At the time of Lawrence Litchfield's residence within the new colonies, and the Indian wars, the seeds of a fledgling constitution were planted in the form of a declaration called, "The General Fundamentals". These were a series of laws which established the basic individual rights to which all men were provided, as well as the earliest recorded demand for a representative government. This declaration has often been viewed by historians as the basis upon which our current representative form of government is based. These fundamentals were simple and few, and are reprinted below that the reader might better understand their significance as they relate to the legal and governmental environment of the time.
The column below on the right side provides the main text of the General Fundamentals. The column on the left provides the margin notations included adjacent to that text by the compilers of the 1685 edition of the Book of the General Laws.
Born 1616'ish in Kent England
Died 1649 in Scituate Massachusetts
1640, at the age of 22, joined the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Boston and is sent to Boston to learn
the art of war and military engineering before returning to Barnstable, Massachusetts to that branch of that Order under the command of Lieut. Thomas Dymoke in service with the Indians.
1640'ish Marries Judith Dennis, daughter of William Dennis, and has four children (Samuel listed in other trees, has not been verified)
1649 While on his death bed, he states his desire that John and Ann Allen should be allowed to adopt his youngest son Josiah, then about two years old. Lawrence leaves his new land for his home in glory before February 1650. He is buried in the First Burying Ground or the Men of Kent Cemetery in Scituate. Judith would marry William Peakes in 1650, and Josiah would be legally adopted by the Allens in 1657 at the age of nine.
Judith and William Peakes would have four sons; Thankful b. 19 Nov 1655; Isreal b. 22 Feb 1656; Eleazer b. 3 May 1657; and William b. 13 Jul 1662.
Any male direct descendant is eligible for membership in The Society of Colonial Wars and The Order of the Founders and Patriots of America.
Judith Dennis
Remember - 1644 - 1708 Married Henry Luce and had ten children; Robert; remember; Isreal; Experience; Eleazer; Henry; Thomas; William; Josiah; David
Dependance - 1646 - ? As of this writing, no information regarding her death, marriage or children has been located or verified.
Experience - 1641 - 1672 Died at Boston Harbor when a timber fell on him. He died without wife or children.
Josiah - 1647 - 1707 Married Sarah Baker 22 Feb 1671 Children; Hannah b. 24 Dec 1672 d. 1747; Sarah b. 25 Sep 1674; Josiah b. 10 Jan 1677 d. 17 Nov 1717; Nicholas b. 7 Feb 1680 d. 1 May 1750; Experience b. 25 May 1683; Judith b. 25 Apr 1687; Samuel b. 4 Feb 1690 d. 1767.
Even with codified law providing for religious freedom, there was and always shall be differences of opinion regarding the bounds of those laws. In the case of the colonies of New England, the usual overriding principle was, what is in the best interest of the colony. The need and good of the many must, by necessity, take precedent over the need of the few. All such determinations must be made with the rights of the individual under the law kept in mind. A difficult balancing act then as it is now.