vital records sources
go to Margaret Briggs's page

Ebenezer's signature on his will

Ebenezer served in the "French & Indian" War in Capt. Nathaniel Gilbert's company of Col. Timothy Ruggles' regiment, between 14 April and 8 November 1755. This regiment was in the Battle of Lake George, which took place on 8 September 1755. This regiment was also at Crown Point on Lake Champlain. Other men in this company were discharged on 8 November, suggesting Ebenezer died shortly after returning from this service. His death isn't in any municipal records and diseases such as small pox affected these troops, leaving the possibility he died on the way home. His widow Margaret's intentions to marry Ebenezer Pool were published at Dighton the following January. The muster roll for Gilbert's company was discovered to be wrong about how long Ebenezer served, short-changing him 8 weeks and 3 days. Whoever brought the petition to the attention of the court, not named in the abstract seen but undoubtedly either Margaret or her second husband, was given 2 lbs., 18 shillings and 8 pence.

     The above signature is the only one for which I've found an image. Redding was spelled by others with one and two "d"s. His father spelled it both ways. Since it's somewhat ambiguous, I've spelled the name "Redding."

children of Ebenezer Redding and Margaret Briggs:

i. Ebenezer, b. 11 December 1737
ii. Mary b. 13 January 1739(/1740?), died young
iii. Mary b. 17 August 1741
iv. Zebedee b. 17 January 1742(/1743?)
William?
Samuel b. 31 December 1747
Silence
Hannah

vital records sources: Ebenezer's birth is recorded in "Middleborough, Mass., Births, Marriages and Deaths," in The Mayflower Descendant, Vol. 3 (1901), p. 85.

1. The Acts and Resolves, Public and Private, of the Province of the Massachusetts Bay, Vol. 15, p. 591.