Children of Moses Cleveland
Moses Cleveland is apparently the ancestor of all Cle(a)velands who are of New England origin. When he arrived in Massachusetts from Ipswich, County Suffolk, England, in 1635, he was an indentured apprentice to a housewright. After remaining a few years in Boston, Moses, along with Edward Winn, founded the town of Woburn in 1640. Moses became a freeman in 1643. At that time a freeman was required "to be of godly walk and conversation, to be at least twenty years of age, to take an oath of allegiance to the government of Massachusetts Bay Colony, to be worth 200 pounds, to hold office if elected or pay a fine of forty shillings, and to vote in all elections or pay the same fine." Because these restrictions were so severe, many eligible apprentices chose not to become freemen with so little freedom! In 1642 Woburn selectmen appointed "land viewers" who allocated Moses a share of the public lands promised by the General Court, thereby designating Moses as an official "citizen." The 1663 Woburn Militia Muster Roll gives his age as thirty-nine. Around this time he also witnessed the certificate of Constable Thomas Dutton, who had tried unsuccessfully to deliver a circular letter from King Charles II to the people of Woburn. The good constable apparently needed verification that he had tried to fulfill his official duties but was spurned by the citizens, who felt that Charles was trying to "seduce the towns from their allegiance to the colony charter and government." On 26 Sep 1648 Moses married Ann Winn, the daughter of Edward and Joanna Winn of Woburn. Edward, a carpenter and a joiner, was probably the master of the apprentice Moses. Moses Cleveland died in 1701/2 in Woburn and was buried there in the "Old First Burying Ground."
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