Rev. Samuel Mann: The First Ordained Minister of Wrentham

 

Rev. Samuel C. Mann (1647–1719) (our 8th great-grandfather) stands as one of the pivotal figures of early New England colonial history—a scholar, founding pastor, and frontier survivor whose leadership established the town of Wrentham, Massachusetts. Through his daughter Beriah Mann, his lineage merges directly into the Hawes family tree.

Key Historical Milestones

• Harvard Scholar & Early Ministry: Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Samuel was the only son of early Puritan immigrant William Mann. Recognized for his intellect, he was sent to Harvard College, graduating in the Class of 1665 at age 18. He was hired in 1667 to teach in Dedham before accepting the call to pastor the fledgling frontier settlement then known as Wollomonopoag.
• King Philip’s War & the Destruction of Wrentham: By 1673, Wollomonopoag incorporated as the town of Wrentham, with Rev. Mann as its spiritual leader. However, during King Philip’s War (1675–1676), Native American raids forced the total evacuation of the frontier outpost on March 30, 1676. Shortly after the settlers fled back to the safety of Dedham, coalition forces under Metacomet burned every home in Wrentham to the ground except two.
• The Return & Ordination: Rev. Mann spent the next few years teaching in Dedham and preaching in Milton. Although Milton attempted to settle him permanently, his deep loyalty to his original congregation led him back to Wrentham when the refugees decided to rebuild in 1680. On April 13, 1692, a formal church was organized, and Rev. Mann was officially ordained as its first pastor, preaching his own ordination sermon. He served the town faithfully for 49 years until his death in 1719.
• Notable Descendants: Beyond our direct branch, Rev. Samuel Mann is also the great-grandfather of Horace Mann (1796–1859), the famous American educational reformer known as the "Father of American Public Education."

The Direct Line to the Hawes Family

Rev. Samuel Mann married Esther Ware (1655–1734) in Dedham on May 13, 1673. Their daughter Beriah directly connects the clergy line to our New England ancestors:

• Rev. Samuel Mann (1647–1719) & Esther Ware (1655–1734)
• Their Daughter: Beriah Mann (born March 30, 1687, in Wrentham; died February 28, 1734)
• Her Husband: Daniel Hawes Jr. (1684–1763) — married on December 20, 1710, in Wrentham.
• Their Son: Ichabod Hawes (1719–1777) — the Revolutionary-era Medway gunsmith and blacksmith.

This marriage tied the Hawes line—originally pioneer landholders and blacksmiths—into one of the primary scholarly and religious dynasties of 17th-century Massachusetts Bay.

The Early Settlement of Wollomonopoag, its Transformation into Wrentham, and the Impact of King Philip's War

Before it was known as Wrentham, the wilderness along the Charles and Neponset river watersheds was Wollomonopoag—a Wampanoag word meaning "place of shells." The story of Wollomonopoag’s transition from an Indigenous fishing territory to an English colonial town is a case study in the rapid expansion, total destruction, and eventual rebirth of the 17th-century New England frontier.

The Purchase of Wollomonopoag (1660–1673)

For over 8,000 years, local Wampanoag, Nipmuc, and Massachusett peoples utilized the area surrounding Lakes Pearl and Archer as seasonal fishing grounds and seasonal camps.

• The Dedham Proprietors: As Dedham grew, its settlers needed new timber and pasture lands. In 1661, Dedham voted to set aside 600 acres in Wollomonopoag to encourage a new "plantation" about 12 miles southwest of the town center.
• Deeds with Metacom: In 1662, a consortium known as the Proprietors of Wollomonopoag formally purchased the land rights from Metacom (known to the English as King Philip), sachem of the Pokanoket/Wampanoag. In 1669, when boundary disputes arose, Metacom negotiated an additional tract for £17 and 8 shillings (plus a request for a Holland cloth shirt to wear to the General Court).
• Incorporation as Wrentham: In October 1673, Wollomonopoag officially separated from Dedham and was incorporated as Wrentham, named after Wrentham in Suffolk, England, the home town of several prominent early families. Rev. Samuel Mann was installed as the leader of the tiny settlement, which comprised only about 16 to 20 families.

King Philip’s War (1675–1676)

By 1675, decades of colonial encroachment, land sales, judicial overreach, and resource depletion boiled over into King Philip’s War—the bloodiest conflict per capita in American history. Situated on the volatile boundary between English settlements and Wampanoag/Nipmuc territory, Wrentham was on the front lines.

• The Skirmish at Indian Rock: Early in the conflict, local tension reached a breaking point near a prominent granite precipice in what is now Franklin (then northern Wrentham). A colonial hunter spotted a war party camped beneath the cliff. A small militia group from Wrentham ambushed the camp at dawn, driving several warriors off the 30-foot rock face. The site remains known as Indian Rock.
• The Evacuation (March 30, 1676): As Native coalitions laid waste to surrounding outposts like Medfield and Groton, the leaders of Wrentham realized their isolated, 16-family garrison could not hold. On March 30, 1676, Rev. Samuel Mann and the entire population abandoned the town, retreating to the safety of Dedham’s fortified center.
• The Burning of Wrentham: Shortly after the colonists fled, a Native raiding party entered the abandoned settlement and burned every building to the ground, with legendary accounts stating only two structures were left standing.

Rebuilding and Expansion (1680 & Beyond)

The war ended in late 1676 following the death of Metacom and the devastation of the local indigenous populations, but Wrentham lay in ashes for four years.

• The Return: In 1680, former proprietors began returning to rebuild their farms and lay out new roadways. They successfully persuaded Rev. Samuel Mann to return as their pastor, building him a new house and officially ordaining him in 1692 when the church was re-established.
• Subdivision into New Towns: The original 36-square-mile tract of Wollomonopoag proved so large and fertile that as population surged in the 18th century, it was split to form several modern Massachusetts towns:
• Franklin (set off in 1778, carved out of West Wrentham where the Hawes and Plimpton families farmed).
• Foxborough (incorporating parts of eastern Wrentham in 1778).
• Norfolk (set off in 1870).

Thank you Gemini AI for your wisdom and research assistance. -- Drifting Cowboy