Edmund RICE

                   MARRIAGE: New England Marriages: Prior to 1700 (C. A. Torrey) p. 620
Edmund Rice was born about 1594. In 1659 he emigrated from Berkhamstead,
England to Sudbury, Massachusetts which he helped to settle.  He served as
"Selectman" of the town in 1644, deacon of the church (Puritan), 1648 andin
1656 was one of the thirteen petitioners who besought the "General Court"of
Massachusetts for a new plantation saying "Where as your petioners havedivers
years in Sudbury, and God hath been pleased to increase our childrenwhich are
now divers of them grown to man's estate, and we many of us have growninto
years so that we should be glad to see them settled before the Lord takeus
away from hence as also God having given us some considerable quantity of
cattle, so that we are not so straightened that some of us having takenthe
pains to view the country, we have found a place which is located westward
about 8 miles from Sudbury, which we conceive might be comfortable for our
subsistence."
Sudbury at that time contained less than 75 familes and one would thinkthey
were in need of more neighbors than for more territory.  So it was foundsome
20 years lates when with an increase in population, the town was brokenup and
nearly destroyed by th eindians. But one of the duties of the GeneralCourt was
to establish new towns by granting tracts of unimproved land to groups of
settlers who wished to push out from the older towns to establish newoes. The
land was then allotted to individual owners by the action of the townmeeting.
THe allottent made to Edmund Rice in thie new town consisted of a houselot and
50 acres. This was in the year of 1660. Edmound had 9 children by hisfirst
wife Tomasine who died June 13, 1654. In March 1655 he married Mercie awidow
of Thomas Brigham. They had 2 more children. Edmund Rice died in MarlboroMay
31, 1663.