Daniel Whittemore

     Daniel Whittemore was born on 27 April 1663, in Malden, MA. He married Lydia Bassett, daughter of Joseph Bassett and Martha Hobart, in 1689 in Bridgewater, MA. Daniel lived in Malden, MA. He was a wheelwright. He left a will dated 8 February 1743. Daniel had inherited the house of his father, Daniel , in Malden, and devised it to his son Daniel, for the reason, he says in his will, that Daniel "had done more for him, Than all the rest, in money, buildings and fencings". Daniel Whittemore, Jr was named sole executor of his will filed 4 Oct 1756 and received the entire estate after the widow's third. Then Daniel mentions all his children, except Joseph, as follows: Lydia Richardson, who receives 10 pounds; Mary Waite, 5 pounds; Richard Whittemore, 13 pounds; Elizabeth Whittemore 10 pounds; Jonathan Whittemore, 40 pounds; William Whittemore 10 pounds; Hannah Woodcock, 3 pounds; Sarah Clark 6 pounds. For his omission, Joseph may be presumed to be already dead, especially when Daniel mentions Joseph's son Edmund; who received 5 pounds, the only grandchild mentioned in his will. There is no inventory among the papers (middlesex Probate #24781). He died on 21 September 1756 in Malden, MA, at age 93. One thing not in his will which Daniel bequeathed to his children was his remarkable longevity; more than half of the ten children lived to be over 80 years of age--an amazing thing in those early days. Daniel lived out his tremendously long span of 93 years on the original family farm, without much change in the estate he inherited from his father almost 75 years before. He was a good citizen and churchman.