Ancestry of the Embert Howard Family of Brockton Massachusetts

EMBERT HOWARD, long one of the most successful business men of Brockton, of which city he is also one of the foremost citizens, is a worthy representative of a family which has historic identity with the earliest settling of New England. For two hundred and sixty and more years the family bearing this name has dwelt in the Bridgewaters and in the region of country thereabouts, the posterity of John Haward, who was one of the early settlers of Duxbury, Mass. The genealogy following traces the line in chronological order from this immigrant ancestor.

John Haward came from England with his brother James and settled in Duxbury. John removed to the West Parish of ancient Bridgewater and became one of the first settlers of the town, in 1651. It is well to keep in mind that Bridgewater was the first interior settlement in the Old Colony. The grant of the plantation was made in 1645, and the settlements made in 1651. The grant was made to Duxbury, and from the ancient or original town of Bridgewater were set off the towns of North, West and East Bridgewater (North Bridgewater finally becoming Brockton). The first settlements were made in what is now West Bridgewater. There were no settlements in the North Parish until after 1700, and the settlers were in main from the old town.

It is said that when a lad John Haward lived in the family of Capt. Miles Standish. He was a man of great influence in the new plantation, and was one of the first military officers in Bridgewater. Previous to 1700 the name was commonly written Haward, but during the last century and since it has been spelled Howard. The names of Haward and Hayward are often confounded, and by many are pronounced alike. They may have been the same name, originally, although John always wrote it Haward, without any y. Savage says he was a representative in 1678 and often after, and credits him with being the progenitor of a distinguished and numerous family. His children were:

1. John Howard
2. James Howard
3. Jonathan Howard
4. Elizabeth Howard
5. Sarah Howard
6. Bethiah Howard
7. Ephraim Howard

John, the father, was an inn-keeper as early as 1670, and it is remarkable that a public house was kept at the same place ever after by his descendants till within a few years ago.

John Howard Family

John Howard (2), born in what is now West Bridgewater, Mass., married in 1678 Sarah, daughter of Robert and Susanna (Winslow) Latham, of what is now East Bridgewater, Mass. He settled in Joppa, East Bridgewater. After the death of his father he sold his property in 1703 and returned to West Bridgewater to reside. He inherited from his father his house and barn and a large tract of land. He occupied the house, conducting it as a tavern until 1726. His children were:

1. Susanna Howard
2. Edward Howard
3. Robert Howard
4. Martha Howard
5. Sarah Howard
6. Bethiah Howard

Capt. Robert Howard Family

Capt. Robert Howard, son of John (2), was born in 1699, and married April 25, 1725, Abigail Keith, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Fobes) Keith, and granddaughter of Rev. James Keith. Robert Howard was a captain in the militia. He was one of the first settlers of the North Parish of Bridgewater (now Brockton), where he died in 1779, aged eighty years. His children were:

1. John Howard married Abigail Hudson
2. Martha Howard married William Edson
3. Keziah Howard died aged seventeen years
4. Robert Howard, Jr., married Abigail Snell
5. Adam Howard married Mary Keith
6. Abigail Howard died aged seven years
7. Betty Howard married Abijah Thayer
8. Daniel Howard married Vesta Howard

Daniel Howard Family

Daniel Howard, son of Capt. Robert, was born Jan. 6, 1750, and married June 29, 1773, Vesta Howard, daughter of Barnabas Howard, Esq., and his wife Mehitable Packard, daughter of Seth and Mercy (Bryant) Packard, and a direct descendant in the fifth generation of Samuel Packard, who was of Windham, England, and became one of the early settlers of Hingham, Mass., in 1638, whence he removed to the West Parish of Bridgewater. Daniel Howard died April 20, 1821, aged seventy-one years. His children were:

1. Darius Howard married (first) Sophia Howard and (second) Huldah Cary
2. Daniel Howard, Jr., married (first) Susan Kingman and (second) Widow Mary Emerson
3. Ambrose Howard married Ruth Parker and removed to Winslow, Maine
4. Ziphion Howard married Amy Reynolds and removed to Winslow, Maine
5. Vesta Howard married Robert S. Holbrook, of Stoughton, Mass.
6. Damaris Howard married Jabez Woodman, of New Gloucester, Maine
7. Cyrus Howard married (first) Sylvia Howard, (second) Abi Edson and (third) Keziah Hayden
8. Sidney Howard married Sally Littlefield, of Stoughton
9. Polly Howard died single
10. Lewis Howard married Eliza Ford

Darius Howard Family

Darius Howard, the eldest son of Daniel, was born Dec. 13, 1773, and married (first) in 1804 Sophia Howard, daughter of Jonas and Abigail (Packard) Howard, and their children were:

1. Elmira Howard, born Dec. 10, 1804
2. Sophia Howard and Darius Howard, twins, born June 19, 1807, the former of whom married Charles Snell, and the latter died at the age of eight years.

