General Notes

RFN1104
BIOGRAPHY
Bibliographic Information:
Stuart, Joseph A.
Genealogical History of the Duncan Stuart Family in America.
Caxton Press. 1894.
ROBERT S TUART, our immediate ancestor, second child and eldest
son of EBENEZER, of DUN CAN STUART; was born at Rowley, Nov. 26, 1701.
In his youth he was in the pers onal service of Gov. William Dummer, at
Newbury, Mass. On Dec. 11, 1727, he ma rried Anne Adams, a relative and
co-descendant with the Governor from John Dum mer, of Bishopstoke,
Eng., he being of the 4th and she of the 6th generation f rom John
through the two brothers Richard and Stephen that came to Newbury in
1638. (See Ancestral Chart, page 108, and Appendix D for Dummer,
Sewall, Long fellow and Adams        records.) Anne Adams was born
April 29, 1705, and was of the 4th generation from Robert Adams, who
came to Ipswich in 1635.
Robert Stuart took his bride upon the pillion behind him to spend
their winter's hone ymoon in a leg cabin on his land in the Kingston
Woods. From deeds on record I find that he owned land in Rowley in
1723, he selling land then; and in 1729 he sold land with buildings in
Rowley. (See Appendix E.)
Not being fully sati sfied with his location in Kingston Robert
Stuart removed to the Newtown Woods between the years 1741, he then
being "of Kingston," and 1745, when he is on record in a deed as of
Amesbury. (See Appendix E.) He probably desired to get back into
Massachusetts, the King having decreed in 1740 that Kingston should be
a part of New Hampshire. If that was his object his effort was futile,
for the State line was at length established a few rods south of his
house. (See Appendix F.)
Our family traditions say that Anne's two brothers, Joseph and
S amuel used to visit her frequently, but her father, who was greatly
opposed to her going into the wilderness, came but once, when, finding
the cabin uncomfo rtably cool he set to work stopping the chinks
between the logs. They were in the habit of salting down a beef and a
hog each fall for poorer neighbors. A r elative not naturally so
generous as themselves reported to him seeing his wif e give a whole
strip of pork away, and got for answer that it was put into the barrel
for his wife to give to whoever needed it and that he had nothing
far ther to do with it.
He was an early riser, and while making ??call upon a neig hbor one
evening, being told that his turn would come next, as a certain
wild cat that had been ravaging the roosts of the vicinity had eaten
the last of hi s (Heath's) hens, he answered that if they got up as
early as he did they woul dn't have lost many hens.--On going out at
earliest dawn to feed his stock the next day he saw the wildcat jump
and seize a hen, and located the cat by the squawking of the hen in an
unoccupied cattle manger. By grasping the stanchion beam overhead with
his hands he succeeded in bringing his whole weight of ove r two
hundred pounds upon the wildcat at once; but not till the creature had
been able to turn and claw his buskins off and bite and scratch his
legs badly did he succeed in stamping the life out of it. Carrying the
carcass to the ho use he threw it upon the kitchen hearth, telling his
wife to get up and do up his wounds. He was unable to go out of the
house again that winter,--but no mo re hens were lost.
Like his fathers,--and I might add his descendants,--he was
always a little in advance of those about him in religion as well as
in polt ics and became a Baptist, or what was then called a "Schemer,"
In New Hampshir e As It Is I find that the first Baptist Church in New
Hampshire was organized in 1755 at Newtown.  Our great-grandfather
Robert Stuart built the first log church, hired and paid Elder Walter
Powers, and with Deacon Francis Chase invi ted all to come and hear THE
TRUTH FREE OF EXPENSE.
This was called "Stuart's Church," and claiming to have thus already
paid for support of the Gospel he refused to pay his "minister's tax."
While he wa