Bristol Co., Massachusetts, Judiciary
Extracted from
Our County & Its People
A Descriptive & Biographical Record of
Bristol County
Massachusetts
Alanson Borden
1899
Pages 655 - 659
The judges of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas for Bristol County were as follows:
Appointed John Saffin Dec 7, 1692 Thomas LEONARD Dec 7, 1692 Nicholas PECK Dec 7, 1692 John BROWNE Dec 7, 1692 Thomas LEONARD Dec 7, 1692 Nathaniel BYFIELD Aug 7, 1701 Ebenezer BRENTON June 29, 1702 Benjamin CHURCH Sep 30, 1708 Henry MACKINTOSH Dec 28, 1709 Nathaniel PAYNE Aug 24, 1710 Simon DAVIS Jan 1, 1713-14 George LEONARD Dec 10, 1715 Nathaniel BLAGROVE Mar 19, 1823-4 Seth WILLIAMS Jun 23, 1724 Samuel VYALL Dec 2, 1724 George LEONARD 2d Dec 18, 1825 Nathaniel HUBBARD Jun 28, 1728 Thomas CHURCH Aug 22, 1729 Seth WILLIAMS Dec 12, 1729 Job ALMY Dec 11, 1749 Stephen PAINE Feb 8, 1745-6 Ephraim LEONARD June 27, 1747 Samuel WILLIS April 18, 1749 Timothy FALES May 23, 1760 James WILLIAMS May 23, 1760 Zephaniah LEONARD Jan 24, 1761 Elisha TOBEY June 18, 1766 William SPOONER 1781 Thomas DURFEE 1781 Benjamin WILLIAMS 1781 William BAYLIES 1781 David COBB 1781 George LEONARD 1781
The special justices of the Inferior Court appointed at various times were:
Appointed Perez BRADFORD Dec 11, 1740 Job ALMY Jan 9, 1735-6 Samuel WILLIS Jun 27, 1747 Thomas BOWEN Aug 12, 1749 John GODFREY Aug 17, 1749 Samuel WILLIS Jan 24, 1761 Samuel WILLIS Nov 24, 1761 Thomas GILBERT Feb 17, 1763 Thomas DURFEE 1775 Nathaniel HUBBARD April 5, 1745 Thomas TERRY Jun 27, 1747 George GODFREY 1775 David COBB of Taunton 1781 Ezra RICHMOND 1781 Shubael PECK 1781 Samuel TOBEY 1781 Apollos LEONARD 1781
The Chief Judges of the Common Pleas Court, established in 1782, were:
Appointed Samuel TOBEY 1795 Stephen BURBANK 1795 Edward POPE 1796 Samuel FALES, chief justice 1805 Elihu SLOCUM 1807 Daniel PERRY 1807 Samuel GUILD 1807 James GODFREY 1807 Laban WHEATON, chief justice 1810 Samuel FALES 1810 Seth WASHBURN 1810 Samuel GUILD 1811 Seth WASHBURN 1819 Apollos TOBEY 1819 Jonathan INGALL, special justice 1822 Elihu SLOCUM, special justice 1822
The judges of the Circuit Court of Common Pleas Court, were: Seth WASHBURN, sessions judge, appointed in 1814. Apollos TOBEY sessions justice, appointed in 1814.