The mother died Aug. 15, 1807, and Mr. Howard married (second) June 5, 1808, Huldah Cary, daughter of Jonathan and Abigail (Perkins) Cary, and a direct descendant in the sixth generation from John Cary, who came from Somersetshire, England, and settled in Duxbury, Mass., in 1639, later becoming one. of the first settlers of the West Parish of Bridgewater; he was the first town clerk of Bridgewater. To Darius and Huldah (Cary) Howard were born the following children:

1. Gary Howard, born Aug. 6, 1809, married Sylvia H. Packard
2. Aurelia Howard, born March 23, 1813, married Edward H. Packard
3. Frederick Howard, born Feb. 14, 1815, died unmarried, in Brockton
4. Darius Howard, born Oct. 29, 1817, married Ellen B. Broadhurst
5. Abigail Perkins Howard, born March 18, 1820, married Luther Hayward

Mr. Howard was extensively engaged in farming in North Bridgewater, where his life was spent, and where he died April 8, 1836, in the sixty-third year of his age. He was prominent in the affairs of his native town, serving as deputy sheriff from 1806 to 1812, and was selectman, assessor and overseer of the poor from 1829 to 1835.

Deacon Cary Howard Family

Deacon Cary Howard, son of Darius and Huldah (Cary) Howard, was born Aug. 6, 1809, in North Bridgewater, now Brockton. After attending the district schools of his neighborhood he became apprenticed, at the age of seventeen years, to the carpenter’s and cabinetmaker’s trade, and for a number of years was successfully engaged in contracting, enjoying the reputation of being a thoroughly skilled and painstaking mechanic. He possessed a very happy and genial manner, and was one of the solid and substantial men of the town, and one universally respected and esteemed for his integrity and thoroughly good qualities. Although generous and benevolent, he was nevertheless prudent, and as a result acquired a competence. Mr. Howard was a devout and consistent member of the South Congregational Church of Campello, and in 1845 was elected deacon of the church, the duties of which office he faithfully performed until his death, his services covering a period of nearly fifty years, during the greater part of which time he was senior deacon. On Nov. 28, 1833, Deacon Howard was united in marriage to Sylvia H. Packard, born June 4, 1811, daughter of Capt. Robert and Kuth (Barrell) Packard, and a direct descendant in the sixth generation from Samuel Packard, the founder of this family in America. This union was blessed with children as follows:

1. Lyman Howard, born May 16, 1836, who died Sept. 27, 1836
2. Embert Howard, born July 23, 1842, and a daughter who died in infancy

Deacon Cary passed away in Campello, Mass., Oct. 27, 1891, in the eighty-third year of his age, leaving the impress of his good and kindly life indelibly stamped on the community. He was survived by his devoted helpmate, who died Nov. 17, 1900, in the ninetieth year of her age, in Brockton, where all her happy married life had been spent.

