JASON RUSSELL

1658-1736

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Jason Russell was born on November 14, 1658, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the ninth child of ten children to William and Martha Russell.

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Jason was a private in King Philip’s War (name taken from pay records dated 26 Jan 1676), having served under Captain Joseph Syll.

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Jason and his brothers, William and Joseph settled in Menotomy. In 1681, Jason and William built “a house of 26 foote long with a leanto at the Ende of it,” on land in which their mother relinquished her rights. William married the following year, so it’s assuming that they lived in this house.

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Jason Russell married Mary Hubbard on May 27, 1684, when he was 25 years old. Mary Hubbard’s parents are Sarah Winship and James Hubbard.

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In 1689, Cambridge divided the common land in what was called “the Rocks”. Jason was not granted a lot in this division, but in the same year, he bought a lot from Edward Pelham, to whom it had been granted. By 1694, he had also bought more lots, giving him a total of about forty acres. The land thus granted and sold had to be improved either by fencing or building. Jason chose to fence his.

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Their farm is described as being bounded on the west by the Concord Road and on the east by Woburn Road. They apparently started with a small house and added to it, because the inventory of his estate distinguishes between new and old rooms.

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Jason and Mary had two children, Hubbard and Martha Russell. In 1710, Jason’s only son, Hubbard married and his mother, Mary, gave them about eight acres of land for their homestead, and he built a house and barn on it.

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There are indications that Jason and his brother William were very active in the movement to get Menotomy established as a separate precinct. They involved in the location of the burying ground in 1724 and the meetinghouse in 1733, but Jason died in 1736, three years before the Second or North-west Parish was finally completely established. He left a vast estate which was divided among his widow and grandchildren.

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The house was divided equally between them; his wife, Mary having half the kitchen, the southern half of the cellar, the west lower room, and the kitchen chamber. Jason and his sisters got the west chamber and garret, in addition to the north half of the cellar and half the kitchen.

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Portions of the land were given to his wife, Mary, to Martha Dunster, their only daughter, and to Hubbard’s children (specifically Jason). The “Great Pasture” of forty-one acres is the land where his grandson, Jason, Sr, built his house a few years later.

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It is noted that Jason was a licensed Inn Holder, although I haven’t seen any mention of owning an inn.

Jason died in his hometown on January 2, 1736, having lived a long life of 77 years.