REGISTERS OF PROBATE In Bristol In Taunton Stephen BURTON, 1686-92 George Leonard, 1742-88 John CARY, 1692-1717 Dr. William BAYLIES, 1783-1812 Ebenezer BRENTON, 1715-17 Francis BAYLIES, 1812-21 John CARY, 1717-21 David G. W. COBB, 1821-33 Stephen PAINE, 1721-49 Anselm BASSETT, 1833-51
Henry WILLIAMS, 1851-53
John DAGGETT, 1853-64
Austin S. CUSHMAN, 1864-69
William E. FULLER, 1896-
Arthurm M. Alger, incumbent
The special justices of he Common Pleas Court were:
Appointed Elisha MOREY 1796 James WILLIAMS 1799 Alden SPOONER 1803 Samuel FALES 1804
The judges of the General Sessions of the Peace, after its reorganization in 1807, and of its successor, the Court of Sessions, were:
Appointed Josiah DEAN, chief justice 1807 Nathaniel MORTON, jr. 1807 Seth WASHBURN 1811 Elihu SLOCUM 1811 Laban WHEATON, chief justice 1819
The judges of Probate and Insolvency for Bristol County have been:
Appointed Nathaniel BYFIELD October 23, 1702 Nathaniel BLAGROVE Sept 27, 1729 Nathaniel HUBBARD April 5, 1744 George LEONARD Feb. 16, 1747-8 George LEONARD 2d Nov 24, 1761 George LEONARD 1775 George LEONARD 1776 Nathaniel PAINE Aug. 24, 1710 Nathaniel BYFIELD Dec. 9, 1715 Benjamin WILLAIMS 1778 Benjamin WILLIAMS 1780 George LEONARD 1785 Seth PADELFORD 1793 Hodijah BAYLIES 1811 Oliver PRESCOTT 1836 Edmund H. BENNETT 1859 William E. FULLER 1884
SHERIFFS Nathaniel PAINE May 27, 1692 Samuel GALLOP Dec 22, 1692 - June 30, 1710 William TROOP Dec 10, 1715 Seth WILLIAMS (Taunton) Mar 31, 1718 Charles CHURCH (Dighton) April 16, 1718 - June 22, 1733 Sylvester RICHMOND (Dighton) Jan 14, 1746 - Nov 24, 1761 Zephaniah LEONARD (Raynham) 1774 Horatio LEONARD (Raynahm) 1809 Nah CLAFLIN (Attleborough) 1812 Horatio LEONARD 1813 Horatio L. DANFORD (Taunton) 1845 Lyman W. DEAN (Attleborough) 1852 Robert SHERMAN (Pawtucket) 1853 George H. BABBITT (Taunton) 1855 Chr. B.H. FESSENDEN (New Bedford) 1863 William S. COBB (New Bedford) 1869 Andrew R. WRIGHT (Fall River) 1878 Edwin H. EVANS incumbant)
CLERKS of COURTS Timothy FALES 1702 Timothy FALES 1746 Samuel FALES (Taunton) 1774 John TUCKER signed records of the
Judicial Supreme Court
Oct 1897 - Oct 1804
[sic] Nathaniel FALES 1804 Nathaniel FALES 1813 James SPROAT (Taunton) 1816 James SPROAT
son of the former Oct 1822 William A. F. SPROAT (Taunton) April 1856 John S. BRAYTON (Fall River) Jan 7, 1857 Simeon BORDEN (Fall River) Jan 5, 1864
REGISTERS OF DEEDS Thomas TROOP before 1741 James WILLIAMS 1780 Alfred WILLIAMS 1822 Alfred WILLIAMS [North District] 1838 Benjamin T. CONGDEN [South District] 1838 Charles C. SAYER [North District] 1862 Benjamin K. SAYER [South District] 1859 Joseph E. WILBAR [North District] 1862 George B. RICHMOND [South District] 1885 Nathan D. CHACE of Fall River 1894
KING'S ATTORNEYS Samuel HOWLAND 1702-46 Samuel WHITE 1747-69 Daniel LEONARD 1769 to the Revolution
COUNTY & DISTRICT ATTORNEYS Marcus NORTON 1812 Nicholas TILLINGEAST 1818 John Mason WILLIAMS 1819 James ELLIS 1821 Horatio L. DANFORTH 1830 James ELLIS 1831-32 Charles H. WARREN 1833-39 John H. CLIFFORD 1840-49 Harrison G. O. COLBY 1850-51 Horatio PRATT 1852-53 Lincoln F. BRIGHAM 1854-59 George MARSTON 1862-79 Hosea M. KNOWLTON 1880-94 Andrew J. JENNINGS 1895 to present
Note: During Mr. WARREN's incumbency, the State was divided in 1834 into four districts, Northern, Eastern, Southern, & Western. In 1849 a fifth district, the Middle, was added to the former four. In 1855 the sixth district was added, the Southeastern; in 1856, the Northwestern was added, and in 1859, the Suffolk district was added, making the present eight.