Puritan Settler Richard Rockwood (abt. 1606-1660) and His Descendants

 

This is a classic early Puritan settler family line in Massachusetts, typical of many that helped establish and expand inland towns from the initial coastal settlements like Dorchester and Braintree.

Richard Rockwood (also spelled Rocket/Rockett, b. ~1598–1606 England, d. 1660 Braintree) arrived around 1633 (possibly with the Winthrop fleet era or a 1633 ship from Weymouth, Dorset). He was a planter who received land grants in Dorchester (1633 onward, including adjustments for public ways) and later Braintree (land for five heads in 1639/40 at Mount Wollaston/Monoticott). He married Agnes (Lovell? widow of Zachary Bicknell) ~1636/37 and later Ann. His estate was modest (inventory ~£38 in 1660). He represents the wave of early English Puritan migrants seeking religious freedom and land in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. 

Key contributions and colonial context:

• GEN 1–2 (Richard and Nicholas): Early land grantees and settlers in the expansion from Dorchester/Braintree to newer inland areas. Nicholas (b. ~1628 England, d. 1681 Medfield) settled in Medfield (incorporated 1651 from Dedham lands), receiving a house lot on Bridge Street. He was a proprietor, freeman (1666), and joined the church. His family was affected by King Philip’s War (1675–76): his house was burned by Native American forces in 1676; the family sheltered in a stone fort at Bogistow. He had land in what became Medway (set off from Medfield in 1713).

• GEN 3 (Benjamin Rockwood, b. 1651 Medfield, d. 1747): A veteran of King Philip’s War. He served eastward (under Capt. Swett), was wounded twice (shots to the thigh) at Black Point, recovered in Salem, and suffered lifelong health issues. He petitioned the General Court successfully in old age (~1742, age ~91) for aid (granted £4/year) due to his service and dependency on family. He moved to Wrentham, was a constituent member of the church there, and reportedly discovered a trail to "Indian Rock." He lived to 96.

• GEN 4–5 (Mary Rockwood m. Samuel Fisher; Elizabeth Fisher m. Ichabod Hawes): The Fishers and Haweses were established farming families in Wrentham/Medway. Samuel Fisher (1685–1769) and Mary lived in Wrentham; their line includes deacons and town residents. Ichabod Hawes served in colonial militia contexts.

• GEN 6–7 (Beriah Hawes m. Job Plimpton Jr.; Timothy Plimpton): Continued in Medway (agricultural/milling area). The Plimptons (Plympton) were a Medway family. Timothy (b. 1775 Medway, d. 1824 Seneca, Ontario Co., NY) moved westward post-Revolution, part of the broader post-war migration from Massachusetts to upstate New York for cheaper land. His family faced hardships, including the 1816 "Year Without a Summer" crop failures leading to financial loss.

Broader role in colonial history: Like many such families, they were not famous leaders but contributed as landowners, church members, soldiers, and town builders. They participated in the typical Puritan pattern: coastal arrival → inland grants → town founding/expansion (Medfield, Wrentham, Medway) → survival of wars (King Philip’s) and petitioning for support. Their descendants spread further (NY), mirroring New England’s 18th–19th century westward movement. Town histories (e.g., History of Medfield, History of Medway) mention the Rockwoods/Rockets for early settlement, land ownership, and war service. 

Detailed genealogies exist, including Vivian Rockwood’s Four Centuries of American Descendants of Richard Rockwood (2000). 

This line embodies the resilient, community-oriented Puritan yeoman stock that shaped early Massachusetts towns and participated in major colonial events from settlement through the Indian wars and into the early Republic.

Thank you Grok xAI for your wisdom and research assistance. -- Drifting Cowboy