Embert Howard Family

Embert Howard, son of the late Deacon Cary and Sylvia H. (Packard) Howard, was born July 23, 1842, in North Bridgewater (now Brockton), in that part of the town known as Campello. His educational training was begun in the district schools of his native town and continued at the North Bridgewater Academy, which was conducted by Prof. Sereno D. Hunt, after which he attended the Peirce Academy, at Middleboro, Mass., for two terms. Leaving school at the age of seventeen years, he entered the shoe factory of Martin L. Keith & Co., where he remained about one year, when he became a clerk in the dry goods store of William P. Brett & Co., remaining in that capacity about three years. After working several months as a clerk in the general store of Henry K. Keith & Co., at Kingston, Mass., and about nine months in a similar capacity at Washington, D. C, for W. F. Brett & Co., Mr. Howard returned to Campello, and in 1864, in company with the late Ziba C. Keith, purchased the stock and good will of the variety store of Sidney Packard, then in the building on the west side of Main street erected by Josiah W. Kingman, at the corner of Market street. Under the firm name of Howard & Keith they continued to conduct this business for a period of about three years, when they sold the business to Jonas Reynolds, the firm of Howard & Keith then being dissolved. On March 4, 1868, in company with Benjamin Otis Caldwell, under the firm name of Howard & Caldwell, he purchased the clothing and gentlemen’s furnishings business of the late Rufus P. Kingman, and this firm, which is one of the best known as well as one of the largest concerns of its kind in southeastern Massachusetts, carried a large and complete stock of clothing, gentlemen’s furnishings, hats, caps, trunks, traveling bags, etc., continuing in the same location ever since, although this enterprising house made various and numerous improvements and additions to its business block. By reason of straightforward business methods and upright dealing the firm of Howard & Caldwell enjoyed an extensive and increasing trade. In June, 1910, this business was sold to Arthur B. Marston, who still conducts the business under the firm style of Howard & Caldwell.

Although a stalwart supporter of the principles of the Republican party, Mr. Howard has never been an active politician and never would accept any office which might interfere with his business. Fraternally he is a member of various Masonic bodies, having reached the thirty-second degree in Masonry; he holds membership in Paul Revere Lodge, A. F. & A. M.; Satucket Chapter, R. A. M.; Bay State Commandery, Knights Templar – all of Brockton; and Aleppo Temple, Order of the Mystic Shrine, of Boston. Socially he belongs to the Commercial Club of Brockton, of which he was a charter member. He is fond of good horses, and for a number of years has been the owner of a number of thoroughbreds, which he has used for pleasure driving. Mr. Howard was one of the original promoters of the Brockton Agricultural Society when it was incorporated in 1874, and has ever since taken an active interest in its welfare and its annual fairs, which are held the first week in October. He is one of the incorporators of the Brockton Savings Bank, and was one of the charter incorporators of the Security Cooperative Bank of Brockton, in 1877, and has served as one of the vice presidents of the same for a number of years. Mr. Howard and his family are active members of the First Congregational Church of Brockton, and he has served as chairman of the parish committee of the church for over twenty-five years, and was a member of the building committee having in charge the erection of the present church edifice.

In 1883 Mr. Howard with his family took an extended tour through England, Germany, France, Switzerland and Italy, sailing on the steamship “City of Rome,” of the Anchor Line, from New York, and in 1889 made another journey on the steamship “City of New York,” returning on the “City of Paris.” During this sojourn he and his family visited England, Scotland, Ireland, Belgium, Switzerland and France, including the exposition at Paris. In all Mr. Howard and his family have visited Europe six different times. They have also traveled extensively in this country, having visited nearly every state in the Union, and they have gone to Florida and elsewhere in the South during the winter months for a number of seasons.

As may be noted in the foregoing, Mr. Howard began his business career on his own account when but twenty years of age, and from the first he has been successful. In his early life, when yet a boy at school, he had an ambition to be a merchant, and a good one, and that he reached the goal of his ambition goes without saying. Being full of energy, he attended effectively to his business, which grew to be one of the largest, if not the largest, outside of Boston in the clothing trade in this State, and for over forty years prosperity crowned the industrious and progressive efforts of the firm of Howard & Caldwell, of which he was until recently the senior member. Mr. Howard is a man of social and genial nature, fond of his home and its surroundings, and yet he enjoys travel when accompanied by his family.

In addition to his connection with the firm of Howard & Caldwell Mr. Howard has been largely interested in real estate in his native town and city, and in company with Bradford E. Jones, under the name of Howard & Jones, erected the Satucket block at the corner of Main and West Elm streets, and the Bay State block on Centre street, which they still own. Mr. Howard enjoys the confidence and respect of the community in which he dwells, and is recognized as a representative and enterprising business man and an important factor in the growth and prosperity of the city of his birth.

