Editing Edward Jackson (section)

== Early Life ==

(From [http://ancestorbios.blogspot.com/2012/03/nail-maker-from-london-edward-jackson.html]:)
Edward Jackson was born in 1602 in the East End of London, England to Christopher Jackson and Susan Johnson. Edward was baptized February 3, 1604 at Stepney. He had at least one brother named John. It was said that Edward was a nail maker and that he made a good living from it. 

Edward married a woman named Frances in about 1629 in London. In 1643, they decided to move to America and boarded a ship with their children. By the time they arrived, they had another, as Frances gave birth to a son while they were at sea. The family settled in Cambridge Village (later known as Newton), Massachusetts. In 1646, Edward purchased a 500 acre farm. Over the years, he bought so much property, he became the largest landowner in town.

On October 5, 1648, Edward's wife Frances died. He remarried on March 14th of the following year to a woman named Elizabeth Oliver, a midwife, and they had five children together. It is believed that Elizabeth was present at every local birth for fifty years, earning herself the title of "Mother of the Village." Edward himself was quite involved in community activities. He was admitted as a freeman in 1645 and for the next 20 years, he was Deputy to the Central Court, where he served on many committees, many of them focused on surveying and planning new settlements. 

Edward left a lengthy will when he died on June 17, 1681. He bequeathed many tracts of land to his heirs, and even named 400 acres in Billerica to go to Harvard, although it's said that they never obtained the land. He refers to having 36 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Besides land, he offered possessions of silver cups, gold rings and several books, indicating he had both wealth and education. It was said that over 40 of his descendants served in the American Revolution.

Some of Edward's land in Newton passed down through his heirs, and his great-great grandson, [[Timothy Jackson 2|Timothy Jackson]] (1756-1814) built the current house there in 1809. His son [[William Jackson|William]] (1783-1855) was an abolitionist and during the 19th century, used the house for a stop in the Underground Railroad, which helped slaves to escape to freedom. The homestead which begin when Edward bought the land in 1646 remained in the family for ten generations, into the 20th century. Today the Jackson Homestead houses a museum dedicated to the history of the town and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.