Governor Bradford mentioned Church in a letter of 6 February 1631/32 to Bay Governor
Winthrop, in which he stated "Richard Church came likewise as a soujournour to worke for ye present;
though he is still hear residente longer than he purposed; and what he will doe, neither, we nor I thinke
himselfe knowes; but if he resolve here to settle we shall require of him to procure a dismission; but he
did affirme to us at ye first, that he was one of mr webbs men, and free to goe for England or whither he
would, ye wch we ye rather beleved because he came to us frome wessagasscusett upon ye falling out with
his parttner"Church had earlier, 19 October 1630, applied for freeman status in Massachusetts Bay Colony. On 2 January 1632/33 he was made a Plymouth freeman. He [p.264] married Elizabeth Warren, daughter of Mayflower passenger Richard Warren, the marriage probably taking place before 14 March 1635/36. On 7 March 1636/37 widow Elizabeth Warren mentioned land she had given to her sons-in-law Richard Church, Robert Bartlett, and
Thomas Little. On 7 March 1647/48 he was referred to as Sergeant Church. He moved to Nauset ca. 1649.
Later he moved to Charlestown in the Bay Colony, where he was called a carpenter on 24 January
1653/54 in a deed in which he purchased half a corn mill in Hingham. He moved to Hingham and became
a selectman. On 25 August 1664 he deposed that he was aged about fifty-six years. He died at Dedham 26
December 1668. The will of Richard Church, dated 25 December 1668, sworn 26 January 1668/69,
named his wife Elizabeth Church and his children, unnamed except for one, Joseph. His wife Elizabeth
died at Hingham 9 March 1669/70. His children were Elizabeth, Joseph, Benjamin, Nathaniel, Charles,
Caleb, Abigail, Sarah, Mary, Deborah, and possibly Richard. His son Benjamin married Alice
Southworth, daughter of Constant and Elizabeth (Collier) Southworth, and became the famous fighter of
King Philip's War.Robert S. Wakefield, "The Children and Purported Children of Richard and Elizabeth (Warren) Church,"
"The Deposition of Richard Church aged about 56 yeares this Deponent saith that hee being att worke about the mill the 19th. day of august hearing of a Cry that the man was killed; hasted presently and healped to remove the earth from Thomas ffish who being much bruised thereby was gott to bedd and in four dayes and a halfe Dyed; and further saith not." Made at Sandwich 25 Aug. 1664 and recorded in Plymouth Coll. Court Orders, Vol. IV. p. 92 (Mayflower Descendants IV-152).
Richard died in Dedham where he was on a visit "Sabbath day erly in the morning," and is buried in Hingham, Massachusetts at a spot now covered by the highway leading to the Old Steamboat Wharf and near the water. He left a modest estate, but since he probably granted inheritances to each of his eleven children as they reached majority or were married, it is likely that his estate was much greater than indices show it was at his death. His will is concise:
"I Richard Church of Hingham, having perfect understanding, yet visited by sickness of body, order this my last will. Debts pay'd then my will is that my wife, Elizabeth Church, shall enjoy the remainder during her life. And when it shall please God that she shall leave this life my will is that what Estate I shall leave her that shall not be necessarily Expended for her maintenance shall then be equally divided amongst my children, only my sonn Joseph to have a dubble portion, that is twice as much as any of the rest of my children, by reason of the lameness of his hand, whereby he is disinabled above the rest of my children for the getting of a livelihood. I ordain my sonn Joseph to be my Executor."
25 Dec 1668 Richard X Church
The witnesses were Joshus Fisher, John Farebank, Sr., and John Farebank, Jr. The will was presented for probate 26 January 1669. The fact that Richard signed by a mark may not necessarily indicate lack of education, so much as weakness of body. The will is dated three days before his death.
Came in the ship "Ann" 1623
Came in the "Fortune" in 1621.
This link will take you to Ancestry.com