Mr. Howard has been twice married, his first wife, Hattie Cornelia Howard, whom he married Dec. 7, 1865, being the daughter of Deacon Cyrus and Cornelia A. (Bassett) Howard, of Winslow, Maine, and also a direct descendant in the seventh generation from John Howard, the immigrant ancestor of the Howard family in this country. Mrs. Howard passed away April 22, 1866, in North Bridgewater, and Mr. Howard married (second) May 17, 1870, Lois Hathaway Perkins, daughter of Abraham and Hannah S. (Hathaway) Perkins, of North Middleboro, Mass. This happy union has been blessed with three daughters, who have been liberally educated both at school and by travel, as follows:

1. Mary Perkins Howard, born May 15, 1871
2. Lena Cary Howard, born May 21, 1876
3. Dora Louise Howard, born May 20, 1878, who died Jan. 14, 1899, in Brockton

Mrs. Embert Howard is also a descendant of historic old New England ancestry, being in the eighth generation in direct line from

1. Abraham Perkins, who was born about 1611, was one of the first settlers of Hampton, and died Aug. 31, 1683. He married Mary, and they had thirteen children.
2. Luke Perkins, Sr., of Charlestown, Mass., son of Abraham, was born in 1640-41, and died March 20, 1709-10. In March, 1663, he married Hannah Cookery, widow of Henry Cookery, and daughter of Robert Long, and. their children were:
   1. Henry
   2. John
   3. Luke, Jr., who settled in Plympton, Mass.
   4. Elizabeth
   5. Abraham
   6. Hannah
   7. Mary
3. Luke Perkins, Jr., son of Luke, was born March 18, 1667, and married Martha Conant, a descendant of Roger Conant, who was the founder of Salem, Mass., in 1626. Their children were:
   1. John
   2. Martha
   3. Hannah
   4. Luke, Jr.
   5. Mark
4. Mark Perkins, son of Luke, Jr., was born in April, 1699, and died Dec. 20, 1756, in North Bridgewater, whither he came in 1741. He married Dorothy Whipple and they had eleven children.
5. Isaac Perkins, son of Mark, was born April 27, 1731, and married Joanna, daughter of Benjamin and Joanna (Orcutt) Edson, the latter a descendant of Francis Cooke, of the “Mayflower.” Their children were:
   1. Abraham
   2. Isaac
   3. Joanna
   4. Jacob
   5. Azel
6. Azel Perkins, son of Isaac, was born in 1766, in North Middleboro, Mass., where he died Aug. 23, 1853. He married (first) Lucretia Eaton, daughter of Elijah and Sarah (Shaw) Eaton, and they had eleven children.
7. Abraham Perkins, son of Azel, was born Sept. 10, 1807, in North Middleboro, Mass., where his life was spent, and died June 7, 1872, in North Bridgewater, while on a visit to his daughter, Mrs. Embert Howard. Mr. Perkins was engaged in farming, and was an honest and upright man. He was very active in the work of the North Middleboro Congregational Church, of which he was a devout and consistent member, but although he was tendered a deaconship in the church declined the honor. On March, 1833, he was united in marriage to Hannah Shaw Hathaway, daughter of Paul and Lois (Shaw) Hathaway. She died in North Middleboro Feb. 19, 1870, the mother of the following children:
   1. Georgia Angelina, born March 2, 1834, married Daniel McC. Smith, of Johnson, Ky., and she is now a widow residing in Toronto, Kans.
   2. Cyrus, born July 2, 1836, who served in the war of the Rebellion as a member of Company D, 18th Regiment, Volunteer Infantry, died in North Middleboro Jan. 1, 1863, unmarried
   3. Isaac Edson, born Jan. 1, 1840, who is conducting the old homestead farm of Rev. Isaac Backus, in North Middleboro, married Harriet Maria Drake, of Easton, Mass.
   4. Ezra Hamilton, born June 30, 1843, was a member of the 33d Iowa Regiment in the Civil war, and died while in the service Nov. 5, 1864, at Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, Mo., unmarried
   5. Jairus Hathaway, born Aug. 13, 1845, married (first) Sarah S. Wilmarth and (second) Jeannette Osborne, and died in Brockton May 9, 1907
   6. Lois Hathaway, born June 17, 1848, is the wife of Embert Howard, of Brockton
   7. Hannah Shaw, born Dec. 24, 1852, died Jan. 22, 1855

Mrs. Embert Howard is also descended from “Mayflower” ancestry, and as well from Revolutionary stock, several of her ancestors having served in the Revolution, among them Elijah Eaton, Ebenezer Shaw and Joseph Hathaway.