Sergeant, local militia Richard HILDRETH

c.1605 - 1693

• Name	Richard HILDRETH
  Title	Sergeant, local militia
  Prefix	Sergeant, local militia
  Birth	c.1605	England   [1]
  	The date of Richard's birth has been estimated from his death entry in the Chelmsford records that note his age as "88 years" at the time of his death in February 1692/3.
  Gender	Male
  Immigration	Before 1643
  	The exact date and circumstances of Richard's immigration to the Massachusetts Bay Colony are unknown. Richard and his first wife Sarah and their son James probably made the crossing from England together. He likely arrived in the colony by 1642, as he was made a Freeman in May of 1643.
  Freemanship	10 May 1643	Massachusetts Bay Colony   [2]
  	Richard was granted freemanship within the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Bay Colony on 10 May 1643. The prerequisite for obtaining this status was proof of one's membership and good standing in a Congregational Church. The Freeman's Oath legally bound the individual to the government of the colony, and thereby, its laws and orders. Additionally, the Oath required participation by the individual in local and colonial affairs when called upon.
  OFFH	1645	Cambridge, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts Bay Colony   [3]
  	On 12 November 1645 at a Cambridge town meeting, Richard was chosen as one of five Townsmen [ie. Seclectmen] to serve for the following year. Throughout the ten years that followed, he served Cambridge in many capacities: Collector of Fines, keeper of the Cow Common, Fence Viewer, Surveyor of Highways.
  Prop	9 Apr 1648	Shawshine, Massachusetts Bay Colony   [4]
  	On 9 April 1648 the Cambridge Townsmen offered Richard farm land in Shawshine, the area that was later to become Billerica. The offer was made on condition that the land would revert to the town in the event that Richard chose not to utilize it. He would have no right of sale or of transfer. Should he vacate the property, compensation to him would be limited to improvements. Richard apparently accepted the offer, for on 10 March 1650/1, the size of the farm was set at 200 acres.
  settler	10 May 1653	Chelmsford, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts Bay Colony   [5, 6, 7]
  	Richard was among the 29 petitioners to the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony who on 10 May 1653 requested the six mile square tract of land that was to become Chelmsford in 1655. The General Court granted the petition on 18 May 1653, and the petitioners were allowed two years to seat twenty families at the new plantation.
  RMVD	Between 10 Feb 1655/6 and Apr 1656	Chelmsford, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts Bay Colony   [8, 9]
  	Richard and his family made the move from Cambridge to Chelmsford after 10 February 1655/6, when he was appointed Fence Viewer by the Cambridge Townsmen, but prior to April 1656, when he was accepted into the church congregation at Chelmsford. It is of interest to note that of the original twenty-nine petitioners for the plantation at Chelmsford, only fourteen made their homes there. And of those fourteen, only nine remained residents of Chelmsford until their deaths. Richard was one of those nine.
  OFFH	After April 1656	Chelmsford, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts Bay Colony   [10]
  Will	11 Feb 1686/7	Chelmsford, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts Bay Colony   [11]
  	Richard named his son Ephraim as executor of his will, dated at Chelmsford on 11 February 1686/7. He signed the document with his mark which was witnessed by John Butterick, Sarah S[?] and Elizabeth Foster.
  Death	23 Feb 1692/3	Chelmsford, Middlesex Co, Province of Massachusetts Bay   [1]
  	Richard died on 23 February 1692/3. He was 88 years old at the time of his death.
  inventory	26 May 1693	Charlestown, Suffolk Co, Province of Massachusetts Bay   [11]
  	An inventory and appraisal of Richard's estate was presented to the Court at Charlestown on 26 May 1693 by Ephraim Hildreth, estate executor. It had been taken at Chelmsford on 19 May 1693 by Samuell Foster and Eliazer Brown. Richard had deeded the majority of his estate to his son Ephraim in February 1686/7. The value of the inventory of movable property presented at Charlestown was £14-03-06.
  Will proved	26 May 1693	Charlestown, Suffolk Co, Province of Massachusetts Bay   [11]
  	The will was proved by the oaths of the three witnesses on 26 May 1693 at Charlestown.
  CHAF	27 Apr 1756	Chelmsford, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts Bay Colony   [12]
  	Chelmsford church records note that on 27 April 1656, "Serg. Hildrik of ye Ch of Cambridge received into ye sacrament of ye Supper as a member of ye church." Richard's relationship with the Chelmsford Church was controversial. Church records note that he was received into fellowship for a second time on 20 September 1663, suggesting that he had during the interim been dismissed from the local congregation. During June 1670, Richard was required to appear before the Middlesex County Court at Cambridge to answer for "reproachful speech of the minister [of Chelmsford]". Finally, on 18 January 1673/4, Richard "had his dismission & 3 of his children, Joseph, Persis & Isaac, granted him to ye Church of Cambridge, according to his desire, he declaring hi purpose of settling there, and living and dying there." It does not appear, however, that he actually moved back to Cambridge.
  Person ID	I58122	mason
  Last Modified	22 Jul 2026

