I found the family to be people who are
venturesome, full of energy and very practical in
their thinking. They took initiative and ventured
into the unknown, completing important projects. An
example of this attribute can be seen in Sir Josiah
Child and his brother Sir John Child. The family's
desire to improve their condition drew them to
venture out into new areas of life and put forth
great efforts to make the most of life. According to
documents of the War of Independence, during the
British attack on Lexington, MA our ancestors defied
the danger of battle and wrestled with difficulties
that gained for them honorable independence. As
pioneers, I don't think any class of men can show a
better record. From research it is indicated there
has been a constant moving of the generations from
the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. They were
industrious, frugal, and with a good degree of
intelligence. They have used their talents of life
wisely and have efficiently built comfortable homes
for their families. They have reared intelligent and
virtuous families. In the 1700 and 1800s it appears
the family was largely farmers, but there were some
who were in the various industries of the country.
They appear to be shrewd and prosperous tradesmen.
Members of the family were inventive genius in the
mechanical arts, successful manufacturers, and men
of thrift in smaller trades. Many members of family
were ministers of the Gospel. And most of the family
attained medium wealth.
The family has a fair record of general intelligence
and strong moral character. Education and high
culture have been regarded as important in every
generation. The numbers who have had the pleasure
and opportunity for a liberal education will
favorably compare with most other American families.
Large portions of the family were teachers.
Among those of higher education there have been some
who have risen to importance in all the learned
professions. The legal, medical and the clerical
representatives of the family, in many cases have
come to high honor. One characteristic is the desire
for knowledge and are drawn away from their busy
ambitions of life to the quiet seclusion of study.
A prominent feature of the family is its patriotism.
They were willing to stand and be counted for their
country and have risked and sacrificed their all to
save it. Our early ancestors fought in the French
and Indian War; their descendants were in the War of
Independence; then again in the War of 1812; later
in the Mexican War, and in the Civil War, World War
I, World War II, Korean War, and Viet Nam War.
When the War of Independence broke
out twenty-two of the Child family name was among
the first company of volunteers and minute men, when
Lexington, MA, was attacked by the British, April
19, 1775. Fifty to ninety Minute men lost their
lives that day, at Concord, Massachusetts. Eight men
were killed and ten wounded at Lexington.
Listed are the twenty-two Child Massachusetts
patriots
Aaron Child
Abel Child
Abijh Child
Abraham Child
Daniel Child
David Child
Elijah Child
Elisha Child
Isaac Child
John Child
Jonah Child
Jonathan Child
Joshua Child
Josiah Child
Lemuel Child
Moses Child
Phineas Child
Reuben Child
Silas Child
Samuel Child
Solomon Child
Timothy Child
Independence, with honor, has meant more to the
family than fame, wealth or position. They were
usually sympathetic and active; they hated
oppression and they were earnest supporters of equal
rights. Nothing made them anymore angry than
irresponsible absolute power. Their desire to help
their fellowman was not limited to their support of
organized agencies. They felt it their duty to give
help by using what God had placed in their hands to
rescue their fellow men from ignorance, degradation
and crime.
It was and still is a family of deep religious
convictions. This is indicated in the Christian
names given to their children (NOTE: the previous
list). Our ancestors were like all the other early
emigrants who came to this western world. They came
with basic absolute religious ideas and with
longings for freedom of conscience which was denied
them in their homeland. Their deep religious
convictions were proven in their conscientious
efforts as members of various Christian churches. A
spirit of toleration has marked the family's
religious history. Independent thought has had full
scope; and different religious creeds and
philosophical theories have come to exist, yet the
family built their religious convictions upon the
Bible, as interpreted by the Reformers of the 16th
and 17th centuries. They had a deep reverence for
the Bible. While some of the opinions of the early
ancestors are not shared by some descendants today
the essential truth, as taught in the Divine Book,
is cherished and insisted on as the only true basis
for sound doctrine and morality.
In politics they have distinct and differing
opinions, which are defended with earnestness and
persistency. They favor the Republican Party.
As of 1994 there are 8,392 Childs listed in the
National Directory of Childs families, however, I am
confident that this in not a complete account.
