ROGER CONANT, born 15 April 1591, was the youngest of eight children of , Richard and Agnes (Clarke) CONANT, in East Budleigh, Devonshire, England.

On 11 November 1618, Roger married Sarah HORTON,in London who was the daughter of Thomas and Katherine (Satchfield) HORTON, at St. Ann Blackfriars.

He did not remain long at Plymouth, owing to a difference of religious belief between himself and the Pilgrim Fathers. They were Separatists and he a Non-Conformist or Puritan. HE THEN MOVED. Roger resided at "Conant's Island", later called "Governor's Island" in Boston Harbor.

Upon hearing of Roger CONANT's good character and ability, Rev. John White and the Dorchester Company asked him to manage their affairs at Cape Ann.

Cape Ann had commenced in 1622-23 as a fishing site.

Roger agreed to take charge of the settlement in the fall of 1625. Despite the settlement size of 200, the fishing trade did not profit and the growing of crops was not successful. The decision to disband the community was made. Roger, himself, did not like the Cape Ann location. A new site was chosen at Naumkeag, later called Salem. In the fall of 1626, the CONANTS and about 40 settlers moved to Salem. Many of their group in Cape Ann went to Virginia but Roger was determined to remain in what was to become Massachusetts Colony.

ROGER CONANT WAS THE FIRST GOVERNOR OF THE CAPE ANN COLONY, being appointed under the charter of Lord Sheffield, and remained at the head of the Colony until 1628, when he was succeeded by John Endicott.

During the time of his Administration he occupied the 'great White House" at Cape Ann, which ws built in 1624 and later moved to Salem, where it was occupied by succeeding Governors.

Governor Conant discovered the site and founded the town of Salem, and his son was the first child born in that town.

In 1624, Roger Conant was chosen as a representative at the General Court at Boston.

Roger became a freeman 18 May 1631. He was listed with the church members of Salem in 1636. He was a representative to the First General Court of Massachusetts Colony in 1636.
He was appointed Essex magistrate and served regularly on the juries of Essex County. He held many town offices and was a Salem Selectman for many years. Sarah and Roger had eight more children in America. Their sixth child, Roger, was the first white child born in Salem. They primarily resided in the Bass River section of Salem, now called Beverly.

Roger died 19 November 1679 in Beverly, following the death of his wife, Sarah. He accumulated a sizeable estate and lands. Altho Roger CONANT was not the foremost leader in Massachusetts he certainly was instrumental in the development of it.

He was a first settler of Salem, was agent of the beginning of the Colony for three years and served in many civic capacities.
He was known to be of great integrity and character and always put the good of the community ahead of his own desires and ideas. he was an excellent arbitrator, often settling matters that could have caused much division and death. Also, because of his connections and reputation in England, his influence brought the formation of the Massachusetts Colony into reality.

Conant built the first Salem house on what is Essex Street today, almost opposite the Town Market.

In 1639, his was one of the signatures on the building contract for enlarging the meeting house in Town House Square for the First Church in Salem. This document remains part of the town records at City Hall.

He was active in the affairs of the town throughout his life. In 1679, he died at the age of 87.

This dramatic, cloaked statue of Roger Conant faces the Salem Common and stands atop a huge boulder brought from the woods near the floating bridge at Lynn. Artist Henry H. Kitson designed this heroic bronze statue for the Conant Family Association and the statue was dedicated on June 17, 1913.



AND SO THE STORY GOES ON~~and on~~

Colonel CONANT planned the hanging of the signal lanterns in the steeple of the North Church to give warning of any movement of the British Army toward Concord where the Patriots had gathered at their stores...on Tuesday evening, April 18,1775 PAUL REVERE rowed his boat over to Charleston,and when he landed, he went into town and met with COUSIN' Colonel CONANT. Paul Revere says" When I landed Colonel Conant and others said they could see our signals.
PAUL said "I told them what was acting, and went to get me a horse"..He then set out on his ~~midnight ride!. The lanterns were not displayed for Reveres information-for he already knew all they were intended to convey-but for the information of Colonel Conant and his friends. Neither did REVERE reach Concord, but was seized after leaving Lexington.

      ROGER     baptized  1592  East  Budleigh,  Devonshire     England..son  of  Richard  and  Agnes  Clarke  Conant             Roger  married  Sarah  Hortonin 1618 and  was  the  1st  Governor  of  the  Cape Ann Colony, as it was called until 1628.

                   SON

LOT CONANT born 1624 in Nantasket, Mass or as it was called, MARRIED Elizabeth Walton in the year 1649 in Beverly Mass.
Lot owned property in Marblehead Mass and served as selectman in 1662.,sold that property and remained in Beverly Mass. In 1666, his father gave him the Beverly homestead with 32 acres and 72 acres in town, though Lot leased the homestead back to his parents in town. His occupation was (yeoman)farmer.