  
  

  Family 1	Sarah (UNKNOWN),   b. England d. 15 Jun 1644, Cambridge, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts Bay Colony
  Marriage	England
  Children	1. Leftenant, local militia James HILDRETH,   b. c.1631, England d. 14 Apr 1695, Chelmsford, Middlesex Co, Province of Massachusetts Bay
  Family ID	F4974	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	22 Jul 2026

  
  

  Family 2	Elizabeth (UNKNOWN),   b. c.1625   d. 3 Aug 1693, Chelmsford, Middlesex Co, Province of Massachusetts Bay
  Marriage	Between Jun 1644 and Sep 1646  [13]
  	The couple was married after the 15 June 1644 death of Richard's first wife, but before the 21 September 1646 birth of Richard and Elizabeth's daughter Elizabeth.
  Children	1. Elizabeth HILDRETH,   b. 21 Sep 1646, Cambridge, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts Bay Colony   2. Sarah HILDRETH,   b. 8 Aug 1648, Cambridge, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts Bay Colony   3. Ephraim HILDRETH   4. Joseph HILDRETH,   b. 16 Apr 1658, Chelmsford, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts Bay Colony   5. Persis HILDRETH,   b. 8 Feb 1659/60, Chelmsford, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts Bay Colony   6. Isaac HILDRETH,   b. 20 Jul 1661, Chelmsford, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts Bay Colony   7. Thomas HILDRETH,   b. 1 Feb 1661/2, Chelmsford, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts Bay Colony d. 28 May 1662, Chelmsford, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts Bay Colony (Age 0 years)
  Family ID	F6309	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	22 Jul 2026

  
  

• Sources

  [S144] Vital Records of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849, ((Salem, MA: The Essex Institute, 1914)), p. 403. [S1637] Records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony 1628 -1686, Five Volumes in Six Texts, (CD-ROM (np: GenealogyCDs.com, 2003)), Vol. II, p. 293. [S1623] The Records of the Town of Cambridge (Formerly Newtowne) Massachusetts, 1630 - 1703, ((Cambridge, MA: University Press, 1901)). pp. 51, 56, 61, 80, 87, 90, 92, 99, 102, 104 & 108. [S1623] The Records of the Town of Cambridge (Formerly Newtowne) Massachusetts, 1630 - 1703, ((Cambridge, MA: University Press, 1901)), pp. 75 & 91. [S1637] Records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony 1628 -1686, Five Volumes in Six Texts, (CD-ROM (np: GenealogyCDs.com, 2003)). Vol. III, 1644 - 1657, p. 301. [S1648] John Lyman Porter, editor, Porter, Genealogical and Historical Data relating to Richard Hildreth (1605-1693)...., ((np: Hildreth Family Association, 1915)). pp. 57-58 [Wilkes Allen, History of Chelmsford, 1820] [S1651] Rev. Wilson Waters, Waters, History of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, ((Lowell, MA: Courier-Citizen Co, 1917)), pp. 1-3. [S1623] The Records of the Town of Cambridge (Formerly Newtowne) Massachusetts, 1630 - 1703, ((Cambridge, MA: University Press, 1901)), p. 109. [S1648] John Lyman Porter, editor, Porter, Genealogical and Historical Data relating to Richard Hildreth (1605-1693)...., ((np: Hildreth Family Association, 1915)). pp. 59 [The Notebook of Reverend John Fiske, 1644-1675] [S1651] Rev. Wilson Waters, Waters, History of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, ((Lowell, MA: Courier-Citizen Co, 1917)), p. 754. [S1647] Richard Hildereth, Middlesex Co, MA probate file no. 11376 (1693). [S1648] John Lyman Porter, editor, Porter, Genealogical and Historical Data relating to Richard Hildreth (1605-1693)...., ((np: Hildreth Family Association, 1915)). pp. 59, 61, 63 [The Notebook of Reverend John Fiske, 1644-1675] [S1652] Thomas W. Baldwin, compiler, Vital Records of Cambridge, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850, ((Boston, MA: Wright & Potter Print Co., 1914-1915)). Vol. 2: Marriages & Deaths, p. 600 & Vol. 1: Births, p. 352.