1 CMNT Alternate Death Place: Norwich, CT
Aaron lived in Woburn to 1704, Medford to 1710, Charlestown to 1713, Cambridge to 1716, Medford again, Charlestown again to 1738, East Haddam from 1738. In the Medford record, Aaron was constable 1 March 1707-8. The officer then was like a
magistrate of the present (1899), and conferred unually on the best scholars and first men.He kept a tavern at Cambridge, on the western side of and near Mystic River, and was a builder and contractor.
Aaron was a large estate owner in Charlestown; his numerous conveyances from 1706 to 1738 may be found in detail in "Wyman's Charlest. Estates, 220."
At East Haddam, Aaron became prominent in the military, and was successively cornet, lt., and capt.; he was known as Capt. Cleveland, and so designated on the records. In person he was of great size and strength. He was of much ability,
and became wealthy sepculating in land in Charlestown, East Haddam, and Millington, CT.Several autographs of Aaron Cleveland are in the Woburn Public Library.
The funeral of Capt. Cleveland is thus described by his great-grandson, William Cleveland: "My great-grandfather lived in Cambridge. He kept a tavern near Mystic River, on the western side. The town is now called Medford. He was a
very large man. He died suddenly, probably of apoplexy. As I heard he had eaten heartily of cherries and went to bed early, and when his wife followed him, she found him dead. The staircase being narrow and winding, the corpse could not be
taken down that way, and the windows were so small that they were obliged to enlarge one of them to get egress for the coffin, which was lowered into the yard the evening previous to the funeral. Six men attempted to carry the coffin to the
grave, but it proved too heavy, and a carriage was procured after they had carried it part of the distance."
1 CMNT Died Young
John was at work on the steeple of Haddam, stepped back off the staging, slid downhill, but resumed work in a fortnight. He was also a fine hautboy player.
1 CMNT Probably Died In Halifax, N.S.
Josiah owned the halfway covenant at Cambridge, 12 Dec. 1736, to procure the baptism of his children. Removed to East Haddam, 1738. In the East Haddam registry of deeds, a paper dated 28 Nov. 1738, he styles himself Josiah Cleaveland, now of
Millenton in E. Haddam, colony of Conn. and co. of Hartford, late of Charlestown, Mass., 3 Dec. 1744. Josiah is deeded by Aaron 50 acres in Millenton parish. 19 Dec. 1745, Josiah sells to his honored father part of a house and a small lot for
5 pounds. He removed to Boston between 1746 and 1748. 10 Feb. 1748-9, Josiah, now of Boston, pays mortgage on land in E. Haddam. It is evident that Josiah with his children then bereft of their mother, accompanied his borther Samuel in his
vessel with the N.E. colonists from Boston joining Gov. Cornwallis in founding Halifax. His wife died probably before removal from Haddam or Boston for he was in a list of families--Crown Land Off. Halifax--who settled in Nova Scotia, 1749-52.
Josiah's family of 5 persons has no female above 16, but 3 males and 1 female under 16 years. His children removed from Nova Scotia, before their marriages. Very likely the little ones were entirely orphaned and their aunt, Mrs. Susannah
Sewall (Porter) Cleveland, cared for and took them in 1754, to Norwich, CT, where Mehitable was married in 1768. Descendants of John and William returned to Canada, and still reside there.
1 CMNT Probably Born In Boston