Reginald Foster b. about 1595 in Devonshire, England; d. 1681; m(1)Judith - [d. Oct 1664]; (2) Sept, 1665, widow Sarah Martin of Ipswich MA. He came from England with wife and seven children about 1638, and was one the earliest settlers of Ipswich, MA. where he resided until his death. wasborn Abt. 1595 in prob. Exeter, Devon, ENGLAND, and died Abt. May 1681, in Ipswich, Essex, Mass. He married Judith Wignol Abt. 1618.

• Isaac Foster (Reginald ¹) b. 1630; d. Feb 8,1691; m.(1) May 5, 1658 Mary Jackson; (2) Hannah Downing; (3)Martha Hale. He had eleven childern of the first marriage and three of the second.
• Eleazer Foster (Isaac², Reginald¹) a son of Isaac's second marrage, b. Apr, 1684; d. Nov 15, 1771;m. Elizabeth Fiske[b. Oct 9, 1679;d. Feb 19,1758]. He was a weaver.
• Abijah Foster (Eleazer³, Isaac², Reginald¹). Bapt Jan 1707/1708; He enlisted in the military service against the French and Indians, and while encamped at Crown Point, died of smallpox. Childern - all probably born in New Ipswich except the eldest:
  Mary, b. Ipswich, MA. Aug, 1736
  • Ebenezer, b. abt 1739; d. 1759. He enlisted with his father in the French Indian war, and like him died of samllpox at Crown Point.
  • Elizabeth, b. abt 1741; d. Feb 27, 1800; m.(1) 1759, John Fletcher; (2)William Hodgkins.
  • Samuel, b. abt 1742; d. 1780. He served in the Revolution, responding to the alarm of April, 1775, enlisting for three years in 1777, and dying while in service.
  • Daniel, b. unknown. His name appears on the initial Revolutionary roll of April, 1775. He enlisted three times afterward, the last for three years.
  • Ephraim, b. unknown. the remaining son of the pioneer, was with his brothers in Capt. Heald's company at the birth of the Revolution, and like them enlisted for three years in 1777. He was disabled by sickness in 1780 and died soon after.

2. From History of the town of Canterbury, New Hampshire, 1727-1912
by James O. Lyford (RumfordPress 1912)
New edition published by the Canterbury Historical Society
Library of Congress card number 73-87549
[Available from NY public library and Univ. Calif San Diego library]

Federick Clifton Pierce of Chicago, in his genealogy of the American Fosters, states that Reginald Foster was born in Brunton (others say Exeter), England about 1595, and was a descendant of an ancient and respectable family of that section, which was identified with those families in the northern counties of England, which were known by the name of Forster, and had distinguished themselves in their successful achievements against the Scottish foes, and are mentioned in the "Lay of the Last Minstrel" and "Marmion."

Foster Coat of Arms

Reginald Foster came to America in one to the vessels embargoed by King Charles I, accompanied by his wife, Judith, five sons and two daughters,and settled in Ipswich, Mass., about the year 1638, and was one of the earliest inhabitants of that town. His English ancestry, beginning with his father, was as follows: Thomas, Cuthbert, Sir Thomas, Sir Thomas, Sir Thomas, Sir Thomas, Sir Thomas, Sir William, Sir Richard, Sir Reginald, Sir Alfred, Sir Randolf, Sir John, Sir William, sir Reginald, Sir Hugo, and Sir Richard. A sister of Sir Richard, called Matilda or Maude, was the wife of William I, the Conqueror, King of England.

From Sir Richard Forester sprung the Blake Foresters of Ashfield and Knockmoy Abbey, County of Galway, and Inchorey Castle, County of Clare; also, the Foresters of Etherston and Bamborough Castle on Northumberland, who are also vividly described in the historical novel, "Dorothy Forster", by Sir Walter Besant, the celebrated English novelist.

NOTE: Foster, Forster, and Forester spellings are used Throught early english documentation to indicate the same family.

Reginald Foster died in 1681 at over eighty of age. His Will was proved June 9, 1681. His children were: Mary, Sarah, Abraham, Issac, William, Jacob and Reginald, all of whom were born in England between 1618 and 1636. Each of the children had families of from nine to fourteen children, many of whom setteled in Ipswich, Boxford, Andover and vicinity towns of Mass. It is, therefore, evident that Reginald Foster has a numerous posterity widely scattered. Many have attained national distinction, among them having been U.S. Senator Lafayette Sabine Foster of Conn. and U.S. Senator Addison G. Foster of Wash.

The majority of the Canterbury book is devoted to Capt. Asa Foster (William³ William²Reginald¹) and his decendants.

_{Lack of space prevents giving a full account of Reginald Foster or of his decendents, except of those who lived in Canterbury. Frederic Clifton Pierce in his genelogy of the Fosters devotes several pages to his life in Ipswich Mass., and states that he was an active citizen of that town. Included in this account is a copy of the inventory of his estate and also a copy of his will dated April 30, 1680. Other books giving an account of Reginald Foster and his descendants were published by Edward Jacob Forster, M.D., of Boston in 1876 and by Perley Derby of Salem Mass in 1872. The facts for these publications by Dr. Forster and Derby were probably taken largely from the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol I, page 352, and Vol XXX, page 83, and other sections of the Register.}

NOTE: Devon (or Devonshire), SW England, on the Exe River 37 mi. (60 km.) NE of Plymouth; pop. (1991p) 101,100; has cathedral housing the Exeter Book,the largest collection of Old English poetry; railroad center;agricultural center; shipping (city connected with tidal estuary of the Exe by a ship canal); Univ. of Exeter (1955). Probably a trading center and fort existed here even before Roman times; a center of resistance of Britons to Anglo-Saxon invasion; withstood Danish attack 1001, but captured by Danish King Sweyn I 1003; capitulated to William the Conqueror, first Norman king of England, 1068; Royalist stronghold in Civil War 1642-46; in WWII site of largest U.S. Navy supply depot in England.

3. From above books and other sources:

Decendents of Reginald Foster:

• Isaac Foster(1630-1691) sp. Martha Hall
  • Eleazer Foster(1684-1771) sp. Elizabeth Fiske
    • Abijah Foster(1707-1759) sp. Mary Knowlton
      • Elizabeth Foster(1737-1800) sp. William Hodgkins
        • Nathaniel Hodgkins(1768-1835) sp. Anna Stickney
          • Cynthia Hodgkins(1792-1875) sp. Richard Tillotson
            • Maria Tillotson(1819-1884) sp. Stephen P. Locke
              • Lucius P. Locke(1850-1933) sp.Mary Eva Jennings
                • Hazel Locke(1892-1966)sp. Frances Donahue
                  • Mary K. Donahue(1915-1974)sp. Oscar Reid

3rd Crusade

The loss of Jerusalem led to the Third Crusade. The important European leaders of the Third Crusade included the German emperor Frederick I (called Barbarossa), King Richard I (the Lion-Hearted) of England **, and King Philip II (Augustus) of France.

Frederick drowned in 1190 on his way to the Holy Land. Quarrels among Richard, Philip, and other leaders limited the crusaders' success. The Europeans conquered the Palestinian port cities of Acre (now Akko)and Jaffa in 1191. But after the capture of Acre, Philip returned home to plot against Richard. Richard attempted to recapture Jerusalem, but failed. Before Richard left for home, however, he negotiated a treaty with Saladin. As a result of this treaty, the Muslims let Christian pilgrims enter Jerusalem freely.

Note: ** Sir John Forster accompanied King Richard.