatives left though he signed the inventory of the estate of his kinsman Thomas Worthen June 30 1658. He was still in Salem in 1662 but removed to Amesbury Massachusetts about 1663. He received land in Amesbury that year and had a seat in the meeting house in 1667. He took the oath of allegiance at Amesbury in 1677 and signed the petition of 1680. He went from Salem with Samuel Foote. Both married daughters of men who became commoners at Amesbury. Worthen married December 4 1661 Hannah Martin who died at the house of her son in law Samuel Fowler June 29 1730. She was born February 21 1633 34 daughter of George Martin of Salem and Amesbury blacksmith commoner settling west of the Powow river as early as 1649 and an original lot layer and commoner of Salisbury in 1654-55. Worthen died in 1717. His will was dated May 5 1715 and proved August 6 1716. Children of Ezekiel and Hannah Worthen 1 Hannah born April 21 1663 married December 5 1684 Samuel Fowler; 2 John born February 12 1664 married December 30 1689 Mary Hadlock; 3 Thomas born October 31 1667 married Hannah Annis; 4 George born December 15 1669 mentioned below; 5 Ezekiel born May 18 1672 married December 26 1704 Abigail Carter; 6 Margerite born September 24 1674 married George Weed; 7 Samuel married November 17 1701 Deliverance Heath; 8 Dorothy married October 5 1702 Joseph Hoy; 9 Judith married February 19 1707 08 Abraham Page; 10 Deborah born December 9 1686 married November 15 1714 Eliezer Wells

Contributions of the Old Residents' Historical Association, Lowell ..., Volume 3 By Old Residents' Historical Association of Lowell: Ezra Worthen was descended from Ezekiel Worthen who was one of the thirty six freemen who in 1666 were residents of that part of Salisbury Mass which was then incorporated as Amesbury. Of his parentage and the place and date of his birth little is known with certainty. It is believed that he was the son of the Widow Watten that and Wathen being early modes of spelling the name to whom reference is made in the Essex County Records of 1644 when her estate was settled and her son Ezekiel then a child of eight and a half years was put out as apprentice to Thos Abie till twenty years old. The name of his father is not certainly known but in the Essex County Court Records in 1640 the name of George Wathen is found in the case of Wm Peturs vs George Wathen. The latter was a member of the church in Salem in 1641. The name George is frequently found in different generations of the Worthen family and it is very probable that George Wathen of Salem in 1640 was the father of Ezekiel Worthen and the ancestor of the Worthens of Salisbury and Amesbury. The next fact known concerning Ezekiel Worthen was his marriage in 1661 to Hannah Martin of Salisbury. He then fixed his residence in that part of the town then and till the present time known as Pleasant Valley.

Genealogical and family history of the state of New Hampshire: a ..., Volume 2 By Lewis publishing company, Chicago: This name seems to have under gone a slight modification since its arrival in America. It was early located in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and has sent out worthy descendants throughout New England and the United States. It has been identified with the pioneer development of New Hampshire and still furnishes worthy citizens to the commonwealth. The name first appears in Amesbury Massachusetts as Wathen or Wathin but the present form has been in use for centuries and will be uniformly used in this narrative. We find an inventory of the estate of Margaret Wathen a widow of Salem recorded July 20 1644. The first mention of the family appears to be in 1631 when the first child of George Wathen was recorded. He was a member of the Salem church in 1641 and his last child was recorded in 1645. The record appears of Ezekiel Wathen in June 1656 when he was apprenticed by the court until he was of age to Thomas Avery. History gives the name of Captain George Worthen killed at the battle of Bunker Hill. There is in the Bunker Hill monument two relics a sword and flintlock musket said to have been the property of this George Worthen. I Ezekiel Worthen of Amesbury Massachusetts received land in that town in 1663 and is recorded as having a meeting house seat in 166.7 He subscribed to the oath of allegiance in 1677 signed petition in 1680 and made his will there May 5 1715. This will was probated August 6 of the following year and it is presumable that his death occurred 1716. He was married December 4 1661 to Hannah daughter of George and Hannah Martin. She was born February 1 1644 in Salisbury and survived her husband about fourteen years dying June 29 1730 at the home of her son in law Samuel Fowler. Their children were Hannah, John, Thomas, George, Ezekiel, Mary, Samuel, Dorothy, Judith, Deborah, Ezekiel and descendants are mentioned at length in this article.