benezer³ Landers (Thomas^2-1) was born 17 Sept. 1699, died probably in Sharon, Conn., shortly before 22 Sept. 1758.

Ebenezer Landers "of Rochester", published his intention of marriage 13 Sept. 1725 to Content⁴ Dexter^A of Barnstable, daughter of Stephen³ Dexter (William², Thomas¹) by his wife Anna³ Sanders (Henry^2-1). She was born there 5 Feb. 1701, and died, probably at Wareham, before 16 June 1749. The Wareham Church records show that Content Landers was admitted to full communion 5 June 1743; we suspect that she may have died soon after that date as she did not accompany her husband and relatives when they went to Connecticut.

This Ebenezer³ Landers, whom Plymouth County deeds describe as "of Rochester, husbandman", must not be confused with his very slightly younger cousin, Ebenezer³ Landers, son of John² Landers, who was a "cordwainer, of Bridgewater".

By a deed of 2 Oct. 1723 Thomas² Landers of Rochester, "in consideration for the love and affection I have for my well beloved son Ebenezer Landers", gave him a tract of land in Plymouth (Plymouth County Deeds 18:103). A deed of 15 July 1726 shows that Ebenezer Landers of Rochester, husbandman, bought for £150 the farm of his brother Joseph (ibid., 21:22). In a deed dated 3 April 1729 Ebenezer Landers of Rochester, husbandman, sold for £108 to Silas Bourne of Sandwich "all my land in Rochester, my house, homestead, that I bought of my brother Joseph Landers by deed Bk. 21, p. 22, containing all the lands, housing, meadow land which my father, Thomas Landers, conveyed to sd Joseph Landers by deed 22 Oct. 1723 per Bk. 17, p. 64, and also a second parcel, which the sd Joseph bought of Isaac Bumpas" (ibid., 24:61).

These deeds prove conclusively that this is the Ebenezer Landers who came to Rochester, and that it was not this son of Thomas² Landers who went to Bridgewater as several writers have supposed.

The Rochester records do not show the births of the children of Ebenezer Landers after 1729 when his second child, Mary, was born, and it seems probable that he had sold his Rochester property for the purpose of moving elsewhere. If he did move away for a time he had returned by 8 Nov. 1730 when "Ebenezer Landers of Rochester, labourer", paid his brother Joseph Landers £20 for a half acre of land there. This deed was witnessed by Joseph and Elizabeth Dotey, acknowledged 18 May, and recorded 24 May 1742 (ibid., 35:43).

In 1739 Ebenezer Landers joined with his brothers Nathan and Joseph in petitioning for the establishment of the new town of Wareham. And there, 14 March 1741/2, "Ebenezer Landers" was baptized (Wareham 1st Church Records). "Ebenezer, Stephen, and Abigail, children of Ebenezer and Content Landers" were baptized 25 July 1742, and Annah, daughter of Ebenezer and Content Landers was baptized 22 Aug. 1742 (ibid.). The mother, "Content Landers, wife of Ebenezer", was not baptized until 5 June 1743. When Ebenezer Landers, his son Thomas, and other members of the family group were "dismissed to ye Church of Christ in Sharon", Conn., 18 June 1749, Content is not listed so she may have died before that date.

Further research in Connecticut records is needed; we suspect that it was this Ebenezer Landers who married a second wife, Rebecca ----, by whom he had other children^B.

"Ebenezer Landers of Sharon in the County of New Haven and Colony of Connecticut", by a deed dated 23 March 1750, recorded 8 Feb. 1760, sold for £3 the Wareham lot which he had bought from his brother Joseph to Seth Briggs of Rochester (Plymouth County Deeds 45:265). We have not found the date of his death, which occurred before 22 Sept. 1758 when Samuel Lewis was placed under bond of £200 as administrator of his intestate estate. The inventory is dated 9 April 1759 [Sharon, Conn. Probate - original docket #1996].

1. Perhaps because this Content Dexter's mother was Anna Sanders, W. A. Warden and R. L. Dexter, the compilers of the Genealogy of the Dexter Family in America, 1905, p. 15, 16, allege that their #52, Content⁴ Dexter, married "Eben Saunders" whom they do not try to identify. Stephen³ Dexter, in his will dated 17 March 1729/30, names his daughter Content, but neither she nor her sisters are designated by their married names.
2. As we have noted, further research is needed here. Sharon was incorporated in October 1739. It was in the New Haven probate district until October 1742; in Litchfield Probate district until 1755, and since then in the Sharon Probate district. It may be that Samuel Lewis, the administrator of Ebenezer Landers’ estate was a brother or relative of the widow Rebecca. Her three children were all very young when the father died and some distribution may have been made when they reached maturity. It seems likely, also, that Rebecca was much younger than her husband; she may have remarried and moved elsewhere.

[Lydia B. (Phinney) Brownson and Maclean W. McLean, "Thomas¹ Landers of Sandwich, Mass.," NEHGR 124:209-210]

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