      JOHN              b.12-15-1652 landowner,farmer and weaver. He settled in Beverly on 60 acres of land given him by Roger,then down to his father Lot. During the Kings War he served in Capt. Samuel Appleton's company.       page  145

            LOT Cape Ann ...a landowner in Beverly.               b.6-1-1679      d. 9-20-1767 m. 5-15-1698 Martha Cleaves who died at age forty four., at Concord, where her grave stone is still to be seen. Children: Robert, Andrew, William, Dinah, Ezra, John, Elizabeth, Martha, Bithiah ...     page  173

            ROBERT           b.4-26-1699 Robert was a farmer and carpenter,born in Beverly, moved to Concord with his parents; settled in Chelmsford as early as 1726. Later moved to Stow, Mass where he died 3-27-1773.      m.Esther Children; Samuel, Josiah, Peter, Esther, Martha, Rebecca, Lydia, page  206

     
      SAMUEL            b.   1722         farmer,   Stow,  Mass Lived in Chelmsford and Stow with his parents. He settled in Stow as a farmer. He is named as the oldest son, in his father's will. m.Sarah Holman Sarah d. 2-1-1804 Samuel d. 5-19-1785      Children: Silas, Oliver Samuel John Levi and a daughter? page  261

            OLIVER         b.about 1750 Rice's company of Bullard's regiment, in the Continental  army  Stow, MASS Oliver settled in Sudbury, then in Weston. In 1777 Oliver Conant, of Sudbury, was in Rice's company of Bullard's regiment, in the Continental army, in service in New York. On Jan 15, 1776, Oliver was corporal in Wheeler's company of Niseon's regiment. He married Thankful Walker. Children; Abraham Polly and Isaac(twins) Thankful, Oliver, Sally, Louisa, Asa, Josiah, Betsey. page 338

          ABRAHAM      b.9-2-1778, in Weston, Mass. He moved to Frankfort,now Winterport,Maine about 1804;He was a farmer; d.1849. He married 1803, Thankful Lombard, of Truro, Mass, who died about 1860. Children of Abraham and Thankful Conant:- Lydia Isaac Amasa Jacob Charles Sarah Sarah Snow Abraham Thankful Artemus Henry   PAGE 437

            ISAAC           b.6-13-1807 in Frankfort, now called Winterport, Maine He was a farmer; d. 8 March 1869. He m. in Winterport, 3 Nov.,1836, Jane Weston who was b.22 July 1812 and d. 12 Dec 1907

Children of Isaac and Jane(Weston)Conant:- EDWARD WESTON CONANT (GR GRANDFATHER) Dameris Charles Albert Augusta Sarah Mercy Maria

      EDWARD WESTON MY Great GRANDFATHER was born 6/24/1837 in Old Town,Penobscot County,Maine and be found on (pg522)~ Edward was a lumber manufacturer; had a company called Carr and Conant and lived in Old Town,Penobscot, Maine.

E.W. was the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge, I.O.O.F.,of Maine, for 1884 and 1885.
He married in Old Town,Penobscot, Maine., Caroline Eddy Bailey, of Milford, Penobscot, Maine and who died Christmas Eve,1874 the same night her Mother Olivia Dudley died. Child of Edward W. and Caroline E.(Bailey) Conant:- Edward Allen

     

and finally ~My Grandfather

    EDWARD ALLEN  born 4-28-1867 Eddy was first a salesman, then appointed     postmaster of Old Town,Penobscot, Maine       Ed died, suddenly, on the Doctors doorstep on 6-23-1923, and it became the end of Our Conant lineage as he was the last male in our line. Eddy married during that July, of 1901, my dear Grandmother Isabel McLaughlin  of Stillwater, Maine, who was born 5/14/1874.

Isabel was an educator,taught school for 32 years, and was for a time the acting principal of the Helen Hunt School of Old Town,Maine and at age 84,died 4/28/1958

My maternal GRANDPARENTS had two daughters~ Priscilla Gertrude and my Mother,CAROLYN born December,1909, Old Town,Penobscot,Maine, ~who then MARRIED for the next 57 years my DAD,THOMAS~ a wonderful,gentle,funny Irish GENTLEMAN, then had my brother TERRY and six years later I was born.

BETWEEN US then added to the population explosion with twelve offspring!!


My Brother Terry's children; MICHAEL,KATHLEEN,KELLY,THOMAS,JAMES,RYAN,ROBERT and mine; WENDY,JOHN,ALLENE,ROBERT,DAVID
who have now blessed my brother and I with {count um} 21 grandchildren! ~and so the story shall go on and on~~

In the photo above are~ My great grandfather Edward W.,my grandfather Eddy,grandmother Isabel,aunts,uncles,and my Mother,Carolyn, at a young age, everyone standing in front of my grandparents home in Old Town,Maine during the beginning of this past century.